The Reading Nook

Title: Around The World In Eighty Days
Author: Jules Verne
Original Language: French
Original Publishing Year: 1872 (Le Temps Journal) 1873 (book)
Setting: London, England 1872. Victorian England
Main Characters: The main character’s name is Phileas Fogg who was a man who did not do much except go to a Reform Club. He had a servant named Jean Passepartout also known as Passepartout. One day at the club Mr. Fogg makes a bet with Stuart that he can go around the world in eighty days. On his journey he meats Aouda, a woman they rescue, his future wife.
Major Plot Points: One day Phileas Fogg, a man who did not do much, went to the club and made a bet with Stuart, a man he met at the bar, that he could go around the world in eighty days, the stake is 20,000 euros. He goes from London to Suez, Bombay to Calcutta, Calcutta to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Yokohama, Yokohama to San Francisco, San Francisco to New York and New York to London. On the way they run into an Indian woman named Aouda and they decide to take her along on the journey. On the journey they meat many other people who help them on the journey. When they arrive Aouda asks him to marry her and he accepts. He thinks that he is a day late but he was actually a day early because they traveled east and the time was different. He won the bet and Aouda and Mr. Fogg got married.

Q:

Arman, Kheyanna, Leighton, Zach C., Deven, Zach LL, Ben L, Ben G., Mack

This is a quick combo report for the last two weeks’ labs.  We have been discussing with lots of energy regarding books and reading.  We just didn’t have time to write everything down.  Last week we talked about endings.  And Arman said that he liked book endings in a way that is not entirely happy but things might get better later!  Many agreed that really happy and pat endings are just not that great.  Then, Leighton, out of the blue, objected to the books that are “perfectly wonderful” with magic and battles and such, but have to be “spoiled” by romance! (yucky)  Not everyone agreed with her sentiment.  Many thought that inserting love and romance into a fantasy story makes for deeper and more intense conflicts since love is the opposite of hate and hatred is often the reasons for the bad things happen in the stories.  Without Love, there cannot be strong reasons for hate or for actions.

Today, this discussion continues a bit when a bunch of us who have read the fourth Percy Jackson (The Battle of the Labyrinth) shared (shouted over each other half of the time) our thoughts.  (SOME SPOILER BELOW!!!!  BE WARNED!!!!)
First we all exclaimed: There is no BATTLE in the Labyrinth at all … and then we realized that it’s a battle for the CONTROL of the Labyrinth.  So, we calmed down.

Of course, Leighton is unhappy with the Calypso episode since it has quite a bit to do with Percy’s “budding romantic feelings” toward girls!  Deven felt that Riordan does randomly insert Greek Myth creatures and make them part of the adventures because he seems to try to include “every myth creatures” in his series — even when the creatures and events take the heroes’ quest out of the original path and does not quite add to the whole picture of the story.  He agreed that there is no need for Calypso and her island at all!
Zach L.L. said, “But, we don’t know whether these characters will be important in the future books.  Calypso might become important in the next book.” (Think Rachel Elizabeth Dare! — and what’s with her INITIALS .. R.E.D.!?)

Someone questions the necessity of Janus but Ben G. vehemently supported this minor character because he thinks it adds to the depth of the book, foreshadowing Annabeth’s choices between Luke and Percy and whether to trust or distrust Rachel.  And he likes the episode on Calypso’s Island because he thinks that it plays an important in Percy and Annabeth’s relationship.
We couldn’t quite figure out the significance of Rachel’s hairbrush… but Deven and Ben both thought that since the last pledged demigod Ethan had only one eye, Kronos is not entirely “whole” and that will have some impact on Luke’s soul and body in the future.

I guess we shall find out in the future… Until next time, here is the rating for the four Percy Jackson titles so far from this small group:

Top Ranked: IV - Battle of the Labyrinth

Second: I - Lightning Thief

Third: III - Titan’s Curse

Fourth: II - Sea of Monsters