Saturday Shorts--Quote of the Day

Why I like to read:

"Wherever I am, if I've got a book with me, I have a place I can go and be happy."
--J.K. Rowling

Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

Saturday Shorts--Quote of the Day was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogspot.com.  This post cannot be republished without express written consent.

Reading Election Day

   November 6, 2012--Election Day in these United States.  I hope everyone has the chance to exercise their right to vote for the candidates who represent their values.  Poll results for the presidential, senate, and other races will trickle in later tonight and Wednesday as votes are tallied after what has been an exceptionally long campaign.  Given the constant media coverage leading up to Election Day, it's not surprising that campaign issues and tactics were on my mind as I read The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.

Rowling's novel centers around a vacant council seat in the tiny English village of Pagford.  Who will be elected?  Whose agenda will be advanced?   What information will be disseminated about the candidates, and will it be accurate?  As the plot unfolded, I couldn't help but draw parallels between this fictional scenario and our current political state of affairs.  Special interests; haves versus have nots; empowered versus disenfranchised; and misrepresentations, scare tactics, and spin are all well illustrated in The Casual Vacancy, proving that regardless of outcome, in fiction as in real life, politics is not for the faint of heart.

Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

Reading Election Day was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogspot.com. This post cannot be republished without express written consent.

Monday, Monday--Errata

          Note to self:  Don't attempt counting or advanced grammar in a Monday morning blog post.  Have a cup of coffee first and ease into the week.

Today's earlier post contained two technical errors:  First, there are three generations interacting in J.K. Rowling's novel, The Casual Vacancy.  When writing the post I was focused on the concept of adults versus children, hence the reference to two generations.  However, the characters portrayed fall into three categories: parents, grandparents and elders, and children.

Now that I've set the math record straight, on to the grammar issue: English 101--possessives for singular and plural nouns.  Since I was referring to the issues of all the villagers in the post's last paragraph, I should have used villagers' (plural), not villager's (singular).

I sit corrected...thanks for reading and bearing with me.

Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

Monday, Monday--Errata was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogspot.com.  This post cannot be republished without express written consent.

Monday, Monday

Is it really Monday again already?  Really?  Again?  Already?

After a very rainy day last Friday that seemed unending, it was a perfect autumn weekend in the New York/New Jersey area.  Saturday and Sunday were ideal days to spend outdoors, with mild temperatures, lots of sunshine, and leaves beginning to change color.  Yes, I was distracted by these conditions, which means I didn't read as much as I originally though I would.

Nevertheless, I'm making slow but steady progress with J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy.  I've read 150 pages, and thus far it is challenging to keep all the characters straight in my mind.  The tiny English village of Pagford has two generations of inhabitants of differing social classes, all of whom cross paths with each other over a variety of issues.  In fact, there seems to be fewer than six degrees of separation among the residents in this character-driven novel.  As the plot unfolds, loathing and self-loathing fuel personal agendas following the sudden, unexpected death of council member Barry Fairbrother.  As competing interests escalate, I can't help but wonder:  Can the village's--and villagers'--issues be resolved?  Will Pagford ever be the same again?  The answers to these and other questions lie within the remaining 350 pages...

Have a wonderful week!

Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

Monday, Monday was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogspot.com.  This post cannot be republished without express written consent.

Thursday Thoughts, October 18, 2012--Next Read

It's only Thursday, but I'm already thinking about what I'll start reading over the weekend. I placed a hold on The Casual Vacancy at New York Public Library several months ago, after learning that J.K. Rowling was writing a novel expressly for adults.  I picked the book up earlier this week and, much like a Harry Potter novel,  it weighs in at a whopping 503 pages.

  There has been so much publicity surrounding this new book, and from the little I've heard, reviews are running hot and cold.  I'm planning an open-minded approach, and look forward to forming my own opinion.  If Rowling taps into the rich imagination displayed in the Harry Potter series, it's sure to be an entertaining read.

Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

Thursday Thoughts--Next Read was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogpost.com.  This post cannot be republished without express written permission.