Jess's comments (member since Jun 08, 2008)

Jess's comments from the Constant Reader group.

Janet wrote: "Not a single flake has fallen in northeastern Maryland yet, but they are acting like we are about to be hit by meteors! I know we are supposed to get snow but they always panic so much here it’s ki..."

Oh, by the way that our weathermen were talking tonight, you would think PA's never seen an inch of snow! It's amazing how frantic everyone gets.

What a beautiful picture, Sherry!

I'm hoping we'll have a white Christmas here. A storm is supposed to roll in tonight through Sunday, and they're calling for snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas, but you can never be sure with our weathermen!

I think a interesting one could come from the first line of Love in the Time of Cholera:

"It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love."

Interesting topic, Whitaker!

Russ2 wrote: "Please pardon a rather cynical question, since all of this is so new to me.
Does the new liberal approach to history, which shows that the United States isn't always right, ever show that the Un..."


That's a good question, Russ, and understandable, too! Speaking from my personal experience, throughout most of my public education, we were taught that the US was always, and without a doubt, right in everything. My tenth grade history teacher opened my eyes to a degree, but it wasn't until my sophomore year in college that I was taught to be an active history learner--examining both sides of a situation and forming my opinions based on the circumstances, ultimately resulting in the conclusion that the US is *sometimes* right--hehe :)

Very interesting, Catherine! The point you made about No Child Left Behind rings true with me--I graduated from my high school in 2007, but I can remember teachers "teaching to the test." Being from PA, all we students ever heard about were the PSSAs, and subjects besides English and the various maths weren't really considered as important in my high school. My best history class was in 10th grade, which taught the material from the Reconstruction period to the present. I remember my teacher did an efficient job at keeping us up to date and keeping us down-to-earth by letting us know that the US isn't always in the right. Other than that course, though, our history classes were just run-of-the-mill. I took AP Euro History my junior year of high school, and it was a joke, which is sad in retrospect because it was probably due to the "All Hail the US" attitude so many are taught.

I myself feel blessed with respect to history because my dad loves history and taught me the facts with the reverence and the accuracy that they are due. Much of my time growing up (and even now) has been spent visiting various battlefields (my dad's a Civil War nut), watching the History Channel, and reading all sorts of historical books, whether fiction or nonfiction. At a younger age, I might not have always understood the inside politics or the consequences of battles, etc. but I feel as though my exposure to history is what was important. Visiting sites like Gettysburg where I could climb on the rocks at Devil's Den that the soldiers fought on or make the trek up to Big Round Top really piqued my interest as a child and has held my attention every since.

Once again, very interesting points. Do you think that anything can be done about the decline in historical interest?

Great choice of poems, Ruth! I have been a fan of e.e.cummings for a while now...there's just something about his poetry that always seems to resonate with me. I think he's lost a bit of popularity simply for the fact that much of my generation is quite lazy. Kids my age (19-20) just don't want to put the effort forth to read and comprehend. What I like about e.e.cummings is that when you put a little bit of effort into it...you get a lot of satisfaction out of it. It's just sad that so many are unwilling to discover someone so talented.

I LOVE this poem. Maya Angelou has always been one of my favorites and this was one of the very first poems of hers I've read.

Barbara--thanks for the welcoming words :) That's a very interesting point you make about the contrast of her words and the subject matter.

Sherry--Come to think of it, I remember thinking her words were pretty surprising. She seems to give a contrasting description of her son as well. In some ways, she does make him sound like an older man, especially in the parts you talk about. Then at other times, he sounds so young, like when she mentions the transistor radio and when he talks about the "angels" coming to visit their home.

I know I'm a little late on reading this story, but I found it to be beautiful. I've enjoyed reading all of your takes upon it, as well :)

I think the most heartbreaking thing for me with this story was the line about the boy having the transistor radio "so he can stay asleep while Mommy works."

Barbara, I am so jealous that you got to see Bob Dylan in concert! I had a chance to see him last week in Pittsburgh, but I couldn't make it :(

And Ruth, although I only have one 33 of Bob Dylan's (gasp--I know!), I have at least 2 GB of his music on my mp3 player! He's my all-time favorite singer!

I've officially started the fifth Harry Potter book...Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix...I'll let you all know what I think of it because this is the first Harry Potter book that I haven't read yet...so I'm really looking forward to it! :)

I just finished the third Harry Potter book last night. It took me a few days to read it because I was trying to savor it (as it is my favorite book so far).

And now I'm starting to read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which is another re-read that I'm more than looking forward to.

Barbara--I put all of the Harry Potter audiobooks onto my iPod...I love Jim Dale! My favorite character that he does is Dumbledore :)

Thanks, for the suggestion, Barbara. That actually sounds like a great idea! I'm pretty sure my library has them, so I'll have to check them out!

Yesterday morning, I finished re-reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Loved it...again :D

Then yesterday afternoon, I started re-reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I'm loving it so far, and I'm well on my way to my summer goal of reading the entire series!

Anne--I know exactly what you mean! I've tried and tried to use cute chic little purses, but they've all ended up at the back of my closet because they're not big enough to fit my books!

I just finished reading Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems & Lyrics by Alicia Keys...which I thought was a great book, being a fan of her music and all! Today was a perfect rainy day for reading poetry, so I spent the day soaking it up!

And now, I'm about to start what I've been waiting to do all summer--read the entire Harry Potter series from first to last! So I'm picking up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone tonight and couldn't be more excited! :)

I just finished Eldest by Christopher Paolini Friday night and now I can't wait for September 20th for his next book to come out!

Last night I started The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis because one of my goals this summer was to read that series. Almost finished with it! :)

I just finished reading First Landing by Robert Zubrin, which is a great science fiction read, and that's coming from a person who usually doesn't read science fiction!

Last night, I picked up Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza, a very inspirational and powerful nonfiction read.

Ruth--yes, that is definitely a good indication of quality! I was up reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe late last night as a matter of fact! I'm looking forward to picking up a copy of Unaccustomed Earth!

Beej--I try to imagine myself writing a 500 page novel when I was fifteen...absolutely impossible! It still amazes me whenever I think about it!

And I'm heading out to Barnes & Noble today to pre-order my copy of Brisingr! I'm totally excited for it, even though I have yet to read Eldest.


Ruth--I'm curious about Unaccustomed Earth. Will you let me know how it is? I saw that Oprah had recommended it in her magazine a couple months ago and I've been curious about it ever since!