Details, details, details

Okay... already I have been procrastinating about consistantly "blogging". (It's become a new word in our home... "hey, did you blog yet?", "don't forget to go blog!" :) But fortunately, I have a 13 year old to nag me about my blogging habits. She, of course, is doing a great job at keeping up with her blog. I'll try harder....

As promised, I want to work on "The Tale of Two Cities". I have to admit something first... I cheated! We were at Borders Bookstore and I spent a half hour looking through the Cliff Notes on this book. Whew... it helped!!! Although, the bad part was that I read a little too far and found out what was going to happen next. I have never been one to read the end of a book first, or peak at presents before they are given, so.... that part was disappointing. BUT, I did enjoy reading the summary of the book and the synopsis of each chapter I had already read. It really helped bring some of it into focus. I hate admitting when something is over my head, but there have been parts of this book that I just haven't gotten. I know that if I slowed down and took the time to really grasp what he is saying, I would probably be able to decipher his eloquent verbiage. However, as previously admitted, I tend to read fast and furious.

So, now that I have admitted my guilt, I will move forward with a brief introduction. (Wish I had bought those Cliff Notes :) The main characters in this story are a young woman, Lucie Manette; her father, Dr. Manette; Mr. Lorry, a banker and their close friend; Mr. Darney.... oh wait... this list is going to get really long... there are a lot of important characters in this book. So, maybe I won't do that.

How about I just talk about what I am enjoying about this book first. First off, I am REALLY enjoying it. Even though I've struggled a bit with the long descriptions and out of date vocabulary, Dickens really has a way of drawing you in and keeping your attention. He has presented the time of the French Revolution from two perspectives, the English characters involvement in it and a small town in France, right in the heart of the revolt.

He obviously writes from the opinion that the wealthy have oppressed the poor for too long and a revolution is always bound to occur. I found this apparent when a French character was describing how even though it seemed like the poor were oppressed for such a long time, the actual revolt took place very quickly. She stated "It does not take an earthquake a long time to swallow a town. But, tell me how long it takes to prepare the earthquake? A long time, I suppose. But when it is ready, it takes place and grinds to pieces everything before it. In the meantime, it is always preparing though it is not seen or heard." I liked that!

That was a lot! My daughter will be so proud of me :)

Just getting started

Okay -- here goes the first post. I am creating this Blog to share things I read about or learn with those I love (or at least those who care to read this :) This is going to be fun! I don't have time to write much this minute... too much cleaning to do. But the first thing I plan to write about is the book I am reading right now, "The Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. It's a great story set during the French Revolution but it's a bit of a tough read for me. He is a very detailed writer with lengthy descriptions. I tend to read quickly and breeze through looking for the "meat" of a story. Bad habit. But I hope that reading books like these will help me work on taking the time to enjoy the energy and passion a writer took to put in all of those details. I'll write more soon!