1000 Books Project - Update on The House of the Spirits read-along and plans for the Beloved read-along

Just wanted to post a quick update on The House of the Spirits. I had intended on posting the next discussion on September 16th. Clearly that didn't happen. I will post the final discussion, over the second half of the book on Sunday, October 1st. If you missed the discussion over the first half of the book, you can check that out here.

I've decided to move the Beloved (Toni Morrison) read-along to November. I have way too much reading on my plate in October (because...spooky season) so November will work better for me. Hope that's okay for everyone who is reading along. I'll post the reading schedule sometime in October.

1000 Books Project - The House of the Spirits Discussion One

Yes, I realize I am totally off schedule with the first two reading sections. I apologize. I can't explain what happened in August. I'll just say it wasn't pretty. lol

This book is truly wonderful. It's loaded with magical realism which I love. But it also takes a good look at class differences in 20th century South America. The politics spoken about, and the mention of Socialism, made me think of current murmurings in American politics. Esteban Trueba is a right bastard. It has been a while since I've disliked a character this much. His treatment of the women in and around Tres Marias, and his clear disdain for all women..."I didn't dare leave my house, where there was clearly need for a man among so many hysterical women" is almost unbearable to read. The earthquake was terrible. His beating of Blanca was horrible. He certainly deserved for Clara to never speak to him/have anything to do with him from that point on. We shall see what transpires in the second half of the book. 

I remember the film The House of the Spirits and I was looking at the cast online. How very white-washed. Jeremy Irons as Esteban. Meryl Streep as Clara. Winona Ryder as Blanca. Glenn Close as Ferula. The only Hispanic actors were Antonio Banderas as Pedro Tercero, Sarita Choudhury as Pancha, and a few others in supporting, and other minor, roles. I did enjoy the film, and plan a rewatch after finishing the book, but I can only hope that if this film was made in the present day, it would feature a far more diverse cast. 

One of the reasons we are reading this book is in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month which runs from September 15 through October 15. And, of course, as a banned book...

Though the novel has never been officially banned, it has faced several challenges in schools since the time of its publication in 1982, often being characterized as “pornagraphic”, “immoral” and “defaming the Catholic faith”. The most recent, and perhaps most significant, challenge came about in 2013 when several parents at a North Carolina high school raised formal complaints to the school board regarding the book being a part of the English curriculum. The book was retained after three appeals and a defense letter from Isabel Allende herself. In the letter, the author writes:

“I find myself in the unusual and awkward position of having to “defend” my novel The House of the Spirits that risks being banned from a high school in Boone, North Carolina. Banning of books is a common practice in police states, like Cuba or North Korea, and by religious fundamentalist groups like the Taliban, but I did not expect it in our democracy…” Source

What did you think of the first half of the book? Share any and all thoughts in the comments.

I will make a concerted effort to post the next discussion on time, according to the reading schedule. Thank you for bearing with me. 

1000 Books Project - The House of the Spirits Reading Schedule

Time to start our next book in our 1000 Books Project: Banned Books 2023 read-along challenge...Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month in September.

My edition: Alfred A. Knopf 1985 - hardcover, 368 pages.

Discussions will be posted here on the blog on the dates indicated in the schedule. Feel free to stop by the discussions any time. Post your thoughts in the comments, or share a link to a blog post.

Reading Schedule:

• August 1 - 15, Chapters 1 - 3, pp. 3 - 88
  Discussion post will go up on Wednesday, August 16
• August 16 - 31, Chapters 4 - 6, pp. 89 - 178
  Discussion post will go up on Friday, September 1
• September 1 - 15, Chapters 7 - 10, pp. 179 - 269
  Discussion post will go up on Saturday, September 16
• September 16 - 30, Chapters 11 - Epilogue, pp. 270 - 368 (end)
  Discussion post will go up on Sunday, October 1

The original 2023 1000 Books challenge post with info and sign-up is here.

Happy reading!

1000 Books Project - Brave New World Final Thoughts

I apologize for not having two discussions like I planned. The month got away from me, and I was having trouble getting into the book. I finally finished it today. 

I've heard a lot of great things about this book so I guess I was expecting to be wowed. I didn't hate it or anything (4 stars on Goodreads, but maybe closer to 3.5). It just had a lot of ups and downs for me. Just when it would start to get exciting, the long philosophical talks would start. But that's enough nitpicking. Let's talk about how appalling it would be if the world was to come to be as it is in this book. 

No families, no parents, a caste system decided by level of intelligence which is genetically engineered in every person. It's normal for seven year old children (and probably younger and older as well) to participate in erotic play (!). No books, meaning literature...no Shakespeare, etc. No one grows old because they're disposed of before they can even become elderly. Psychological manipulation and conditioning. The list goes on and on. It's such a generic society, it does border on hilarity. The way they talk, act. It would be a shock if you had not always lived like that so I completely understand John's (who they call the Savage) reaction. How else could someone who had grown up reading the beautiful words of Shakespeare act? 

Huxley was a visionary in a lot of this, as this was published in 1932. He writes about many of the things we are now capable of in our current society. Pretty scary. I hope I'm long gone off this earth if this kind of world ever comes to pass. Not a brave new world in my opinion.

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What did you think? Share any and all thoughts in the comments.

Our next book for the 1000 Books Project is The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. We will read and discuss in August and September, with the latter month being Hispanic Heritage Month and Banned Books Week also falls in September. I will post the reading schedule before the end of July. 

1000 Books Project - Brave New World Reading Schedule

Time to start our next book in our 1000 Books Project: Banned Books 2023 read-along challenge...Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

My edition: HarperPerennial, 1998 - trade paperback, 268 pages.

Discussions will be posted here on the blog on the dates indicated in the schedule. Feel free to stop by the discussions any time. Post your thoughts in the comments, or share a link to a blog post.

Reading Schedule:

• June 1 - 15 - Chapters 1 - 9, pp. 3 - 145
  Discussion post will go up on Friday, June 16
• June 16 - 29, Chapters 10 - 18, pp. 146 - 259
  Discussion post will go up on Friday, June 30

I've invited the participants in June's Sci-Fi Summer Readathon (hosted on my Seasons of Reading blog) to join us in this read-along. If you would like to join us for the readathon, you will find all the info and sign-up here.

The original 2023 1000 Books challenge post with info and sign-up is here.

Happy reading!

1000 Books Project: Part Three of Elie Wiesel's Night Trilogy - Discussing The Accident

I'm sorry I am SO late with this post. I finished the last novel in the trilogy at the very beginning of April. Just haven't had a chance to get over here. 

I don't really know what to say about The Accident. It is what it is. What I will say is that the story in this novel really illustrates the guilt Holocaust survivors carry. That they survived while others didn't. Even to the point where, after surviving all of that, their will to live is not very strong. Is this character in The Accident autobiographically based on Elie's own experiences. I wonder. Perhaps he knew of other survivors who did have this mentality, this not being able to carry on a normal, happy life because of the memories. Having survived one of the most horrific and tragic events in history is something that would be very hard to reconcile with living a normal life. This is my opinion, of course. 

What did you think of The Accident? Share any and all thoughts in the comments.

Our next book for the 1000 Books Project is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Since the book is relatively short (my copy is 268 pages), we will be doing the read-along for this one in June, during my Sci-Fi Summer Readathon at Seasons of Reading. I will be inviting readathon participants to join us for the read-along. I will post the reading schedule in May. 

1000 Books Project: Part Two of Elie Wiesel's Night Trilogy - Discussing Dawn

I don't really have too much to say about Dawn. Not quite as compelling as Night, but still gripping in its own right. I did find myself wondering how many young people who survived the Holocaust (the camps) ended up exactly where Elisha did...part of a terrorist movement? It's sad to become so consumed with hate, but it is very understandable. I can see how fighting back against oppression is very important to them. Of course, Gad is a convincing recruiter. 

"Gad's stories were utterly fascinating. I saw in him a prince of Jewish history, a legendary messenger sent by fate to awaken my imagination, to tell the people whose past was now their religion: Come, come; the future is waiting for you with open arms. From now on you will no longer be humiliated, persecuted, or even pitied. You will not be strangers encamped in an age and a place that are not yours. Come, brothers, come!"

The ending is truly hard to read. I think to myself, I could never kill another human being, but I have never been faced with oppression. That being said, is terrorism really the answer? It has been around for hundreds of years, and nothing has ever really changed. Much the same as war. Something to think about.

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What did you think of Dawn? Share any and all thoughts in the comments.

We are reading Book Three of the Night Trilogy, The Accident, this month. According to our reading schedule, I will post the discussion on (around) March 31.

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