Jonathan Swift Wrap up

 Last weekend we road tripped it down to Seattle for my cousin Tyler's wedding reception. It was so great to see so many special relatives! We also visited the Museum of Flight near the Boeing facility. It was impressive to say the least!

Well last month I decided to read Gulliver's Travels- as I've owned the book for quite some time but never read it. The local attraction "Miniature World" contains a neat exhibit of Gulliver at the beginning of the novel- washed up on the sea shore and tied up by the Lilliputians who are no more than six inches high, clambering around on his body, and in the process of releasing a shower of tiny arrows at him. Someone in my grade 12 literature class did a short presentation on the book, but I didn't even recall much of that. So this book is clearly a classic, and I was excited to read it!

Gulliver's Travels is a novel that I would read again. This says a lot, because I am definitely the type who reads something only once (until I have forgotten that I have read it, in which case I may read it again- this has happened...). I was pleased to find out that Gulliver travels to a handful of different locations and meets the citizens that live there- rather than stay in one place the whole story. All of the characters are larger (or smaller!) than life! Some are even horses! The storyline speeds along quickly, and is never dull (not knowing a good number of words did get tiring though, and I probably missed quite a bit just skimming over them). Beneath the surface, political and philosophical satire gives the story more depth as the author explores the state of humanity and the ironies within it. Next time I read Gulliver's Travels, I will have a dictionary handy for words and I don't know and look into the ways of life, current government, social issues, etc. of England in the early 1700's- as it would be helpful to know what sort of world Swift was seeing and remarking on.

Stay tuned... I'm almost done another book and will write a review when I'm done. It's not one of the classics, but I've decided it's ok to branch out on this blog! (You can do what you want when very few people read it anyways-heehee)

Nathaniel Hawthorne Wrap-up

Well better late than never I guess!

I read The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne and knew I would enjoy it because I had read it before. I don't really know what it is that I do like about it though because it's all so very sad with no light at the end of the tunnel! There is not a lot of hope in this short novel! Even the few depicted happy moments are tainted with some sort of acknowledgement of despair or unknown evil. I did enjoy the character development and the study of how secrecy and living a lie can take a toll on the heart, mind and body.
More than one character experienced that in this book!

I'm currently reading a little book by Polly Horvath called "The Trolls". It is probably considered youth fiction. We used to curl up- 3 in the bed and listen to it on tape! It is absolutely hilarious at any age in my opinion (well at least up to 26!).

Here are a few pictures from a recent jaunt near Goldstream!

Hope you are well wherever you are!

Xoxo
Shanna

Washington Irving Wrap-up

The author for June was Washington Irving, an American author who lived around the same time as Cooper, our last month's author. Maybe they were friends or at least colleagues (or rivals!)... They both lived in New York during their writing years.

I read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in June.

Like mom, I also just downloaded this short story from the Internet. I thought it was very creative, and I enjoyed the imagery created of Sleepy Hollow- a beautiful but haunted wood that is immune to the passing of time. As for Ichabod Crane, I liked him at first but then he became a little greedy and I grew less fond.

James Fennimore Cooper Wrap-up

Hello and happy June 2nd! We've been enjoying a few breezier, brisker days here on the West Coast after a week or so of unexpected spring scorchers. A friend and I walked around Cattle Point this morning- a great way to start the day. 

I know, I know. Totally creepy. 

I checked out the My Idol App, and although it's totally in Japanese, I finally figured out how to make it work! It scans your face, and then you can choose and outfit/hairstyle/accessories that most look like you, and then you can watch yourself groove on the screen along to funky music. I have since deleted the app but I will always have this photo as a wonderful keepsake....

A bikeride to the park with Mark and Alison a few weeks ago! We had a delicous breakfast at Cora's first and then went to a massive book sale. It was our first anniversary weekend!

We have a two wheeled addition to the family! It's name is Big Red, and when I ride it, I become "Globehead". Daniel turns into "Astroboy". It's uncanny how those helmets can transform us!

We found a restaurant that has a games area downstairs! 

A day out on the paddleboards:)

***

Ok- now onto more important things- like the author of the month!

James Fennimore Cooper. I read "The Deerslayer" (and to be accurate I'm not actually totally finished yet), but I am really enjoying it! Cooper wrote a collection of books about the same main character: Natty Bumpo AKA the Deerslayer AKA Hawkeye, and these books follow him at different periods of his life. The Deerslayer is actually the last one that Cooper wrote but tells about Bumpo when he is younger than all the other books. 

The setting is the wilderness of the Americas in the 1800's (the novel was written in 1841), where the "pale faces" and the "red men" are living, some in harmony, and some in the pursuit of "scalps" and revenge.

Surprisingly, the book has made me laugh more than any of our books so far... Monica and I have had a few good chuckles reading to each other lines from our books. (She is reading Last of the Mohicans").

For example, The Deerslayer is naive to romance, having been brought up among a tribe in the woods. He states his only love will ever be the trees and forest, etc. This is what he says when his friend Sarpant makes a slip in reasoning that the Deerslayer calulates is based on love:

"He'll never be the man he was till this matter is off hs mind, and he comes to his senses, like all the rest of mankind."- "We must sartainly manage to...have 'em married as soon as we get back... or this war will be of no more use!" 

The  manner of thinking has changed alot since this book was written, particularely in respect to human rights belonging to all humans regardless of colour and gender. It's quite interesting to be taken back to that world.

All for now- next month is Washington Irving!

Hope all is well wherever you are!

:) 

 

Shakespeare Wrap-up

I finished reading Julius Ceaser this morning. I really did enjoy the storyline- it was quite gripping and fast paced! There's really no sense of a timeline, so it seems like everything happened very quickly around the "Ides of March", or March 15th.  It's neat that this play was based on true Roman history. That's all folks. Did you enjoy Shakespeare?
                           
                                                                               ***

I got to Facetime my lovely sister this morning, and guess who she had with her?! A good friend I met in Iowa. It was so cool to see them together in Scotland. I'll admit, I kinda wish I was over there too! But alas, someone must clip the american express coupons out of the paper, do the crosswords, water the garden and eat the ripe bananas (we have many!).

Have a good day wherever you are:)

Shanna

April '15- Shakespeare

I do not remember if this was a sunrise or sunset... I'm guessing sunset.

It's Sidney, BC either way.

A cheesy grin at Coombs market:)

And it's April! Well into April but better late than never to write a blog post, eh?!

William Shakespeare:

Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest

I have decided to read Julius Caesar because it's the only of these four books that I havn't read in high school already. Granted, I don't remember very much about The Tempest and Hamlet. I havn't decided if I will read them later or not! But for now, Julius Caesar and I will spend some time together this month. I found a copy of it in a used bookstore in Coombs that's called "No fear Shakespeare". There is a plain english translation side by side with the old English of the 16th century. 

PS: I have another book on the go right now too! It's the first of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Apparently this series is all the rage right now because a TV show has come out based on it. There are 8 books so far and a 9th is coming out. It's about a nurse who time travels (inadvertantly), from the 1900's back to 1743 through some standing stones in Scotland. {Monica, are you hooked yet?} So far, I'm enjoying this book alot!

Have a good day wherever you are!

Robert Louis Stevenson Wrap-up

Visiting Russell Island off of Vancouver Island last summer. A family of Hawaiians settled here in the 1870's, and their house is still there! Descendants of the original family volunteer their time to keep the house and run it as a informative centre for tourists.

Great memories! Can't wait for summer again:)

Dinner with a view!

 

Hello! Hope you have had a great week so far.

I ended up reading A Child's Garden of Verses this month! It was short but very sweet! I loved the short poems, all from a child's creative, innocent, yet limited point of view. You get a good sense of a child's play and simple fancies indoor and out. Some of the poems focused around bedtime, especially the injustice of going to bed when it was still light out, and dreaming once in the "land of nod". I think this is a good little selection of poems to have on the shelf to read to your kids (should you have them!) They publish illustrated copies which might be more interesting for kids to look at too!

I like this one:

XII

Looking Forward

When I am grown to a man's estate

I shall be very proud and great,

And tell the other girls and boys

Not to meddle with my toys.

 What did you read this month???

February '15- Robert Louis Stevenson

A friend is off to San Francisco Monday- so I'm thinking of that beautiful city today! A year and a half ago, three young ladies had a BLAST of a time in San Fran and beyond. Our trip pictures are here! The photo is of Alcatraz island. 

Next up on our reading journey: Robert Louis Stevenson

Kidnapped
Treasure Island
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
A Child's Garden of Verses

I'll admit I have not started yet... I hear Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is quite short so I figure I can start later! I'm still recovering from Vanity Fair!

I am proposing a twist on our book club- hear me out.

What if every four months, we have a free month where we read whatever we want?  

So that would mean that next month, March, I could start the 44 Scotland Street series I have been meaning to read! 

Today is Friday, woohoo! This weekend Daniel and I heading out of town to spend some quality time on Denman Island at the cabin with his sister, brother in law, and whoever else is there! I've made plenty of chocolate zucchini muffins to share. The thought was to get some skiing in at mt Washington, but we shall see about the status of the snow after a week or two of rain and warm 

temperatures!

William Thackery Wrap-up '15

London circa 1800

Well, I jumped up and down and made all sorts of celebratory sounds when I finished Vanity Fair this evening... not at all because I didn't enjoy the book, just that it was so long! I'm not accustomed to reading that length of book in one month. 

I really loved the book, and found it gripping if not suspenseful! Maybe some may disagree? I loved Thackeray's extensive vocabulary and his wise, sometimes tangetial asides as the all-knowing storyteller were insightful. 

We must bring up character names. Lord Tapeworm? Ladies Hornblower and Sheepshanks? Lord Heehaw? And there's another really good one which I can't remember... but Monica and I were just talking about it today so I'm sure she'll tell us! 

The author seemed partial to all his characters, and although some were definately better people than others, there were times when he seemed to favour the bad... Rebecca Sharp/Crawley. Or maybe just admire her spunk and intelligence and sympathize with her?

Please tell us what you think of this book (or another of Thackeray's novels if  you read a different one!) I can't wait to hear your thoughts!!!

Here's a few quotes I liked:

" This, dear friends and companions, is my amiable object- to walk with you through the Fair, to examine the shops and shows there; and that we should all come home after the flare, and the noise, and the gaity, and be perfectly miserable in private."

"Time has deat kindly with that stout officer, as it does ordinarily with men who have good stomachs and good tempers, and are not perplexed overmuch by fatigue of the brain". {Said of Colonol Sir Michael O'Dowd}

*** 

I'm all tuckered out from a few curling games this evening! I was invited by my sister and brother in law to play with them in a "bonspiel" at the local curling club. We played three games and won one of them! And I got a parking ticket. Grr. 

One reason Daniel is good for me is that he is sensible and never lets me park in a spot where I could get a ticket even when I say "but it's only for a couple minutes", or "but I've never had a probem here before", or in this case "it is a residential parking spot but the houses around it are under construction so no one will care". Turns out they do. Maybe I shouldn't drive anywhere when Daniel is away for the weekend. 

Have a good day wherever you are!

xo

January '15 William Thackeray

Happy 2015! 

Here are our options for this month! I am just starting Vanity Fair... really looking forward to getting more into it. 

William Makepeace Thackeray

Pendennis
Henry Esmond
Vanity Fair
The Virginians

PS- above is a snapshot of the German Christmas Market (all the red roofs), and the Edinburgh Castle from 287 steps up the Walter Scott Monument! I'll bring out a picture of the monument when we read him in August;) Not that you couldn't just look it up or something.... 

***

Have a good day wherever you are!

Charles Dickens Wrap-up '14

Jan 7, 2015

I'll blame my tardiness on an unrelenting bug I picked up somewhere in Edinburgh which has followed me home and has let loose its fury! I've got some energy back today, but am continuing to breeze through tissue boxes and cough drops like nobodys business. 

BUT- Scotland was great! We had such a fun time and saw a lot. Maybe some more pictures will show up on here. The photo above was taken on a hike we did near Holyrood Park in Edinburgh on New Years Day. You can see the city below. This was not the summit... my phone died before we got there and I hadn't brought my real camera because it was raining and I didn't want to get it wet. Which was wise because everything else got wet. Like through all the layers. Sterling even had little ponds at the bottom of his shoes. 

Oh the wind!!! 

You could actually lean into the wind and not fall over. Running with the wind on the open areas was like getting running lessons from a gazelle- more distance with less effort! It helped with the upward climb because the wind was at our backs. 

As for Dickens....

I enjoyed reading A Christmas Carol. 

I like how Charles Dickens builds himself into his stories... he has not only put the story on paper, but his persona as a storyteller is there with the audience as they read it.

"The curtains of his bed were drawn aside; and Scrooge, starting up into a half-recumbent attitude, found himself face to face with the unearthly visitor who drew them: as close to it as I am now to you, and I am standing in spirit at your elbow."

"If you should happen, by any unlikely chance, to know a man more blest in a laugh than Scrooge's nephew, all I can say is, I should like to know him too."

December '14 Charles Dickens

Happy December!

Well last month was so much fun, let's do it again! Charles was an international literary celebrity of his time (and ours!) With almost 80 different books/stories, he made $1.5million in today's currency. Yowza! (www.biography.com)

Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist
A Christmas Carol
The Pickwick Papers
David Copperfield

***

I think it's pretty convenient that it's December and a Christmas Carol is one of our options! I purchased a collection of Dickens's Christmas stories and A Christmas Carol is one of them. Nothing like getting in the Christmas spirit!

What are you reading?

Mark Twain Wrap-up '14

Guess what we woke up to this morning? SNOW! A whole inch of it:) It has remained below freezing all day today but there has been no further precipitation.

I felt especially badly for the girl at Fairways whose till was right in front front of the open set of double doors. I also felt badly after I asked her, concerned, if she had had a nasty fall (resulting in what I thought was a telltale bruise on one side of her face), and nope, it was a birthmark!

The Ring of Brodgar in the Orkney Islands- way,way North Scotland! Photo courtesy of Monica L.

How did you enjoy reading Mark Twain? 

I really enjoyed reading Tom Sawyer. I found it to be a nice, short, light read. There was a nice combination of adventurousness, fearlessness and innocence in Tom and his friends. The adults in this book were an important part of the storyline but I'm glad the reader gets to stay in Tom's world and gets to know the town, school, streets, vacant lots, forests, graveyards, etc, from his point of view.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!!!

November '14 Mark Twain

Today's the day our book club officially begins!

MARK TWAIN

The Mysterious Stranger

Tom Sawyer

Huckleberry Finn

The Prince and the Pauper

***

I just finished reading the first two chapters of Tom Sawyer... and can't wait to keep reading! The whitewashing fence story made me laugh:) Unfortunately I need to do some laundry first! 

Someone had a good thought... that if we cannot find or have already read the four titles that are provided under the month's author, we can read another of their novels, or simply find another classic that was written around that time period. Why not?! That way we can sneak some Jane Austen in there! 

What are you reading? 

We have a few others that have expressed interest in joining us:)

Auntie Bev

Connor

Evan

Chelsea

PS- The photo was taken from the Astoria Column in Astoria, Oregon! Send me some pictures from your albums and I will use them each month! 

Old classics book club reading list

***We are rather excited that there are others that want to join us in our quest to read a bunch of the classics! So far our troop contains:

Marie

Shanna

Monica

Naomi

Samantha

*** Here is the list of books. I know at least a couple on the list have already raided thrift stores and found quite a few!***Every four months, we are taking a cheat month where we can read whatever we want... or not read at all I suppose! So in 2015, that will be March and August.

Author’s Game

A. Mark Twain: The Mysterious Stranger, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, The
Prince and the Pauper
2. Charles Dickens: Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, The Pickwick Papers, David Copperfield
3. William Makepeace Thackeray: Pendennis, Henry Esmond, Vanity Fair, The Virginians
4. Robert Louis Stevenson: Kidnapped, Treasure Island, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, A Child’s Garden of Verses
5. William Shakespeare: Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest
6. James Fenimore Cooper: The Last of the Mohicans, The Spy, The Pathfinder, The Deerslayer
7. Washington Irving: Tales of a Traveler, Rip Van Winkle, Legend of Sleepy
Hollow, The Alhambra
8. Nathaniel Hawthorne: House of the Seven Gables, The Wonder Book, Twice-Told Tales, The Scarlet Letter
9. Henry W. Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Evangeline, Courtship of Miles Standish, Song of Hiawatha
10. Sir Walter Scott: The Talisman, Ivanhoe, Kenilworth, The Lady of the Lake
J. Alfred, Lord Tennyson: The Brook, Crossing the Bar, Idylls of the King, Charge of the Light Brigade
Q. Louisa May Alcott: Little Women, An Old-Fashioned Girl, Eight Cousins, Little Men
K. Edgar Allan Poe: The Raven, Annabel Lee, Fall of the House of Usher, Gold Bug

Have a good day wherever you are:)

Old classics book club!

       I have this card game, and it hangs out at Mom and Dad's where it is rarely played! It made a comeback at Thanksgiving this year. The game uses well known authors such as Louisa May Alcott, Edgar Allen Poe, Lord Alfred Tennyson, etc. - a different author for each number (Ace through King), and is played like Go Fish. (We say "go to the library" because it seems more fitting!) Therefore, each author is represented by four of their greatest works, one for hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs. 

Of all the 52 different books, I have only read 6! Little Women, Little Men, The Scarlet Letter, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, and Hamlet. 

       Mom and I have decided to form our own little informal book club! We'll try to read a different book each month, and use the deck of cards as a guide. 

       We will start in November with Mark Twain, and choose between The Mysterious Stranger, Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, and Huckleberry Finn. We've decided we don't need to read the same book! I will choose whatever is in at the library! The following month we'll read something by Charles Dickens as he is the #2 card!

       We are not too big into discussing themes and irony, satire and character development... so won't have monthly meetings or a discussion forum or anthing, but will just use the comments on my blog to keep in touch regarding the status of our reading!

       We invite you, my faithful readers, to join us! What about you, Karmen? No pressure!

       Hope you had a good day wherever you are:) 

Happy hippos

So you feel in the mood to be serenaded to? This is for you!!! 

Just look at those pearly whites!

Music sure does soothe the soul.

Have a good day wherever you are!

xo

Shanna

Iceland pictures

Hello! We are alive and well after our trip to Iceland! I promised a few photos- so here they are! We had a lovely time away, and would highly recommend Iceland as a travel destination for anyone who

a) enjoys remote, rugged, and beautiful landscapes (and maybe has a great camera!),
b) doesn't mind getting a wee bit wet, cold and dirty in order to see all there is to see
c) whose dream destination does not depend on shopping or city life! Although some of that is possible in Reykjavik, you'd run out of things to do pretty fast
d) has a little extra cash (it's a bit pricey)
e) likes to travel to English speaking countries (Icelandic is their national language, but everyone (minus perhaps a few of the older generation) is fluent in English!

We rented some trusty wheels... when I planned this part of the trip, I forgot that although I can ride my bike up hills okay here at home, I'd have all my possessions on my back in Iceland! We biked for two days, and camped in between.  

Icelandic horses are smaller in stature than the breeds we have here in Canada. I photo-stalked all the cute animals on our trip! The ponies and the lambs... they could not escape!

The Blue Lagoon! It's a geothermal spa- part fresh and part salt water with blue algae which gives it the beautiful blue colour.

Imagine standing on a mountain with real life puffins all around you! I was in my element:)

There were so many waterfalls in May- all of interior Iceland is glacial (or most of it), so as it gets warmer all the glacier melts and flows towards the sea on all sides.

A nature lover's paradise.

Some iceburgs calving off of a glacier.

One of Iceland's most loved waterfalls- you can actually walk behind it! See the little black figure in the photo? That gives a bit of scale!

Reykjavik from above. Reykjavik is the largest city in Iceland with about 200,000 people. There are 300,000 people living in Iceland.

I wonder if those people ever get rock slides?

Hope this finds you well, wherever you are! We had a busy weekend with a graduation bar-b-que, helping with setting up the convention grounds at Duncan, doing a fun ropes course, and enjoying the hot weather! Not just warm- hot! Woot! So yes... I am a sun/heat lover. From that perspective, and that perspective ONLY, Iceland was a little lame.    

Bye for now!

Song of the Day

Welcome to my new blog! I anticipate it will be much like my old one... but newer! My other blog will stay up, but likely will become unused space! (Just Cruisin Through). I will continue to write about things I like, things that make me think, memories, music, travel (stay tuned for Iceland!), and will continue to grace the internet with pictures of my day to day life:) More than anything, I just love having a little piece of the internet that is mine, all mine!! So I will try to combine my desire to make my mark on the internet with the journaling of interesting events and adventures, for you, the patient reader's benefit! 

I'm currently sitting in my new home come May 3rd, and so pictures of it will come soon! Both myself and Daniel and are almost moved out of our current places, and we love how cozy our new house already feels:) Thanks in a HUGE part to Diety for the couches! 

More later,

xo Shanna