One thing (among many) noticeable on Facebook is that everyone talks about the weather. As in life, I suppose. And winter, it seems, has arrived but good. Everywhere.
Recently, it snowed in Houston. Right now, it’s snowing in Florida and Georgia. There are blizzards blowing through the Dakotas and Minnesota, and where I sit right now in suburban Boston we’re between storms, but the snow is at least a foot high outside.
Lately I’ve been turning around in my head the idea of a read-along. A Little House read-along. If you’re anything like me, you’ve read the book series dozens of times. I love putting twenty-first century life behind to settle in to the familiarity of oyster soup at the Boasts, or Friday Night Literaries, or the cutter courtship of Laura and Almanzo. It never gets old.
I’ve done read-alongs before in email groups or on bulletin boards, but never in a blog. Usually, the read-alongs are done in order, starting with Little House in the Big Woods. But that 1950 Long Winter radio program (we provided the link in a post yesterday), along with the set-in of winter across the country, got me thinking. Let’s buck tradition and ignore chronology. Let’s read The Long Winter.
I’ll start. I’ll post about Chapter 1 soon-ish. Tomorrow or the next day or maybe the next. In the meantime, if you want to join in, break out that old paperback (you know you have one) and make hay while the sun shines along with us.
Volunteer for a chapter in the comments below.
Chapter 1: Sandra Hume
I actually discovered this past week that the Betsy-Tacy high school books are great for reading when you are trapped at home all week by blizzards. Betsy makes winter feel like it is something to be enjoyed.
What would be expected of me for the chapter I pick? Do I need to do a post about it on my blog? I might join in if it is that simple
This sounds fun and this is one of my favorite books in the series!
Blessings,
Sommer
I’ll take chapter two … and yes, I think the idea is we just post about the chapter we pick! I’m living the Long Winter right now, so this is a fab idea.
Amy
I’ll take a shot at Chapter 4, and if we need to fill in a gap, Chapter 3, too (but if someone else wants to write about Green Pumpkin pie, go ahead!)
Sounds grand! Then I will take chapter 5 and if we need to take more let me know…be glad to add another or two to my list
This will be fun! Are we going to have a particular reading schedule?
Sommer
P.S. Thanks Amy for answering my question
I’d be thrilled to speak for Ch.9…love this one and need a few more days to get my site launched! Watching for add’l specs! Looking forward to this.
Put me down for 6, 7 or 8…you choose.
Laura
Meet you in the middle — you’re down for chapter 7.
I think I’m game for Chapter 6, if it’s still open.
You’re on, Laura.
Sandra~How do we post our chapter? Do I post it on my blog and let you know or do we send it to your email? I’m not sure and don’t want to mess up my turn
Email it to beyondlittlehouse at gmail dot com. Include whatever identifying information you’d like about yourself. Then we’ll post it. Sound good?
Sounds good Sandra! Thanks for explaining it to me
I will get it to you in a few days:-)
I’d love to do a chapter! Just saw this and need to catch up. What fun!!! How do I do it?
Wendy, just let us know here what Chapter you’d like, and then email your blog post to beyondlittlehouse@gmail.com and we’ll put it up. Easy peasy!
Great! I just need to find my books…sob…only people here will understand how traumatic this is: I recently packed away my entire office for a renovation, and now that it’s done, am having trouble locating my most cherished books–particularly my early 1970′s cardboard box set of fat, pale-yellow-covered trade-paperback-sized Little House books!
[...] Previous chapters: 1: Make Hay While the Sun Shines, 2: An Errand to Town. 3: The Fall of the Year. To cover a chapter in this read-along, find out more here! [...]
[...] Previous chapters: 1: Make Hay While the Sun Shines, 2: An Errand to Town. 3: The Fall of the Year, 4: October Blizzard. To cover a chapter in this read-along, find out more here! [...]