The Sunday Salon: Lessons Learned

Good morning and Happy May! April was not an especially productive reading month here by the lake. In fact, it was the least productive since I began blogging, but it was a month that taught a few valuable lessons.

There were several firsts for me this month:

• My first read-along (Wuthering Heights Wednesdays).
• My first Classics Circuit Tour (Zola - Paris in the Spring)
• My first book tour (South of Broad for TLC Book Tours)

Lesson #1

I am a social reader. This read-along thing is a lot of fun! Sure, I could blast through Wuthering Heights in a week, write a review, carry on a conversation in the comments, and be perfectly happy.

But, it's really fun to read three chapters a week and see all the posts appear on Wednesdays. We may focus on different plot points, have varying impressions or questions, or make some interesting (and often funny) comparisons. Jerry Springer was mentioned several times last week!

Thinking back to January, Woolf in Winter served the same purpose. The group read four Woolf novels and posted on one every other Friday. Although I only read Mrs. Dalloway, it was an amazing experience to read (and comment on) all the other posts that day! It certainly enhanced both my understanding and enjoyment.

In the past, challenges have filled this 'social' need, but that came primarily through sign-up and wrap-up posts. The read-alongs are much more fun - for me anyway. That said, I will be ending my 'no challenges in 2010' resolution soon. Bellezza tells me the Japanese Literature 4 Challenge will begin in June rather than July, and I have four books all ready to go.

Other events, such as Claire's Angela Carter Month and Rachel reading her way through Richard Yates novels, have also been very memorable... and social.

Persephone Reading Week, hosted by Verity and Claire, starts tomorrow! I still regret being away on vacation for last August's edition. Doreen by Barbara Noble will be my Persephone of choice for the week. Are you participating?

Lesson #2

I don't like deadlines. I've never really posted with a deadline in mind. Blogging has been all about fun. This month there were six. The four for Wuthering Heights Wednesday weren't bad... I'm sure people would have 'talked to me' even if I posted on Thursday.

Posting for The Classics Circuit and TLC Book Tours added pressure to have a review done on schedule. I don't write a review immediately upon finishing a book. It sort of percolates until 'inspiration' strikes.... and I haven't found a way to speed that process up!

I should mention that I loved The Classics Circuit tour last month! With participants reading many different books by the same author, the scope of discussion was very broad and interesting.

Maybe reading the books further ahead of time and setting an earlier deadline for myself would help.

Lesson #3

I'm uncomfortable with giveaways, and don't like gimmicks or limitations. I'm hosting one now in conjunction with the South Of Broad tour, but (at the publisher's request) it is open only to residents of the US and Canada. I apologize to my international readers.

There you have it - the April lessons. Now what will I do with this new self knowledge? More read-alongs, skip the giveaways, and, given my slow reading speed, carefully consider commitments with a deadline.

Any other suggestions?

The Hours by Michael Cunningham - revisited

Before I read The Hours by Michael Cunningham in 2003, I was well-aware of the connection to Mrs. Dalloway. Although I'd never read Virgina Woolf, it still seemed like an interesting premise for a novel. Plus, as a Pulitzer Prize winner, it fit in with the award-themed reading I was doing. As it turned out, The Hours was one of my favorite books that year. Cunningham's writing impressed me so much, I immediately read A Home at the End of the World and loved that, too! The Hours earned a spot in my 'permanent collection', and I knew I would revisit it one day.

That day came last month. Thanks to a gentle nudge from Woolf in Winter, I finally managed to read Mrs. Dalloway. As I turned the final pages, The Hours was already calling out, so I started it immediately. What was a good story with excellent writing in 2003 became sheer brilliance with Mrs. Dalloway fresh in my mind!

The prologue is an imagined account Virginia Woolf's suicide in 1941. The novel goes on to alternate, in relatively short chapters, between the lives of three women: Virginia Woolf, Laura Brown, and Clarissa Vaughan... all connected, in some way, to Mrs. Dalloway.

It opens with Clarissa Vaughan leaving her flat in New York City at the end of the twentieth century.

"There are still flowers to buy. Clarissa feigns exasperation (though she loves doing errands like this), leaves Sally cleaning the bathroom, and runs out, promising to be back in half an hour." (page 9)

Clarissa, 52, is giving a party for her friend Richard (who nicknamed her Mrs. Dalloway many years ago). He is a poet suffering from AIDS and is to be awarded a major literary prize later that evening.

The chapters about Virginia Woolf show her in the process of writing Mrs. Dalloway.

"Not eating is a vice, a drug of sorts - with her stomach empty she feels quick and clean, clearheaded, ready for a fight. She sips her coffee, sets it down, stretches her arms. This is one of the most singular experiences, waking on what feels like a good day, preparing to work, but not yet actually embarked. At this moment, there are infinite possibilities, whole hours ahead." (page 34)

Laura Brown is a suburban California housewife in 1949 who has difficulty coping with life's demands and is longing to retreat into the world of her current novel (Mrs. Dalloway).

"She brushes her teeth, brushes her hair , and starts downstairs. She pauses several treads from the bottom, listening, waiting; she is again possessed (it seems to be getting worse) by a dreamlike feeling, as if she is standing in the wings, about to go onstage and perform in a play for which she is not appropriately dressed, and for which she is not adequately rehearsed. What, she wonders is wrong with her. This is her husband in the kitchen; this is her little boy." (page 43)

If you've recently read Mrs. Dalloway, you must treat yourself to The Hours. You won't be sorry! And even if you haven't read Mrs. Dalloway, this is still a wonderful novel. While you're at it, watch the movie, too.

Other thoughts on The Hours:

another cookie crumbles

A Guy's Moleskin Notebook

Deucekindred's Blog

To The Lighthouse... trip delayed

Photo Credit

It took me 25 years to finish Mrs. Dalloway. The most important lesson learned from the experience is that timing is everything. Last Friday, I picked up To The Lighthouse. My intention was to complete the book and have a thoughtful post ready for Woolf in Winter today.

Funny thing though, Mrs. Dalloway was still on my mind. Woolf's gorgeous prose left me filled with awe and unable to move on. There is somehow a need to 'finish' Mrs. Dalloway. For me, that will involve a reread of The Hours by Michael Cunningham (hope to complete this today), probably followed by a reread of Mrs. Dalloway, and then a movie adaptation.

I will eventually make the trip To The Lighthouse. Let's just hope it doesn't take another 25 years to get there!

Emily is hosting today's discussion of To The Lighthouse. It can be found here.

Woolf in Winter: Thoughts on Mrs. Dalloway

After three attempts spaced over 25 years, I've finally managed to finish a Virginia Woolf novel. And not only did I finish it, I liked it. I really liked it.

While there's no way I can offer any profound literary interpretation of Mrs. Dalloway, many insightful posts can be found on Sarah's blog today as she hosts the Woolf in Winter discussion of this novel.

Instead, I've spent some time thinking about "why now". What has made this particular experience different from the others? Why did Virginia Woolf 'work' for me this time, but leave me unwilling to turn another page in my thirties? Obviously Mrs. Dalloway hasn't changed; it must be me.

The book, originally published in 1925, follows the thoughts and actions of Clarissa Dalloway over the course of a single day as she prepares to host a party. Peter Walsh, just returned from years in India, visits Clarissa before the party. We're also privy to his thoughts. A tangential story line follows Septimus Smith, a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress and descending into madness. As the day progresses, clocks chime as the hours pass, yet the two story lines never directly intersect.

English was always my favorite subject in high school, but a very science-oriented pharmacy curriculum never allowed for lit electives. Graduation meant time to read for pleasure again, and Virginia Woolf was one of my first choices. It was an epic failure. I doubt I read more than 20 pages. Clinical pharmacy is a very concrete field - blood levels, half-life, dosage, etc. Woolf's long sentences and nebulous prose didn't fit with that mindset.

Fast-forward to 1995... Stressed to the max at-home Mom, with a 5 year old in half-day kindergarten and 2 year old twins. Virginia Woolf failure number two. My ability to concentrate on more than Goodnight Moon or Chicka Chicka Boom Boom suffered during those years.

Finally... the day after Christmas 2009. A lovely stack of books sits under the tree but, for some reason, I'm drawn to Virginia Woolf. I'm feeling absolutely stress-free, relaxed, and calm; the kids, now all in their late teens, will sleep until noon or beyond. This is it!

The words are beautiful. They flow over me and swirl around me. Maybe I'm not catching the full meaning of every single sentence, but it doesn't matter. I'm in a zone. Not much is actually "happening", but I'm enthralled. Before I know it, I've read 75 pages. There are no breaks. No chapters, just sentences.

A few passages that stopped me in my tracks:

"She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same time unspeakably aged. She sliced like a knife through everything; at the same time she was outside, looking in. She had a perpetual sense, as she watched the taxi cabs, of being out, out, far out to sea and alone; she always had the feeling that it was very, very dangerous to live even one day." (page 8)

"The compensation of growing old, Peter Walsh thought, coming out of Regent's Park, and holding his hat in his hand, was simply this; that the passions remain as strong as ever, but one has gained - at last! - the power which adds the supreme flavour to existence, of turning it round slowly, in the light." (page 79)

"People were beginning to compare her to poplar trees, early dawn, hyacinths, fawns, running water, and garden lilies, and it made her life a burden to her, for she so much preferred being left alone to do what she liked in the country, but they would compare her to lilies, and she had to go to parties, and London was so dreary compared with being alone in the country with her father and the dogs." (page 134-135)

As Violet at Still Life With Books says in this excellent post, reading Virginia Woolf's novels requires a "slight shift of consciousness". I believe she's got it exactly right. You must carefully choose your time to read Woolf but, if you get it right, the rewards are great.

I want to reread Mrs. Dalloway - immediately - but I'm also anxious to explore more of Woolf's novels. The Woolf in Winter discussion continues January 29 as Emily hosts a discussion of To The Lighthouse.

Remember to visit Sarah (what we have here is a failure to communicate) for more views on Mrs. Dalloway.

Woolf in Winter... begins Friday

Have you noticed that everyone seems to be talking about Virginia Woolf lately? That's because Woolf in Winter is about to begin. Whether you are a Woolf scholar or a complete novice like me, everyone is invited to join in the fun.

Frances explains the details:

Sarah, Emily, Frances and Claire. Four readers with a plan to embrace the words of Virginia Woolf this winter. Together. And that seemed enough. At first. But we are sociable types so we thought we might give the shared read a name, and extend an open invitation to all inclined to join us. Now, we are thrilled to be the girls hosting what is shaping up to be a remarkable party. And if you have not RSVPed yet, we would still love to hear from you. I will add you right in!

The plan? Four books by Woolf in two months. The schedule? Sarah will host the Mrs. Dalloway conversation on January 15. Emily will host the To the Lighthouse conversation on January 29. I will host the Orlando conversation on February 12. And last but never least, Claire will welcome us all over to talk about The Waves on February 26. We geek (or dork as Emily prefers) Virginia Woolf, and invite you all to do the same with us!

That sounds good to me. I finished Mrs. Dalloway last weekend, but still need to gather my thoughts to post on the 15th. Now if I can get my book club selection (Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks) read in time, I may even attempt To The Lighthouse.

So are you in?

Teaser Tuesdays - Mrs. Dalloway

"She held her hands to her head, waiting for him to say did he like the hat or not, and as she sat there, waiting, looking down, he could feel her mind, like a bird, falling from branch to branch, and always alighting, quite rightly: he could follow her mind, as she sat there in one of those loose poses that came to her naturally and, if he should say anything, at once she smiled, like a bird alighting with all its claws firm upon the bough." (page 147)

Mrs. Dalloway

by Virginia Woolf

That's actually only one sentence, but what a sentence it is!

For more teasers, visit MizB at Should Be Reading.

TSS: Thank You, Santa!

Here we are... the final Sunday Salon of 2009!

Christmas was wonderful, but this weekend is all about relaxation. We hosted Christmas Eve dinner for my family (a much-modified version of the traditional Italian Seven Fish Feast), went to Midnight Mass (which now takes place at 10 PM!), then came home for a champagne toast and 'Santa business'.

Gone are the days of the 5 AM present frenzy! I was the first one up Christmas morning, and enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee while waiting for the girls. When two of the three are up, the third one is awakened (along with my husband) for stockings.

Next comes our relatively new Christmas Breakfast tradition. This year we enjoyed Nan's Baked French Toast. You can find her recipe here. I used a combination of strawberries and blueberries - it was delicious!!

Finally, it was time for presents. Everyone was delighted with their gifts. The biggest round of applause and laughter came when Daughter #1 opened her Jane Austen Action Figure! There were lots of books under the tree this year.

Here is my stack:
From the top:

A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen - Santa knew he couldn't go wrong with this one!

What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller - a recent addition to my wish list, thanks to Claire

The Women by T.C. Boyle (signed!) - Boyle, one of last year's 'discoveries', is fast becoming a favorite. This is his most recent novel.

The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich (signed first edition!) - Erdrich is one of my 'discoveries' this year. My daughter found this signed copy at her college bookstore.

A Year in Japan by Kate T. Williamson - both Eva and Staci loved this, and Santa must have heard me complaining about our library system not having a copy

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - I guess Santa got tired of hearing me whine about the non-renewable library copy due back January 2nd!

Later, it was off to my sister's for more gifts and Christmas Dinner.

A beautiful stack of new books, but you'll never guess what I chose to curl up on the couch with yesterday afternoon.... Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf!

I was feeling very relaxed and stress-free, and figured that was the perfect frame of mind to attempt Virginia Woolf. I just fluffed the pillows, threw the afghan on my feet, and let the words kind of flow over me... and do you know what? It's working!!

There are at least a couple of failed attempts at Virginia Woolf in my past, but I think this time will be different. And just in time for Woolf in Winter, too!

Did you receive books for the holidays? What are you reading this week?

I'll be posting a year-end wrap up, my list of favorites, and a few resolutions later this week. But now, I must return to Mrs. Dalloway...