Journal Entry 1 by junegirl from Elm Grove, Wisconsin USA on Saturday, March 29, 2003

This book is titled "A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines", and it certainly lives up to its billing. Reading this will increase your appreciation of good storytelling exponentially. You'll be able to quickly identify literary symbols encoded in stories (e.g. communion, vampirism, blindness, rain, etc.). And it is written in accessible layman's terms, so there is no intimidation factor. If you've ever witnessed an English professor offer a deep reading of a text and wondered how s/he did it, this book is for you -- you won't regret investing the time to read it, for the rewards are sure to be plentiful.

 

Journal Entry 2 by junegirl from Elm Grove, Wisconsin USA on Monday, July 14, 2003

Bookray participants are:

Notbob
Jenny-lou-who
Zmrzlina
Rutchmather
Tuz
karendawn
debnance
Amaranta20
mlbish
SasquatchBR
QueenSissi
SudoKris
becca-mo
lmn60
Loopylou127 *current reader*
anwyn

Please PM the next person on the list for mailing info. If there are any new participants as the book makes its journey, I'll add them to the bottom of the list.

Hope you find it worthwhile, entertaining, and enlightening. I'm so happy to have people to share this book with and look forward to your thoughts about it (good or bad!).

NOTE: Since I've added some international participants toward the end of the list, please PM me if you aren't able to swing international shipping and the next person is in a different country. In that case, send the book back to me (junegirl) and I'll post it on.


 

Journal Entry 3 by notbob from Omaha, Nebraska USA on Thursday, July 17, 2003

Got this in the mail today. I opened it to a few random places and already learned a few things. :) 

Journal Entry 4 by notbob from Omaha, Nebraska USA on Monday, August 04, 2003

Excellent book. If it wasn't part of a bookring I'd read it once or twice more to make sure I didn't miss anything. Since it is, I'll just have to run out and buy a copy instead.

This book recruited a new bookcrosser without being caught in the wild. KodeOrian saw me reading it at Taco Bell last week. Despite my best efforts to be antisocial, she struck up a conversation. It turns out that she's an avid reader who also writes stories. I told her about bookcrossing... she signed up a few days later. No activity yet, but hopefully that'll change.

I'm going to mail this to jenny-lou-who today. 

Journal Entry 5 by jenny-lou-who from St. Catharines, Ontario Canada on Monday, August 11, 2003

This just arrived in the mail today and has the distinction of being the first book crossing book to arrive in the mailbox of our new house! :)
 

Journal Entry 6 by jenny-lou-who from St. Catharines, Ontario Canada on Wednesday, October 08, 2003

Well, it is time to pass this little book along. I've PM'd Zmrzlina for her address and will send it out when I hear back from her.

I have to admit that I didn't have time to read the book in its entirety, but the parts I did read were quite neat. I like how Foster makes literary analysis quite accessible - although I did notice that in some parts he seemed a bit close-minded (as if denying that other interpretations could exist) but as I mentioned I didn't read this book cover to cover so I'm not sure if I got the "bigger picture" in terms of this or not. 

Journal Entry 7 by notbob from Omaha, Nebraska USA on Wednesday, October 08, 2003

I'm pretty sure he covers that in the beginning... something along the lines of, "but this is all my opinion, everybody has different interpretations." 

Journal Entry 8 by jenny-lou-who from St. Catharines, Ontario Canada on Wednesday, October 08, 2003

Hee hee...yes, I did see that part notbob. I did begin with the beginning, but skimmed as I got through subsequent chapters. What I was referring to was the fact that even though he outlines this at the beginning he does tend to slip into a tone that didn't sit well with me from time to time in subsequent sections of the book. Having said that, this tone certainly didn't dominate (or I wouldn't have read as much as I did) and it remains a neat little book.  

Journal Entry 9 by Zmrzlina from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA on Thursday, October 30, 2003

I've heard so much about this book and now I get to read it. The author has a page at Harpers Collins with the Top Ten Tips, which sort of makes me nervous...very "cookie-cutter" approach to criticism. But, I will post a better opinion after I've read it and that will be while on holiday next week in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania :-)

Thank you to all above me, and I love the story about how KodeOrian got involved with BookCrossing! 

Journal Entry 10 by Zmrzlina from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA on Saturday, November 15, 2003

When Steve Birnbaum came out with the "Unofficial Guide to DisneyWorld," I was a true disciple to his way of touring the park. I used it for two trips when my children were young. We got to see much more of the park than others had, with less hassle. My children also tell me now (they are 19 and 23) that what they remember is how regimented I was about doing things "by the book." They don't feel like it was a bad thing, but I do. There are something that should be spontaneous. Okay...so DisneyWorld can't be spontaneous unless you live in Orlando, but I am bothered by the fact that my girls remember me as a tour leader on those trips.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor reminds me of those trips. Its by the book approach to reading rattled me. For sure, there are some wonderful suggestions, and the author is quick to note that these are only his ideas and others may find different ways of reading literature. I think if there were lots of other books like this out there (Birnbaum didn't have much competition when my girls were young, but he does now, and I think the guidebooks are better because of it) then maybe it wouldn't rankle me so much to have these guidelines so that I might be reading a book the same way as someone else. I just couldn't read much more than half this book because I kept thinking it was going to make me read like I visited DisneyWorld all those years ago...by the book.

Weird to be comparing a book about literature to a book about DisneyWorld. But, that is the world I live in...make-believe. Big difference, in literature the make-believe does have dirt, sex and bad things happening. But, maybe that all happens in DisneyWorld, too, we just don't see it. Ahhh...it could be a new book...How To See DisneyWorld Like a Mouse. 

Journal Entry 11 by Rutchmather from Rock Island, Illinois USA on Saturday, November 22, 2003

I just picked this up at the P.O. this morning. [Friday 21 Nov 03]

I'm still chuckling over Zmrzlina's remarks :) So often, when I begin something new, I want a guidebook, something to keep me from missing the essentials.

I just got some 'Cliff Notes' [not our BC Cliff :)] on "The Greek Classics" because I will begin reading them, at 55 years old plus, because I might have an opinion about them now. How could I as a kid? I wasn't sure it wouldn't *poision* my thoughts as a young-un...ah, such is youth.

It is interesting to form conclusions about a book prior to reading and post the thoughts [such as I did for NO LOGO] and then, once you are finished, add a few lines about what you think after.

I consider myself 'illliterate' about reading fiction because I think I might be missing something that the author has put in there that I completey missed. It should be a law "Every book is required to have on-line Cliff Notes" so we know what the *authors* intention was.

But that would sometimes go against the grain of some authors who just put the work out there and see what happens, to see what conclusions ^you^ come up with.

Reading this book will open up some of the 'obvious' [but not to all] symbolisms in literature that I might miss and hopefully give me some insights that will enhance my future reading days. We'll see :)

**********
UPDATE
**********
He is a humorus writer. There's a word for someone who comes up with your thoughts before you articulate them. Most of the book hits on things we actually *know* already about reading, or have considered, but have not talked to the "Purfessor" about so now we have an intellectual assent to *our* thoughts on the work in question.

The book pats us on the back for thinking correctely, if we didn't already know it [and many of us do not]. In this day and age, this book is needed - because this information will undergird our own understanding of how we read, what we read, and how our opinions of what we read are formed from. It has been a good experience.

So... what about Harry's scar? [end of Chapter 21]. I thought it better to post the link rather than include the 4 pages of single spaced type :)

Finally! i got a response from someone on the list - the book is off to Brazil to Tuz. For those who got missed, my apologies but I tried numerous times to PM everyone. Contact junegirl to reschedule your place on the list. 

Journal Entry 12 by Tuz from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais Brazil on Thursday, March 25, 2004

I'm so glad this book has finally found its way here! I'm looking forward to reading it!!! :) Thanks everybody!

June 22, 2004

I finished it today and sent it to karendawn. I really enjoyed the book and learned a lot. It just scratches the surface of a literary work analysis, but it's a great beginning.

Have a nice reading! 

Journal Entry 13 by karendawn from Lafayette, Indiana USA on Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Book arrived today. Yeah! (I was worried, with international mailing that it might not get here before I move in two weeks, so I am very happy to see this book.) I'm going to try to finish it before I move. 

Journal Entry 14 by karendawn from Lafayette, Indiana USA on Thursday, July 08, 2004

I read this book for two reasons. First, even though I am on my way to becoming a professor myself, I thought I might pick up some pointers. And I did. Second, I hoped it might help me as I figure out how to teach literature to students. And it definitely did that. In fact, I just might use this actual book (or section of it) in introduction to literature classes. I will definitely be picking up a copy of this book for my personal collection.

Thank you for sharing this book! 

Journal Entry 15 by karendawn at on Friday, July 09, 2004

Released on Friday, July 09, 2004 at Mailed to a fellow Bookcrosser in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

traveling to debnance 

Journal Entry 16 by debnance from Alvin, Texas USA on Monday, July 12, 2004

I've been wanting to read this book for a long time. I almost bought a copy of it a few months back, but then I was happy to find this bookray.

And even though I'm currently reading three absolutely wonderful books, I'm setting all three aside and reading this one first!

Thanks for starting this ray, junegirl! 

Journal Entry 17 by debnance from Alvin, Texas USA on Sunday, July 18, 2004

Now that I've read this book, you may as well not bother trying to read my book reviews; yes, that's right, I will now be examining themes and motifs and character motivation and other things like that and I'll probably be writing such amazing stuff that no one else will be able to understand me. Like a professor, right? No, my days of "Uh, I liked it" or "Well, I don't know" are over; I'll be finding things like water imagery and mother archetypes and references to obscure lines from Ulysses. So if you want to try to understand even a glimmer of what I'm writing about, you may need to read this book, too. ;-> 

Journal Entry 18 by debnance from Alvin, Texas USA on Sunday, July 18, 2004

Now for my first clever analysis of a book written after reading this book....And my first thought is, Well, I liked it! How's that for erudite? ;->

What I took away from this book:
1. The author says our first response to fiction is always emotional.
2. The three items that separate a professional reader from the rest are memory, symbol, and pattern.
3. We want strangeness in our stories, the author writes, but we also want familiarity, too.
4. How does the author suggest we approach literature? Look for things in a story that remind us of other things. Ask questions of the text including, What images does the author use? and What is the writer doing with the images? And, overall in the book, what patterns do we see?

Maybe my book reviews won't improve significantly, but I've already found that I'm reading more carefully than I have in the past and that I'm enjoying what I'm reading more. And, for me, those are two good things! 

Journal Entry 19 by debnance at please use CONTROLLED RELEASES country -- thanks! in Alvin, Texas USA on Monday, November 01, 2004

Released on Monday, November 01, 2004 at about 4:00:00 PM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Postal System: Bookring/Bookray in Alvin, Texas USA.

RELEASE NOTES:

Mailing off tomorrow to the next member of the ring! 

Journal Entry 20 by Amaranta20 from Seattle, Washington USA on Friday, November 05, 2004

This just came in the mail yesterday. I'm very excited to read it. 

Journal Entry 21 by Amaranta20 from Seattle, Washington USA on Saturday, November 06, 2004

So far I've only read the introduction and the first chapter, but I'm really liking this book. It's killing me not to dog ear and underline it all over the place. I think I'm definitely going to have to get a copy for my permanent library. I feel smarter already. :) 

Journal Entry 22 by Amaranta20 from Seattle, Washington USA on Monday, November 29, 2004

Okay, I finally finished this. It was very good. I enjoyed that the author provides many examples of what he means in each chapter. I admit I did get bored about halfway through and there are some chapters I skipped entirely, and others that I skimmed, but I reserve the right to do that in a non-fiction book. This still helped me to recognize symbols and get deeper meanings out of my reading, and indeed, movies and everything else. Also, I found that a lot of what the author said applies to aspiring writers as well, and may help me make my own fiction of a higher caliber. I shall now send this along to mlbish. 

Journal Entry 23 by Amaranta20 from Seattle, Washington USA on Monday, November 29, 2004

Okay, this is now in the mail to mlbish. 

Journal Entry 24 by mlbish from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA on Thursday, January 06, 2005

Received over the holidays. Thank you! I'm so excited to have discovered this book.

I am slightly backed up on ring books due to the push to finish up at school, but now that my move is behind me, I should make good time on catching up. I will get this one out as soon as I'm finished with it.
 

Journal Entry 25 by mlbish from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA on Thursday, April 21, 2005

Well, this certainly was a lively and entertaining guide. Reading for hidden meaning in terms of symbolism, etc., has never been my strong point, which is why this book interested me. And I am certainly glad I read it. I did pick up a few ideas on how to look and what to look for in literature. I'm afraid that I did not delve so deeply or see everything there was in the test case at the end (I won't tell you exactly what I mean so I don't spoil it), so I probably will never be cut out to be a professor of literature. But this book definitely brought some things to the front of my mind. I imagine it will pay off in terms of deepened appreciation some day. (Though Maeve Binchy is up next, and I'm not sure I will find layers and layers of meaning in that! Hee.)

I think the author mentions in the last chapter that he realizes that his book might be a bit rambly and idiosyncratic. Which I certainly agreed with. I'm glad he and I were on the same page! The chapters had a tendency to wander. And I think the chapters were, on the whole, a little longer than they needed to be.

I had mixed feelings about his habit of pointing to specific examples. I realize that there was really no other way to go about illustrating his points. And sometimes it worked well, but other times I felt very annoyed and frustrated that I had not read the book and didn't always understand exactly what he was talking about. I couldn't really predict which way my feelings would go about the example texts, so I don't know if it was him or me. But it did seem sort of hit or miss.

I do appreciate the author's effort to keep his guide 'lively and entertaining'. He did a good job, in my opinion. It was a fun book to read. Lively, entertaining, and quite educational. He provided quite a bit of food for thought. My favorite tidbit? Both A Raisin in the Sun and Damn Yankees contain Faustian plot elements. Cool!

Thanks for sharing. I have already sent it on to Brazil.
 

Journal Entry 26 by SasquatchBR from São Paulo, São Paulo Brazil on Friday, June 10, 2005

I've just received this book! WOW! I've already skimmed through its pages and laughed a little bit. Finally I read things like "We speak, as I've said before, of literary WORKS, but in fact literature is chiefly PLAY". Finally. It's not mainstream thought around here...

Many thanks to you all.

I read the previous journal entries and found a familiar face - hi there, Tuz!! Long time no see! :-) 

Journal Entry 27 by SasquatchBR from São Paulo, São Paulo Brazil on Friday, December 30, 2005

Hello all, sorry for all the time I let pass since the day this book came to me... At mid-July something terrible happened, my wife was involved in a bus accident, and I felt like my life was somewhat "reset" to a blank. I completely forgot about this book and that it's in a bookring, that there are people waiting for it, and all that. I'm terribly sorry.

Nevertheless I read the entire book (just read the few pages I left) and I can say it's absolutely charming. I learned a lot about what kind of education and treatment americans expect to have at university level since this book is SO american-biased. From this I had lots of fun with this book, the author being so humorous and gentle in issues that could erupt some rage in quite numerous other authors and readers. I loved to read how he advocates "reading with the author's eyes, not yours" and the way this thought leads to the deconstruction ministration in quite homeopathic doses, with extreme care and caution. I've fighting ghosts for some time, sometimes completely missing the point, attacking wind-mills at will and finally I think I learned this lesson. The author have his opinions and trends and he expresses and advocates them all, but all in a gentle way, a way that I don't see much around these days. Great book. I'll buy a new one for me.

Just sent a message to QueenSissi, the next on the line in this bookring.
Sorry again and thanks a lot. This book meant a lot to me. 

Journal Entry 28 by QueenSissi from Gouveia, Guarda Portugal on Thursday, April 06, 2006

It has arrived. Thanks for the book and thanks for the postcard, SasquatchBR! 

Journal Entry 29 by QueenSissi from Gouveia, Guarda Portugal on Saturday, May 06, 2006

It was an interesting book though i had thought it would be a little bit different. My favourite chapter was, no doubt, the one about sight but there were others as "enlightening" as this one.

Thanks for the BCRing. Sending it to Sudokris on Monday. 

Journal Entry 30 by SudoKris from Lathones, Scotland United Kingdom on Thursday, May 25, 2006

Was waiting for me when I got to my parents'. Am taking it back to Scotland tomorrow!

Update 20.8.06
Took me ages to read this - sorry... My masters and its dissertation kind of got in the way...

It was an interesting read - especially so considering I sort of do this for a living, ie. I read (or hope to one day...) read literature like a professor. It is, as someone else has said before me, very American-based, and it was definitely interesting to read that perspective... 

Journal Entry 31 by Rita-Booke from Bartlett, Tennessee USA on Saturday, November 18, 2006

arrived yesterday. reading two books in front of it, but might have to succumb and jump right into this! 

Journal Entry 32 by lmn60 from Spotswood, Victoria Australia on Monday, January 01, 2007

Safely delivered this morning by a FedEx courier, no less!

As per usual, all my rings/rays have arrived at once, but I will get to this one ASAP. 

Journal Entry 33 by lmn60 from Spotswood, Victoria Australia on Saturday, February 17, 2007

As an ex-literature teacher, I was intrigued to see whether I'd learn some new ideas from this text. I found that some of the content was more a 'reminder' of how to read 'good' literature than offering me any great 'aha' moments.
Foster's style is friendly and nonthreatening, and made me chuckle on a couple of occasions. I wish some of my lecturers at university had had his style and way of teaching - sometimes I think tertiary-level teachers are out to remove all the pleasure out of reading, rather than promoting a love of literature!
This book may well encourage me to drag out some classic works again (though I still shudder at the thought of attempting 'Ulysses'), and remind me to look deeper than the top-level of writing.

Thanks for sharing this one, junegirl. I have PMed LoopyLou 127 and will send it on once I have his/her address. 

Journal Entry 34 by lmn60 from Spotswood, Victoria Australia on Monday, March 05, 2007

Heard from LoopyLou127 and will post it off this week.