Vanity Fair; who's in; who's out?

Just kind of wondering who will be participating in the group read of William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair.

I've been to the fair Belva and had a wonderful time rereading this book.

When is the group read scheduled? Depending on the time, I might be interested in participating.

bookaholicgirl;
Vanity Fair is the book to follow Life and Fate and so is going on now through year end.
I know it is a busy time of year, but I found that for the size of the book, it was a very quick read. Hope you can join in.
Happy reading,
belva

It's still in my plans but I'm struggling with Life and Fate - other readings keep getting in the way...

Oh well! I have a big stack already to get to for the end of the year so I guess I am out.

>#5:
Cecilturtle;
I went through a period where I was really struggling with Life and Fate also. I finally set everything aside and took 3 or 4 days and just read it. For some reason this was one I couldn't bounce in and out of; I needed to stick with it to keep my head in it. I think at about half-way or two thirds it got easier and I didn't struggle so much. I am so very glad I read it though. It is different from anything else I have ever read.
Good luck with that read.
belva

Thanks for the encouragement! I do like what I've read but I find it very dense and not always easy to follow the characters (there are so many!) and events. I keep plugging at it though!

I gave up attempting to keep the characters with whom they belonged and all and just gave myself up to the story of the war and kept the people in the background. I really began to appreciate and enjoy the book then.
But I do know what you mean. This wasn't an easy one.
belva

Hi Belva

I am hoping to join in, but as usual seem to have committed to some other reads first! I'm over half way through Wolf Hall, and need to read The Forgotten Garden for my book group. And since we're heading into summer (and school holidays!) reading time is looking a bit thin.

In summary: I will be there, but not for a little while. I am looking forward to it though!

Summer, ah yes, the charms of the box jelly and the Great White! I'll bet all ten of the ten deadliest snakes on earth are on the move, too. I heard someone say recently, they would never move to Australia, too many things trying to kill you.

Yes, I've heard about summer in the sunny southern climes.

However, without Australia there would have never been a "Walkabout" or "Picnic at Hanging Rock" or "The Last Wave". Three of my favorite movies. Then there's "Mad Max" and "Beyond Thunderdome" (Mel Gibson should have quit after "Mad Max"). But then we wouldn't have had "Welcome to Woop Woop", either. So I guess it evens out.

It's the spiders that freak me out. I'm somewhat arachnophobic, but with bloody good reason I feel! Have you ever actually seen a funnel web spider? Deadly and aggressive! And big and hairy legged. *ick*

Although it's probably the sun that's the worst killer. All that skin cancer... A friend of mine (now living in Europe) once commented that you could always tell the Australian kids at European beaches - covered neck-to-knee in sunsafe swimmers, slathered in sunscreen, and wearing a hat.

Personally, I just stay indoors in the shade as much as possible over summer. But I would miss the sunshine if I moved anywhere else.

Yeah, I forgot about the spiders. Here in North Am erica we have no outright you-will-die-if-you-are-bitten spiders and other critters, but we do have Black Widows which can make one awfully sick and Brown Recluse spiders whose bite causes necrosis, often leading to amputation. Of course, being poisonous there are a few outright deaths each year, but not many. Neither spider cares much for human contact and tends to stay in places humans don't normally go, like between the bedstead and the wall at the head. You know, secluded places.

As for snakes, it's about the same. We have one snake, the Coral Snake, whose bite can kill quickly if not treated, but it's the least dangerous of the four poisonous snakes because, once again, it is a very shy creature. It's mouth is so small that you practically have to stick your finger in it to be bit. The most prolific in terms of kinds within the species, is the rattlesnake. There are more than a dozen different kinds of rattlesnake. The Eastern Diamondback is the meanest, most aggressive, and as a result, most dangerous snake in North America, but all rattlers are mean. The venom from one of these snakes can kill if not counteracted in time, but usually there are other factors that contribute to death. It is a very painful bite and will put you in intensive care for a day or two. If bitten by more than one, these snakes live together in dens, by the dozens sometimes, it will most likely be lights out, just too much venom to contend with. There is also the famous Cotton Mouth Water Moccasin. You can see why they call them cotton mouthed. The inside of their mouths is white, like cotton. Not particularly mean, but they are territorial and will be aggressive within their immediate territory. I used to have a friend who went hunting for these things at night in the river with his bare hands. Last of all the poisonous snakes here in North America is the Copperhead, or as I grew up calling them "Poppar Leafs (I think it should have been poplar instead of poppar, a tree native to much of this snakes range). This is the least dangerous of the poisonous snakes, although its bite can be quite lethal to small children. I stepped on one of these in my bare feet one day and it just slithered out from under me and moved off. We have the odd exotic snake get loose from time to time, but not being native here most of them die after a few weeks. People who import deadly, exotic snakes for pets are crazy.

As for the sunshine, we have plenty, more than enough, right here in Texas.

I hope this hasn't bored you, but since there are so few common poisonous animals here compared to Australia where everything that moves spits poison and kills, I thought I would give the run down. There are a few other poisonous pests but they are quite rare and their stings, while painful, are hardly ever deadly or crippling. Most people will never encounter one of these during the course of their lives, so they may as well not exist.

Thank you so much geneg, for that wonderfully descriptive and visual oration on the snake and spider. Just what I needed with my morning coffee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vudA72hibg&feature=related

:->
belva

#13> ...Australia where everything that moves spits poison and kills... Yeah, you've got to be careful of the deadly wallaby, and those koalas look so cute, but the poison spurs! Ouch! ;)

I've had to squish a few redback spiders this summer already. At least it's better than Miss Boo's first summer when she reached for a plastic ball outside and came within inches of a large redback, all unaware. Both kids are now old enough to know to be careful of spiders (which means that I'm forever being called to examine daddy-long-legs and give them the all-clear). Funnel webs inhabit the city & suburbs, but not my area (phew).

I'm less au fait with our poisonous snakes, being an inner city dweller and they're in the bush or greener areas of the city. I'm an urban girl, and I intend to stay that way!

Had a brown snake crossing our driveway a few weeks back. My street backs on to a reserve which is probably riddled with them. Don't mind redbacks so much, surface spray keeps them at bay.

BTW, I did read/listen to Vanity Fair at the end of November and loved it!