Something Wicked This Way Comes - Week One Discussion #SomethingWickedFall

We started our read-along this past week, reading section was...

Week One (week of Oct. 1st): Prologue - Ch. 17 (pp 1 - 72)

How did it go? What did you think?

Some observations...

At the first, there's the lightning rod salesman. He is a great minor character for foreshadowing. His warning of the coming storm actually seems to have many meanings. The literal storm that may be coming. The storm that comes as a boy hits puberty and all the changes that come with it, and finally, perhaps the hugely disruptive storm that comes in the shape of the carnival rolling into town, which does so in a very strange and uncommon way.

Already, my creep factor is on alert!

I also noticed a theme (trend?) of which some of the older adults seemed to cling to. Will's father, Charles, is described as old. When he looks at the boys, a longing is sensed...for youth and all that goes along with it. He enjoys discussing books with them because then they are on common ground, but that's where it stops. Charles yearns for the youth which has long passed him by.

The two shopkeepers who stand transfixed outside their stores, one listening, the other smelling the smells of carnival food (candy). One has a tear trickle down his face. More longing for the days of youth, when visiting the carnival was probably the most exciting thing all year.

The lighting rod salesman, gazing longingly at the woman in the ice block inside the abandoned hardware store..."The Most Beautiful Woman in the World." Is she a siren encased there in the ice? Does she remind him of youthful days when beautiful girls were perhaps all around him?

Miss Foley going into the mirror menagerie, getting lost, and seeing her younger self lost in the mirrors.

So, a theme...the longing for youth, but what is it that draws Jim? Jim already has youth so what does he long for?

We shall see as we continue to read.

What are your thoughts on my observations? Any observations of your own? Share in the comments below.

Next reading section: Week Two (week of Oct. 8th): Ch. 18 - 29 (pp 73 - 145)
Discussion post next Sunday.

Happy Reading!

Something Wicked This Way Comes - October Read-Along/Watch-Along #SomethingWickedFall

In October, during the Something Wicked This Fall Comes event AND the FrightFall Readathon at Seasons of Reading, our read along will be the Ray Bradbury classic (for which this event gets its name), Something Wicked This Way Comes. We will also have a watch-along of the movie at the end of the month.

Discussions will be held on this blog. I will put a new post up each week on Sunday (with final discussion post up on Saturday, Oct. 27 before our watch along of the movie) and we will read along according to the schedule below.

Read-Along Schedule

• Week One (week of Oct. 1st): Prologue - Ch. 17 (pp 1 - 72)
• Week Two (week of Oct. 8th): Ch. 18 - 29 (pp 73 - 145)
• Week Three (week of Oct. 15: Ch 30 - 42 (pp 146 - 218)
• Week Four (week of Oct. 22): Ch 43 - Afterword (pp 219 - 293/end)

Our watch along of the film version (I saw it many, many years ago...it's a good one) will be on Saturday, October 27 at 9:00 pm CDT/10:00 pm EDT. I will host the watch-along via Twitter (hashtag #SomethingWickedFall) and Seasons of Reading (I'll create an event in the Seasons of Reading group on Facebook). Looks like you can watch it for free on YouTube here. The quality is not the greatest though. It's relatively cheap to buy, or you may be able to get it from your library. I couldn't find it on any streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. I didn't check Hulu. There's a chance it could be added in October because of Halloween. We'll see. 

If you have any questions, leave a comment or contact me from the link in the menu.

I hope you will join us!

#Hereditary Watch-Along - Saturday, September 22 #SomethingWickedFall

It's official! We will have our Hereditary watch-along on Saturday, September 22 at 9:00 pm CT/10:00 pm ET.

I will be hosting via the Seasons of Reading Facebook group (I will create an event so we can easily interact) and Twitter (we will use hashtags #Hereditary #SomethingWickedFall).

This post will be shared in the Facebook group (link above), and on Twitter, so comment on this post, or respond to one of the social media posts if you're in.

Can't wait! I actually saw this at the theater, but looking forward to watching again. It's that good.

Gothic Stories Master Post #SomethingWickedFall

This is the master post for Gothic books or short stories read during Something Wicked This Fall Comes. I will be updating this post with my thoughts on stories I've read during the event.

Please share what you've read/your thoughts on what you've read in the comments. I think this will make for some hearty conversation!

Note: I've included a tab in the blog menu so you can find this page easily. 

UPDATE: I've extended Gothic stories through the end of October since I didn't get to finish reading any of them yet.