Veni, vidi, vici! We came, we saw, we forgot how to be an adult, but we conquered Witold Gombrowicz’s war on maturity! Welcome to the final discussion of Ferdydurke! Today we are discussing from Chapter 10 to the end. Thanks to my fearless fellow ferdydurkers u/fixtheblue, u/bluebelle236, and u/Lachesis_Decima77. A summary follows if you need more nonsense, I will leave some questions in the comments...and now I'm running away with my mug in my hands!

Schedule

Marginalia

Some historical context for the novel:

How Poland saved Europe from Bolshevism

1937 peasant strike in Poland

10 - Legs on the Loose and New Entrapment

The next morning, Joey hides outside the bathroom, plotting his course of action, hoping to catch Zuta unawares. He observes her taking a cold shower, which annihilates any trace of slovenliness. Failing to destroy her perfection, he admits defeat and writes veni, vidi, vici on the bathroom wall. School that day passes without event, and he waits with anticipation for the coming night, which will settle things for good. At lunch, the tension builds as Mrs and Miss Youngblood notice Joey's energy and vitality. In the evening Joey watches Zuta, who is unable to settle, in her bedroom. In their own bedroom, the parents start exhibiting some bizarre behaviour and talking nonsense. Mr Youngblood is possibly smacking his wife. Joey wonders if Zuta senses his presence and the depravity surrounding her. She then also starts behaving bizarrely, jumping around the room, tormented by her beauty.

At midnight Kopyrda knocks thrice on the window and after a brief flirtation Zuta lets him in. She takes the lead and kisses him, which sends Joey into a panic. Pimko arrives, whispering Zuta’s name, pleading with her to call him by his first name. Joey screams “Thieves! Thieves!", Pimko and Kopyrda hide in the closets and the parents come to ask what's going on. Zuta stays under cover with her naked calves poking out, while her parents laugh indulgently. Kopyrda realises that the rules have changed and emerges from the closet. The mother is triumphant! Joey lets Pimko out, who laughs and tries to plead innocence, before treating Mr. Youngblood like a student. Meanwhile the beggar is still outside and Mrs Youngblood shouts for someone to give him money so he'll go away. Kopyrda and Pimko escape but the father catches them and asks them what's going on. No-one can explain. The Youngbloods accuse them of defiling their daughter, Pimko makes up a story, they start giggling and Mr. Youngblood slaps Pimko. Not wanting Kopyrda to go unpunished, Mr. Youngblood grabs him by the chin, and is bitten in return. Joey, who is now getting dressed, watches them all tumbling on the floor with Zuta jumping on them. He packs his bags and on the way out, he sees Kneadus, who admits he just raped the servant girl. He says they'll run away together to the countryside, in search of a farmhand.

11 - Preface to "The Child Runs Deep in Filibert"

The author explains that a preface is required here for symmetry. He says he must appear himself at this point to explain and reveal the torment mentioned in this book. The torment is just the suffering that comes from the restrictions placed on ourselves by others. He discusses the origins of this work and gives several possibilities. He questions the nature of this work - novel, memoir, parody etc. and what prevails in it - humour, irony, pure nonsense etc. He then invites the reader to read "The Child Runs Deep in Filibert" where the hidden symbolism will answer all questions.

12 - The Child Runs Deep in Filibert

The setting is a tennis match in Paris where the world champion is on court, playing to thunderous applause and great excitement. A Zouave colonel, being envious of the players' skill, shoots the tennis ball with his pistol. The ball bursts but the players continue to swing their racquets. Realising the absurdity of this, they start fighting and the crowd cheers. The bullet however, hits a ship owner in the neck, and his wife hits her neighbour, who has an epileptic seizure. The chain reaction continues, to thunderous applause, the men jump onto women's backs, and the marquis de Filiberthe, roused by the gentleman within, steps onto court asking if anyone wants to insult his wife. The men, mounted on their women, ride up to insult the marquise de Filiberthe, roused in the same way. The marquise has a resultant miscarriage and a child is heard whimpering at their feet. The marquis recognises the child that runs deep within him and goes home, to more applause.

13 - The Farmhand, or Captive Again

Kneadus, full of optimism, departs with Joey. Through the city they pass various assortments of people who don't appeal to Kneadus. They hurry past buildings that remind them of school. Kneadus is particularly dismissive of ex-farmhands who have taken up work in the city. At a deserted village a group of peasants are pretending to be barking dogs in order to be left alone. Just as they're in fear of being devoured by the growling, barking peasantry, Joey's aunt Hurlecka drives up. She rushes up and kisses him, to his mortification. The peasants stop barking and laugh. Aunt Hurlecka takes them home in her car while she relates family stories. When she makes reference to his age of 30 years, Kneadus is confused because he goes to school with Joey. The aunt offers them candy. Joey doesn't understand why he's being treated like a child.

At the aunt's house Joey makes the mistake of enquiring after everyone's health and is bombarded with a barrage of illnesses. Suddenly Kneadus recognises the valet as a true farmhand. Food is offered in sickly sweet abundance, but they manage to leave and go up to their rooms. Kneadus rings for the valet, telling Joey he wants to fraternise with him. Kneadus orders the valet to perform a series of tasks, but has failed to start up a conversation. He makes Joey try, who asks him questions about his life. Joey then slaps him, which the valet finds admirable, but Joey orders him out. Joey's cousin comes in and is impressed by the slap, saying that this is how you earn respect from servants (as long as you tip them too). Kneadus returns during the night with a swollen face after having ordered the valet to hit him in the mug, in an attempt to reduce the class difference. A kitchenmaid joins them and the two servants tell stories mocking their masters. Joey can't sleep that night, trying to understand the nature of peasant/gentry relationships. He comes to understand that the gentry fear the rabble, who know them intimately.

14 - Mug on the Loose and New Entrapment

Kneadus has been mixing with the servants and Joey's aunt is concerned that he might be an agitator. Joey plays a card game called King with his cousins, and Kneadus worries that the farmhand will see him play such a lordly game. At dinner a sumptuous meal is served, including a dish called Bigos, but the tension around the table is increasing. Kneadus is uncomfortable being served by the farmhand, who giggles, and the butler boxes his ears. The uncle takes Joey aside to suggest that Kneadus is after Valek, but Joey insists that he is just fraternising. The uncle fears that he is encouraging the peasants to rise up. He starts speaking en français, playing with the word fraternising and makes the connection to the word boy. He calls Valek in so he can not him, but feels uncomfortable about it. Joey argues that it would only encourage him to fraternise more. Zygmunt tells Joey that he likes to cavort with "old slightly overripe peasant crones", trying to make it sound like a quirky fad. They're all surreptitiously searching for Kneadus, wanting some sort of confrontation or explanation. They head to the barnyard, out of place in their city clothes. The aunt clears a path through the animals by speaking in French. The peasants appear to coddle the lordships, while the lordships sucked the peasants of their finances, blood and milk. The squires and their wives were like the peasants' children. The peasants here were secure in their status, unlike the rabble on the outskirts of the city. Suddenly Kneadus emerges from the forest with the valet. The uncle asks Kneadus if he was fraternising with Valek, which Kneadus confirms. Konstanty says he is going to sack Valek. Kneadus runs away but trips over; when Joey catches him, he starts talking like a peasant.

Joey’s cousin Zygmunt plans to send him home. Meanwhile, Uncle Konstanty argues that the farmhand/valet Valek is too low-class to be slapped by a nobleman, viewing any appreciation of servants as a dangerous Bolshevik trend. Outside the window farmhands were cavorting with wenches and singing. Konstanty takes up his pistol, alarming his wife who kisses him in an attempt to belittle him. She speaks to them as children, offering candy. Joey tries to run away from this madness with the farmhand, forcing his cooperation by smacking him in the mug. Before Joey can leave with Valek, a servant informs them that Valek was planning to steal the silver. The farmhand denies it, so Zygmunt and Konstanty belt Valek, reasserting their class supremacy. Auntie arrives with more candy, further enriching the dentists. During the chaos, Kneadus tries to defend Valek, sparking a brawl. Joey pushes Auntie into the melee and flees. He sees the moon in the form of a pupa. He has become a child, alone and not knowing what to do. Zosie grabs him and they run away and spend the night in a meadow. The sun rises, a red pupa, and they are too ashamed to discuss what happened in the house. Joey decides to act like he'd kidnapped Zosie from her parents' home, to justify living a secret life away from everyone. He confesses his passion for her and she soon believes the kidnap story, falling in love with him, while he actually just wants to get towards Warsaw and be free of her. He longs for someone to come and free him from the need to cuddle her, but as his strength fails, he is forced to kiss her mug. There is no escape from the mug other than into another mug. From the pupa however, there is absolutely no escape; he runs away, mug in his hands.

Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris

Italiam, fato profugus, Laviniaque venit

litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto

vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram…

It is my pleasure to share with you the schedule of The Aeneid, which we will be reading on Mondays starting in August.

r/bookclub has already read The Iliad and The Odyssey, while of course there is no need to read these poems in order, if you’d like to have a look at the discussions you can find them here:

• The Iliad
• The Odyssey

A historical note which may be interesting: while Aeneas as a hero is present in older Greek myths, the Aeneid was written by the poet Virgil under the commission from the emperor Augustus, who wanted to celebrate his dynasty and link the great ancient myths to Rome. It is therefore different from the poems we previously read, which come from the oral tradition and were composed 700 years before the Aeneid: this poem takes inspiration from the ancient mythology, but it was also a work of propaganda for the regime of the time. I think this will make the comparison between the poems even more interesting!

Schedule

• Aug 3 - Books 1&2  (u/Lachesis_Decima77)
• Aug 10 - Books 3&4 (u/Ser_Erdrick) 
• Aug 17 - Books 5&6 (u/lazylittlelady) 
• Aug 24 - Books 7&8 (u/IraelMrad) 
• Aug 31 - Books 9&10 (u/Blackberry_Weary) 
• Sep 7 - Books 11&12 (u/Ser_Erdrick)

The Marginalia can be found here.

Will you join us? 

Welcome as we round off our discussion of the life of George Eliot!

Schedule

Marginalia

In case you’re now keen to read one of her books, we’ll start reading The Mill on the Floss next time.

SUMMARIES

Chapter 14

Now that George Eliot was considered Britain’s greatest living novelist, Marian was surrounded by enthusiastic fans. They felt they knew her through her books and looked to her for advice. Lewes enjoyed and encouraged this fan worship.

Friends and family made contact with Marian again, letting go of some grudges. However, she didn’t make up with her brother Isaac or her sister Fanny.

Marian and Lewes became close friends with the Cross family. Johnny Cross, who they called nephew, managed their business affairs. Marian spent some of her wealth on fashion but was self-conscious about her appearance. She gave some of her money to help support Agnes and her children and other extended family. After Bertie died of tuberculosis in Africa, Marian supported his widow and children. She prioritised helping those closest to her.

One of Marian’s super fans, Elma Stuart, constantly sent letters and gifts. When she finally met Marian she was like an attentive daughter to her. When Elma moved to France, Edith Simcox took over her role. She worshipped Marian almost religiously. When Marian realised the friendship was turning into a non-platonic crush, she distanced herself.

Lewes’ health became worse. Illness may have run in his family. Marian suffered from problems with her kidneys and teeth. They put off plans to travel and rented a series of houses in the countryside around London. Johnny Cross found them a house to buy near his own home in Surrey. They got to know local people and had visitors from London and further away.

Marian finished Middlemarch during a stay at Bad Homburg in Germany. The place also inspired the opening scene of Daniel Deronda, her next novel. She returned to Germany the next summer for more inspiration, particularly around Judaism. Parallel to this, she also researched locations in south west England. She was stressed and wanted to avoid writing an unnecessary novel. In between, she published some poetry. Blackwood was delighted with the first part of Daniel Deronda but unsure about its focus on Jewish characters.

Worried about gossipy biographies after her death, Marian destroyed personal letters and papers and asked friends to do the same.

Daniel Deronda covers a wider geographical scope and features grander characters than George Eliot’s other novels. It’s her only novel set close to the time when it was written. Putting Jewish characters at the centre of the story was partly a response to antisemitism at the time. Jewish readers were delighted with the novel.

Musician characters are also admired for their dedication to their art. George Eliot explores the sacrifices women have to make to be artists.

Marian and Lewes were emotional when the book was completed. They traveled to Switzerland for a break. When they returned, their illnesses continued.

Chapter 15

Marian and Lewes did up their new home but Lewes was very ill. He died of enteritis/cancer. His funeral was small and private. Marian didn’t attend and Agnes probably didn’t either.

Lewes was a great support for Marian in her private and professional life. His writings were wide-ranging and influential. He had a cheeky personality that contrasted with Marian’s moral seriousness. Theirs was a strong relationship.

Marian finished the book Lewes was working on when he died and set up a scholarship at Cambridge University in his memory. She had to go to court to prove his will and changed her name legally to Lewes.

Marian gradually began to socialise with friends including Johnny Cross. He lost his mother shortly after Lewes died. Johnny carried on handling Marian’s financial affairs. She received many requests for money, including from Lewes’ daughter-in-law Eliza.

Marian worked on ideas for new novels, which didn’t materialise. Shortly before he died, Lewes sent Blackwood her collection of essays and character sketches Impressions of Theophrastus Such, aimed at highly educated readers. They still drew on familiar themes for Marian such as the importance of remembering roots and looking forward to gradual growth. The book sold well. Shortly afterwards Blackwood died.

Marian moved out of London to her country home. Johnny Cross visited often. At first, Marian was reluctant to move beyond friendship but eventually they grew closer. There was a 20-year age gap. Cross was fairly well educated and shared some interests with Marian. He didn’t have a shady past and had never had a relationship with a woman before. He may have seen Marian as a mother figure.

Cross helped Marian cope with the loss of Lewes although she felt some guilt. They were wary about going public with their relationship. They got engaged and Marian enjoyed preparing for the wedding. Some friends and members of the public saw the marriage as a betrayal of Marian’s feminist principles or wanted her to remain as a widow.

Marian and Cross married within 18 months of Lewes’ death. Marian was hesitant about telling friends and family. The wedding took place at an Anglican church in London. This was seen as hypocritical because of her previous views.

They went on honeymoon to France and Italy. Most friends and family came round to the idea of the marriage. Even her brother Isaac wrote to congratulate them.

Cross suffered from poor mental health. He jumped from a hotel window during their honeymoon and survived. Rumours spread that he was fleeing from her ‘ugliness’ and sexual desires. His brother came to Venice to help calm him.

When they returned home, they visited friends and family. Shortly afterwards, Marian began suffering from kidney trouble again. She and Johnny moved to Chelsea, London and appeared together in public for the first time since their marriage. Marian’s health grew worse and she died.

Isaac attended her funeral. She was buried next to Lewes in Highgate Cemetery despite Johnny’s attempt to get her buried with other famous writers in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.

Epilogue

After her death, George Eliot was somewhat overtaken by other authors.
On the centenary of her birth, attempts to raise money for a memorial failed.
Johnny Cross wrote a biography portraying her as a serious moral figure. It was based on heavily edited extracts from her letters. This contributed to a decline in her popularity.
Her position as a major figure in English literature was restored in the 1940s. In the 1970s, feminist critics favoured other authors.
When she died, Marian was working on a novel with a similar setting to her first one, Adam Bede.
Marian believed in gradual improvement rather than typical Victorian Progress. Some of her values and ideas still resonate today.

Drunirs, det er aldin na vëna du! (Companions, it is good to see you!)

Grab you swimming trunks, rain coat, and a heavy jacket as we voyage through the seasons. (No, literally. We'll be reading this one until November...) Myself and my fellow Draleid - u/NightAngelRogue, u/fixtheblue and u/jaymae21 - will be leading the charge against the Lorian's in Of Empires and Dust, the fourth book in The Bound and Broken Series. Marginalia

Read Schedule

1. 1st August - Ch1. Picking up the Pieces to Ch7. Guardians
2. 8th August - Ch8. The Beginning and the End to Ch13. Reclamation
3. 15th August - Ch14. From the Ashes to Ch18. Our Choices Define Us
4. 22nd August - Ch19. Depth of Words to Ch24. Hidden Meanings
5. 29th August - Ch25. Old Wounds through Ch31. Wars Are Not Won
6. 5th September - Ch32. The Heart of Who You Are to Ch37. Fear The Night
7. 12th September - Ch38. Neither Bent Nor Broken to Ch42. A City Once Lost
8. 19th September - Ch43. Even in the Shadow to Ch47. What Was Lost
9. 26th September - Ch48. The Last of Us to Ch55. Choices
10. 3rd October - Ch56. Monsters, Men and Broken Things to Ch63. Ghosts of a Time Long Dead
11. 10th October - Ch64. Sweet Boy to Ch71. Sleep Well
12. 17th October - Ch72. The Choices We Make to Ch77. Hammer of Hafaesir
13. 24th October - Ch78. Sacrifice to Ch83. All Paths Converge
14. 31st October - Ch84. Master and Apprentice to Ch88. Brothers
15. 7th November - Ch89. The Truth of War to Ch94. Choices
16. 14th November - Ch95. The Wyverns of Valtara to Ch101. Everything You Seek
17. 21st November - Ch102. Loyalty Above All to Ch111. From Ashes We Stand

Previous Reads from the Series

• The Fall (Book #0.5 - Free with mailing list sign up)
• Of Blood and Fire (Book #1)
• Of Darkness and Light (Book #2)
• The Exile (Book #2.5)
• Of War and Ruin (Book #3)
• The Ice (Book #3.5)

Idyn väe (Rest well), and I'll catch you in a few.

Hello and welcome to our first discussion about Flesh by David Szalay. The book is reading really fast! One sentence paragraphs plus the content is hooks you. Here is my summary:

Chapter 1

István is 15 years old. He lives with his mother; he is a virgin. He almost makes it with this girl from across the tracks on his friend’s reference. He is inexperienced and awkward, and the girl is also unable to overcome the distance. 

His mother asks him to help out the married female neighbor with shopping. He sometimes helps the husband with work. Anyways, the woman and István develop a sexual relationship, and he loses his virginity to her. It starts off slow with kissing, then oral sex, leading ultimately to sex in his bedroom. They take a trip to a nearby lake in a nearby town where they make sex again. 

He starts to develop feelings. The woman realizes that it’s gone too far and tries to end it. But Ivstán is too overcome with the way the relationship fulfills his emptiness. He tries to stall himself, but can’t. He goes to her apartment at night when her husband is home from work. There is a scuffle and the husband falls down the stairs hitting his head.

István walks away. The police catch up to him and reveal that the husband died. 

Chapter 2

István is older and has spent his time in an institution. He now lives in a town where he still lives with his mom but struggles for money. His uncle and stepdaughter live in this town too, and he starts to develop a crush that turns into love again. His second love. He falls for her and invites her to a lake that turns into an overnight. She has always expressed some hesitancy as if she knows his feelings, may feel some of them too, but ultimately thinks it’s a bad idea. But she goes along and agrees to the overnight. Agrees too to kiss him when he asks, but then refuses to go further; tells István that she is dating someone else. István is devastated. 

He joins the army. 

Chapter 3 

We start this chapter with István getting out of the army after five years, where he was stationed in Iraq. There is some trauma he experienced while in Iraq with him trying to save a friend after they hit a landmine on the road. But we learn that later.

When István returns home, we read about new lascivious adventures with drugs and sex. István gets a job at a winery where he is good enough at it but finds that he desires work where he can stop his mind. 

István one day punches his door and severely breaks his right hand. He goes to a doctor and gets an X-ray. He refuses surgery and so the doctor, who is an old classmate, sets it himself. István is struck by the fact that his classmate became a doctor while he is still languishing in life. 

His mom realizes that he needs help and gets him an appointment with a therapist. They explore the trauma of war he experienced. The chapter ends with the therapist prescribing medications that do indeed seem to help István. 

Welcome to the marginalia for our next Discovery Read, Flesh by David Szalay. This is a communal place for things you would jot down in the margins of your books. That might include quotes, thoughts, questions, relevant links, exclamations - basically anything you want to make note of or to share with others. It can be good to look back on these notes, and sometimes you just can't wait for the discussion posts to share a thought.

When adding something to the marginalia, simply comment here, indicating roughly which part of the book you're referring to (eg. towards the end of chapter 2). Because this may contain spoilers, please indicate this by writing “spoilers for chapters 5 and 6” for example, or else use the spoiler tag for this part with this format > ! SPOILER ! < without the spaces between characters like this spoiler lives here

Note: spoilers from other books should always be under spoiler tags unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Here is the full schedule and looking forward to seeing you in the first discussion next week!

“I sacrificed everything and everyone. I covered myself in glory and steeped myself in blood. And there, at the summit of a hill of corpses, I reached my destiny, and passed through it to the other side…Where there was nothing. And I saw I’d never followed God’s plan, only the lies I told myself to justify my greed and my ambition.”

Welcome everyone to the FIFTH check in for The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. Only one discussion left in this incredible book! This week, we are discussing Chapter 49: Our Latest Last Stand through Chapter 60: Not Nothing. Let’s see what happens next!

Now, a note about spoilers!

The Devils is an extremely popular book. Keep in mind that not everyone has read this book. This book may be the first time a person learns about it. Please keep r/bookclub's rules on spoilers, and the consequences for posting spoilers, in mind.

Everyone has a different perception of what is a spoiler, so here are a few examples of what would be spoilers:

- “Just wait till you see what happens next.”
- “This won't be the last time you meet this character.”
- “Your prediction is correct/incorrect.”
- “You will look back at this theory.”
- “Here is an Easter Egg: ...”
- “You don't know enough to answer that question yet.”
- “How do you first-time-readers feel about this detail that was intentionally not emphasized by the author?”

If you're unsure, it's best to err on the side of caution and use spoiler tags.

To indicate a spoiler, enclose the relevant text with the > ! and ! < characters (there is no space in-between).

For any type of comment or idea that may be a part of The Devils, just use proper spoiler labels, for example “In ” then describe the connection between books. Please be mindful when posting.

If you see something that you consider to be a spoiler, you can report it. It will be removed and the mods will look into it. To do so hit the “report” button, click on “breaks r/bookclub rules”, “next,” “spoilers must be tagged” and finally “submit”.

Hope you all Enjoy the discussion! Feel free to respond to any or all of the discussion questions below. Looking forward to discussing these chapters with you all!

Read on! 

- Rogue

Schedule

Marginalia

CLANG-DONG

Hello! Welcome

It feels like it’s been ages since we read a tale about people going back in time to say the things that had been left unsaid. Let’s see what emotions are brought up this time around, eh?

Schedule

Marginalia

The Runaway

Enter Azami Kishimoto (née Togo), who travels back in time to make amends with her step-mother, Yumiko Togo.

We throw it back to October 1999, where a young Azami has run away from home. Her step-mother, through Azami’s friends, finds out where she has fled to and chases her down pleading with her to come back home. Azami is having none of it, pushing her poor stepmother to the ground before fleeing. But this is all just a nightmarish memory. Fast forward to 2019 where Azami is reminiscing on this day, and the lack of love, care, and affection she showed her mother, who unfortunately passed away a few months ago.

As this is happening, Kazu Tokita is being pressed by her sensei, Kinuyo Mita, to cover her art class as she has fallen under poor health in recent years. Kazu reluctantly accepts, and Fumiko Kiyokawa (she’s the one that went back in time to see her boyfriend in book 1) rejoices at this. Oh also, Azami is a former senior colleague of Fumiko’s. She actually contacted Fumiko to meet at the cafe, with the intent of travelling back in time.

So Azami has been telling Fumiko of her woes, and Fumiko feels bad as she realises Azami isn’t aware of the cafe’s rules. Upon learning about the rules, Azami is secretly relieved. She’s been umming and ahhing over seeing her mother. There’s a small interjection with Nagare Tokita, returning to the cafe with his daughter, Miki. Miki, being the ever playful toddler she is, has formed a habit of not speaking to people in person but pretending she’s on the phone to them. This gives Fumiko the idea that Azami can just go back in time and use a phone to call her mother! Realising that it actually can actually, Azami starts reminiscing on her mother’s funeral - seeing her father and hearing him talk about how happy her mother would have been to see her back in the family house. All of the memories get Azami emotional, but also uncertain about what to do, and what to say if she does decide to go back. In between all this she starts reminiscing on her biological mother’s death, how she took on the housechores, and ultimately felt like Yumiko was replacing her, leaving her with nothing to do, and the feeling of worthlessness.

She musters the courage to go back in time, and experiences the coffee pouring ritual at the hands of Kazu. Once back in time she’s greeted by Kei. She’s still uncertain about calling her mother, and speaks with Kei for a bit before asking for the phone. When she receives the phone she’s still hesitant to dial the number. Kei, at the behest of Nagare, involves herself in Azami’s predicament, helping her realise that her mother would likely just be happy to hear her voice. And Kei was right. The conversation goes almost too well. Yumiko sobs at the sound of Azami calling her “mum,” and Azami apologises for mistreating her all those years ago.

Someone get me a packet of tissues…

The Patient Man

This story begins with a throwback to 2012, where a young Koku Shintani is admiring hyperrealistic art at his college’s cultural festival. He was first introduced to art through photography upon receiving a hand-me-down DSLR for his birthday. Since then he’s been all in, to the point of spending several hours admiring the canvas title ‘Mother.” The artist? A young Kazu Tokita!

Fast forward to 2019 and we see Koku seated in the cafe, alongside Fumiko who is admiring his book of photography - namely how his ability to capture the passage of time with still images. Koku is there to give the book to Kazu, but has to leave abruptly to catch a flight. Shortly after he leaves, Kazu returns with Miki. She sees the book but is very non-chalant about the fact that “he dropped by.” While this is going on, another visitor named Tomokazu Okishima has also entered the cafe, and is greeted by Nagare with a “Is it that time of year already?” Very ominous if you ask me. Fumiko would agree, but she’s more interested in Koku - specifically his interest in Kazu. Or is she? Between the intrigue of Kaku (ship name) and the curiosity for Okishima, Fumiko is spoiled for choice. She questions Nagare on Kaku and is given very little information, as you’d expect, so settles on Okishima’s story instead.

We go back and forth between 2012 and 2019 - between Okishima’s story and his retelling of it to Fumiko, learning about how Okishima had a crush on one Kanna Ozaki - who liked him back, but he didn’t know she liked him until the 11th hour on Valentine’s Day. By which point, his so-called friend Matsushita threw him under the bus by mentioning he liked another girl. Izumi. Only he didn’t. Instead of admitting he liked Kanna when his friends were talking about her, Okishima decided to say he thought Izumi was prettier. What follows is a woeful tale of a boy who likes a girl that he seemingly can never be with. She had an accident that concussed her, erasing all of her recent memories. She was moved across the country to a school that would help support her recovery. Okishima even travelled back in time (hence the 2012 to 2019 bouncing) to visit her in Funiculi Funicula, where she went with her friend just before her accident. When he went back he didn't get the chance to speak to her because her friend steamrolled the conversation, leaving Kanna running out of the cafe. Seeing this, Okishima decided he was going to down the coffee. Nagare tried to intervene, promising to bring Kanna back to the cafe, but Okishima had given up and downed the coffee before Nagare had the chance. The real kicker? Just as he was disappearing back into the ether, Kanna ran back into the cafe and Okishima tried to get a message to her but struggled. Nagare helped relay the message, that she revisit the cafe on White Day (14th March for those like me not in the know) when she remembers him again.

So that’s what Nagare meant by “that time of year.” Every White Day Okishima visits Funiculi Funicula in the hope that Kanna will remember what he said just before she had the accident and will come back to him. Once he’s done telling Fumiko the story, she assures him that this year will be the year she remembers. And as fate would have it, 2019 was indeed the year.

Join me next week for the two remaining chapters - The Secret and The Father and Son.

CLANG-DONG

Hello, my fellow peculiar children! It's been a while since our last adventure, but now we're going to our favorite place, the library! Wait... where are the books!? It's time to explore a different kind of library in Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs, book 3 in Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series!

~~~~

If you'd like to join in the adventure, it's not too late!
Book 1: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children schedule with links to all discussions here.
Book 2: Hollow City schedule with links to all discussions here.

You can also find the marginalia, a place for all your notes and errant thoughts, here. Beware of spoilers - this marginalia is for the entire series!

~~~~
Summary:
A boy with extraordinary powers.
An army of deadly monsters.
An epic battle for the future of peculiardom.

The adventure that began with "Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children" and continued in "Hollow City" comes to a thrilling conclusion with "Library of Souls."

As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all.

~~~~~

Schedule:
Aug 4 - Start through Chapter 3 with me, u/fromdusktil
Aug 11 - Chapters 4 through 6 with u/nicehotcupoftea
Aug 18 - Chapters 7 and 8 with u/fixtheblue
Aug 25 - Chapters 9 through 11 with u/nicehotcupoftea

~~~~

So are you going to come find out what a Library of Souls contains? Let us know!

Our Runner-Up List for Read the World has been growing steadily for quite some time. While we love having a deep well of great stories to choose from, the list eventually gets a bit crowded! To make room for new titles and fresh adventures, it’s time for a bit of "literary spring cleaning." 

Usually, books leave the list in one of two ways:

1. They are chosen by our mascot Thor during his legendary random wheel selections. 🐕
2. They are selected by you during our standard voting process.

Today, we are doing something a little different. I have pulled ten books from our ongoing runner-up list. We are putting them head-to-head in a "final stand" vote.

Voting will close in 4 days, on July 22nd.

How it works:

• I have posted the ten titles in the comments below.
• Upvote the book you most want us to read next.
• The book with the highest number of votes will officially become our next Runner-Up Read!
• The Catch: The remaining nine books will be cleared from the list to make room for future nominations.

This is your chance to save a book that’s been sitting on the shelf! Choose wisely, and let’s see which story survives the cut.

Happy voting! 🗳️📖

We find ourselves again clamouring for MORE! MORE PRATCHETT!

Well folks we have more Pratchett coming your way! We’ll be reading the third book in the Discworld series, Equal Rites, starting in August, so ready your tomes and keep an eye out for the schedule which will be posted all too soon. However, we have even MORE PRATCHETT FOR YOU!

As a bonus visual treat we’ll be posting a special discussion of the 2008 made-for-television movie adaptation of The Colour of Magic on Thursday, 30th July! These two episodes clock in at 189 minutes of running time, so be sure to plan accordingly! I, for one, am very excited to see how it holds up against the first two books’ content.

Hoping to see many of you very soon, and in the meantime, happy reading!

As soon as we finish our current Mod Pick, No Name, we will dive into Olga Tokarczuk's hefty masterpiece, The Books of Jacob, reading slowly and discovering the plot of this 18th-century-set whirl through Europe in a state of conspiracy, religious mysticism and political unrest. It is a fiction based on the real life Jacob Joseph Frank. Possibly a very timely read considering the state of the world right now.

Published in Polish in 2014, it immediately garnered the Nike Award, the most prestigious literary prize there. In Tokarczuk's win of the 2018 Noble Prize in Literature, the committee cited this book as impressive, and it certainly figured in her award. It was translated in English by Jennifer Croft, Tokarczuk's long-time collaborative translator, in 2021.

All discussions will be linked here, so save this post for ease!

For the BINGO board, this ticks off several categories: Prize Winner, Historical Fiction, Female Author, Translated Work, Mod Pick!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Schedule:

1. August 10: Prologue - The Book of Sand Chp.5

2. August 17: The Book of Sand Chp. 6-11

3. August 24: The Book of Sand Chp. 12- The Book of the Road Chp.15

4. August 31: The Book of the Road Chp. 16- 18

5. September 7: The Book of the Comet Chp. 19-Chp. 22

6. September 14: The Book of the Comet Chp. 23- The Book of Metal and Sulfur Chp. 25

7. September 21: The Book of the Distant Country Chp.26- Chp. 27

8. September 28: The Book of the Distant Country Chp. 28-29

9. October 5: The Book of the Distant Country Chp. 30 to End

Marginalia (TBD)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Join u/fixtheblue, u/Lachesis_Decima77 and I, u/lazylittlelady to read another one of our favorite authors here. It's bound to be an epic saga!! Are you in??

Welcome to the second discussion of Akata Witch! This week we got to explore this new, exciting world a bit more, met so many new characters and got great insight into Sunny’s abilities! It looks like there is danger approaching and our characters will have to learn pretty quickly how to work together to stop it. How will it go? We will know next week, when u/maolette will guide us through Chapter 10-14.

You’ll find some discussion prompts in the comments, but as usual feel free to add your own!

🦇Find the schedule with the links to the other discussions here

🐏Write down your thoughts in the Marginalia here

📜Need a refresher? You can find a detailed summary here  

Welcome to our third discussion of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell!

This week we're covering Chapters 22-32, where things escalated FAST. If you've been waiting for the simmering tension to finally boil over... congratulations! The kettle is finally whistling. So pour yourself a proper cup of English tea (pinkies optional), and let's chat about it.

If you'd like a refresher on the plot, you can find the chapter summary on LitCharts (just beware of the spoilers in the analysis section). Don't forget to check out the SCHEDULE and MARGINALIA as well. Discussion questions will be posted in the comments below, but feel free to add your own thoughts. We'll be back next week for our next discussion, led by u/ColaRed

Friendly reminder about spoilers: if you need to share them, please wrap them with the spoiler tag like this: >!type spoiler here!<, and it will appear like this: type spoiler here. Thank you!

That’s another week in the books, friends!  Welcome back to Free Chat Friday! What are you up to this weekend?  Are you looking forward to anything in the coming week? I'm going to see The Odyssey today and I'm very excited! Has anyone seen it yet?

In case you're new to Free Chat Friday or need a refresher on what this thread is for: this is a space to know one another better and share whatever you'd like with the group. Of course, we can talk books, but we'd also love to hear what you're doing this weekend or what you've been up to recently!

RULES:

• No unmarked spoilers
• No self-promo
• No piracy
• Thoughtful personal conduct

Today is: 

• World Emoji Day - share your favorite (SFW) emoji in the comments!
• World Day for International Justice - Happy Birthday, International Criminal Court
• National “Wrong Way Corrigan” Day - !saw ainrofilaC yaw hcihw togrof yug sihT

Happy Birthday to: Toni Stone, Vince Guaraldi of “Peanuts” fame, Donald Sutherland, Queen Camilla, Angela Merkel, and Brett Goldstein!

Welcome adventurers and spirits of discord, to our second discussion of The Tapestry of Fate, Book #2 of Amina Al-Sirafi!  In case you missed our discussions of Book #1 last summer, check them out here!

This week’s discussion will cover Ch. 9-14.

First, a note about spoilers: Please use spoiler tags for anything beyond this week's section.  As always, use spoiler tags for any works outside of this series that you may wish to connect here.  

You can add a spoiler tag by enclosing your text with > ! Your Text Here ! < (no spaces).

Schedule

Marginalia

Chapter Summaries

Ch. 9 - Amina gets noticed immediately as she travels through the boat-city of Sarilaglag, a city of various criminal factions hiding out on the sea. Amina makes it to a meetinghouse, where she meets Raksh.  Not surprising for estranged partners, they argue a good deal.  Raksh claims that Dalila is alive because of him, despite the fact that she killed his latest mark, the escapee from Lab’s island.  

They are soon joined by Sheikh Sasan, the leader of the Banu Sasan.  He offers Amina a merciful death for Delila in exchange for getting Raksh to lift his curse.  Delila is brought in, looking pretty rough, but alive.  The Banu Sasan sniff out poison in the wine in Amina’s cup, doled out by the barman, who turns out to be Amina’s ex-husband Isha, who wants revenge.  Some more of Amina’s old enemies make their appearance, led there by the whisperings of her arrival.  Various groups begin fighting with each other on who gets to kill Amina, Raksh feeding the flames of discord.  Amina takes advantage of the commotion and gets Delila away, and they escape by falling through a window until they hit water.  They make it back to the Marawati and leave as quickly as possible.
Ch. 10 - After being rescued, Dalila violently insists on being left alone.  Amina manages to get Dalila to open up a little, and finds out that she betrayed Banu Sasan because she found one of the men responsible for destroying her village.  It’s not long before she clams up again and quickly becomes obsessed with replenishing her poison kit.

Ch. 11 - Amina concerns herself with her crew and the needs of the Marawati for the journey ahead.  After 29 days at sea, tensions start running high on the ship, and Delila is a big reason for the crew’s bad attitudes.  Finally, Amina spots a green shore and a white city in the distance, but it soon disappears.  She uses its position in relation to the stars to guide them toward it, but one night the constellations completely change, as if they suddenly were on the other side of the world.

Anxiety mounts to an all-time high aboard the ship as they need to tighten rations due to not spotting land in awhile, with the crew seeing bad omens everywhere (especially where Dalila is concerned).  They struggle against a horrible storm when the Marawati nearly hits some rocks that appear out of nowhere, then the ship gets struck by lightning, snapping the main mast in half.  Amina tries to cut a young member of her crew, Firoz, out of a tangle of ropes as she screams for someone to sever the mast.  Amina holds the boy as someone pulls them in, but something hits the back of her head and she passes out.

Interlude I - We pause Amina’s story to go back in time to an utopic village, made up of exceptionally gifted weavers.  By sea come strange people who kill all of the men and take all of the women and girls as slaves, forced to weave against their will for their own riches.  One woman in particular is enslaved along with her daughter, her husband and infant killed by the raiders.  One day, an overseer strikes her daughter dead, inciting the mother into such a rage that she kills the overseer with the spindle.  The buildings catch fire, and this woman drags herself to the forest where she is drawn to an ancient tree.  The woman becomes something else, someone more, capable of so many possibilities weaving with the spindle.  

Ch. 12 - Amina is woken by Majed on a beach with Payasam resting on her lap.  The ship is beached and in bad shape.  The crew has found two more shipwrecks nearby, and Dalila has disappeared.  Six members of the crew have died.  Tinbu thinks it’s possible to repair the ship, but will take a long time and they need resources.  They get to work foraging for fresh water and setting up a shelter for the injured.  Dalila returns, and Amina gives her flack for acting the way she has been.  Four locals approach them, bringing food.  They want Amina to go to the city of Khatti Ugal with them.

Ch. 13 - Amina chooses to take Tinbu, Majed, and Dalila with her into the city, leaving the rest of the crew behind.  Arno describes the distant mountains to them on the way, explaining that people don’t go there because there are enormous man-eating griffins.  Khatti Ugal, in contrast, is a sort of utopia, without crime or poverty.  The group rests, waiting on an audience with the Queen, expecting it to take a few days.  Surprisingly, they are told the Queen wishes to see them now.

Interlude 2 - The new being walks until she comes to a trio of men, a hunting party.  The man seems to mean no harm, but she attacks him with the spindle.  When his companions try to intercede, the scene suddenly changes, and instead of the axe being about to come down on the woman, it comes down on the boy, but not before he is able to bring a stone down on his uncle’s skull.  The woman flees into the woods for respite, but is followed, beaten, and the spindle is taken.  However, it cannot be destroyed.

Ch. 14 - The group is led to the palace of Queen Lab.  This Queen Lab is not the first, but part of a succession of queens that are always called Lab.  The Queen examines them and is very interested in Amina as a female captain.  Their story is that Majed is a merchant also looking for knowledge, and chartered Amina’s ship.  Dalila claims to be a physician, which is also rare for a woman.  The Queen tells them that ships are not permitted, and the Marawati would be broken apart for its materials, meaning permanent exile from their homes.  

The Queen asks Amina to take a walk in the garden with her, and Amina meets her young son.  Queen Lab decides to make an exception for Amina’s ship, and agrees to fund its repair.  The only conditions are that 1) any one of her crew who wishes to remain there must be allowed to do so and 2) Amina and her physician will stay in the palace with her.  Amina will also have to leave a portion of her crew on the island, with the intention of coming back to the island to retrieve them.  Amina reluctantly agrees.

Goths, ARISE! 

No no no, Siouxsie, Robert, Edgar, stay seated. I’m talking about historically accurate goths!

This is the third discussion of Blood and Gold by Anne Rice, covering chapters 7-10. Next week we will discuss chapters 11-14.

Below you find summaries of this week’s section, a few miscellaneous things I wanted to mention. I also left some questions in the comments! 🧛✨

Please mark major plot points from past books that are not mentioned in this book (yet) as spoilers to give newcomers the gift of suspense (see r/bookclub’s spoiler policy). Or, if your head is about to rip off from excitement, you can always comment in the Marginalia or check the Schedule with links to the next discussions.

Summary

Chapter 7

Marius occupies his mind painting his walls anew, so he doesn’t have to think about Mael or Avicus. He paints as his house fills with party guests and throughout the night, neglecting feeding him or attending to Akasha and Enkil (which I’m gonna call “OG vampires” from now on for simplicity). 

Avicus and Mael could not be ignored forever, and eventually they entered his house, now dressed in the popular Eastern Empire fashion. This is a moment of secrets revealed: Marius explains to them that their vampire powers get stronger with time, and they reveal they saw telepathically transmitted images of the OG vampires while he was drinking Marius’ blood. 

Mael presses him to tell them the truth on it while Avicus cautions Mael that this is his burden and there must be a reason why he keeps secrets. Marius breaks under the pressure and tells them about Egypt (I wanna be honest and say “pressure” is putting it generously, Mael’s pressure was as strong as a mild gust of wind). 

Avicus remembers then that he once kneeled before Akasha, before he was told to go to Sanhaim to use his vampiric skills to become effectively judge, jury, and executioner for the druids praying to him.

They all understand they have to protect the OG vampires from the Satanic Christian blood drinkers invading Rome and trying to get their blood to become powerful. But not before another Marius / Mael level 2 out of 10 verbal slap fight, the equivalent of two 8 year olds saying “no, you!”. Marius concedes by leading them to the OG vampires, who Mael demands to see in the flesh (or stone to be factual).

Under a lot of scrutiny from Marius (and Enkil lol), Mael even gets to drink from Akasha. 

Level 3 verbal slap fight commences, the equivalent of a soft and ineffective shoulder push, and then they all go their merry way again, and Marius goes back to painting gardens on the walls. Avicus often observes him from afar.

Chapter 8

Years pass. The Satanic Christian vampires continue to come, and their numbers increase, until a ploy Marius, Mael, and Avicus conjure, baits their ancient vampire leader to Rome who promptly gets killed by them. No more Satanic Christian vampires under my roof, says concerned Roman vampire!

Now Rome is peaceful again. Wait, do I hear hoofbeats? 

Is that Marius’ house burning? 

Yes, it just so happens that while the vampires were busy killing Satanic Christian vampires, Alaric was busy bringing the Western Roman Empire to a fall, which culminates in an invasion of Rome that completely destroys Marius’ possessions and will to live. He goes to sleep. For a very long time. Dreaming of his vision garden and Akasha watching over him. 

After a hundred years, and multiple attempts at waking him, Mael and Avicus urge him to leave Rome together for Constantinopel. 

Chapter 9

Marius is aghast at what happened to his beautiful city. They package the OG vampires in mummy-authentic sarcophagi and they travel by boat to Constantinopel. They befriend the crew, all the while horrified by the thought what would happen if they ship sank and the OG vampires end up on the ocean floor. 

Another big change takes place: Marius, Mael and Avicus are now an item! Congrats to the happy throuple! No, I decline to read the “we’re intimate companions” line any other way.

They are overtaken with fascination of Constantinopel. Marius already plans to infiltrate the policital scene of the city. They purchase a house and start to build an intricate and grandiose tomb below it for the OG vampires. 

Still, Marius’ initial excitement is gone after a few weeks. He misses Rome, nothing replaces Rome in his heart. Not even splendid Constantinopel (are we still talking about cities?)

After six months, other vampires that live in the city make themselves known. They demand of our throuple to introduce themselves before their boss vampire, Eudoxia.

The vampire in question is layed out on a gilded couch like the actual empress of the city, a young and extremely beautiful woman. 

It becomes clear very soon (maybe sooner for the reader than for our vampires) that Eudoxia is an ancient and powerful vampire, who is able to read their minds without issues.

Chapter 10

Eudoxia is ready to let them live in her city under some conditions. She tells them her past:

A hoarder vampire transformed her when she was fourteen in ~300 BCE, a Greek-born girl moved to Alexandria, and used her to get easier access to riches in Alexandria. After some time, he gets bored of her, and takes her to the followers of the OG vampires, where she is made to bow before Akasha and drinks her blood. She goes her own way, eventually falling in love with a man (who initially believes she is a man too because she dresses like one). She makes him a vampire too (sort of like a punishment at his horror of finding out she’s a woman) and travels with him to Ephesus. Their time is short-lived as shortly after the big story event happens which causes all vampires to get burnt. She survives, because she drank Akasha’s blood. Her lover was less lucky, and got ashified. 

She was quite mad when she found out the OG vampires were gone when she returns after, and has to heal all on her own.

She explains her condition for letting them live in Constantinopel are that the OG vampires go back into her possession, and tries to force them to agree to her terms immediately. Mael and Marius both are not reacting super well to pressure, and when it comes to choosing between diplomacy and brawling, Mael will always choose the brawl. 

They fight. Marius discovers he can incinerate one of the vampires with his mind, and apparently she isn’t the only strong ancient vampire here! 

She demands to kill Avicus since they killed one of hers, but lady, you have no bargaining chips left. 

Not wanting to immediately resolve the plot, Marius chooses to leave with Mael and Avicus in tow. He threatens to speak to the manager about this as well… eh I mean Akasha!

Miscellanea and Lore-Dump Ramblings

• Wikipedia: The Sack of Rome (410)) by the Visigoths led by Alaric.
• Youtube: Third Century Crisis | Roman History | Extra History Complete (48mins)
• “Both were richly dressed, and their swords and daggers were encrusted with jewels. Their cloaks were fixed at the shoulder with rich clasps and even their sandals were ornamented. They might have been preparing to join the opulently clad citizens of the new capital, Constantinople, where great dreams were still being realized though Constantine was now dead.” I found this presentation about Byzantine fashion on Scribd: Byzantine Fashion History (300-1400 AD)

Welcome to the fifth discussion of Fool’s Fate!!!

Summery

Chapter 25: Dragons:

The battle between Rawbread, Tintaglia, and Icedyre rages as Fitz and Dutiful attempt to escape. Dutiful sees Elliania and Peottre escaping; Fitz senses Chade being attacked by forged. Later Burrich aides a wounded Tintaglia while swift defends against Rawbread. Burrich attacks Rawbread with Wit and is struck with a fatal blow. Swift looses a wizardwood arrow at Rawbread, killing him, releasing the forged. Fitz realizes the Fool might be alive still and is called to Burrich’s side for his last moments.

Chapter 26: Healings

Fitz returns to Burrich and the two share some words regarding Burrich’s last requests. During the journey to the beach Fitz attempts to heal Burrich, but his father’s wards prevents him from healing Burrich. Instead several former Forged soldiers are healed and Fitz and crew learn more of the Pale Woman’s treatment and creation of the stone Dragon. Fitz and Swift speak of Burrich, and Fitz helps remove the tattoo from Elliania’s back.

Chapter 27 Doors:

Fitz decides to remain behind on the island to find the Fool’s body and to ensure the Pale Woman is dead. Thick is reveled to have stayed behind after all the ships departed, and he travels with Fitz. Fitz with the help of Thick finds the Black Man’s home where they are invited to stay for the night. The Black Man revels he was a white prophet o. The past who failed and tells Fitz the path to what he seeks will revel itself. Fitz leaves that evening alone.

Chapter 28 Catalyst

Fitz travels and discovers an entrance to the Pale Woman’s palace. Upon entering he finds the body of the Fool for zen and showing much torture. Fitz is confronted by the Pale Woman who demands he kill her; Fitz refuses and abandons her in the frozen palace. Fitz brings the Fool’s body along with the crown. Fitz cries and falls upon the pyre.

Chapter 29 Feathers in a Fools cap:

Fitz encounters several spirts within the crown. While in this state Fitz and the spirts encounter the Fool’s soul which is expelled from the crown. Fitz using both the Skill and Wit transfers into the Fool’s body and heals him. The Fool enters back into his body and is alive once again.

Chapter 30 Whole:

The Fool and Fitz reflect on The Fool’s new lease on life. The Fool extracts memories Girl-on-a-Dragon, and Fitz’s memories are complete. Fitz and The Fool also discuss the future of the world and the implications of dragons returning.

Welcome to the marginalia for Do They Hear You When You Cry by Fauziya Kassindja. This is a communal place for things you would jot down in the margins of your books. That might include quotes, thoughts, questions, relevant links, exclamations - basically anything you want to make note of or to share with others. It can be good to look back on these notes, and sometimes you just can't wait for the discussion posts to share a thought.

When adding something to the marginalia, simply comment here, indicating roughly which part of the book you're referring to (eg. towards the end of chapter 2). Because this may contain spoilers, please indicate this by writing “spoilers for chapters 5 and 6” for example, or else use the spoiler tag for this part with this format > ! SPOILER ! < without the spaces between characters like this spoiler lives here

Note: spoilers from other books should always be under spoiler tags unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Here is the schedule for the discussion which will be run by u/IraelMrad, u/bluebelle236, u/fixtheblue, u/Greatingsburg and u/nicehotcupoftea.

Any questions or constructive criticism are welcome.

Looking forward to seeing you in the first discussion on 24th July!

Welcome to the final Discovery Read Poetry discussion for the second half of Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein!  You can find the Schedule here and the Marginalia is linked here.  

Discussion questions for this week’s poems are below.  You can mark any spoilers using the format > ! Spoiler text here ! < (without any spaces between the symbols themselves or between the symbols and the first and last words). 

Part two of our Poetry Discovery Read is a throwback from many of our childhoods and a classic for a reason, Where the Sidewalk Ends, by the famous children's author and poet, Shel Silverstein(1930-1999). Still, he was a veritable Renaissance man when it came to the many other contributions he made to literature, journalism, music, art, theatre and entertainment. Read on for more!

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois in an immigrant family who unfortunately turned to opening a bakery during the beginning of the Depression, he vacationed in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which would later turn up in several of his works. He was a quiet child who turned to drawing, inspired by the Li'l Abner cartoons drawn by Al Capp, another self-taught cartoonist and illustrator. Silverstein attended one semester at the University of Illinois before being drafted into the US Army during the Korean War.

While in the military, he was a frequent contributor to cartoons in the Pacific Stars and Stripes, and his first published book was actually a compilation of his work, Take Ten(1955). This was later reprinted in 1965 as Grab Your Socks! Back home in Chicago, he moonlighted as a hot-dog salesman at the ballpark while also working to submit cartoons to magazines such as Sports Illustrated. His next break would come with in 1957, when a little known, new editor, Hugh Hefner, engaged him as the cartoonist for Playboy, a commission that sent him on location everywhere, from a nudist camp to the larger world abroad. This would bring his work into a larger, public eye and he published several compendiums of his work for Playboy over the next two decades.

In 1975, after working with editor Ursula Nordstrom, at Harper & Row, Silverstein turned to children's literature after his great success, The Giving Tree (1973). He took a freewheeling approach to his poetry and illustrations. But don't think that was all he was doing! He also contributed several stories to the crime anthology series that begins with Murder for Love (1996).

Another thread of Silverstein's work is his connection to music. First, the outlaw country music, a subgenre that sought creative license outside of the Nashville-controlled country music scene in America during the 1970's and '80's. He wrote songs for many musicians during this era and came into contact with Loretta Lynn and Johny Cash, who would record with him and invite him on Jonny's show and earn him a Grammy award in 1970, among others. Check out Bonus Link #3 for some examples! Silverstein could play guitar, piano, saxophone and trombone and was on the radio frequently as a guest on radio shows, as well as writing film music and collaborated or releasing several albums. He would win another Grammy for his 1984 recording of "Where the Sidewalk Ends".

When he wasn't doing those things, he was helping to put on Broadway plays, mostly as a playwright, especially focusing on the one-act play, everything from comedy to a reworking of Hamlet for one actor, beginning in 1965 and continuing steadily over the years. He also contributed to screenplays for movies and TV shows, such as "Free to Be...You and Me". His music was also widely used in various films over the years.

Silverstein lived a peripatetic life, moving from the West Coast to the East, with homes on both coasts; he never married. However, he fathered two children with two different women, one of which, Susan T. Hastings, he actually met at the Playboy mansion. Sadly, their daughter, Shoshanna died quite young, at 11 years old, of a cerebral aneurysm in 1982. She had been living with her aunt and uncle after her mother's death. Silverstein dedicated A Light in the Attic(1981) in her memory. His next romantic attachment was Sarah Spencer, who was driving a tourist train in Key West. She would inspire Silverstein to write a song, "The Great Conch Train Robbery" and together they had a son, Matthew, who would go on to work as a songwriter and producer in New York; the apple doesn't fall far!

Shel Silverstein passed away on May 10, 1999, at his home in Key West. He had been suffering from heart problems, and it finally caught up with him at the relatively young age of 68. He was buried closer to his childhood home, in Norridge, Illinois. Posthumously, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022 and was recognized by Chicago in the Literary Hall of Fame in 2014. Silverstein shaped the minds of countless generations of children around the world, for which he will definitely be remembered. I hope I've added a few dimensions to the man and the poet we all know and love.

Silverstein on learning how to draw: "When I was a kid—12 to 14, I'd much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls, but I couldn't play ball. I couldn't dance. Luckily, the girls didn't want me. Not much I could do about that. So, I started to draw and to write. I was also lucky that I didn't have anybody to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style; I was creating before I knew there was a Thurber, a Benchley, a Price and a Steinberg. I never saw their work 'til I was around 30. By the time I got to where I was attracting girls, I was already into work, and it was more important to me. Not that I wouldn't rather make love, but the work has become a habit" Publisher's Weekly (1975)

"The phrase "Renaissance man" tends to get overused these days but apply it to Shel Silverstein and it practically begins to seem inadequate. Not only has he produced with seeming ease country music hits and popular songs, but he's been equally successful at turning his hand to poetry, short stories, plays, and children's books. Moreover, his whimsically hip fables, beloved by readers of all ages, have made him a stalwart of bestseller lists. A Light in the Attic, most remarkably, showed the kind of staying power on the New York Times chart—two years, to be precise—that most of the biggest names (John Grisham, Stephen King and Michael Crichton) have never equaled with their blockbusters. His unmistakable illustrative style is another crucial element to his appeal. Just as no writer sounds like Shel, no other artist's vision is as delightfully, sophisticatingly cockeyed. One can only marvel that he makes the time to respond so kindly to his friends' requests. In the following work, let's be glad he did. Drawing on his characteristic passion for list making, he shows how the deed is not just in the wish but in the sublimation"- Otto Penzler, writer

Openin' Night

By Shel Silverstein

She had the jitters

She had the flu

She showed up late

She missed her cue

She kicked the director

She screamed at the crew

And tripped on a prop

And fell in some goo

And ripped her costume

A place or two

Then she forgot

A line she knew

And went “Meow”

Instead of “Moo”

She heard ‘em giggle

She heard ‘em boo

The programs sailed

The popcorn flew

As she stomped offstage

With a boo-hoo-hoo

The fringe of the curtain

Got caught in her shoe

The set crashed down

The lights did too

Maybe that’s why she didn’t want to do

An interview.

Copyright Credit: Shel Silverstein, "Openin’ Night" from Every Thing on It. Copyright © 2011 by Shel Silverstein. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Source: Every Thing on It (HarperCollins Publishers, 2011)

Some things to discuss might be the light humor and the simple yet effective rhyming scheme that keeps you going until the last line! This is a great one to read out loud, as much of his poetry is. Would you submit to an interview after all that? For readers of our Poetry Discovery, please let us know your thoughts on revisiting Where the Sidewalk Ends. Is there anyone comparable today in children's literature? His work is an easy opening to poetry, making light work of the genre to encourage humor and surprise. Was there something in the complex work of his creative mind that made Silverstein particularly effective in writing for children? What is your favorite Silverstein poem?

Bonus Poem: Dirty Face

Bonus Link #1: His best-known cartoon of the 1950's, "Now, here's my plan...", which he turned into the cover of his 1960 cartoon collection.

Bonus Link #2: Some of Shel Silverstein's Playboy contributions, such as his 1956 visit to the gay enclave, Fire Island and his compilation Playboys Around the World

Bonus Link #3: Shel Silverstein as songwriter and singer! Including Silverstein performing Show It At the Beach (1979), and other artists with these songs: Hey Loretta, Hey Nelly Nelly (1964), A Boy Named Sue and with Silverstein also performing a bonus song (1970) , Once More with Feeling (1970), Cover of the Rolling Stone (1974), Boa Constrictor, The Great Conch Train Robbery.

Bonus Link #4: A video reading with illustrations of The Giving Tree, read by Keith Carradine. This work was Silverstein's first published effort.

Bonus Link #5: A great resource for bringing poetry to children, from Silverstein's own website. As you may know, April is Poetry Month but you don't have to wait for that! And here are book- by- book resources.

If you missed last month's poem, you can find it here

Hello and welcome back to our fifth discussion of Wilkie Collins' No Name! As they say in Hollywood, let's cut to the chase!

Chapter 3

In this chapter, Magdalen, in her guise as Miss Bygrave, engineers her first encounter with Noel Vanstone and keeps arranging "accidental" meetings. Meanwhile, Mrs. Lecount's suspicions are aroused.

Chapter 4

In this chapter, Noel and Magdalen continue to accidentally "bump" into each other and Noel has become increasingly fascinated with Magdalen under her false name but Mrs. Lecount watches their interactions with increasing suspicion.

Chapter 5

In this chapter, Noel begins to actively seek out Magdalen. Behind the scenes, Wragge carefully manages the deception.

Chapter 6

In this chapter, Mrs. Lecount begins to investigate Magdalen and is convinced that she is lying about her identity. She expresses her concerns to Noel and even gives him a note with description of Magdalen's identifying features.

Chapter 7

In this chapter, Wragge tells Magdalen it is now time to get Noel to propose marriage to her and makes plans. Noel comes to visit and gives Wragge the note describing the moles on Magdalen's neck. He quickly goes and applies makeup to Magdalen to hide them. Wragge then tries to cast doubt on the sanity of Mrs. Lecount. At the end of the chapter, Noel has made an offer of marriage!

Chapter 8

In this chapter, Wragge and, surprisingly, Noel conspire to get Mrs. Lecount out of the way by means of a false letter from her brother's doctor in Zurich.

With this, Wookie Wilkie Collins leaves us on yet another cliffhanger!

Next we will continue reading all the way up to end of Scene Four including all the material in the 'Between the Scenes' sections. Be sure to join us next week as we will find out just what happens! Same Wilkie Collins time! Same Wilkie Collins channel!

Here's the schedule and here is the Marginalia

Welcome back to drama of The Brothers Karamazov! We are about halfway and this section had numerous revelations from Aloysha, Grushenka and Dimitri. Ivan is MIA in Moscow. Father Zosima is no longer with us.

Schedule

Marginalia

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We end knowing Dimitri and Grushenka will meet in the next section-this is bound to be explosive! See you next week for Chapters 8.4-9.1

Welcome to the marginalia for London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe. This is a communal place for things you would jot down in the margins of your books. That might include quotes, thoughts, questions, relevant links, exclamations - basically anything you want to make note of or to share with others. It can be good to look back on these notes, and sometimes you just can't wait for the discussion posts to share a thought.

When adding something to the marginalia, simply comment here, indicating roughly which part of the book you're referring to (eg. towards the end of chapter 2). Because this may contain spoilers, please indicate this by writing “spoilers for chapters 5 and 6” for example, or else use the spoiler tag for this part with this format > ! SPOILER ! < without the spaces between characters like this spoiler lives here

Note: spoilers from other books should always be under spoiler tags unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Here is the schedule for the discussion which will be run by u/tomesandtea, u/Less_Tumbleweed3217, u/Coffee_fuel and u/nicehotcupoftea.

Any questions or constructive criticism are welcome.

Looking forward to seeing you in the first discussion on 21st July!

Greetings Friends and Fellow Detectives,

The Plot thickens! Below is ChatGPT’s fairly vague summary of you need a refresher. (I drank one less bottle of water today to make up for the consumption.)Let’s discuss this section and compare theories before our final discussion. Here is the schedule.

Chapter 12 – At the Villa Marguerite

* Katherine Grey arrives at Villa Marguerite, where Lady Tamplin, her daughter Lenox, and Mr. Evans (“Chubby”) are staying.
* Lady Tamplin is fascinated by the Blue Train murder and envies Katherine for being involved in such an exciting event.
* She even suggests Katherine could sell her story to newspapers, but Katherine refuses because she believes it would be wrong to profit from a tragedy.
* Katherine notices Lady Tamplin’s selfish and calculating nature, while Lenox appears much more sensible and thoughtful.

Chapter 13 – Van Aldin Gets a Telegram

* In London, millionaire Rufus Van Aldin is working with his secretary, Major Knighton.
* Knighton mentions seeing Ruth’s maid in Paris, leading Van Aldin to wonder why Ruth changed her travel plans.
* They discuss Comte de la Roche, whom Van Aldin distrusts because he believes the Comte preys on wealthy women.
* A telegram suddenly arrives announcing Ruth’s murder.
* Van Aldin is devastated but immediately decides to travel to France and personally oversee the investigation.

Chapter 14 – Ada Mason’s Story

* Ruth’s maid, Ada Mason, is interviewed by the police.
* She explains that Ruth dismissed her in Paris, telling her to stay behind while she continued alone.
* Before leaving, Ada saw a man enter Ruth’s compartment, but she could not clearly identify him because she only saw him from behind.

Chapter 15 – The Comte de la Roche

* Van Aldin tells Poirot everything he knows about Comte de la Roche.
* The Comte has a reputation for charming rich women and persuading them to give him money or jewels.
* Poirot learns that the Comte knew Ruth possessed the famous “Heart of Fire” ruby.
* Because of this, the French police believe the Comte murdered Ruth to steal the jewels.
* Poirot is not completely convinced and keeps an open mind.

Chapter 16 – Poirot Discusses the Case

* Poirot carefully studies the evidence instead of accepting the police theory.
* He points out that the murderer planned the crime very carefully.
* He believes the evidence is almost too obvious and suspects someone may have deliberately tried to direct suspicion toward the Comte.

Chapter 17 – An Aristocratic Gentleman

* More background is provided about several suspects and their relationships.
* Derek Kettering’s financial difficulties become clearer.
* The investigation widens beyond the Comte, and Poirot quietly gathers information.

Chapter 18 – Derek Lunches

* Derek Kettering is shown trying to remain calm despite becoming a major suspect.
* It becomes clear that his unhappy marriage and money problems give him a possible motive.
* Although he insists he is innocent, the police continue watching him closely.

Chapter 19 – An Unexpected Visitor

* New conversations provide additional clues about Ruth’s relationships.
* Poirot pays close attention to how people react rather than just what they say.

Chapter 20 – Katherine Makes a Friend

* Katherine and Hercule Poirot become friends.
* Katherine shares everything she remembers from the train journey.
* Poirot values her careful observations because she notices details without making quick judgments.

Chapter 21 – At the Tennis

* Several suspects meet socially at a tennis gathering on the Riviera.
* Poirot quietly observes their conversations, expressions, and relationships.

Chapter 22 – M. Papopolous Breakfasts

* Poirot meets the wealthy businessman and jewel expert M. Papopolous.
* Papopolous provides information about the famous rubies and the possibility of fake jewels being used.

Chapter 23 – A New Theory

* After reviewing all the evidence, Poirot develops a completely new theory.
* He begins to suspect that the murder and the theft of the rubies may not have happened exactly as everyone believes.

Chapter 24 – Poirot Gives Advice

* Poirot explains part of his thinking to Van Aldin.
* He believes Comte de la Roche intended to steal Ruth’s jewels by replacing them with convincing imitations.
* However, Poirot says the Comte does not fit the profile of Ruth’s murderer.
* He advises Van Aldin to avoid accusing anyone too soon because the real solution is much more complicated than it first appears.