read huckleberry finn

My library book is due back tomorrow, and I’ve still got about 40 more pages left to read before I’m done.

Today I read Chapters 34-36, in which Tom Sawyer tries to make everything more complicated than it needs to be. That reminds me sooooo much of myself. :(

Tom says:
“It’s as simple as tit-tat-toe, three-in-a-row, and as easy as playing hooky. I should hope we can find a way that’s a little more complicated than that, Huck Finn.”

I’ve got all the way up to Chapter 34, and was surprised to see my old friend Tom Sawyer show up again. And it looks like I might finish by the library due date.

The following passage, in Chapter 26, reminded me of the dinner party I attended two nights ago, as well as my little book club soiree two weeks ago:

“Mary Jane she set at the head of the table, with Susan alongside of her, and said how bad the biscuits was, and how mean the preserves was, and how ornery and tough the fried chickens was, and all that kind of rot, the way women always do for to force out compliments; and the people all knowed everything was tiptop, and said so—said ‘How do you get biscuits to brown so nice?’ and ‘Where, for the land’s sake, did you get these amaz’n pickles?’ and all that kind of humbug talky-talk, just the way people always does at a supper, you know.”

I do know.

I started out OK, but I’m getting bogged down, and I have over 200 pages left to read, and I think the library book is due back next week. sigh.

I’m planning to soak in a hot tub for awhile this afternoon and see how far I get.

EDIT: I’m almost to chapter 15 now. Not too much progress. I spent too much time talking to people on the phone.

We laid off all the afternoon in the woods talking, and me reading the books, and having a general good time.—Huck Finn, p84

The current book I’m reading includes both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, as well as an interesting introductory essay comparing and contrasting the two books.

I’ve also been looking on the web and trying to learn a little more about the life of Mark Twain. I’ve found that Ken Burns did a program on Mark Twain’s life, and I wish I could see that. And I heard from a friend that Hal Holbrook is coming to Augusta soon to do his show on Mark Twain. She asked me to go with her to see it.

A couple of years ago, I was reading Frederick Buechner’s writing, and came across his book titled Speak What We Feel (Not What We Ought To Say): Reflections on Literature and Faith. It has a chapter about Huckleberry Finn, and Buechner describes how the story, written in Mark Twain’s “own blood about the darkness of life as he found it and about how he managed to survive it, even embrace it…”, speaks from his heart.

I have to do this for my american literature course.
so far, i’m about 20 chapters behind.
:/
I need to read this book.

... I had to read for my English class.. Although it wasn’t particularly my favorite book, it’s still a vital piece of American Literature. Definately read it. Don’t put it down, it’s actually kind of good.

...that I read this for the first time, along with Tom Sawyer, Call of the Wild (my favorite) and some other American classics. While my intellectual, contextual understanding of these works was obviously less developed at that age, I was so deeply moved by these books. I remember letting my mother tuck me into bed, waiting until she went to sleep, then sneaking on my little bedside lamp so that I could read into the wee hours of the morning. Huck Finn is one of those that I return to every few years, and I enjoy it every time.