Lisa’s Comments (group member since Sep 23, 2009)

Lisa’s comments from the Should have read classics group.

I have been taking a rather extended break, but I'm still plan on finishing it. Might be a year long read for me. Not quite sure why I keep putting it behind other books, but I do. I'm about 26% done, so I will plan on catching up to 50% soon. How is everyone liking it? Well, besides the slogging through, which seems to be a consistent factor.

How about this:
April: The Custom of the Country
May-June: The Way We Live Now
August-September: Martin Chuzzlewitt

The last two books are long which will require, at least, two months per book. This gets us through the "crazy" summer which seems to be a hard time for most people to read. If this sounds alright, let me know.

I just finished the book last night and I enjoyed it,but it seemed to bog down at the end. Kayla and Mo, I hope that you enjoy this one. I will wait to comment until later.

I'm having a hard time with the Cotton brothers. I tend to get them confused for one and they just bother me, but I can't explain why.

So, does this mean that we can continue our discussion about this book? I'm not sure that there is anyone still reading it. I know that there was some interest in relating current events to this book. Any takers?

Is it terrible for me to just say, let's read Emiley's suggestion in April and Everyman's suggestion for the summer months? I'm afraid that I'm getting dictatorial tendencies as a moderator.

Nice review Dustin, the reviews are one of the reasons that I enjoy this site so much. The talent that so many people have for writing reviews amazes me. I have trouble stringing together complete sentences for the threads.

Everyman wrote: "A bit further on than Lisa was at here last post. The one I feel really sorry for at this point is Stephen. He's such a vulnerable person, and so totally devoted. I hope things get better for hi..."

I would have to agree with you Everyman. I'm interested to see where this goes from here.

It must be March madness since I'm the one picking the children's read for this month! I picked Pippi in honor of my daughter. She is reading this right now and has become a Pippi fanatic. She is constantly talking about this book and wants me to read it with her. So, I'm sure many, many of you have read this one, but I have not and I can't wait to hear your thoughts and recollections of this little book.

It is that time again to choose the next group read for April. The nominating session will run from today until March 12th. Then we will have a group vote. Thanks!

Dustin wrote: "Aw, thank you so very much, Lisa!! I know what you mean, I'm still trying to process the novel as a whole. After tackling this one, I really want to conquer other Classics, like War & Peace, Les Mi..."

Hey, do Les Mis! You can join in with those of us that are doing the buddy read. I know that it will take me awhile to finish that one.

I just made it to the part where the Americans enter the scene. The book is really fun and quirky. Some of my favorite quotes so far:
"Rose doesn't like the flat country but I always did-flat country seems to give the sky such a chance."
"Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression."

Congratulations Dustin! It is one of those books that requires some thought process. I will say that after reading this one it inspired me to start reading some of the books which are brought up time and again in political conversations. The comments in other threads made me realize that perhaps some history lessons are in order for me. You might be seeing some radically different books in my updates from now one. Going for a balanced approach!

They enjoyed it, but they could not figure out why mom was laughing so hard at some of the parts.

I have my copy and hope to start within the next few days.

I was reading my kids some books today by Dr. Seuss and one of them was and I just started laughing. It is well worth reading this one if you are over the age of 25/30. It will make you chuckle. The dedication says it all-"With Affection and Affliction with the Members of the Class of 1925."

Since this is such a fun topic, I'm bumping it back on top! Happy birthday Dr. Seuss! Hope that everyone makes some green eggs and ham for breakfast this week!

I just finished the Waterloo section and had a massive flashback to War and Peace. That was quite the explanation of the battle and I have to admit that I skimmed many parts of it. I figured out that I need to do some more research on that battle if I want to understand that section better. Hopefully, the story picks up from here.

Thank you very much for those links Emily! I finished the book and was floundering in the meaning of it. I could grasp some of it, but I have to admit it was going over my head at the end. Maybe, that was due to the glazing over that my eyes were doing at the time. I like the summary of Shmoop that talked about how each of us have moments of self-darkness, was helpful. I can relate completely about wanting the guy behind whacked with a dodge ball. What an amazing book! It does bring up wonderful questions about man's humanity. Thanks for making me reread this one!
What did everyone else think?

Thanks for the idea Joy! I have to admit they came in handy for my middle school son's science fair project though.