Iowa, the sunshine state?

[IBIS]

Melissa, I wanted to let you know that I've just finished a wonderful novel that takes place in Willow Creek, Iowa. It's for the Fiction Club, "The Weight of Silence."

I know how proud you are of your state.

Imagine my surprise when I read that the sunny heartland state of Iowa  is the home of dark happenings... abducted 7-year old girls, abusive husbands, unkind substitute teachers.... This novel has shattered my illusions that these horrible crimes only occured in faceless, Northeastern industrialized states.

Only kidding.

[Peppermill]

IBIS -- I presume then you haven't read:

A Thousand Acres  by Jane Smiley  or

In Cold Blood  by Truman Capote or

The Plague of Doves  by Louise Erdrich

Not all quite Iowa, but certainly Midwestern dark happenings.  (I, too, am only kidding, but these are the three that came immediately to mind upon reading your post!)

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IBIS wrote:

Melissa, I wanted to let you know that I've just finished a wonderful novel that takes place in Willow Creek, Iowa. It's for the Fiction Club, "The Weight of Silence."

I know how proud you are of your state.

Imagine my surprise when I read that the sunny heartland state of Iowa  is the home of dark happenings... abducted 7-year old girls, abusive husbands, unkind substitute teachers.... This novel has shattered my illusions that these horrible crimes only occured in faceless, Northeastern industrialized states.

Only kidding!

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[Melissa_W Moderator]

Lol, IBIS, we're the Hawkeye State, California is the Sunshine State, but we do have our fair share of nutters just like everyone else.

I'm glad you liked the novel. 

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IBIS wrote:

Melissa, I wanted to let you know that I've just finished a wonderful novel that takes place in Willow Creek, Iowa. It's for the Fiction Club, "The Weight of Silence."

I know how proud you are of your state.

Imagine my surprise when I read that the sunny heartland state of Iowa  is the home of dark happenings... abducted 7-year old girls, abusive husbands, unkind substitute teachers.... This novel has shattered my illusions that these horrible crimes only occured in faceless, Northeastern industrialized states.

Only kidding.

---

[MissElinorDash…]

Hello All!  My name is Emily.  I'm a full time mother of two, Biologist, part time Starbucks barista, and life long lover of books!  I've never joined a book club, so I am very excited to dive into The Mill on the Floss with you all!  I am always reading, whether it be a Jane Austen I've read 100 times or Captain Underpants to my Kindergartner, I enjoy it all.

[Melissa_W Moderator]

Welcome, Emily   Jump right in whenever you feel like it.

[mrsfaithful]

Hi my name is marquita I'm from Chicago. I love women literture I Love Jane Austin. I'm so happy I found this book club. Hopefully we can recommend books to one another.

[mrsfaithful]

So what are u reading now??

[Melissa_W Moderator]

Welcome, Marquita   We're reading Eliot's The Mill on the Floss so jump right in!

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mrsfaithful wrote:

Hi my name is marquita I'm from Chicago. I love women literture I Love Jane Austin. I'm so happy I found this book club. Hopefully we can recommend books to one another.

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[ashbrux]

Hi everyone. I'm Ash, I got the University of Iowa. I love reading, I'll probably be hopping in next month. I just thought I'd introduce myself now.

Hmm, I'm really not that interesting. My favorite books are Jane Eyre and On the Road. I'm an English and American Studies double major. I tutor little kids with reading. I like to write too, mostly personal essays.

Ash

English Major's Junk Food

[Melissa_W Moderator]

Welcome Ash!  Nice to see another fellow Hawkeye on here   We're finishing The Mill on the Floss this month and next month we'll switch to Agatha Christie's And then there were none

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ashbrux wrote:

Hi everyone. I'm Ash, I got the University of Iowa. I love reading, I'll probably be hopping in next month. I just thought I'd introduce myself now.

Hmm, I'm really not that interesting. My favorite books are Jane Eyre and On the Road. I'm an English and American Studies double major. I tutor little kids with reading. I like to write too, mostly personal essays.

Ash

English Major's Junk Food

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[Peppermill]

Ashbrux -- Welcome to LbW!  Look forward to your posts!

You probably realize that our moderator, Melissa, is in your vicinity (at least I think I have my Iowa Universities straight).

I just did a quick read of the current page on your blog.  As an English major, do know that your training in close reading can stand you in good stead.  I am currently auditing what is probably my first Lit course in my life -- I was/am a techie by trade/profession. A whole set of poems I absolutely could not have cracked (I am still struggling anyway) without the close reading techniques we are being taught.

I will say the same applies to technical literature -- I had a delight of a professor train a group of mainly clergy types how to read technical journal scientific articles a few years ago.  Wish I had had him in undergraduate engineering!

I do also agree that there are lots of things that are worth doing just relaxing into them, so I am not quibbling with your thoughts about what my acquaintances fondly refer to as "junk reading" or "relaxation" if we are being more mellow.

Pepper

[mrsfaithful]

Welcome!! This is an awesome Club!!!

[ashbrux]

I do realize how beneficial close reading is but it can be frustrating when you love a book and then have to tear it apart. Since I have become an English major I find it rather difficult to read a book without picking it apart so I am challenging myself to be able to read both ways. So far it is only mildly successful, haha. Thanks for checking out my blog!

Ash

English Major's Junk Food

[MLT]

Hello and my hand is extended to each in the group with a virtual shake..nice to meet you. I am an Author and have a book here on B&N which I am very excited and proud of. One book that I read and enjoyed was called-Drowning Ruth but there are many others by women that I enjoy as well. I reside in Atlanta with my husband and our spoiled but rather playful dog who refused to eat his food because it a "senior version" or because it says "weight management" on it. He is very spoiled but ours so there goes that.

[Melissa_W Moderator]

Welcome, MLT We're finishing And Then There Were None and we start Flannery O'Connor's The Complete Stories on Monday.

[MLT]

Thank you for the welcome.

[Linda_in_NH]

Hello!

My name is Linda and I live in southern New Hampshire with my 2 kitties, Chloe and Sassie.

During my college career, I discovered a love for American Literature, and in particular, women's literature. I have a few poets that I love. Among them are Sharon Olds, Anne Sexton, and Anne Bradstreet. Virginia Woolf's stream-of-consciousness writing can be challenging, but is amazing. One of my favorite's of hers is "A Room of One's Own." In high school I read Silas Marner by George Eliot and have never forgotten it.

A few years ago at a conference held at the University of New Hampshire, I was lucky enough to hear a talk by and meet author and Harvard University History Department faculty Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. I have two of her books: Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England, and A Midwives Tale: The life of Martha Ballard, based on her diary, 1785-1812.

I have 3 adult children and 6 awe-inspiring grandchildren, all of whom I'm completely in love with. I love books and knitting and music, and my goal is to be a stay-at-home-something ... nana? wife? (except that I'm not married).

That's about it! Thanks for reading. Ta!

http://www.thiscountrygirlslife.blogspot.com

http://lindasteelereiki.blogspot.com/

http://www.lindasteelereiki.com/

[Melissa_W Moderator]

Welcome, Linda!   We'll be reading Flannery O'Connor's The Complete Stories during December and January.

[bibliocharm]

Hello Everyone!

I love reading wonderful books and decided to give this online book club a try. I have just found you so have not had a chance to buy the book yet but will pick it up tonight and start reading. I have not checked out the discussions on the book yet and am not sure how it all works but I am confident I will find out how to use your system. I love all good reads but I am very interested at this time in my life to read women's lit. I have reached the age of 57 when a woman is evaluating her life and where she wants to go from here and I think that is why I feel so drawn to the writings of other women at this point in my life. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you and to learning from your insights as well.

[Marcie95]

Hello to all booklovers out there!    Bonjour from France!  I'm very glad to be joining you for the discussion on the short stories of Flannery O'Connor.