I'm sorry it took so long for me to upload this. I am guilty of the sin of Sloth, and will have to take a little jog around the Fourth Cornice. Although it will actually be more of a waddle, because I'm also guilty of Gluttony.

Canto XVI

Struggling through the smoke of Wrath, Dante and Virgil meet a man named Marco Lombardo, who does the usual "holy shit, a living person!" thing that everyone in Purgatory does when they meet Dante. The two discuss the role of free will versus fate in determining a person's actions.

Canto XVII

Dante has visions of the Rein of Wrath. He sees Procne killing her son, Haman being crucified, and Amata's suicide. I have to quote Ciardi's notes directly, because the snark is amazing:

Enraged against Mordecai, Haman persuaded Ahasuerus to decree the death of all the Jews in Persia. A cross ... was especially prepared for Mordecai. Queen Esther, however, persuaded Ahasuerus of Haman's iniquity and the decree was canceled. Not to waste a perfectly good cross, or perhaps because he was confused by the number of people who were making up his mind for him, Ahasuerus had Haman crucified in Mordecai's place.

They continue on toward the Cornice of Sloth, but night falls and Dante has to stop to rest. While they rest, Virgil explains that Sloth, or Acedia, is the sin of not dedicating enough energy or focus on goodness. Note that Sloth is the "middle sin" in Purgatory. The three previous (Pride, Envy, and Wrath) are the result of too much self-focus, at the expense of others, while the next three (Avarice, Gluttony, and Lust) are the result of too much selfish desire for good things. Sloth differs from all of these in that it does not pursue bad, it simply doesn't pursue good. (My undying gratitude to John Ciardi's notes for explaining all this. Virgil himself went over my head.)

Canto XVIII

Virgil ends his lecture by stating that Beatrice will have to explain Free Will more fully to Dante, since there's a limit to what Virgil (representing Human Reason) can understand of it.

And now we meet the Slothful, who, in keeping with the ironic punishment theme, run and shout. The Whip of Sloth (that sounds like an oxymoron) cites Mary and Caesar as positive examples of zeal, while the Rein of Sloth presents examples of Sloth in the Israelites who would not follow Moses, and Aeneas' followers who stayed in Sicily.

Canto XIX

Dream sequence time! Dante dreams of a siren, luring him with her voice, but then a "heavenly lady" appears and exposes the siren for the hideous monster that she is. When Dante tells Virgil about the dream, he says that the souls in the levels above them weep because of the siren. (I could explain, but I'll make it a discussion question instead.)

Dante and Virgil meet the Angel of Zeal, allowing them to move on to the next level. (Four Ps down, 3 to go.) We enter the Cornice of Avarice, and meet Pope Adrian V. Dante bows to Adrian V, who chastises him for doing so. Here, he is no longer a pope, he is a soul like any other.

Canto XX

The Whip of Avarice praises the examples of Mary (who literally gave birth to Jesus in a stable), Fabricius, who refused bribes, and St. Nicholas, so famous for his philanthropy that my culture honors his memory by claiming he breaks into everyone's houses on Christmas Eve to give presents to children.

Dante has a long conversation with Hugh Capet, who gives Dante the full run-down of the Rein of Avarice, which consists of so many examples of Avarice that I'm too lazy to type them out, although I do want to point out, for anyone who was as confused as I was, that the Pygmalion referenced here isn't the statue guy.

Anyhow, this canto ends with an earthquake.

Canto XXI

*earthquake*

Dante: WTF was that?

Statius: That was my soul finishing its purification!

Virgil: Who are you?

Statius: I'm Statius! I'm from the first century, but I wish I was from Virgil's time, because I'm a huge Virgil fanboy!

Dante: *giggle*

Virgil: Dante, behave.

Statius: Virgil influenced all my poems! I love him!

Dante: *twitching uncontrollably*

Virgil: Dante, I swear I will send you back to the Inferno if you don't...

Dante: HE'S VIRGIL!!!

Statius: OMG OMG OMG I LOVE YOU CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH???

Virgil: *facepalm*

(Thank you to u/nopantstime, for inspiring me to write this.)

Canto XXII

Statius continues to fanboy. We learn that Virgil's poetry is what inspired him to convert to Christianity, so Virgil has literally saved him. He asks Virgil about his other favorite poets, and learns that Virgil hangs out with them in Limbo.

And then they encounter an enormous and oddly-shaped tree, covered in fruit. A voice from the tree forbids them from eating the fruit. That's right: it's Gluttony time!

Canto XXIII

Dante discovers starving people! O_O I was confused by a reference to their faces looking like the word "OMO". o_O But then I read a note that explained it. ^_^

There's a medieval legend that God designed man to look like "Omo Dei" ("Man is of God"). The eyes are the Os, the brows, nose, and cheekbones are the M, the ears are the D, the nostrils the E, and the mouth the I. Dante is saying that these people are so starved, you can actually see the M. ಠ_ಠ

They run into Dante's friend and in-law, Forese Donati. Forese's only been dead five years, but he's reached this level of Purgatory already, thanks to the prayers of his widow, Nella. He then goes on a rant about what sluts Florentine women are, and I am desperately resisting the temptation to make "Do you think Florentine women are sluts?" a discussion question.

Canto XXIV

Dante sees a bunch of dead people (I'm sorry, I'm very tired and this is the last canto for this week), one of whom makes a huge deal about how awesome Dante's poetry is. I'm reminded that Dante already knows he's going to end up on the Pride level when he dies. At least he's self-aware.

They find a second tree, providing the Rein of Gluttony which, fittingly, includes Eve, who ate from this tree's ancestor. The three then meet the Angel of Abstinence, who moves them on to the next level.

Hey folks it is the end of the month and that means book report time. Share with us all...

What did you finish this month?

📚

Welcome to your The House of Mirth Marginalia!

More about:

Mirth

Edith Wharton

[Spoilers] The House of Mirth

Otherwise, feel free to post anything before, between and after discussion here in Marginalia, as a jotting place. Mark anything that is before the discussion with the chapter and a spoiler tag [ > ! words ! < (No Spaces) ] for anyone reading at the discussion pace and enjoy all the drama!

See you in the discussion soon!

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Schedule Link

Hello fellow Cemetery of Forgotten Books fans! Following the end of The Prisoner of Heaven, we have all been dying to see how this series ends so, we are planning to quickly move on to the last book in the series – ‘The Labyrinth of the Spirits.

​

The book is a long one at 800+ pages, so we will run it in 9 check ins, starting early June. Will you be joining us?? Watch out for a schedule in a few weeks time!

"For the ones who dream of stranger worlds."

- V.E. Schwab, A Darker Shade of Magic

Welcome to the marginalia for our upcoming read of A Darker Shade of Magic, by V.E. Schwab. This is the first book in the Shades of Magic trilogy. V.E. Schwab (also Victoria Schwab) is an award-winning American author having written over 25 works of fiction, primarily fantasy.

You can find our discussion schedule here.

This post is a place for you to put all your scribbles, comments, glosses (annotations), critiques, doodles, illuminations, or links to related material as we read. Any thought, big or small, is welcome here! Marginalia are simply your personal observations; they don't need to be particularly insightful or deep.

Feel free to read ahead and post comments on those chapters - just be sure to say which chapter it's from first, and use spoiler tags to avoid giving anything away to those who may not have read that far ahead yet.

How to write a marginalia comment:

• Start with a general location (ex. early in chapter 5; at the end of section IV, etc.)
• Write your observations
• Copy your favorite quotes
• Scribble down any light bulb moments
• Share your predictions
• Link to an interesting side topic
  • Note: Spoilers from other books should always be under spoiler tags unless explicitly stated otherwise

As always, any questions or constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged! I look forward to seeing all of your notes, comments, and discussion here!

Happy reading!

Hello everyone! I hope you took your mosquito nets and some Amazonian mood music, because we're back on the Pomeroon river for the 4th part of The Faraway Girl by Sharon Maas (schedule here).

Summary

Dutch takes Rita and Kathy to Shell Beach, where they see a turtle laying her eggs. They share a lovely tearful cuddle, and Rita feels actually happy. She has a big crush on Dutch, but decides to hide it. She enjoys getting to know her wise grandmother and working on the farm. She learns about the family's hopes for her mother's future. At the end of the visit, she decides she doesn't need to write into her diary anymore.

Back in Georgetown, she is happier, which shows in her popularity and grades, especially in writing. Her father refuses to tell her the truth about her mother until she is 18.

Aunt Mary, dying from cancer, invites Jitty et al. to England, and they take the opportunity to emigrate. It goes terribly for everyone, and after an assault, they go back to Guyana. However, Rita made a friend there, Tonia, who taught her about Black identity and politics. That's how she meets Jamal, a 28 years old history teacher. Their relationship goes perfectly except for one small hiccup: he's married with a child. After dealing with the pain and humiliation, Rita concludes that her Blackness is part of her but not her only aspect, she is a rich mix of identities.

After graduating, Rita is lost. She doesn't want to go to University and Chandra pressures her to find a job. She's interested in poetry, but it doesn't last. She then works at a newspaper, meeting a sleazy editor-in-chief who meets the business end of a paperweight after propositioning her.

Rita decides to go back to the Pomeroon to recharge her batteries. Her grandmother gives her her inheritance: gold nuggets and a bank account! She also grants her forgiveness to Jitty. Speaking of the shitty devil, he is wallowing in self-pity and guilt, and has an accident while driving drunk on his motorcycle. We all know the good ones die young, so he unfortunately survives, and the shock makes him FINALLY tell the truth to Rita.

He gives her Cassie's letters during her pregnancy. She writes with optimist earnestness, studying for her exams. Jitty semi-ghosts her, sending her a few lines once in a while, because of course he does. Realizing he's never intended to marry her, she starts planning for her own future, without him.

​

Sorry for the cliffhanger guys. I personally couldn't stop there and read the next chapter, but please refrain from spoilers for the people who have more self-control! You'll find the questions below, feel free to add your own. I'll see you next week for the final part!

I have always been curious about people who write book reviews for a living. How do I get that job?!?

But on a more serious note, let’s discuss how we review books:

• Tell us your habits for writing online reviews for books you’ve read?

Where do you write them (Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, etc.)?

• Do you read online reviews about books before reading them? Where do you go to read the reviews and how carefully do you read them?

It is our second to last check in. This week we covered chapters 66 - 76. All of our favorite people (who aren't dead) are back. It was again an emotional read. Good, bad, and still impossible to put down.

All of that to say I am already so sad to know it is almost over. But live in the here and now and discuss this week.

Summary: Here.

Schedule: Here

Marginalia: Here

Links to interesting, related, topics:

Cars of India described in relation to Dr. Uma - Premier Padmini, Hindustan Ambassador, Standard Herald

Medical stuff -

Paracelsus, Cushing Response (Reflex), von Recklinghausen's disease, Acoustic Neuromas

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Hello sci-fi fans, I am pleased to announce that r/bookclub plans to continue with more books in Isaac Asimov's Greater Foundation Universe with the book Foundation.

Do you need to have read Asimov's Robot series? Nope, it is not necessary and any reference to the series will require a spoiler tag so you can dive in to them later, without spoilers, if you want. There is some time until we start Foundation, so incase you feel like checking them out before the book links to all the Robot books we read are below.

• I, Robot
• Caves of Steel
• The Naked Sun
• The Robots of Dawn
• Robots and Empire.

Foundation, previously read by r/bookclub back in Apr. 2019, returns to us in June after Camus' The Fall wraps.

Book blurb from Storygraph

The first novel in Isaac Asimov’s classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series

THE EPIC SAGA THAT INSPIRED THE APPLE TV+ SERIES FOUNDATION • Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

!For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.!<

!The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are among the most influential in the history of science fiction, celebrated for their unique blend of breathtaking action, daring ideas, and extensive worldbuilding. In Foundation, Asimov has written a timely and timeless novel of the best—and worst—that lies in humanity, and the power of even a few courageous souls to shine a light in a universe of darkness.!<

So will you be joining us? 📚

“We are instructed to write down not just our deeds but our feelings, because it must be known that we do have feelings. Remorse. Regret. Sorrow too great to bear. Because if we didn’t feel those things, what monsters would we be?”

― Neal Shusterman, Scythe

Welcome to the marginalia for our upcoming read of Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Thor will be joining us once now that he is awake from his puppy nap.

You can find our discussion schedule here.

This post is a place for you to put your marginalia as we read. Scribbles, comments, glosses (annotations), critiques, doodles, illuminations, or links to related material. Any thought, big or little, is welcome here! Marginalia are simply your observations. They don't need to be insightful or deep.

Feel free to read ahead and post comments on those chapters, just make sure to say which chapter it's from first and use spoiler tags to avoid giving anything away to those who may not have read that far yet.

How to write a marginalia comment:

• Start with general location (early in chapter 4, at the end of chapter 2, etc)
• Write your observations, or
• Copy your favorite quotes, or
• Scribble down your light bulb moments, or
• Share you predictions, or
• Link to an interesting side topic. (Spoilers from other books should always be under spoiler tags unless explicitly stated otherwise)

As always, any questions or constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged. I look forward to seeing all of your notes, comments, and discussions.

-Hubs & Thor

"You do not follow me because I am the strongest. Pax is. You do not follow me because I am the brightest. Mustang is. You follow me because you do not know where you are going. I do”

Welcome, all to the end! Here we see how Darrow finally faces off with the Jackal and everything that happens after. This week , we have finished Red Rising by Pierce Brown! In this FINAL discussion, we are looking at Part IV: Chapter 35: Oathbreakers - Part IV: Chapter 44: The Beginning  (End)

Now, a note about spoilers!

The Red Rising Saga is an extremely popular book series. Keep in mind that not everyone has read any of these items. This book may be the first time a person learns about it. Please keep r/bookclub's rules on spoilers, and the consequences for posting spoilers, in mind.

Everyone has a different perception of what is a spoiler, so here are a few examples of what would be spoilers:

• “Just wait till you see what happens next.”

• “This won't be the last time you meet this character.”

• “Your prediction is correct/incorrect.”

• “You will look back at this theory.”

• “Here is an Easter Egg: ...”

• “You don't know enough to answer that question yet.”

• “How do you first-time-readers feel about this detail that was intentionally not emphasized by the author?”

If you're unsure, it's best to err on the side of caution and use spoiler tags.

To indicate a spoiler, enclose the relevant text with the > ! and ! < characters (there is no space in-between).

For any type of comment or idea that may be a part of The Red Rising Saga, just use proper spoiler labels, for example “In ” then describe the connection between books. Please be mindful when posting.

If you see something that you consider to be a spoiler, you can report it. It will be removed and the mods will look into it. To do so hit the “report” button, click on “breaks r/bookclub rules”, “next,” “spoilers must be tagged” and finally “submit”.

Schedule

Marginalia

Looking forward to discussing these chapters with you all! See you in the discussion!

• Rogue

Chapter Summaries:

Chapter 35: Oathbreakers - Darrow has decided to set his eyes on a bigger target than just winning the competition: Capturing Olympus, the Proctor’s castle. Darrow tries to build an army by recruiting Oathbreakers and setting them free. Darrow is done taking slaves, deciding to appeal to their desire to win instead of their obedience. Darrow and Mustang capture some House Mars slaves and set them free, including Pax.

Chapter 36: A Second Test - Darrow plans to capture House Ceres. They hide outside in the snow and manage to capture the castle. Later, an ally, Tactus, rapes a Ceres slave. Milia, an ally, catches him. Darrow orders a gathering of his allies and gives Tactus 25 lashes. He then has Pax whip him as well. He tells his assembled allies that any crimes committed by his allies will be shared by all of them.

Chapter 37: South - Fitchner reveals that the Proctors have high stakes in the Jackal winning. Fitchner also lets slip that if a House is eliminated, the Proctor has to leave. Darrow takes this chance to knock out Fitchner and put in one of House Apollo’s cells. Darrow sets his eyes on House Apollo. Proctor for Apollo lures Darrow into a trap, setting a Carved bear on him.

Chapter 38: The Fall of Apollo - Darrow barely is able to escape the bear, thanks to a trap set by Sevro. Proctor Apollo appears to Darrow and Darrow keeps him talking, even as he traps Darrow and him in a JamField which blocks sound. During their conversation, Apollo realizes that Darrow tricked him as Sevro and Tactus take House Apollo. Apollo gives his pulseSpear to the Primus and Darrow beats him, tossing the spear in the air at Olympus to show the fight is now to the Proctors and Olympus.

Chapter 39: The Proctor’s Bounty - Fitchner reveals that he is Sevro’s father and does not want to risk his life.

Chapter 40: Paradigm - Darrow goes to capture House Jupiter but a guy named Lucian offers a proposal to surrender. Later the whole army gets drunk in House Jupiter’s castle. Pax finds troops hidden in the castle. Turns out, Darrow made the army pretend to get drunk and let their guard down. He reveals he knows Lucian is the Jackal.

Chapter 41: The Jackal - The Jackal tries to buy off Darrow by telling him that his father will give him anything he wants. Darrow forces the Jackal to cut off his own hand. The Proctors reveal themselves trapping Darrow. The Jackal tries to kill Darrow but Pax covers him, dying himself. The Proctors make the Jackal run away and Darrow chases Apollo. Darrow kills Apollo and salvages his gear. Apollo reveals that the Proctor’s took Mustang hostage.

Chapter 42: War on Heaven - Darrow now sets his sights on capturing Olympus. With the stolen gear, Darrow, Sevro and their allies assault Olympus. Most Proctors are caught off guard while some, like Jupiter and Mercury, come in full armor. However, Darrow manages to capture and kill them all.

Chapter 43: The Last Test - Darrow frees Mustang, gives her gear and instructs her to get the Jackal. Later, Fitchner reveals Mustang is the Jackal’s twin sister and asks if he’s sure he trusts her. Darrow assaults House Mars, defeats Cassius and becomes Primus. Roque is also alive and Cassius swears a blood feud against Darrow.

Chapter 44: Rise - Darrow readies Olympus for assault, preparing for the possibility of fighting both the Jackal and Mustang. Mustang brings her brother the Jackal tied up for Darrow, showing her loyalty and handing Darrow victory. Darrow asks Sevro to edit the footage of the competition to show Darrow’s side and the Proctors’ cheating. Sevro edits out the ‘bloodydamn’ Darrow said in front of Apollo, hiding his Red origins. Everybody asks Darrow to let them recruit him but Darrow accepts ArchGovernor Augustus's offer to be a lancer.

Welcome back to the book. My, my, my, we are in the thick of it now! There's so much drama, it's downright scandalous! Let's rehash the plot, shall we?

Summary

Mrs Milroy is expecting a letter, and when she asks a servant, they talk down to her. She puts on makeup, a wig, and rings on her fingers to hide how much she has deteriorated. She is determined to rid the household of “Miss” Gwilt. Mrs Milroy had married young, and the Major was much older. When her daughter was eight, Mrs M lost her health, and her husband lost his fortune. Their marriage soured. She felt like she was robbed of her youth and beauty. Thus her jealous nature got worse.

When Mrs M saw Gwilt for the first time, she was determined that the hussy must go! She bribed her servant with a nice dress to spy on her. Gwilt was above reproach. Next Mrs M wrote to Gwilt's reference about her past. Her letter was returned because no one lived at that address. Miss Rachel the nurse has a second letter to Miss G. She opens it. Mrs M thinks the letter is talking about the right time to tell the Major of her family.

Eleanor brought up her meager breakfast. That alone makes Mrs M suspicious. Eleanor looks out of sorts, and her mom rightly guesses that it's the fault of Miss Gwilty. Armadale broke her heart, but she doesn't tell her mom that. Instead she says she wants Miss G gone. Music to Mrs M’s ears! A mutual hatred. But to accuse her father of impropriety is too much! Mrs M insults her own daughter. Eleanor apologizes to her when Mrs M should be apologizing to Neelie.

Mrs M takes a gentler tack and asks why Neelie hates Gwilt. She stole the affections of Allan Armadale. Allan had asked the Major if he knew anything about Gwilt's past. That news got Mrs M apoplectic with jealousy. It's enough to make a girl wish to attend boarding school!

Mrs M demands a writing desk and will write a letter to Allan that her maid will deliver in private. If Allan travels to Gwilt's reference’s door, then he'll see for himself that it was a lie. (Seems awfully elaborate and Allan is awfully impulsive.)

Allan already feels unsettled about the previous three day's events. Anne Milroy's letter arrives. She starts off apologizing for returning the fruit then provides the answer to his question of Miss G’s references. Why don't you go to London and look for Mrs Mandeville yourself? Splendid idea! I'll be there directly.

He meets Pedgift Junior at the station and shares a train carriage. Mr Bashwood hurriedly places a letter from Gwilt to Oldershaw in his hands. Gwilt knows she is suspected and that mother and daughter are in on a plot to oust her. Pedgift takes the lead in securing Allan a room in a hotel. That evening, Allan tells him that Mrs Mandeville had gone away. Pedgift would have known the right questions to ask, and he promises to accompany him tomorrow.

Pedgift found out that Mandeville left the lodging house in a cab. Next they ask the cabmen nearby if they remember her and where she went. One did, and drove them to the place. It was Oldershaw’s shop in a sus-looking building. There's a shop but no goods in it. (Red curtains. Are these ladies of ill repute? Dr Downwards is the perfect name for that, js.) Pedgift asks a woman with jaundice reading a French novel, a servant, and Dr D himself if they've heard of Mandeville. I bet they'd know Oldershaw if he knew to ask. The two men regroup and agree to meet later.

Both men are dejected when they meet at the hotel. No leads yet. The cabman could have been mistaken. The shop at Pimlico was a den of thieves! (Like another book the Squad has read.) He wrote back to Mrs Milroy that he couldn't find the reference. Allan vows to keep her secret. He grieves the love he had for her.

He receives a letter from Mrs M demanding to know the truth. (You can't handle the truth!) She'll tell her husband of this sordid business. Allan wrote a letter apologizing. She told her husband anyway, and the Major wrote a letter to Allan. He's caught up in their drama and aims to protect Gwilt. The Major wrote a last angry letter. Alan is dead to him now. (Allan should evict them from the cottage.)

Allan is depressed and reminisces about Gwilt and even Neelie. He plans to wait for Ozzy to return then take his yacht for a ride down the coast. Then he receives a letter from Pedgift Senior that changes his plans. The gentry of Norfolk found out about the drama at the Milroy's and blamed Allan for it. Miss Gwilt quit her job and their household and moved into other lodgings. The public is on her side. (Allan stepped in it now. Bish spun it to her benefit.) Mr Darch spun it to his favor. That'll teach him not to rent the cottage out to me!

The public thinks he's afraid to show his face. He should come back and defend himself. Pedgift advises him to send a telegram to the whole town via Pedgift Senior that he's coming back. Gwilt sends a telegram of her own to Oldershaw that things are working out in her favor.

Allan returns, and Pedgift Sr visits in the evening. He asks if Allan went to London on his own initiative or because of someone else. He lies and says it was all his idea. Pedgift knows he's lying. Another option is to pay a private investigator to dig deeply into Gwilt's affairs. A letter arrives from Gwilty requesting a meeting. Pedgift has seen it all before from women like her. Pedgift is incredulous that Allan would even want to see her. It's a trap!

His heart is too tender to refuse despite Pedgift’s objections. They compromise. Pedgift writes a refusal note for him. Pedgift believes she belongs in jail and will keep trying to meet with Allan. He can't bring himself to order the servant to say he's not home. Gwilt had called on Pedgift Sr to say that she didn't blame Allan. He had profiled conwomen as actresses confident in their performance and lies.

As Pedgift Sr predicted, Gwilty forced her way into the house. He won't have her watched (he wants her to lie to him). Pedgift takes a pinch of snuff and makes to leave but stays and makes his case to have Gwilt watched.

When Pedgift Sr saw Major “What's-o’clock,” he was annoyed to see him. Neelie looked distressed. She didn't want Allan to think she was involved in this mess. Gwilt had told her, “You are not Mrs Armadale yet.” The nerve of her! Gwilt vowed to get her back. Neelie is kept in the dark about the whole matter. Allan should protect her from Gwilty. He finally agrees to have Gwilt watched.

Bashwood makes his way to the poor side of town. He appears bashful and crushes on a woman coming towards him. It's Gwilt of course. She knows she's being followed by another man. Bashwood is a spy for her. She must know if Allan and Neelie make up.

Gwilt walks in the countryside and catches the spy outright. She throws his hat in a pool of water. Who should come along but Ozzy. Gwilt tells him she's being followed but not who sent him. She turns on the charm and pretends to be a damsel in distress. She invites him to have tea at her apartment. Ozzy still loves her. Absence only made his heart grow fonder.

She spins a story that Miss Milroy is out to marry Allan, and she is the wronged party. Allan was used by others to tarnish her good name. (Bish is projecting like a camera obscura.) They have an understanding because Ozzy has a tragic painful past, too. She doesn't even love Allen (or Ozzy). Oh, poor little Gwilty was wronged and is the victim.

Ozzy refuses to believe that Allan would do such a thing, and he will find out who used him. Ozzy leaves, and Gwilty looks at herself in the mirror and questions whether she has any conscience and whether she loves him. Nah! Of course not. She writes to “Mother Jezebel” Oldershaw that she can use Ozzy to get to Allan. Then she tore it up, unpinned her hair, and went to bed.

Ozzy makes his way to Thorpe Ambrose and overhears two servants betting that Allan will be kicked out of town soon. He declares himself, and tells them not to wake Allan.

The next morning, Allan is nowhere in the house. The groom said he had left with some flowers. Allan was trying to meet Neelie, to no avail. The friends reunite. How did Ozzy hear of his troubles? From Miss Gwilt?! They cheated me. I can explain.

But Ozzy doesn't want his justification or explanation. He believes that Allen wasn't to blame for Gwilty getting fired. Allen can sense there's something coming between them. (That woman!) Ozzy doesn't believe that the spy was hired by his friend. But he was! Gwilty threatened Neelie. No big deal, thinks Ozzy. Poor little Gwilty is so persecuted!

Ozzy wouldn't be so quick to defend her unless he was in love with her. Allan figured it out. They glare at each other until Ozzy raises his fist in anger. The statue falls and breaks like in the dream. Ozzy leaves. Allan has no allies now. It starts to thunder and rain.

Extras

The Marginalia in case you read ahead.

Prunella is a fabric made of twill or silk used in women's shoes or judge's robes.

Mens sana in corpore sano: a healthy mind in a healthy body

Mesmerism

Come back next week, May 5, for Book 3 Chapters 9-13 when u/DernhelmLaughed takes the reins.

Hello r/bookclubbers and welcome to our Free Chat Friday!.

These posts this are a space to get to know one another better, but without the restrictions of a specific theme. This space will be posted weekly by different community members, and is open for you to discuss whatever is on your mind book related or otherwise. (when volunteer again I will be on time, I very much apologize to those of you who were looking forward to this yesterday) The posts are open all week, until the next FCF (and beyond), if people want to hop in at anytime.

​ RULES will be strictly enforced:

• absolutely no unmarked spoilers.

• no self-promo

• no piracy

• personal conduct - just be nice y'all!

​How have y'all been? Was it a good week? Busy/relaxed? Any fun plans for the weekend? Anything you want to get off your chest or just share for the sake of sharing? What have you been reading this week?

Happy chatting y'all!

Welcome back everyone! It's our second discussion of Leviathan Wakes and interplanetary tensions are rising. There's so much drama going on, one might even say it's...ubiquitous. Ok, I fully admit I have no idea how to use that word in a sentence but I promise no Martians are forcing me to write this post.

You can find the schedule here and marginalia here. Below are some chapter summaries in case you need to jog your memory and discussion questions are in the comments.

Chapter Eight: Miller – A week after the Canterbury disaster, things are still unstable in the Belt. While the rioting has died down, crime is still high and lots of people (especially those linked to OPA) are speaking out against the inner planets. The entire police force is being judged, but none more than Havelock who has put in for a transfer to Ganymede.

Meanwhile, Miller finally begins his investigation into Julie Mao by visiting her hole. She lived a spartan lifestyle, with barely any possessions or clothes. Miller looks through the messages in her terminal and is surprised to find one from her father dated two weeks before the Canterbury incident, warning Julie that the Belt is about to be an unsafe place and that she should immediately come home.

 Chapter Nine: Holden – Back on the Knight shuttle, everyone is smelly and Shed is having a nervous breakdown. Just as Holden talks him down, Naomi pages him back up to the ops deck where they are receiving a message from a big construction project in the Belt. The message is from Frederick Johnson. Yes, the Frederick Johnson! Wait, who?

Johnson is an Earther who first rose to fame for fighting pirates in the Belt, and was given command over the Coalition marine division. When a revolt broke out in Anderson Station, a small shipping depot, Johnson was sent in and his force’s three day massacre was broadcast for all to see. The incident deeply affected Johnson, who resigned from his position and publicly apologised for his actions. He disappeared until a much bigger revolt began four years later and Johnson successfully served as a mediator between the Coalition and Belters.

Johnson now works with the OPA, but doesn’t want war like the extremists do. He claims he’s talked to every OPA cell leader and none of them are responsible for what happened to the Canterbury, so someone else must be trying to incite a war. He hopes it isn’t Mars, but just in case, tells Holden to use the word ubiquitous in his next broadcast to signal that they aren’t being forced to do or say anything against their will.

Chapter Ten: Miller – Miller wants to pursue the message Julie Mao’s father sent her, but Shaddid tells him to drop it. Instead, she sends him and Havelock to investigate an extortion complaint at a hardware shop. The manager tells them that all the usual organized crime groups stopped their extortion business a month or two before the Canterbury was blown up and now someone new is moving in. The manager won’t tell Miller who it is but when he looks at the security footage can see an OPA armband. Miller sends Havelock back to the station and heads to an OPA bar to try and learn more, but gets nothing. The next morning, the extortionist who visited the hardware shop is found murdered in his hole. Miller thinks this means the OPA isn’t moving in on organized crime, but on the cops.

Chapter Eleven: Holden – Holden and crew dock and board the Donnager. The Martian Marines check them for weapons and ask if they know anything about the six Belter ships following them. Holden is taken to see Lieutenant Lopez while the rest of the crew waits in their compartment. Lopez takes focus drugs before interviewing Holden. We learn that Holden was raised in a family co-op and was kicked out of the army for assaulting (or attempting to assault) a superior officer.

The interview is interrupted by the Donnager firing torpedoes at the six Belter ships who shockingly shoot back. Holden is taken back to the compartment with the rest of his crew as the fighting gets underway. The Donnager is hit and the ships engage in close-quarters battle (CQB) with gauss turrets. Out of nowhere, bullets strike the compartment and Shed has his head blown off.

Chapter Twelve: Miller – The incident on the Donnager is being reported by the Martian government as a terrorist attack. Miller wants to pursue the Julie Mao case more and asks Havelock to cover for him with Shaddid and the force. He visits the jiu jitsu center that Julie attended and learns that she was attacked shortly after arriving in the Belt, which prompted her to learn the martial art. She worked on light freighter ships, maybe as a courier for the OPA.

The science station Phoebe is then attacked with everyone either dead or missing. The attack is assumed to be from the OPA or another Belter group and war seems imminent. That evening, Miller receives a visit from Anderson Dawes, the OPA man he spoke to at the bar. He wants Miller to stop looking for Julie and reveals that she was on the Scopuli. Dawes offers up information, but doesn’t know what happened to the riot gear or what’s going on with the organized crime rings so Miller doubts he’s a helpful ally to have. Miller calls Havelock and tells him he needs to leave the Belt as there’s some bigger power that seems to be spooking the OPA.

Chapter Thirteen: Holden – Holden and crew seal up the bullet holes and try to figure out how to survive. Lieutenant Kelly arrives and wants to get everyone off the ship as it’s being boarded and the Martians are losing. The boarders likely want to access the command information center and if that happens, then the Marines will blow up their own ship to protect the information. As they approach the elevator shaft, they’re attacked and one of the Marines is killed. They make it to the hangar where they plan to distract the boarders, take a vessel and escape. Just as they’re about to reach the ship, Lieutenant Kelly is shot.

Chapter Fourteen: Miller – Tensions between Mars and Ceres continue to escalate. A Belter prospecting ship is destroyed a Mars patrol one, and a Martian citizen on Ceres is tortured, killed and left hanging on a wall. Miller and his new partner, Octavia Muss, are on the case. Miller asks Shaddid for access to Holden’s debriefing transcripts as he believes there’s a link to Julie Mao. She completely shoots him down, saying the Martians are responsible and an unreliable source, so it’s best just to shut down the whole Julie case and focus on all the murders happening in Ceres.

That night, Anderson Dawes is waiting for Miller at his house. He’s learned that the police riot gear was signed out under a fake name and taken off Ceres by an organized crime unit. Miller tells Dawes he’ll now drop the Mao investigation, but then immediately sends a message to Julie’s father.

Chapter Fifteen: Holden – Back in the Donnager hangar, everyone’s been separated and Amos has been shot. Holden manages to round up his crew and get to one of the ships, with a severely injured Lieutenant Kelly close behind. Alex flies the ship away and the Donnager is blown up behind them. Amos’ leg is severely injured; Holden and Naomi work together to patch him up. Kelly dies and Naomi finds a data storage device on him. Alex smartly disabled the transponder so the ship can’t be traced, but they still face the issue of where to go since they are currently in a stolen/salvaged Martian ship. Holden sends a message to Fred Johnson, using the code word ubiquitous, and asking for help. Johnson responds with a new transponder code and coordinates for a safe harbour

Welcome to the final discussion for Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, covering Part 4: The Corner. Thank you to all who have journeyed with us to this final destination, and thank you especially to fellow read-runners u/sunnydaze7777777, u/Tripolie, and u/Pythias.

Here's some information I gathered in preparing the questions:

• The M'Naghten rules for determining insanity as a defense to a crime are still used in most U.S. states and Britain (whence it came following the trial of the man who killed Sir Robert Peel's secretary). Evidence of mental illness is admissible for this issue only if it concerns whether the defendant knew right from wrong. Under the rules, a defendant is presumed sane and to obtain a "not guilty by reason of insanity" must prove that at the time of committing the criminal act:
  • the defendant's state of mind caused them not know what they were doing when they committed the act, or
  • the defendant knew what they were doing, but did not know that it was wrong.
• Alternatives to the M'Naghten rules include the Durham rule and ALI rule. The Durham rule permits a finding of not guilty if the act was the “product of” a mental disease, thus allowing greater leeway for evidence of mental illness. The ALI rule focuses on the question of whether the defendant had "substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality of [their] conduct."
• In 1978, long after the trial in this case, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Lockett v. Ohio that a jury must be permitted to consider mitigating factors in deciding whether or not to impose the death penalty. Those factors include evidence of mental illness or deficiency—even if the defendant doesn’t meet the test for insanity. Thus, a defendant may be found guilty if they know right from wrong, but may avoid execution for a capital offense if mental illness made them less culpable.
• Capital punishment in Kansas: Currently permitted with nine people on death row, but the last actual executions were the hangings of George York and James Latham on June 22, 1965.

Let's jump in!

Welcome readers to the journeys end; we find ourselves at the end of The Last Unicorn! Thank you all for your participation on a great read, and thank you u/fromdusktil and u/IraelMrad for RR this awesome book! Now let us get into the grand finale of The Last Unicorn!

Summary:

Chapter 12: Schmendrick, Molly, and Amalthea stand in the great hall where the clock and the skull are located. Schmendrick attempts to enchant the skull, but fails. The skull begins speaking on its on accord once Schmendrick loses his temper. The skull teases the group for a while. It knows the way to the Red Bull but won’t give up the information. It taunts and laughs at the group. Schmendrick asks about the wine, which catches the skull’s attention. Molly could not find wine, so she brought a flask of water for Schmendrick to use to make wine. Schmendrick bargains with the skull for information about the path to the Red Bull in exchange for the wine. The skull tells them that they must walk through the clock. After much discussion over how they can pass through the clock Schmendrick gives the skull the wine. The skull asks to be smashed and when this is refused it calls King Haggard and his men at arms. During the confrontation the group one by one enter the clock along with prince Lír. Schmendrick is shown to have been hurt in a fight with King Haggard, the group hears a crash, and the mist disappears. King Haggard has destroyed the clock, so the group must continue through the passageway to the Red Bull.

Chapter 13: The group travels through the dark tunnel, with Amalthea leading the way. Schmendrick tells Lír of his travels with the unicorn, but he stops when he gets to the night he transformed the unicorn and changes the subject to Lír’s birth. Lír knows of the curse and knows Haggard isn’t his biological father, but he has guarded Haggard his entire life. Lír mentions having a recurring dream about the Red Bull driving unicorns into the sea, and Schmendrick informs him that it wasn’t a dream and reveals that Lady Amalthea is the last unicorn. Lír is not surprised because he knew her beauty was great and otherworldly. Despite this, Lír cannot help his love for her. Amalthea stops and speaks to the group that she does not want to become a unicorn and fears Schmendrick will transform her into a unicorn. Schmendrick also doubts his power and suggests they just end their quest without saving the unicorns. Amalthea confirms that her wish is to stay human, but Lír changes his mind. He wants to help her see her quest through. He’s taken on the role of a hero and refuses to let her story end with him. Molly believes Schmendrick manipulated Lír to change his mind for his own gain since Schmendrick turning Amalthea to a unicorn would free him from his own curse. Molly scolds Schmendrick for his selfishness, and accuses him of only caring about magic, forcing Schmendrick to defend himself. The Red Bull appears before the group Prince Lír's sword is destroyed, Schmendrick cannot use magic, and Amalthea and Lír hold hands. The Red Bull charges Amalthea now that it can see through her disguise and Prince Lír moves to protect her. This leads to Schmendrick to feel an abundance of emotions and he speaks an enchantment and Amalthea transforms back into the unicorn. Schmendrick becomes mortal, Schmendrick and Molly follow the bull out of the tunnel to the shore. The bull chases the unicorn up and down the beach, but the unicorn refuses to enter the water. Molly asks Schmendrick to use magic to save the unicorn and that only heroes save unicorns. This leads to Prince Lír to leap in the path of the Red Bull and he is trampled to death. The unicorn, motivated by Lír’s death, cries out and begins to advance toward the bull. The Red Bull backs into the ocean; King Haggard watches this occur from atop his castle. The unicorns in the ocean part to allow the Red Bull to enter the ocean where it becomes submerged. The Unicorns become free and run across the land causing the castle to fall apart with King Haggard falling to his death.

Chapter 14: The Unicorn returns to the group and revives Prince Lír. The Unicorn touches Prince Lír a second time, and leaves. Schmendrick explains to Prince Lír what has happened and how his death was the catalyst for the unicorn fighting back. Schmendrick declares Lír to be King Lír. Four young men approach the group. They are Haggard’s men-at-arms, and they have become young again, having fulfilled their promise to Amalthea. King Lír declares his intention to search out the unicorn, but Schmendrick convinces him to travel his kingdom. The kingdom has begun to heal with the exception of Hagsgate. King Lír enters the town and announces himself as king. Drinn approaches and revels himself as King Lír's father. Eventually King Lír comes to terms with helping to rebuild the town, but for now leaves with Schmendrick and Molly to the edge of his kingdom. Outlaws are pardoned and the group gets to the edge of the kingdom, King Lír wishes to travel with Schmendrick and Molly, but Schmendrick tells him that the best men in the country will come to his court, and Lír can teach them about heroism and nobility. Still, Lír wishes he could see the unicorn one last time. That night Schmendrick has a dream of the unicorn. They talk about Schmendrick’s mortality and his path as a wizard. The unicorn is unsure about returning to her forest, for she has lived as a mortal for so long and knows emotions that no other unicorn knows. Schmendrick apologizes, but the unicorn thanks him for helping her bring her people back to the world. When he awakes King Lír and Molly are also awake. It turns out all three of them had dreams with the unicorn. Lír rides away home to be king. Molly and Schmendrick ride along together, uncertain of their destination but following the same road they once did with the unicorn. They encounter a princess in distress and send her in the direction of King Lír. Schmendrick walks alongside Molly on her horse and the two sing together.

​

How about a classic? Written in 1892, this short story is famous for being a pivotal work of >!feminist literature !<(spoiler re: themes). A little bit gothic, a little bit unsettling, and a lot of interesting details to take in! Even if you have read this one before, in school for example, it's worth a reread. I definitely enjoyed it more this time, ten years since the last time I read it.

What is the Monthly Mini?

Once a month, we will choose a short piece of writing that is free and easily accessible online. It will be posted on the 25th of the month. Anytime throughout the following month, feel free to read the piece and comment any thoughts you had about it.

Bingo Squares: Monthly Mini, Female Author

The selection is: “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Click here to read it (includes a few funky illustrations!).

• The story is also available on Project Gutenberg in various other formats/file types. Click here to read it.
• Prefer audio? Here's a dramatic reading of it!

Additionally, it turns out that this story was written from experience. If you're curious about why Gilman wrote this story, here is some context! (SPOILERS- Recommended that you read the story first unless if you want the plot and themes spoiled):

![From Wikipedia]: After the birth of her first daughter, Gilman suffered postnatal depression and was treated by Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell, the leading expert on women's mental health at the time. He suggested a strict 'rest cure' regimen involving much of bed rest and a blanket ban on working, including reading, writing, and painting. After three months and almost desperate, Gilman decided to contravene her diagnosis, along with the treatment methods, and started to work again. Aware of how close she had come to a complete mental breakdown, the author wrote ”The Yellow Wallpaper” with additions and exaggerations to illustrate her criticism of the medical field. !<

​

Once you have read the story, comment below! Comments can be as short or as long as you feel. Be aware that there are SPOILERS in the comments, so steer clear until you've read the story!

Here are some ideas for comments:

• Overall thoughts, reactions, and enjoyment of the story and of the characters
• Favourite quotes or scenes
• What themes, messages, or points you think the author tried to convey by writing the story
• Questions you had while reading the story
• Connections you made between the story and your own life, to other texts (make sure to use spoiler tags so you don't spoil plot points from other books), or to the world
• What you imagined happened next in the characters’ lives

Still stuck on what to talk about? Some points to ponder...

• !What's your interpretation of the wallpaper? Why did the author choose to focus so heavily on it, and use it as a device in the way she did? Any thoughts about the emphasis on yellowness, the colour getting everywhere, including the fact that it even smelled yellow? Do you think the author was leaning into wallpaper distrust of the time period due to arsenic poisoning, or not so much?!<

• !Let's talk feminism! Did it deliver? Were there bits that you especially enjoyed in this commentary on gender roles and women's issues in the 1800s?!<

• !The ending of the story is up for interpretation. Something I wondered about (and others too, apparently, after doing some googling) is whether she committed suicide in the end of the story or not. The rope, standing on the bed, her husband bursting in and fainting upon seeing her... what's your interpretation of the ending?!<

Have a suggestion of a short piece of writing you think we should read next? Click here to send us your suggestions!

​

Welcome back for our final discussion of Anne of Ingleside.

Chapter 31

We return to the saga of Nan's identity crisis. She's guilt-ridden over the thought that she is living the life that Cassie Thomas was meant to have. After getting bullied by poor kids who think she's stuck up, Nan managed to find the house, but Cassie and her father, Six-toed Jimmy, aren't home. Cassie's stepmother invites her in because of the storm, and I just want to point out that the narrator refers to her as "Mrs. Six-toed." 😁 (To be honest, though, I was kind of shocked by the classism in this part of the book. The poor kids immediately bully Nan? Mrs. Six-toed's baby is covered in dirt?) Anyhow, Mrs. Six-toed is a decent person, and sets Nan straight on the record of her identity. Nan goes home and tells Anne what happened, and everything's finally alright.

Chapter 32

Do you know what Mary Anna said to me the other day? She said that this chapter sucked. Anne has a bunch of women over for quilting, and Walter listens in on their gossip. Most of the gossip is boring IMO, but we do get a vague hint about a funeral that went very wrong...

Chapter 33

...yay, Anne gives us the dirt on the funeral! Some guy died, and the sister of his first wife crashed the funeral to tell everyone what an abusive asshole he'd been to his first wife. I'm kind of weirded out that this story is in an Anne of Green Gables book. WTF.

Chapter 34

L. M. Montgomery went "oh shit, this was supposed to be a children's book," stopped talking about abusive dead people, and introduced a lisping little girl and an adorably childish misunderstanding. Little Rilla once saw some bullies make fun of someone who happened to be carrying a cake, and drew the conclusion that cake-carrying is embarrassing. Unfortunately, Susan has baked a cake and wants Rilla to carry it to the church for the Orphanage Social. It thucks to be you, Rilla.

Rilla almost makes it to the church, but then she sees her Sunday School teacher, and is so ashamed of being seen with the cake that she tosses it in the brook. But she finds out that the Sunday School teacher is also carrying a cake. Realizing her mistake, Rilla confesses to Anne and Susan, who aren't angry at her.

Chapters 35 and 36

Nan loves to make up stories about people and places. One day, she overhears Susan saying that a woman has moved into a nearby abandoned house. Susan says that the woman is reclusive and doesn't go to church and broke hearts when she was younger, so Nan's imagination turns the house into a Gothic mansion and the woman into a beautiful, tragic villainess. Anne eventually sends Nan on an errand to the house, and Nan is completely heartbroken to discover that the woman is, in fact, a perfectly normal person, an old widow who has grandchildren. I realize that this is just one of those "Haunted Wood" plots that come up so often in these books, but if Nan ever takes up writing, I will read her novels.

Chapters 37 and 38

For some reason, Diana attracts manipulative people like fly paper. I think they can smell her gullibility or something. Listen, kids, if someone ever says to you "I want to be your friend exclusively, and you can never be friends with anyone else ever again," and then tries to kiss you, you run in the other direction as fast as you can. Especially if they also say things like "other people are deceitful" and "no one has ever loved me." That's called "manipulation." Can you say "manipulation," Diana? I knew you could.

Anyhow, Diana tells Anne about Delilah allegedly being starved and abused by her evil stepmother. Anne's like "didn't we already do this story arc? Wasn't she named Jenny Penny?" and Diana's like "you don't know what it's like to be beaten and starved!" and Anne's like "why does everyone always forget about my tragic backstory?" I should also point out that Delilah's abuse includes being starved and being forced to eat with the servants, and Diana apparently does not see this as a plot hole.

Diana invites Delilah to visit her, and everything goes great until the next day at school, when Diana overhears Delilah telling horrible lies about her and her family. (This includes calling the Shrimp a "mangy old tomcat." How dare she!) Diana is forced to admit that she got Jenny Penny'd again.

Chapter 39

Anne's in a bad mood. She feels like Gilbert has been distant lately, and they've just been invited to a dinner with Christine Stuart. Remember her from Anne of the Island? Anne thought Christine and Gilbert were engaged. Jealousy time.

Chapters 40 and 41

Anne spends the entire dinner jealously convinced that Gilbert still has feelings for Christine. In the end, though, we learn that the real reason for Gilbert's behavior is simply that he's been anxious over possibly having misdiagnosed a patient. But the patient really did need the surgery after all, is recovering now, and everything's okay again.

The story ends with Anne looking at her sleeping children, and everything is wonderful aside from L. M. Montgomery dropping an absolutely horrifying spoiler for a future book for some reason. I'm hoping the spoiler went over everyone's heads or something, but I'll mention it in spoiler tags in the comment section, if anyone wants to discuss it.

Hello everyone and welcome to another dramatic week of Crime and Punishment. We've got everything this week. Funerals, feasts, fights, and fearmongering. Let's jump into it!

Part 5, Chapter 2

It's time for the funeral feast and Katerina has spent nearly 10 roubles on it. It's a huge amount of money for her and Sonya is worried that Katerina is losing herself. Not many people arrive and those that do come only seem interested in eating. Our favourite (?) murderer, Raskolnikov, arrives and Katerina is grateful that he's come.

Katerina keeps making fun of the guests and one of the guests mentions that Marmeladov (her late husband) had a drinking problem. Sonya worries that her stepmother will cause a scene, but Katerina believes (due to something Luzhin said in passing) that she will get part of her late husband's government pension despite the fact that his alcoholism cost him his position. Katerina says that she plans to open a school for girls with the pension once she receives it. Amalia and Katerina start fighting about the school and it escalates until Amalia says they must leave immediately because they haven't paid rent. Luzhin enters at this time and Katerina goes to talk to him.

Part 5, Chapter 3
Instead of calming the atmosphere, Luzhin dumps gasoline on this fire and announces that a 100 rouble note disappeared from his room and asks Sonya if she took it. They turn Sonya's pockets out and low and behold, there is the 100 rouble note. Amalia says that the police should be brought to arrest Sonya, but Luzhin quiets the room and offers Sonya forgiveness. However, his forgiveness is undercut by Lebezyatnikov who calls Luzhin vile.
Lebezyatnikov claims that Luzhin put the note in Sonya's pocket and she was none the wiser. Luzhin storms out after being asked by Lebezyatnikov to leave. Sonya leaves as well, upset about how she's been used. Amalia demands again that the family leave immediately. Katerina protests her unfair treatment in the street, making sure that everyone can hear her. In the meantime, Raskolnikov leaves to find Sonya at her apartment.

Part 5, Chapter 4.
Raskolnikov realizes that he has to tell Sonya that he murdered Lizaveta and asks Sonya a question. Hypothetically, would Sonya kill Luzhin to spare Katerina and her family? Sonya says she would rather not kill despite any consequences. Raskolnikov knew she would say this and admits that he has come to ask forgiveness. He tries to explain why he killed the pawnbroker and Sonya tries to come up with understandable reasons for him to do so. His poverty and hunger would make it more understandable, but Raskolnikov admits that the reasons are more complex than that.

The more he tries to explain, the more convoluted it seems. While Raskolnikov tries to explain again, Sonya refuses his reasoning. In her eyes, he's committed a crime against god and man. All he can do is accept his guilt and suffering.Raskolnikov says that he would confess to humanity, but not to God. He will not be punished by God, but by the police and humans. He asks Sonya if she would visit him if he went to jail and Sonya say yes. She also gives him a cross which Raskolnikov says he will put on when he's ready for his redemption. Lebezyatnikov interrupts them and enters the room.

Part 5, Chapter 5
Lebezyatnikov is there to tell them that Katerina has gone insane out in the streets of Petersburg. She is there demanding money from Marmeladov's former boss. He refused her and she's now on the streets with her children, singing and dancing for money. Raskolnikov goees back to his apartment and his sister is there. Dunya says she has talked to Razumikhin and heard that her brother is suspected of murder. Raskolnikov replies that Razumikhin is a good man and when Dunya worries that this is a goodbye, Raskolnikov leaves the apartment. Dunya does not follow him.
Lebezyatnikov finds Raskolnikov and leads him to where Katerina is performing with her children. They're gathering a crowd who laugh at Katerina and mock her until a policeman arrives to tell them that they can't perform like this in public. Katerina runs after the crowd, but falls and begins to cough up blood. Sonya and the others carry her back to Sonya's apartment where Katerina raves about incoherent things and then dies with the certificate of merit she showed off earlier beside her. Svidrigailov pulls Raskolnikov aside and says he will cover the expenses of Katerina's funeral and provide for her family. When Raskolnikov asks why Svidrigailov is offering to help, he answers that he's been on the other side of the wall. It is heavily hinted that he heard Raskolnikov's confession.

Now you might be asking - what is a marginalia post for, exactly?

This post is a place for you to put your marginalia as we read. Scribbles, comments, glosses (annotations), critiques, doodles, illuminations, or links to related - none discussion worthy - material. Anything of significance you happen across as we read. As such this is likely to contain spoilers from other users reading further ahead in the novel. We prefer, of course, that it is hidden or at least marked (massive spoilers/spoilers from chapter 10...you get the idea).

Marginalia are your observations. They don't need to be insightful or deep. Why marginalia when we have discussions?

Sometimes its nice to just observe rather than over-analyze a book. They are great to read back on after you have progressed further into the novel. Not everyone reads at the same pace and it is nice to have somewhere to comment on things here so you don't forget by the time the discussions come around.

Ok, so what exactly do I write in my comment?

Start with general location (early in chapter 4/at the end of chapter 2/ and so on). Write your observations, or Copy your favorite quotes, or Scribble down your light bulb moments, or Share you predictions, or Link to an interesting side topic.

Note: Spoilers from other books should always be under spoiler tags unless explicitly stated otherwise.

As always, any questions or constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged. The post will be flaired and linked in the schedule so you can find it easily, even later in the read. Have at it people!

What does your Reading Menu look like for May?

New here? Head to our New Readers Orientation post here for the basics. Also be sure to introduce yourself below. We love to hear how you found us, what you like to read, and what your first r/bookclub read is/will be

May Line-up - Scythe (YA), The House of Mirth (Gutenberg), The Sisters of Almeda Street (Read the World), The Fall (Evergreen), Leviathan Wakes (Discovery Read), Thinking, Fast and Slow (Quarterly Non-Fiction) Armadale (Mod Pick), A Darker Shade of Magic (Runner-up Read), Tehanu (Bonus Book), Red Seas under Red Skies (Bonus Book) Salvation of a Saint (Bonus Book), Rogue Protocol (Bonus Read) + The Monthly Mini & Poetry Corner.

• Find the previous schedules at APRIL Book Menu here

• Find the next schedules at [JUNE Book Menu from the 25th of May

• Head to this post to learn more about bookclub's calendar

• r/bookclub takes a strict stance on spoilers. Find out more here

• It is the responsibility of the reader to ensure a book is suitable for them. As such read runners will usually not include Content Warnings (CW) or Trigger Warnings (TW). A useful resource is the site www.doesthedogdie.com which, though not exhaustive, contains an extrensive list of content for many books.

• Find the 2024 Bingo Megathread here. Also the 2024 Bingo Q&A post and the 2024 Bingo helper spreadsheet.

[MONTHLY MINI]

• The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

[POETRY CORNER]

Coming 15th May

[YA]

#Scythe by Neal Shusterman

was nominated by u/fixtheblue and will be run by u/fixtheblue, u/Joinedformyhubs, u/Reasonable-Lack-6585 and u/Luna2541.

The Schedule with direct links to all the discussion posts Marginalia can be found here. (Caution! Spoilers!)

Discussion Schedule

• May 2nd Check in 1: Chapter 1:No Dimming of the Sun - Chapter 7: Killcraft

• May 9th Check in 2: Chapter 8: A Matter of Choice - Chapter 15: The Space Between

• May 16th Check in 3: Chapter 16: Pool Boy - Chapter 25: Proxy of Death

• May 23rd Check in 4: Chapter 26: Not Like the Others - Chapter Chapter 31: A Streak of Unrelenting Foolishness

• May 30th Check in 5: Chapter 32: Troubled Pilgrimage - Chapter 40: The Ordained(End)

[GUTENBERG]

#The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

was nominated by u/fixtheblue and will be run by u/bluebelle236, and u/lazylittlelady

The Schedule with direct links to all the discussion posts Marginalia can be found here. (Take care spoilers!)

Discussion Schedule

• Friday May 3rd - Book 1, ch i - vii

• Friday May 10th - Book 1, ch viii- xiv

• Friday May 17h - Book 1 ch xv – book 2, ch vi

• Friday May 24th - Book 2, ch vii to end

• Potential Friday May 31st – Book v movie discussion dependant on interest

[READ THE WORLD]

#The Sisters of Alameda Street by Lorena Hughes

for Ecuador will be run by u/fixtheblue, u/nicehotcupoftea, and u/Vast-Passenger1126

The Schedule with direct links to all the discussion posts Marginalia can be found here closer to the start date. (Warning: this post may contain spoilers)

Discussion Schedule

• May 10 - Start through Chapter 8
• May 17 - Chapter 9 through Chapter 22
• May 24 - Chapter 23 through Chapter 37
• May 31 - Chapter 38 through End

[EVERGREEN]

#The Fall by Albert Camus

will be run by u/espiller1 because our fabulous mod and read runner Emily ran The Stranger back in November 2022 and has been eager for more Camus ever since.

The Schedule with direct links to all the discussion posts Marginalia can be found here closer to the start date. (Spoilers here)

Discussion Schedule

• May 16th: Start to paragraph ending with "What we call basic truths are simply the ones we discover after all the others" (approx 53% ebook, page 71/133) Fun Fact: The Fall was actually published on May 16th, 1956!

• May 23rd: Sentence starting with "However that may be..." to End

[May-Jun DISCOVERY READ]

See nomination post 1st May

[RUNNER-UP READ]

#A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

This book was nominated back in November by u/fixtheblue for the Fantasy Core read. It will be run by u/fixtheblue, u/luna2541, u/lovelifelivelife and u/maolette.

The Schedule with direct links to all the discussion posts Marginalia can be found here. (Be aware of spoilers)

Discussion Schedule

• May 6. - Start through Four: White Throne - Chapter V (u/luna2541)
• May 13. - Five: Black Stone - Chapter 1 through Eight: An Arrangenent - Chapter III (u/fixtheblue)
• May 20. - Nine: Festival & Fire - Chapter 1 through Eleven: Masquerade - Chapter III (u/maolette)
• May 27. - Eleven: Masquerade - Chapter IV through End (u/lovelifelivelife)

[QUARTERLY NON-FICTION]

#Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

for our Scientific/Medical themed Quarterly Non-Fiction this book will be run by u/eeksqueak, u/Meia_And, u/midasgoldentouch, u/Reasonable-Lack-6585 and u/tomesandtea

The Schedule with direct links to the discussion post and the Marginalia can be found at the links.

Discussion Schedule

• May 1: Introduction - Chapter 4
• May 8: Chapters 5-10
• May 15:  Chapters 11-17
• May 22:  Chapters 18-22
• May 29:  Chapters 23-28
• June 5:  Chapters 29-34
• June 12:  Chapter 35 through the End (including the Conclusion and Appendices A & B)

[BONUS READ]

#Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin

Tehanu is Earthsea Cycle book 4. Links to A Wizard of Earthsea book #1 and Tombs of Atuan book #2 are here, and The Farthest Shore book #3 is here. This book will be run by u/Manjusri.

The Schedule with direct links to all the discussion posts Marginalia can be found here. (Marginalia allow reference to the whole book/series. Proceed with caution. Spoilers)

Discussion Schedule

• May 1. - Start through Chapter 4
• May 8. - Chapter 5 through Chapter 8
• May 15. - Chapter 9 through Chapter 11
• May 22. - Chapter 12 through End

[BONUS READ]

#Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

Links to The Gentleman Bastards book 1 - [The Lies of Locke Lamora can be found here. This book will be run by u/thebowedbookshelf, u/Amanda39, u/Meia_Ang, u/Vast-Passenger1126, and u/Reasonable-Lack-6585.

The Schedule with direct links to all the discussion posts Marginalia can be found here. (Marginalia allow reference to the whole book/series. Proceed with caution. Spoilers)

Discussion Schedule

• May 2: Prologue to Part 1: Reminiscence: Best-Laid Plans (87 pp)

• May 9: Part 1: Chapter 3 to Chapter 5 (101 pp)

• May 16: Part 1: Reminiscence: By their Own Rope to Chapter 7 (94 pp)

• May 23:Part 2: Chapter 8 to Chapter 11 (107 pp)

• May 30: Part 2: Chapter 12 to Part 3: Chapter 14 (100 pp)

• June 6: Part 3: Chapter 15 to Epilogue (end) (70 pp)

[BONUS READ]

#Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino

Links to book 1 - Devotion of Suspect X can be found here. This book will be run by u/miriel41 and u/espiller1.

The Schedule with direct links to all the discussion posts Marginalia can be found here closer to the start date. (Marginalia allow reference to the whole book/series. Proceed with caution. Spoilers)

Discussion Schedule

• 22nd May: Chapters 1 – 6
• 29th May: Chapters 7 – 13
• 5th June: Chapters 14 – 21
• 12th June: Chapters 22 – 33

[BONUS READ] #Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

This is book 3 in the Murderbot Diaries series. Here are links to book 1 All Systems Red and book 2 Artificial Condition.

[The Schedule] is coming soon, as is [The Marginalia]

Discussion Schedule

TBA

CONTINUING READS

[EVERGREEN]

#Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

will be run by u/bluebelle236, u/Reasonable-Lack-6585, u/WanderingAngus206, u/infininme and u/towalktheline because it has been a loooong time since this classic was last read with r/bookclub (Feb 2017) so it's about time we read it again!

The Schedule with direct links to all the discussion posts Marginalia can be found here (Spoilers here)

Discussion Schedule

• 7th March – from p1, c1 to p1, c4

• 14th March – from p1, c5 to p2, ch1

• 21st March – from p2, ch2 to p2, ch5

• 28th March – from p2, ch6 to p3, ch1

• 4th April – from p3, ch2 to p3, ch5

• 11th April – from p3, ch6 to p4, ch3

• 18th April – from p4, ch4 to p5, ch1

• 25th April – from p5, ch2 to p5, ch5

• 2nd May – from p6, ch1 to P6, ch5

• 9th May from p6, ch6 to end

[Mar-Apr DISCOVERY READ]

#The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

Is the winner of our Medieval/Middle Ages Discovery Read. This book was nominated by u/Previous_Injury_8664 and will be run by u/Greatingsburg and co.

The Schedule with direct links to all the discussion posts Marginalia can be found here (Beware spoilers may be here)

Discussion Schedule

• 19th March - Discussion 1 - Inferno 1 to 7 (~38 pages)
• 26th March - Discussion 2 - Inferno 8 to 16 (~40 pages)
• 2nd April - Discussion 3 - Inferno 17 to 25 (~41 pages)
• 9th April - Discussion 4 - Inferno 26 to 34 (~43 pages)

​

• 16th April - Discussion 5 - Purgatorio 1 to 7 (~35 pages)
• 23rd April - Discussion 6 - Purgatorio 8 to 15 (~37 pages)
• 30 April - Discussion 7 - Purgatorio 16 to 24 (~41 pages)
• 7th May - Discussion 8 - Purgatorio 25 to 33 (~43 pages)

​

• 14th May - Discussion 9 - Paradiso 1 to 7 (~36 pages)
• 21st May - Discussion 10 - Paradiso 8 to 15 (~36 pages)
• 28th May - Discussion 11 - Paradiso 16 to 24 (~39 pages)
• 4th June - Discussion 12 - Paradiso 25 to 33 (~40 pages)

[MOD PICK]

#Armadale by Wilkie Collins

This book was a close second on The Victorian Lady Detective Agency nomination post, and we all know how much u/Amanda39 loves Wilkie. The Victorian Ladies will be running this one; u/DernhelmLaughed, u/Amanda39 and u/thebowedbookshelf.

The Schedule with direct links to all the discussion posts Marginalia can be found here. (Beware spoilers may be here)

Discussion Schedule

• 4/7: Prologue, Chapter 1 - Book the First, Chapter 2

• 4/14: Book the First, Chapter 3 - Book the Second, Chapter 5

• 4/21: Book the Second, Chapters 6 - 13

• 4/28: Book the Third, Chapters 1 - 8

• 5/5: Book the Third, Chapters 9 - 13

• 5/12: Book the Third, Chapter 14 - Book the Fourth, Chapter 2

• 5/19: Book the Fourth, Chapter 3 - End

[Apr-May DISCOVERY READ]

#Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

for our Voyages themed Discovery Read this book will be run by u/Vast-Passenger1126, u/NightAngelRogue and u/tomesandtea

The Schedule with direct links to the discussion post and the Marginalia is here

Discussion Schedule

• April 20th: Prologue - Chapter 7

• April 27th: Chapters 8 - 15

• 4th May: Chapters 16 - 24

• 11th May: Chapters 25 - 33

• 18th May: Chapters 34 - 40

• 25th May: Chapters 41 - 47

• 1st June: Chapter 48 - Epilogue

Now you might be asking - what is a marginalia post for, exactly?

This post is a place for you to put your marginalia as we read. Scribbles, comments, glosses (annotations), critiques, doodles, illuminations, or links to related - none discussion worthy - material. Anything of significance you happen across as we read. As such this is likely to contain spoilers from other users reading further ahead in the novel. We prefer, of course, that it is hidden or at least marked (massive spoilers/spoilers from chapter 10...you get the idea).

Marginalia are your observations. They don't need to be insightful or deep. Why marginalia when we have discussions?

• Sometimes its nice to just observe rather than over-analyze a book.
• They are great to read back on after you have progressed further into the novel.
• Not everyone reads at the same pace and it is nice to have somewhere to comment on things here so you don't forget by the time the discussions come around.

Ok, so what exactly do I write in my comment?

• Start with general location (early in chapter 4/at the end of chapter 2/ and so on).
• Write your observations, or
• Copy your favorite quotes, or
• Scribble down your light bulb moments, or
• Share you predictions, or
• Link to an interesting side topic.

Note: Spoilers from other books should always be under spoiler tags unless explicitly stated otherwise.

As always, any questions or constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged. The post will be flaired and linked in the schedule so you can find it easily, even later in the read. Have at it people!

Hello fellow bots, humans, and everyone in between!

As promised, we'll be kicking off summer by rejoining Murderbot in the next entry in the series, Rogue Protocol! This is another novella so it'll be just two check-ins - the schedule will go up in a couple of weeks.

See y'all soon!

Hello fellow readers and welcome to this weeks discussion on Birthday by Koji Suzuki. Today we are covering the second short story in the novel "Lemon Heart" Before we get into the discussion lets dig in a little in what happened in this weeks short story.

Lemon Heart

1. Toyama a former intern with the same theater group as Sadako Yamamura. Toyama has a nightmare about botching a sound effect during a play. He awakens from this nightmare in a hotel room with his former lover. Toyama believes he is having these nightmares after a phone call with Kenzo Yoshino a journalist who inquired about Sadko's time with the acting group.
2. Toyama leaves the hotel and reflects on Sadako, and his time with the acting group. Toyama decides to contact Yoshino to inquire what he is investigating. The two agree to meet the next day.
3. During their meeting we learn that Mai Takano has recently died. Yoshino and Toyama begin to discuss the recent death of Yoshino's friend Askawa. We learn three other members of the theater group were called on the phone, and only Toyama was meet in person because he had a special relationship with Sadako. We learn that Sadako and Toyama worked on a play called Girl in Black which was a play that demanded Toyama to press a recorder to play sound effects for the play.
4. We flash back to March 1966 during the first rehearsal of the play. Sadako is playing the Girl in Black, and we learn an intern getting an acting role is very rare. Toyama is in the sound booth, and Sadako enters the booth. Sadako mentions hearing a woman's voice in the recording. Sadako shows Toyama a hidden room with a Shinto alter. Once they enter the room Sadako shows Toyama an odd item in the alter room; Toyama hears more noises of a baby, and a woman giving birth he realizes the object is a piece of an umbilical cord. Toyama continues to hear the various noises and begins to smell a scent of lemons.
5. Toyama confronts his friend Okubo about what he might have told Sadako. Okubo claims he had no idea about the secret alter within the sound booth. The group prepares for the second dress rehearsal.
6. Toyama is going back to the sound booth when he sees Sadako and Shigemori the theater director having a conversation. Sadako grabs Shigemori's groin which seems to startle Shigemori. Toyama has a flashback about how Sadako and he become a couple despite not having a physical relationship. Toyama watches this interaction until Sadako leaves. Sadako appears to have seen Toyama spying on her. Toyama becomes more angry with Sadako and Shigemori.
7. Toyama reflects on how Sadako wants to keep their relationship secret from the other members of the theater group. Toyama reflects on the role of the Girl in Black and how Sadako's role while limited is pivotal for the entire play. Toyama reflects how the technical aspects of the performance.
8. The second dress rehearsal ends, and Toyama realizes he must delete a recording that has recordings of Okubo doing an impression of Shigemori. Sadako returns to the sound booth as Toyama is erasing the tape. The two discuss recordings pointing to how technology will change to record images which Sadako indicates she would wish to see. Toyama has a heart to heart with Sadako about his feelings with her and what he saw which leads to Sadako turning off the lights in the sound booth and engaging in a sex act with Toyama. Sadako tells Toyama she loves him. Toyama hears a crying baby behind Sadako
9. We return ton November 1990, Yoshino tells Toyama that Sadako is suspected to be dead which leads Toyama to become emotional. We learn that the other theater troupe members told Yoshino that sometime during the rehearsals Okubo went to find the recorder, and heard a recording of Toyama and Sadako's sexual encounter. Angered by this he played the tape with the intercom open so everyone in the theater heard the recording. This lead to Shigemori to confront Sadako. Shigemori seemingly becomes ill after this ecounter. Toyama reflects that he was not in the theater at that time. Those who Yoshino spoke with have all died from heart attacks and had heard the recording back in the 1960s. Toyama becomes concerned about his own life.
10. Toyama heads back to his office and begins to hear several of the sounds he heard in the past. He begins to feel pains within his chest. Toyama talks to an associate who within a CD recently recorded the sounds of baby crying. Toyama looks out of his office window and sees a woman in a green dress, he leaves his office and the pain in his chest will not go away.
11. Toyama continues to get various memories from smells of lemon he is sensing around him. Toyama appears to be followed by the women in the green dress, and Toyama falls to the ground. The woman in the green dress cradles his head, and he sees it is the resurrected Sadako. Sadako pulls out a piece of an umbilical cord from her bag and hands it to Toyama who sub-comes to his condition dying in Sadako's arms.

​

Next week please join u/Regular-Proof675 to finish up with the final story "Happy Birthday"

​

Welcome wizards, priestesses and dragons, As promised it is soon time to dive back into Earthsea Cycle with book 4 Tehanu.

What is a Marginalia post for?

This post is a place for you to put your marginalia as we read. Scribbles, comments, glosses (annotations), critiques, doodles, illuminations, or links to related - none discussion worthy - material. Anything of significance you happen across as we read. As such this is likely to contain spoilers from other users reading futher ahead in the novel. We prefer, of course, that it is hidden or at least marked (massive spoilers/spoilers from chapter 10...you get the idea).

Marginalia are you observations. They don't need to be insightful or deep. Why marginalia when we have discussions?

• Sometimes its nice to just observe rather than over analyse a book.
• They are great to read back on after you have progressed further into the novel.
• Not everyone reads at the same pace and it is nice to have somewhere to comment on things here so you don't forget by the time the discussions come around.

MARGINALIA - How to post??? - Start with general location (early in chapter 4/at the end of chapter 2/ and so on).

• Write your observations, or
• Copy your favorite quotes, or
• Scribble down your light bulb moments, or
• Share you predictions, or
• Link to an interesting side topic.

Note: Spoilers from other books should always be under spoiler tags

As always, any questions or constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged. The post will be flaired and linked in the schedule so you can find it easily, even later in the read. Have at it people!

Happy reading 📚

Hi all,

Let’s continue Purgatory.

This is the sixth check-in for The Divine Comedy by Dante, covering Cantos 8-15 of Purgatorio. 

Below you will find the summaries as well as some discussion prompts in the comment section.

Come back next week, April 30, for Purgatorio Cantos 16-24 lead by u/Amanda39

Useful Links

• Schedule
• Marginalia

Summary

Canto 8

As the sun sets, the souls sing a hymn and two angel guardians descend to protect the valley against a serpent. Dante meets Nino Visconti. The serpent appears and is frightened off by the angels. 

Canto 9 - Terrace of Pride

At night, Dante sleeps and dreams that he is picked up by an eagle and thrown into a fire. Virgil informs him that he was carried by St. Lucy while he was asleep.r. They ascend the steps to a door and request entry to Purgatory-proper. The gatekeeper stamps seven Ps on Dante’s forehead and instructs him to wash them once in Purgatory. They enter to the singing of a hymn.

Canto 10

Dante and Virgil continue to climb the mountain and find a marble wall depicting biblical and historical scenes (Annunciation, Ark of the Covenant, Emperor Trajan of Rome). They notice a group of penitent souls, who walk bent with a heavy weight of rocks upon them.

Canto 11

The penitent souls pray. Virgil asks for help in climbing the mountain and receives support from Omberto Aldobrandesco. Dante also notices famous artist Oderisi da Gubbio, who gives  a speech on artist’s fame and vanity and politician Provenzano Salvani, whose willing humiliation shortened his time in Purgatory.

Canto 12

As they progress, Dante is asked to look downwards and notices carvings in the ground. They show scenes of punished pride (e.g. fall of Lucifer, fall of Troy). An angel appears and hits Dante with his wing. They enter the next terrace to singing. Dante realizes that one of his Ps is removed.

Canto 13 - Terrace of Envy

As they walk through the second terrace they see no souls and unsure which direction to take, they decide to follow the sun. Then they hear souls crying out to saints. The souls wear haircloth in the same color as the rocks behind them and their eyelids are sewn shut with iron wires. They lean on each other for support. One of them is Sapia, who enjoys the misery of others.

Canto 14

Two souls ask Dante about his origins, and he tells them a few things without revealing his name. Both souls lament the state of Florence and the moral decline of Tuscany. Dante and Virgil walk on.

Canto 15

Late in the afternoon, Dante notices a bright light. It is an angel that congratulates him on his journey. Another P vanishes from his forehead. As they ascend the staircase, Dante asks for clarification about a topic mentioned in the Terrace of Envy and Virgil explains the difference between worldly and heavenly goods. They arrive at the Terrace of Anger. Dante gets a vision with three examples of kindness (life of the Virgin, Valerius Maximus, St. Stephen). A smoke cloud swallows them.

Well hello again fellow travellers! I hope you're enjoying how the story is developing. I'm going to lead us through this middle section of our book, and I'll start with a bit of a refresher. Feel free to add your own questions.

​

23 - 1986: A Busty Lass

​

The Foot family move into Kaieteur Close, and Rita falls immediately in love with Archie. Rita's classmates engage in some teasing of the newcomer, and Rita participates by writing cheeky rhymes, one of which ends up in the teacher's hands. After being made to read aloud the smutty poem, the class ends in uncontrolled laughter and a detention for Rita. Rita goes to a party and dances with Archie; she's in heaven.

​

24 - 1986: Green Sponges

​

Luisa has grown out of her cute toddler stage and developed into an annoying younger sister. Rita and Chandra are fighting a subtle battle over Luisa's allegiance. Rita's dilemma is that she wants to be Luisa's favourite, but is increasingly having to discipline her. One day they are playing at the Foots' house and Luisa is really naughty. When Rita tries to take her home, Luisa retaliates by revealing the green sponges Rita has stuffed in her bra. Luisa is screaming, and Chandra comforts her "darling girl". Luisa is highly manipulative and has both Rita and Chandra hooked around her little finger.

​

25 - 1986 - An older man

​

Rita recovers from her loss quickly when the hot American "older man" called Ross arrives to stay with his parents who have moved in next door. Rita and her friends make prank phone calls to him. One day Ross accidentally drives over Luisa's bicycle and comes to apologise. They go in his car to buy a replacement and Luisa embarrasses Rita by telling Ross that Rita is in love with another Ross. Ross finds this hilarious.

​

26 - Bamboo Gardens

​

Ross asks Rita out on a date and she begs Jitty for money for a new dress. Rita has told Ross that she's 16 and accepts a Rum and Coke at the restaurant. Afterwards he drives her to the infamous sea wall parking area. Rita is not comfortable, so she asks him to take her home. She lets him kiss her, he reaches in and finds the sponges, laughs and continues with his hands up her dress. Rita punches him hard in the crotch (yes!!!) and he calls her names. She manages to get out of the car and runs away.

​

27 - Home Life

​

Jitty is frustrated with the way his country is descending into political turmoil. A brain drain was occurring and Chandra had been nagging him to move to Canada. Chandra tells him it would be an easier feat to accomplish if they left Rita behind, and Rita overhears.

​

28 - Aunt Penny

​

Aunt Penny approaches Rita in the street and introduces herself as her mother's sister, she takes her to a cafe to talk. Rita agrees because she has questions to ask. It seems that Jitty has been intercepting letters to Rita from her maternal grandmother. Rita expresses her frustration at being kept in the dark. Aunty Penny is shocked that Rita can't remember being torn from her grandmother's arms by her father. Rita breaks down in tears and Aunt Penny invites her back to the Pomeroon the following day. Rita tells Polly that it will be tough to survive in the primitive conditions out there for two weeks but she has a need to fill the gaps.

​

29 - Two Long Empty Hands

​

Chandra is more pleased than Jitty about Rita’s trip. She wants to send Rita with a re-gifted broken electric mixer for her family. Jitty hands her an envelope for her granny, he says it's private, but she opens it anyway. The letter advises her grandmother that Rita is too young to hear the truth about her mother, but that he will tell her when the time in right.

​

30 - The Back of Beyond

​

Aunty Penny takes Rita on the long trip out to the country, by boat and road. At granny's house, Rita is surprised that the house is so big, and she is welcomed by two friendly dogs. Her granny hugs her and she feels instantly a sense of home and comfort and security.

​

31 - It's the Thought that Counts

​

Rita meets her grandfather, who is dark like herself, he kisses and hugs her tightly. Rita is overwhelmed by the feelings of being loved. She brings back memories of Cassie, their daughter.

​

32 - Kathy

​

Aunty Penny shows Rita around the farm, she is surprised that the produce makes them enough money to live on. She meets her cousin Kathy, who is also very welcoming.

Granny is delighted with the Mixmaster, insisting that you must show gratitude for gifts, refusing to believe that Chandra had meant it as an insult. She berates Rita for being rude to Penny when she visited and for not thanking her aunts for the presents, but says it's her father's fault.

Rita asks Granny how her mother died. She refuses to explain, but admits to a bad thing having happened. She sends off strong vibes that she doesn't like Jitty, but says that it is up to him to confess the bad thing he did. Granny shows her a photo of her mother holding her as a baby, and Rita realise that the "died in childbirth" theory was a lie.

​

33 - Dutch

​

Rita writes in her diary about the contentment she feels spending time with her cousins. She meets Kathy's older cousin, Dutch, and finds him beautiful. Granny relates how Rita, aged 5, used to teach Kathy all about animals, and looked after her when she was only 3. Rita is impressed with Dutch's knowledge of birds and animals. When she asks about his name, he explains that anyone there who has African blood, descends from slaves.

​

Looking forward to seeing your comments! Next week I'll hand over to u/Meia_Ang for the next section.

​

Hi friends. This week we finished part 7 and dove into the first three chapters of part 8. What an emotional roller coaster this week proved to be. I was finishing this read on an airplane and I unabashedly wept. I am excited to dive into the discussion.

 For a wonderful summary please look Here

For the schedule: Here

For the marginalia: Here

Links to interesting and related topics:

The meaning of Matthew 25:33

At the revival, the “chemachen said that these children were mutilated in infancy by their minders.” I couldn’t find a reputable source about this comment. But I did find Artificial cranial deformation. Which may explain the flat faces. I have no idea.

Liberation Theology

The Naxalite Movement

Let us discuss :)

Detectives, magicians, romantics and those that just like a good party 1920's London syle I have news!!

Last month r/bookclub's favourite Indie author Ms C.J. Archer released book number 4 in The Glass Library series. Excite! To give everyone time to get their copy, clear off the ridiculously over extended "currently reading" pile of books, and also so we don't have to wait as long for book 5 we will be running this book but not till early July (exact dates TBD).

The bookblurb from Storygraph

!The discovery of long-lost mail delivers a marriage proposal, a missing person, and a magical mystery.!<

!A road trip with Gabe and her friends leads Sylvia to discover more about her mother’s veiled past yet throws up several questions, too. The stack of unopened letters addressed to her family will hopefully provide answers. As she delves into the contents, a startling revelation emerges: the letters allude to a clandestine union between two magician families, hinting at the elusive identity of Sylvia’s father.!<

!Full of hope, she embarks on a quest to find the author of the letters, only to discover an artless youth who vanished decades ago, a dead man with the wrong name, and a hospital for former soldiers that connects them. The further Sylvia and Gabe delve into these mysteries, the more lies they expose, including long-buried secrets that certain individuals will stop at nothing to protect.!<

!When danger strikes, Sylvia wonders if finding answers is worth the risk.!<

Will you be joining us for The Dead Letter Delivery? 🔍📚

Hello reading globetrotters! Join me, u/fixtheblue and u/nicehotcupoftea as we travel to Ecuador for the next stop on our around the world reading adventure. We will be reading The Sisters of Alameda Street by Lorena Hughes starting on May 10th.

Here's a summary from Goodreads:

When Malena Sevilla's tidy, carefully planned world collapses following her father’s mysterious suicide, she finds a letter—signed with an “A”—which reveals that her mother is very much alive and living in San Isidro, a quaint town tucked in the Andes Mountains. Intent on meeting her, Malena arrives at Alameda Street and meets four sisters who couldn’t be more different from one another, but who share one thing in common: all of their names begin with an A.

To avoid a scandal, Malena assumes another woman’s identity and enters their home to discover the truth. Could her mother be Amanda, the iconoclastic widow who opens the first tango nightclub in a conservative town? Ana, the ideal housewife with a less-than-ideal past? Abigail, the sickly sister in love with a forbidden man? Or Alejandra, the artistic introvert scarred by her cousin’s murder? But living a lie will bring Malena additional problems, such as falling for the wrong man and loving a family she may lose when they learn of her deceit. Worse, her arrival threatens to expose long-buried secrets and a truth that may wreck her life forever.

Set in 1960s Ecuador, The Sisters of Alameda Street is a sweeping story of how one woman’s search for the truth of her identity forces a family to confront their own past.

And here is the schedule:

May 10 - Start through Chapter 8
May 17 - Chapter 9 through Chapter 22
May 24 - Chapter 23 through Chapter 37
May 31 - Chapter 38 through End

See you all on May 10th!