Moby Dick read-along discussion

Hey Grace,

first of all thank you for those insightful interpretations of chapter 42. Just like you I found Melville's commentary on "whiteness" very interesting. What I really enjoyed here was that Ishmael concluded that white is not really a color but the "absence of color" and that's why it has a mysterious quality; and everything about our beloved White Whale just screams mystery. ;)

second of all I really wanted to apologize for not replying earlier but after my exams my brain really needed a break and whenever I attempted to read Moby Dick I literally fell asleep (I'm still enjoying the book but it's not really captivating... :D) and so I had nothing to talk about.
I saw on your update that you've already finished it (and that you've read The Hobbit in the meantime... aawww that makes me really happy, you should try LotR as well it is very enjoyable even though IMO much denser than The Hobbit)...
I'm trying to finish Moby Dick this week and I would suggest that we then just discuss the ending and overall themes of the book? (If you're still interested... I could understand if you're not because I'm literally the worst when it comes to replying on time).
Just like you I think that the majority of the chapters are really just Melville talking about whaling in a factual way (with no deeper meaning) and I hope that there will be a bit more action in the last chapters when they finally encounter Moby Dick (and how that it wrapped up) which is much more interesting to discuss than how whales are painted in England vs America... :D

Okay, I'm glad we're both up for a general discussion. :)

LotR is intimidating and I am very fortunate because I'm reading it with a friend of mine who has studied Tolkien's mythology in College and so her input is super useful and interesting. I feel like if you're just reading LotR without diving into its background and who all of those friggin' people are Tolkien is mentioning then it isn't very rewarding... But of course it's hard to get the right information if you're a newbie in his world. I am by no means an expert but if you're giving LotR a go and have some question I would like to help you (...if I know the answer :D).

And I'm not going to read the new Harry Potter book. I've been going back and forth about the (dis)advantages and I have come to the conclusion that this story will bring nothing but disappointed and uncomfortable feelings to me. Harry Potter means so much to me and I have come to terms with the fact that the series was wrapped up (perfectly wrapped up actually) and I don't even have the feeling that Jo's new input is "canon". Harry Potter means something different to everyone who has accompanied him on his journey and therefore I feel like the reader has the right to imagine his future for themselves and so in my little my head the future that I have imagined for Harry is just as relevant as Rowling's. :)