Clarissa in April: Failure.

Well, it is officially the end of April, and I should be posting about how amazingly wonderful it was to read all of Samuel Richardson's Clarissa in one month.

If you didn't guess by the title, I should clue you in. My attempt to read Clarissa this month was a total failure. I think that the three of us who were attempting this (Adam and Jillian were my partners in crime) all felt like we "could" do it, but none of us did. I think Jillian made it the furthest before setting it aside, and by stalking Adam on Goodreads, he only made it to page 165. My Goodreads isn't up to date (I should fix that), but I only made it to page 450 or so.

So why did we all seem to fail?

Personally, I had way too much going on in the month of April to concentrate on such a BIG book. Since my copy is so massive and heavy, it didn't fit easily in my purse (in fact, it doesn't fit at all), so it stayed home a lot of the time and smaller books were brought with me. I also had a really hard time reading it in bed, which is where I spend a lot of time reading. I usually read while on my back, but after being smacked in the face once by not holding the book steady, I gave up. It also killed my hands to hold it open for long periods of time.

I also think I simply misjudged my abilities to plow through it as I intended. The first 200 pages or so are incredibly repetitive, so I struggled to get past that point (now it is A LOT better). The font is small, and the pages are large.

More than anything else, I was simple too busy to read it in April. I had some new units to prep for school that required me to reread those books, and since I was so worn out, I could only read 20 or so pages of Clarissa at a time before throwing the towel and moving on to something easier.

So, I sadly have to admit that I failed in reading this in April. I'm not sure I can actually set a date for finishing it, but ideally, I'd like to be done with it by the end of August. It is the perfect book for rainy summer days, so I hope that at some point I can say, "Hey! I finished that really big book I was talking about!"


(I also have plans to read Richardson's Pamela this year, so we'll see how that goes).

Weekly Wrap-up for April 29, 2012: The End of April and Some Loose May Plans.

This is a super late weekly post, but I worked an 8 hour shift earlier today at the park. And while I set my alarm for 6:30 so I could pump out a post this morning, I decided that hitting the snooze 15 times was a better option. :)

Anyway, things have been crazy busy around these parts. Since starting back up at the park last week, I've been running around like a nutso person. Thankfully I'm not working many weekday evenings (maybe 1 or 2 a week) until school gets out, so I will be a little less insane than I was at this time last year. But, all my "free" days on the weekend are gone. I forgot how much it sucks to have no days off. Oh well.

It is also hard to believe that it is already May! Time is flying by! I can't believe I've been teaching for two months and only have about 6 or 7 weeks left in the school year. Things have been going well in that department. Since I am teaching all English this year, I've noticed there is a definite difference in my workload (I taught 2 sections of history last year and 3 English, and this fall I had 4 English and the Student Government class). There are lots more essays to grade when you have 5 sections of English. But, I am really enjoying it and I am learning a great deal. It helps that I have great kids too. :)

In regards to reading, I have had a pretty steady month of finishing smaller books, but I completely failed in reading Clarissa. I have a post planned for tomorrow on that whole shebang and failure, but I'm really not that upset that I didn't finish it. There is still plenty of time left in 2012 to get through it. I have noticed that I have been spending a lot of time this month reading things NOT on my project list. I'm okay with that, but I do want to transition back to reading more of my project books in May. May will be a "free" month for me (June and July starts my Victorian Event-more on that below), so I am going to try and make some progress through a few challenge titles, etc. I've been craving some Greek literature, and since I have 4 smaller Greek pieces, I might get through those. I am also going to dive back into Nicholas Nickleby, since I set it aside in March and April to deal with school stuff. Beyond that, I'm not sure what I'll grab. Maybe A Passage to India and Kim? We'll have to see. All I know is I want short so I can feel like I am making progress.

It is also hard to believe that my Victorian Event for June and July is right around the corner. I've been neglecting getting the word out, so here is my lame attempt at reminding you. :) If you haven't signed up yet, please visit the sign-up page. I am going to be pulling some winners in the next day or two, so sign up!

I'd also appreciate it if anyone wanted to put up the badge on their blogs, tweet about the event and get some excitement stirred up again.

I am also still looking for people interested in hosting their own giveaway, or writing a guest post for me during one of the two months. I would love to have some featured posts on Victorian writers, etc, so if you're game, please send me an e-mail and let me know (my e-mail is on my profile page). And if you have e-mailed me, I'll be getting in touch with you this week so we can discuss.

Well, that's all I have for tonight. I'm going to try and get through a big chunk of An Uncommon Education by Elizabeth Percer (a very rare book that I accepted for review) before watching Game of Thrones with the husband and a couple of friends.

Happy Reading everyone!

My World Book Night Experience.

I've been meaning to write about my experience being a Giver for World Book Night on Monday, but time has gotten away from me this week. But, I can't let any more time pass without telling you all about it.

I picked up my copies of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak the first day I could. My local Barnes and Noble was a pick-up location, and I was slightly disappointed to see that they only had 6 or 7 Givers total. I'm hoping that next year we can have more in our general area.

When I originally applied to be a Giver, I had planned on e-mailing some of the teachers I have worked with in the last two years to give them copies, but since I have a temporary position, I decided to give out my copies to my students. I also sent a couple of copies off to other teacher friends for their classroom libraries. I also gave our school's librarian three copies of the book (the day after I gave them to her, she came to tell me that the school's copy was returned heavily damaged-so it all worked out!).

I brought the remaining copies in to school and gave a little background about the book to each of my classes. I also showed them my signed copy and talked a little bit about my experience meeting Zusak back in 2007. In a couple classes I had minimal interest, but in others, it seemed as if every kid wanted a copy.

I ended up collecting names, then pulled names at random to give away copies. My only negative feeling about giving them out in school was that I couldn't give every student a copy of a book. But, my students were amazing. A few offered to lend their copies to others when they were finished. It was so sweet of them.

All of them were grateful. There were many "thank yous" and hugging of books to chests. After class, one student came up to me and said, "this is the very first book I've owned. Will you sign it for me?" I was touched, so I did.

The next day, almost all of the students who had gotten a book the day before brought them to class. After their quiz, it was nice to see them reading the book. One student told me that their parent started reading it the night before and had to finish it first. :)

In all, it was a great experience to give my students some books. They were so thankful and so excited about reading something that I loved so much. Again, the only downside to the whole experience was not having enough for everyone. But, I was touched by the generousity of my kids as they shared and talked about the book with their peers.

I will definitely do this whole thing again. There was something just so wonderful about talking books with my kids and seeing their eyes light up.

Who else participated? What book did you pass out?

Or, if you didn't participate, if you could pass out any book, what would it be and why? I'm curious!

Book 141: The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman.

 I wanted something short to plow through during the readathon on Saturday, and The Little Foxes has been staring at me since I finally bought a copy. This was the hardest play to find, since it doesn't seem as well-known as the others on my list. In fact, the only edition I could find to purchase was the edition used for productions (seen below). I also read online about the movie adaptation with Bette Davis, now on my list of movies I need to watch at some point.

The Little Foxes was first published in 1939. The movie adaptation came out in 1941, so I have to assume it was well received in play format.

Like all the plays I have read for the challenge, this one would also be even more spectacular to see live. While you can get a lot out of reading the text of a play, there is less description. You can only get that by watching the actors.

The play is set around 1900 in a small Southern town. All of the main characters are from the Hubbard family. Ben, Oscar, and Regina are siblings who are fairly well off in the town. From the observations and statements made by two minor characters-Addie, Regina's maid and Birdie, Oscar's wife-it appears the Hubbards are not well liked in town. The men go out shooting and throw away their kills, even though they could be put to better use for the poorer families in town. They also appear to be rather haughty, looking down on the others they interact with.

At the beginning of the play, the Hubbards are entertaining a rich Northerner who wants to build a cotton mill down by the cotton fields. He is will to put in 49% of the cost if the three Hubbards will put in the remaining 51%. All the events after this revolve around the issue of money. Both Ben and Oscar have their share, but Regina must beg for her portion from her husband, who is laid up in a hospital with a heart condition.

This is where the action really begins. Regina is a slimy, self-centered witch who insists her husband leave the safety of the hospital to come home and give her the money she "needs" for this business venture. After sending her young teenage daughter, Alexandra, so go get him, all three of the Hubbards are waiting to pounce on him the moment he gets home.

The actions after that just show how much greed can push people to doing horrible things. The play really speaks to the power money has over us all, and how if we let it, it can ultimately destroy us. It also speaks a bit about family relationships. I think we all know that going into business with a family member isn't always the best idea...

More importantly, I found it interesting to view the events from Alexandra's point of view. At one point, she is used as a pawn to get more money into the deal. She is also used by her mother to bring home her father, since she is the only one to convince him to come home. At the end, I really felt for her and what she witnessed-the pure evil of her mother and uncles.

I also found Birdie to be an interesting character. As Oscar's wife, she is supposed to be a well-respected and loved woman. But her husband seems to despise her, and she turns to alcohol to cope with a lot of her problems. I cannot imagine being trapped in such a marriage, or knowing your husband only married you to get to your money. Of all the characters, I found Birdie to be the most honest.

In all, I really enjoyed this play. It was a fast read, and I enjoyed the way Hellman brought me into the living room of the Hubbards (the only setting for the play). It IS interesting to think that all kinds of things go on behind our neighbors' walls, and we don't really know what kind of people they are. I think this is definitely a play worth reading if you get the chance. I am also going to be on the lookout for a performance at some point. I would have killed to see the original performance with Tallulah Bankhead as Regina. She was such a wonderful actress, and I can just see her in the role.

As a side note, if you can find an edition that was NOT a production version of the play, I recommend it. My edition had a LOT of stage directions, to the point that it was distracting from the text. I didn't need to know when an actor walked upstage or downstage between words, etc.

Has anyone read or seen this one?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten All Time Favorite Characters In Books.

Oh goodness, it's Tuesday, which also means that it is Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish.

I had to create a list on today's topic, mostly because I find it nearly impossible to name ten favorite characters, but I am going to do my best to create a list.

Off I go (and these are in no particular order because the only thing harder than narrowing this down to ten is picking an actual favorite).

1. Severus Snape from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: I have loved Snape since the first time he came on the page in Sorcerer's Stone. I was always intrigued by his back story and why he was just so darn mean to poor Harry. And I loved how Rowling slowly developed him. I think, of all the characters in her world, that he was the best. 
2. Lily Bart from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton: I love Lily so much that I named a kitten after her. There is something so weak and naive about Lily to start, but as you get to know her, she acquires such a sense of strength and purpose...and I just admire that in any female character.
3. Vardaman from As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner: I love Vardaman. And I love how he struggles to cope with the death of his mother throughout the book. I couldn't imagine being that young and losing your mother. He also has one of the best chapters I've ever read, "My mother is a fish." Read this.
4. Lucy Snowe from Villette by Charlotte Bronte: I see a lot of myself in Lucy Snowe, which is probably why I loved the book so much as I read it. She is shy and reserved, but knows when she must speak out. I loved her quiet nature, and the way she kept secrets from everyone, even the reader!
5. John Proctor from The Crucible by Arthur Miller: I just reread the play with my sophomore English classes, and once again, I was blown away by the power of Miller's play. I love John Proctor and his emotional outbursts-the way he chooses to passionately defend his honor and reputation. It gets me every time. (honorable mentions to Reverend Hale and Giles Corey)
6. Ender Wiggin from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card: I am currently reading this one with my elective English class and while they are not as big of fans of Ender as I am, they still find him interesting. I always feel bad for poor Ender-born as a request of the government, forced to give up his childhood, and later called a monster. I love his development, the way he thinks, and who he chooses to become by the very end.
7. Telemachus from The Odyssey by Homer: While I like Odysseus just fine, I really like the story of Telemachus and his journey to becoming a man. There is something so honest and interesting about his interactions with Athena and the other kings as he struggles to determine who he is in his father's shadow.
8. Silas Marner from Silas Marner by George Eliot: I love the transformation Silas undergoes once he is responsible for someone other than himself. He is no longer allowed to be a cranky old hermit, obsessed with his money and isolation. Really, I just want to give him a big hug and tell him he's wonderful for taking in a little girl.
9. Moby Dick from Moby-Dick by Herman Melville: I spent a lot of time with that big white whale last fall, and I really came to like the whale as a character, even though you don't meet him for a long time. There is something to be said about a large whale driving a man to the brink of insanity that makes you have to respect that whale. And I do.
10. Isabel Archer from The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James: One of the best books I read in 2011, I just loved Isabel Archer. She was bright, vivacious, and a little bit saucy-just what I like in my heroines. But she was also vulnerable and naive, and her eventual decisions broke my heart. I don't think I'll ever forget her!

There you have it! Ten of my favorite literary characters of all time, and I didn't even get to mention Tom Sawyer, Hermoine Granger, Mr. Darcy, or any of the others I consider to be superb. Let me know who you picked!