Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf Continued

Along with detailing the thoughts and feelings of Mrs. Dalloway, the unhappy couple Septimus and Rezia, Peter Walsh, the novel follows the thoughts of the Dalloway's housekeeper, who considers the Dalloways, "from the most worthless of all classes-the rich." We see the bitter side of their housekeeper Mrs. Kilman as she converses with Elizabeth Dalloway and makes rude remarks to herself. We trace along with Peter Walsh as he walks through the lovely parks of London and tries to figure out what it is he so happens to be attracted to about Clarissa and then decides he must attend her party and bring her something special as he is planning to confirm his love to her. After all, "it is a thousand pities never to say what one feels." At home preparing for her party in the evening Mrs. Dalloway gets an unexpected visit from her husband Richard before he leaves to attend a committee that Clarissa mixes up the name of. He comes bearing roses, and how she loves him so for it, but her only desire is that he would be able to say he loves her, but she decides she can see he is trying to say it and that the words themselves are not entirely necessary. She ponders to herself if she should have married Peter for there is such a difference in her and Richard's relationship to that of her and Peter; her and Peter would converse and perhaps argue, but with Richard there was nothing to argue about, as the other ladies said she was spoiled because he listened to whatever she said, but was there a certain passion missing Clarissa wondered? Septimus doesn't seem to want to have children and because it is all Rezia desires, she takes Septimus to a doctor who confirms there is nothing physically wrong with him, but that he is in a phunk and must be institutionalized. Elizabeth Dalloway's teacher takes her to the market and Clarissa seems to have doubts about the sanity of the woman. All this is so much to take on upon the eve of her famed party.

Woolf somehow portrays Clarissa is a woman with much character and an amazing spirit, though she considers party giving, "her gift. Nothing else had she the slightest of importance; could not think, write, even play the piano. She muddled Armenians and Turks; loved success; hated discomfort; must be liked; talked oceans of nonsense: and to this day, ask her what the equator was, and she did not know." Curious to find out if Peter Walsh will proclaim his love to Clarissa, how Septimus will fare in the institution, how the rest of Elizabeth's life will turn out, and just how successful the party will end up being? Don't wait to find out.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Mrs. Dalloway chronicles the life of a very vibrant woman named Clarissa, throughout a single very important day, during which she is supposed to be hosting a party of her own. At first I found the novel a little challenging as it is not broken up into chapters, so some ideas seem to flow into others without breaks, causing the lines between character thoughts and certain events to be blurred. However the reader does catch on to the acclaimed Virginia Woolf's style to writing literature; she frequently changes character perspectives and locations in periodic intervals throughout her work. This is helpful in giving the reader a sense of multiple character's views about various occurrences. Though a bit hard to understand when first reading the novel, this style helps keep the novel interesting and flowing well.

Throughout her day of preparing for the party Clarissa is confronted by those from her past, including Mr. Peter Walsh. The two have not seen each other since he left for India years ago, and last Clarissa heard he was engaged and to be married to some woman he met on the ride over. She was utterly shocked by his visit and he clearly still illustrates he has feelings for the girl he has known since early childhood days. Although he tries to cover up these feelings by pretending he is "in love again" he dearly wishes Clarissa had not married Mr. Richard Dallowy in the years past. Clarissa recalls at this time the way she and Richard met, how they were a perfect pair, despite her first few incorrect introductions of him. When Clarissa is speaking with Peter Walsh her daughter unexpectedly enters the room and she introduces her little darling sweetly with a mother's admiration, yet it somehow seems to anger Peter the way she does so. The novel also follows a couple of whom the wife has become increasingly unhappy as she has had to move to Enlgand which she hasn't come to fancy and their marriage is falling apart. She uses the excuse that her fingers are too thin to wear her wedding ring, but her husband is not fooled. Mrs. Dalloway decides to invite Peter to her gala that night as he is abruptly leaving her home. Care to see how the events of the day will unfold for the multiple characters present in this novel? Will an old flame reappear or die out for good? To find out pick up a copy of the famous author's work that inspired the hours. You'll certainly end up enjoying it.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

I previously mentioned Robert Langdon had come to the realization the certain someone who tricked him into comming to Washington D.C. is Peter Solomon's captor. Robert, the CIA, and capitol police decipher an encoded message tattooed on Peter's severred hand that leads them all the way into the Senate's sub-basement, a long-unexplored area beneath the capitol. Upon entering the room of the captor's instructions, the team discovers a Masonic shrine containing a pyramid, supposed to decipher the ancient mysteries that this captor desires with the help of a package Solomon gave Langdon to protect. However when Langdon begins to try to crack the pyramid's engraving, Warren Bellamy, the capitol architect, enters suddenly and knocks Langdon's CIA and capitol police companions unconcious. The duo then make their way to a safe refuge inside the capitol reading room to discuss the prestige and power of this pyrmaid, as Bellamy is a masonic brother himself. While this side of the story is unfolding the captor is up to his tricks once again, yet this time with Katherine Solomon; fooling the scientist into thinking he is her brother's therapist she invites the man to join her at her research lab, but who he actually turns out to be from her past and what he does to wreck all her work is unimaginable. Langdon and Katherine are united midway through the book and embark on a journey with the common goal of saving Peter by decoding the Masonic messages of this pyramid and package. Along the way they encounter many other Masonic brothers, learn a great deal about Peter's past and the power of the ancient mysteries among modern men. Care to see how the duo will eclipse the captor's sly ways and save Peter? Want to find out just what this pyrmaid says for yourself? pick up a copy today.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

If you've read Dan Brown's other novels The Davinci Code and Angels & Demons, you'll love his newest work featuring beloved character and Harvard Professor, Robert Langdon.

One day out of the blue Robert Langdon receives a phone call from the office of his good friend and high-ranked mason, Peter Solomon. Peter's assistant informs Langdon that Peter is hosting a dinner for the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., which he is very involved in, but unfortunately their speaker dropped out at the last minute and Peter thought a speech Langdon had given on television a few years back would be perfect. Of course, Langdon agrees to help out his dear friend and is flown by private jet to D.C. that evening. However, upon his arrival to the capital building where the event is supposed to be held Langdon realizes things have gone terribly wrong and he has fallen into a tricky trap; when he can't find the location of the dinner and hears the scream of a child coming from the rotunda, Langdon rushes to the scene and finds out he has made a terrible mistake by going to D.C. that night. Peter's so-called "secretary" was not a secretary at all, but his captor for reasons beyond Langdon's understanding. This clever and creepy captor uses the symbols of the ancient mysteries to guide Langdon, the capitol police, and the CIA on a quest for Masonic secrets he believes are uncover-able based on information he got out of Peter. The cause of the child's screaming was the severed hand of Peter Solomon, with his Masonic ring still on his finger, pointing to the top of the capitol rotunda and tattooed with some unknown symbology. Peter's captor contacts him by cell phone and gives a choice: solve the mysteries of the masonic legends by the end of the night and share them with him or Peter and his sister will cease to see the light of day. The story tracks Langdon, Peter's Captor, the CIA, the capitol police, and Peter's sister as the events of the night unfold, leaving the reading aching for more.

Brown's unique style of alternating perspectives every chapter makes the novel interesting and easy to read, just like two of his very popular others. Though I have to say out of the 3 Langdon-centered novels this extra captivating one is by far my favorite.

Care for find out more about how Landgon will deal with his options and who else comes into play throughout the novel? Pick up this newest edition to the Robert Langdon trilogy and you won't be sorry.

Quarter 1 Reflection/Quarter 2 Goals

After looking over all my blogs since the beginning of this quarter I have noticed that I usually discuss more about the book's/author's writing style than the plot, which I mostly give a brief but informative synopsis of. In the majority of my blogs I included quotes that I particularly liked from the books or thought showed evidence of a repeated theme. I also realized that I often like to compare the books I have read to other books or even different types of media such as movies or television shows. The book blogging experience is a very unique one; it is different than just writing a summary of your independent reading book because it allows you to really include your specific take and perspective on the literature, which I quite enjoyed because of being able to voice my own true opinion.

As a blogger I would like to accomplish gaining a greater understanding of the books I have read and will read through my blog by perhaps asking questions I have about the book or character's actions to help me grasp main points and maybe get some advice from anyone who might become a follower of the blog. I could probably work on making my blog a little clearer and including more about the plot and characters in my entries for the next quarter. I have found that if I am blogging about a book I really enjoyed then I tend to be very interested in what I have to say, however not so much if I have to blog about a book I didn't quite like as much. I might feel differently about these books if I looked for more positives while writing my blogs. Overall I enjoyed writing independent reading blogs for the first quarter and am excited to continue it for the next marking period.

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

The star of this most famous of Truman Capote's works happens to be Miss Holly Golightly, a rather young woman with a world of charm of someone twice her age. Capote clearly put a lot of work into developing such a unique and timeless character; Miss Golightly is well known by those who live around her in the city and most still admire her despite her annoying late night arrivals forgetting her key and buzzing someone up to let her in at any hours of the night.

The novel is a very quick read partially because of the quirky and fast-paced dialogue that reminds me of the conversations between Rory and Lorelai on Gilmore Girls; Audrey, Rory, and Lorelai all share that their speech is often random and not always clear to others, but yet the three women possess a light and warmth about them that seems welcoming and makes you envy their natural ease at life.

What is ironic about how perfect Capote makes Holly out to be is that is not at all how she was raised; she grew up with many siblings in a very rural area yet she manages to quickly adjust and flourish in the life of the city. At the same time that Holly seems so truly and effortlessly the image of feminine perfection she still has a sense of doubt within herself. She lets this show through when referring to her cat, "poor slob without a name. It's a little inconvenient, his not having a name. But I haven't any right to give him one: he'll have to wait until he belongs to somebody. We just sort of took up by the river one day, we don't belong to each other: he's an independent, and so am I. I don't want to own anything until I know I've found the place where me and things belong together." This statement addresses the uncertainty in all of us; we don't know exactly what we're looking for all the time, sometimes just something to make us feel complete. Through the novel Holly finds herself through her encounters with various individuals that impact the course of her life.

The classic also brings about the eternal truth that shopping is the best therapy, as Miss Golightly herself mentions, " What I've found does the most good is just to get in a taxi and go to Tiffany's. It calms me down right away, the quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there, not with those kind of men in their nice suits, and that lovely smell of silver and alligator wallets." Even if your not the shopping type of gal, any woman and any human can relate to the comfort in having a sanctuary of one's own whatever that might be. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast but sweet read and don't forget to check out the film as well.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch is 45 years old, he has three young children, a wonderful wife, and a stable teaching career as a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, but all this, he finds out, is in jeopardy; he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the cancer type with the least percent survivors of all, and finds out after undergoing a risky surgery and intense chemotherapy that all he has left is 3 to 6 months of good health.

Three to six months seems like very little time to settle everything for one's family and etc. before their passing. Pausch, however does not choose to waste one second of the time he has left. Since he is a professor and lecturing is second nature to him as part of his last acts on earth Randy arranges to give a last lecture at Carnegie Mellon. As if this wasn't enough to take on during the last stages of one's life, Randy also made the decision to move to Virginia so his wife and children would be close to family when the time of his death arrived and they needed them most. Would this lecture be a goodbye on Pausch's part? No more of a last offer of wisdom to those around him and a way for his children to learn about their dad and the life lessons he would have taught them but would no longer be around to do so. What did he call this momentous lecture? "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood dreams".

This memoir is more or less a version of Pausch's last lecture, slightly expanded upon, in which he shares experiences from his life and offers advice to those that are all so lucky to just still have much of their lives ahead of them.

I found Pauch's style of writing very easy to read and very personal; I felt as if he I was sitting in the lecture hall listening to him speak as I was reading. Something very surprising about the tone of the memoir is Pauch's unwavering optimism; despite surgeries, chemotherapy and death practically waiting on his doorstep he managed to keep a smile on and even those who caught a peek of him just through a car window noticed.

Throughout his life, Pausch had many amazing opportunities such as experiencing zero gravity at the Nasa center, creating various virtual reality experiences, teaching at Carnegie Mellon, and even using a sixth month sabbatical to work as a Disney Imagineer.

Though his condition eventually lead to Pauch's death in 2008 his book became a bestseller and left many who read it, including myself filled with inspiration and a newfound desire to relish all moments of life.

Let me leave you with one last piece of wisdom from the bestseller, "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand,"-Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture.

The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini (End)

!!!SEVERE SPOILER ALERT!!!!

When Amir is informed of Rahim Khan's illness he immediately journeys to Afghanistan to see the man that was like a second father to him in his time of need. Upon visiting Rahim at his apartment, Amir finds him to be in a worsening state. He discovers that what he feared was true; Rahim Khan knows of the terrible mistakes of his childhood involving Hassan. But Amir soon finds there is hope for redemption.

Rahim tells of the Afghanistan after Baba and Amir left, terrible but Rahim, aging, was aided by the help of Hassan and his wife who Amir never had the privelege of meeting in the house where Baba and Ali once lived in Kabul. During this time Hassan and his wife were blessed with a child, Hassan was reunited with his mother for a short time and then she was taken away from him and not long after Taliban officers took Hassan and his wife's lives away from them and their son, Sohrab in Rahim Khan's absence.

In order to honor Hassan, who Amir finds out to have been his half brother, something that makes him wish he could alter the past more than ever before, Amir feels a great obligation to find Hassan's boy and bring him to a place of safety. However, to Amir's dismay Sohrab turns up to be in the hands of those from his and his father's childhood, those who could harm him most, and won't give up without a fight where only one side may be victorious.

Curious to see if Amir is successful in saving Sohrab from those who can harm him? Itching to see what'll happen to Sohrab if he is saved? Where will Amir take him? Another orphanage,a safe haven, his own home? It won't be a struggle to finish this thrilling tale that's for sure. Enjoy the ending, you won't be disappointed!

THe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Middle Continued)

!Spoiler Alert! (Avert your eyes if you don't want some important book details to be leaked)

In my last post I mentioned Amir had developed feelings for Soraya, the beautiful daughter of fellow afghans working at the flea market on sundays. In keeping with the increasing pace of the novel, things have quickly progressed from that point in a small sum of pages.

Since then Amir has asked for Soraya's hand in marriage to have it granted by her father, the general, and Baba has been diagnosed with cancer which only continues to get worse. As Baba's condition becomes poorer and poorer the wedding is planned and held in record time to make sure Baba won't miss it. However, very soon after the wedding Baba kisses Amir and Soraya goodnight but never wakes up. It is ever more evident how admired Baba was in the Afghan community by the lots upon lots of people who attended his funeral and mentioned personal stories about him to Amir. The time was very emotional for the whole family and even Amir breaks down but finds comfort in his new wife Soraya's arms.

When Soraya and Amir begin trying to have children and are faced with a year-long struggle of tests and doctor's office visits only to be told adoption is their best option, Amir comes face to face with his fears once again: is he being punished for his handling of the terrible situation with Hassan so many years ago? However Amir is no longer alone in his resentment towards his past; Soraya has made mistakes of her own that have tarnished her reputation in society, but not in Amir's heart.

Amir has just found out that Rahim Khan is terribly ill and is planning to go see him in his final days when he is struck by the realization that he may know the terrible mistakes of his past that no one else does.

Care to find out if Amir and Soraya are ever blessed with a child and if Rahim Khan will mention anything to Amir about their life past i Afghanistan? Keep reading to see for yourself.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Middle)

!SPOILER ALERT!

As you fall deeper into the story-line of The Kite Runner, the novel moves faster and faster to the point where Amir, the main character, is graduating high school and entering college, in America nonetheless. America? Yes, your eyes have not deceived you; California is his exact location, however your probably wondering how he got there.

Quite soon after Afghanistan's famous kite-flying competition, which Amir and Hassan successfully win a terrible occurrence takes place on the streets of Kabul. I won't reveal what happens, but it forever changes Hassan's and Amir's life and alters their friendship beyond repair. When news of this unfortunate event reaches Ali, Hassan's Father, he is so outraged that he decides they must leave and go to stay with their cousins because they can no longer remain Baba's servants following this event.

Soon after Hassan and Ali leave Kabul, the state of things in Afghanistan turns to chaos. Amir and his father believing it is in their best interests, flee from their home in secrecy on a bus trip that is less than smooth flowing. Eventually though, the men make it to America and establish a life for themselves there among a growing population of Afghans.

Baba and Amir work to establish opportunities for themselves as they adjust to the new customs of America, hard as it may be. During this time Amir graduates high school, begins college and when working sundays with his father selling garage sale goods, meets a young woman he develops feelings for, despite gossip of her past.

Hosseini's method of jumping years ahead in Amir and Baba's lives keeps the reader entertained and offers a nice contrast to Amir's childhood personality; Amir's adult perspective changed by his new home is very different from the young, somewhat carefree boy he used to be able to be back in Kabul.

Care to find out if Amir and Hassan ever get the chance to reunite, or if the woman Amir has come to fancy returns his affection? Don't drop the novel if you think the beginning is slow-moving, it speeds right up soon enough.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Beginning)

I had heard many amazing reviews of this book, and finally one day questioned myself about why I had not yet read it. Though I only started it last week and haven't had much time to read, the beginning has already drawn me in and got me hooked.

The story is set in Afghanistan with two young boys as the main roles, Amir and Hassan, one of which, Amir, narrates the tale of his life, his father's life and the lives and events of those around him in his native country. Although the book takes place during the time of Amir and Hassan's childhood and on, the novel is more in the form of a series of flashbacks and reflections told by an older, wiser, Amir who wishes some things had worked out differently than they did in his life.

Amir and Hassan though different in their views and status share a bond that goes back a generation before their existence; their fathers Baba and Ali have also grown up together, as Ali was the survivor of a car crash that killed his mother and father, and happened to be taken in by the judge who prosecuted the case, who was in fact Baba's grandfather. Ali was taken under the wing of the servants in Baba's household and they spent their childhood together as playmates, causing mischief and exploring.

Now just like Baba and Ali, as Amir recalls his childhood days with Hassan it becomes apparent that the class and religious distinctions between the boys may lead to some turmoil with their friendship as the book progresses. As Amir mentions, "history isn't easy to overcome".

We also come to see that Amir has great respect and admiration for his father and it bothers him greatly if he pays more attention to Hassan at a particular moment because he feels Baba is his alone, and wants all the same recognition of achievements Hassan may recieve from Baba, though he believes he falls short of his father's expectations.

Although there are many distinctions that separate the boys, they do share a painful loss, the loss of both of their mother's, Amir's to death in childbirth and Hassan's to a band of traveling dancers. This common thread unites the boys as they discover their world together.

I truly am sorry that I have not had the chance to get further into this novel yet, but insist that I simply cannot wait to find out what happens to separate or tarnish this great childhood friendship and see it grow and prosper before that may occur.

If you're looking for a book that's completely unique from any other you've ever read and will have you begging for more after the first chapter, pick up a copy of The Kite Runner, and you won't be disappointed.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

If you have seen the movie and haven't read the book, let me inform you right away you have made a mistake of drastic measures. The movie, though not terrible, is not a very accurate representation of the book with many small alterations that make a significant difference over all and some crucial pieces left untold. Just do yourself a favor and read the book instead of renting the film, trust me it will be a much more beneficial experience.

The story begins telling the tale of when Henry and Claire, the two main characters, meet in a Chicago library. This meeting is the first time Henry has ever seen Claire that he knows of but Claire has seen Henry many times before. This might not make sense but we're missing one crucial fact here, Henry is a time-traveler. Yes, thats right. As if life wasn't complicated enough already, he may disappear at any given moment without the slightest notice or by his choice.

Niffenegger switches perspectives each chapter, which creates an interesting contrast between the views of Henry and Claire, and their own views at different ages. Don't worry about figuring out how old they are when, it is clearly listed right before each passage for the reader's convenience.

Henry and Claire first really meet when she is 6 in the meadow where she plays and hears a noise from the woods. Henry is much older and this meeting, as many first impressions go, is awkward at best. See the thing is, Henry can be coming from any time and when he time travels he can't take anything with him, to make matters even worse.

Curious for more about Claire and Henry's many meetings over the years? Itching to know how exactly this time travel thing works? Please take my advice and read the book, skip the movie.

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

I never thought of mystery as my genre of choice, but this novel changed my perspective completely. Finding myself bored with Agatha Christie's, And Then There Were None, I had lost faith in discovering a mystery that would keep me entertained with lots going on at once, but woven together well enough that it didn't get confusing or messy. After hearing from a friend that there was a prequel to the DaVinci Code, I decided I had to try it and see if it was as good as its partner in the series. To my surprise and delight, it turned out to be even more engaging.

As I neared the end of the rather large book, savoring every last page, not wanting the tale to end, it hit me that I had finished a 569 page book in two days. That was definitely a first. But the strange thing was I had not even noticed myself turning page after page, I was just so into the story I simply couldn't stop.

Dan Brown truly makes you feel like you're in the center of all the commotion with his unique style of changing the point of view to a different character each chapter. It made the book all the more interesting that the story line was told in sequence from one character to another, so you got to see what each one felt at different moments, versus the whole story being told from the same perspective. One moment your following Robert Langdon, the main character who gets sucked into an ongoing series of unfortunate events as he is the only one who may be able to help, and the next your reading about a flashback the Camerlengo, the pope's assistant, has recently experienced.

This tale truly ties it all in flawlessly: Robert Landgon and the woman who comes to accompany him in his attempts to stop a cruel chain of events to overthrow the papacy, Vittoria Vetra clearly have a romance brewing throughout the extent of the book, at the same time they are chasing after murders through the sites of Rome and searching through the Vatican's immense library of ancient documents.

It is my belief that this book can be a great read for anyone who happens to pick it up because it is so entertaining, however those who are scared away by the prospect of a nearly 600 page book, I urge you not to let it sit on your shelf.