Tag Archives: Bookish Chatter

Chatter about books, reading and anything related to either one.

The Sunday Salon: To Kill a Mockingbird’s 50th Anniversary

TKAM 50th Anniversary Button

Today we celebrate 50 years with this beloved classic. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that I have read at least four times and it’s always been one of my favorites. As a child, I was mesmerized by its delicate subject matter. Although I was not a stranger to race issues at the time, Lee’s treatment of it, as seen through the eyes of a child, struck me in a way that no other book had.

Whenever I read a great book, I tend to compare it to To Kill a Mockingbird. It has set the bar, so to speak and to me, defined what a classic is. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, I am re-reading it for the 5th time and let me tell you, I cannot wait!

To join in on the celebration, check out this site. Thanks to Amy over at HarperCollins for sharing this great badge with me!

To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Edition Cover

Isn’t the 50th anniversary edition lovely?

In other news…

Sunday Salon Button

Book Club Recap (Homecoming)

As I mentioned in my Homecoming review, I was a bit confused over the ending. Well, my book club met and they overwhelmingly agreed that the ending was confusing. Many did not care for the book at all. I, on the other hand, did not understand it that well but I liked some parts of it very much. Two members thought it was brilliant. After discussing it a bit, I appreciate the structure more, but I still don’t understand much of what happened towards the end. If you read it, read it carefully and slowly. I think my skimming may have affected my reading experience.

Sunday Plans

As for today, I plan to be as lazy as possible. Not sure it will happen with the family around but that’s the plan. All I want to do is sit and read. In addition to To Kill a Mockingbird, I will also be reading The Inn at Lake Devine, continuing The Stand (because my read-along buds have long finished it) and I may start The Lacuna.

What are you reading right now?

The Sunday Salon: Reading, Cooking and Hanging Out Edition

Backyard
Pimm's Cup, My Kindle and The View

On Friday I posted a recipe using Pimm’s liqueur and made a promise to do something summery and just for me this weekend. Well, I’m happy to say that I made good on my promise. I prepared a traditional Pimm’s Cup which is basically Pimm’s, ginger ale and lemon, fired up my Kindle and spent a good chunk of the day in my backyard. The little one was with dad who was visiting his brother across town. The big one was grounded and carrying out his sentence in the privacy of his bedroom, so that left a sunny, afternoon all to myself. And yes, that is a jelly jar. I drink out of mason jars all the time.

I put a large pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove to simmer away for tonight’s dinner and read The Stand while sipping my refreshing drink. Later, a friend of ours is coming over for dinner, but it will be real casual with good conversation and yummy food. Sigh. I only wish that my son had behaved himself and that he wasn’t grounded, but I can’t really dwell on that too much. Kids have to learn the hard way sometimes.

I am a bit off kilter with my reading schedule. I had planned to finish Tinkers, but it’s sort of a heavy book even though it’s so short. It’s not the type of book to read on a beautiful, sunny day but then again, neither is The Stand! I checked out Homecoming by Schlink for this month’s book club meeting so at some point I am going to have to start reading it. It’s not calling my name right now though.

Book Download – Kindle Survey Results

You know how I was making such a big deal about downloading my first paid Kindle book? Well, apparently 44% of you agree that the first download is quite important:

Kindle Survery Results
Kindle Survey Results

For the record, my first FREE download was Emma by Jane Austen.

My first PAID download was You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried by Susannah Gora

I picked YCIMIYT because the Brat Pack totally defined who I am today. I was in high school when those movies came out. I dressed like them, I listened to the same type of music. Those movies felt like they were based on  my life. I still watch them today and my iPod is filled with music from that era.

What I learned? If you see a book you want, just download it because with all of my waiting, it fell off the bestseller’s list and ended up being $4 more. Lesson learned.

Happy Sunday to you!