Page 26 of 29

Intro to Jack London

September 1, 2016 /

Usually, I skip the “Introduction” section of a book mostly due to impatience – when I’m ready to start reading the book I just want to start reading the book. Also, sometimes, especially in a critical edition, the intro contains “spoilers” which I don’t want to know and/or tells me how someone else has interpreted the book, which I don’t really want to know (yet anyway!) either.

But for whatever reason I decided to read the introduction to The Call of the Wild, which I am re-reading in the context of HBO’s recent hit drama series “The Night Of.” This particular introduction is by Alex Kershaw.

I am SO glad I read this intro because I learned some fascinating information.

For Fun: Eligible and the modern Bennet family

August 26, 2016 /

Eligible: A Novel is “A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice.”

This does not – as I initially assumed – mean it will remind you of Pride and Prejudice like the way The Tea Planters Wife reminded me of Rebecca (at first anyway); the characters and plot of this new book are literally modeled after Pride and Prejudice.

This book is part of the Austen Project, which pairs six bestselling contemporary authors with Jane Austen’s six complete works.

In this modern retelling, set in Cincinnati, Mrs. Bennet remains overbearing and super annoying about wanting all of her daughters, especially the older two, married yesterday. Bingley is a doctor who recently appeared on a reality dating show called Eligible, which is obviously modeled after the Bachelor (a super fun plot for me because I admit I am a fan!).

And instead of obsessing over handwritten letters as everybody figures everything out, this modern version, of course, uses text messages.

So does it work?

My Oprah’s Book Club giveaway – Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad

August 21, 2016 /

Oprah’s new book club pick, Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad: A Novel, has me intrigued.

This book apparently moves into the fantastical. I’m so interested to read how Whitehead executes this with such a heavy and historical subject.

I have a few books in queue before this one, but I plan to start reading it within the next couple of weeks.

Will you join me?

I purchased two copies of this book – one for me and one to give away!

You can sign up to win my extra book here:

My unexpected testimonial for Hands Free Mama

August 19, 2016 /

First let me admit I initially avoided reading Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!

This book only ended up in my possession because a friend had it on her baby registry…so I gave it a quick read before passing it on to her as a gift. I know this is sort of tacky but she is such a good friend that if she is reading this hopefully she is laughing and won’t mind! (Now I can finally get it in the mail hahaha!!)

Anyway, I avoided this book because I thought I knew what it would say…”just put down your phone,” right?…and I was correct, but I certainly didn’t know how she would say this and how it would affect me.

Already I have made changes in my life that I can attribute to this book. And I promise when you make these changes, however minor they may be, when you see someone else doing what you used to do, you will feel so good about your new habits that you will stick to them! At least this has been my experience so far.

So…I’m going to summarize some of her points below, but if technology addiction/distraction applies to you at all, I recommend picking the book up and reading it yourself.

Here are just ten thoughts and quotes from this powerful book:

My Pearl Jam play list

August 16, 2016 /

This post is about poetry set to music, specifically that of Pearl Jam.

Earlier this year my husband said “I’m afraid I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I don’t see them live.” A strong statement! So…even though I wasn’t – at that point – as dramatic about attending this particular concert, I started planning for a possible trip and started listening to the SiriusXM Pearl Jam station almost exclusively.

I soon fell back under their spell and realized I did want to see the concert as much as him. I even started noting my ideal playlist.

As it turns out, we won’t be at this concert. And that sucks. But it’s also OK because that’s just the result of being adults and parents with various priorities and responsibilities.

So in honor of the concert that I won’t be attending, here are the songs I’d love to hear live someday:

The Tea Planter’s Wife and her predicament

August 12, 2016 /

The beginning of The Tea Planter’s Wife: A Novel reminded me of Rebecca: A new bride arrives at an elaborate and somewhat mysterious estate with lots of vegetation.

This newer novel, already an international bestseller after its initial U.K. publishing, is set during the 1920s-30s in Ceylon, an island off of India that was colonized by Britain until 1972 and is now known as Sri Lanka.

Like in Rebecca, the husband is a widower, and the story of the dead wife is shrouded in mystery. The likeable new wife is trying to figure out how to run her new household (this one obviously on a tea plantation) while also wondering what exactly happened to the first wife.

But then…the plot took a very interesting turn and definitely stopped reminding me of Rebecca.

Shaka Senghor’s story of redemption – through reading and writing

August 6, 2016 /

Shaka Senghor’s compelling memoir is about redemption.

The text of Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison moves back and forth between two segments of Senghor’s life: his life as a teenager who started dealing crack at age 14 and his life as a convicted murderer in prison for 19 years.

The story lines, which eventually read as a complete life story, are informative, distressing, and eventually hopeful and powerful.

As Shaka explains the series of situations and choices that led him to commit a murder and end up in prison, it does not read as excuses. It read so that I could truly understand how it all could happen. In fact, I would have been more surprised if he didn’t end up in prison for something.

When literature and TV collide

August 1, 2016 /

Literary cameos in HBO’s “The Night Of”

“Survival in here is all about your alliances….Those husky dogs knew that.” – Freddy from HBO’s popular new series “The Night Of” in reference to Jack London’s Call of the Wild

I get really excited when I see references to literature (or intertextuality) usefully inserted into an already great story line – it makes me pause, rewind, quote, and blog. So here goes:

If you are not watching HBO’s new drama “The Night Of” I STRONGLY recommend it (no serious spoilers here).

I want to reflect on a scene from episode 4 that offers some fascinating literary cameos when Naz, a soft-spoken university student who is in prison awaiting a trial for murder, meets with Freddy, a smooth, smart, and powerful longtime inmate who is essentially running the prison.

First, Freddie “educates” Naz on the “two most popular books in the prison library.”

“All the Light We Cannot See” – the glorious sea and Claire de Lune

July 27, 2016 /

“Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they are closed forever.” – Anthony Doerr in All the Light We Cannot See

A Pulitzer-Prize-winning bestseller hardly needs my recommendation. And you likely don’t need another raving review telling you the story line of All the Light We Cannot See, which of course includes a blind French girl and a conflicted Nazi-youth, both coming of age in WWII Europe.

Thus, my reflections today focus on the glorious sea and the power of the radio, especially its music. (no spoliers!)

Read around the world

July 19, 2016 /

I’m participating in Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and The Bookish; this week’s theme is 10 books set outside of the U.S.

A benefit of reading, of course, is that we can travel to another place and time without leaving our comfortable chair. These novels all touched me deeply while providing perspective from other parts of the world.

From the bottom of my heart and bookcases (which hold all of these books I’m listing) I fully recommend:

Leslie's Bookcase

Page 26 of 29

Intro to Jack London

For Fun: Eligible and the modern Bennet family

My Oprah’s Book Club giveaway – Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad

My unexpected testimonial for Hands Free Mama

My Pearl Jam play list

The Tea Planter’s Wife and her predicament

Shaka Senghor’s story of redemption – through reading and writing

When literature and TV collide

“All the Light We Cannot See” – the glorious sea and Claire de Lune

Read around the world

Let’s Keep in Touch!

Posts by category

Support Leslie’s Bookcase

WHAT I’M READING NOW

Disclosure on Affiliate Links

Copyright

Let’s Keep in Touch!

Subscribe to Leslie's Bookcase via Email

Support Leslie’s Bookcase

Meta