WWW Wednesdays

MizB of Should Be Reading hosts this fabulous weekly event.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
















Recently Finished:

Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke


















Coming Up:



One of Ours by Willa Cather
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Oliver Twist Read-Along: Part Two

I have to admit, I am enjoying this book. Much more than I ever imagined I would enjoy Dickens.

When last we left unfortunate Oliver, he had been left for dead by Fagin and his cronies after a failed robbery. He makes his way to a house and at first is accused of robbing the house but his injuires indicate otherwise.

The women of the home, Mrs. Maylie and her niece Rose, take a liking to him and help to nurse him back to health. As he begins to tell them of his story, they feel sympathy for him and like him all-the-more.

Some of my favorite scenes, surprising to me, involved Mr. Bumble and his wife, who is quite the nag. I enjoyed seeing him reduced to having to "obey" his wife and also liked the paradox between how he treated the orphans and how he is now being treated.

Towards the end of this section, we are introduced to a shady character by the name of Monks, who is looking for information regarding the circumstances surrounding Oliver's birth. I don't trust him and fear he is only up to no-good.

I am looking forward to the final part of the book and finding out how all the pieces fit together!

Book Review: Lord of the Flies

Summary from Amazon: William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition.

My Thoughts:
I remember seeing this movie in a psychology class in high school and what I also remember is how excited ny teacher was by this story. He was a little crazy himself and he positively jumped around the room when we talked about this movie! This has been a book I have always meant to read and even had a copy of it for awhile.

I found this story of boys running their own society of sorts, clearly disturbing on so many levels. It started out nicely enough with Ralph and "Piggy" trying to have some semblance of order with the running of meetings and the use of the conch. However, this plan quickly disolves as Jack designates himself and his choir "the hunters" and soon, the two groups part ways quite abruptly. Though Simon, another boy, tries to look out for the younger boys, they seemed to get lost in the shuffle and at times, I wondered what had ever happened to them as it seemed they weren't mentioned any longer.

I think my favorite character was "Piggy", as he tried to bring some sort of order to the island. He is teased because of his nickname and his poor eyesight, though his glasses do aid them in building fires. He is the one who tries to keep some semblance of civilization on the island and it says so much that he did not succeed and that evil, in the form of Jack, seemed to win. Jack as a person appeals more to the animal instincts of the children and probably seems to be having more fun rather than following "the rules". The arrival of the navel officer at the end seems bring the boys back to reality and they are once again reduced to just being children.

I really enjoyed this book and I found I could not put it down, I had to keep reading to find out what happened next! (I also have to be honest and say that I did get a little squemish reading some of the more graphic scenes, especially when they kill the mother pig.)

WWW Wednesdays

MizB of Should Be Reading hosts this fabulous weekly event.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Like Oliver Twist, I have found this one difficult to get into but I think I may have finally caught on. I'm not that far into it yet but I'm hoping to enjoy it as much as I ended up enjoying Oliver Twist.







Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

I received this audio book from my friend Joan for Christmas. It's actually three murder mysteries, all centering around Christmas cookies. It's very light and I'm enjoying it.

Recently Finished:

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

This was the second Dickens' book I've read (A Christmas Carol being the first and I just read that this past December). I can't say enough about this one. Once I got through the language and wordiness that is Dickens, I truly enjoyed it!

Coming Up Next:

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

One of Ours by Willa Cather

WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:

Still plugging along with Oliver Twist....I'm about halfway through. I think I have finally come to terms with the wordiness and am actually enjoying the story now!









Recently Finished:

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lundgren

I went to visit my friend Joan on Monday and wanted something I could listen to on the the way there and back (she lives about 45 minutes away). This was the perfect length! I cna't remember if I read this when I was growing up but I know I definitely saw the movie and maybe a television show. I am hoping to read some more of her adventures!



Coming Up:

Ginger Bread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

An Audio book-Christmas present present from my friend Joan!



A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist Read-Along

I am participating in the Oliver Twist Read-Along at A Literary Odyssey.

Having never read Dickens, other than A Tale of Two Cities in high school (which I'm not sure I really read if you know what I mean), I was somewhat nervous to take this story on.

I have to be honest and tell you that it did take a little while to get used to the style of writing but once I did? I was hooked!

I knew the basic premise of the story but did not expect to get drawn into the drama of what this poor little orphan boy went through, from the day he was born to the warehouse, to living on the streets with the thieves and beggars. I found myself rooting for Oliver and wanting to wring Mr. Bumble's neck at times. I found it interesting how casually the abuse of children is presented and realize that this may be due to the time period in which it is written.

Overall, I have to say that I am enjoying this story very much and can't wait to keep reading to find out more!

WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
I just started this yesterday for a read-Along at A Literary Odyssey, as well as the Celebrate the Author Month challenge. I've never read dickens before and I am finding him a little wordy so I'm not moving along as fast as I had hoped to.







Recently Finished Reading:

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson
I enjoyed this book and was satisfied with how it ended. I do have to say that I definitely liked the second one the best.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Found this for $1 at a used book store over the weekend (along with a bunch of other goodies) and knew it was on my TBR list. I remember seeing the move in a high school psych class but didn't think I had ever read the book. It was pretty graphic in some parts but I think overall I enjoyed it. I read it for 2 challenges: 1001 books You Must Read and Back to the Classics. I hope to have my review done by this weekend.

Coming Up Next:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

From Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

"The boy must take his chance with the rest," interrupted Nancy hastily; "and I say again, I hope he is dead, and out of harm's way, and out of yours-that is, if Bill comes to no harm." p. 190