© 2014 by BLACK, WHITE & READ BOOKS.

Proudly created with Wix.com

Photos of Gilmore girls courtesy of The CW

Custom graphics by Human Illustrations

 

  • FB smaller.jpg
  • instagram smaller.jpg
  • tumblr smaller.jpg
  • twitter smaller.jpg
  • email smaller.jpg

I can do it! I can do it!

This weekend, Husband and I took Lorelai for her first trip to our cabin in upstate New York. Generally the cabin is an opportunity to get in 48 hours of reading, only interrupted by consuming mass quantities of alcohol and Cool Ranch Doritos. Not so much with a 14 month in tow. So, you'd think that in the few minutes I could sneak some reading in, I'd be more apt to read something "fun". But guys, I'm maturing!

L at cabin.jpg

Unlike Lorelai Gilmore, this Lorelai likes the outdoors

Instead, in the time Husband and I were tip-toeing around the cabin because stupid babies go to sleep at stupid 7 o'clock... cabin or no, I actually picked up Ulysses! So proud! And I'm pleased to announce that I'm 86% of the way done! I've discovered that even after I finish it, Ulysses will go right back on my TBR list. It is one that a body will spend a lifetime rereading and analyzing to get the most out of it. But surprisingly, I'm actually getting it... well, as much as one can get it during their very first reading of a Joyce novel. But I can't believe it... I'm actually going to do it! And within this century! And for others who are experiencing the same challenge in reading Ulysses, Ellen at The Real Oxford Manner has some excellent tips! Her post was the very positive outcome from a wee bit of drama stirred up from this post. Read the rest of her post here:

  • don’t take the book too seriously - have fun spotting puns (many of which you don’t need too much knowledge of Ireland or Dublin to appreciate, though of course if you do have that knowledge it opens up another aspect of the book to you)

  • make a mental note of the things you do get - it can be easy to get caught up in what you don’t understand, but for me that was and is most of the book, so don’t worry.

  • once you have a rough idea of what’s happening, don’t worry too much about plot (plot? what plot?) - enjoy the words, and how they work

  • especially tricky passage? read it aloud to yourself - it might reveal things about the passage which are not evident on the page alone, and even if it doesn’t at least you’ve still forced yourself through a bit

  • don’t feel obliged to like the bloody book. I do, and know loads of people that do, but that does not make our view of the book or its author the only view of value - rather, because we enjoy it so much we should seek to discuss it with others and cajole them into loving it as much as we do!

#ulysses #jamesjoyce #baby

recent posts

Educated by Tara Westover

The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses and Changed the Workplace

The Girl and the Grove by Eric Smith

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michel

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital by David M.

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of WWII by Liza Mundy

{"items":["5fd76a2a13334a00177b1b61","5fd76a2a13334a00177b1b59","5fd76a2a13334a00177b1b5a","5fd76a2a13334a00177b1b5f","5fd76a2a13334a00177b1b62","5fd76a2a13334a00177b1b5d","5fd76a2a13334a00177b1b5b","5fd76a2a13334a00177b1b60","5fd76a2a13334a00177b1b5c","5fd76a2a13334a00177b1b5e"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"max","cubeRatio":1.7777777777777777,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":30,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":5,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":0,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":false,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":["SHOW_ON_THE_LEFT","SHOW_BELOW"],"galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":0,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":26,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":65,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":292,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"itemBorderColor":{"themeName":"color_12","value":"rgba(246,246,246,0)"},"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":2,"calculateTextBoxHeightMode":"MANUAL","targetItemSize":292,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|max|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":26,"externalInfoWidth":0.65},"container":{"width":220,"galleryWidth":225,"galleryHeight":0,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}
archive
  • August 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • June 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • April 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (3)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • November 2017 (2)
  • October 2017 (1)
  • March 2017 (2)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (3)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (5)
  • March 2016 (2)
  • February 2016 (4)
  • January 2016 (6)
  • December 2015 (4)
  • November 2015 (11)
  • October 2015 (7)
  • September 2015 (7)
  • August 2015 (6)
  • July 2015 (9)
  • June 2015 (8)
  • May 2015 (7)
  • April 2015 (18)
  • March 2015 (12)
  • February 2015 (6)
  • January 2015 (14)
  • December 2014 (16)
  • November 2014 (13)
  • October 2014 (22)
  • September 2014 (13)
  • August 2014 (8)
  • July 2014 (7)
  • June 2014 (17)
  • May 2014 (18)
  • April 2014 (31)
  • March 2014 (15)
  • February 2014 (7)
  • January 2014 (18)
  • December 2013 (11)
  • November 2013 (13)
  • October 2013 (7)
  • September 2013 (18)
  • August 2013 (17)
  • July 2013 (18)
  • June 2013 (12)
  • May 2013 (11)
  • April 2013 (7)
search for stuff
  • blog

  • writing

  • the official list

  • ...and beyond

  • podcasts

  • faq

  • about

  • More

    reading all books referenced on gilmore girls

    reading all books referenced on Gilmore girls