Stephanie > Recent Status Updates

"God gave us faces so we can see each other better.". (p 410, LP edition)

Read the short story, "Logging and Pimping and "Your Pal, Jim"", which was his first published story. Not my favorite.

"[Wordsworth] once wrote that the best portion of a good person's life is 'the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love. Tintern Abbey, yes?" (p.330 LP edition)

Had to go read it: "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour. July 13, 1798" by William Wordsworth

Quite a bit of inspiration for this book seems to have come from that poem.

I've read "A River Runs Through It" for bookclub. I haven't decided if I'm going to read the short story or the other novella in this edition. First, I will listen to the Close Reads discussion over "A River Runs Through It".

"I so love to scribble on the pages. A fresh conversation atop one long since written." (July 24). I like this quote, though I rarely write in books, myself. I have a friend who loves reading those 'fresh conversations' in used books.

Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core. p191 LP edition (near the end of Ch 21).

Listening to this with my husband on a road trip. Somewhere in Chapter 13 I took note of a conversation between two characters in which one questioned the other: "What is your philosophy? ... If they do not know what they want how can they be so certain they are right?". I'm sure this will be discussed on the Close Reads podcast.

"Lots of people suffer for other folks' sins."

Technically I've finished the book - I had to switch to audio and plow a bit through the last third to finish in time for bookclub. I will be reading it with my eyes and taking notes...so leaving it here as 99% done until I'm finished with this edition.

I have four and a half pages of quotes so far in spite of the fact that I'm spending more time listening to an audiobook version than reading from my edition. Otherwise I will never finish the book in time for my bookclub discussion.

"My name is Inigo de Loyola". Inconceivable! 😂

I remember hearing grandpa say that a love for good books was one of the best safeguards a man could have
This love of money is the curse of America, and for the sake of it men will sell honor and honesty, till we don't know whom to trust 210

Fathers and mothers are too absorbed in business and housekeeping to study their children and cherish that sweet and natural confidence which is a child's surest safeguard 227

"The writers of these popular stories intend to do good, I have no doubt, but it seems to me they fail because their motto is, 'Be smart and you will be rich' instead of 'Be honest and you will be happy.'" 200

"You have laid out hard task for yourself...in trying to provide good reading for boys who have been living on sensation stories. It will be like going from raspberry tarts to plain bread and butter..." 210

A real sacrifice is giving up something you want or enjoy very much, isn't it? ... Doing it one's own self because one loves another person very much and wants her to be happy? ,,, And doing it pleasantly, and being glad about it, and not minding the praise if it doesn't come? 110

...though we do not want trumpets blown, we do like to have our little virtues appreciated, and cannot help feeling disappointed... 121

A happy soul in a healthy body makes the best sort of beauty ... 54
"Too much money is a bad thing." "But I can give it away, you know; that is always the pleasantest part of having it, *I* think." "I'm glad you feel so, for you *can" do much good with your fortune if you know how to use it well" ... 92

"How could she prove her uncle's guilt? ... She could stage a play about a second son murdering a king and hope he confessed. No, that was ridiculous".

Slow but steady progress continues since my bookclub discussion was postponed...

Much that is interesting to read followed by (too many) lines of who killed who and how...

This Pocket Book caught my eye in a little free library at the Lewis and Clark Lake welcome center. I saw "Pulitzer Prize-winning book" on the cover, thought I'd give it a try while we were camping there for the weekend, and was immediately hooked.

I made it to Fort Laramie but am going to have to take a short break from it to get through a few more chapters of The Iliad.

10 slow chapters in. Thankful that a a friend recommended listening to o the discussions on Ascend - The Great Books Podcast. I'd likely have thrown in the towel, otherwise.

Halfway through before we get to the beginning of the story of the Iliad. I do appreciate this kind of chronological arrangement with all the backstory laid out. I think the audience of The Iliad would have known the stories that Fry presented in the first half.

Tonight, I read a couple of short chapters - and then a third because each is leaving us in suspense. My son said, "Are these movies? They should make these into a movie." I'd say that's pretty high praise from a 6th grade boy.

"Never underestimate the power of stupid."