I would rather borrow the lion...

This is a clip of what I will be like in old age, if I were British. Anyway, I enjoyed this clip immensely. Also, as a side note, Has anyone every had any luck with the book pick-up? Have you every brought a book to the bookstore counter or library counter and had the cute salesperson/librarian say something that led to further romantic entanglements? It's never worked for me, but anyway the video...

The Danger of the Single Story

I wanted to share this video because she explains, in a more interesting, funny, and beautiful way than I ever could, why I read books and fiction and why everyone should.

Blame by Michelle Huneven

This is the next book after the second half of Handmaid's Tale.

Change of Pace

I was trying my damndest to watch the amazing video posted by Kelly but the margins kept cutting off part of the image.  So I changed up the format a bit. Hopefully that's ok with y'all.  I'm not emotionally attached to it if you want to make changes. I just needed more room, dammit!

Addendum: I am using my mom's tiny tiny laptop for a bit so perhaps that is the cause of this issue.  Remember the 3"x3" black and white TV's that used to be around?  This is the slightly older brother of those things. Sigh.  I want my computer back :(

Also Mentioned Last Night

The Handmaid's Tale (as told around a box of Franzia) Part 1

Discussion of the first half of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale continually orbited its central figure, the handmaid known currently as Offred--her status, her plight, and her ways of coping.

The London Library

For when we have a book club tour of the city...

Book Club in London

Yesterday we did some walking aruond the city and I came across a couple things that reminded me of you guys.  (it looks like you will have to click some of the pics to get the full version) The first was this painting...

And it came with this caption...

So you really can make anything relate to Bovary it seems.  Thoughts on the interpretation?

Secondly was this...

I don'thave From Hell with me so you'll have to let me know if Moore's portrayal is accurate. I can only assume it is with him but I was curious.

Hope you are all doing well!

Franzaholics of Dune

As befits the novel, discussion of Frank Herbert's Dune covered many a theme and topic, from the central allegory of Spice as Oil, to the lead's shockingly fast progression from likable-if-naive young noble Paul Atreides to unlikable and fearful messiah/revolutionary Paul Muad'Dib. Paul's age at the end of the novel, proposed to be somewhere between 17 and 25, remains uncertain, though it was agreed he was quite young for someone so powerful. Much was made of the speculative aspects of genetics, human capability over technological, and politics, as well as the progression of the series, and the changing perspectives on its characters, as protagonist becomes antagonist, the powerless become powerful, and the old order reacts to the new. The strange impotence of those who seemingly hold the power was brought up, and how the pull of their drug--spice, commerce, or oil--renders them such, also was brought up, as was Herbert's disinterest of action in favor of the consequences of action, and the creation of vivid characters to inhabit his detailed universe. The spice did indeed flow.