October | 2014 | Book Chatter

It was a short week for me since I had Monday and Tuesday off and yet…it still felt incredibly long.

We had some fun stuff going on. The Teen’s choir Cabaret concert was on Wednesday and Thursday. It was a fun show. And…The Teen DID get the part he wanted in Annie (Rooster), Ms. Hannigan’s good-for-nothing con-man brother. The Girl did not get what she wanted but she ended up with a featured dance part.

The Teen was invited to USC for a singing workshop which he unfortunately had to leave early for since he had a lead acting workshop scheduled later in the day but I think it was a good experience for him. Being on a large college campus and getting to hang out with the music director? Very cool.

In other news…

I thought The Girl’s cheer clinic was yesterday, but it’s TODAY. This morning, to be exact which means if we go to church, it’s going to have to be an evening service. Might not be a bad thing as I’ve been wanting to try an evening service.

But, who am I kidding? This weekend is ALL about the return of The Walking Dead. Yes! It’s back! I think tonight’s episode is going to be rough. I fear for the characters. I will be off social media from 6pm on to avoid spoilers.

What am I reading?

I am listening to Stephen King’s Big Driver and reading Garth Stein’s A Sudden Light. I am liking both, quite a bit. I did not know that Big Driver was coming to Lifetime though later this week. I am also reading Something Wicked This Way Comes for the read along I am hosting with Sandy.

What am I cooking?

I made all sorts of stuff yesterday. Chicken Taco/Enchilada soup and chili and corn bread. The chili and corn bread will be enjoyed later. I didn’t want anything to distract me from The Walking Dead so that stuff is cooked and ready to go Just needs warming.

Just now, I made myself a bowl of coconut Chobani Greek yogurt, added some gluten-free raw oats, some dark chocolate shavings, sliced raw almonds and sprinkled the top with toasted coconut. Divine.

What am I watching?

Later I will be balled up on the couch cringing, while watching The Walking Dead hoping with all hope to not lose a major character in the season opening. Will you be watching tonight?

Our read along for Something Wicked This Way Comes is in full swing! By today, 10/10, we should be wrapping-up part one, Chapters 1-24. What do you think so far? Here are my thoughts and then I have some questions for you to ponder:

Super quick read. The first 24 chapters flew by.
Very atmospheric. Think dark clouds, wind, dry leaves and the smell of ozone.
Odd narration. The language is a little stilted. Almost like a regional thing but not quite. Didn’t take long to get used to though.
Two main characters, boys, Will and Jim. Too much alike. Hard to determine who is talking sometimes.
CRAZY happenings involving a carousel and a weird little ‘nephew’ of one of the neighbors.
Right now, I am totally sucked into the story which promises to be very strange from what I’ve read so far.

Now, a couple of questions for you from Shmoop.com:

We have a third-person narrator in this novel, but how much of this narration is influenced by Will and Jim’s way of looking at the world? That is, how “close” is the narrator to our main characters?
What do you think is the target audience (age group) of Something Wicked This Way Comes? How might its meaning change for readers of different age groups?

Everyone on Twitter (#EnterTheRingmaster) has mentioned the narration. It’s a little odd. One blogger said the flow was a little difficult to pick up, but once she got over the hump, she was totally into the story. For me, the third-person narration is not an issue but the language, prose, whatever you want to call it, was a little disjointed at first. It did kind of add to the story though because it felt to me as if I was listening to someone from another part of the country. How close is the narrator to the boys? I’d say pretty close, almost too close because I am having a hard time keeping the two boys separate in my mind.

The target audience? Good question. Although the main characters are young boys, I’m not sure that’s the intended audience. There is something going on with Will and his father, something that maybe only an adult can appreciate. There is the whole old versus young thing too. I’m not sure a young person can appreciate youth when they have it. Do you?

My feeling right now is that the fun is just beginning. Part one dealt with the arrival of the dark carnival and part two is titled Pursuits.

If you want to still join us, it’s not too late. It took me one sitting to read through chapters 1-24. The biggest challenge will be finding a copy.

Next up on the schedule?