Welcome to bookchat where you can talk about anything...books, plays, essays, and audio books. You don’t have to be reading a book to come in, sit down, and chat with us.
I always enjoy a good romance in mysteries, fantasy, or autobiographies as well as the romance books. But Valentine’s Day is a time that is disappointing and even miserable for those who are widowed, not married or who have no significant others to spend time with on the holiday. But no matter what, a person usually has some special friendships and those should count at this time of year. Pets count, of course.
I want to spend time celebrating those special friendships in books.
Without special friends would the characters succeed in their journeys and undertakings? Caring about helping a special friend often drives the plot and the problems that have to be solved. Lovers are fun to read about, but special friends stay with us long after the book is done and even bring us back to re-read the story. Special friends have each others backs and can be counted on when the going gets tough.
Sometimes we are happy when special friends become more than that and yet it is not necessary for the enjoyment of the tale. In fact, it helps us to understand the importance of friendships.
I like it when the friends listen to each other and respect each other. Their interests coincide and they complement each other. They share joy and sorrow, both.
Who are the special friends in your favorite stories?
Old chestnuts that I mention a lot because I enjoy the special friendships in the story:
Francis Crawford and Kate Somerville in Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett, the first book of The Lymond Chronicles
Andrea and Mallory in The Guns of Navarone by MacLean
Johnny and Ponyboy in The Outsiders by Hinton
Laurie and Jo in The Little Women by Alcott
Elizabeth and Jane in Pride and Prejudice by Austen
Ivanhoe and Rebecca in Ivanhoe by Scott
Shane, Bob Starrett, Joe Starrett, Marian Starrett in Shane by Schaefer
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Hagrid, Hedwig, and Neville in Rowling’s Harry Potter stories
Dorothea Brooke and Dr. Tertius Lydgate, and Fred Vincy and Mary Garth in Middlemarch by Eliot
Bagheera, Baloo and Mowgli in The Jungle Book by Kipling
Snoopy and Charlie Brown by Schulz
Chet the dog and Bernie in the mystery books by Spencer Quinn
David and Jonathan
Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes
Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin in the series by Patrick O'Brian
Jem, Scout and Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Achilles and Patroclus in the Iliad
Frodo and Sam, Legolas and Aragorn in Lord of the Rings by Tolkien
Lord Peter and Harriet Vane in Sayer’s mysteries
Robin Hood and Little John
Charlotte and Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
King Arthur and Lancelot
Taran and Princess Eilonwy in The Chronicles of Prydain by Alexander
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Diaries of the Week:
Write On! Finding your way.
By SensibleShoes
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/4/1479385/-Write-On-Finding-your-way#view-story
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Note: guavaboy has faithfully relayed the news about Nepal and now it looks like an agreement has been reached. A big thanks to him for being faithful. I am hoping for good things for the people of Nepal.
Feb 5th - the Nepal BLOCKADE in Birgunj is LIFTED after 135 days.
By guavaboy
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/02/05/1480305/-Feb-5th-the-Nepal-BLOCKADE-in-Birgunj-is-LIFTED-after-135-days#comment_59419204
Feb 6th - how I helped DailyKOS "scoop" the New York Times - on Nepal of course
By guavaboy
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/02/06/1480796/-Feb-6th-how-I-helped-DailyKOS-scoop-the-New-York-Times-on-Nepal-of-course#comment_59440274
Feb 9th The Nepal Petrol blockade: who controls the narrative now that peace has broken out?
By guavaboy
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/02/09/1481212/-Feb-9th-The-Nepal-Petrol-blockade-who-controls-the-narrative-now-that-peace-has-broken-out
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Despite Supreme Court, Clean Energy and Climate Progress Are Full Speed Ahead
By Mary Anne Hitt
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/02/10/1482983/-Despite-Supreme-Court-Clean-Energy-and-Climate-Progress-Are-Full-Speed-Ahead
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All Times are EDT, EST
Readers & Book Lovers Series
Schedule Day Time EST/EDT Series Editor(s)
Sunday 6:00 PM Young Reader's Pavilion The Book Bear
(last Sun of the month) 7:30 PM LGBT Literature Chrislove
Monday (occasional) 8:00 PM Books! Susan Grigsby
Tuesday 5:00 PM Indigo Kalliope: Poems from the Left Kit RMP, ruleoflaw
8:00 PM Contemporary Fiction Views bookgirl
Wednesday 8:00 PM Bookflurries Bookchat cfk
Thursday 2:00 PM Self-Publishing 101 akadjian
8:00 PM Write On! SensibleShoes
(once a month) 2:00 PM Monthly Bookpost AdmiralNaismith
Friday 8:00 PM Books Go Boom! Brecht
Saturday 9:00 AM You Can't Read That!
Paul's Book Reviews pwoodford
9:00 PM Books So Bad They're Good Ellid