The Lit Net Monthly News

[I][CENTER] [IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header.gif[/IMG] [SIZE="6"]
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]April 2010[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]Welcome to The Literature Networks online newspaper. Every month, we will keep you updated with information regarding threads, contests, Book Club and lots more!
Happy Reading.
The Lit Net News Team

[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

The April Novel is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52025[/url]
Don’t forget to vote in the May Reading Poll! [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51191[/url]
The Book Club is also now nominating for the June Read. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52027[/url]
The Forum Shakespeare Discussion Group is still on Henry IV Part I. Pop over to the sub forum if you are interested in participating in the Discussion or getting the discussion back on track. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5895[/url]

The Forum Book Club is always happy to have new participants. If you are interested, you can find it in the Reading section of the Forum Index page.

[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Official Forum Contest[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

The April elimination round of the Short Story Competition 2010 is upon us!
There are only two short stories entered for this elimination round so please read them all and vote for your favourite. The winner of this round will be apart of the final vote at the end of the year.
Please read and vote for your favourite entry
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?p=880949#post880949[/url]


[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Unofficial Poetry Contests[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

The Personal Poetry forum is one of Litnets’ most active forums and comes complete with a sub-forum dedicated to poetry games and contests. We have three very popular poetry contests located in the sub-forum; The Picture [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23675&page=42"]Poetry Contest (continued…) [/URL] , [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23444&page=34"]The Form Poetry Contest [/URL] and [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38056&page=4"]The Subject Poetry Contest[/URL]. There is also a new contest set up The Minimalist Poetry Contest. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50408[/url] Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!
The current winners are;
Form: No winner announced yet
Picture: Dark Muse

[B][U]Reflections In the Morning Mist[/U][/B]

I

Morning hush
a cold breath
stirring my reflections
through the misty veil.

II

I caught a glimpse
for a moment
of her face
and just like that
she disappeared
beneath the fog.

III

In the stillness
of the air
perched alone
as if at world's edge
voices sing
from the waters below
like a siren's song.

IV

With the shifting winds
behind the gray haze curtains
a way is set, a bridge in the gap
between two worlds.

V

Perhaps Avalon
awaits upon the other side
where she still dances
in spring rains
but that isle of
faerie specters
is a world for the dead.

VI

Here I stand alone
within the morning mist
hoping with fear
to catch a glimpse
of those far away
lands of myth.

VII

A whisper of sweet
good-byes to a fading
memory as the fog
falls again and conceals
my haunting dreams.

Subject: Aunt Shecky

[B][U]Sunday “Din”ner[/U][/B]

Commander Mom made official decree:
they all would dine genteelly, en famille.
The Blackberry’s banished from the place
for “Pleasant Conversation” face-to-face.
All afternoon she slaved (she'll have them know.)
“Again with the martyr bit, here we go!”
said Dad, demanding what all this grub cost.
On Sis, the homily that morn’s been lost,
with thoughts of holy loaves and fishes
now wiped away by gripes of dirty dishes.
The course first up was a querulous platter
which bit right back with rumor-fed chatter,
unpaid bills, chores, and studies left undone.
Yet Junior, well aware of the thirst for fun,
the unexpressed hunger for a good joke,
with his fork in his mouth pretended to choke
when Mom lifted off the casserole lid.
The laugh, an early dessert from the kid,
exploded like a burp or something worse,
as the steam rose and then dispersed.

Minimalist :No winner announced yet

Congratulations to you all!


[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
This month Kilted Exile selected poems from The Personal Poetry Forum posted during the month of March to feature in the Litnet Monthly News! I hope you like them too!

[B][U]NICE ONE HENRY # 2 By Biggus[/U][/B]

FIFA are on a mission
Disrespect for refs they want to defeat
An admirable ambition indeed
But first they need to stamp out cheats
Its spread from normal quarters
To Thierry Henry who to his ignominy
handled the ball to keep it in play
A offence done quite deliberately
Which was compounded by his lie
That it happened accidentally


[B][U]403 by Paperleaves[/U][/B]

There's something so unsettling about
coffee after nightmares.
They say that nightmares
are the most beneficial
lessons of the subconscious
because through the panic and the
struggle
we may prepare ourselves for what lies ahead.

if that's the case,
what a vestigial response nightmares are!
no dream prepares you for
the taunting grasp of love
that smothers you in the blanket of
the persistence of memory
no dali painting can save my soul
when I'm siphoned out of being
and nothingness,
making love in Sartre's grey kitchen
nauseated at the movements
too fast, too slow, too careful, too reckless
we are merely animals
who pretend to be the Übermensch

[B][U]the snow falling and the light by Qimisung[/U][/B]

Shall I write of snow falling,
of days entwined in thought, and you?
Shall I speak of seeing faces beautiful
when I am cast in shade's repose?
a golden light seems to throw its eye on me
yes, snow and light exist together
the world hinges on this belief
snow falling and the light
if only more people could see that it is so
I'll try to sing for it, and for you, too,
I'll try to ignore the outer arctic thought for you
and you the worries, that, like a hungry wolf, pursue me
I'll try, prithee, to forget my fears,
bask in the rosy golden light,
pour out a cup of tea,
and sit with you to watch the snow


[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Forum Advertisement[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
Do you want to let off that steam and vent your anger? Then why not visit [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25259&page=27"]Get it off your Chest![/URL]
Or if you are looking for advice, but want to remain unknown then why not contact Scheherazade and have your problem posted in [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36313&page=5&highlight=personal+anonymous"]Personal and Anonymous[/URL]. Your fellow Litnetters will pass on their own words of wisdom.

[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Members Profile[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

Each month we will be sifting through Litnets member profile pages and selecting one as our Featured Profile of the Month. So get personalizing, decorating and designing your profile.
This months profile of the month is Heathcliffs profile [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=63809[/url]


[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Blog of the Month[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

Each month we will be selecting a blog and awarding it the title of Blog of the Month right here in Lit Net Monthly News.
This months Blog of the Month is Scheherazade85's poetry blog [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=63905[/url]

[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Featured Threads of the Month[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

Every month we will feature different threads and games. This months Thread of the Month and Game of the Month are:
Thread of the Month is Modern Monuments [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52323[/url]
Game of the Month is Guess The Member [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52250[/url]



[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Lit Net Book Reviews[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

This month’s book review was randomly selected by Papayahed from the Write a book Review sub-forum in general Literature.

[B][U]All The King's Men by Robert Penn Warren [/U][/B]

I have just finished reading All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren and I found it quite tedious and laborious to get through. I think the only reason why I was able to finish it is because I had agreed to read it for the discussion group but if I was reading it just on my own I might have been tempted to just put it down and forget about it. There were a couple of interesting aspects of the book and a few passages of note and quality but on the whole I found the story to go by slowly and to be relatively uninteresting. I also felt for the most part neutral about all of the characters. None of them really struck out at me or drew my attention. Nearly all of them I had found disfavor with in one way or another, but I did not really dislike any of them any more then I liked any of them. They felt distant and impersonal to me. You did not really get to know any of them.

There were various problems I had with this book. First of all I felt that it was the kind of book that just does not carry over very well through the generations. I did not find it very relatable ore relevant and did not see why I needed to be reading this story. Yes it is true that there are always corrupt politics and that is something we can all relate to but I did not feel the story brought anything new to the table on that issue. I did not feel he offered anything very enlightening on the subject. As far as corrupt politics go it felt like nothing new under the sun.

With that I did not really see what was so special about Willie Stark. I disagreed with some of the things he did but relatively speaking it did not seem as if he did anything especially horrible. He was no different then the rest of them. He seemed to be your run of the mill average politician. At least it seemed he had some good intentions to start with even if went about them in questionable ways, but I was left wondering, why did I need to know his story? Why was he singled out? He was not doing anything different then what anyone else was doing. This is not a justification but it just left me with the feeling of so what was the big deal?

Warren's style of writing also gave me a headache. He had many long drawn out very detailed and descriptive passages which I felt in some cases were not necessary. At some points it was hard to keep myself from just sort of skimming over these as they seemed to drag on without any real purpose. Some of his paragraphs felt like one long run on never-ending sentence. I also did not care for the way in which he used repetition in the story because it always made me feel as if I was just reading over the same sentence twice and I would think wait a minute I already and then it would be....oh no it is a new sentence just repeating itself over again.

Other then the painful experience of trying to get through this book I did not take much away from it.

Dark Muse


[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Forum Advertisement[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
Wondering what Litnets top 100 books are? Why not pop on over to Dark Muses Lit Nets Top 100 Books Official List and see for yourself! [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40711&page=7[/url]

[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]April Birthdays[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

Here are this months Litnet birthdays! Also, don’t forget that many of these members will be sent an interview, so look out for the [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36273&page=4"]Getting to Know You thread[/URL].

Happy Birthday!
NikolaiI, PoeticPassions, Helga, thelastmelon,Heathcliff, Lord Lucan, Jean-Baptiste,Uncle Lar, PeterL, Anza, Genoveva, Pinkmoon, BookThief, Subterranean, TheInsomniac, HyacinthGirl, adilyoussef, smartgirl, Stargazer86, Baddad, pussnboots, Beautifull, Andave ya, Weeping Willow.


[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Forum Advertisement[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
If you are a lover of Photography and have lots of pictures sitting around in folders on your computer, why not share them with other photography lovers and post them in Pictures Taken by You. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20158&page=97[/url]
Or join the photography social group Photo Freaks [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/group.php?groupid=4[/url]


[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]New Additions to the Site[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
There are some new quizzes added to the forum by Logos. If you have some free time on your hands, why not give them ago! [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/quiz.php?catid=1[/url]
If you are interested in Keeping track of new additions to the forum and seeing what Admin has now created and changed, please follow the link below. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45417[/url]

[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
If anyone would be interested in joining in in the Dublin: One City, One Book discussion of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar wilde please follow the link and participate. The more the merrier! Niamh
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52154[/url]


[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Special Thanks[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

Also on behalf of the Lit Net News Team, I'd like to send a special thought out to Virgil and Pussnboots. Its a very important time of year for them and we wish them all the best and a safe trip.

I would like to thank everyone who helped contribute to the Newsletter over the last year, whether they were aware they were contributing or not!
Also a special thank you to all those that subscribe to the newsletter.
Yours truly
Niamh, The Litnetter