BYB book club POST NUMBER TWO

From my prepared notes:

Page 140 – Pella asks Mike if he resents Henry. Does he? He says he doesn’t but he wishes he was more happy for him. Is he "taking it out" on Henry, as he wonders, that his plans for himself didn’t work out?

Henry offers to use his signing bonus to pay for Mike’s law school. Not only does it seem like Mike doesn’t consider this when determining Henry’s level of gratitude, it seems to be another thorn in his side. Henry accepted his "charity" why is he seemingly unable to accept it from Henry?

I though the time was 8:00. Last week the discussion started early and when I got here at 8:00, I had some catching up to do.

Sorry. I have a lab report to write and was distracted and looked at the wrong clock. #oops

please : )

Characters that appeal to you, ones that drive you nuts, situations that remind you of your own life, whatever.

My house is such a mess, too. I know how that is – NOT suitable for company. :)

With him just huddled in a pile outside the steps, lamenting his rejection from law school. And when she leaves, he still refuses to get up.

describes everyday thought processes as he does when Pella debates washing the dishes. These are the kind of seemingly insignificant debates we all have in our heads everyday and whcih make this book so believable and real

Very much the same flavor. What struck me (from the early part of the book) was when Henry first realized that his parents could do a lot of things, but they couldn’t see what clothes he was wearing – so he kept the jeans. :)

Lankton, SD sounds an awful lot like Yankton, SD (where I have relatives). Anyone know if there’s a “real” Westish?

but decided it was altogether too conservative to be fairly called a liberal arts college. Did you find yourself using Hope as a backdrop for Westish in your mind? I couldn’t make the comparison fit, myself.

“Freshman” implies male, so some of the more feminist people I know use the term. I usually just use “frosh.”

Ones with a strong liberal arts background. But more often you see “frosh” – some suggestions have been to just spell the word as it is pronounced, freshmun.

And I thought it gave a good picture of why he was so frustrated trying to write a novel, he couldn’t make everything hang together in one coherent narrative the way he wanted. Yet he could write academically just fine.

you have the freedom to write whatever comes into your head, but you’re constrained by what you’ve written before.

I had never thought of it that way, but it’s very true.

background of the propensity of this sort of attraction. Maybe there were hints but it seems like it comes out of leftfield, sort of. Or, perhaps it’s not sexual in nature, at it’s root, it is just an attraction to the magnetic personality that is owen

so yes, I think the gay relationship changes the formula enough that it becomes harder to automatically apply those judgments.

(and I suppose those who have read ahead may know the answers, and won’t give them)

Does Owen know that Affenlight is attracted to him? If so, does he use this simply to advance his green agenda? Or, just to gain the attention of the influential and enlightened Univ. president? Is Owen attracted to Affenlight? If so, for what reasons?

I think the intention is that it allows us to see Owen outside of our stereotypes of group identities, because we don’t often pre-set notions about people at the intersections. Unfortunately, I don’t really see Owen as much of a character in the first place, so I’m not sure if it really matters.

First taste of independence, first time really setting your own schedule, first real taste of being a “real grown up.”

What is the count for next week that people feel would be good? And next week I’ll try not to be early and be as close to 8:00 pm as possible. :P

Another 120 pages would take us to 285 and the end of chapter 41. Too much? Not enough?

I’m really enjoying the whole concept.