The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Confession, before yesterday, I had never read  A Christmas Carol . Pitiful, I know. In truth, I've seen the movie a gazillion times, and when I relinquished to finally read Dickens's words, I was surprised. (Today's photos of London were taken by my daughter) The full title, now that I know the rest of the story is: A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being A Ghost Story of Christmas .  No, I don't think his original title received points either. Trimming it down to A Christmas Carol was a smart idea by whoever did it. The story takes place in horse and buggy days and seven years after Scrooges's partner, Jacob Marley died. So, why is this tale of " a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint,… secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster," better as a book than a movie? This photo of Big Ben is when it is under construction. The scaffolding designed to protect the building prevents us from seein...

Whether a book has an amazing plot, incredible characters, or a spectacular setting, one way to turn a reader away from the story is to misrepresent a crucial fact. Ex: Did you know vehicles are not allowed to cross the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day 6 am to noon.  As small as a sliver is, the irksome little irritant, pain can explode with a single touch.  So also is the incorrect portrayal of a cultural detail. Readers will notice!! We don't have to visit the setting used in our book, but it helps. If you can't go to the location, there are other ways to ensure the culture is properly represented. And this is  SOOOOOO crucial to keep readers reading the story! Take for example the book I am reading. I won't mention the title, but it was chosen because I happen to be in a beautiful rut reading tons of books with Parisian settings, watching movies filmed in Paris, and studying French, I've visited Paris--spent weeks in France, and okay, you get the drift. As a resu...

Sometimes taking a vay-cay to Paris is impossible, but a trip to Paris, Wisconsin or Paris, Tennessee, or Paris, Texas is a little more affordable.  We can always take a picture of the sign, buy new clothes, eat at a restaurant, and call it good, right? Or not. Sigh. There's something about being in the real place. Today's book talk with real scene photos by Mary Vee is:  Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan Definitely a 5 stars story. Well written. Engaging. Focused on the story. Rich. I totally loved this story, especially the way Callanan told the tale. Here is why: The story begins in Paris, Wisconsin. Our main character, Leah  is drawn to Robert by a chance encounter outside their small town bookstore. She wanted The Red Balloon , he wanted Madeline . Two stories with a Parisian setting. Their love story continues into their wedding. As you might expect, about one third into the story, Leah travels from Wisconsin to her dream place, Paris, France. ...

  My daughter found another classic for me to read. This one is Bleak House by Charles Dickens.  I hadn't heard of the story before but since I've enjoyed Dickens other fictional works I delved into the story.  Before I address the question in the post's title, I must first point out  Dickens' amazing choice in character's names and how well suited they are to their character. Look at just a few: You may need to say these names out loud to understand:   Tulkinghorn (talks a lot and is loud),  Snagsby (hen-pecked timid fellow), at first I heard Snacksby, he was a portly fellow too. Dedlock,  Boythorn,  Skimpole,  Guppy,  Bucket,  Jellyby,  Smallweed,  Nemo (“which means no one in Latin but he must be someone”)  AND more. Kudos Dickens! Back to the question in the title of my post...   Dickens initial thought to write this story came from noticing a legal case first read in the courts in 1797 a...

Today we will jet to Rome, to one of the settings in the book, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Yes, much of the story takes place in France, but since we are virtually visiting Ro m e today,  we'll  discuss what happens to The C ount while he was there. An opening to an inner court, Rome - Photo by Mary Vee                                                         After Edmond Dantés escapes prison and becomes the Count of Monte Cristo, we find him in Rome at the carnival. Rome was the perfect place to set this scene. The city is crowded, busy, and full of life. The Count rode in a luxurious carriage while we traveled in a tour bus, no sane person would attempt driving Rome's city roads without experience. What amazed us most was the driver's ability to turn the monster vehicle ninety degrees without touching a curb....

Jerusalem, Photo by Mary Vee Today we’ll visit a small section of Israel near Jerusalem. Ahab's Well. The city's access to water was set up with miraculous engineering for the time.     The book we’ll talk about in connection with this well is  Gods and Kings  by Lynn Austin. I met Lynn years ago at a conference. As the keynote speaker, she spoke about her visit to Israel to research the story. She had to jump over several hurdles and at the time it didn’t look like she would be able to go.  While in Israel, she received special permission to visit places I could not see when I went, which intrigued me all the more.   This book is the first in a series of four, fictionalizing the life of Hezekiah and the kings that followed until the time Babylon took Jerusalem.   The photos from our journey today were taken in Israel by me, Mary Vee. So you understand, fictionalizing a Bible story enables an author (based on a great deal of research) to add components...

Today's book talk takes us to northern England, the setting for Jane Eyre.  My daughter took today's photos on a free day from her studies at Cambridge. She graciously loaned them to me when I mentioned you and I would virtually explore the area. I've not been to England although it is very high on my bucket list. Isn't it on yours as well? So, let's talk about Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte while we walk through English gardens and country roads. I won't bore you with a summary, the book is short and an easy read. My thoughts drift to Jane who lived a unique Cinderella story.  Typhus is among the first evil characters in this story. It kills Jane's parents leaving her an orphan. The fever, headache, and rash symptoms are a result of overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions.  In Jane's day, as for Cinderella, a person could fall from status in a heartbeat by becoming an orphan. Their intellig...