W&D Read-Along Kick-Off

Welcome, everyone, to the Wives and Daughters December read-along, in which Miss Dashwood freely acknowledges that she has no clue what the Gaskell she's doing, and in which she prepares to just fudge her way through and hope no one notices.

Because seriously.  What DOES happen in read-alongs?  I've never hosted one.  Iv'e never even participated in one, for Pete's sake.  So if someone wants to shoot me an email (see my Other Locations page--which has been revamped, by the by) and give some suggestions or advice, that someone (or someones) will be heartily welcome.

For now, though, I'm on my own.  *resists urge to burst into song*  So I am doing things in my own way.  Which means... scattered ramblings.  And nonsense.  Hey, have you ever noticed that in the rain the pavement shines like silver and all the lights are misty in the river?

As the hostess of the read-along, I guess it's my prerogative to give reading assignments, so... I'm dividing the book into four sections of fifteen chapters each (there are sixty chapters... yes, this is a tome).  So for this week, let's all read chapters 1-15 and then next Monday we can discuss it and start the next part.

I'll confess, I haven't actually begun reading yet.  I should have done so on Saturday but I had a million relatives in my house and we were baking Christmas cookies and playing Trivial Pursuit.  Plus, Melody and I launched the P&P95Forever Club that day (if you haven't yet checked it out, you should).

If you're still reading this post in hopes that something fascinating is going to happen, you may as well go read something more interesting, because that's about all I have to say.  More posts will be coming later this week as I actually begin reading the book and have things to talk about.  (And I'll expect you to do your part, darlings, which means commenting and talking about things too.)  I see this read-along as being somewhat like a bunch of friends in a coffee shop... informal, laid-back, with lots of laughs.  And everybody ordering something different.

Because hey, we're all going to be reading the same book, but we're each going to have a different perspective on it.  Some of us have read it before.  Some of us are experiencing it for the first time.  Some are going to love it and some may finish it with an "ehhhh" feeling.  But we won't know until we try, and that's why I'm so very excited.  I'm one of those who's read it before, and I'm looking forward to diving into the story again--with all of you.  Seriously, it's really fun to read a book with someone (especially when it's your second time around)-- you end up learning things you never knew you never knew, because no two people will look at Wives and Daughters in the exact same way.

So... happy reading!