20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Not the Disney movie at all. But enjoyable nonetheless. The basic storyline is that three men (one scientist, one assistant, one Canadian whaler) are taken on board a high-tech (even for 1870) submarine captained by Nemo. They are held captive (but are free to roam about the sub) while the ship travels around the oceans of the world. Their adventures include hidden tunnels, icebergs, giant squid, and escaping from cannibals. They finally escape and live to write about their escapade. All in all, a very fun read.

Having just recently read Moby Dick for a BYU class, I couldn't help but see the parallels between the two books. Both Nemo and Ahab are obsessed with the idea of revenge and it ultimately destroys them both emotionally (and in Ahab's case physically too). With Ahab, however, Melville does a better job of explaining why he is so angry and obsessed. In 20,000, the reader kind of has to guess the reasons behind Nemo's actions.

Verne (who really was a remarkable and imaginative writer) takes on many topics that resonate today, including

• the idea that technology makes the world better
• attitudes about rampant consumption of animals
• killing for the sake of killing
• revenge as any kind of healing solution
• the unique beauties of the natural world
• removing one's self from society

A word of caution for younger readers. The book is full of scientific classifications and descriptions of sealife, many of which I found boring as an adult reader. Bill read a really nice abridged Scholastic version which gave him the full storyline without all the details that might discourage a young reader. As a general rule, I dislike abridgements, but in this case it seemed the right way to go. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have made it through the book at all.

I can now see why so many science fiction novels and movies use themes from Verne's works. I used to love the submarine ride at Disneyland. It's gone now. Alas and alack, how the world changes!

The idea is to

read any book within the stated "genre" or "category" that I come up with for the month. If you end up reading the same book as someone else, that's fine. The idea was to not force anyone to read a book they didn't want to or didn't have time for...and to broaden our reading experience.

Oh, and by the way, I sort of took over the duties of selecting the categories each month. If you have issues with that...deal with it...just kidding! I'm always open to suggestions but I am also having a fun time thinking ahead to other book choices for future months. I want the choice to be interesting for you but not too much effort.Glad to hear from you Liz!

Joining in

Hello Ladies--
Up until now I've been enjoying reading your posts about books. I decided that now I'll be adding to them!
I'm not sure what I'll read for a biography in June but I love the idea of reading a biography. Do we try to stick to different books or is it okay to read the same ones as each other in the same month . . .
Love you all,
Liz

Welcome Lulu!

We hope your little girl is in our world very soon! Keep us posted as you can. I do have a few choices for your post-pregnancy reading...depending what you are in the mood for. I enjoyed each of these and they were pleasant (although not necessarily gentle) reads and easy to get into. You should be able to find them at a local library or from Amazon. If I had them anymore, I would send them to you...alas, they have passed on to other hands.

• The Blue Jay's Dance: A Birth Year (Erdrich). This is such a sweet book! The author tells of her pregnancy with her third girl (out of six children) and a bit about the little one's first year. You may be saturated with pregnancy, however and want to read this a little later.
• Nothing To Do But Stay: Memories of My Mother (Young). About a 25-year old single woman from Minnesota who goes to North Dakota to homestead in the early 1900s.
• Mothers of the Prophets (Arrington). Just what the title suggests. It was intriguing to me that each of the mothers were different (stepmoms, single, divorced, widowed). I was continually surprised. Our prophets were blessed to have such great mothers...and we can emulate these women!
• The Color of Water (McBride). A black man's tribute to his white mother. I couldn't put this one down and had to pass it on to Annie, who also loved it. Just a good read about a good woman.
• Mormon Healer and Folk Poet (Brady). Bio of Mary Susannah Sumner Fackrell (quite the handle) who spent much of her childhood and mature life in Orderville, Utah trying to live the United Order with the rest of the saints. She was known for her healing abilities. I liked the fact that she was not a typical Utah pioneer woman...or at least the kind that people write about!
• Into the Wild (Krakauer)."What would possess a gifted young man recently graduated from college to literally walk away from his life? Noted outdoor writer and mountaineer Jon Krakauer tackles that question in his reporting on Chris McCandless, whose emaciated body was found in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness in 1992. Described by friends and relatives as smart, literate, compassionate, and funny, did McCandless simply read too much Thoreau and Jack London and lose sight of the dangers of heading into the wilderness alone?” Not "motherly" at all but such a fun read. I referred to it in seminary to teach some principles about choices and consequences.

Good luck in your choosing! If you don't read with us this month you can always start in July. I'm glad you're with us.

Raves et al

This is so exciting! I'm just so happy to have found a way to share our reading tastes! Your choices are marvelous. My choice for June is Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields. It finally came out in paperback (I rarely purchase hbs but will buy almost any pb) and I'm anticipating finding out more about the author of one of the finest books ever!

I'm so glad you liked The Kite Runner, Beccy. I rave about it but can't get some people to read it because they can't get past the setting. I think it's a fine read with a truly Christlike message. I had a male friend read it (who has sons) because I wanted a male response. He loved it although he said it was such a difficult read. And for what it's worth...I don't usually censor books but the word used in that scene is one which is especially repugnant, offensive and abhorrent to me...even to look at. I had to be rid of it! I am looking forward to reading his new book...can't think of the title at the moment. It's out in hardback...I'll probably have to get it at the liberry.

I will be finishing up 20,ooo Leagues this afternoon and will post my comments tomorrow. Bill is taking the test on it today (he hasn't quite finished but only needs 3 points to push his reading grade up to a full A before school ends) and we are both going to watch the Disney movie next week for FHE.

And by the way

Oh--and this is not that important, but it's bugging me--the only reason I didn't properly underline the titles of the books I mentioned in my blog is that I can't find that option in here. Hence the italics, just to at least set apart the title somehow.

Searching

Hi, everybody! I've been reading this blog since it started, and I'm excited to be part of it. Even if I choose a biography/memoir that I'm interested in for June, I'm not so sure how long it will take me to finish it! Obviously, with a baby very nearly here (contractions since yesterday at 1p.m.), I don't know how long it will take me to finish the book I'm reading (Borrower of the Night - Elizabeth Peters), let alone start a new one. But I'm excited about this blog/book blog, and I do have good intentions. We'll see where they take me, hm?
Beccy, I just recently read a little clippet about the author of Kite Runner. I think when I'm more ready for heavy reading, I might pick up that one.
Abby, I'm actually very interested in reading the Frank Abagnale one you picked. It'd be interesting to know more personally about a man who managed to be so good at something so naughty. I guess that sounds funny. Hahhaa....anyway.
Rae, I'm a really lazy reader right now. Since my reading time is so limited, it seems that my mind demands immediate engagement. So--shortly put--I need something that grabs my interest right away, and holds it. Any recommendations for a biography/memoir that would do that? Nothing too heavy, as I'm about to experience something life-changing anyway, and don't really want to be completely doused with deep thought. See? Lazy reader.

My biography choice for June is

(drum roll) Man's Search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl). That counts as biography, don't you think? I picked it up at the library thinking it would be a good read for Memorial Day. I'm about 50 pages into it. Why the heavy book choices? Don't know. I've just been thinking I wanted to read this as an adult (I read it when I was too young to put it in context). Having visited Dachau makes a difference, too.

I read a different book . . .

I have Enchanted April sitting on my nightstand, but I used up all of my May reading time reading The Kite Runner which Rae loaned me. I was in the mood for something deeper than Enchanted April. It is historical fiction, not classic fiction. I promise to stick to our theme next month!

Wow. This was a powerful, profoundly moving book, though not cheery. It begins in 1970s Afghanistan, as the Russians invaded, and carries the main character through the Taliban invasion and into modern time. I was expecting something more "political." Though the historical events are central to the story, the real plot is one of redemption. It is beautifully written. The quote on the back cover from the Washington Post says it all:

"A powerful book . . . no frills, no nonsense, just hard, spare prose . . . an intimate account of family and friendship, betrayal and salvation that requires no atlas or translation to engage and enlighten us. Parts of the book are raw and excruciating to read, yet the book in its entirety is lovingly written."

I had to decide whether or not to finish the book when fairly early into it, the boy who is the main character witnesses a terrible act of brutal violence and chooses to keep it a secret. But that single event shapes his life and the real plot is how he deals with his choices regarding that event (I'm trying to not give away too much). There is violence in the story because of the setting, but it is not gratuitous or sensational. Rachel had blacked out one line in the book, a crude comment made by a wicked soldier. There is much sweetness and beautiful friendship in the story, and the characters are incredibly realistic, memorable and well-developed. It's amazing writing, especially for a first novel. The book puts a human face on Afghanistan. It brought me feelings of sympathy for the Afghans and a new appreciation of their culture, language and qualities. I'm so glad I read it! I enjoyed Rachel's sparse but meaningful notes and underlinings throughout. I highly recommend this book, but it is no light read!

Thanks Rae, for another great recommendation!

I'm almost finished

with Great Expectations but I refuse to check to see just how much I have left....I will finish but I don't want to be discouraged.

For my June book, I've decided to read Catch Me if You Can: The Amazing Story of the Youngest and Most Daring Con Man in the History of Fun and Profit by Frank Abagnale.

The End...

of the month is nearly here. Hopefully each of you have completed your chosen classic...or are almost done. I still need to read a few more chapters in mine! Be ready to post this coming week and tell us about your book.

Next month's (June) genre is BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR. Post your book choice soon so we know what you are reading. I will let you know our July genre in mid-June. I'm going to have fun being creative with it...to make the choice as interesting as the read.

Abby, we need to get Lulu and Maddie and Liz and your Mom going with this! I know we all have gobs of copious spare time...not! I love your blog (and Rae's too).

Happy reading!

Kind of...

It can email one address each time someone posts an entry. I put my address in there for now. I figure I could just send an email saying that there's a new entry.

Is there a way

to set up the blog so that it notifies us by email when someone comments or posts? That would be wonderful if you could do it, Abby. Happy reading!