readers – Page 9 – Sally Allen

December 21, 2015May 30, 2017

Rereading “A Christmas Carol” at Christmas Time

By the time I moved to Connecticut, I had already made a habit of reading Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” at Christmas time. I had made it habit but not yet a tradition.

The decision to commit to rereading it every year began the snowy winter we lived in a one-story cottage dating to the mid-18th century. It had a huge picture window overlooking the backyard, which had a creek running through it and, on the opposite bank, a nature preserve. In the living room, a gigantic stone fireplace (about the size of the studio apartment I had once lived in) dominated one wall and featured a cooking arm dating to the colonial period. Continue reading “Rereading “A Christmas Carol” at Christmas Time”

December 20, 2015May 30, 2017

The Wit and Wisdom of “Northanger Abbey”

Before 2012, “Northanger Abbey” was the only Jane Austen classic I had not read. Upon remedying this shocking lapse (I mean, she only wrote six completed novels – how hard it is to read her whole canon?), I decided it was my favorite Austen novel. Though I’m skeptical that we can trust these judgments…

At any rate, I reread this sparkling classic novel recently for a book group and fell in love with it all over again. What makes it so special, to me at least, is that it’s both a witty send-up of gothic novels and a serious defense of novels as an art form. In the process, Austen reminds us that the issue isn’t form as much as it is substance. It’s what we do with what we have that counts. Continue reading “The Wit and Wisdom of “Northanger Abbey””

December 10, 2015May 30, 2017

On borrowing books from the e-library

Last week, these were the books in my reading queue: The Martian by Andy Weir and Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Days by Salman Rushdie. Both were for book clubs, one that I lead and one in which I’m a participant. And both were borrowed through my local library’s e-lending program. Continue reading “On borrowing books from the e-library”

December 7, 2015May 30, 2017

Literary Places: Weathersfield, Connecticut and “The Witch of Blackbird Pond”

The places we read about in books exert a tremendous fascination. How else to explain the existence of phenomena like Universal’s Harry Potter world, or the restored homes of beloved authors, or literary walking tours of the cities and towns where those authors, and their characters, lived?

I have felt this pull to London, in particular, whose streets I first walked in childhood with Mary Poppins, Paddington Bear, and Sara Crewe, then later with so many of Charles Dickens’s characters (David Copperfield holding many favorites). Continue reading “Literary Places: Weathersfield, Connecticut and “The Witch of Blackbird Pond””

November 14, 2015May 30, 2017

On Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and the Magical Number Seven

Seven (7). That is how many copies of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone live in my house. I mention this because if you’ve read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, you may recall that seven is a powerfully magical number. Do with this information what you will.

Now then, how does one end up with seven copies of Harry Potter number one? Let’s do the tally:

Two hardcover U.S. editions +

one paperback U.S. edition +

two paperback U.K. editions +

one Greek translation (in paperback) +

the e-book edition =

Seven editions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone. In my house. Continue reading “On Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and the Magical Number Seven”

July 20, 2015May 30, 2017

Ten Things About (Reading) Me

Since this is my first post, a few words of introduction seem in order. I am a writer, teacher, and avowed book lover (more on these at my “about” page). Here is where I will write about what I’m reading and my other bookish pursuits (attending author talks, visiting literary landmarks, etc.).

So what do I read? I enjoy almost all genres, except horror and erotica, which have in common that they tend to be more explicit that I favor. I prefer ambiguity and allusion because I have it in my head that they make me work a little harder, stimulate my imagination, and compel me to think. But I suspect this is me crafting a clever cover for the fact that I just don’t like to read explicit violence and sex. I find it alarming.

As a reader, I tend to go through phases. Continue reading “Ten Things About (Reading) Me”