Stephen King - Under the Dome

Because Mr. King is from Maine, most of his novels are about that corner of the U.S. This story tugged at me for a long, long time because my imagination is such that I pictured myself in the story, and wondered what I would do different or the same as the characters. Is it because I have great empathy and compassion for others that I can vividly remember the parts of the novel that were just so greatly heartwrenching and touching at the same time? If you are not familiar with King's stories, let me tell you that it is very possible to not only be scared, alarmed, disturbed and horrified, but also to cry and laugh at completely different times? This had me thinking about end-of-the-world disasters and how I would handle it for my family.

Sudden thought-- I REALLY wish all this social media stuff existed when I started out reading his books. It is interesting to read other's views about the novel.

Stephen King - Pet Semetary

I have certainly done my share of reading of Mr. King's books. Although I don't always recall what the story was actually about YEARS LATER (when I had first read them as a young adult), this one's premise has never left my memory. This was a fantastic and terrible story-- one that greatly touched my heart in such a sad way. I'm a pet owner since childhood, both dogs and cats. This story caused me mental grief and misery because I greatly disagreed with how the end of the story played out. But of course, this is WHY it turned out to be such a fantastic read! Similar to Poe in a way, because his tales were so twisted.

Stephen King - Dolores Claiborne

This is another great read. I read it many times just before falling asleep in my comfy bed at home. It was amazing how the after effects of reading a horror story can interrupt your daytime thoughts. Of course I had to see the movie too. How scary is Cathy Bates really? It turns out-- quite scary. I screamed numerous times and was convinced she was literally insane. And now she's doing some kind of lawyer drama on TV?  Way to go, Cathy.  If any of you like spine-tingling, on the edge of your seat dramas, with a large twist of crazy-as-a-loon main characters, then this is the book for you. Truly.

Stephen King

One of my very first favorite writers is King. The novel Cell was one I read even before I had my very first cell phone. I enjoyed it in the kind of way one might when watching a really good scary movie. I believe that it was based on King's belief or fear that cell phones were damaging to people.

Of course they say now that the more time you spend on a cell phone, the increased likelihood that your going to have some kind of brain cancer or tumor.

The book is fantastic! If you have any kind of imagination whatsoever, don't read this book. It makes the possibility of this danger all the more real.

Rappacini's Daughter

This was less bothersome for me to read since I've already told you I don't prefer dark tales. Perhaps it was Beatrice herself, filled with honest and true emotions and a innate spirit that was essentially good. I do believe that all this would have changed dramatically if she had known that she was her father's science experiment.

Comparably, this story is similar to any real life girl whose parents are not exactly "positive role models." Perhaps they have a drinking or a drug problem. But somehow, someway, these strong-spirited girls, or young women, find their way through a difficult life. They struggle through school but persist in getting their high school diploma. Perhaps their GPA is 3.0 or 3.2 or so. Whatever. But they persist in their tenacity, and with the help of the school's guidance counselors, get accepted into a state college. They believe strongly that their personal dreams are obtainable, and if they look in just the right direction, help will come their way. Encouragement, I believe, can help any person overcome all negative possibilities. Kindness, compassion and unselfishness can help all those misguided teens living in the U.S. If we show we care, even when their family doesn't, what great things can they achieve?

But back to this story... Beatrice had no one but Giovanni. Perhaps if she did, she'd still be alive and less willing to prove herself. Perhaps her attitude would've changed in six months or so and she realized that her self was much too precious to risk by drinking the potion Giovanni offered. She was misguided in her love for him. In many ways, this happens too in real life. If we hold back and wait just a bit longer, thinking about things, before we do anything that will affect the rest of our lives, maybe we'd have fewer regrets.

Minister's Black Veil

This was a suitably dark tale to be read at Halloween. ;o) My youngest son is 12 and he had no interest in trick or treating this year. The costume that he wore last year still sits on a side table in the living room and the rubber mask has only been worn by me this year-- to scare both my dog and my son. I failed at both attempts.

If you like tales of doom and darkness, then you may have liked this tale. I personally don't. I found myself greatly disappointed that when they THOUGHT he had died, he quickly grabbed the veil and placed it back on his face.   It was much too eerie for me.

kaleidescope

Walking along the leaf-scattered trail, I stop for a moment on the bridge by the creek and take in the beauty and the glory that is Nature. So tranquil, so serene, so perfect for a Hallmark I wish for my camera. Never is there such beauty as when enjoying a moment alone in the midst of a forest. I am alone, unbothered by other humans. I hear the drip-drip-drip of rain falling from the leaves and dropping onto the mud-covered trail. Acorns fall from the trees in random spontaneity, accompanied by the occasional pine cone or the walnut. Such annoyance accompanied by hilarity reach me as I encounter their touch on the back of my head. I smile to myself. I trek further up the muddy trail, trying desperately to despise the mud that splatters on my Levis. I recall memories from the past and adventures with family. Mud pies with acorn centerpieces and bits of color from torn up leaves. Red orange yellow leaves. A kaleidoscope of color, minute, fragmented, easily picked up by a stray wind and carried away. The forest smells like Autumn, a fragrant muskiness specific to this time of the year. I inhale the fragrance, treasuring it. There is nothing better than the smell of autumn in the air. Autumn enriches my spirit, fills me with joy and wanderlust, and I always want to become a sudden wayward traveler who leaves their worries behind. I will travel light and carry only what is needed. I will drive with the windows down, the wind in my face, seeing everything there is to see along the country roads. I will drive, and I will drive some more, stopping only when Nature has had Her way again. She will grow tired of this landscape, as she does with all the others, and she will beckon Winter to come forth. 

Snowbound

This Transcendentalism theme will be wonderful for me as I greatly enjoy these authors. Although I do have to admit that Snowbound's author, John Greenleaf Whittier, wasn't immediately recognized by me when I read the list of assigned readings for this pod, I remember having read this sometime much earlier in my life.  While I always groaned that the length was great, I did always enjoy the images and the memories it revived in me.  I've been snowbound once or twice in my life, and have experienced the same sense of euphoria and blissful wonder when viewing the world in a snow-covered blanket. My children and my dog would partake of a good, wintry day clad in boots, mittens and hats, scrambling up the hillside with our plastic sleds.

For me, specifically, both as an adult and as a child, good times in the snow generally meant trekking with the family, including the dog, through the woods of a neighboring park. We lived in the city but it was my father who always taught us to appreciate the beauty of a natural landscape, especially in the snow. He had a job in an office and wore a suit and tie every day. On the weekends in the winter time, he had great fun with us as we went to the nearby parks. When us kids went sledding, there was his "excuse" to go sledding too. I guess he felt like he needed an excuse to have some fun.

Story of an Hour by Chopin

Poor Mrs. Mallard! Again I feel regret that this sick woman cannot be set free from a life of heartache. I have to wonder if this was an arranged marriage, as was custom long ago.

I enjoyed the setting of her being in the chair in the upstairs room, her tears drying on her cheeks, and the scent of rain pleasant to her senses.

Richard, the husband's friend, had hurried to deliver the news of his friends death in order to be the first to tell her. Had wanted to tell her the way he chose, with tenderness, causing the reader to wonder if it was due to his nature to be so thoughtful or if it had something to do with Mrs. Mallard herself. As if he fancied her...

But what a twist of irony at the end! Having him return just as she's ready to face her new life.  "She had died of heart disease, of joy that kills."

The Cask of Amontillado

As always with Poe, I felt definite unease when reading this. Poe will never make it to my list of top authors of all time, and I think that its just a personal choice on my part. Perhaps the closer to Halloween we get, the more "in the mood" I'll be for gloom and doom. Of course, even then I can only imagine it in a fun and scary way, like reading his story to my kids around a campfire at nighttime.

This is a tale about a fool's travels... and I say that only because a drunk man travelling into underground caverns in very ill health possibly to get more to drink would indeed not be wise.

The world was different back in his time.Do you think people wanted to be entertained by reading his dark tales? Was there so little entertainment back then? Why did people read his material?

The Adams letters

I didn't plan on loving history as an adult, but since I've taken two semesters at Ivy Tech, that's exactly what's happened for me. I remember having read just a few of the letters in my class over a year ago; they were quite interesting for "primary documents." Most of the other primary documents were not, in my opinion. But these were different. These were love letters of historical importance which revealed a husband's love for his wife and vice-versa. They were much more than that as well. I also found myself respecting Abigail Adams, as a woman and as a figurehead in American history. She never wanted her personal letters published, but a grandson took it upon himself to do so anyway after her death. I find myself asking whether she'd be happy with the progress women have made since her time, whether Hillary Clinton's run for president wouldn't been a let down or a success, and what her thoughts would be concerning President Obama, the first black president.

The Raven-- just a lil' crazy

Way back when I was a kid, I remember talking with my grandfather about authors who were considered sort of 'famous.'  When we talked about Poe, I remember him quoting lines from the Raven. I also remember how it made me feel to see him visibly affected by the very words that were written by the author. The Raven gave him the creeps, literally, and my grandfather was a very brave man. Ironically, I only remembered that just now as I'm writing in this blog. Anyway, as an adult, reading the poem again is still the very same for me today as it was when I read it the first time-- very creepy & weird, but not scary in a sense like scary-movie scary.  Thank God for that! Poe was definetely a great storyteller and puzzlemaker. How many of his readers even stop to ask themselves who Lenore really is/was?