MobileRead December 2011 - Book Club Vote

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Kevin8or

Don't sweat it, Nyssa. I'll delay reading it for another week.

I read A Canticle for Leibowitz as soon as it was chosen and waited a month for the discussion thread to begin. Lesson learned.

Good point. Thanks

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I downloaded the free version from the library here and it's good as far as I read, but I've ended up ordering "The Annotated Christmas Carol" to read (it's only in paper as far as I can tell).

I'm only a little ways into the introduction so far but it's quite interesting. For instance, I didn't know that at the time, Christmas as a fun, generous holiday had been on the wane because of Puritan dislike of its similarities to a pagan Roman holiday, to the point that workers were not even let off for Christmas. And that "A Christmas Carol" may have single-handedly revived the tradition that is continued today.

Well, I just learned something new! Thanks for sharing that Sun Surfer.

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I'm only a little ways into the introduction so far but it's quite interesting. For instance, I didn't know that at the time, Christmas as a fun, generous holiday had been on the wane because of Puritan dislike of its similarities to a pagan Roman holiday, to the point that workers were not even let off for Christmas. And that "A Christmas Carol" may have single-handedly revived the tradition that is continued today.

That really does give some context to the story. Thanks for that.

[Kevin8or]

Fellow readers of A Christmas Carol, please help if you can. I've liberally referenced the dictionary, but the meanings of several passages still elude me.

had a dismal light about it, like a bad lobster in a dark cellar.

and up the stairs: slowly, too: trimming his candle as he went.

It opened before them, and disclosed a long, bare, melancholy room, made barer still by lines of plain deal forms and desks.

cried out, 'Well done!' and the fiddler plunged his hot face into a pot of porter, especially provided for that purpose.

I'm 45% through the tale. Forum members willing, I'll post a few more in time.

[Nyssa]

"Trimming the candle" refers to the wick. He was removing the excess wick as it burned.

"A pot or porter" refers to a type of wine or sherry.

[poohbear_nc]

"a bad lobster" - putrescence was often associated with a glow in the dark - from bacteria
"pot of porter" - porter is a type of dark beer
"plain deal forms and desks" - Long, unpainted and unvarnished school benches made of deal wood, or pine.

[poohbear_nc]

Some great resources:

"What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew"

http://www.victorianlondon.org


http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Some great resources:

"What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew"

I can't read it. It's not an ebook.

But thanks for those other links:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

http://www.victorianlondon.org


http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/

[Kevin8or]

Thanks Nysaa and poohbear for the explanations and links.

I thought the dark beer, when I saw "porter," but the language is so strange:

the fiddler plunged his hot face into a pot of porter, especially provided for that purpose.

I envision a red-faced fiddler dunking his head into a basin full of beer.

[Nyssa]

Beer? Oh. Ok, "port" is sherry, not porter - sherry

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Beer? Oh. Ok, "port" is sherry, not porter - sherry

:

Sherry, Sherry baby
Sherry, Sherry baby

She - e - e-e-e-e-ry baby
She - e - rry, can you come out tonight
She - e - e-e-e-e-ry baby
She - e - rry, can you come out tonight

(Why don't you come out) to my twist party
(Come out) Where the bright moon shines
(Come out) We'll dance the night away
I'm gonna make-a you mi-yi-yi-yine

She - e - e-e-e-e-ry baby
She - e - rry, can you come out tonigh
(Come, come, come out tonight)
(Come, come, come out tonight)
You-oo-ooh better ask your mama
Tell her everything is all right

(Why don't you come out) with your red dress on
(Come out) Mmm, you look so fine
(Come out) Move it nice and easy
Girl, you make me lose my mind

She - e - e-e-e-e-ry baby
She - e - rry, can you come out tonight
(Come, come, come out tonight)
(Come, come, come out tonight).

[Nyssa]

Thank you for the Jon!!

*walks away shaking her head, chuckling to herself.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Thank you for the Jon!!

*walks away shaking her head, chuckling to herself.

When we were on our cruse in October/November 2011 one of the shows was a group doing Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons songs They were quite good.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by Kevin8or

Thanks Nysaa and poohbear for the explanations and links.

I thought the dark beer, when I saw "porter," but the language is so strange:



I envision a red-faced fiddler dunking his head into a basin full of beer.

Beer was sold in "pint pots" - essentially large mugs - so when the fiddler raised the mug to his face to drink, the mug hid his face from view as if he had dunked his head into the mug! Dickens has some very lively - and lovely - descriptive passages.

[Kevin8or]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Beer was sold in "pint pots" - essentially large mugs - so when the fiddler raised the mug to his face to drink, the mug hid his face from view as if he had dunked his head into the mug! Dickens has some very lively - and lovely - descriptive passages.

Ah, voila! Thank you.