WHAT ARE YOU READING AND WHY!! Showing 4,451-4,500 of 10,669

[Jason]

Just finished Still Waters: A Mystery Review can be found here: http://wp.me/pTRJE-4q

[Margaret]

Moby Dick becomes a rip-roaring read once you get into the chase. And the characters are so fully imagined, the life on the ship so convincing, that it's worth hanging in there, flipping thru the dull whaling lore passages with barely a glance, until you get to the juice! I'm no Melville, but had I been his editor on the book, I would have tried to get him to cut/compress those sections. Hahaha.

[Larry]

3 times i've tried to read moby dick- it just annoyed me, going on and on about whales as fish! Its far too long!

[Leslie]

Just finished reading The Hours, which I absolutely loved! The storyline of Laura Brown - the avid reader, the melancholy housewife - was particularly inspiring to me, because it illustrates the transformative powers of reading and reminded me of myself when I was out of sorts with the world a few years back.... My full review can be read at www.the-reading-list.com

[Betsy]

I'm about half way through A Secret Gift. It is a great story that gives glimpse of what life was like for those who lived through the Great Depression. This is a book that is going to stay on my mind for a long time after reading it.

[Jan C]

Betsy wrote: "I'm about half way through A Secret Gift. It is a great story that gives glimpse of what life was like for those who lived through the Great Depression. This is a book that is goin..."

I recently started that. I saw him a few weeks ago on BOOK-TV. Very interesting.

[Bernadette]

Larry wrote: "3 times i've tried to read moby dick- it just annoyed me, going on and on about whales as fish! Its far too long!"

I actually like it a lot more than I thought I would!

[Margaret]

The first sentence of the novel is one of the most memorable and famous in Amer. lit.-- "Call me Ishmael." In Melville's day the biblical name was a stunner and a signal that the narrator was an outsider with no real home or family. Ishmael was the discarded son of Jacob, the child of Elizabeth's slave/maid servant by Jacob, a bad luck kind of a guy, sent off into the wilderness once Elizabeth concieved Isaac. Of course, few people get that allusion today.

[Bernadette]

Margaret wrote: "The first sentence of the novel is one of the most memorable and famous in Amer. lit.-- "Call me Ishmael." In Melville's day the biblical name was a stunner and a signal that the narrator was an ou..."

There's so much religion in this book, it's really interesting the way that Melville weaves it into the story. I love Father Mapple's sermon about Jonah and the Whale and how Melville put a new spin on the biblical story.

[Jerry]

Larry wrote: "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress By Robert A Heinlein
Been on my TBR for a while, finallly giving it a go."

A great read. enjoy

[Margaret]

Well, he wrote it in 1851, I think, and at that time it was a cultural thing in America just as much as a "religious" thing. Everyone, whether a believer or not, had read the whole dern bible frontwards, backwards and upside down, and so authors often used biblical images, names and situations metaphorically and as figurative language, not so much to preach or lecture. It was truly a different America than the one we live in today.

[Robin]

I can see Moby Dick as being a religious treatise on the way things were back then, so I agree with Margaret's view.

[Margaret]

Ole Melville could be pretty critical of the status quo "holier than thou" religious types. But to me it seems he also had a lot of insight into how religious traditions and images shaped and affected people's thoughts and behavior, both for good and ill. I see where you're coming from, Robin. It is a kind of critical treatise and examination of 19th century American Christianity, which actually came in many different "flavors" and which motivated people in various ways. It's a pretty multi-layered novel and, for lack of a better word, "deep." But I think it can also be read as an adventure story and a psychological study of obssession crossing over into insanity. The whale Moby Dick was much more to Ahab than just a hard to catch fish. It was like the great unknown, fear itself, something he had to conquer. Boy, I gotta stop this blather! Sorry if I'm boring you! It's the English major in me :-)

[Robin]

No, not at all. It was almost like the elusive thing that got away. Never to become obtained.

[Margaret]

And, of course, it killed Ahab. Or rather his obssession/compulsion killed him. What a terrifying scene that is.

[Robin]

Now I have got to read this book. Thanks, Margaret.:D

[Bernadette]

Robin wrote: "Now I have got to read this book. Thanks, Margaret.:D"

I think you might like it Robin. A lot of people have told me how horrible it is but I don't agree

[Ellen]

I adore Moby Dick. It's about everything. Obsession most of all-one of my favorite topics!

[Margaret]

It seems to me that with all of the freebie classics available on Kindle now, more and more people are saying, "Heck, why not? I've always wanted to know what the fuss was about Swann's Way, Moby Dick, etc" But the problem is that the freebies usually don't have good notes or intros, some have none. A reader today can't be expected to appreciate or "get" these novels without understanding something of the culture and time in which these authors wrote. They lived in different worlds, used slightly different words, certain words we still use today had different meanings and connotations than they do now, the authors used metaphors and figurative language the readers of their day immediately understood, but we don't. To drop a reader into one of these novels without some helpful context or "backgrounder" almost guarantees he/she will become confused, annoyed and give up on the books. It's a shame, because with just a little bit of background, a little bit of a guide (and I'm not talking scholarship here, just "coordinates" to help the reader understand where he is), the books are unlocked and the treasures they hold are revealed. Sometimes Wikipedia can provide the keys, sometimes not. But the help the reader needs is out there in many forms--on the net and in editions of these books that have good notes. Without a little boost, it's like taking a trip to an exotic locale where one is unable to speak the language, understand the natives, etc. You're locked out of the enchantment and rewards of the place until you get your reader bearings. I mean, would any of us go to China without a guide book of some kind? A map?

[Margaret]

Ha, yeah, let's hear it for obssession! :-)

[Susan]

I'm reading: Ellen C. Maze. Yes! I'm trying to devour (sorry for the pun) all of her books at once. Actually, the one I'm on just now :The Judging: The Corescu Chronicles Book One is fabulous. It's one of those "can't put down" books you only find occasionally. And it's not even my usual genre.
I think what makes her writing to addictive is her bubbly personality which comes through.

I'm lucky enough to be interviewing her today on my blot and she's giving away a FREE copy of her short story collection: Feckless: Tales of Supernatural, Paranormal, and Downright Presumptuous Ilk

Here's my blog if you're interested.

[Dylan]

I'm reeading The Wolfman, by Jonathan Maberry, the novelization of the 2010 horror movie of the same name. Loved the film, thought I'd check out the book. It's reading okay; watch out for a review here on Goodreads within a week or two.

[George]

Margaret wrote: "Moby Dick becomes a rip-roaring read once you get into the chase. And the characters are so fully imagined, the life on the ship so convincing, that it's worth hanging in there, flipping thru the ..."

Here is my review:

Call me Fishmael.

I gave MOBY DICK four stars because 80% of the novel is a rip-roaring adventure on the high seas, while 20% consists of digressions or sidebars that stop the story in its tracks. Some sample digressions are the classification of whales, whiteness, clam chowder, illustrators of whales, and so on. All of these detours do support the story, some more than others (whiteness), but they still interrupt the narrative flow. If I were teaching this now to gifted high school students, I would propose something heretical. I would mark certain chapters as optional—it’s easy to find them given the chapter headings—but I would include them in class discussion by assigning students to individual chapters. Their merits could then be debated. I would suggest to anyone re-reading MOBY DICK or approaching it for the first time to take a similar approach—skip the detours unless you find them interesting.

As for the bulk of the novel, it’s like a superabundant ocean overflowing with treasures. The passages describing the hunting, killing, and harvesting of whales are incomparable. Adding to this corpus delectable are vigorous characters, Shakespearean language and irony, classical and Biblical allusions, allegory and metaphor, laugh-out-loud humor, and an engaging narrator who disappears seamlessly in the latter sections of the tale.

Many of these elements are present in one of my favorite scenes. The Pequod frequently encounters other ships on its journey (these meetings are called “gams”), and Ahab in his haste to board one of these vessels realizes that his artificial leg will not allow him to climb from his dinghy to the other boat’s deck. A huge grappling hook is lowered, one that is used to secure the carcasses of whales to the boat, and Ahab sits in the curve of the hook while being raised to the passing ship’s deck. All of the gams in MOBY DICK are amusing and enlightening because Ahab’s sole concern is to ask the other captains if they’ve seen the white whale, while their intent lies elsewhere. The conversations are thus at cross purposes, providing humor, and serve to underline Ahab’s obsession.

Two scenes were remarkably reminiscent of HAMLET. Starbuck, the first mate, is convinced that Ahab is leading the crew to its doom. Late in the story, he eyes a musket outside of Ahab’s cabin and considers murdering the sleeping captain. After a long soliloquy, during which Ahab cries out nightmarishly, Starbuck passes up the opportunity, much as Hamlet does when he encounters Claudius alone and praying. Anyone familiar with HAMLET cannot miss the unmistakable foreshadowing. In another scene, Ahab and the ship’s carpenter are discussing Queequeg’s coffin, which is actually a canoe of sorts. The carpenter has been given the task of converting the coffin into a life buoy, a humorous irony in itself. The ensuing conversation is not unlike Hamlet’s hilarious exchange with the gravedigger.

Ahab: Art thou the leg-maker? Look, did not this stump come from thy shop?
Carpenter: I believe it did, sir; does the ferrule stand, sir?
Ahab: Well enough. But art thou not also the undertaker?
Carpenter: Aye, sir; I patched up this thing here as a coffin for Queequeg. ; but they’ve set me now to turning it into something else.
Ahab: Then tell me; art thou not an arrant, all-grasping, intermeddling, monopolizing, heathenish old scamp, to be one day making legs, and the next day coffins to clap them in, and yet again life-buoys out of those same coffins? Thou art as unprincipled as the gods, and as much of a jack-of-all-trades.

The twists and turns of fate are out of Ahab’s control, but Melville’s mastery of MOBY DICK is complete.

[Shay]

Margaret wrote: "It seems to me that with all of the freebie classics available on Kindle now, more and more people are saying, "Heck, why not? I've always wanted to know what the fuss was about Swann's Way, Moby D..."

Most people don't know, or take advantage, but most big library systems subscribe to journals. I guess they don't have the storage space for those huge volumes of literary criticism and commentary- they had to make room for DVD's, I guess. In any case, you can get quite a bit of what would be in the introductions and notes for free from your library's paid subscriptions to these services. Just search for something on the library website that says "Research" or "Online subscriptions", etc.

[Margaret]

Yup, you're right. I had a thoroughly drenching literary education and have advanced degrees, have spent my life as a writer/editor/educator. I know and use these things. BUT most of them, I think, are way too scholarly and obtuse for the simply curious reader. I know most folks who've downloaded Moby Dick as a freebie just to "test the waters" (terrible pun, sorry!) or to see why it's a "classic" will never go to that trouble. And frankly I don't think they have to in order to enjoy or be thrilled by the book! But they do need some kind of intro into the world/times of the author, some keys and insights to what he was up to, trying to accomplish. (I have taught high school and college English on and off for many years--nothing can turn potential fans of a great book off faster or more lastingly than to bang them over the head with too much scholar-shippy (Oh God! Yet another bad pun!)stuff. The more your read and study MD, the more it yields, but I hate to see readers miss out on the fun and fascination of this treasure when just a cogent 500-1000 word intro and a few well-placed footnotes (re: unfamiliar words and customs) would open new doors and windows in their minds and imaginations. As with all the really greats,Moby Dick is not just a book, but a completely imagined enchanting world unto itself. I think I've gone off on another one of my tangents! So sorry. Moby Dick and the classics are not the personal property of English teachers/literary critics and other rare birds. The reader doesn't have to be a semiotic snot to "get" them! Oooops, there I go again. "The rest is silence," Fishmael. "May flights of angels sing" me to my "rest!" (What a devious, clever moniker you quipped 4 yourself!).

[Melissa]

Margaret wrote: "The first sentence of the novel is one of the most memorable and famous in Amer. lit.-- "Call me Ishmael." In Melville's day the biblical name was a stunner and a signal that the narrator was an ou..."

I am a little confused. Ishmael and his mother Hagar were sent into the wilderness, however, according to Genesis chapters 16, 17, and 21. Abram, the father of the Jews, was married to Sarai. Sarai was barren and told Abram to lay with her maidservant Hagar. Abram did and Hagar conceived and gave birth to Ishmael. Later Sarai become pregnant and gave birth to Isaac. Isaac's conception and birth were part of God's plan and purpose. Hagar and Ishmael were the result of man's interference and lack of trust. Sarai became jealous and Hagar and Ishmael were sent into the desert. Abram was renamed Abraham by God and Sarai was renamed Sarah by God. Isaac married Rebekah and they became the proud parents of twin boys, Jacob and Esau. Jacob became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. He worked for seven years to marry Rachel only to be deceived by Laban into marrying Rachel's older sister Leah. It was common for the older to marry before the younger. Jacob then worked another seven years to marry Rachel. Because Ishmael and his mother were sent into the wilderness, the name would be synonymous with one who is without a family name or home. It is interesting to note that beginning in verse 17 of chap 21 we find an angel speaking to Hagar. Water was provided for both the boy and his mother. God promised that he, too would be a great nation. All of this because 1. I had never really thought of the name Ishmael or why Melville might have chosen it. I find this very intriguing. and 2. my faith is very important to me and I wanted to be certain that the Biblical aspects were presented accurately. If I have completely misunderstood or am mistaken please set me straight.

Note: The accounts of Isaac, Rebekah, and Jacob occur further in the book of Genesis. The scriptures cited above tell only of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Hagar, and Ishmael.

[Werner]

Melissa, good question! You recounted Ishmael's story from the book of Genesis very accurately. Melville, however (who was raised as a Calvinist by his Dutch Reformed mother, and who as an adult had a pretty strong resentment towards the God pictured by Calvinism) is interpreting the Genesis story through the lens both of New Testament passages like Galatians 5:21-31 and of the Calvinist interpretive tradition of the latter. In that tradition, Ishmael was seen as the "type," or embodied symbol, of those rejected by God --the unfortunates who weren't of the "elect," but instead arbitrarily predestined to be everlastingly damned (as opposed to Isaac, who was regarded as the type of those arbitrarily "elected" by God for grace and eternal bliss). When Melville's narrator says, "Call me Ishmael," he's identifying himself deliberately with the former group.

[Margaret]

Werner, you genius/diplomat, you explained much better than I could. So knowledgeable. Great comment.

[Melissa]

Thank you Werner! That explanation really clears up a lot of confusion for me. I did not know that Melville was raised Calvinist. I am learning quite a bit about Melville and his book. I read it once long ago for school and did not like it. I am definitely considering giving it another go. Perspective sure can make a big difference.

[Shay]

Melissa wrote: "Margaret wrote: "The first sentence of the novel is one of the most memorable and famous in Amer. lit.-- "Call me Ishmael." In Melville's day the biblical name was a stunner and a signal that the n..."

The Ismaelites are Muslims. The path that Ismael and his mother made while searching for water is part of the Hajj. (The pligrimage to Mecca) In the part of the Hajj called the Umrah, they follow that path and drink from the spring (The Well of Zamzam) that saved Ismael and his mother. Mohammad is believed, by Muslims, to be descended from Ismael.

[Melissa]

Fascinating!

[Margaret]

It is interesting. But I don't know that Melville was using this aspect of Ishmael in Moby Dick. What did you guys think of the reverend's sermon on Jonah and the whale?

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

been reading multiple books!!! just finished Jack Maggs- facinating portrait of a very un-Henry James London.

[Robin]

Margaret, if you write a supplemental or introductory chapter about Moby Dick and what all the allegories mean, then I would be game to read it. I am finishing up North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, but will definitely read Moby Dick, liked your rants, and puns:D

[Margaret]

Robin! Rants? OMG! Also called yakety-yak. Yes, I do go off on "tares," abt books. No, excuses, I'm passionate abt great writing/great books. My apologies. I'm hopeless. But I always want 2 hear what everyone else has to say too. Funny u shd mention an intro. Been noodling a light e-z guide abt how 2 to get the most out of books like MDick. It doesn't have 2 be work or hard. Just a few choice tips and pointers can open up worlds of fascination and fun.

[Bernadette]

Margaret wrote: "Robin! Rants? OMG! Also called yakety-yak. Yes, I do go off on "tares," abt books. No, excuses, I'm passionate abt great writing/great books. My apologies. I'm hopeless. But I always want 2 hear w..."

Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits has a chapter about Moby Dick that is very good

[Johnny]

Hi, I just finished "The Red Album of Asbury Park" by Goodreads author Alex Austin which I enjoyed immensely since the Jersey Shore is my home and I've been a part of the music scene there for many years. I'm currently half way through "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair which is turning out to be a relentless bombardment of turn of the century immigrant misery. This book reminds me of the struggling Joads in Steinbecks "Grapes of Wrath". Chapter 3 has probably inspired more people to become vegetarians than any other media source including Sir Paul. It's difficult for me to read too many titles since I am currently copy-editing my newest project entitled "Wake Co." and it is pertinent to have a clear mindset while doing such. I have the deepest respect for avid readers like my daughter Gabrielle and members who read everything within arms reach.
Good day Goodreads
Johnny Flora

[Werner]

Margaret, thanks for your kind words (above). If you ever do write an e-z guide about how to get the best out of the classics, let us know! I'm a college librarian, and that's the sort of book the students here could really use. (Not to mention some of the faculty, including me!)

It's been awhile since I read Moby Dick (in the mid-90s), so I don't really recall most of the body of the sermon, unfortunately. The only part of the sermon that stuck with me was the preacher's denial at the end, almost as a passing afterthought, of the idea of an afterlife. My guess would be that Melville almost certainly inserted that to express his own belief, or hope (if one believes in arbitrary "election" in the Calvinist sense, for most people, having no afterlife would be a blessing). But in the context, it comes across as rather unrealistic, since virtually all 19th-century preachers and their congregations (even Unitarians) believed in life after death.

[Jason]

Hi everyone!

Just finished Drinking Closer to Home

A solid 4* read! Reviewed here: http://wp.me/pTRJE-4z

[Werner]

Yesterday, I started on Pitch Dark by Steven Sidor; I'm reading an advance review copy from St. Martin's Press. Normally, I'm not a big reader of your typical naturalistic "thriller" fare, which was why I had some reservations when I was asked to review this book. But I quickly found that the plot has a strong paranormal basis that isn't hinted at in the cover copy (which also serves as the Goodreads book description). So far, Sidor has me enthralled!

[Margaret]

Margaret wrote: "Robin! Rants? OMG! Also called yakety-yak. Yes, I do go off on "tares," abt books. No, excuses, I'm passionate abt great writing/great books. My apologies. I'm hopeless. But I always want 2 hear w..."

What a great title for such a book! I'm not familiar with it, but will have to take a look. Thanks v. much!

[Bernadette]

Margaret wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Robin! Rants? OMG! Also called yakety-yak. Yes, I do go off on "tares," abt books. No, excuses, I'm passionate abt great writing/great books. My apologies. I'm hopeless. But I alw..."

If you look on powermobydick.com, yeah there is a website devoted to Moby Dick, you can access a copy of the chapter from Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits there I think. The author writes that he feels that MD is one of the funniest books ever, he also thinks it is the greatest American novel.

[Robin]

Margaret, I didn't mean rants in a bad way, you are certainly enthusiastic in your views, I amend my comments to your illustrious enthusiasm. We also call it shooting the breeze, as well, or chatting.

[Ellen]

I'm reading Revisions of by Goodloe Byron because I won it from the GR giveaway. So that's what I'm reading & why.
I'll add that I'm loving the book-so great to not only win but enjoy what I got so much!

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

MEMBER AUTHORS - PLEASE DO ADVISE A FELLOW MEMBER WITH ANSWER THE FOLLOWING E-BOOK QUESTION.


Hi Rick,
We haven't actually spoken before and I am new to the James Mason Community Book Club.I was wondering if you could help me with some information. I am not a Ereader person. But I have recently been formatting my titles for Ebooks. Most likely with Kindle.
To get to the point and question. If I send someone a PDF copy of my titles will they be able to open them on their Ereaders? Is there a different or better way for me to do this?

Thank you for time,

Dale Reierson
Dale Reierson

[Cheryl]

Just finished reading Graceling by Kristen Cashore and absolutely loved it! Now, I'm taking a bit of a break from the fantasy world and reading River's End by Nora Roberts and Gone to the Dogs, a Dog Lover's Mystery by Susan Conant.

[Cheryl]

Rick wrote: "MEMBER AUTHORS - PLEASE DO ADVISE A FELLOW MEMBER WITH ANSWER THE FOLLOWING E-BOOK QUESTION.


Hi Rick,
We haven't actually spoken before and I am new to the James Mason Community Book Club.I ..."

I'm no expert by any means, Dale, but I did send a PDF copy of my book to a book reviewer and she said she had loaded it into her e-reader. So, it should probably work, although I think the preferred format is EPUB. At least, that's what my publisher is now converting my book to for use in e-readers.

Hope this helps.

[Shay]

Rick wrote: "MEMBER AUTHORS - PLEASE DO ADVISE A FELLOW MEMBER WITH ANSWER THE FOLLOWING E-BOOK QUESTION.


Hi Rick,
We haven't actually spoken before and I am new to the James Mason Community Book Club.I ..."

I'm pretty sure a Kindle can read a PDF, but it cannot be under Digital Rights Management. Most people, though, do not like PDF's except for technical books in which exact formatting- like for tables or graphs- is necessary. For example, I've gotten a few PDF ebooks whose font size can't be changed. They have a few other annoying quirks as well.

[Bernadette]

What I'm reading? Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster. Why? Because I really like Krakauer's writing and just read Under the Banner of Heaven faster than any other non-fiction I've read. Also loved Into the Wild

[Marialyce]

I loved that book, Bernadette. I am sure you will too!