Sunday Salon: May 23, 2010.

Browsing through my blogroll earlier, I noticed quite a few posts about the end of the TV show Lost. I am glad to see that so many people love the show as much as I do.

I watched most of the first season as it came out on TV, but when it came time for the next few seasons, I always had a class during Lost time. So I stopped watching and never got back into it. Way, way back in November, Matt convinced me to watch through the series with him so I could watch the new (current) season with him as it came out. Needless to say, I couldn't get through it that quickly. But in the last few weeks, I have been hooked and some of my my most precious reading time has been spent watching episodes and falling love.

If you have never watched the series, you need to. It is extremely character driven, which my book nerd self absolutely loved. The characters are amazing and real, and I love so many of them. Now, I am going to come to the end when I watch the finale tonight, and I will think about how, like a great book, the series is coming to an end...but I can always revisit it.

I won't be watching it as it airs, so in a little while, I am banning myself from the computer. Matt won't be getting home from work till late, so I am waiting for him to start it. We also are going have some friends over to watch it with us. I even made "Dharma fish biscuits" with the characters' names on them to eat while we watch.

Anyway, in book news I had a fairly successful week. I started and finished Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Many people were surprised when I said I had never read it before. I also attempted to start Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad (he also wrote Heart of Darkness), but I am 60 pages in and I am bored out of my mind. I have no idea what is going on and I am completely uninterested in the story. I decided to set it aside and I have turned to one of my favorite books for some comfort, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. It is a marvelous book and I can't wait to review it.

I also wanted to give a huge shout-out to everyone who is participating in one of my two read-alongs! I have been updating the main posts all week as people have expressed interest. If you are interested or plan on joining in, please sign up on the original posts. You can sign up for either Gulliver's Travels or Cranford. Those of you who are reading Cranford have totally left poor old Gulliver in the dust. But I have read Swift's work before, and it really is a great, quirky little book! Think about it hard!

This week I am planning on finishing As I Lay Dying, and maybe getting back into Lord Jim, if I can. There are also a few other things sitting on the shelf that I have a craving for...so we'll have to see what else I grab!

Happy Reading!

LOST Challenge: COMPLETE.

I am posting to say that while not all of my reviews are up (I am a little back-logged on reviews still), I have completed the LOST books challenge!

To complete this challenge, I had to read 5 books that were featured on the TV show Lost before the series finale (which is tomorrow). If you are unfamiliar with the show, there is a lot of focus on literature and mythology.

I went to the Lostpedia to search for the books I wanted to read and came up with a list of seven books I was considering:

1. Animal Farm by George Orwell
2. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
3. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
4. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
5. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
   
6. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
   
7. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

However, plans changed and I managed to read and complete the following, all of which were featured on Lost at some point:

1. Animal Farm by George Orwell
2. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
3. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
4. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
5. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

All of my reviews are not complete (I just finished the Steinbeck this week), but I managed to read 6! Woot!

One of the best parts about this challenge is that knowing the literature really made more click within the show. I think that in the future (a couple years from now), I will definitely need to go and read more of the books featured in the show.

Book 23: Finished and LOST discussion.

This is probably one of the fastest reads ever. This is such a slim book that is so involved you have no choice but to finish it as soon as you sit down to start it.

Since this was my fourth or fifth reread of Animal Farm, I flew through it even quicker and still found more to love. I now have a larger fondness for the donkey, Benjamin. He is the pessimistic old man of the group, who doesn't always have a lot to say. Because of that, the other animals seem to ignore him without realizing that he is really the one they should be listening to.

I also really like the character Squealer. Squealer is a pig and if you are familiar with this novel, you'll know that the pigs kind of run the show. Squealer is the spokespig and has the task of explaining to the other animals new rules and procedures, while also dissipating unrest and confusion. Squealer is a fitting name for his occupation.

I also love Boxer, the large and muscular horse that sacrifices himself to try and better the farm. He continues to push himself until he breaks. Boxer is the unsung hero and every time I read about him, I get a little upset. I love that big horse.

I love the political turmoil and the changes the pigs continuously make to the commandments to fit their needs and desires. Obviously the novel is full of these references and a lot can be learned from it:

• Those in power often change rules to protect themselves.
• Corrupt regimes will do anything to continue holding power.
• Those with higher intelligence often manipulate those without to get what they want.
• Excuses can be made for everything.
• Lies can be very convincing when you are unsure of what is the truth.

So yes, this is a powerful little novel. When the pigs change the commandments to one single rule at the end of the novel, you get the full impact of what Orwell is trying to say:

"All animals are equal.
But some animals are more equal than others," (133).

We can obviously change this to get to the real message of the book:

"All men are equal.
But some men are more equal than others."

The possibilities are limitless.

If you really want to question corruption, politics, and leadership, this little novel really says it all. It is surprising how deep 139 pages can be.

*LOST Discussion*

Finishing this novel also means that I have completed one book for the LOST Books Challenge. While I have still not finished all the seasons, I did find quite a few comparisons for what I have seen in the show.

Early on in the show's run, it is made clear that there are a few survivors who hold more power than the others (the main characters obviously). As a group, they call the shots and run things, often making the minor characters their little puppets. Since it is a show and they are the main characters, the audience has to sympathize with them. After all, they are the ones we are introduced to and care about.

However, you get a glimpse of this kind of Animal Farm corruption in an episode in Season 2 where a minor(ish) character is attempting to build a sign on the beach to get rescued. The characters simply dismiss it. There is also a lot of discussion about who is in charge and who is calling the shots.

It is interesting, to say the least.

Anyway, I have finished 1/5 LOST books! 4 to go!

Sunday Salon: February 14, 2010.

First I just want to say, "Happy Valentine's Day!" to everyone! I hope you are able to spend some time with your loved ones today. Even if some say that V-Day is just a Hallmark holiday, I still think it is a special and wonderful day that gives you an excuse to be with your family and that someone special.

I am working today, so I will be spending time at the park in the cold. Unlike some other regions of the United States, Michigan really hasn't gotten a great deal of snow this winter. Usually we are the ones digging ourselves out, but we managed to miss the big storms. We did get about 5" on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, so it is great to finally have snow on the ground and the sled hill open at the park! I love working during the winter and seeing everyone coming out to enjoy the snow.

After work I'll probably be cooking Matt and I some dinner so we can spend the evening together. We don't have any special plans, but I assume after dinner we'll sit down and watch a movie, or better yet "Lost." I am still catching up, but I am getting there! Promise! And now that I am doing the LOST book challenge, I NEED to catch up to make more connections!

I had a good reading week this week. I finished up Washington Square by Henry James, which I found to be a pretty deceiving little book. I have a lot to say about in my posts, which will go up sometime this coming week.

I also signed up for two challenges in addition to reading 100+. The first is the LOST challenge I mentioned, and I think I picked some great things to read for it. I only have until May 23, but that seems to be plenty enough time.

The second challenge was the Chunkster Challenge, where I am going to read 6 of the Chunkster type novels on my list in the come year. It wasn't really hard to find 6 (I mean, I'm reading the CLASSICS for goodness sakes!), but I narrowed it down to 6 with 2 alternates. I decided to be proactive and start one this week. I'm now in the middle of The Mill on the Floss, which is one of two novels I haven't read by George Eliot (the other being Daniel Deronda, which is not on my list). It is a bigger book than what I have been flying through at 608 pages, so it might take me a little longer.

Anyway, goals for this week:

• Have all my Washington Square posts up by the end of the week
• Finish The Mill on the Floss
• Start reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding (for the LOST challenge).

It should be a good week.

Happy Reading everyone!

Book 14: Finished-More Than Just Bunnies.

Watership Down is about more than just bunnies. Granted, the characters are all bunnies (with the exception of the insane bird they befriend), but the story behind the bunnies is one that could be applied to any species.

The novel centers on a group of rabbits who, at the bidding of a panicked friend, decide to leave their warren and set out for something new. On their journey, they run into other rabbits that are and are not their friends. They face challenges like weasels and rivers, as well as human machines. Along the way they pick up stragglers until they reach their new home: Watership Down.

So while this is certainly a tale about bunnies and their plight, it is also about courage and strength. When they originally decide to leave their warren, it is because of the foresight of their friend that they do so. After this particular rabbit has had a vision of destruction, they leave for better things.

You have to wonder whether you would leave in a similar situation. On one hand, you have a well-developed, warm home with friends and family nearby. There is no danger that you can see (or smell), and there is no warning that anything bad may happen. On the other hand, you have a rabbit who “Sees” things and is warning his friends to leave for a new place. Do you stay or do you go? Personally, I am a huge chicken so I would have stayed.

Here is also where we begin to see parallels between the book and the TV show “Lost.” Very early in the first season (I promise I am not giving away anything too crazy), the characters are torn between staying on the beach (which is the “Safe” option), or venturing into the jungle after Jack to stay in the caves. Those characters are facing a very similar situation and Sawyer, the character who inspired me to read this book next, is reading Watership Down as this dilemma unfolds. It is an interesting coincidence.

And it turns out, that neither choice is safer than the other. With choice comes risk, and characters from both book and TV show realize that. There never is a “safe” option and sometimes, you have to make the decision whether staying in one place and facing what comes is a better choice than going out and seeing what comes at you.

So with all that being said, did I like the novel? Yes…and no. I enjoyed the tale of their flight from home, and characters. However, I got annoyed with the rabbits whining about lack of females. It was incredibly distracting to the rest of the tale and while the major conflict in the end of the novel was centered on their lack of females in the new warren, it was an almost constant whine that really distracted from the tale.

In all, I enjoyed it. I am sure that as Matt and I continue watching “Lost” I will find some more connections between book and TV show. When I explained the book to Matt, his eyes went wide in parts, so I am sure that those connections will click into place.

Before I cut this off, there are two passages I would like to share. The first stuck out because of its connection to my blog:

“What Robin Hood is to the English and John Henry to the American Negroes, Elil-Hrair-Rah, or El-ahrairah—the Prince with a Thousand Enemies—is to rabbits. For that matter, Odysseus himself might have borrowed a trick or two from the rabbit hero, for he is very old and was never at a loss for a trick to deceive his enemies,” (38).

This second passage I enjoyed was later in the novel, when they run into a rabbit from their old warren. I found this very insightful:

“Bluebell had been saying that he knew the men hated us for raiding their crops and gardens, and Toadflax answered, ‘That wasn’t why they destroyed the warren. It was just because we were in their way. They killed us to suit themselves,’” (169).

Book 14: Inspired by Sawyer.

“Hell of a book. It’s about bunnies,” Sawyer to Kate in Lost (Episode: “Confidence Man” Season 1).

Matt and I have been watching a lot of Lost recently. When the show first went on the air, I made an effort to watch it, but only got through a couple of episodes. At the time, I was in college and had an irregular schedule so I always forgot to watch it. Besides, I am not a huge T.V. watcher anyway (I’d rather read), so I just plain forgot about it.

I ended up buying the first season on DVD when it came out with the intentions of watching it before the second season aired. I got all the way to four episodes before the end. Then the writers made me angry by removing a character and I refused to watch any more.

But Matt is a huge Lost fan and the last season starts up in January. So, we are trying to get through 5 seasons before then (which I highly doubt will happen). And I actually really love the show. It has quite a few sci-fi elements in it, which I love. It also has a ton of literary references in both the titles of episodes, to things characters say, to the books that surround the characters.

And the first book that appeared on screen was Watership Down by Richard Adams. It appeared in the hands of Sawyer, which threw me for a loop. But, knowing the writers of Lost, I know that there is some significance to everything they have chosen. On the cover of the book it says, “The timeless classic novel of exile, courage, and survival.” Where else would you find those things than on an island?

(And since I have seen a few episodes from other seasons and I know a few of the tricks, it was definite foreshadowing when A Wrinkle in Time popped up a few episodes later).

Anyway, I owe it to Sawyer that I chose Watership Down as my next book. Mostly because I also want to read about bunnies. Also, I love the fact that a popular T.V. show is making such amazing literary references. So, I am taking one of their subtle nudges and going with it. I am also sure that reading it will give me further insight into the mysteries that surround Lost and so when we keep watching, I can make little gasps of realization instead of Matt because for once, I will make a connection that he won’t.

(On another side note, it is infuriating to watch a T.V. show with someone who has already seen every episode. Especially when they give things away).

On to the bunny rabbits.

For anyone who is interested in the literature in Lost, here is a link to a Lost wiki (yes, there is such a thing) entry about the literature and literary references throughout the series: http://lost.wikia.com/wiki/Literature