Last week Pierre left his wife Helene because of an affair she had with his friend Dolokhov. On his way to St. Petersburg he is waiting in a railway station dwelling on the events of the past few days. This is a sample of the thoughts running through his head, “And I shot Dolokhov because I considered myself injured. What is bad? What is good? What should one love and what hate? What does one live for? And what am I? What is life, and what is death? What power governs all?”
Pierre is at a crossroads in life, pondering the very meaning of life when a stranger and his servant arrive at the station. The traveler reads from a book and then closes his eyes to meditate, “His shriveled old hands were folded and on the finger of one of them Pierre noticed a large cast iron ring with a seal representing a death’s head.” At one point the man opens his eyes and looks right at Pierre. Pierre is drawn to this man and wants to speak to him, which he does. Pierre is surprised to find that this stranger knows who he is and is aware of his situation. The stranger speaks, “You are unhappy, my dear sir, you are young and I am old. I should like to help you as far as lies in my power.” The traveler is a mason; he questions Pierre about his religious beliefs. Pierre tells him he is an atheist, after conversing with the man for a time Pierre feels a “reawakening” and comes to believe there is a God and that his life can be better. Pierre tells this stranger, “I thank you. I agree with all you have said. With my whole soul I wish to be what you would have me be. Help me, teach me, and perhaps I may . . .” The stranger interrupts Pierre and reminds him that help comes from God alone but promises him his order will help him. He gives Pierre a paper to give to Count Willarski when he arrives in St. Petersburg.
Pierre spends a few days in solitude and meditation upon his arrival in St. Petersburg. Count Willarski then comes to collect him. He takes Pierre to the Masonic lodge where Pierre becomes an initiate of the order and takes his vows. I found the description of the ceremony to be very interesting and full of symbolic meaning. At the conclusion of this ceremony we read, “Pierre felt as if he had returned from a long journey on which he had spent dozens of years, had become completely changed, and had quite left behind his former habits and way of life.” Pierre is a change man and has vowed to live a completely different life. He is immediately tested when his father-in-law arrives unannounced and tries to cajole him into getting back with his wife. Surprisingly, or maybe not—considering Pierre’s recent experiences, Pierre stands, opens the door and asks Prince Vasili to leave his home. Following the advice of his new Masonic friends Pierre leaves St. Petersburg and goes to Kiev to see to his estates.
Back in Moscow Anna Pavlovna is still busy hosting her socially elite gatherings. The break-up of Pierre and Helene and the subsequent duel becomes the hottest topic at these gatherings. Helene is in attendance and is well accepted by the upper crust, it is Pierre that is looked down upon. Boris (the other Anna’s son) has done well for himself in the army and is now Anna Pavlovna’s newest prodigy. He is happy about this and means to take advantage of all opportunities to gain social status. Anna is busy with her matchmaking and Boris and Helene soon become “intimate” and he is often at her home. Boris is embarrassed when he recalls his childish love for Natasha. But I’m thinking if Boris was smart he’d steer clear of Anna Pavlovna and Helene and head back home to Natasha.
The War:
“Toward the end of 1806 when all the sad details of Napoleon’s destruction of the Prussian army at Jena and Auerstadt and the surrender of most of the Prussian fortresses had been received, when our troops had already entered Prussia and our second war with Napoleon was beginning.” (location 6588)
The rekindling of the war has had a great affect on life at Bald Hills. “The old prince was made one of the eight commanders in chief then appointed to supervise the enrollment decreed throughout Russia.” Prince Andrew has also had a change of heart after his near death experience and no longer wants to be part of the war effort. He is currently serving in a post under his father to help with recruitment so he can avoid active duty.
Princess Mary has become “mother” to her little nephew, who at the close of this chapter is very ill with a high fever. Both Mary and Andrew are waiting desperately for the arrival of the doctor. Andrew has discovered that the most important thing in his life is this little child.
Vocabulary: Portmanteaus: a large trunk or suitcase, typically made of stiff leather and opening into two equal parts. Obsequiously: obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree Profligate: recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources Indubitable: impossible to doubt Dandling: move a baby or young child up and down in a playful or affectionate way
He’s all dressed but his shoes.
He even pulled on his own socks.
It makes no difference
That they’re inside out
And that the heel of the sock
Is on the top of his foot
Because he did it all himself.
Patiently he sits,
Waiting for his mother to
Finish the dishes and tie his shoes.
Swinging his little legs back and forth
And trying to learn how to whistle
Help him pass the time.
But the sky is blue, and
There is a gentle breeze
Coming through the screen door
Which beckons him to come out to play.
“How long is a minute?” he asks.
His mother tells him to watch
The clock on the wall to see
The tiny second hand go in a circle.
He wanted to be sure to see, so
He climbed upon a chair and
Traced the movement with his finger.
"The paint and the paper looks as if a boys' school had used it. It is stripped off--the paper--in great patches all around the head of my bed, about as far as I can reach, and in a great place on the other side of the room low down. I never saw a worse paper in my life. One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin."
location 49 on my kindle
hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading
hosted by the Broke and the Bookish
Today's Top Ten . . . Author's that deserve more recognition
I had a hard time with this list because I don’t really know how they recognize Authors. The only award I ever really watch for is the Newbery Award but I’m sure there are more recognitions than that one. I think it’s for children’s books anyway.
So . . . I went to the author’s tab at the top of my blog and browsed through the authors I had read from for the last 2 years and picked 10 new to me authors that had written books that I really enjoyed. Here they are in no particular order.
Shannon Hale
Brandon Mull
Tony Early
Kate DiCamillo
Syrie James
Markus Zusak
Sue Monk Kidd
Jeffrey Holland
Neil Gaimon
Camille Fronk Olson
He's the best thing that ever happened to her. He's also the worst. He's Millie's Fling. From one of the premiere contemporary authors in the UK, here is a fun and romantic tale that proves the road to matchmaking hilarity is paved with good intentions.
About the author:
Jill Mansell lives with her partner and children in Bristol, and writes full time. Actually that’s not true; she watches TV, eats fruit gums, admires the rugby players training in the sports field behind her house, and spends hours on the Internet marvelling at how many other writers have blogs.
My thoughts:
I downloaded Millie's Fling as a free e-book for the kindle. I was in the mood for something that was light and funny and from the book description it sounded like this story would fit the bill. I’ve never read Brit Lit before (except Harry Potter) and I think I got a pretty good glimpse of British mannerisms and humor in this novel.
This book didn't really work for me--I found it very long and too silly. I think if it had been shorter (and a few less plot lines) I would have liked it more. I found myself skimming through chapters of material looking for bits of the story that dealt with Millie and her adventures and bypassing all the secondary plots. I liked the original plot (Millie’s story) and did read the first 10% (where the original plot began) of the book and the last 10% (where the original plot wrapped up).
Is it insane that I just turned the air-conditioner on in my motel room? When I left home it was snowing!!!!
So I'll make this brief so I can get out into the sunshine . . .
Mosquito Coast (1986) starring Harrison Ford. That was a great flick about an inventor who sold his house, loaded up his family and went to the Jungle to build of all things-an ice factory.
Oh and there is also "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" starring Betty Davis--that show is unforgettable.
Yeah!!! I picked a couple of winners this week!!!!
Stephanie -8
Matt 123
Grant 80
Krista 0
I got the bonus question
my score for the week 264!
But I'm still second to the last in scoring on my tribe
my picks this week: Grant, Rob, Matt and Stephanie.
The Hunger Games Trilogy Box set (The Hunger Games #1-3) by Suzanne Collins
Book #1 The Hunger Games
Book #2 Catching Fire
Book #3 Mockingjay
Hardcover
Published August 24th 2010 by Scholastic Press (first published 2010)
ISBN0545265355 (ISBN13: 9780545265355) .
The extraordinary, ground breaking New York Times bestsellers The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, along with the third book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay, are available in a beautiful box set edition. The story is stunning, gripping, and powerful.
(blurb, image, courtesy goodreads)
My thoughts:
*warning: spoilers*
My children read this series a couple of years ago--but I decided to hold out until all three books were available. I do hate the waiting period in between book releases. I'm glad I did because this series moved so quickly that I read all three books from start to finish in a weeks’ time. And I loved it.
I had seen a lot of reviews around about these books and they consistently reported that the story was based on a dystopian society, so the first thing I did was look up the word "dystopia" to clarify the term in my mind.
Dystopia: a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.
as compared to:
Utopia: any visionary system of political or social perfection.
I've read several books that deal with a dystopian society based on the fall of our current governmental system. They are all somewhat disturbing as the author gives way to imagining the very worst society possible as the government reinvents itself.
Many years ago while still a teenager I read a book (sad to say I can’t recall its name) that was about a dystopian society in post-nuclear USA that was pretty similar to “The Hunger Games”. The cities were fenced in but the creepiest part is that each citizen had a chip implanted in the back of their neck so that the government could track their every move thus making escape impossible.
Another book with a similar theme was “Invitation to the Game” by Monica Hughes. Contestants were invited to play a “video game”. The object of the game was to survive in a new world. (Is it real or is it not)
And of course there is “Ender’s game” a futuristic story of gene manipulation to create the ultimate warrior and save the society.
The thing about these kinds of stories is that they tend to affect the psyche of a person. Freedoms I take for granted on a daily basis all of a sudden become clear and I appreciate them more. None of us wants to live in a society dominated by tyranny.
And that’s what Ms. Collins does so well in “The Hunger Games Trilogy”. She creates a world that is set far into the future, but still references to the destruction of the society by nuclear weapons. For those of us who remember the cold war and the arms race and the fear that at any time a power hungry national leader could touch a button and nuke us, this book is not unrealistic. I particularly liked how in this story that Ms. Collins has 13 districts and a capitol, exactly as the United States had in the beginning.
At the beginning of the book Ms. Collins introduced me to her world, Panem, a recovering and broken United States of America 75 years in the making. Katniss Everdeen narrates the story in the first person as it unfolds. First I meet her family, her friend and hunting partner Gale, and then her community—District 12. Ms. Collins does a superb job of integrating the reader into the time and life patterns of her story. I quickly formed attachments to Katniss and her community. This is a description of her sister: “Prim’s face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named.” This simple introduction and way of writing helps the story flow and move quickly.
District 12 is a coal-mining town. The peace-keepers placed there by the “Capitol” are lax in enforcing the laws and the electric fence that surrounds the district is off more than it is on. This allows the citizens a little more freedom than in some of the other districts. As a result of this feeling of security and freedom Katniss develops a strong and independent character.
The story really begins on the day of reaping. “The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins. Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch—this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion. Whatever words they use, the real message is clear. Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do.”
At the moment I read this passage I understood the title of the book and could guess where the story was headed. I was shocked when Prim’s name was called however and totally understood Katniss volunteering to take her spot in the hunger games.
The story is horrific as 16 year old Katniss is plunged into a world of political manipulation and violence along with her tribute counterpart Peeta Mellark. I can’t even imagine being in a game that required me to kill a person so that I could survive. At the end of the Hunger Games Katniss wins and pulls off a coup by refusing to kill Peeta and threatening to commit suicide. The Capitol concedes and declares co-winners.
But the games do not end for Katniss and Peeta. In Book 2 “Catching Fire” the capitol retaliates by informing the citizens of Panem that the tributes for this year’s Hunger Games will be selected from among the living tributes and so Peeta and Katniss are headed back to the arena. Things are different this time around. The population has started to organize itself to rebel against the capitol and Katniss-code named the Mockingjay-becomes the visual symbol of the rebellion. I think the most important thing to remember as the reader embarks on their journey into the story is that Katniss is only 16, and even though she won the hunger games--at what cost did she win? This second volume explores that question and Katniss's reaction to all that she lost in the name of victory.
The rebellion gains strength in this second novel and as Katniss and Peeta return to the capitol for the games they catch glimpses of this. I thought it very interesting that all of the surviving tributes have issues such as drug and alcohol addiction. Not one of them ever became “normal” after experiencing the horror of the arena. The games begin and Katniss and Peeta find themselves in an unlikely alliance in a very well thought out arena. Katniss finds herself barely surviving and at the conclusion of the story finds that instead of being manipulated and used by the capitol she is being used and manipulated by the rebellion.
Mockingjay, the final novel is all about the rebellion, the hunger games in reality. War has broken out between the capitol and its citizens. The Rebellion is backed by District 13 that was kept secret from the other 12 and was never under the Capitol’s influence.
Katniss has endured so much trauma that she breaks down and for much of the book is out of it mentally and physically. I liked that. Anyone that has dealt with intense trauma in their life knows that recovery is slow and painful. I liked the edge of madness that became a part of Katniss’s character. But despite her mental and physical disabilities Katniss realizes she has no choice and steps up to be the Mockingjay. ". I thought the story followed its natural evolution and was pleased with the twists and turns in the plot as well as its conclusion. It is a story that is at one time hugely fantastical but remotely possible--and therein lies the disturbing nugget of fear that plagues me as the reader. I especially appreciated the fact that the author was true to the story thread and brought it full circle in a chilling way.
“I find myself sent into a room where six people sit around a table. Peeta, Johanna, Beetee, Haymitch, Anie, and Enobaria. They all wear the gray rebel uniforms from 13. No one looks particularly well. ‘What’s this?’ I say. ‘We’re not sure,’ Haymitch answers. ‘It appears to be a gathering of the remaining victors.’ ‘We’re all that’s left?’ I ask. ‘The price of celebrity,’ says Beetee. ‘We were targeted from both sides. The Capitol killed the victors they suspected of being rebels. The rebels killed those thought to be allied with the Capitol.’”
President Coin (of the rebellion) enters the room and after some discussion about the dissension that still exists between the opposing sides she proposes, “we have a final, symbolic Hunger Games, using the children directly related to those who held the most power [in the Capitol].’ All of us turn to her. ‘What?’ says Johanna. ‘We hold another Hunger Games using Capitol children,’ says Coin. “Are you joking?’ asks Peeta. “
“Was it like this then? Seventy-five years or so ago? Did a group of people sit around and cast their votes on initiating the Hunger Games? Was there dissent? Did someone make a case for mercy that was beaten down by the calls for the deaths of the districts’ children? All those people I loved, dead, and we are discussing the next Hunger Games in an attempt to avoid wasting life. Nothing has changed. Nothing will ever change.”
I liked that the book continued following the execution of the Presidents at the end of the war. It could have ended there but it was satisfying for me to see Katniss return to district 12. How comforting that Greasy Sae was there cooking her meals, providing something real and concrete for her to hold on to. And how about the cat showing up--wasn't that the greatest? It is in this place where the broken and damaged Katniss starts over that I realized that she lost all she loved to the Capitol. She lost her dad who was killed in the coal mine. Her childhood because she was forced to care for her family at a young age. Gale, her best friend was also lost to her because of his role in Prim's death. Prim is dead and her mother cannot bring herself to come back to district 12 and face the pain. But not all is lost for Katniss, I think it ironic that the Capitol took all she loved but also gave back to her the only person who could ever love her and that she in turn could love as well. Damaged people have a hard time living with and relating to people who are relatively unscathed by misfortune. Shared experiences do a lot to mend broken lives. I enjoyed the end of this novel because after all the horror it ended with some hope. There is hope for Katniss and Peeta to make some kind of life for themselves and their children. And if their is hope for them, their is hope for all that fought and lost during the rebellion.
I found this work, although told first person by the principal character Katniss Aberdeen was not a story about Katniss. It was a book about political corruption, how it affects its citizens, and the power of one person to have their say. Kudo's to Ms. Collins for spinning an intriguing tale. This is the kind of story, for me that will linger in the mind for a long time. I hope only to read such things and never experience them.
"What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again."
I'll never look at a dandelion in the same way again
This book is being made into a movie, here is a trailer
What do you think? The end part of the trailer when the tributes take off running gave me c.hills
The story this week totally revolves around Nicholas Rostov, his two army buddies Denisov and Dolokhov and their furlough during the Christmas season. The chief event in these chapters is a Christmas Ball. Sonya and Natasha are in the height of their glory as they attend wearing their first long dresses and dancing all the grand dances.
The Peace:
Dolokhov continues to recover from the wound he received in the duel. As he convalesces he falls in love with Sonya. Dolokhov proposes to Sonya who refuses him because Sonya is still in love with Nicholas. This distresses Natasha who tells her brother he must convince Sonya to marry Dolokhov, because she already realizes that Nicholas will never marry her. Nicholas does talk to Sonya telling her, “I make no promise. And I beg you to consider Dolokhov’s offer”. Sonya replies, “I love you as a brother and always shall, and I want nothing more. “ And Sonya proceeds to decline Dolokhov’s proposal of marriage.
And then we are in for another surprise,
“Mamma! . . . Mamma! . . . He has made me . . . “
“Made what?”
“Made, made me an offer, Mamma! Mamma! She exclaimed.
The countess did not believe her ears. Denisov had proposed. To whom? To this chit of a girl, Natasha, who not so long ago was playing with dolls and who was still having lessons?
Of course mamma politely tells Denisov that Natasha is too young for marriage.
Meanwhile Nicholas was caught up in a card game against an angry Dolokhov looking to get even and lost 43,000 ruples. He entertained putting a bullet in his head but in the end went to his father and begged for the money.
The War:
Christmas is over and the three young men return to their regiments.
1. Jamie hates stickers on books--so do I! you can't ever get the icky sticky off.
2. When people bend the book backwards and break the spine--please tell me you've never done that.
3. Food and books, they just don't go together.
4. Water and books, absolutely don't go together.
5. Fingerprints (especially chocolate finger prints) on pages.
6. Dog-eared corners
7. Borrowing books from the library then finding passages underlined and notes in the margins
8. Books left on the dashboard in a hot car--warped covers.
9. Bent dust jackets--I always remove them while I read.
10. My biggest pet peeve--when someone tells me the ending to a book before I get there!
Kindle Edition, 400 pages
Published August 24th 2010 by Scholastic Press (first published 2010)
ASIN: B003XF1XOQ
literary awards: Andre Norton Award Nominee (2010), Goodreads Choice Award for Favorite Book, Young Adult Fantasy, Favorite Heroine, and Favorite Hero (2010), Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of the Year for Fiction (2010)
"My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead."
Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.
It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss.
The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay -- no matter what the personal cost.
About the author:
Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television, mainly for several Nickelodeon shows. She has also written several children's story books. The books she is most successful for in teenage eyes are the Hunger Games. She currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard.
My thoughts:
The Hunger Games Series continues its fast pace in the concluding novel "Mockingjay". I thought the story followed its natural evolution and was pleased with the twists and turns in the plot as well as its conclusion. It is a story that is at one time hugely fantastical but remotely possible--and therein lies the disturbing nugget of fear that plagues the reader. I especially appreciated the fact that the author was true to the story thread and brought it full circle in a chilling way. Kudo's to Ms. Collins for spinning an intriguing tale.
This weeks topic is all about . . . the food, and loving it
My first pick is the Harry Potter movies--I just love those long tables in the great hall with food that magically reappears and for me it is Ron that has the love affair with good food.
Speaking of love affairs with food Spanglish is the movie that really shows that relationship between chef John Clasky and his dishes. I've mentioned before that I love when he cooks a meal for Flor, but I also love the scene where he makes a sandwich for himself.
And then there is that little Rat in Ratatouille, he was really in love with food, and cooking. What a great little film.
I thought I'd finish up with Twilight--What? You know, that scene where Edward takes Bella home to meet his family and she smells "delicious" to them-- and then the whole blood thing and they all have to leave the room. It's hilarious. Anyway Edward is passionately in love with his food or his own brand of heroine or something . . .
while I was looking for images I found this--
a glimpse of Bella the Vampire
I just don't know if I can make myself go to Breaking Dawn,
I wish she hadn't written the book--I hated it.
Now on to Survivor--what can I say, I'm just not good at picking people who score points!
Episode 5 I picked:
David-3
Philip-35
Ralph-0
Rob-80
I couldn't find the bonus question so I didn't get to answer it this week.
Why I didn't pick Matt I don't know--I just couldn't tell from the previews if they were having a duel--but they did and Matt won. (I'm glad about that).
so I scored 118 for the week, 566 total.
For this week's episode I am picking: Stephanie, Matt, Krista and Grant
For the win right now I'm leaning towards Boston Rob--he is really playing a good game. But I know at the merge he will be in trouble so we'll see. I'm also liking Matt to win--but we'll see if he hangs on.
