tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44906171709521680772011-07-29T02:44:53.456-06:00Reading the Classics to understand HistoryShimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.comBlogger631100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-23091365682695408482009-11-05T07:37:00.002-07:002009-11-05T17:34:31.679-07:00

I don't know about the rest of you, but I enjoyed our little break from the norm this month; and getting into the Halloween spirit.Since this is such a classic story, I, as I'm sure you did, knew that Jekyll and Hyde were the same person, but it was interesting to read how it came about and how it was discovered by others. And I loved reading it the way it was written. There is something about

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-14011994130724377142009-10-23T21:32:00.002-06:002009-10-23T21:35:28.981-06:00

Well the poll is closed and the winner for November's book selection is... Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Franko.I must say I'm a little excited. I didn't vote for this one, but it's the only one of the options that I haven't read yet, so it will be interesting to compare it to the others.Happy Reading everyone! Next discussion starts on Nov. 5th (on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-79341246475483530122009-10-20T07:37:00.001-06:002009-10-20T07:37:00.595-06:00

I loved this question that was recently posted on Booking Through Thursday. (My apologies to Amy, who I'm sure has already answered this.)Book Gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or are you a controlled buyer,

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-62005672667908375902009-10-16T09:16:00.003-06:002009-10-16T09:34:06.900-06:00

So, I am the worst club manager ever. Family has been sick and computers have crashed and I am really late getting a discussion started on Treasure Island.I did however, really enjoy reading the book. It was an easy to read while taking care of a million other things, kind of story. I found it fast paced and attention grabbing, even though I sometimes struggle with Stephenson's language.It

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-71704890328485455912009-09-18T20:50:00.001-06:002009-09-18T20:52:16.190-06:00

I really hope that you are all enjoying Treasure Island, or at least the way the Robert Louis Stephensen writes, because he won the choice for Oct.'s book too. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde won the vote for next months book. Hopefully it will help get you all in the Halloween mood. "OOOooohhhhhhh."

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-90301583410473490322009-09-07T22:50:00.002-06:002009-09-07T23:12:45.836-06:00

I had always wondered where they came up with the title to this book. Now, I'm glad that I know.I learned so much from reading To Kill a Mocking Bird, this month. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it in the, "it made me mad" sense. (Sort of like Uncle Tom's Cabin.) I was appalled at the things that I considered wrong, but I loved how the story was told and the people and things that were good.I

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-61182099093299371872009-09-07T22:47:00.002-06:002009-09-07T22:49:55.485-06:00

I wish I had a cleaver title for this post, but to be honest, I didn't get both the books read like I had wanted too. However, I know that this book is supposed to take place around the same time as the Great Depression, and I would love to hear what similarities and differences were found to our times.If you chose the Grapes of Wrath, please leave your comments to this post.

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-70217617427969996552009-08-24T21:23:00.002-06:002009-08-24T21:25:22.570-06:00

The Poll has ended and Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stephenson came out on top. Looks like Sept. should be full of adventure.Happy Reading!

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-15186386401069570862009-08-20T01:47:00.000-06:002009-08-20T01:47:00.392-06:00

This months in between question was originally posted on Booking Through Thursday in Jan. So you have my apologies if you've already answered it.What books inspire you?Personally, I like books that I can learn something from. I think that's why I enjoy the classics so much. Even if the theme of the book isn't historical, it happened so long ago that you learn something about the lifestyles of

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-85823942667560078712009-08-17T12:29:00.002-06:002009-08-17T12:37:31.173-06:00

So, once again you have my sincerest apologies. The end of summer this year has been a very busy one. My mother had surgery, my kids got sun poisoning, we have a foreign exchange student, we've had scout camp and family reunions and that's just in the last week and a half. So I'm ready to read your thoughts on White Fang.I don't have all my notes with me, but I know that in the beginning I was

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-63372159942712910102009-08-03T14:51:00.004-06:002009-08-03T14:56:23.427-06:00

We really seem to like ties around here. Every month I've tried to come up with a new way to break the ties that we end up with on reading selections, and this month I've decided to do something new yet again........ I'm not breaking the tie.We will have two books for the month of Aug.To Kill a Mocking Bird AND The Grapes of WrathSo here's how it will work: Everyone will pick one of the

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-7446934969790039712009-07-20T01:25:00.001-06:002009-07-20T01:25:00.158-06:00

Yet another questions stolen from the archives of Booking Through Thursdays. (see side bar for link)They say, "Don't judge a book by it's cover." But how much does the design of a book affect your reading enjoyment? Hardcover vs. softcover? Font? Illustrations? Etc.?When it comes to reading or enjoying a story, I really don't care what's on the cover. However, when I am looking to buy a book,

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-23074547165419045902009-07-06T13:23:00.003-06:002009-07-06T13:46:13.575-06:00

I must admit that I had a love/hate relationship with this book.First of all it moved very quickly, I actually read it casually, in about 3 days.Secondly I loved the pictures that were painted and how you could really "see" what was happening in the battles. I thought there were some beautiful analogies.As far as the story itself, I had very mixed feelings. I loved how honest the book was. For

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-34061347146560591702009-06-30T13:38:00.003-06:002009-06-30T13:47:51.416-06:00

Well the poll is now closed, and by an overwhelming margin, White Fang, but Jack London was chosen as July's book.I'll see you here in a few more days (July 5th) to discuss June's book, The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane.Happy Reading!

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-21477513926881647432009-06-23T01:22:00.000-06:002009-06-30T13:38:17.410-06:00

I’m wondering what other people do when they come across a word/phrase that they’ve never heard before. Do you jot it down on paper so you can look it up later, or do you stop reading to look it up on the dictionary/google it, or do you just continue reading and forget about the word?Overall I'm a jot it down and look it up at the end of the chapter, kinda gal. When I was younger I would just

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-51454135934296367372009-06-22T10:23:00.002-06:002009-06-22T10:32:18.419-06:00

May and June turned out to be much busier months than I thought. And I have to be honest, I haven't finished the book.  So this is turning into more of an announcement post for me.If you did finish, let everyone know what you thought.  It is my goal to finish Anna K. and The Red Badge of Courage this month.On a happier note, "CONGRATULATIONS!" are in order.  Mrs. and Mr. Mordecai welcomed their

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-71147597002730529442009-05-20T06:00:00.000-06:002009-05-20T06:00:19.988-06:00

This months in between question was taken from Booking Through Thursday. (Who's link I've added at the bottom of the side bar.)What, if any, memorable or special book have you ever gotten as a present?What made it so notable? The person who gave it? The book itself? The “gift aura?”I don't know if it qualifies as a "gift", but my mother "gave" me my great grandmothers books that she had handed

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-16611041445728972612009-05-19T14:09:00.003-06:002009-05-19T14:24:26.871-06:00

After reading the comments about how far everyone is on Anna K...  and seeing what book was chosen for June, I've decided to push our discussion back two weeks. The Red Badge of Courage will be our next selection and it's not very long so I think that most of us can easily read it in a few weeks.  So our next book selection discussion will happen on Friday, June 19th instead of the 5th. Hopefully

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-50321976515253360892009-05-11T18:55:00.004-06:002009-05-11T19:03:03.804-06:00

Hi all,I was emailed today by a member of the club who, due to personal circumstances, isn't sure they will be able to finish May's book in May.  They have read the book before, so they don't want everyone to change their plans just for them, however, I am currently on chapter 7.  So I thought I'd put my feelers out there and see how everyone else is doing.Are you plugging right along?  Will you

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-46201171990927524102009-05-08T17:10:00.003-06:002009-05-08T17:53:05.909-06:00

You all have my sincerest apologies for the late post this month. Our computer went down on Monday and I didn't get it back until today. Thank you so much to those of you who emailed me. I very much appreciate that you cared about my well being. We are fine, we just weren't able to use the computer. So now that you've waited long enough... here is my short thoughts on Around the World in 80

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-57672561748244888162009-04-17T01:20:00.000-06:002009-04-17T11:37:52.005-06:00

Another in between questioned borrowed from Booking Through Thursday.Books and films both tell stories, but what we want from a book can be different from what we want from a movie. Is this true for you? If so, what’s the difference between a book and a movie?I don't know that I want different things from a book and a movie. I want a good story. However, I have noticed about myself, that I'm

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-67740696347221696812009-04-13T10:13:00.003-06:002009-04-13T10:17:21.868-06:00

Well, we did get a couple more votes and the book selection for May will be....Anna Karenina by Tolstoy.  The Three Musketeers came in a very close 2nd place and will be added to my list of previously voted on books to be chosen from again early next year.I hope that you are all enjoying this months read, Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne.Happy Reading.

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-67846689105342163082009-04-10T09:54:00.003-06:002009-04-10T09:57:34.549-06:00

Once again it looks as if this months voting is going to end in a tie.  If you have not voted yet PLEASE do so. If the result is still a tie when the poll ends tomorrow, I will remove my vote to break the tie.  (The only reason I didn't vote for the other favorite is because I've already read it, but I can read books twice *wink*)

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-90276454889291083162009-04-08T12:56:00.003-06:002009-04-08T13:57:41.967-06:00

Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, on June 14, 1811. She was the seventh child in her family.  Her father was a Calvanist Minister of the Congregational Church.  Two of her brothers ( Henry Ward and Edward) followed in their father's footsteps. (Henry Ward Beecher also became a famed abolitionist.)She experienced slavery for the first time when her family moved to

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-4374914934495870482009-04-06T17:05:00.003-06:002009-04-08T12:56:34.211-06:00

You all have my apologies.  I don't usually do blog posts on Sundays and totally spaced off that yesterday was the 5th.  And as of the moment I don't have my review typed up yet.  Please feel free to start leaving your comments on Uncle Tom's Cabin and I will ad my thoughts to yours in the comments.(And don't forget to vote for May's book in the side bar.)

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-60795752743801780862009-03-19T01:43:00.000-06:002009-03-19T01:43:05.661-06:00

A few weeks ago, Booking Through Thursday, asked the following question:Have you ever been put off by an author’s books after reading a biography of them? Or the reverse - a biography has made you love an author more?And it lead me to think that I had a question of my own. Do you often read the author's biography? I know that I try to read the author's bio if there is one in my book, however, I

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-42603860720308026142009-03-10T11:58:00.003-06:002009-03-10T12:17:25.868-06:00

Apparently I chose three very interesting books to decided between for April's book. By one vote the winner is:Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne. However, all three books received more than one vote, which has lead me to ask some questions that have been on my mind lately:About 2 weeks ago, I started looking into the book choices for next years time frame, and to be honest I'm having

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-87171452088966065742009-03-05T11:54:00.002-07:002009-03-05T14:08:11.580-07:00

Forgive me for posting a little late today. I had lots of notes to go through.I realize that this was a long and and tedious book, and that it didn't have a happily ever after sort of ending. But for very personal reasons I took a lot away from this book. You see, my hubby is retired from the Coast Guard. I am married to a sailor and almost immediately I was drawn to the similarities between

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-14668557058832557242009-03-03T21:46:00.004-07:002009-03-03T21:50:24.362-07:00

So, I think this is the longest book we've read so far and I know that most were having a hard time getting through it. Will we all be ready by Thurs. or do you want to postpone the discussion until the 10th-15th?(Normal schedule will still apply, for March's book.)

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-21041591378024171732009-02-25T09:25:00.002-07:002009-02-25T09:30:21.323-07:00

For those of you who may not have read recent comments added to our Scarlet Letter discussion. We have a new book club member, Magali. And I wanted to say WELCOME. We are always so excited to ad another mind to the thoughts that we have on the book selections.Magali is originally from Brazil, and english is her second language. As one who studied Spanish for two years and can only remember

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-47358647972133828962009-02-20T06:00:00.001-07:002009-02-20T06:00:00.930-07:00

For this months "in between" post, I'm posing the question:Why did you choose to read the classics?For me, it started about 2 years ago. I had always wanted a big library full of classics in my home, so that we would always have something good around to read. But when the time came that I could actually start to build that library. I started to see how many of the classics I hadn't read. In

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-7531171279757057382009-02-13T09:36:00.001-07:002009-02-13T09:38:28.537-07:00

By 4 votes to 1 the book for March is: Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe.Hope you are enjoying Moby Dick.  Happy Reading.

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-78042662208814420192009-02-05T10:33:00.004-07:002009-02-05T16:30:27.702-07:00

For the first time since I joined this book club, this was not the first time that I had read this book.  It was actually my third time.  But luckily I've always liked it.Here are some of the points that struck me as I read this time around.I was very struck with the lifestyle of the Puritans.  "Law and religion were one in the same.", it said, and in theory that sounds like a good idea.  How

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-83017995933860218852009-01-16T06:00:00.005-07:002009-01-16T06:00:00.583-07:00

Like a lot of you may be, if I were asked what is your favorite book? Or what book would you take with you to a deserted island? I would say Scriptures, or the Bible etc. But what if you could take more than one? What is your favorite book?I would say the non-scriptural book that has influenced me the most, and that I could read, over and over, is:The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom If I were

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-58293505853602505012009-01-12T18:28:00.002-07:002009-01-12T18:32:22.575-07:00

I wrote the two books on pieces of paper and had one of my kids draw it out of a hat. The winner was... Moby Dick.Sorry for the delay. (For those of you who don't know, my oldest put his hand in a snow blower and severely broke his finger. He goes in for surgery to reconstruct it on Wed. So please forgive my randomness lately. I'll be back to normal in a week or two. On the plus side I should

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-21623869083828161542008-12-31T15:31:00.004-07:002009-01-02T11:21:58.706-07:00

(I have a busy week next week, so I'm posting this just a couple of days early, but discussions will be open until the 10th as usual.)So what did you think of A Christmas Carol?I must admit that this short of a book was perfect for my Decemeber. The plan of reading it to my kids however, turned into reading them the Childrens', Great Illustrated Classic, edition. It was too much for the little

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-14896812978861525372008-12-15T06:00:00.004-07:002008-12-15T06:00:05.219-07:00

Every Christmas Eve, my family reads the Nativity story out of the Bible. But I also love to read lots of other Christmas related stories through out the month. (Plus we always watch a few favorite movies, that it just wouldn't be Christmas without.)So for this months "in between" question I thought I'd ask, What other Christmas stories are you reading this month? What Christmas story is your

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-5739205480630869622008-12-11T15:46:00.003-07:002008-12-11T16:06:15.058-07:00

Thank you to all who voted for January's book. Nathaniel Hawthorne's, The Scarlet Letter, won the vote and will be the book selection for Jan.I hope you have all had a chance to get started on A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. The discussion will be here on Jan. 5th, and I will be on time, this time.Also, I just remembered that when the book club started, Mrs. Brooke had a monthly

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-32372188366542485962008-12-07T15:07:00.006-07:002008-12-08T08:42:25.979-07:00

I don't know about you but I really enjoyed Jane Eyre.First if all I must admit that it started totally different than I expected. All I had ever heard about Jane Eyre was that it was a good book and that Jane and Mr. Rochester was someone's favorite couple. So I almost expected another Pride and Prejudice type of book. So when it started off with Jane as a child, and a severely mistreated on

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-70896323065750369572008-12-01T14:46:00.003-07:002008-12-01T14:50:29.947-07:00

Next year's time period is 1850- Present. So naturally I started at the beginning. And when I was looking for books written or about 1850 one name kept coming up over, and over and over again... Nathaniel Hawthorne. So I decided to dedicate the month of Jan to him. So go to the side bar and vote for which Nathaniel, novel, you want to read.Don't forget our discussion for Jane Eyre starts on

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-78440179108723951682008-11-17T15:07:00.002-07:002008-11-17T15:14:11.005-07:00

I thought some of you might be interested in learning more about the author of this months book. (For the whole article, including, why she used a pen name. You can read it at Wikipedia)Charlotte Bronte: (21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855)Charlotte was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England in 1816, the third of six children, to Patrick Brontë (formerly "Patrick Brunty"), an Irish Anglican clergyman,

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-51611893072771869112008-11-14T06:00:00.000-07:002008-11-14T15:00:57.219-07:00

This months "in between" question is borrowed from a site called Booking Through Thursday:Are you a spine breaker? Or a dog-earrer?Do you expect to keep your books in pristine condition even after you have read them? Does watching other readers bend the cover all the way round make you flinch or squeal in pain?I have gone through stages of both ways. When I was younger I would break spines to

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-63489229430650561652008-11-05T01:00:00.001-07:002008-11-05T01:00:02.184-07:00

I must admit that before Oct. I had never read Pride and Prejudice. Now that I have, I think I have a crush on Mr. Darcy!Do you think my husband would mind that I also have feelings for a fictional character?On the serious side here are some of the thoughts that occurred to me while reading.#1 In the beginning of the story, I found the book fairly hard to read. It wasn't the large vocabulary,

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-54948593217436249382008-11-01T06:00:00.001-06:002008-11-01T09:43:21.782-06:00

Before Mrs. Brooke, officially removed herself from this blog. The two of us talked and made an executive decision. We will not be voting for Decembers book. Instead we have chosen: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.It fits perfectly, not only with the time of year, but also with the era we are reading.Never fear, though, voting for January's book will be here on Dec. 5th. And I did a lot

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-23665107137723882952008-10-25T23:17:00.004-06:002008-11-10T21:07:49.599-07:00

Caranoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-91459933730069109522008-10-24T11:24:00.007-06:002008-11-10T21:09:06.562-07:00

I realize that this isn't a blog that we usually visit everyday, but I thought I'd put a little post on here for those who stopped by in between book posts. I was at the blog of a fellow book lover, Smilingal, who is a book reviewer, and she asked the question:Who is your favorite literary couple?Hers was Romeo and Juliet, written, of course, by William Shakespeare.While I LOVE Shakespeare, I

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-63717640237964343262008-10-18T08:28:00.003-06:002008-10-18T08:30:21.643-06:00

I'm finally getting to updating the blog address in the publicity buttons. Here's two that are finished, and I hope to get to the others soon.Are there any particular images/art you would particularly like to have made into a button? Let me know!

Caranoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-45334383713154621032008-10-16T15:14:00.006-06:002008-10-16T15:23:04.450-06:00

I read Jane Eyre in high school and absolutely hated it. I proceeded to write a scatching review of it for my English class, not knowing that it was my English teacher's absolute, most favorite book in the entire world.She gave me a big, fat "F" on my paper. True, I didn't do a very good job of backing up my opinion with anything from the text (I was still just a baby freshman); I just wrote

Caranoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-5911195525637033072008-10-10T20:55:00.004-06:002008-10-17T12:56:35.516-06:00

Hey there everyone,It's me, Shimmy Mom, I just took over the blog for Mrs. Brooke. And like all of you I wish her the absolute best and hope that she is back to leading us soon, and especially hope she will still join us in our reads and comments.We are a little late this month, but did anybody read the assignment for Sept.? I must admit that my family moved in Sept. and I did not get it all

Shimmy Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161810615900981695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-3967780885581597692008-10-09T08:30:00.002-06:002008-10-09T08:33:15.329-06:00

Sorry there folks.RTH is in the process of being transferred to someone else's authority and will then continue on...I'm sorry to leave you, but personal priorities make it incredibly difficult for me to keep up with this at this point in time.October's book is Pride & Prejudice, so get reading!For discussion this month, you can leave your comments here or on your own blog. Just let us know.

Caranoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-77145559455963862962008-10-02T13:27:00.001-06:002008-10-02T13:29:29.350-06:00

Jolly RogerHere's a place that looks like a good find. I'm having a hard time keeping up with things lately, so I thought I'd point you in other directions for discussion just in case I have to permanently pull the plug on RTH. If you find other sites, please leave a link in the comments section.

Caranoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-3260891251382256012008-09-05T13:45:00.001-06:002008-09-05T13:48:02.785-06:00

It's already time for discussion! Leave your comments...I have none, as I have yet to make it through the second chapter. I made the boneheaded mistake of not buying the book and just borrowing it from the library.Turns out that I just cannot read a book if I can't underline and circle stuff in it. Enjoy your discussion this month with each other!

Caranoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-41221363250729010572008-08-15T07:08:00.003-06:002008-08-15T07:24:43.978-06:00

In response to Sharon in KY's query, I'll explain how I go about reading through history.The two books that motivate me the most to push forward are The Well-Trained Mind and A Thomas Jefferson Education, both of which are geared towards homeschooling, but I've adapted them to fit my personal needs as an adult. They have excellent reading lists and work to inspire me to educate myself. I am a

Caranoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-90009822620829910562008-08-13T22:34:00.003-06:002008-08-13T22:35:50.430-06:00

I need to take a big break for a while and won't be able to keep up with RTH. If anyone is interested in taking over here, please let me know and I'll sign the blog over to you. Thanks.

Caranoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-63043584971592171082008-08-10T09:37:00.002-06:002008-08-10T09:44:59.542-06:00

We'll be heading into the beginnings of the nineteenth century, a time of war and exploration.The three books to choose from are: War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy (1424 pages, Napoleonic Wars) The Journals of Lewis & Clark, by Meriwether Lewis and John Clark (576 pages, Lewis & Clark Expedition) The Naval War of 1812, by Theodore Roosevelt (500 pages, The War of 1812) And our comment winner for

Caranoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-85357074239970451232008-08-05T12:35:00.002-06:002008-08-05T12:36:57.608-06:00

Yes, I've read it; and no, I can't write about it right now. So I figured I'd at least get a post up so y'all can start leaving your comments and I'll leave my thoughts in the comments section as well. Sorry...things are just crazy around here at the moment.

Caranoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-30874095190759623492008-07-11T17:28:00.003-06:002008-07-13T19:01:12.698-06:00

By: Henry Wadsworth LongfellowListen my children and you shall hearOf the midnight ride of Paul Revere,On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;Hardly a man is now aliveWho remembers that famous day and year.He said to his friend, "If the British marchBy land or sea from the town to-night,Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry archOf the North Church tower as a signal light,--One if by land, and

Caranoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-49933387203618236192008-07-10T13:15:00.004-06:002008-07-11T17:32:10.160-06:00

Come on you guys! What's up with a straight-up tie?!?! Alright, this time around I'll just break the tie, but I'm going to put up a poll and see if you'd prefer for me to be the tie-breaker (even though I already voted), or if you'd like it better if the random book winner breaks the tie (and honestly, they've already voted as well). Or we can ask my 4 year old which one she thinks would be

Caranoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-51865502670828380512008-07-05T10:37:00.001-06:002008-07-10T13:14:04.259-06:00

Whoever came up with the idea of posting on the 5th failed to take into consideration how tired she would be after staying up to celebrate the 4th of July.Alright, down to business. First off, I really enjoyed reading through these selections and found that the more I read through and about them, the more I wanted to read other things in connection to them. I finally understand why it's important

Caranoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-21265114790915013762008-06-15T11:38:00.000-06:002008-12-11T06:58:44.620-07:00

The reading selection for July is:David McCullough's 1776. I am really looking forward to reading this--it's been sitting on my shelf since my birthday! Thanks to all of you who voted.To avoid confusion, we are not technically starting on this until July 6th.Right now we are working on the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States, and The Federalist Papers (I'm noticing

Caranoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-38660623656875862542008-06-10T11:35:00.000-06:002008-12-11T06:58:44.710-07:00

June's reading selection is:The Declaration of IndependenceThe Constitution of the United States (incl. The Bill of Rights)The Federalist Papers, by James Madison et al.I know that people generally read "patriotic literature" in July, but I'm of the opinion that you should read the patriotic stuff during June in order to have it freshly in your mind on Independence Day. I think it adds deeper

Caranoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-10786653691781616812008-06-10T11:10:00.000-06:002008-07-11T17:32:20.906-06:00

By: Henry Van Dyke'Tis fine to see the Old World, and travel up and downAmong the famous palaces and cities of renown,To admire the crumbly castles and the statues of the kings,--But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things.So it's home again, and home again, America for me!My heart is turning home again, and there I long to beIn the land of youth and freedom beyond the ocean bars,Where

Caranoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4490617170952168077.post-51128808658748171272008-06-05T11:23:00.001-06:002008-12-11T06:58:44.851-07:00

The aim of the book club is to read through the eras of history (via Classics, primary sources and relevant commentaries) over the course of four years. We will read works published during the time period and works written about the time period. There will also be "extra credit" assignments of memorization work.The breakdown of history will be as follows: Ancients through Medieval (5000 BC-AD 400

Caranoreply@blogger.com1