Redwall-Section 1

I apologize for the late post, but I'll admit to having slacked a bit this week and not finishing reading until today. Any first impressions of the world of Redwall, the magnificent Abbey, and the order of mice? So many different types of animals are represented, and in later books almost all of them get their time in the spotlight, but I'll admit right now that my favorites have always been the hares, the otters, and the badgers. The mice are great, but these other species and their mannerisms and ways of life have always intrigued me. Thoughts on the writing style, description, or the poetry and music? What about the story, our young hero Matthias, Abbot Mortimer, and Cluny the Scourge? I know not everyone has finished reading, so feel free to post as you get there.

Redwall Reading Schedule

Here we go with Redwall. As I said, it's an easy enough read, and the book itself is divided into three sections, so we can just do one section at a time. To give everyone a chance to get the book and get the first section read, I'm going to suggest that we discuss the first section next Friday, July 1st, the second section on the 8th, and the third on the 15th, if that works for everyone. Not that there's a huge amount to discuss, but pay attention to the detail of the descriptions. Jacques wrote the first book to read to children at a school for the blind he worked at as a janitor, so he tried to paint as vivid a picture of the world as he could for them. Also might be fun to talk about the Redwall occupants as a religious(?) order and how they serve the community of Mossflower Woods. The songs and poetry are always enjoyable, as is the story of Martin the Warrior. Also, if anyone is interested, there's a beautiful unabridged recording of Redwall and many others of Jacques's books available on iTunes, read by him and featuring a full cast including music. Wonderful way to read the book, if it grabs you.

Our Next Reading Selection

Hey guys, we've had a little break since finishing Uglies, and I think it's time to choose our next book. I know it's summer, people are busy and may be traveling, but I don't want to let the blog fade again. If anyone wishes to step up with their selection now, go for it, and if not I'm willing to do Redwall, which is not at all heavy, is a fun and easy ready, and probably won't spark a lot of heavy discussion, it's mostly for enjoyment. I figure with the season folks might like that kind of read rather than something that requires a lot of time and effort. Let me know your thoughts and we can get started.

Uglies Part 3: Into The Fire

In this final section, we learn a little more about the demise of the Rusty civilization - that all the oil became infected by a bacterium and combusted upon contact with oxygen. There are at least two messages we can take from this exchange between Tally and David as they discussed the downfall of the Rusties. The first is that every civilization has its weakness, and David suggests that perhaps even something intangible as an idea can be the catalyst for a society's downfall. The other message is environmental.

Just like the spores that infected the oil, an idea can spread throughout a population. What idea do you think David is referring to? What do you think is the weakness of Tally's society? Is there only one weakness? What would you do if you were in Tally's or David's position?

The Rusty civilization - our civilization - relies primarily on fossil fuels for energy. Do you agree with David that this reliance could be our downfall? Do any of the environmental messages in the book resonate with you?

Unfortunately, by the time Tally and David manage to rescue what few they can that were taken from the Smoke, Shay has had the pretty operation against her will. What is your reaction to the changes in Shay? What do you think of Tally's choice to turn pretty? Special Circumstances knows that there is a resistance brewing. Why don't you think the New Smokies have been flushed out yet?

It may be disappointing that there isn't concrete resolution to the story by the end of the novel. Uglies is part of a quartet, but I chose it because I think it can stand alone. The issues it raises about physical beauty, self-reliance, and the functions of society, provide opportunities for discussion and debate. I hope you've enjoyed the novel, and if you are curious to read the rest of the series, it's worth checking out. At times, the story can get formulaic, but it's still a fun, worthwhile read. Thank you for the insightful discussions!

Uglies Part 2: The Smoke

As Tally nears the end of her journey to The Smoke, she encounters a beautiful flower, which she later learns is called phragmipedium panthera. It's pretty obvious that this flower is one of Westerfeld's not-so-subtle analogies to pretties. We learn that while these flowers are beautiful, they are choking off the life all around them, creating a monoculture that will ultimately result in their demise. It might be interesting to note that both terms used to name the flower in this story come from actual genera - phragmipedium is indeed a genus of the orchid family, and panthera is a genus of the family Felidae, which includes the tiger, lion, jaguar, and leopard species. We can push the analogy further when we consider that one of the adjectives used to describe Dr. Cable was that of a predator. Any thoughts on the symbolism behind the flower or the methods used to contain it?

Once at The Smoke we are introduced to a community that contrasts sharply with that of pretty society. Do you think that one society has it right and the other has it wrong? Is it as simple as black and white? What is your impression of The Smoke?

Tally's motivation to come to The Smoke was the opposite of everyone else who has ever made that journey - she came in order to become pretty. Is her change of heart believable as she learns more about this new society and the truths behind her own?

As always, these are questions to initiate discussion. Comment where you want the discussion to go. For next week, read Part 3: Into The Fire.

Uglies Part 1: Turning Pretty

What does it mean to be pretty? Why is it even important? I'm sure we're all familiar with the adage that beauty is only skin deep, yet our society continues its manic self-absorption with physical appearance (one needs only look at the magazines displayed at the grocery check-out to see examples of this obsession). In his novel, Uglies, Westerfeld creates a society where everyone is pretty, or at least, where everyone eventually can become pretty. Why do you think physical beauty is so important in Tally's society? Do people want to be pretty in Tally's society for the same reasons that we want to be pretty in our society? What message do you think Westerfeld is trying to give with this premise of "turning pretty" in his novel?

What do you think of the contempt that Tally's people have for the Rusties? As Tally was taught in school: "The Rusty Ruins were the remains of an old city, a hulking reminder of back when there'd been way too many people, and everyone was incredibly stupid. And ugly." Has Tally's society been able to eradicate these faults of the Rusties from their own society? What does Tally learn from her night visit with Shay to the Rusty Ruins?

As always, these are just questions to help initiate discussion about this first section of the reading. I'm more interested in hearing what you want to talk about, so let the discussion commence!

[Read Part II: The Smoke for next week's discussion beginning Friday, May 20th.]

Uglies Reading Schedule

Uglies is written in three parts, so our reading schedule will be broken up into three parts.

Part I - Begin discussion May 13
Part II - Begin discussion May 20
Part III - Begin discussion May 27

Start reading Part I Turning Pretty now. I'll have questions posted to help initiate the discussion next week, so for now, just enjoy the story and think about what you want to discuss next week. I am curious to see if anyone finds themselves imitating some of the language patterns from this novel. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read a little bit and you will soon enough. Have fun!