Classics Club Spin #7 Results!

The results for the spin are in!

The number chosen is...

17

And so I will be reading...

I am slightly intimidated by the size - but who am I to be daunted by thousand-page tomes? I've read Les Miz AND Gone With the Wind TWICE. Clearly I have nothing to fear when it comes to the size of my spin book. 

Have you read Hunchback? What did you think of it?

And do you get intimidated by large books?

~Sophia

Classics Club Spin #7

It is time for another Spin! 
Here are the rules, for those of you not familiar with it.

1. I pick out 20 books from my Classics Club list and number them 1-20
2. The Classics Club announces a number on Monday, August 11th.
3. I read the book that I assigned to that number by October 6th!

Again, I'm going to reuse the list from my last spin, and replace the one book I've read since. (Wow, great progress - not!)
So here's the list:

Rereads:
1. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
3. Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
5. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy

I Can't Wait to Read:

6. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather 

7. 1984 by George Orwell

8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

9. Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand

10. The Sea Wolf by Jack London

I'm Dreading:
11. Ben Hur by Lew Wallace (I started this one a few years back and only got a few chapters in.)
12. The White Company by A. Conan Doyle (Can you believe I've started this one twice and haven't finished it yet?)
13. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (Well, this is both dreaded and anticipated. I'm both excited yet a little intimidated by the size...)
14. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
15. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

I'm Neutral About:
16. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
17. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
18. The Man Who would be King by Rudyard Kipling

19. An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde

20. The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Good luck to all participating!

~Sophia

Le Morte D'Arthur

Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur is possibly one of the most well known works of Arthurian Lit. It was the work that my Arthurian Lit class chose to end the semester with. (My final is on Saturday - wish me luck!) And here is my final essay for the course on the dissolution of the fellowship of the Round Table. Page numbers are from the Winchester Manuscript published by Oxford World Classics.

_____________________________________________

From the moment that the Knights of the Round Table set out on the quest for the Sangreal, King Arthur knew that the dissolution of the order was at hand. “I am sure,” he says, “At this quest of the Sangrail shall all ye of the Table round depart, and never shall I see you again whole together” (p. 316). This is really the beginning of the end, and from this point there are numerous causes that can be seen that bring about the end of the fellowship.

                The quest for the Holy Grail becomes the epitome of all the adventures that the Knights have had so far. The recluse’s chastisement and warning to Lancelot is a foreshadowing of problems to come – “Now have I warned thee of thy vainglory and of thy pride, that thou hast many times erred against thy Maker. Beware of everlasting pain…” (p. 350). Lancelot’s faults are emphasized when he is not permitted to see the Sangreal. Futhermore, when Galahad heals the Maimed King, he fulfills the prophesy from the time of Joseph of Arimathea. Once that has been completed, the Knights of the Round Table have not much left to aspire to or to fight for. Without a unifying purpose, it is only a question of time before the fellowship falls apart.
                 The downfall is jointly caused by Lancelot’s and Guinevere’s affair, and Mordred’s revelation of that affair.  Mordred, a recreant knight, only does this this because of his own selfish motives, and desire to obtain the throne. Ironically, despite his malevolent motivations, he is still exposing sin and what could potentially be considered Lancelot’s treason. Lancelot, on the other hand, is conflicted in his struggle to remain true to the laws of chivalry and courtly love. Chivalry demands that he remain loyal to his king, but courtly love insists that he protect and defend his lady – who just happens to be the king’s wife.

Lancelot prepares to fight his King for his Lady.

                Gawain, though not originally involved, becomes a major player in the downfall of the fellowship. When he first hears of Mordred’s and Agravain’s plan, he foresees that “the noble fellowship of the Round Table shall be disparbled” (p. 469). He persists in supporting Lancelot and the queen, until Lancelot accidentally kills Gareth, Gawain’s brother. Then, his wrath is so great that he convinces King Arthur to launch into full-out battle against Lancelot. Arthur, like Lancelot, is torn between his love for Lancelot and for Gawain.

                Another, less physical cause of the downfall of the fellowship of the Round Table is Fortune. Arthur has a dream about the Wheel of Fortune, where he, attached to the wheel, rises up to the top, and then is spun back down into the “hideous black water” of bad fortune (p. 510). By bad luck, a serpent stings a soldier who unthinkingly pulls out a sword to kill it, breaking the peace between Arthur and Mordred. And Lancelot laments what everyone is thinking when he says, “Alas, who may trust this world?” (p. 521).

                There are numerous causes that brought about the dissolution of the Knights of the Round Table, and all are equally to blame – Lancelot’s affair with Guinevere, Mordred’s involvement, Gawain’s blind wrath, and the maneuverings of Lady Fortune and her Wheel. There is also fault within the systems of chivalry and courtly love, which caused Lancelot’s turmoil and played a part in the fellowship’s downfall. Malory illustrates that the ultimate failings were these systems, as well as the lack of honor at the core of mankind – shown in Mordred and in the nobles who followed him because they were so tired of war. Was there any one thing that could have been done to prevent the dissolution? I don’t think so. Too many different forces contributed in too many ways that the fall of Arthur and his knights was inevitable.

~Sophia

The death of Arthur and Mordred

Gawain and the Green Knight

I read this translation by Brian Stone

Gawain and The Green Knight was written by an unknown poet people call the Pearl Poet, since he also wrote the poem Pearl. There are numerous translations from the old English of Gawain, including one by Tolkien, which I didn't read unfortunately. (I have read Tolkien's translation of Pearl, though!)

I finished Gawain a while ago, but I didn't write my essay for the Arthurian Lit course until recently, so here it is: the idea of Parallellism in Gawain and how it binds the story together.






                                                                                                                                                               

Throughout Gawain and the Green Knight, the Pearl Poet incorporates many examples of parallelism. This provides an insight into the deeper meanings of the story, and also helps the reader make connections as they progress through the book. These parallels, through similarities as well as through contrasts, help in the interpretation of the book, and ultimately reveal what the Pearl Poet is trying to say about the search for truth and virtue.

The most obvious example of parallelism in Gawain and the Green Knight is a comparison between Gawain’s actions for three days with his host’s wife, and the three blows that the Green Knight gives him at the climax of the story. As Gawain gave in and took the green sash from the lady, so he again gives in to his fear and flinches before the Green Knight’s first blow. The second blow stops short, paralleling Gawain’s resistance to anything else but kisses from the knight’s wife. And the third blow leaves him with a small scar on his neck, to constantly remind him of his deception towards his host.

Another example of parallelism can be seen between the three animals Sir Bertilak kills on his hunts, and the three temptations given by the host’s wife. The first animal, the fox, is a symbol of deceit, pretending to be dead in order to trap his prey. The second animal, the deer, symbolizes the flesh and carnal desires. And the boar, the third animal, is a symbol of worldly treachery. The Pearl Poet uses this parallel, and characterizes the hostess as representing the flesh, deceit, worldliness.

Medieval artwork depicting the Green Knight

Parallels can also be found between the covenants in each of the fits. The covenant made in Arthur’s court between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is closely interwoven with Gawain’s temptations in the Green Knight’s castle, and a strong sense of right in truth and fair exchange emerges from the beheading in Arthur’s court, the temptations by the hostess, and the final encounter between the Green Knight and Gawain.

                The Pearl Poet also provides parallels through contrast, such as between the lively hunt and the quiet bedchamber, as well as between Gawain’s harsh, cold journey and Sir Bertilak’s warm castle. The most obvious example of contrast is between Sir Bertilak’s beautiful young wife and her old, ugly lady in waiting, who is actually Morgan le Fay in disguise. The contrast between the noble Gawain and the Green Knight is also striking, as the Green Knight is described as lacking chivalry.

                Yet another example of parallelism through contrast can be seen in the two different roles the Green Knight takes on through the story. In the beginning, he is harsh, evil, and unchivalrous, clearly coming from some supernatural source. But eventually, he takes on the role of Gawain’s confessor, who teaches Gawain a lesson and helps him see his faults.

                The ultimate contrast is between Gawain’s pentangle symbol in the opening of his journey, and his green baldric in the end. At the outset, the pentangle – the symbol of the valiant, truthful knight – showed the world that Gawain was a perfect knight, and he himself only saw his faith in the Virgin Mary. By the end, however, the world now sees his shame in the baldric, the green belt he sinfully accepted from the Green Knight’s wife. Though they see his sinfulness, the rest of Arthur’s knights forgive him his fault and wear green sashes as well.

                The story ends with the motto “Hony soyt qui mal y pense” – “Evil to him who evil thinks.” This emphasizes the Pearl Poet’s theme of truth and virtue, for, as Gawain says, “Man can conceal sin, but not dissever for it” (p. 114). Ultimately, Gawain and the Green Knight is a moral tale, using parallelism and contrast to reveal its lesson: no human is perfect, but, despite our flaws, we should all should strive to achieve truth.

Art by John Howe for the Tolkien translation

~Sophia

Chretien's Arthurian Romances: The Conflict of Chivalry and Courtly Love

Here is an essay that I wrote for my Arthurian Literature class on the concepts of chivalry and courtly love, and how they don't exactly always align. The two stories that I read so far have been Yvain (The Knight with the Lion) and Lancelot (The Knight of the Cart), and these are the stories I refer to in the essay. Also, the page numbers are from the Everyman edition. (I apologize for any references to events that make no sense to those who haven't read the book... I hope that my basic opinions are still clear.)

Enjoy!

                In both Yvain and Lancelot, the forces of chivalry and courtly love make numerous appearances, and Chretien de Troyes uses duality to contrast these two forces of good with the evils of greed and villainy. However, it does occasionally seem that Chretien is mocking those who take chivalry and courtly love to extremes, and provides examples of moments when the two forces oppose each other. Through an in-depth reading of Yvain and Lancelot, with the concepts of chivalry and courtly love in mind, we can see that, when pitted against each other, courtly love will most likely take precedence.

                Before we discuss the contradictions between chivalry and courtly love, we must first look at how these two forces work together against evil. Throughout both Yvain and Lancelot Chretien provides numerous examples of the duality between evil and good. Possibly the most obvious in Yvain is the contrast present between the two sisters – one, greedily desiring all of her sister’s land, and the other, only wanting what was her rightful due. Yvain, as a champion of justice, supports the “sensible and courtly” maiden (p. 361). But this is not the only example showing Yvain as the extreme good in contrast to evil. His contrast to Kay, the churlish seneschal, is obvious from the beginning of the story. Kay is described as “extremely abusive, wickedly sarcastic and sneering” (p. 282), and always insists that Yvain will never achieve all that he says he will. But Kay is proved wrong, after Yvain defeats Esclados the Red. Yvain’s chivalric nature in treating Lunete with respect and kindness is also contrasted with the actions of Harpin the Giant, who threatens to “hand over [the lord’s daughter] as a whore to his rabble of knaves” (p. 336).

                Lancelot is also shown as a hero. In Lancelot, Kay once more takes on the position of a rude churl, to contrast with Lancelot’s gentler, kinder ways. Lancelot and King Bademagu are portrayed as glowing examples of kindness and chivalry, opposing the villainous Meleagant, who has unscrupulously abducted the queen and made the kingdom an unescapable trap for unwary travelers. “He favored disloyalty and never tired or wearied of baseness, treachery and wickedness” (p. 227).

                But occasionally, in both Yvain and Lancelot, these values of chivalry and courtly love come in conflict with one another. Yvain meets such a situation after saving the manor with the 300 seamstresses from the goblins. He, as dictated by chivalry, is a protector of women, and should take the lord’s daughter after saving her. But courtly love demands that he remain true to Laudine, and not marry anyone else. Ultimately, he takes the path of courtly love, and says, “I cannot, at any price, marry a wife or remain here” (p. 358). Lancelot is faced with a similar situation when he is struggling with how to deal with the temptress, who requests that, in order to stay at her house, he must sleep with her. Chivalry, asking that he never deny his protection to a maiden and fulfill her requests, is in conflict with his love of Guinevere. He finds a middle ground, defending the maiden against her “rapist,” but turning his back to her when they are in bed. He remains chaste and his loyalty to Guinevere is not broken.

                Lancelot also faces the dilemma of whether to choose generosity or pity, when he has defeated the arrogant knight, but Bademagu’s daughter is requesting that Lancelot kill him. Generosity – following the maiden’s request – requires him to kill the man, but pity – an aspect of chivalry – demands that he give mercy when mercy is asked of him.  Again, Lancelot takes a middle ground, giving the knight a second chance at a fight – but this time, Lancelot decapitates him, satisfying the maiden.

                As you can see, when a dilemma arises between courtly love and chivalry, generally the path taken leans more toward courtly love. Yvain and Lancelot remain true to their loves, even when chivalry dictates that they should do otherwise. Chretien shows that neither system was flawless, and that it was difficult to satisfy both the demands of chivalry and courtly love.

Arthurian Lit Challenge Update

So I thought I'd give you a little update, because I'm changing my Arthurian Lit reading plan.

No, I'm not changing the books I'm reading. I'm just changing how and when I'm going to read them.

Right now, I'm nearly done with The Mabinogion, but because I posted that essay I wrote, I don't think I'm going to write another post/review on it.

I've also started Yvain (The Knight with the Lion) in Arthurian Romances, because that's my next lesson in the Arthurian lit course I'm taking. See, the thing about this course is that we don't read ALL the stories in the books. I read all the Mabinogion stories, but they weren't ALL assigned. But I need to move forward in the course, and books start piling up if I try to read them all in their entirety. So this is what I am going to do with Arthurian Romances:
I am going to just read Yvain and Lancelot, which are what we will be reading in the course, and post about them.
LATER, I will read the rest of Romances. Just not now. Because they are relatively short stories, I think I'll read them here and there throughout the summer, and write about them then, so I can truly say I have completed the Challenge.

Regarding the other books, such as Le Morte d'Arthur, I WILL read them in their entirety. It's just that reading extra to the assignments for Romances is going to be a little tough right now.

So - sometime this week or next, you can look forward to an essay on Yvain and Lancelot, and maybe some ramblings comparing Welsh literature (Romances) to Celtic literature (Mabinogion).

~Sophia

2014 - Goals, Anticipations, and Resolutions

Woot! It's 2014! :-)

Here's a short list of what I'm looking forward to in the new year, as well as some resolutions.

Adulthood! In two months (and a few days) I will be 18 years old - and thus, an official adult. This doesn't really mean anything to me in terms of privileges, but it means so much in terms of responsibilities. The obvious one is that I'll be old enough to vote (which I guess is a privelege, as well as a responsibility), which I am super excited for. But I know that there will be other responsibilities that I haven't even considered.

College! Yup. In September, I will be going to some school (as yet, undecided) to get a college degree. Almost as exciting as becoming an adult. Actually, it's possibly more so.

Rome! (Hopefully.) There are tentative plans for our family to take a trip to Rome - which I have longed to do for quite some time. It'll be possibly in late May, hopefully before the main of the tourist season hits.

Sherlock! New season! Woot!

Writing! I'm really going to try to write at least 400-500 words a day. Let's see how this goes - and if I actually stick to this resolution. :-)

Reading Challenges! Here are the one's I've signed up for:

• The Bible Project.
• The Classics Club, of course! (It's a rather extensive project.) I'll be trying to do the Classics Club spins too, and maybe the twelve month event.
• The Arthurian Literature Challenge at Howling Frog Books.
• Um... that's it for now, but I'm sure I'll hop onto some others as the year progresses!

Happy New Year!

~Sophia

What are you looking forward to in 2014? What are some of your goals and resolutions?

The Bible Project

So I've decided to tackle something immense next year.

I was making a list of things I'm looking forward to for 2014, as well as some goals and resolutions - and decided to put "Read Entire Bible" on the list. The Bible is, in fact, on my Classics Club list, so... the Bible Project was born:

The Bible Project is a year-long challenge to read the Bible - from a literary perspective. Since this is a literary blog (and not a theological one) I am focusing on the Bible as a piece of religious literary work, and analyzing it as such.

The Bible is on my Classics Club list, and I'm sure it's on a few others, so join me as we tackle the most-read book in the history of the world.

You can participate for the entire thing, or jump in for your favorite parts. Read just one testament, just one book, or even just one chapter - it's your call. I'll have a post with my comments/ramblings/attempt at analysis every Sunday (it just seemed right to do it then). I'm using the New American Standard Version, but I'm sure there can't be too much discrepancy.

If you choose to participate at any point, I just ask that you grab the button above... and if you write your own post(s) - share a link in the comments! (...or through the linky, if I can get that to work...)

Here's my schedule. I tried to split it up sort of evenly, but some weeks will definitely have more reading than others.

I'm a little nervous, as this is quite an ambitious undertaking.
Will you join me? :-)

~Sophia

Tale of Two Cities Update #3

(This is a part of the Tale of Two Cities  readalong that is hosted by An Armchair by the Sea!)

I actually finished The Tale of Two Cities on Monday, and haven't gotten around to writing about it until now.

Overall, I really did like the book. It was a fantastic story, full of suspense and twists, and ultimately every question was answered by the last page.
I don't know how Dickens did it, but every single one of the many story lines and mysteries ended up connected somehow to the main plot, and neatly tied up eventually.
Goodness, it was fantastic!

My favorite part - by far - was Madame Defarge's face off with Miss Pross. This scene is so serious, so threatening, and results in death - and yet, somehow, it has a certain tiny hint of comedy. Neither woman understands the other, each one insults the other in her own tongue:

"You might, from your appearance, be the wife of Lucifer," said Miss Pross, in her breathing. "Nevertheless, you shall not get the better of me. I am an Englishwoman...."

"Woman imbecile and pig-like!" said Madame Defarge, frowning. "I take no answer from you..."

:-)

Carton! He finally found a purpose, and committed the ultimate sacrifice. My heart went out to him.

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known."

He, to me, is more of a hero than Darnay. Yes, Darnay is great and all, but Carton is the one who goes through the spectacular change through the course of the book. (Note: Lucie never does. She's rather flat, it seems to me.) And Carton goes through his plan with such a calm demeanor, never flinching or hesitating (at least not outwardly). He is quite the unexpected hero, in my opinion.

Oh well, this post is rather short, but that sums it up. Tale of Two Cities was a great read, and I'm glad to add another Dickens book to my completed-books list alongside Great Expectations!

~Sophia

Oh and if you're interested, here are my first three posts from the readalong:
The Difficulty of Dickens (intro post)
Update #1
Update #2

Tale of Two Cities Update #2

(This is a part of the Tale of Two Cities  readalong that is hosted by An Armchair by the Sea!)

So I finished Book II on Thursday and decided not to read ahead this time... (I actually started on Emma, but I'm trying to not let the two books get confused in my head. So far, it's working!)

Book II was definitely more full of action than Book I, and the way this is going, it seems that Book III will be the most exciting.

What surprised me the most (and it really shouldn't have, considering the way things were going) is that no true Hero manifested himself. Darnay - whom I expected to take this position - is definitely Heroic, but there are so many deep, well-formed Characters that somehow a Main Character is really difficult to name.
As I said, I really should have realized this. Dickens creates such utterly stupendous characters that each have their own story, and Tale of Two Cities is less of one long story as is is five or six smaller ones. Really, it's more like a history than a fictional novel. (But a really interesting history.) No one Main Character is a little awkward for me, but it's not too bad. I just think of every character as a Main Character - because, really, they are all well enough developed to be.

The stuff going on in London generally seems to make more sense to me than the stuff in Paris.
My biggest questions:
1. All the Jacques confuse me. Why the heck is everyone named Jacques? Is it just a symbol for The Revolutionary? (I suppose this sort of clears up the mysterious Jacques who murdered the Marquis. It was one of the revolutionaries, I guess...)

2. Also, who is Monseigneur? Is it a real person? Or is it just a personification of the spirit of the anti-revolution monarchy?

I really feel like looking these up on Sparknotes or something - but I'm going to save that for when I finish the book. If I still don't have an answer.

I'm also interested in the echoes of footsteps that Lucie hears. It seems to be a reference to her past life - France - and the footsteps are the footsteps of mobs of revolutionaries.

My final thought at the end of Book II was: "Oh Darnay, please, don't do anything stupid. Above all, don't get yourself killed!"

Oh, and regarding my question last time ("What's up with Jerry Cruncher?"). Well, now we know! He's a "resurrection man" - digging up dead bodies (and doing something - very profitable, clearly - with them).

Until next week - and the final update!

~Sophia

Arthurian Literature Challenge!

From about the ages of six or seven to maybe somewhere around fourteen, I was obsessed with the Middle Ages. OBSESSED. I knew everything you could know about castles and knights and the Medieval European caste system. I read all the Howard Pyle I could get my hands on and dressed up as a Queen, a Princess, and a Peasant Girl for Halloween (when I was eight, nine, and ten consecutively - somehow I was going further and further down in power...). When I was twelve-ish, my aunt and uncle fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine and took me to Medieval Times. (If you don't know what this is - Medieval Times is a reenactment of a joust. You are assigned to a particular knight who is from your "home province" to cheer on, you eat chicken with your hands off of metal plates... it's really cool.) I adored it (and my younger sister and I were seriously considering punching the couple next to us in the faces, for shouting things like, "Yay! That was cool!" instead of things like, "Huzzah! Well fought, Sir Knight!").
Though I am not OBSESSED anymore, I still enjoy reading literature that deals with the Middle Ages, and signed up for a course next semester covering some Arthurian literature.
Well, Howling Frog Books is hosting an Arthurian Literature Reading Challenge in 2014, and I thought that since I was going to be reading Arthurian Lit anyway - I might as well join! I'll add some more contemporary reading to my list, just for fun, because the class covers only relatively old works.

Here are the books from my class, that conveniently fall into the Old category:
1. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by the Pearl poet

2. The Mabinogion

3. Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory

4. Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes

And here's a Modern book I'm interested in:
5. The Once and Future King by T. H. White

And the Merlin series by Mary Stewart falls into the Recent category:
6. The Crystal Cave

7. The Hollow Hills

8. The Last Enchantment

And here are the levels of the challenge:
Page:  read 2 works, one of which may be Recent. 
Squire: read 3 - 4 works.  One may be Recent and one must be Old. 
Knight: read 5 - 6 works.  Two may be Recent and one must be Old.
Paladin: read more than 6 works.  Two may be Recent and two must be Old, unless you include a non-fiction work (see Bonus).
Bonus achievement: read a non-fiction work analyzing Arthurian literature.

And guess what? All my reading brings me to the Paladin level - how cool is that? :-)

If you're interested in Arthurian lit or anything Medieval - join me! We'll have lots of fun!

~Sophia

Challenge Day 13, Day 14, and Day 15: Reccs, Deal Breakers, and Mentors

Describe one underappreciated book EVERYONE should read

Joan of Arc by Mark Twain.

Who the heck knew that Mark Twain wrote a book on a saint? This book is awesome. Twain considered it to be his best work. I think one of these days I'm going to write a post on books that authors considered to be their masterpieces but never became as famous as some of their other works.

Tell us your deal breakers

Flat characters. If most of the characters in the book have no interesting facets to them, no curious motivation, no small quirks - I will probably find the book too boring to like, no matter how clever the plot. Actually, a really good plot cannot exist without good Characters to move it forward. I want to tell the author to read some Les Miserables. Hugo is a master at Characters... (see this and this)

An unpunished villain. As C.S. Lewis said: "Let there be wicked kings and beheadings, battles and dungeons, giants and dragons, and let villains be soundly killed at the end of the book." I don't mind a book that has really gruesome, really sad, really twisted things in it (even though I don't really like horror). Just please, please, show me that the good guys win - or at least that the bad guys lose.

No hope. This is sort of a continuation of the last one. I hate book endings that have no spark of hope in them for the characters or the situation. Let me reword what I said in the "villain" paragraph: The good guys don't have to win, and the bad guys don't have to lose, but please, please, let there be a spark of hope that good will triumph. I hate pessimism.

Main characters who are defined by their relationship. I mean a character who is nothing without their significant other. What about before they met the significant other?? Who were they then? Wisps of nothing in the wind? People are more than their relationships, guys. Give'm some depth, please.

Looking back at what I've written, I realize that the two major things that piss me off about a book are lack of character depth and depressing endings. Yep - that's pretty much it. Any other book will get at least a chance at a passing grade.

Oh, I just thought of one more. Bad grammar. And bad writing in general. Bad grammar is inexcusable - though not entirely the fault of the author. Hello, editor? Bad writing, on the other hand, is more subjective. What defines bad writing? Well, one thing we've already touched on is lack of depth. Other things include not enough description, plot loops, dry writing and other areas that a few read-throughs and edits should cover. These blah-spots should be found before you publish - not by the reader in an already published book. It just makes the book more confusing, less likable, and extremely unprofessional. Give the manuscript to a friend for an informal editing session or something.

And the last question...

Who are your book blogging mentors?
Umm.. I don't have any really... (Wow. Ending with a bang.)


So there it is! The challenge is over (and early, too!). In honor of this, I will take a day off for the weekend, and then post a review (finally) on Monday.

After this crazy daily posting, I want to write novels or something, instead of blog posts. I also have my mom after me about studying for SATs and ACTs. So, from now on, I will be posting only once or twice a week.
Quality over quantity is what I'm aiming for.

See you on Monday!

~Sophia

Challenge Day 12: Blogger Fatigue

How do you fight blogger fatigue?

So my blogger fatigue generally results from a lack of ideas. I am terrible at thinking up ideas for posts.

And how do I come up with ideas?

With challenges like this one. Woot!

Otherwise, if I know I haven't posted for a while, and really am putting it off, I stash the note "Think about the next blog post" in my mind under "Things to think about before I go to sleep." I can't help thinking about random things before falling asleep (which usually means I lie in bed for an hour - or more sometimes - before drifting off), and I might as well think about something productive like blogging. I usually come up with a slight spark of an idea, and then sleeping on it helps evolve it.

When I don't post for a while, I am very quick to feel profound guilt and consider myself a terrible blogger if I don't post something in the next day or so. Because this blog is relatively new, I am trying to be on my super best behavior regarding prompt posting. I generally try to post once a week at least.
(Except for this crazy daily challenge thing. This has been weird and intense.)

As for the kind of blogger fatigue where I just don't feel like writing AT ALL, I really don't know how to fight it. Generally, when I don't want to blog, I want to write something else, like a novel, and so I do that until I'm back in blogging mode. Change of pace.

Anyway, that's the little bit I have for you today. See you tomorrow (with a more interesting post)!

~Sophia

Challenge Day 11: My Personal Faves

Show off! 5 of your best blog posts!

Weeelll... As I just started blogging in May, I don't have that many blog posts posted.
So I'm only going to give you three of my best posts.

3. A Funny Little Story This post is, as you may have guessed from the title, a Funny Little Story about an old man I met on Prince Edward Island. You may ask - what does this have to do with books and literature? Nothing really. It's just an interesting story that I posted with the excuse that it's an example of journaling and Rambling With A Purpose, both of which I had written about in a previous post.

2. Holmes vs. Dupin: The Ultimate Detective Face-Off This was one of my first posts, and a warning - it is quite long. But I consider it one of my better posts because it was super fun to write and I actually did a bit of research while I was at it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

1. Mondegreens! My personal favorite, this post was one of three posts I did on weird literary terms. I had so, so, so much fun writing this post and finding pictures to go with it. And I got to talk about my book nerdy childhood and how it caused embarrassing situations through my lack of knowledge of common pop/rock. Wheee!!

~Sophia

Challenge Day 10: Choosing the Next Book

How do you choose what book to read next?

So how I choose my next book is rather a random process. I don't actually keep a book list - well, I do, but it's all in my head. So it's not like I go down the list checking off books.

The easiest decision is if the book I just finished is part of a series - I just get the next book! However, if the book I finished is not in a series, or the library doesn't have the next book (remember, most of the time I get books from the library instead of buying them), or if the next book hasn't come out yet, the decision is a little harder.

The first book from my mental TBR list that pops to the forefront of my mind is usually the best contender for Next Book. I roll that option around in my head, and if nothing else comes to mind in the next ten minutes, I head to the library. If walking through the shelves doesn't produce any more results, that first book is it and I take it out.

That's my usual routine, barring three exceptions:
~I am tired of a particular genre/style/author. If so, and the book that comes to mind first is of the same genre/style/author, I have to do a deep search into my mental TBR list for something drastically different. For example, after reading the first four books of Harry Potter in less than a week (and yes, Harry Potter is great, but there are limits), I had to take a break. So I read five Jane Austen books the next week (which was also great, but then I promptly returned to Harry Potter).
Generally, this exhaustion of a genre/style/author happens when I speed through books, as in the aforementioned example. This usually happens in the summer, when I'm not just reading a few chapters in between homework assignments. I probably get through twice as many books in the summer as I do in the rest of the year.
This exception may also happen after I have read a very long book - Les Miserables, for example (and yes, Les Miserables is also an awesome book, but again, Very Long). After reading this, I had to go for something light - I ended up with Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next books.

~One of my friends recommended something and is bugging me to read it, which usually means that title is in the forefront of my mind anyway. One example is from back when I was eleven or twelve and my friend kept telling me how wonderful Gone With the Wind was. I told her I would read it next - and I did, except the book I was reading at that point was The Count of Monte Cristo, so it was quite a while before I got to it. (That reminds me - it's been a while since I read Gone With the Wind.)

~I need to read something for a class. This is similar to the second exception. If my English class requires me to read, say, The Great Gatsby (for the fourth time), that's my next book.

There's my book-choosing process!
Do you have one that's different? Or are you as random as I am?

~Sophia

Challenge Day 9: Why Blog?

Why do you blog about books?

I blog about books for two reasons: I love to read and I love to write. What better combination than a book blog?
Books are my life. I have been reading books since I was three. All my friends know me as a bibliophile - that word is even in my email address! I have been called a Book. I have a dream library in my dream house. I give my parents crazy analysis speeches on various classics and they (kindly) smile and nod through the entire thing.
Actually, this blog is the result of those crazy analysis dissertations. You get to read them now, so my parents don't have to hear them (as often. My mom reads this blog).
We have come to the root of the matter - my rambling literary dissertations. A blog is practically an expression of your ideas. I express my ideas on books all the time. I love discussing books. And a book blog is the best place to do it.

When I am reading a book - any book with a plot to it - I am fully happy. Completely at peace. I forget any pressing homework assignments, chores, errands, and just live in the book and the book in me.

It's all very zen.

(And not very useful for getting things done.)

I want to spread my love - no, my crazy, intense infatuation - of books with the world. I want everyone to experience the zen-ness and peace that I have felt.

Maybe if more people read books at an early age, there would be more peace on earth, because there would be more overall happiness.

Peace Through Books!

Ok. Enough of that. You realize how important books are in my life, and why I want to share my love with others. Love is a generous thing - you need to share it.
And this blog is me sharing my love with you.

_________________________________________________________________

I'm going to make two confessions about this blog:
1. It is a lot more work than I thought it would be. It was fine in the beginning when I had what I thought was a long list of post ideas. But then they ran out. This blogging thing is HARD.
2. I'm super nervous about this blog. I know that's common for a starting blogger, but I have all these doubts and questions running through my head. I know it's only been a few months, so I'm gonna stay optimistic and push on!

See you soon! (I'll have a review coming up in a couple days. Why haven't I posted one sooner? One word: School.)

~Sophia

Challenge Day 7 and Day 8: Quirks and Bullets

Today's Day 8, so now I'm all caught up. Woot!

Talk about your blogging quirks

Aha... my blogging quirks...
Well, don't think I've been a blogger for long enough to develop serious quirks.
So I'm going to hand it to you, my dear readers!
What are my blogging quirks? Don't be afraid to be honest. Seriously.

Quick! Write 15 bullet points of things that appeal to you on blogs!

• Not too much sarcasm and snarkiness.
• Lots of pictures.
• Organization - a good archive - neat sidebars with organized buttons. - easy to find things - search bar - clean layout.
• A readable font for posts. No crazy cursive stuff! No weird colors that inhibit readability!
• Please, please, please spellcheck! And check your grammar, too! Improper English turns me off from a blog like nothing else.
• A few personal stories outside of whatever topic they're blogging about. 
• Friendly - sincerely tries to get to know their readers.
• Posts at least once a week.
• Doesn't take themselves or their writing too seriously.
• Joyful, or at least optimistic. 
• Posts a few paragraphs long or less, if there is a lack of pictures. 
• No songs or music - or any sort of noise for that matter.
• Lots of comments - an active discussion.
• When they blog about something I like and have similar opinions to mine.
• An "About me" page. I love finding out more about the blogger, and seeing if they're "my kind of person."

Ok, that was harder than I thought. :-)

Give it a try!

~Sophia

Challenge Day 5 and Day 6: Tear Jerkers and How I Shop

Ok, sorry, this one's a bit late - it's actually Day 7 today! Whoops... I'll catch up eventually...

Recommend a tear jerker

A tear jerker....
Hmmm....

Well, Les Miserables made me cry. So there's one.
Also - Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom made me tear up a bit.
I'm sure there are more, but I just forgot them. I generally don't physically react to books - laughing out loud, crying, etc. I'm the kind of person who can hide their emotions relatively easily.
But my hidden emotions are super strong.

Describe how you shop for books

So... if you look at Day 1, Confession #6, you will see that I rarely spend money on books, because there is a library five minutes away from my house.
So I don't really shop for books.
However, when looking for a book to read at the library, I am very suspicious of all the new arrivals. I don't want to waste my time on a bad book.
(Which is why I read a lot of classics.)
So when I go to the library, I generally have a book in mind - one that a friend has recommended, or one that has been on my booklist for a while. I am very hesitant about trying out a random book from the shelf.
So that's how I "shop" for books.

~Sophia

A package in the mail

Look look what came in the mail today!

Books for me!


Oh. Just Organic Chemistry.

Ha ha - tricked you!

This is just one of the small things that signify the Beginning of the School Year.
The first day of school for me was on Monday, and I can tell this is going to be a busy year for me (isn't it always?). But it's also going to be super fun.
But because I have a suddenly very-packed schedule, this blog might have to slow down quite a bit. It won't die, don't worry - it's only been a few months, and I'm not going down that quickly. Granted, having a blog was harder work than I thought - having ideas for posts being the hardest part - but I still love writing for it, and I hope to continue doing so for a long time!
I'm hoping to post at least six times a month, though my posts may be drastically shorter now.
Even though I will have less time to write, I think what will suffer more is my fiction writing, rather than my blog writing. And believe me, it's been suffering for quite some time. I'm waiting for the desperate deadlines of NaNoWriMo to wake things up.

Anyway, the next book(s) planned on my list are technically Game of Thrones, but I might end up putting that off for a bit more - not sure if I'm ready for the intensity just now - and read a few more Anne books. Or something else calm.
We'll see.

Hopefully the "What I'm Reading" button on the left side panel will be a little more active in the near future.

Meanwhile, I'll continue this challenge, which will supply me with post ideas at least 'til the end of the month.

I'm also considering trying the Classics Club challenge (read 50+ classics in 5 years), but probably not for a couple months. I'm compiling my list 50 books - any favorite classics that you could recommend? I'd appreciate any input! 

~Sophia

Challenge Day 3 and Day 4: BFFs and Flinging Books

Because my answers to these questions are relatively short (and because I missed posting yesterday), I have clumped them together. So here are Days 3 and 4.

Who are your blogging BFFs?

Ummmm...

So I'm a relatively new blogger.
Which means that all my BFFs are in the real world, and none of them have blogs.
So I have no blogging BFFs.
Sadly.

If you have a blog and want to become my blogging BFF, comment with a link to your blog.
I hope to have many blogging BFFs before my blogging journey here is over!

What's the last book you flung across the room?

I don't fling books.
They are sacred objects.
Even boring or annoying books are still books, which means they are still sacred.
So there.

But if I did fling books, I would fling Moby Dick heartily. Actually, I would probably fall asleep before I could fling it.
Or I would fling Mansfield Park. But not for the same reasons as Moby Dick. Mansfield Park is a good book. I would fling it because I would be so frustrated that Fanny wasn't getting the Edmund she deserved and that Edmund wasn't being as awesome as he could be.

But I don't fling books.

~Sophia