Oh my goodness! I loved this book! I am so glad we read it. I devoured it in less than a 24 hour period. Sorry, child. I just couldn't get enough of the story. I wanted more details, more story and it to go on and on. I felt so badly for those orphans on the trains. The way they were made into free labor and looked at in ways of how they could make the adults lives easier not how the adults could make the children's lives easier. It's so sad too, that even in Molly's present day situation she also had the same negative experiences and how sad that it isn't even that rare. Not to say that all foster families are like that, but they are not all perfect and loving either. Children are not responsible for the emotional well-being of adults. Adults should be responsible for the emotional and physical well-being of children.
1. In the prologue Vivian mentions that her "true love" died when she was 23, but she doesn't mention the other big secret in the book. Why not?
Well for one, a good storyteller doesn't give away the entire book/story in the first pages if they want someone to read it all! Plus, she was reserved and uncomfortable sharing all her details.
2. What role does Vivian's grandmother play in her life? How does the reader's perception of her shift as the story unfolds?
She reminds her of the life she had. She really built her up in her memories because those were her only happy times and she cherished them but it was interesting that as an adult she did seem to realize she had sent away her only son's entire family never to see them again and to an unknown future.
3. How did Vivian's first-person account of her youth and the present-day story from Molly's third-person-limited perspective work together? Did you prefer one story to the other? Did the juxtaposition reveal things that might not have emerged in a traditional narrative?
4. In what ways, large and small, does Molly have an impact on Vivian's life? How does Vivian have an impact on Molly's?
5. When Vivian finally shares the truth about the birth of her daughter and her decision to put May up for adoption she tells Molly that she was "selfish" and "afraid." Molly defends her and affirms Vivian's choice. How did you perceive Vivian's decision? Were you surprised she sent her child to be adopted after her own experiences with the Children's Aid Society?
It was surprising after her experience, but it was also not so surprising. She did know that babies were always wanted and she also had had SOOO much hurt/distrust and loss in her life that I don't know if she would have been strong enough to be a mother to the baby at that point in time. I think maybe if she had known the truth about what happened to her sister she might have been able to do it.
6. When Vivian and Dutchy are reunited she remarks, "However hard I try, I will always feel alien and strange. And now I've stumbled on a fellow outsider, one who speaks my language without saying a word." How is this also true for her friendship with Molly?
7. Molly is enthusiastic about Vivian's reunion with her daughter, but makes no further efforts to see her own mother. Why is she unwilling or unable to effect a reunion in her own family? Do you think she will someday?
Here is a link to a pbs special on the orphan trains http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/orphan/orphants.html
A link to the Children's Aid society with more info on Orphan Trains http://www.childrensaidsociety.org/about/history/orphan-trains?gclid=CL7BsNGR27MCFUHNOgod2gMAtw
What did you think of the book? Did you like it? What was your favorite part? Something you didn't like?
Friday, January 31, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
February's Menu...
As I was planning out what we were going to eat in February I was feeling very ruttish. That normally doesn't happen but I'm sticking to the same few over and over again. I remember when we were first married we ate a lot of stir fry. To the point where I don't like to even think about putting it on the menu anymore. I need some new relatively quick and easy dishes or ones that I can make ahead that are somewhat healthy. Trying to do better at our dinner hour since I try for quickness during the week.
1st - Baked Potato Soup
2nd - BBQ Ribs
3rd - Chicken sausages and salad
4th - Fish Tacos (Any recipes that you recommend?)
5th - Pork Tenderloin in the crock pot
6th - leftovers
7th - Taco Pie
10th - Ravoli
11th - Cheesy Taco Soup
12th - Buffalo Chicken Salad
13th - Southwestern Chicken & Rice Skillet
14th - leftovers
16th - Chili
17th - Baked Chicken Quesadillas (Going to get a rotisserie chicken on the weekend and use some for this dinner and some for lunches)
18th - Beef Enchiladas
19th - leftovers
20th - Skillet Chicken Parm
21st - Pizza
24th - Skillet Chili Mac and Cheese (going to use turkey)
25th - leftovers
26 - Spaghetti
27th - out
28th - Pizza
I also have some lentils that I bought that I am trying to decide what to do with them. Leaning towards burritos. I've never cooked lentils before and it's giving me some anxiety on what the heck to do what with them!
Do you have a favorite crockpot recipe that you'd share? What about salads?
1st - Baked Potato Soup
2nd - BBQ Ribs
3rd - Chicken sausages and salad
4th - Fish Tacos (Any recipes that you recommend?)
5th - Pork Tenderloin in the crock pot
6th - leftovers
7th - Taco Pie
10th - Ravoli
11th - Cheesy Taco Soup
12th - Buffalo Chicken Salad
13th - Southwestern Chicken & Rice Skillet
14th - leftovers
16th - Chili
17th - Baked Chicken Quesadillas (Going to get a rotisserie chicken on the weekend and use some for this dinner and some for lunches)
18th - Beef Enchiladas
19th - leftovers
20th - Skillet Chicken Parm
21st - Pizza
24th - Skillet Chili Mac and Cheese (going to use turkey)
25th - leftovers
26 - Spaghetti
27th - out
28th - Pizza
I also have some lentils that I bought that I am trying to decide what to do with them. Leaning towards burritos. I've never cooked lentils before and it's giving me some anxiety on what the heck to do what with them!
Do you have a favorite crockpot recipe that you'd share? What about salads?
Monday, January 27, 2014
Morning Glory
She is one of those authors that I kept putting off and off because I wanted to savor them and not have to wait for a new one. However, after reading two of them pretty much back to back I can't say that I'd suggest that.
Her books follow a pattern. Woman in present has some kind of problem. Enter woman from past who also has a problem. Then they have a lot of eerie coincidences and the person from the present finds out about person from the past. And in the end all is good. Yay.
I love books that mix past and present. I love mysteries. I do not love things that tie up neatly. Morning Glory tied up a bit too neatly but beyond THAT I loved the story. There were some things that just were too resolved and should have been left unresolved in my non-writer opinion but that did not make me hate the book.
"Some of life’s most beautiful things grow out of the darkest moments.”
It is a book full of grief and what if's and forging the life you want for yourself even though your plan has derailed drastically from where you began. There is hope, there is strength and there is a lot of good thinking that comes from some beautiful writing.
“You know, things fall apart. You grieve. And then you sit around and wait for things to somehow get perfect again. But they don’t. They never can. There is no perfect. There’s just different. But different can be wonderful.”
Also, I kind of want to live on a houseboat for a summer now.
Description: New York Times bestselling author Sarah Jio imagines life on Boat Street, a floating community on Seattle’s Lake Union—home to people of artistic spirit who for decades protect the dark secret of one startling night in 1959
Fleeing an East Coast life marred by tragedy, Ada Santorini takes up residence on houseboat number seven on Boat Street. She discovers a trunk left behind by Penny Wentworth, a young newlywed who lived on the boat half a century earlier. Ada longs to know her predecessor’s fate, but little suspects that Penny’s mysterious past and her own clouded future are destined to converge.
What is your favorite book that blends past and present?
Thursday, January 23, 2014
There are a few of my favorite links...
I haven't done one of these in awhile but I've been meaning to share some things I've read recently and decided now was a perfect time..
After this review from Boston Bibliophile I can't wait to check out Random Violence by Jassy Mackenzie.
Here is the description: In Johannesburg prosperous whites live in gated communities; when they exit their cars to open the gates, car-jackings are common. But seldom is the victim killed, much less shot twice, like Annette Botha. Piet Botha, the husband of the wealthy woman, is the primary suspect in his wife's murder.
P.I. Jade de Jong fled South Africa ten years ago after her father was killed. Now back in town, she offers to help her father's former assistant, Superintendent David Patel, with his investigation of this case. Under apartheid, Patel, of Indian descent, could
never have attained his present position. But he is feeling pressure from his "old line" boss with respect to this investigation and fears lingering prejudice is at work.
As Jade probes into this and other recent car-jacking cases, a pattern begins to emerge, a pattern that goes back to her father's murder and that involves a vast and intricate series of crimes for profit.
I always found myself agreeing a lot with Katie over at Sluiter Nation in this post she made about discipline and her family. I'm not planning on spanking my child because really what does it teach besides it's okay to hit? And clearly when I feel like spanking her it is out of anger and frustration and a break for both of us is important.
Lisa's post about visiting Charleston made me sad that I won't be going there for Spring Break this year but it is still most definitely on our list of must visit soon places.
Reading the post, Language of Limits wanted me to put it into the hand of every parent I know. And every parent that walks into my classroom. It may be aimed at educators but oh my goodness, can parents benefit from the advice in it. I swear the things I hear coming from the hallway as parents bring kids in or take them home makes me cringe. Or what parents tell me to reassure me of their awesome parenting. Double cringe. We are all doing our best. But perhaps we could all benefit from a few reminders on the best way to speak to children. By no means am I perfect and by no means do I never raise my voice at my child. I have many unproud moments but I keep trying.
Someone needs to make me these Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. Pretty please? I'll cook dinner if you back these. OMG I NEED THEM!
Have you come across anything you need to share?
After this review from Boston Bibliophile I can't wait to check out Random Violence by Jassy Mackenzie.
Here is the description: In Johannesburg prosperous whites live in gated communities; when they exit their cars to open the gates, car-jackings are common. But seldom is the victim killed, much less shot twice, like Annette Botha. Piet Botha, the husband of the wealthy woman, is the primary suspect in his wife's murder.
P.I. Jade de Jong fled South Africa ten years ago after her father was killed. Now back in town, she offers to help her father's former assistant, Superintendent David Patel, with his investigation of this case. Under apartheid, Patel, of Indian descent, could
never have attained his present position. But he is feeling pressure from his "old line" boss with respect to this investigation and fears lingering prejudice is at work.
As Jade probes into this and other recent car-jacking cases, a pattern begins to emerge, a pattern that goes back to her father's murder and that involves a vast and intricate series of crimes for profit.
I always found myself agreeing a lot with Katie over at Sluiter Nation in this post she made about discipline and her family. I'm not planning on spanking my child because really what does it teach besides it's okay to hit? And clearly when I feel like spanking her it is out of anger and frustration and a break for both of us is important.
Lisa's post about visiting Charleston made me sad that I won't be going there for Spring Break this year but it is still most definitely on our list of must visit soon places.
Reading the post, Language of Limits wanted me to put it into the hand of every parent I know. And every parent that walks into my classroom. It may be aimed at educators but oh my goodness, can parents benefit from the advice in it. I swear the things I hear coming from the hallway as parents bring kids in or take them home makes me cringe. Or what parents tell me to reassure me of their awesome parenting. Double cringe. We are all doing our best. But perhaps we could all benefit from a few reminders on the best way to speak to children. By no means am I perfect and by no means do I never raise my voice at my child. I have many unproud moments but I keep trying.
Someone needs to make me these Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. Pretty please? I'll cook dinner if you back these. OMG I NEED THEM!
Have you come across anything you need to share?
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
February's Group Read...
Our February Group Read will be Labor Day by Joyce Maynard!
Description: With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry—lonely, friendless, not too good at sports—spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele—a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart.
But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others—especially those we love—above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for.
In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy, acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence, and devastating treachery as seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy—and the man he later becomes—looking back at an unexpected encounter that begins one single long, hot, life-altering weekend.
This is also going to be a movie that is coming out on January 31st starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin!
Are you planning on joining us? The discussion questions will be posted on February 28th!
Description: With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry—lonely, friendless, not too good at sports—spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele—a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart.
But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others—especially those we love—above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for.
In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy, acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence, and devastating treachery as seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy—and the man he later becomes—looking back at an unexpected encounter that begins one single long, hot, life-altering weekend.
This is also going to be a movie that is coming out on January 31st starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin!
Are you planning on joining us? The discussion questions will be posted on February 28th!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
The Last Camellia
I was so excited that I got two Sarah Jio books for Christmas. I read The Last Camellia first and while I wasn't as IN love with it as I was The Violets of March I devoured it. When I sat down I was instantly in the story and did not want to get out.
I really felt like I was in a scene from The Sound of Music when the chapters were focused on Flora and her time at the manor. The children's mother died, the father was aloof and hard, didn't show love towards his family and they had run off nanny's and then Flora comes in and even though they might not be nice to her right away they fall in love with her sand she charms the father. Sound of Music, am I right?
Then I equally felt like I was in an episode of Downton Abbey and was just waiting for the dowager to show up! With all the proper English ways and well I may have watched a few episodes right before reading. But it definitely made me think that The Sound of Music was meeting Downton Abbey, in a good way.
The book slips back and forth between 1940 and 2000 and is mostly set at Livingston Manor where there is sadness, a bit of mystery and possibly a most rare flower that flower thieves (could NOT take that part seriously) were after. Speaking of the thieves, I just could not buy into that storyline but, I also really don't care that much for flowers. The narrators are Flora who leads the 1940 chapters and Addison who is at Livingston Manor in 2000.
I loved it. I would LOOVE LOVE LOVE to read a novel about certain characters times after 1940 but if by chance you have NOT read this yet I won't say more on that.
I did read a few reviews they didn't care for the ending and while it still left a bit of mystery I felt it was hurried up to finish.
If you are looking for a new author to check out, I'd highly recommend Sarah Jio!
If you've read books by Jio, which is your favorite? Is there another author you are rarely disappointed with?
I really felt like I was in a scene from The Sound of Music when the chapters were focused on Flora and her time at the manor. The children's mother died, the father was aloof and hard, didn't show love towards his family and they had run off nanny's and then Flora comes in and even though they might not be nice to her right away they fall in love with her sand she charms the father. Sound of Music, am I right?
Then I equally felt like I was in an episode of Downton Abbey and was just waiting for the dowager to show up! With all the proper English ways and well I may have watched a few episodes right before reading. But it definitely made me think that The Sound of Music was meeting Downton Abbey, in a good way.
The book slips back and forth between 1940 and 2000 and is mostly set at Livingston Manor where there is sadness, a bit of mystery and possibly a most rare flower that flower thieves (could NOT take that part seriously) were after. Speaking of the thieves, I just could not buy into that storyline but, I also really don't care that much for flowers. The narrators are Flora who leads the 1940 chapters and Addison who is at Livingston Manor in 2000.
I loved it. I would LOOVE LOVE LOVE to read a novel about certain characters times after 1940 but if by chance you have NOT read this yet I won't say more on that.
I did read a few reviews they didn't care for the ending and while it still left a bit of mystery I felt it was hurried up to finish.
If you are looking for a new author to check out, I'd highly recommend Sarah Jio!
If you've read books by Jio, which is your favorite? Is there another author you are rarely disappointed with?
Monday, January 20, 2014
Weekly Recap
Monday - 15 minute walk
After work I was able to use our gym and get 15 minutes of walking in before I had to pick the child up from daycare. This worked well because I wasn't exhausted and I could get some movement in before the utter exhaustion hit me around 7:30.
Tuesday - We went and signed papers on my new vehicle and I am now the new owner of a Chevy Traverse! I am so excited to ditch my itty bitty car that made winter driving one giant anxiety attack! So, we didn't get home until it was time for bed-time routine and yeah.. I zonked out.
Wednesday - Books & Bars night so umm nothing again. We had read The Ranger by Ace Atkins and met at a local bar to discuss it. We spent very little time talking about the book this month because we weren't all huge fans but we had a lot of catching up to do and everyone that attended was a teachers so we had some commiserating about crap to discuss!
Thursday - Met my parents and some friends for the weekly 10 pizza and a pitcher of beer special sooo umm nothing again.
Friday - I thought about working out. But instead made spinach ravioli for dinner and drank a bottle of wine.
Saturday - Swimming! Now this wasn't a hardcore workout as we were at my nieces birthday party, but I did spend some time swimming and pulling a 2 year old and did a few small laps but it was a workout.
Sunday - 2 miles on the treadmill
Forced myself. Reminded myself about the beach in just over 2 months. Must. Move. Body.
Clearly, if I want to make working out a priority I have to figure something out. I just am too scared to make myself get up early to do it. I am already so exhausted in the morning (been fighting insomnia lately) that I just don't want to start the day on a crappy note when I have to be ON the whole time with demanding students! I did do very well with not snacking after dinner this week. Only once did I have a treat, which was far better than my nightly snacks I had gotten in the habit of!
What's your favorite lunch to pack?
After work I was able to use our gym and get 15 minutes of walking in before I had to pick the child up from daycare. This worked well because I wasn't exhausted and I could get some movement in before the utter exhaustion hit me around 7:30.
Tuesday - We went and signed papers on my new vehicle and I am now the new owner of a Chevy Traverse! I am so excited to ditch my itty bitty car that made winter driving one giant anxiety attack! So, we didn't get home until it was time for bed-time routine and yeah.. I zonked out.
Wednesday - Books & Bars night so umm nothing again. We had read The Ranger by Ace Atkins and met at a local bar to discuss it. We spent very little time talking about the book this month because we weren't all huge fans but we had a lot of catching up to do and everyone that attended was a teachers so we had some commiserating about crap to discuss!
Thursday - Met my parents and some friends for the weekly 10 pizza and a pitcher of beer special sooo umm nothing again.
Friday - I thought about working out. But instead made spinach ravioli for dinner and drank a bottle of wine.
Saturday - Swimming! Now this wasn't a hardcore workout as we were at my nieces birthday party, but I did spend some time swimming and pulling a 2 year old and did a few small laps but it was a workout.
Sunday - 2 miles on the treadmill
Forced myself. Reminded myself about the beach in just over 2 months. Must. Move. Body.
Clearly, if I want to make working out a priority I have to figure something out. I just am too scared to make myself get up early to do it. I am already so exhausted in the morning (been fighting insomnia lately) that I just don't want to start the day on a crappy note when I have to be ON the whole time with demanding students! I did do very well with not snacking after dinner this week. Only once did I have a treat, which was far better than my nightly snacks I had gotten in the habit of!
What's your favorite lunch to pack?
Friday, January 17, 2014
Looking Forward..
I haven't done one of these in awhile but Lisa inspired me to do one again!
This weekend... My niece's 1st birthday party! Can't wait for the cousins to be together and go swimming. Should be a good time!
Next week... I have a work conference that I am excited about! I'm excited about learning new things and about networking and bonding with some coworkers and lets be honest. I'm excited to spend a couple nights in a hotel room and take a little vacation from my day to day work/mom role.
This spring.... My 30th birthday/spring break!!! They happen within days of each other and I'm excited. I have no reason to be excited about my birthday besides that I get ridiculously giddy about birthday's. I am sure there will be no party/nothing spectacular but still, the possibility makes me excited. Plus, 30 sounds so grown up! Not ready to accept my grown up card though!! Spring break means the beach. The beach means the sun. The sun means happy me!!!! SOOOO EXCITED!
This year... We are planning some family camping trips for the summer and I'm excited. We usually go at least once for a week long trip with my husband's extended family but this year I begged him for us to go at least once a month in the summer and I'm excited to explore our beautiful state's eastern side. Something we've rarely done even though we live so much closer to the sunrise side of the mitten!
What are you looking forward to?
This weekend... My niece's 1st birthday party! Can't wait for the cousins to be together and go swimming. Should be a good time!
Next week... I have a work conference that I am excited about! I'm excited about learning new things and about networking and bonding with some coworkers and lets be honest. I'm excited to spend a couple nights in a hotel room and take a little vacation from my day to day work/mom role.
This spring.... My 30th birthday/spring break!!! They happen within days of each other and I'm excited. I have no reason to be excited about my birthday besides that I get ridiculously giddy about birthday's. I am sure there will be no party/nothing spectacular but still, the possibility makes me excited. Plus, 30 sounds so grown up! Not ready to accept my grown up card though!! Spring break means the beach. The beach means the sun. The sun means happy me!!!! SOOOO EXCITED!
This year... We are planning some family camping trips for the summer and I'm excited. We usually go at least once for a week long trip with my husband's extended family but this year I begged him for us to go at least once a month in the summer and I'm excited to explore our beautiful state's eastern side. Something we've rarely done even though we live so much closer to the sunrise side of the mitten!
What are you looking forward to?
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Currently...
I haven't done one of these in awhile and I'm a sucker for them...
reading - The Orphan Train
loving - Reading. I've read some AWESOME books so far in 2014 and it's only January. THAT makes me excited.
thinking - About a lot of things. Spring Break for one. Where are we going to stop? What are we going to do while we are there? What should we pack? Should I make a meal plan? And about getting a new car. When are we going to go look for one?
excited for - a work conference I have coming up.
watching - Nashville. Okay, so I lied just because I want to gush. I caught up over Christmas break and OMG. I love this show. I'm so glad I am caught up again!!!!
sad - That there is so much 'crap' in my job.
working on - losing weight, getting excerise to be part of the routine and eating as good as I feed my kid.
grateful - for my mama
wishing - I could find a dream job that my education qualifies me for. Or my experience. I so wish education wasn't so expensive or that I didn't HAVE to take specific classes to renew my certificate and I wish I hadn't doubled myself so much when I could have made some different choice. Ahhh..
What is going on with you currently?
reading - The Orphan Train
loving - Reading. I've read some AWESOME books so far in 2014 and it's only January. THAT makes me excited.
thinking - About a lot of things. Spring Break for one. Where are we going to stop? What are we going to do while we are there? What should we pack? Should I make a meal plan? And about getting a new car. When are we going to go look for one?
excited for - a work conference I have coming up.
watching - Nashville. Okay, so I lied just because I want to gush. I caught up over Christmas break and OMG. I love this show. I'm so glad I am caught up again!!!!
sad - That there is so much 'crap' in my job.
working on - losing weight, getting excerise to be part of the routine and eating as good as I feed my kid.
grateful - for my mama
wishing - I could find a dream job that my education qualifies me for. Or my experience. I so wish education wasn't so expensive or that I didn't HAVE to take specific classes to renew my certificate and I wish I hadn't doubled myself so much when I could have made some different choice. Ahhh..
What is going on with you currently?
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Naked Came the Post-postmodernist
It's no secret here that I skim read descriptions and/or emails about books and then sometimes get surprised by what I end up reading. When I was first emailed about this book the basic premise of the book got me first, because I do like a mystery, and then the thought of a whole class coming together to write a book together. What would it sound like? Would it flow? I must check this out.
Then I got it. And I started reading. And I started giggling. And then I started googling. Okay, all you nerds aka Underhill types who already knew about this and think now I am supreme idiot. Let it be known I grew up in such a small backwards place you should all be thankful I knew how to find the Internet. Anywhoo, if you haven't heard of Naked Came the Stranger by Penolope Ashe, you may need to know that about 40ish years ago a group of writers came together to write THE WORST book ever as a joke and see how people reacted.
Now, I am not saying this is the WORST book because it is not. It's actually quite entertaining and had me wondering what the next chapter would bring. If you are looking for a murder mystery that doesn't have about 23434 different characters and narrators it isn't for you. But if you like to read something that's a bit different while still having mystery and randomness check it out.
I thought it was very good. They did an excellent job writing and even though they were able to write whatever they wanted, some of it flowed. The characters didn't do anything too out of the character already described by someone else and the writing wasn't so vastly different that you were confused. I think my only critique would be that there not be so many extra participants. It got a little crazy with all the characters. But it was a very quick read (read it in one day start to finish! yay snow days!) and had me wondering how they were gong to end it. The ending had me rolling my eyes in a good way. You should check it out!
Description: Who killed Eric Davenport? A senior mathematics professor at Underhill College has been found dead in his office, the victim of murder. At Underhill, a small liberal arts college with a pricy tuition and a pampered student body, all of the students are close to their professors. But at least one loved Eric Davenport in a deeply inappropriate fashion. Some hated him. And then there is the faculty at war with itself. And the idiotic administration. And the twin boys who live next to campus. And what’s with all those praying mantises?
The collective work of Sarah Lawrence writing class 3303 - R, taught by novelist Melvin Jules Bukiet, here is a send-up of contemporary campus life that is also the latest installment in an inglorious literary tradition of wacky fun. And the mayhem hasn’t stopped. Soon, a student is found dead in the library, and, from the quad to the dorms, crime scenes and crises begin to multiply. A wealthy alumni donor becomes alarmed. Enter a libidinous medical examiner. Depicting rampant insecurities and raging egos, and with a cast of characters from conflicted faculty to student cliques, from hemp kids to Ugg girls and the J Crew crew, Naked Came the Post-Postmodernist takes us on a journey some may find eerily familiar. .
Have you ever had to write a paper/story with another person? How did you share roles? Does the idea of writing a novel with a group of people appeal to you? Have you read Naked Came the Stranger?
Disclaimer: I got this book for review, but all thoughts and opinions are my own!
Then I got it. And I started reading. And I started giggling. And then I started googling. Okay, all you nerds aka Underhill types who already knew about this and think now I am supreme idiot. Let it be known I grew up in such a small backwards place you should all be thankful I knew how to find the Internet. Anywhoo, if you haven't heard of Naked Came the Stranger by Penolope Ashe, you may need to know that about 40ish years ago a group of writers came together to write THE WORST book ever as a joke and see how people reacted.
Now, I am not saying this is the WORST book because it is not. It's actually quite entertaining and had me wondering what the next chapter would bring. If you are looking for a murder mystery that doesn't have about 23434 different characters and narrators it isn't for you. But if you like to read something that's a bit different while still having mystery and randomness check it out.
I thought it was very good. They did an excellent job writing and even though they were able to write whatever they wanted, some of it flowed. The characters didn't do anything too out of the character already described by someone else and the writing wasn't so vastly different that you were confused. I think my only critique would be that there not be so many extra participants. It got a little crazy with all the characters. But it was a very quick read (read it in one day start to finish! yay snow days!) and had me wondering how they were gong to end it. The ending had me rolling my eyes in a good way. You should check it out!
Description: Who killed Eric Davenport? A senior mathematics professor at Underhill College has been found dead in his office, the victim of murder. At Underhill, a small liberal arts college with a pricy tuition and a pampered student body, all of the students are close to their professors. But at least one loved Eric Davenport in a deeply inappropriate fashion. Some hated him. And then there is the faculty at war with itself. And the idiotic administration. And the twin boys who live next to campus. And what’s with all those praying mantises?
The collective work of Sarah Lawrence writing class 3303 - R, taught by novelist Melvin Jules Bukiet, here is a send-up of contemporary campus life that is also the latest installment in an inglorious literary tradition of wacky fun. And the mayhem hasn’t stopped. Soon, a student is found dead in the library, and, from the quad to the dorms, crime scenes and crises begin to multiply. A wealthy alumni donor becomes alarmed. Enter a libidinous medical examiner. Depicting rampant insecurities and raging egos, and with a cast of characters from conflicted faculty to student cliques, from hemp kids to Ugg girls and the J Crew crew, Naked Came the Post-Postmodernist takes us on a journey some may find eerily familiar. .
Have you ever had to write a paper/story with another person? How did you share roles? Does the idea of writing a novel with a group of people appeal to you? Have you read Naked Came the Stranger?
Disclaimer: I got this book for review, but all thoughts and opinions are my own!
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