Feature Fridays

Today's featured classic is Little Women (1868) by Louisa May Alcott.

Description from Goodreads:

Generations of readers young and old, male and female, have fallen in love with the March sisters of Louisa May Alcott’s most popular and enduring novel, Little Women. Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.

It is no secret that Alcott based Little Women on her own early life. While her father, the freethinking reformer and abolitionist Bronson Alcott, hobnobbed with such eminent male authors as Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, Louisa supported herself and her sisters with “woman’s work,” including sewing, doing laundry, and acting as a domestic servant. But she soon discovered she could make more money writing. Little Women brought her lasting fame and fortune, and far from being the “girl’s book” her publisher requested, it explores such timeless themes as love and death, war and peace, the conflict between personal ambition and family responsibilities, and the clash of cultures between Europe and America.

Here's the beginning:

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled
Jo, lying on the rug.

"It's so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg, looking down at
her old dress.

"I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of
pretty things, and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy,
with an injured sniff.

"We've got Father and Mother, and each other," said Beth
contentedly from her corner.

The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened
at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly,
"We haven't got Father, and shall not have him for a long time."
She didn't say "perhaps never," but each silently added it, thinking
of Father far away, where the fighting was.

Read Little Women online at the Literature Network.

Have you read Little Women? Who's your favorite March sister? Why?

Thoughts for Thursday

What was the last book you bought?
Do you typically buy books, borrow from/share with friends, or check them out from the library?
Do you prefer hardback or paperback?

You can check BTT for other thoughts.


The last book I bought was Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult. I own nine of her books and am in the process of getting them all. I buy a lot of books, but I do check one out from the library or borrow one once in awhile. I guess I'd just rather have my own copy. I typically buy paperbacks because of price, but I always choose the hardback if I find a sale.

Scroll down for the new feature...Monthly Must-Read.

Monthly Must-Read

New Blog Feature--Monthly Must-Read...I'll post about a recently released, must-read book each month. I'll put it up on the first of the month from now on.


Have you heard about Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino & Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo?

Here's a synopsis:

Jennifer Thompson was raped at knifepoint by a man who broke into her apartment while she slept. She was able to escape, and eventually positively identified Ronald Cotton as her attacker. Ronald insisted that she was mistaken-- but Jennifer's positive identification was the compelling evidence that put him behind bars. After eleven years, Ronald was allowed to take a DNA test that proved his innocence. He was released, after serving more than a decade in prison for a crime he never committed. Two years later, Jennifer and Ronald met face to face-- and forged an unlikely friendship that changed both of their lives. In their own words, Jennifer and Ronald unfold the harrowing details of their tragedy, and challenge our ideas of memory and judgment while demonstrating the profound nature of human grace and the healing power of forgiveness.

Watch the book trailer:



Will you add this to your to-read list?
Have you heard about any other new must-read books lately?

Weekly Word Wednesdays

sophronize
v.
to instill with well-grounded moral principles

Strangely, the Paris Hilton book How to Sophronize Your Child never found a publisher.



Visit Save the Words to adopt this word.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays (started on Should Be Reading) asks you to:

Grab your current read (or a book on your shelf that you've read or been wanting to read). Let the book fall open to a random page. Share two teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. Don't forget to share the title and author of the book in case someone is teased into reading. Please avoid spoilers!

I've posted my teaser below. Post yours in the comment section if you'd like to share as well!


She is underdressed for the party in a sleeveless white blouse and a pair of navy shorts. Avoiding eye contact with Ben is even more difficult than she would have thought, even perched as she is on the stairs, there being an insufficient number of chairs for the thirteen celebrants of this spectacular August evening.

p. 69 of Body Surfing by Anita Shreve