Category: Books and Reading
He was not the most honest or pious of men, but he was courageous. I first read Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte twelve years ago, and it didn’t make much of an impact on me then. It was the third book in a row I had read by Pérez-Reverte, following The Club Dumas and The Fencing Master, and I think I was anxious to move on to something else and didn’t give it a fair chance. So I was very happy to receive a paperback copy for Christmas as part of...
As we enter the eighth week of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, we arrive at the 50th chapter of the book. From The Bishop of Digne to Jean Valjean, from Fantine to the Thénardiers, we have seen light and darkness, gardens and stars, shipwrecks and collapsed carts. And there is still so much more to come. The last few chapters have focused on the figure of Fantine and her sad fate, and in this 50th chapter Hugo summarizes her life: At the point we have now reached in this...
It’s been seven weeks since we started the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and the discussion on Twitter is more interesting than ever. Several people are exploring the background of the book and its author Victor Hugo, and they’re sharing their discoveries with the rest of us. Others are tweeting about the reading experience and how it’s affecting them. You can check out the conversation at #LesMisReadalong. You don’t even need a Twitter account to follow along. For those of you who may have missed it on Twitter, Briana Lewis has...
I first heard of the TV series Rumpole of the Bailey about twenty years ago when my friend Mike and I were talking about one of my favorite 1980s movies, Ladyhawke. Mike told me that the cantankerous monk in Ladyhawke was played by one of his favorite actors, Leo McKern, who also played the cantankerous barrister Horace Rumpole. To this day, Mike is still a big fan of Rumpole of the Bailey, having watched all the episodes on VHS multiple times, and having read all the stories in print. I, on the...
Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. I first heard of Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy during Nonfiction November 2016, and then again during Nonfiction November 2017. Both JoAnn at Lakeside Musing and Lory at The Emerald City Book Review were so enthusiastic in their recommendations that the book quickly rose to the top of my “want-to-read” list. Now, after reading Just Mercy myself, I have to say it most definitely was as good as they said it would be. Not only is it a compelling story well...
When Les Misérables was first published in 1862, it was illustrated by Émile Bayard, whose rendering of little Cosette perfectly captures the essence of what Hugo means by les misérables. To me it’s mostly in the eyes and the tiny mouth, but the massive broom in her hands as she sweeps adds to the sadness. Bayard’s image of Cosette’s face is known the world over, thanks to the Cameron Mackintosh musical, as it was adapted and used in countless promotional posters, advertisements, album covers–almost anything connected with the musical. But...
Here we at the end of Week 6 of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and the story is really beginning to move. We’ve read forty-two chapters so far–about 170 pages–and this past week we were introduced to some of the most important characters in the book. It’s still not too late to join in the fun, simply download the reading schedule and do what you can to catch up. Speaking of joining in, we welcome Laura Roberts who jumped in this past week, as you can see below in...
Card Drawn: 3♦ Anthology: The October Country by Ray Bradbury Story: “The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse,” 1954 When we first meet George Garvey he is nothing at all. Later he’ll wear a white poker chip monocle, with a blue eye painted on it by Matisse himself. Later, a golden bird cage might trill within George Garvey’s false leg, and his good left hand might possibly be fashioned of shimmering copper and jade. But at the beginning–gaze upon a terrifyingly ordinary man. So begins “The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse”...
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a gem of a book. It’s one of those magical stories that book lovers appreciate in a special way. Not that it’s about books or reading, but it’s the kind of story that reveals itself and its characters slowly and gently, as only a book can. It’s about growing up and discovering the healing power of life. It’s a book for children of all ages, like The Wind in the Willows or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The story centers...
I’ve been out of town at an event called CSMG18 for several days, and I’m pretty exhausted after the full days we’ve had. But in all the busyness I’ve stayed on track with the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and in fact I’ve noticed a few areas of synchronicity between the book and the conference. Victor Hugo might even call them moments of Providence. First of all, let me explain where I am and why I’m here. Then I’ll try to make the connection to Les Misérables. What is CSMG18? The Catholic...
I’ve been out of town for most of this week, so pardon me if I haven’t been as active on Twitter, but I’ve definitely kept up with the conversation on Twitter at #LesMisReadalong. Here are some of the highlights from this past week: Slow Reading #LesMisReadalong https://t.co/WIriLooPxJ — ?Roaring Stories? (@RoaringStories) January 29, 2018 #LesMisReadalong V1B3C2 Tholomyès does not sound like a great catch for 'little Fantine' though. "A 30 year old pleasure seeker and badly preserved". Although the 4,000 Francs per year would add to his charms...
I’m a little short on time this week, so for week four’s post in the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, I’m going to simply pose a question in the hopes of starting a discussion. This is an honest question I have, a question to which I do not have a definitive answer. As we try to answer it, I ask that we stick only to the events of Book One and Book Two out of courtesy to those who are reading Les Misérables for the first time. So here’s my question:...
