What's On My Nightstand: August 2012

The end of the month and in a way, the end of Summer. I didn't get as much reading in this month as I had hoped, but then I was setting the bar pretty high.

By the month's end I hope to say I finished TWO books! I quickly read Agatha Christie's A Caribbean Mystery before tackling my big read of the month --  Alexander Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask. Which, by the way, I should note it was not until after I set the goal to read this book during the month of August that I became aware of the fact it is not a stand-alone novel, but instead the last part of the final novel in a trilogy. That's right. Alexander Dumas wrote three novels (serialized) collectively known as The d'Artagnan Romances: The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne: Ten Years Later. It is in the last part of The Vicomte de Bragelonne that The Man in the Iron Mask can be found. Talk about confusing! No wonder I felt so lost when I picked up the novel. I felt as though I was the only newcomer in a room full of people who not only knew each other, but had a past history with each and everyone else in the room, but me!

So what have I learned while reading The Man in the Iron Mask? Among those things relating to the story itself I have learned:

1. I need to read more Dumas (and in proper order).

2. I need to tell other readers that if they wish to read The Man in the Iron Mask they should hold off until they've read the earlier parts to the saga as intended by the author. Of course, if they decide to press on (as I did) then I highly encourage them to access a copy of Cliff Notes so they can reference the characters or plot summary whenever they get lost or bogged down in the plot. (I confess I had to do this a time or two.)

Whew.... Now on to the rest of my nightstand.

Once I finish The Man in the Iron Mask I hope to return to Vanity Fair, which is languishing on my nightstand. I also have the next Agatha Christie novel to read, At Bertram's Hotel. The fact that it too has languished on my nightstand testifies to: my lack of time to read this month and/or my dedication to Dumas. Either way, I hope to tackle it in the next week. I could use an easy read.

What else? I'm missing this next month's book club meeting, which is all fine and good since I have been unable to complete the assigned reading. So I guess I'll just wait and see what they choose for October and hope that I can get to it in a timely manner.

In the meantime... I am reading Charlotte's Web aloud to my 5 year old during our lunch hour. And I have a list of new releases that I'm waiting for at my local library. If I'm lucky enough they should arrive one at a time over the next four months. Among them I plan to check out: The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling, The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty and The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. In addition I have a longer list of older books that I have only recently discovered and hope to read... but we'll see, one book at a time!

What about you? Are you feeling overwhelmed by your TBR list? Did you get much reading done in August? What books are you hoping to tackle before the end of the summer, or the end of the year? Let me know, or head over to 5 Minutes for Books and link up your own Nightstand Post!

What's On Your Nightstand: July 2012

The summer is more than half over (boo!) and I've not gotten in as much reading as I'd like; still, I am making some progress.

After many years of good intentions I finally began reading Vanity Fair this month and have made a reasonable dent in the story. I have hopes of finishing it before the end of the summer, but we shall see since I also have another weighty tome awaiting me in August, but more on that later. In addition to Vanity Fair I also picked up This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The latter was something of a whim selection. I read The Great Gatsby in April 2010 and was surprised to like Fitzgerald's writing style, so I thought I'd give his first novel a try. I expect to have it finished within the next few days.

Aside from finishing these two novels the following are waiting on my nightstand:

A Caribbean Mystery is the next in my personal Agatha Christie Reading Challenge, which I began in 2008. In order to finish this reading challenge I have endeavored to read at least one of Christie's novels each month, though sometimes I read more. As things stand I am set to finish this challenge early next year.


The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexander Dumas is another novel that has long languished on my TBR list. I must admit I've never read Dumas (I know!), but I love the story of The Count of Monte Cristo. I know little to nothing about The Man in the Iron Mask, so it seems fitting to begin with this novel. Plus, I've sort of joined a challenge with Carrie at Reading To Know who also plans to read this book in the next month.


To add to that, my next book club meeting is the week following Labor Day. We are to read the fourth chapter of Passion of the Western Mind along with two medieval plays: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated by J.R. Tolkien andThe Song of Roland translated by Dorothy Sayers
And that's that. Although, now that I've written it all down I realize how much I've taken on. It is highly unlikely I will finish it all, but I am going to do my best and see what I can read in the waning weeks of summer.

Well that's all for me. What about you? Leave me a comment and let me know what is on your nightstand, or better yet, stop over at 5 Minutes for Books and link up your own Nightstand post. Happy reading!

What's On My Nightstand: June 2012

Another month gone, just like that. Summer is here and thankfully this year it does not mean too much rushing about, but rather my days are spent mostly juggling normal things like work, housekeeping, and life with my two little girls. Overall we are having a good summer.

Because life has quieted down I have managed to get a little more reading in during the last few weeks. Last month I mentioned several books I planned to read and I'm happy to report I finished all but two of them! On a whim and in addition to last month's list I picked up and read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith and Harvest at Stillmeadow by Gladys Taber. Both were enjoyable reads, which I highly recommend. If I can find the time I'd really like to write up a review of each, but reading is one thing and reviewing is another and of late I've only had time for one. (sigh)

So what's left as I enter the blazing month of July?

I need to re-read Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery before the July 18th book club meeting. (We will be comparing and contrasting: Anne of Green Gables, Betsy-Tacy, and All-Of-A-Kind Family.) I also would really like to into Vanity Fair, another leftover from last month, but it is weighty reading for the summer and so I find myself tempted to set it aside and pick up the next Agatha Christie mystery novel on my list: The Clocks.


At any rate I have no shortage of delicious books to read. I'm sure I'll come upon other books I'll decide to read on a whim; in the meantime I would love to hear what you are reading. Leave me a comment and let me know, or head over to 5 Minutes for Books and link up your own Nigh stand post.

Happy reading!

The Classic Hundred Poems: All Time Favorites Edited by William Harmon

360 pages
Published in 1990, reprinted in 1998
by Columbia University Press

I FINALLY had a chance to pull together my thoughts about The Classic Hundred Poems: All Time Favorites edited by William Harmon which I read this past summer for my book club. I am very excited to report that my write-up has been posted over at 5 Minutes for Books!!!


So after you check out my write-up please be sure to stop back here to read a few interesting "Did you know" facts about some of the poems and poets contained within this collection.

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DID YOU KNOW:

- The song Auld Lang Syne most famous as a New Years Eve song is actually based on a poem by 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns. Burns was also famous for his poem: A Red, Red Rose.

- Poet Percy B. Shelley was the husband of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. Mary penned this famous novel while on vacation with her husband and several literary friends. Apparently one evening Percy, Mary and their friends challenged each other to see who could write the scariest story. Mary won hands down. So who were some of the others present? One of them was Percy's friend and fellow poet, Lord Byron. Talk about a collection of literary giants!

- Most fans of the novel Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery are already familiar with how The Lady of Shallot by Lord Alfred Tennyson was one of Anne Shirley's favorite poems. But that wasn't the only poem or poet that Montgomery references within the Anne books. Readers should also take a look at Robert Louis Stevenson's poems as several are woven through the Anne books.

Want to know more about how poetry has influenced literature and culture? Check out The Classic Hundred Poems.

I Read It! - November

It's the first Tuesday of the month, which means it's time for the November edition of "I Read It" at 5MinutesforBooks.com.

I Read It is a monthly posting that gives fellow readers (and bloggers) a chance to share the books they've read because of another readers recommendation. Posts can be anything from as detailed as stating the title and author of the book, who recommended it to you, why you wanted to read it, and what you thought about the book. (In other words, a full review.) Or you can keep it simple and announce what you read by recommendation and whether you agreed or disagreed. This is a fun way to spread the word about a great read... or in some cases, sadly, about the bad ones too.

Of course if you haven't read anything by recommendation in the last month you can still participate. Head on over to 5MinutesforBooks and see what other readers have read and reviewed upon recommendation. Then read their reviews and leave your own comment letting them know if they have inspired you to read the book too.

Whatever you decide, have fun and of course -- keep reading!