People give me things. Valerie gifted LaDeDa a flat screen TV and Shelly gave us the piano that frequently fills our space with offerings by little fingers curious about the sounds they can create, as well as from gifted, experienced pianists. I have a chaise lounge with quite a theatrical history - well, I'm actually storing it for Heart-A-Rama (with full use rights). Last week a beaded curtain was deposited here (anyone want it?) and before that several huge boxes of unwanted, used books arrived.
Among them was an old, barely together volume of Pride and Prejudice. Not the one you see to the left - don't recall where that one came from but it is stamped with the name of a long closed, local department store. I also have a set of Dickens with a stamp from the same store. The store, as far as I know, never sold books, so that got me thinking about why they had these. I believe that some posh clothing stores (info source: years of watching Sex in the City) have comfy areas where friends and.or spouses sip wine and read European editions of magazines while they wait while companions try on and try on and try on. Maybe these books occupied such a space in the lovely downtown Manitowoc shop. Or maybe they were props for a back to school display. Better yet, perhaps the business owner, concerned not only with the financial well-being of his./her employees, offered a lending library of quality material so clerks could slip in a few comments about the Bennet sisters between discussing the differences between seamed and seamless nylons.
At any rate, how curious is it, that my #2 book group has chosen Pride and Prejudice for our September read? And yes, I am reading the copy held together with rubber bands. My friend Connie is reading my most recently acquired edition, with falling out pages, and pencil notes decorating the pages, some of which appear to be in a foreign language (the notes, not the pages). Sure, I know where to get a fresh copy, fully intact with a font size that won't blur my vision, but there is something wonderful about reading an old story from an old book.
To be honest, this is my third attempt at P & P. I have faked reading it twice before - once for a library book discussion meeting, and once when #1 book group selected it. Years of teaching speech and theatre helped me polish a variety of facial expressions indicating that I am; interested, fascinated, puzzled, annoyed,...you name it. The affirmative head bob - you know, just like those little dog bobbers people for some reason still have in their cars - works wonders at convincing people of so very much.
But, this time, I will read the book, cover to cover; I have already on page twenty-two. Careful and plodding at first - needed to get used to Austen's style, which in the past I have found stuffy. Perhaps I chose not to deal with it long enough to get into the rhythm. My twenty-two page commitment has revealed two layered character - the parents. What fun. Witless and clueless mom, a dad with lots of fancy chess moves waiting to be played. So far, I have only met the two oldest daughter, Jane and Lizzie, and if truth be told, after watching numerous movie adaptations, I can find little use of the the three younger Bennet girls. I realize that somewhere there lurks a zealous Janite who, having written multiple dissertations on the function of the later three, would be horrified by that statement. Ho hum.
There's not much more to say at this point, except that, since it is now in print....I will finish this time. No faking. I will not go to my discussion group unprepared.
On another note...BAH HUMBUG Hallmark channel. We do not need to be seeing promos for your week of multiple, original Christmas movies or 2017. Shut up and let us enjoy summer.
Thanks for stopping by.
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