The End & Last Letter

Well even though the titles imply otherwise these are the first two chapters of the novel.

At this point the most important thing seems to be setting up character relationships. There seems to be a thick tension between the characters and it is obvious that later in the book the narrator will elaborate upon these relationships.

These chapters also set up the intrigue and plot for the twins in the novel. It is interesting how Edie doesn't want to tell her daughters the news right away of both their aunt's death and the girls' inheritance. This also adds to intrigue.

My prediction is that perspective will soon switch to the twins and we may learn about all of the characters' pasts along with the twins as they explore their aunt's world.

In my opinion it is a rather slow but efficient beginning.

That's all I noted for these sections but please comment if you have anything to add. I will post again shortly!


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New Book Announcement

Well, I'm a little delayed as usual but I've finally picked the next book I'd like to read. I decided to go with an easy-to-read book so that it would be easier for me to read alongside my school material.

So without further ado, the book I'm going to start reading is called Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (the same author as The Time Traveler's Wife). This book tells the story of two twins' explorations into their family history and they discoveries they make therein.

I will post after each chapter and I hope you will follow along and leave a comment! Hopefully this will be an enjoyable and easy-to-follow story.

The Toronto Star called it "A deliciously dark, Gothic saga of obsession, deceit and family secrets." it sounds like something that could stir up a lot of conversation, so please participate!

I'm looking forward to starting and will post soon!
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Hello there!

So I've decided to try something new! Instead of dividing each book into sections and discussing each one, I've decided to simply write a post for each chapter. This way people can follow along if they wish and can add a comment for the chapters they want to discuss. This will also allow us to study the book in greater detail and give people some more freedom in regards to deadlines.

So, I will announce the next novel tomorrow and I will probably start reading/posting about it sometime next week! I hope some of you will follow along and add comments!

Thanks everyone!
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

Test

I've decided to set up mobile blogging so that I will be able to post more! I hope this works though.

Summer Book Club

Hello everyone,

I've been rather busy over the past couple of months but I am planning to start running this book club again during the summer (from May to August). I will post the book list as soon as I know what books I  need to read, and add in some more of my choosing! If there are any books you'd like me to consider for the summer reading list, please leave a comment here and let me know!! Hopefully I'll see some of you in the summer!

Sincerely,
Elysia

Hello Everyone!

Now that it is the new year I was hoping to be able to start a new novel but I've been a little too pressed for time. So, soon I will be announcing the side project but I will not be starting a new novel at this time. If you need suggestions please refer to my Already Read page for ideas or you can comment on this post for personalized suggestions. I am hoping to start a new novel and discussion in a couple of months but until then I will keep updating the site with suggestions, quotes, etc. and I will soon post the side project. Hopefully you'll all understand.

I also have removed the Past Discussions page because the formatting wasn't working very well. If you would like to refer to older novels you will have to go back to old posts. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Sincerely, 

Elysia

Discussion-Section 3

Alright everyone this is our final discussion for I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. What did you think? Please share your reviews and analysis as comments on this post.

I will add more analysis in a comment but I wanted to mention some of the references made by Maya in this last section of the novel. I think they are not only important to set the time frame but also very interesting to look into. I did some research into songs and a book that was mentioned in this story. By listening to and reading about these things, I can better imagine the atmosphere Maya lived in. She mentioned two songs: Tomorrow night by Lonnie Johnson  and When The Swallows Come Back to Capistrano by Bobby Day. These songs don't belong to the genre of music most people listen to these days, but I encourage you all to listen to them and try to envision what Maya felt in hearing these songs.

I also encourage you to read this article about The Well of Loneliness. This way you can see a little more where Maya gained her information. Books for her were always a well of knowledge and she trusted their contents. I think it is important to understand the references she makes so that we may better understand her.

On another note, we will not be starting another novel until the new year. This will give us all some time to spend with family over the holidays. I will announce our next novel in mid-January. Over the holidays I will be reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and a novel called Shade. If you are looking for reading suggestions, you should choose a novel from my Already Read page.

Thank you all for reading and I wish you all a merry Christmas!

Sincerely,
Elysia

Discussion-Section 2

Well, I'm hoping you're all just busy for the holidays. I wasn't going to do a new novel over Christmas, but maybe I should have given you all more time off. In any case, the show must go on, so here is the discussion for section 2. Or my comment at least. I will still post the section three discussion in a couple of days, to f inish this book before the holiday.

Sincerely,
Elysia

Discussion-Section 1

So how did everyone enjoy the first fifteen chapters of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings? This first section brings up many issues that will need to be discussed and I look forward to reading your perspectives on this section. Please comment on this post to participate.

Also, I encouraged you all to share songs, videos, pictures, anything you personally related to any section of a novel we read. I want to start this going by sharing a picture that I coincidentally came across a couple of weeks ago on PostSecret.

With that, I will start the first discussion with a comment on this post. 

Sincerely,

Elysia

Thank you everyone who participated in the discussions for Of Mice and Men! If you have any feedback for me, please leave a comment on this post. I will now post the reading schedule for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings under Current Novel. See you soon for our next discussion!

Sincerely,
Elysia

Discussion-Section 3

Hello everyone! This will be our final discussion regarding Of Mice and Men. Please comment on any aspect of the novel. Your participation is appreciated!

Sincerely,
Elysia

Novel Announcement

As our reading of Of Mice and Men draws to its close, it is time to announce the next novel we are going to read! The discussion for part two is still open in the previous post if you would like to add to it and I will be posting the third discussion tomorrow. As for our next novel, luckily, it came in from the library in time, so the last book that we will read this year will be....

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.

When we have completed our final discussion for Of Mice and Men, I will post the reading schedule for our new novel! I am planning on having the first section of Caged Bird be due on Sunday. I know this seems very soon but we all have a weekend and some to read the first section. I don't know what versions of this novel people have so if you could please comment on this post and let me know how yours is divided into parts. Mine is divided into about 36 chapters, I believe. If yours follows this same format please let me know as this will make it a lot easier for everyone to follow along! Happy reading!

Sincerely,
Elysia

Discussion-Section 2

Alright, I know this post is a little late but it is time for our second discussion to start. Please comment on this post to participate. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Elysia

Alright everyone, I think that was a wonderful first discussion! Thank you all for participating. Today is the last day to add to that discussion, so if you have any last words please post them today. In any case, I will be posting for the next discussion sometime tomorrow, so please come back and comment! Thanks again.

Also, I have requested I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings from the library, but it seems to be taking a long time to arrive. Therefore I don't know if we will be able to read this book next. I suggest you also get The Picture of Dorian Gray because at this point our next novel could be either of those. Thank you in advance for your understanding. I hope this isn't a big inconvenience. We will probably start reading our next novel by the end of this week or the beginning of next and I will be sure to announce the definite book before then. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Elysia

Discussion-Section 1

This is the post where  you should comment if you would like to participate in our discussion regarding the first section of Of Mice and Men. I will be adding the first comment and then I invite you all to add something. If you have not yet read the previous post which lists the guidelines for our discussions, please do so now. Thank you for your participation!

Remember, our next discussion will start on Sunday, so please say everything you'd like to say before then.

Sincerely,
Elysia

Discussion Guidelines-Please Read First!!!

Welcome everyone to our very first discussion! Before we jump into this, I'd like to state some simple guidelines to make sure this goes smoothly. First of all, I would like to make this a SPOILER-FREE ZONE. If you have chosen to read on ahead DO NOT HINT AT THE ENDING or give away anything that happens later on in the book. That being said, of course you may discuss theories you have regarding the outcome of the book. If you have read ahead, please try to not let this taint the section we are discussing. Often when we read the entire novel we have a different feel for the book and this will influence your thoughts on the first section. Please try to limit this as much as possible as this will be very apparent to those of us who haven't read ahead. I would also like to say that I am trying to spark a conversation and debates will be inevitable eventually, but please NO ARGUING. I don't want things to get ugly, so please keep your comments relevant to the content. If you disagree with someone, explain your side in a kind and informational way. This will be more relevant once we get into books that cover controversial topics. By following these guidelines, we can keep our conversations fun and enjoyable for everybody!

What can you talk about during our discussions?
You may bring up anything you'd like. It doesn't have to be a deep insight into the novel. If the section we've read makes you think of a song, a work of art, another novel, a television show, etc., please mention it in the discussion! A wide variety of comments are acceptable and encouraged! If you don't have any contributions for a particular discussion, then you do not need to participate. I am trying to create an open space where you can discuss anything you feel is pertinent to our reading, so please share anything that comes to mind!

With that said, I will put up another post now. Please put all your discussion comments on that post. Remember, you can keep posting aka post responses to other posts, add to your post if you think of more comments. You are not limited to one post. Like I said, I'd like to make this into a discussion. If you have any questions about this post or if you feel I have missed an important guideline then please feel free to leave me a comment here. All feedback is welcomed! Thank you all!

Sincerely,
Elysia

Current Novel Page

Okay everyone, I posted the reading schedule on the Current Novel page. Please review the schedule and start reading! Our first discussion will take place this Thursday but you can continue to comment on that post until the next discussion starts (Sunday). I'll include more details on the post starting the first discussion. I hope you all enjoy the first section of our new novel! Thanks all!

Sincerely,
Elysia

Upcoming Information

So, I would post the reading schedule tonight but unfortunately I don't have much time on the computer. I will post the schedule tomorrow though. Be prepared to have the first section finished by Wednesday or Thursday. I know this may not seem like a lot of time, but the book is quite short and so is the first section. If you would like to start reading please do and I assure you I will post the schedule tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,
Elysia

Quick Literary Facts

Today in history:
-John Milton publishes Areopagitica
-PK Page is born
-Roald Dahl dies


Also, I have made up the reading schedule for Of Mice And Men and will be posting it shortly! Be ready to start reading later this week or early next week at the latest.


Thanks all,
Elysia

New Poll

Okay, so I decided to put up the new poll right away. I figure this way, there is more time for you to choose what you would like to read. We won't be reading this next book for another month or so, so you have plenty of time to vote! The choices include The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. Please take your time to investigate these novels and decide which one we should all read next! Please feel free to comment on this post with other novel suggestions.

Sincerely,
Elysia