The Great Gatsby…..

As I confessed in a previous #literaryconfession, I’ve never read The Great Gatsby. With the movie coming out in December and the fact that I’ve never read it before, I decided to read it. I finished it today. Some of the lines in the book are quite good.

Not being really sure what to expect, I just went into reading with an open mind. I’m still deciding how I feel about the book, but I have some questions and thoughts. If you’ve read The Great Gatsby, please chime in!

1. Tom- he tells Wilson that Gatsby was driving the car that kills Myrtle;  was his true motivation because his mistress was dead and he saw a way to keep Gatsby away from Daisy OR was it because Daisy loved him and he loved her?

2. Daisy- at first I felt sympathy for her, for her character; but then- it was like whether she planned to have these 2 men fighting over her in New York or not, having them both together was not a good idea. Was she THAT clueless or that manipulative? Or am I reading the scene wrong?

3. Gatsby- for all that he was, all that he became and how he invented himself- in the end, few people were around to celebrate his life/mourn his death. Is that a telling view of society and how we forget people in death?

 

Overall opinion- I liked the book. I thought it was interesting and neat. I think if I had read it earlier, I’d probably not appreciated the intricacy of the book.

Thoughts on The Great Gatsby? Come on and spill them!

Read a book! Read a Book!

It was a weekend of reading- I usually get at least one book read a weekend (it all depends on the weekend plans), but this weekend since I only had these 2 plans: 1. Get rid of tan lines for my bridesmaid dress and 2. Be an Olympic nerd- I was able to get some reading completed.

First, I finished Emily Giffin’s Where We Belong. A good book, very enjoyable. My next bit of reading was The Great Gatsby- not quite finished with the book; but very close. I made huge strides in Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld- less than a 100 pages left. I also finished the 4th installment of The Sweet Life- the ongoing drama of the Wakefield twins.

What did you read this weekend?

Emily Giffin and her cast of characters….

First, I love Emily Giffin books. I love how she writes characters that are flawed and real. Love that her books are great for discussion because people can identify with them. I also like how she doesn’t just toss the characters aside after she writes about them- occasionally they reappear in another book. I knew this little ploy about her (hello Dex and Rachel in The Heart of the Matter) and yet when I picked the new book Where We Belong, it did not even cross my mind that characters from another book, a book that I unfortunately have not read would reappear in the latest book (and spoilers of how their book was!)

Is it a big deal? No, in the scheme of it all, not even a blip on the radar. I’ll still read the other book, even though I know some things about it now. Just a part of me wished I’d thought of the possibility that characters from other books would be in the newest one.

However, if in any way this would dampen your enjoyment of her great books, be advised that if you have not read all the books, to either read them or be ok with the information you will find out while reading Where We Belong. Just a friendly heads-up!

Literary Friday ya’ll…..

Friday- TGIF. Katy Perry Songs. #DAYSASTER (if you are a fan of Days of Our Lives). Oh yeah, and tonight- Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics- I love the Olympics!

So since this is a special Literary Friday (because of the Olympics) I’m going to change some things up- I’ll be raving and providing information on Literary things, but will tie it in with the Olympics by breaking categories down in Gold, Silver and Bronze worthy sections.

Gold Medal:

1. Deep South Magazine and their Literary Friday- a weekly what’s what in the world of literary gems. Always insightful!

2. Mia March The Meryl Streep Movie Club– I’m def giving it a Gold Medal. I enjoyed it that much.

Silver Medal:

1. Melinda Mcguire is still looking for people to guest-blog for her #STHRN idea. She’s had some interesting people (and my guest-blog on Rowan Oak, Faulkner, books will be posted in August!) so if you have ideas, please check her page out!

2. Francine Pascal- The Sweet Life– the stories of Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield at 30. Part soap-opera, part nostalgia- and all together a delicious little e-serial. It’s  really the only reason I look forward to Sunday now, so that I can read the latest installment.

3. The blog Man VS Books Club (@MVBClub) and the staff- they post reviews of books that are current and getting quite a buzz, committed to exposing readers to books that they might not know of , and always up for a literary chat on Twitter. Great work, ya’ll!

Bronze Medal:

1. Emily Giffin and the latest book- The book is great, actually, but there is a teensy spoiler to another couple in one of her books. I hadn’t read that book yet, so now I know basically how things work out. I’ll still read the other book, but I wish I’d known that she’d have these characters in her new book Where We Belong.

Other Literary Friday Tidbits:

1. Kimberly Brock, Anna Kline and the Grits and Soul Band will be making their way across the South to different bookstores. Kim will be signing The River Witch and Anna/Grits and Soul will be singing/playing. Don’t miss out!

2. My #fridayreads are as follows: Where We Belong by Emily Giffin (almost finished), Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald.

Happy Reading!

The Meryl Streep Movie Club….

I just finished reading The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March. Cannot not say enough good things about the book. Some people are drawing similarities to books such as Jane Austen Book Club and Friday Night Knitting Club, but since I’ve never read those- I’m not sure if books are similar.

I love how the movie of the week for the club helped open a discussion amongst the ladies (and helped shed some light on personal problems). I also liked how each of them did not view the movie the same way- some felt empathy with Meryl Streep’s character, while others did not approve of the choices made in that role.
But no matter agreeing or not, each movie lead to a discussion that was thoughtful and frank.

A movie or a book can lead to wonderful discussions- but sometimes the movie is easier to discuss because it’s a visual experience. Are there any movies or books that have lead to a discussion amongst friends and family?

Reading a book….

Reading a book is similar to being involved in a club, a club that welcomes all and rejects no one. Reading books opens doors, helps facilitate friendships, and can change people. Reading can bring people together- because reading opens doors to connections with people. A love of reading can be a powerful bond.

I always wonder why some are so hesitant to read- there are literally thousands of books in the world, and to close yourself off from them is wrong. You don’t have to read all the time,but I think setting aside time to read and find books that are enjoyable is a good thing. A necessary thing.

Reading- a great way to pass the time. Sharpens the mind, exposes the reader to different topics- all without having to spend tons of money.

Do yourself and loved ones a favor- take the time to read a book.

WWW Wednesdays (Should be Reading) July 25

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

 

What are you currently reading?

Currently reading The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. TMSMC is really good- good characters, interesting situations- I have a theory about how part of this book will play out- very eager to see how it ends!

P&P is also good- it’s just so different than my normal reads, a bit harder for me to get into for long reading spells.

What did you recently finish reading?

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, The Sweet Life #3 by Francine Pascal, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Jinxed by Carol Higgins Clark.

Sharp Objects is great- dark and a bit disturbing. The Sweet Life- if you were a fan of Sweet Valley High/Twins/University- check that out. Ready Player One- total nerd-ish/gamer book (and I loved it!), Jinxed- CHC writes books that are quick reads, light mystery- a perfect book to sit and read in an afternoon.
What do you think you’ll read next?

Falling Home by Karen White, Where We Belong by Emily Giffin, and the 4th installment of The Sweet Life is on my to read list. Also A Teeny Bit of Trouble by Michael Lee West.

Teaser Tuesdays (Should be Reading) July 24

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teaser:

Since I’d become a gunter, it had been obvious to me that Halliday had drawn inspiration for his contest from the Swordquest contest.

Because if most of the other gunters out there are as clueless as I-rOk- and they are, Z, believe me- that means you and I really do have a shot at winning the contest.

Ready Player One, Ernest Cline, pg 45

 

The Sweet Life- The Wakefield Twins grown up!

Like many young girls, I read the stories of Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield during my younger years. I was a big fan of the SVT books, but missed out on the SVH books. I, later, started reading Sweet Valley University.

When I saw that Sweet Valley Confidential was being released, I was excited- UNTIL I read the terrible reviews. But, SVC was on sale for 2.99 for Kindle a few weeks ago, and I read it. I didn’t hate it, either. I theorize that because I missed out on the Sweet Valley High books, I wasn’t subjected to as much re-writing of history as the fans of SVH were. Sure, sure, there were things that happened in SVU that were either dismissed or changed completely for Sweet Valley Confidential; but it was not that bad.

While reading SVC, I found out that The Sweet Life would be released soon- Elizabeth and Jessica are 30 and dealing with tons of things. I’m reading them as fast as I can get my hands on them. Part soap-opera, part nostalgia- these stories are great. The drama the twins face (and make!), Lila just owning the role of spoiled and shallow rich girl, the Bruce Patman story-line- it’s all got me hooked and reminding me that no matter how old I am, the Wakefield twins still provide entertainment.

What childhood books would you like to see with the characters grown-up? Do you think you would still love them? Or, as you age, do your tastes change in books?