Mansfield Park Read-Along, the third

Mansfield Park, illustration by C.E. Brock, shows Fanny sewing away under the direction of her aunt, Mrs. Norris

Mansfield Park read-a-long is a chance to read a classic book by a favorite author in bite-sized pieces making it doable for the average reader like me.  It is not too late to join in. Grab a book or download it for free on your Kindle and let's go.  Here is the intro to the read-along.

1. Page goal met? Almost. I read 51 pages, breaking at the end of chapter XVIII.

2. The action in this section mainly center around the return of Tom Bertrand and his friend Mr. Yates who are determined to act out a play, Lovers Vows. Edmond is determined to thwart the attempts his older brother makes to put on the play saying their father most certainly wouldn't approve. Yet he eventually decides that he will join the cast. Great jealousy is developing between sisters Maria and Julia because of the obvious preference that Mr. Crawford shows toward the elder sister. No one except Fanny will rehearse with Maria's fiance, Mr. Rushworth, even though he has two and forty speeches. Mrs. Norris and Tom both are tremendously unkind toward Fanny because she refuses to join the cast of actors. Even though Fanny won't join in she is indispensable for all the preparations, making costumes, rehearsing lines, running errands.
It is in this section that we learn about how unkind Mrs. Norris has been to Fanny ever since she entered the house over eight years before, not allowing her a bedroom among the family members or even allowing for a fire in her grate.

3. Surprises in this section? No real surprises but I was struck by two things.The first being how "small" the lives of folks living in the Regency period when Austen was alive. They worried about the appropriateness of putting on a play just for themselves and they could only include people who were also from the gentry class. The second thing that struck me was how tedious this section was to read. I kept thinking, "No wonder this is Austen's least favored book."

4. Which brings to mind this question, was life during Austen's life really like this? Days and days of preparations for an event that would serve as entertainment only for themselves? I try to think what life would be like with no TV, radios, movies, phones, computers. We would be forced to make our own entertainment, wouldn't we?

Friday 56 and Book Beginnings-- HOW TO TEACH YOUR CHILDREN SHAKESPEARE

Book: How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig

Book Beginnings:

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows

Nine words. Each word one syllable. Nine syllables. That's all it is. It isn't hard to learn this line of poetry. It's from the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, and I'll bet your son or daughter can memorize it in less than a minute.

 Friday 56:

The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge said that "prose equals words in best order; poetry equals the best words in the best order." Williams Wordsworth called poetry "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings." And Emily Dickinson said, "If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know it is poetry."

My thoughts: I have been feasting on the contents of this book for months now and just finished it yesterday. I don't really think the two quotes you got here are good representations of how wonderful this book really is but you get the idea that a. It is about teaching your children to love Shakespeare by helping them memorize some of the best lines from his plays and b. It isn't just about memorization but also about good literature in general.

Your thoughts? Leave them in the comment section.
 

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't select their favorite, coolest or most intellectual books, they just use the one they are currently reading. I'm reading:

Quote from Books and Reading, the last installment

 

I'm still treasuring the few moments here and there reading the slim Dover Thrift version of Books and Reading: A Book of Quotations, edited by Bill Bradfield. This will be my last installment of favorite quotes I found within.

Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape? The moneylenders, the know-nothings, the authoritarians have us all in prison. It we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's plan duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!---J.R.R. Tolkien

I read because my father read to me. And because he'd read to me, when my time came I knew intuitively there is a torch that is supposed to be passed from one generation to the next. And through countless nights of reading I began to realize that when enough of the torchbearers-parents and teachers- stop passing the torches, a culture begins to die.---Jim Trelease

Be careful of reading health books. You might die of a misprint.---Mark Twain

Books are a hindrance to persisting stupidity.---Richard Steele

What's another name for Thesaurus?---Steven Wright

I read A Wrinkle in Time three times in a row once, when I was twelve, because I couldn't bear for it to end.---Anna Quindlen

Few children learn to read books by themselves. Someone has to lure them into the wonderful world of the written word. Someone has to show then the way. ---Orville Prescott

A book is the only place where you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face.---Edward P. Morgan

TTT: Books on my Spring TBR Pile

Top Ten Books I hope to read this Spring: (In no particular order)

1. Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  This is cheating since I am currently reading this book. I want to give myself a boost when I actually finish at least one book on the list. :) This is the All-Pierce-County-Reads book of the year.
2. Cress by Marissa Meyer. This is the third book in the Cinder series. I'm pretty hopeful that this book will get to me soon, as I have a hold on it at the public library.
3. Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor. Set to come out in a few weeks this should be the thrilling conclusion to the Daughter of Smoke and Bones trilogy.
4. The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal. This was a Printz Honor book this year. I try to read all the winners every year.
5. Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn. Another award winner, this book won the Morris Award this year for debut authors. It has been sitting on my bedside table for a month.
6. Relish by Lucy Knisley. I started this graphic book but never finished it. Unfortunately I can't remember where I was when I was reading it...the mysterious case of the missing book. Hmm...
7. Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride by Helen Halstead. This is just a silly book I picked up at the friends-of-the-library sale. I confess this one is calling my name right now as I do my Mansfield Park Read-along.
8. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. This book has been on my TBR pile for so long. I finally downloaded the audiobook onto my iPod. Now to take the time to listen to it.
9. One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson. This was the book my husband gave me for Christmas. He and I are both Bryson fans and this book sounds like it will be a winner.
10. A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley. I enjoyed the first two books in the series and then stopped. Now there are five books and I haven't read #3 yet.

Sunday Salon, March 16th

Weather: Raining. A small pond has formed in our backyard. We wouldn't be surprised if a family of ducks decided this "pond" was a good home for them.

Cue the Music: My musical selection of the week is once again The Piano Guys.  Love them! They combine classical with modern songs. This one is Pavane with Titanium. Cue the music and have a listen while you read on.


Friday and Saturday: I attended two different workshops. Both were in a nearby town, University Place. I used the GPS to help guide me. The GPS gave me very different directions each day even though I had to drive past the first locale to get to the second. Ha. One of the classes I took was about Financial Planning for Retirement. I am starting to think about the R word.

Today: we head up to Seattle to hear our daughter's a cappella group, Drop the Bass.

FitBit and COSTCO: Goal 10,000 steps a day. I stop by COSTCO and think to myself that I should get quite a few steps while I shop since the warehouse is so big. When I got home and upload the data from my bracelet it was as if I wasn't at COSTCO at all. It was a mystery. Why hadn't it tallied my steps? I asked a friend who also has a FitBit if she had any ideas. She asked if I was pushing a shopping cart because one has to swing arms for steps to count. Mystery solved.  If you see a goofy lady walking around COSTCO pushing a cart with one arm and swinging her other arm, it is me. Even though I made this revelation I still didn't make my daily goal of 8000 steps. I had two down days with the workshops where it was difficult to work in many steps.

Health tip of the week: 1. It is next to impossible to buy salad dressing that doesn't contain vegetable oils even if it says contains olive oil on the front, check the ingredients. It is time to find a recipe to make my own dressing or go back to using just vinegar and olive oil. If you have a good Italian dressing recipe, please send it my way. 2. Exercising is more fun if listening to an audiobook.

Books read this week:

• Wonder by R.J. Palacio. This book is WONDERFUL. Even though it is a Junior book I recommend it for everyone.
• The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian. A depressing mystery set in Italy during WWII and eleven years later. It took be a long time to figure our who "done it" which made it a good mystery for me.

Currently reading: (Yes, I am actually reading five books at one time. Crazy!)

• Wild by Cheryl Strayed. My audiobook selection in the car. On disc 3 of 11.
• Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Marie Semple. My audiobook selection for exercising in the house and while walking the dog. On disc 4 of 9.
• Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. A read-along challenge. Here is this week's update. On page 100 of 400.
• Your Food is Fooling You by Kessler. A YA version of the same book by Kessler. It is about the addictive qualities of fats, sugars, and salts. On page 25 of 192.
• How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ludwig. OK, I admit, this book is on the back burner right now. On page 150 of 368.

Prayers for: My friend Sharon. She is back in the hospital with a new infection similar to what caused meningitis last Fall. May she get the meds that will cure her and help her to feel healthy again!

Quote of the week: "May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all the year long."

Mansfield Park read-a-long, the second

Mansfield Park read-a-long is a chance to read a classic book by a favorite author in bite-sized pieces making it doable for the average reader like me.  It is not too late to join in. Grab a book or download it for free on your Kindle and let's go.  Here is the intro to the read-a-long.

1. My goal is to read 52 pages each week (your page count will be different according to the edition of the book you are using.) Was the goal met? Yes, up to the beginning of chapter XII.

2. What has happened so far? Mary Crawford is worming her way into Edmund's heart. Austen goes so far as to say that he is falling in love. Fanny feels slighted and ignored. She seems to like Mary but also appears to be jealous. Mary's harp has finally been delivered and everyone enjoys hearing her play. Maria Bertrand is engaged to Mr. Rushmore but she actually has her eye on Henry Crawford, as does her sister, Julia. There appears to be a competition between the two sisters for his attentions. They made a day trip to visit Mr. Rushton's estate which seemed to delight Mrs. Norris more than anyone else.

3. Surprises? Fanny does not whine or complain but she seems to be a bit of a wimp. She tires out during a walk and has to sit while others walk on. She gets faint after four days of not being able to ride her horse. The movie pays just as much attention to Henry as to his sister, Mary. This section of the book is mainly about Mary and how she is ingratiating herself to Edmond.

4.A question- Does anyone else have trouble with Austen's writing style here? I found several occasions where I couldn't figure out who was speaking.

Friday Posts --WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE

Book:
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Book Beginning: 

The first annoying thing is when I ask Dad what he thinks happened to Mom, he always says, 'What's most important is for you to understand it's not your fault.' You'll notice that wasn't even the question.

Friday 56:

...I was unpacking my photos, mugs, and snow baby collection when I looked up and saw Elgin Branch across the atrium. He wasn't wearing any shoes, just socks, which I found odd.

My thoughts:
     This story is nothing like what I thought it would be.

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't select their favorite, coolest or most intellectual books, they just use the one they are currently reading. I'm reading:

What makes you smile?

Today, while I waited for my chiropractic appointment, I read this little gift book found in the lobby, What Makes You Smile? It is the sweetest little book. It took me a few minutes to read but it got me thinking. What makes me smile? Here are just a few things.  After you read my list, please add a few things that make you smile in the comment section.

These things make me smile...

...warm, gooey cinnamon rolls 

...dog kisses on the nose

....snow days from school

....children's sermons at church

... hummingbirds sipping on our feeder

...hugs and kisses at the end of a long work day

....the first sip of coffee (with cream) each morning

....wildflowers on mountain hillsides

....cuddling with a purring cat

...inner-tubing down a lazy river on a sunny day

....listening to loud classic rock as my husband and I drive around in his convertible 

....clean sheets

....family jokes

....a compliment for a job well-done

....photos of my girls when they were little

....warm sticky toffee pudding

....an unexpected phone call or card from an old friend

....a student telling me they liked a book I recommended

....strawberries eaten straight off the plant, warmed by the sun and a little dusty

....crisp autumn afternoons when the drum-line is practicing

....answering the doorbell to find a package on the porch

....a thunder storm on a summer day

....college football games on bright Fall afternoons

....climbing around tide pools at the beach

....black licorice

....daffodils, daphne, and daisies (and a lot of other flowers)

....family hugs interrupted by a jealous dog

....the sound of aspen leaves quaking on a breezy day

....baby ducks (ducklings)

....the smell of fresh baked cookies

....listening to "Jupiter" by Gustav Holst

....pedicures

....tea parties with my mom, sisters, daughters, and nieces

....kisses after lights out!

Mansfield Park Read-a-long, the first

A slightly silly cover for Mansfield Park since Fanny and her cousins are only young for a few pages of the book.

Mansfield Park Read-a-long is a chance to read a classic book by a favorite author in bite-sized pieces making it doable for the average reader like me.  It is not too late to join in. Grab a book or download it for free on your Kindle and let's go.  Here is the intro to the read-a-long.

1. My goal was to read 52 pages each week (your page count will be different according to the edition of the book you are using.) Did I make this goal? No. I am on page 41 which is in the middle of chapter 5.

2. What has happened so far? We meet the Bertram family and learn why they invite their niece, Fanny Price, to live with them. She is neglected and friendless until cousin Edmond comes to her rescue. As the years pass she still views herself as inferior to the rest of the family. Fanny is now 18 and we have just met Mary and Henry Crawford, who are quite full of themselves.

3. Surprises? There were lots of differences between the book and the movies made from it. For one thing there is more information about about the sisters---Mrs. Bertram, Mrs. Norris, and Mrs. Price. They had a falling out over Mrs. Price marrying below herself so they didn't communicate for many years. Not until she was pregnant for the ninth time did she write her sisters and ask for help. She wanted to send her eldest son off to the Navy, instead the older sisters asked her to send them Fanny.

One other thing that surprises me is how much of the story has already happened and I am only 1/10 of the way through the book. It seems like the movie is already over 1/4th over at this point. Based on this I think I will encounter many parts of the book that I will not be familiar with at all in future weeks.

4.A question I've wondered as I read this section. Did Jane Austen really like Fanny Price? She seems so docile compared to her other heroines. The author of the Introduction, Amanda Clayburgh, suggested that Austen probably actually liked Mary Crawford better because she had more of Austen's personality.

See you next week. I will try to catch up on this week's unread pages so that I will be back on track.

Sunday Salon, March 9

Crocuses, our first signs of spring.

Weather...we call it sunbreaks. In other words, raining with a few minutes of sunshine here and there. Yesterday it absolutely poured. It was the type of weather that gives the Pacific Northwest a bad name, deservedly so. We've had over 5 inches of rain in the first eight days of March.

Yesterday...we attended the Lenten Prayer concert at Seattle University. Our daughter is a senior this year. Every concert this year brings us closer to the last one. I remember feeling this way her senior year in high school attending all her last concerts. It is a very bittersweet feeling. We want our daughter to launch but yet we have a hard time letting go of these precious times. Can anyone relate?

Musical selection of the week: This was one of the favorite songs that Carly's choir sang last night, though this is not her choir. As in past weeks, cue the music and have a listen as you read the rest of this blog post. Enjoy. (Look I found a YouTube of this song, Ave Virgo Glorisa by Richard Dering (1580-1630)
with the music! Sing along!)

Spring: It has rained so much lately it hard to pay attention to other signs of Spring. I was shocked the other day to see crocuses (see above) while walking the dog. Then today I noticed that the street trees (flowering plums) are ready to burst forth with flowers any day.

Ash Wednesday service this past Wednesday was the beginning of Lent or the six weeks leading up to Easter. This year I am attempting to be more mindful of God in my life everyday. Our church hosts a very short church service following a simple soup supper. The service concludes with our pastor placing a small cross on our foreheads from the ashes of the palms from last year's Palm Sunday. This is a time of fasting and prayers.

52,400 Steps...as I said last week, I purchased a FitBit high tech pedometer last week. Every single day I attempted to reach the goal of 10,000 steps. I didn't make it one single day. For the week I made 52,400 steps which makes my average daily steps at around 7300. I am obviously more sedentary then I want to admit because those 7300 steps reflect me really trying to add exercise and steps to my life. My goal for this week is to average 8000 steps/day.

Health tip of the week: get more sleep! Everywhere I turn I am getting messages similar to this one that I found on WebMD. Now I have another new goal: to turn off the TV by 9:00 so that I am in bed by 9:30. This will be tough for me as I am truly a night owl.

      It was in the Stanford study, however, that the more provocative meaning of the [relationship to sleep and these hormones] leptin-ghrelin effect came to light. In this research -- a joint project between Stanford and the University of Wisconsin -- about 1,000 volunteers reported the number of hours they slept each night. Doctors then measured their levels of ghrelin and leptin, as well as charted their weight.
      The result: Those who slept less than eight hours a night not only had lower levels of leptin and higher levels of ghrelin, but they also had a higher level of body fat. What's more, that level of body fat seemed to correlate with their sleep patterns. Specifically, those who slept the fewest hours per night weighed the most. -WebMD

Books read this week: None. I am in the middle of three books and didn't make much progress on any of them. I was too busy trying to figure out how to walk 10,000 steps to do anything else. Ha!

Currently reading:

• Wonder by R.J. Palaceo
• Mansfield Park by Jane Austen...look for my first 50 page check-in on my read-a-long later today.
• Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian