Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

The End!
     I finally finished Tolsoy's Anna Karenina! As you are aware if you have read some of my previous posts, I have been reading this one for quite a while. My Signet Classics copy weighed in at 807 pages but it was worth every sentence. Read more below!

Book Description (from wikipedia.org): 

     Anna Karenina is the tragedy of married aristocrat and socialite Anna Karenina and her affair with the affluent Count Vronsky. The story starts when she arrives in the midst of a family broken up by her brother's unbridled womanizing—something that prefigures her own later situation, though with less tolerance for her by others.

     A bachelor, Vronsky is willing to marry her if she would agree to leave her husband Karenin, a government official, but she is vulnerable to the pressures of Russian social norms, her own insecurities and Karenin's indecision. Although Vronsky eventually takes Anna to Europe where they can be together, they have trouble making friends. Back in Russia, she is shunned, becoming further isolated and anxious, while Vronsky pursues his social life. Despite Vronsky's reassurances she grows increasingly possessive and paranoid about his imagined infidelity, fears losing control.

     A parallel story within the novel is of Levin, a country landowner who desires to marry Kitty, sister to Dolly and sister-in-law to Anna's brother Oblonsky. Levin has to propose twice before Kitty accepts. The novel details Levin's difficulties managing his estate, his eventual marriage, and personal issues, until the birth of Levin's first child.

My Thoughts:

     First published in installments in the periodical The Russian Messenger from 1873 to 1877, Anna Karenina was released in book form in 1878 but more than a century later, it still reads very modern. (The version I read was translated by David Magarshack in 1961 but more recent translations have been published.) The size and scope of the book seemed daunting when I first began. However, the story instantly captures the reader's attention from the opening line: "All happy families are like one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
     Divided into eight parts, the novel addresses and conquers so many themes that the book becomes an overview of life. Adultery, passion, love, loss, death, family, religion, politics, class, society- you name it, Tolstoy tackled it in this tome. According to wikipedia, William Faulkner described the book as "the best ever written." It would be hard to dispute this statement.
     There are many main characters that share the spotlight with Anna herself but it is the allure of her character that quietly drives the other storylines. The reader is not instantly introduced to Anna. The mystery of her builds up our excitement with the announcement that she is to visit her brother, Oblonsky, and his wife Dolly. This visit changes the course of Anna's life, and we follow her through her journey and demise.
     With the recent release of a new film adaptation starring Keira Knightley as Anna, the book is once again garnering great attention. Previously, the novel was also a hot topic as it was selected for Oprah's Book Club in 2004.
     There is much to digest in Anna Karenina, leaving one with the sense that everything cannot possibly be grasped as Tolstoy understood it. Background information on the making of the book outlines that Tolstoy incorporated many of his personal experiences into the storyline, including his relationship with his wife Sonya which he used to mold the characters of Levin and Kitty.
     Anna Karenina is a classic indeed. It has traveled gracefully through the ages and will continue to do so. In the final part, Levin begins to ponder the quintessential question we all form- What is the meaning of life? And can faith help us to define it? Is goodness the essential preservation of the soul? Levin's state of being brings the conclusion to the book and it is one of optimism and hope for a brighter future. What more could a reader ask for than a story that leads us on a search for a greater understanding of self? Anna Karenina- a perfect ten.

Happy Reading!
Rebecca

Celebrate the Holidays with Books!

Have you ever finished a book and immediately thought- "Who else has read this?"- because it got you feeling all sorts of emotions and you just need to discuss it with someone?

With the holiday season quickly approaching, try creating a new family tradition by selecting a book for everyone to read in advance and discuss at dinner. This is a great way to encourage your family and friends to read more and share the experience with them.

A great selection would be Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. You can read more about this book here: http://thekeytothegate.blogspot.com/2012/04/unbroken.html

Books can have the power to unite us by opening our minds and hearts to new and different ways of thinking, a perfect way to celebrate the holidays and the joy of reading!

Rebecca

Reading Anna Karenina

I wanted to check in because I haven't had a new post in little while. I'm still reading Anna Karenina. I am nearing the half-way point. I am thoroughly enjoying the book but life has been interfering with my reading schedule as of late. This novel is much easier to read than I was anticipating and the storyline is incredible. I am excited to finish it and see the new film adaptation.

What are you currently reading?

Rebecca

Banned Book Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Laurel-Rain from Story Corner for winning The Grapes of Wrath, my giveaway during the Banned Books Week Celebration!

Keep reading banned books and celebrating your freedom to read!

Stay tuned to The Key to the Gate for more giveaways soon!

Happy Reading!

Rebecca

The Ever Growing TBR Pile

I am excited to read these two books that I recently purchased from my local library's book sale: "The Devil in the the White City" by Erik Larson and "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien.

Have you read either of these? If so, what did you think?

Too many books and not enough time.

Happy Reading!
Rebecca

Celebraring the Freedom to Read Banned Books with The Grapes of Wrath

In celebration of Banned Books Week, I am jumping on the Banned Wagon and participating in a promotion hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Visit her blog at www.bookjourney.wordpress.com to check out featured posts from bloggers all around the country celebrating the freedom to read books of their choosing!

According to the ALA (American Library Association): A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. As such, they are a threat to freedom of speech and choice.

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Banned Books Week. Click here, www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009, for a list of Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books from 2000-2009.

I don't know about you, but if someone tells me not to read a certain book because its content is politically incorrect, too graphic or falsely exaggerated, my curiosity is instantly piqued. What is it that they don't want me to learn, understand, or experience?

This year for Banned Books Week, I chose to re-read my favorite book of all time, The Grapes of Wrath. I read this book the summer before my junior year of college and it has never left me. I think often of the Joad family that Steinbeck created with such depth of emotion and grace, especially during the struggling economy our nation is currently facing.

** I am giving away a new copy of The Grapes of Wrath to one, lucky commenter! Comment on this post and let me know what your favorite banned book is to be entered into the giveaway. The deadline to enter will be Friday, Oct. 12.

The Grapes of Wrath

by John Steinbeck

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage."

                                                            ~ Chapter Twenty-Five

     To me, there is no book that deserves to be read and cherished more than John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Since its publication in 1939, the book has been challenged and/or banned for a variety of citations including: exaggeration of situation, communist sympathies, and obscene language and sexual references.
     The story follows the Joad family as they migrate west in search of work after being turned off the land they farmed in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. It is a story about the strength of family, the will to survive, both the kindness and cruelty of others, and the unbreakable American spirit. It is a story that takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotions.
     It will make you angry and sad. It will make you reevaluate what is important in your life. It will make you question how strong you could be under the worst of circumstances. Lastly, it will leave you hopeful, comforted that the human heart is ultimately good.
     If you haven't read The Grapes of Wrath, I greatly encourage you to do so. Stop whatever you are currently reading and head to your local library or bookstore. Read this book, share this book. It is the Great American Novel.

"Ever'thing we do- seems to me is aimed right at goin' on, Seems that way to me. Even gettin' hungry- even bein' sick; some die but the rest is tougher. Jus' try to live the day, 'jus the day."  

                                                                                      ~ Ma Joad

Book Description (from the Penguin cover): The Grapes of Wrath summed up its era in the way that Uncle Tom's Cabin had summed up the years of slavery before the Civil War. At once naturalistic epic, captivity narrative, road novel, and transcendental gospel, Steinbeck's fictional chronicle of the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s is perhaps the most American of American classics. Although it follows the movement of thousands of men and women and the transformation of an entire nation, The Grapes of Wrath is also the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads, who are driven off their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided of Haves and Have-Nots, Steinbeck created a drama that is intensively human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its insistence on human dignity.

Keep Reading Banned Books and Celebrate Your Freedom to Read!
Rebecca

Crisp Fall Days and Autumn Poetry

These photos are linked up to Saturday Snapshot, a super fun meme hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Head on over and check out some great photos!

The leaves in our part of the state are just beginning
to turn to shades of amber, russet, and gold.

The Autumn

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Go, sit upon the lofty hill,

And turn your eyes around,

Where waving woods and waters wild

Do hymn and autumn sound.

The summer sun is faint on them --

The summer flowers depart --

Sit still -- as all transform'd to stone,

Except your musing heart.

How there you sat in summer-time,

May yet be in your mind;

And how you heard the green woods sing

Beneath the freshening wind.

Though the same wind now blows around,

You would its blast recall;

For every breath that stirs the trees,

Doth cause a leaf to fall.

Oh! like that wind, is all the mirth

That flesh and dust impart:

We cannot bear its visitings,

When change is on the heart.

Gay words and jests may make us smile,

When Sorrow is asleep;

But other things must make us smile,

When Sorrow bids us weep!

The dearest hands that clasp our hands, --

Their presence may be o'er;

The dearest voice that meets our ear,

That tone may come no more!

Youth fades; and then, the joys of youth,

Which one refresh'd our mind,

Shall come -- as, on those sighing woods,

The chilling autumn wind.

Hear not the wind -- view not the woods;

Look out o'er vale and hill-

In spring, the sky encircled them --

The sky is round them still.

Come autumn's scathe -- come winter's cold --

Come change -- and human fate!

Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound,

Can ne'er be desolate.

I hope everyone is having lovely fall weather and enjoying the new season.

Happy Reading!

Rebecca

Book Giveaway Winner

Book Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Sim of Chapter 1 - Take 1 for winning 'The Red Tent' giveaway!

Stay tuned for more giveaways coming soon!

Happy Fall!
Rebecca

The Art of Journaling

"The art of writing is the art of discovering

what you believe."  ~ Gustave Flaubert

Do you keep a journal? As a youth, I was an avid journal writer but as the years passed, I found it more difficult to take the time to quieten my mind and put my thoughts, concerns, hopes, and ideas into words. In June, I began to journal again, this time with more success.

I previously wrote about Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way: A Spritiual Path to Higher Creativity here:

http://thekeytothegate.blogspot.com/2012/05/finding-ones-way-through-reading.html. If you haven't checked out this book, it is a great resource to help you begin journaling. In The Artist's Way, Cameron suggests that we write "Morning Pages," three pages of stream of consciousness writing to help us cleanse our minds before setting out on our day.

Personally, I have found that writing in the morning is difficult for me. I am to pre-occupied and don't enjoy the writing process because I am too focused on getting the task done so that I can be out the door in time for work. Many journal writers prefer to write at night, including a daily gratitude list. Regardless of the time of day you write, or whether you write every day or just when you feel like it, I encourage you to pick up a pen and a notebook and put your thoughts onto paper. What do you see? Do you feel differently reading back the descriptions of your emotions? Does it change your way of thinking about a certain situation or individual?

A quick internet search can provide you with many journal prompts to get you started if you are feeling writer's block. Get writing...and begin your discovery of you!

"Fill your paper with breathings of your own heart."

                                           ~ William Wordsworth

Happy Reading...and Writing!

Rebecca

What Are You Reading this Week?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

"It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" is a meme hosted by Sheila from Book Journey where readers share what they are currently reading, recently read, or plan to read next.

Just Finished: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

This was my book club's latest selection and I enjoyed it much more than I had originally thought I would and plan to read the next one in the series.
Coming Up: After seeing the stunning movie trailer for the upcoming adaptation of Anna Karenina starring Keira Knightley, I am going to attempt to read this Tolstoy classic. Many years ago, I read the first 200 pages of War and Peace, only to put it down and never pick it up again. I'm hoping to have more success with Anna Karenina.

If you have not seen the trailer yet, it is available here at imdb.com: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1781769/

There is still time to enter the new giveaway: The Red Tent

Simply leave a comment on this post (or the original announcement) by September 21, 2012. This is a copy I picked up at my local library's used book sale. I have bought many copies of this book the past few years to share with others. Read more about it here: http://thekeytothegate.blogspot.com/2012/09/titles-for-book-clubs-and-new-giveaway.html
Happy Reading!
Rebecca

Celebrate the Freedom to Read!

Banned Books Week is
September 30 - October 6

"30 Years of Liberating Literature"

From the American Library Association:

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Banned Books Week. Click here, www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009, for a list of Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books from 2000-2009.

Take part in Banned Books Week: Read a book from the Banned Books list and share your thoughts with others. Celebrate Your Freedom to Read!

Rebecca

Nature Photography: Roses

These photos are linked up to Saturday Snapshot, a super fun meme hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Head on over and check out some great photos!

"I feel as if I had opened a book and found roses of yesterday sweet and fragrant, between its leaves."

               L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island

These images are from the rose garden at Ritter Park in Huntington, W.Va. As autumn quickly approaches, the roses are beginning to fade away but will return in the spring to delight visitors with their grand color and fragrant blooms. 

I hope everyone is enjoying the last days of the summer season and taking time to smell the roses!

Rebecca

Titles for Book Clubs and a New Giveaway!

New Giveaway: The Red Tent

Enter to win a copy of The Red Tent by leaving a comment on this post by September 21, 2012. This is a copy I picked up at my local library's used book sale. I have bought many copies of this book the past few years to share with others. Read more about it below.

The following books received high ratings in my reading group and offer a lot of topics for successful discussion:

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
This book was a favorite of my group. This title easily resonates with female book clubs due to numerous, strong female characters throughout the story.

Book Description from amazon

     Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that are about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons. Told in Dinah's voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through a hard-working youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate connection with the past. Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women's society.

Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber

This book is part of the Blossom Street series but each one stands independently so you don’t need to have read others previously. In this title, the characters each make a list of twenty wishes or a bucket list. At our discussion for the meeting, each member was asked to construct their own list of things they would like to try or accomplish in the upcoming year. Several years later, many of our members continue this tradition and make a new list each year to share with the group as well as highlights of experiences they have crossed off their previous lists. Your group could even create a reading list- books that you would like to challenge yourself to read next year.

Book Description from amazon

     What Anne Marie Roche wants is to find happiness again. At thirty-eight, she's childless, a recent widow, alone. She owns a successful bookstore on Seattle's Blossom Street, but despite her accomplishments, there's a feeling of emptiness.

On Valentine's Day, Anne Marie and several other widows get together to celebrate…hope. They each begin a list of twenty wishes—things they always wanted to do but never did. Anne Marie's list includes learning to knit, falling in love again, doing good for someone else. When she volunteers at a local school, an eight-year-old girl named Ellen enters her life. It's a relationship that becomes far more involving—and far more important—than Anne Marie had ever imagined.

     As Ellen helps Anne Marie complete her list of twenty wishes, they both learn that wishes can come true…but not necessarily in the way you expect.

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

This book revolves around the affair of Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney and their life together following the demise of their marriages. It is fiction based on real occurrences and offers a lot of topics for discussion. For my group, this also provided the opportunity to learn more about architecture and we created a visual board of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work for our meeting. I love when you can further enhance the reading by learning about subjects that are detailed within the pages.

Book Description from amazon

     "I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current." So writes Mamah Borthwick Cheney in her diary as she struggles to justify her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. Four years earlier, in 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin, had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives.
     In this ambitious debut novel, fact and fiction blend together brilliantly. While scholars have largely relegated Mamah to a footnote in the life of America’s greatest architect, author Nancy Horan gives full weight to their dramatic love story and illuminates Cheney’s profound influence on Wright.
     Drawing on years of research, Horan weaves little-known facts into a compelling narrative, vividly portraying the conflicts and struggles of a woman forced to choose between the roles of mother, wife, lover, and intellectual. Horan’s Mamah is a woman seeking to find her own place, her own creative calling in the world. Mamah’s is an unforgettable journey marked by choices that reshape her notions of love and responsibility, leading inexorably ultimately lead to this novel’s stunning conclusion.
Elegantly written and remarkably rich in detail, Loving Frank is a fitting tribute to a courageous woman, a national icon, and their timeless love story.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

This was a popular title when it was released so your group likely has read this one. If not, you will definitely want to add it to your list. This memoir offers plenty to discuss and is an encouraging view of looking back at an unpleasant past and not letting it interrupt your present or future. The author does not bear any grudges toward her parents for their lack of care. She accepts her childhood with grace and understanding and does not let it define who she is or will become.

Book Description from amazon

     Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

     Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

     What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.

Visit my sidebar for a complete listing of books my group has read.

Happy Reading!

Rebecca

 

Weekend Cooking: Homemade Pet Treats

We often make homemade treats for human family but what about our animal family? The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook by the Bubba Rose Biscuit Company is filled with items to treat your pet. All ingredients used in the recipes are safe for your four-legged friends and by making them yourself, you know exactly what products the item contains. Everything I have made out of this book has been a hit with Chloe, my three-year old Sheltie. Pictured above are The Elvis Pupsleys, a muffin that is a combination of peanut butter and banana, the King's favorite. I generally cut all of these recipes in half because they tend to make a large amount if you have only one pet.

The Elvis Pupsleys
2 c. oat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. carob chips
2 eggs
1 c. bananas (mashed and pureed)
1 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tb. honey
1/2 cup safflower oil (can be substituted for olive oil or canola oil)

Preheat oven to 350. Peel, mash and puree bananas in a food processor. Combine all ingredients together and mix thoroughly. Place cupcake papers into a mini muffin pan. Spoon mixture evenly into the papers cloes to the top of the papers (the mix will not rise very much). Bake 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

You will feel good about giving your furry family member a delicious, wholesome treat, and your pet will love eating them!
Happy Reading (and Cooking)!
Rebecca

This post is linked up to Weekend Cooking, a weekly meme hosted by Beth at Beth Fish Reads.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Book Description from amazon.com

     A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley. Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

     Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris, which hardly values traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and competing egos, Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history, pouring all the richness and intensity of his life with Hadley and their circle of friends into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises. Hadley, meanwhile, strives to hold on to her sense of self as the demands of life with Ernest grow costly and her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Despite their extraordinary bond, they eventually find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for.
     A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.

My Ponderings:

     I want to begin by announcing that I thought this book was excellent! The book is a fictionalized story based on documented events which is narrated by Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife, and covers the span of their relationship with a brief overview of their lives following. I was immediately drawn into the lives of these characters as they work at building a life together in 1920s Paris. Although their marriage is relatively brief, lasting approximately five years, the readers gets the sense that their relationship was a substantial part of their lives and who they were to become.

     I was instantly captivated by Hadley's voice and her ability to adapt to what is often a nontraditional lifestyle. She loved Ernest before he was well-known and successful, and ardently encouraged and supported his writing through difficult financial and emotional circumstances. I found myself questioning if his writing would have developed as quickly without the freedom she permitted him to focus entirely on his craft.

     It is clear that the author thoroughly researched these characters and the '20s lifestyle in Paris which featured characters such as Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. As large as a character as Ernest Hemingway was in real life as well as in this fiction, this really is Hadley's story. These are amazingly creative souls and through her viewpoint, we have the opportunity to see the destruction that was produced in creating their art.

     Ernest goes on to marry three times following his marriage to Hadley but she clearly left as great an impression on him as she does the reader of The Paris Wife. What appears as weakness in the beginning is revealed to be an incredible inner strength as she moves forward and finds the contentment that she had always been seeking.

Happy Reading,

Rebecca

What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

"It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" is a meme hosted by Sheila from Book Journey where readers share what they are currently reading, recently read, or plan to read next.

Currently Reading:

After finishing Paula McClain's "The Paris Wife," I was inspired to read more Hemingway.

Up Next:

My book club announced Deborah Harkness' "A Discovery of Witches" as the next selection. I know many book bloggers have read and enjoyed this book so I am excited to check it out.

Recently Finished:

I finished Helen Simonson's "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" while on vacation. You can read my review here    

http://thekeytothegate.blogspot.com/2012/08/major-pettigrews-last-stand.html

Paula McLain's "The Paris Wife" was the last book that I finished and I hope to write up my thoughts to post soon. I LOVED this book!

The summer is quickly winding up and delivering us into fall. I hope everyone finds some time to enjoy the sunshine and curl up with a good book.

Happy Reading!

Rebecca

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Random House, New York, 2010          358 pages

"If we just keep dividing things up, each generation more people demanding their share of the goodies, it just all vanishes as if it never mattered."     ~ Major Pettigrew

From Publishers Weekly:
In her charming debut novel, Simonson tells the tale of Maj. Ernest Pettigrew, an honor-bound Englishman and widower, and the very embodiment of duty and pride. As the novel opens, the major is mourning the loss of his younger brother, Bertie, and attempting to get his hands on Bertie's antique Churchill shotgun—part of a set that the boys' father split between them, but which Bertie's widow doesn't want to hand over. While the major is eager to reunite the pair for tradition's sake, his son, Roger, has plans to sell the heirloom set to a collector for a tidy sum. As he frets over the guns, the major's friendship with Jasmina Ali—the Pakistani widow of the local food shop owner—takes a turn unexpected by the major (but not by readers). The author's dense, descriptive prose wraps around the reader like a comforting cloak, eventually taking on true page-turner urgency as Simonson nudges the major and Jasmina further along and dangles possibilities about the fate of the major's beloved firearms. This is a vastly enjoyable traipse through the English countryside and the long-held traditions of the British aristocracy.

My Ponderings:
     This is such a charming novel filled with endearing characters. Although it is a love story at root, it deals with a number of themes-- consumerism, the generation gap, dealing with loss, aging, family dynamics, the classes, and how one defines success.
     Major Pettigrew is an instantly likeable character and you will likely find yourself cheering him on as he promotes his view of good, old-fashioned values and manners and tries to find love for a second time with the enchanting Mrs. Ali. The world has changed dramatically throughout his lifetime, but Major Pettigrew has found a way to stay centered and keep focused on the greater outcome.
     The Churchill guns that were gifted to Major Pettigrew and his brother, Bertie, from their father, are inanimate characters within the sequence of events that unfold throughout the novel. Each brother was given a gun upon their father's passing and the pair of guns were to be united to the last living brother. Following Bertie's death, Major Pettigrew is eager to receive the second Churchill gun but Bertie's wife, as well as their daughter and Roger, the Major's son, have their own ideas of preservation. In the end, the Major learns that it was the not the gun that he should have coveted throughout the years, but a stronger relationship with his brother.
     The author paints a beautiful landscape for the characters to come to life in
the quaint town of Edgecome St. Mary in Sussex, England. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is a reminder to hold tight to all that you find dear. Pour yourself a cup of your favorite tea, and enter into the English countryside through this delightful book.

"The world is full of small ignorances...We must all do our best to ignore them and thereby keep them small, don't you think?"   ~Mrs. Ali

Happy Reading,
Rebecca

Book Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Lori from Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book for winning the giveaway of The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing!

Stay tuned for new giveaways coming soon!

I hope everyone is enjoying the last days of summer with some great reading!

Rebecca

Rest and Relaxation

I've been enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation in the beautiful Bahamas. I will return soon with more book'ish thoughts and news. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer with great reading!

Rebecca

The Elegant Simplicity of Plainsong

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

1999, Vintage Books - a division of Random House, Inc., 301 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In the same way that the plains define the American landscape, small-town life in the heartlands is a quintessentially American experience. Holt, Colo., a tiny prairie community near Denver, is both the setting for and the psychological matrix of Haruf's beautifully executed new novel. Alternating chapters focus on eight compassionately imagined characters whose lives undergo radical change during the course of one year. High school teacher Tom Guthrie's depressed wife moves out of their house, leaving him to care for their young sons. Ike, 10, and Bobby, nine, are polite, sensitive boys who mature as they observe the puzzling behavior of adults they love. At school, Guthrie must deal with a vicious student bully whose violent behavior eventually menaces Ike and Bobby, in a scene that will leave readers with palpitating hearts. Meanwhile, pregnant teenager Victoria Roubideaux, evicted by her mother, seeks help from kindhearted, pragmatic teacher Maggie Jones, who convinces the elderly McPheron brothers, Raymond and Harold, to let Victoria live with them in their old farmhouse. After many decades of bachelor existence, these gruff, unpolished cattle farmers must relearn the art of conversation when Victoria enters their lives. The touching humor of their awkward interaction endows the story with a heartwarming dimensionality. This is a compelling story of grief, bereavement, loneliness and anger, but also of kindness, benevolence, love and the making of a strange new family. In depicting the stalwart courage of decent, troubled people going on with their lives, Haruf's quietly eloquent account illumines the possibilities of grace.

My Thoughts
     Plainsong by Kent Haruf is a wonderful novel filled with delicately beautiful characters whose simplicity endears them to the reader. We are given a glimpse into the lives of each character as their stories intertwine over a brief course of time.
     The writing flows gently with dialog spilling into the story without quotation separation. At first, I was unsure of what to think of the format but I soon discovered that each sentence rolled perfectly into the next, presenting the story as a landscape in itself.
     The characters are genuine and instantly draw the reader's sympathy as each deals with their own emotional onslaughts. The book addresses how we adjust to life-changing experiences at different age levels with characters representing various stages of life. Each finds themselves at a crossroads, easing into their existence one day at a time. They are characters that will linger with you.
     The only negative was that it had to end. I wanted to keep reading about these people and see how their situations evolved and where life led them as time progressed. Plainsong defines how simplicity is sometimes all that is needed to create a story that enchants the reader.

Happy Reading!
Rebecca

What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

"It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" is a meme hosted by Sheila from Book Journey where readers share what they are currently reading, recently read, or plan to read next.

Currently Reading:

From the Cover: Ambitious, but never seeming so, Kent Haruf reveals a whole community as he interweaves the stories of a pregnant high school girl, a lonely teacher, a pair of boys abandoned by their mother, and a couple of crusty bachelor farmers. From simple elements, Haruf achieves a novel of wisdom and grace- a narrative that builds in strength and feeling until, as in a choral chant, the voices in the book surround, transport, and lift the reader off the ground. (From the citation for the National Book Award nomination)

Coming Up:

     

Recently Finished:

I recently finished reading Lambrusco by Ellen Cooney. You can read my thoughts on this novel here:
http://thekeytothegate.blogspot.com/2012/07/lambrusco-by-ellen-cooney.html

Current Giveaway:

My new giveaway is a hardcover copy of "The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing" by Melissa Bank.  * To enter, simply state in your comment that you are interested in this giveaway. The deadline to enter is Sunday, Aug. 19.

Happy Reading!

Rebecca

Wildlife Photography

Nature's Beauty

These pics are linked up to Saturday Snapshot, a super fun meme hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Head on over and check out some great photos!

A doe and her fawn we spotted just outside of our backyard earlier this week.
The humidity was so high that my camera lens kept fogging.

Mother tending to her baby's needs. Such a beautiful sight!

Take some time today to explore your surrounding and discover nature's beauty.

Rebecca