https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?53593-The-Lit-Net-Monthly-News The largest classic literature discussion forum on the Internet. Read Write Teach Share. en Fri, 05 Jun 2026 01:06:01 GMT vBulletin 10 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?53593-The-Lit-Net-Monthly-News https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10890-August-2010-Newsletter Sat, 21 Aug 2010 10:08:58 GMT [I][CENTER] [IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header.gif[/IMG] [SIZE="6"]
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]August 2010[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
Welcome to The Literature Networks online newspaper. Keeping you updated with information regarding threads, contests, Book Club and lots more!

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

The July novel was [I][URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54096"]Walden[/URL][/I]

There are currently 2 group readings taking place with our August novel [I][URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54827"]Razor's Edge[/URL][/I] and the summer reading [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53954"][I]The Brother's Karamazov[/I][/URL]

Don’t forget to vote in the [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54097"]September[/URL] Reading Poll!

The Book Club is also now nominating for the [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54828"]October Read[/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[url]http://www.online-literature.com/for...lay.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]

Thank you for the increase in submissions for this months August Elimination in the short story contest there are 5 entries this time round so get voting!!!!

[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?p=932041#post932041[/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 Poetry Contest (continued…) , The Form Poetry Contest and The Subject Poetry Contest. There is also a new contest set up The Minimalist Poetry Contest. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=50408[/url] Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!

[CENTER]The Form winner[/CENTER]

The falling of Night sends icy cold deep into my lifeblood—
The desire for comfort and longing for the silent grave—
Yet the break of dawn sends promise that all is never vanished forever, a renewing hope

[I]by Pendragon[/I]

[CENTER]The Subject winner[/CENTER]

[B]Stonewall Jackson[/B]

I'd been every battle we fought with the North,
Believing in the cause of my beloved South
Never took a bullet in all of that time
Though a couple came mighty darn close
The field was strown with bodies, some ours and more theirs
I thought the battle over and done
Then as I rode in victory back to our ranks
I fell from our own friendly fire
"Let us cross o're the river and rest beneath the trees"
An officer and a gentleman, may I rest in peace

[I]by Pendragon[/I]

In memory of a Southern hero who died from friendly fire. The next to last line are his final reported words

[CENTER]The Picture winner[/CENTER]

The great wall is powdered gold
By the tired sun, slowly rising,
Only to fall back upon his own weight.

The burden of light, sobriety, truth
We fear it
We cherish what it is not

A trickle of lingering night
Floats in the corner of my palace
It chils the air a dark blue

Streaks of surreal colors
Hiccup, laugh, and mourn their drunkenness
They sing a drowsy tune
Tall green forests and rolling fields
Licked azure and vermillion by
Young fauns and faeries

The sun light rushes in
Washing away the leftover
Colors of Dreams

[I]by Alexander III[/I]

[CENTER]The Minimalist winner[/CENTER]

[B]My Liquid Heart [/B]

Your eyes
a watery grave

like these
liquid tongues
which I swim through

in the hopes of
finding you
somewhere
beneath

where only
my reflections
meet.

[I]by Dark Muse[/I]

Congratulations to you all!



[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]


Every month we post a selection of our favourite poems submitted in the personal poetry section for the previous month.

[B]Academic Prats[/B]
His name is Dr Palm Off
a simple brain knows why
He claims he's academic
but Dr Palm Off often lies

He taps the school funding
for silly research trips
while students wait forever
for grades and learning tips

such luck is not forthcoming
even though they've paid
Dr Palm off is too busy
can't we all just wait?

while he studies man's achievements
in the hope he'll get a look
by standing in fame's glow
he might pen a winning book

Dr Palm Off yearns glory
he thinks being on campus
is utterly gory.

So now I want a refund
and a grade for my distress
but the school can't find
the Palm Off
we're sorry, they confess

I must now write a letter
to the Dean who I suspect
is friends with Dr Palm Off
and no doubt will protect
the academic facade
of a non-teaching teach
while students pay good money
for goals that won't be reached.

[I]by Delta 40[/I]

[B]Colors[/B]

I can hear the color blue,
sometimes the sky speaks to me
in clipped foreign syllables
that I never understand.

I can feel yellow-orange,
warming these bones
with a smoldering caress
from arms that are not there.

I can taste chocolate brown,
bittersweet, biting back,
leaving me in wonder
of supple, sun-darked skin.

But most, I smell the green earth,
and scent the memory of home,
and know that, though it is no more,
I will return one day.

[I]by Hack[/I]

[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 sift through Litnets member profile pages and selecting one as our Featured Profile of the Month. So get personalizing, decorating and designing your profile.


This month we have chosen [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=26608"]Symphony[/URL]


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


This month we have decided to feature [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=34775"]Aunt Shecky's blog[/URL].


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


This month we have decided to go with [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54111"]Name the Painting[/URL] and [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2706"]What are u reading right now?[/URL]



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


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

[B]Slaughter House 5 ~ Kurt Vonnegut[/B]

Just as the casual customer in a bookstore flips through a few random pages before purchasing a book, Kurt Vonnegut randomly writes his masterpiece, Slaughterhouse 5.

The plot structure (while trying to avoid plot summary or spoilers) is fragmented and seemingly random, and unlike most novels avoids a linear structure. Vonnegut's plot structure gravitates around the opening sentence of the second chapter; Billy Pilgrim becomes unstuck in time. His life is no longer linear. This becomes evident to the reader quickly; each chapter is riddled with passages of Billy being transported to other sections of his life (or in certain situations, other planets). Yet this is not what makes the novel an "American Pastime" of sorts.

Through iconic phrasing and a seeming apathy (mixed with mild doses of dark humor) Vonnegut presents an idea similar to Carlos Castaneda's early novels; that no moment in time is more important than any other; or more briefly, that every moment in time is equal. No favoritism is necessary because everything is equal. Death is equal in status to one's own birthday. Likewise, Vonnegut's method of presenting this said idea distances himself from humanity (and in some ways, modern thinking) yet this idea resonates with the reader. Everyone, whether intentionally or not, plays favorites. It's perhaps our greatest crime. There's always a friend or sibling we prefer more than the others. But to Vonnegut, such an idea is trifling. He prefers the Tralfamadorian approach (and Castaneda's "Don Juan" approach); that all moments are equal in time; that we should "see" the value in each moment instead of "look" at what is present. And because of the striking originality and cleverness of his prose, symbolism and thematic relevance, Slaughter-House 5 is one of the most significant novels of the past 60 years.

[I]submitted by IceM[/I]


[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/for...t=40711&page=7[/url]

How about testing your general knowledge in [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49916"]The Litnet forum game quiz o' the week[/URL]

[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]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 Getting to Know You thread.

Happy Birthday!

Papayahed; Biggus; Quark; Chava; Madhuri; JBI; Annamariah; SleepyWitch; MorpheusSandman & limajean

[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/for...=20158&page=97[/url]
Or join the photography social group Photo Freaks [url]http://www.online-literature.com/for....php?groupid=4[/url]

Also why not adopt give lit-nets travelling leprechaun a home for a few days? or just follow "Ullie's" travels [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29245&page=46"]here[/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/for...iz.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/for...ad.php?t=45417[/url]


[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

No letters these few months, any letters can be PM'ed to the newsletter account for inclusion in upcoming editions.





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


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
The Litnetter ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10890-August-2010-Newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10711-July-Newsletter Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:31:15 GMT [I][CENTER] [IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header.gif[/IMG] [SIZE="6"]
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]May, June, July 2010[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
Welcome to The Literature Networks online newspaper. Events in the newsletter house have been pretty hectic so apologies for the delay, but we will have a 3 month edition now to make up for it and from next month we will be back to every month, keeping you updated with information regarding threads, contests, Book Club and lots more!

[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
The May novel was [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52762"]The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier and Clay [/URL]
The June novel was [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53491"]Alice in Wonderland[/URL]

There are currently 2 group readings taking place with our July novel [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54096"]Walden[/URL] and the summer reading [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53954"]The Brother's Karamazov[/URL]

Don’t forget to vote in the [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53492"]August Reading Poll![/URL]

The Book Club is also now nominating for the [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54097"]September Read.[/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[url]http://www.online-literature.com/for...lay.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]

Due to a lack of entries there was no June elimination this time around :( Let's make sure we get plenty of entries for the August elimination - see [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showpost.php?p=823041&postcount=1"]here[/URL] for information on how to submit your stories!


[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 Poetry Contest (continued…) , The Form Poetry Contest and The Subject Poetry Contest. There is also a new contest set up The Minimalist Poetry Contest. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=50408[/url] Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!

[CENTER]The Form winners[/CENTER]

[B]May:[/B]
[B]The Play Fight.[/B]

A need is desire with a time limit
Hold it tight against your chest. Keep the fire
lit, that wiry bit, a still, silent fit.
A need is desire

Bright eyes set, lined, the mascara 'd crier
some slight against obsessed, made quick to quit
by the spinning sonnets of a liar.

The winding wounds we weave with lines of spit
words, heal; More venom cures the poison's ire.
Brevity more real than the argument
A need is desire

[I]by krymsonkyng[/I]
[B]June: [/B]

[B]For The Glimmer Twins* [/B]
A honky-tonk woman with bile-bearing lips
Was propping the bar in the ‘Whistling Nun’.
I should have just taken one look then my leave
But she noticed me staring - drew breath then a gun.
She asked for my name and a light; I gave both
As she sank her last shot of tequila then down to the floor in a heap.
I was given no choice but to leave in a rush and the next train from town.

*aka Mick Jagger and Keith Richards who co-wrote ‘Honky-Tonk Women’ and probably the very first zeugma (?) I ever heard :
“she blew my nose and then she blew my mind…..”

[I]by hillwalker[/I]
[B]July: [/B]

[B]Escape [/B]

She was the one in shades of black & blue
waiting enigmatically for the final train
her poor veiled eyes watched without a clue.

Navy blue duffle bag luggage soaked in the rain
lost among the crowd and totally alone
deep inside she'll never erase the reoccurring stain.

Her eyes turn upon the clock and contemplate the phone
feeling the weight of everything that will be left behind
cold skin like cold feet and fears like her hair wind blown.

Heavy metallic doors echo through her mind
and she hesitates for what seems like a life time
jarred as suddenly the gears begin to grind.

Still hovering half-way between escape the bells chime
almost a moment too late she says a last good-bye
and prepares to enter the great unknown sublime

[I]by Dark Muse[/I]

[CENTER]The Subject winners[/CENTER]

[B]May:[/B]
[B]School Grounds [/B]

where she was standing
is now a science lab
colorful chemical spatters
cover an old stain beautifully...

she’s an awkward child
timid. invisible. pathetic.

life would have
thrown eggs at her but
she did it herself first

she was eating
a soft boiled egg
her sickly mother made
to take to school

yellow yolk dripped
on her sorry looking
hand-me-down
dark blue uniform

in shame she ran to
the little girls room
she washed off the mess
but the stain is permanent

she didn’t know if
any got on her face

she avoids the mirror

the only thing
uglier than her
is life

she gradually advanced
to dissociation...

I pity her
it’s not easy
to be her

but I had
no choice

[I]by Haunted[/I]
[B]June: [/B]

[B]Bus Stop [/B]
The gutter beside me, oiled-water grey
The rain's falling on my back today
The eyes of a rat are brighter than mine
See how they shine, oh, see how they shine...

Old man move on, nobody talks to me
Come on I'm hearing things, I can't see
He puts the boot in, I'm clutched and I'm gripped
Something gives way. I feel something ripped.

I feel my blood pop sizzling down the drain
I piston out but can feel no pain

I have carried the burden of many
Served both the street and the company
My mates died in action, my girl is gone,
Nothing explains why I'm going on.

A rib gives way now as I hug the post
The light in the rain dimmer than most
There's swearing. I must be blocking the street
The narrow way where they and I meet.

What do they feel as they wait for the bus
As I go limp without any fuss?

I sense from them all only despair
As my ghost leaks out into the air.

I, Leyland 63 178 Red
Failed in my duty and am now dead.
Remember me to your mom and your pop;
Remember the night you saw the bus stop.

[I]by Autolycus[/I]
[B]July: [/B] Not Announced Yet


[CENTER]The Picture winners[/CENTER]

[B]May:[/B]

[B]LIGHT AS A FEATHER[/B]

They say I have my grandma's eyes,
the irridescent blue of prairie skies;
both eyebrows curved like falcon wing
just hovering,
and lashes dark as darkest night
and skin as white as Appalachia snow.

They say I have my father's will,
his cruel instinctive urge to kill,
his cold resolve to pay no heed
to do the deed.
My soul like his, bereft of light,
I'm right behind you..... thought I'd let you know

[I]by Hillwalker[/I]
[B]June: [/B]

[B]Dryad[/B]

the spring called their names
and poor mute things,
they listened and obeyed
travellers on a weary road
they thought at first that they longed only for a drink
but then they heard

the bell-like voices
and they made their way
to the spring song
witless, numbed, entranced, they stared
at brief beauty
and wondered
if they could feel the water
on their winter limbs once more
their fevered brow

the dryads laughed
the song cracked
and they were home
voiceless, mad, besotted

[I]by Qimissung[/I]
[B]July: [/B]

[B]At World's End[/B]
Come, take my hand,
and let us stand
upon the edge
of a new world.

Let everything behind
us crumble away
into dust and we
will venture upon
the eve of a new
beginning.

The vastness
ours to behold,
let us be adventurers,
to blaze a trail
through the unknown.

The world crafted
by man will become
obsolete, and the
boundaries that held us
back will dissipate.

We will be dancers
upon the rim of
canyons, we will
become leapers
into the air,
and trust upon
the wind to lift
us up.

Let us live
among the birds,
take my hand,
untouched by doubt,
with a heart filled
only in trust.

And we will leap
from this world's end,
and if we die,
we will die together,
and if we survive,
we will live in the
New World.

The world made
only for us.

[I]by Dark Muse[/I]

[CENTER]The Minimalist winners[/CENTER]

[B]May:[/B]

[B]the three belles[/B]
today’s the day:
April’s bridal shower

but May’s jealous tears
rained out the wedding

if only she knew...

June blossoms
like a thorny red rose
beautiful and dangerous
the groom is intrigued...

oh drama before
summer solstice

[I]by Haunted[/I]
[B]June: [/B]

the dog made a mess
fine end for a noble fir
in this paper towel

[I]by Hack[/I]
[B]July: [/B] Not Announced Yet

Congratulations to you all!



[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]


So for this edition of the newsletter we are going to just post one of our favourites from each month

From April:

[B]Lovers as Warriors[/B]

You must not think I am unromantic
because I refuse to spend my day
writing sad songs about heart break
and flooding rains of tears.

You must not think I am unromantic
because I do not see the reason why
I should throw myself at the feet
as if upon an altar of worship
before another who I know will never
love me back, and that I neglect to
sigh in compassionate understanding
over glamorized stories of unrequited
love.

You must not think I am unromantic
simply because I do not see fit
to live a life looking back, pining over
the one "who got away" or languishing
over the boy who choose another
instead of me, living in my own bitterness
over what cannot be changed.

You must not think I am unromantic
because I refuse to glamorize the pain,
and weep my soul into sonnets, or because
I see no purpose in wasted anger
at the one who does not love me anymore,
where has it been writ that romance must
be fragile? And that only the heart that
shatters knows the essence of love?

Warriors can be lovers too
and lovers can be soldiers,
just because we are the ones
who live to fight on, and brush away
our scars does not mean we love any less,
but we are the survivors who love in the present,
and don't waste what we are given forever looking
back into the past.

We take the blows that are delivered
and in the end find the means to laugh
at our own foolishness, we glorify the moment,
thankful for what little we could share, and when
it comes to the final hour, we let our memories
into the wind and march on into the next conquest.

Just because I cannot say in honesty
that my life would stop without you,
and just because I cannot pledge that if you left me
I will never find happiness again,
does not mean that I love any less,
but like a phoenix from the flames,
I will always rise again above the ashes
of my sorrows.

[I]by Dark Muse[/I]
From May:

[B]The Question[/B]

Where are the snows of yesteryear?
I’ll tell you where they’ve gone,
with global warming here to stay,
they’re highways for the swan.
The ice-age that they promised us
would freeze us all to death -
it now seems far less likely
than us drowning in the depths.

Where are the snows of yesteryear?
The ice caps, they’re all melting.
Me, I’m going to build an ark
before the rain starts pelting.
So when the sea-shore tracks inland
and mountains become beaches,
you’ll find me on the high ground, mate,
just like the bible teaches.

Where are the snows of yesteryear?
and quiet now the drunkard,
I ponder how to tell him through
the bottom of his tankard.
Anyway, his ears are deaf,
he turns away too soon,
his thoughts upon another drink,
the ignorant buffoon.

Where are the snows of yesteryear?
Like beauty that has passed,
preserved now just in memory
until we die at last.

[I]by Hawkman[/I]

From June:

[B]Teenage Drinker[/B]

she shakes her head
covers her eyes
sighs
[I]I thought you said
I could talk to you
about my feelings[/I]
she she slurs

From my verandah
I ponder the night sky
A single star twinkles
through the gum tree
before it is lost
in grey cloudy cover

I reluctantly inhale
her alcohol breath
and wonder
how to reply

[I]by Delta40[/I]

[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]


So as the regular readers will know each month we usually sift through Litnets member profile pages and selecting one as our Featured Profile of the Month. So get personalizing, decorating and designing your profile. Because of our tardiness the last couple of months we are selecting 3 worth checking out this time

[URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=3093"]Scher[/URL], [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=16643"]stlukesguild[/URL] & [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=59951"]JuniperWoolf[/URL]



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


Like with the member profiles we will be picking out a few blogs this month:

Firstly [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=9515"]Virgil's[/URL] wonderful entries over the last few months regarding his and Pussnboots travels in Kazahkstan adopting the incredibly cute Matthew - congrats you two!!!!!!

Next up [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=61576"]PaulClem[/URL] & [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=56327"]daffyd manton[/URL] who are relatively new to our blog community here but both blogs have made for interesting reading.

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

Our featured threads from the past months have been the entertaining [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52324"]Football World Cup 2010[/URL] thread. A big thank you to Scher for organising the whole thing.

Also the [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53604"]Litnet's version of Devil's Dictionary[/URL]



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


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

[B]'The Big Sleep' by Raymond Chandler [/B]

Raymond Chandler’s ‘The Big Sleep’ invites you to explore the seedy underworld of murder, bribery and gambling in 1930s Los Angeles. This is the first novel in Chandler's Philip Marlowe detective saga and this is the book which helped Chandler break into the literary scene as a recognised and respected writer of literature, rather than pulp fiction.

The story starts out with Marlowe being requested by the general Sternwood for a seemingly straightforward blackmail case. However, things become a lot more complicated as the story progresses and what began as a simple case hulks into an intriguing and complicated story of murder which sends Marlowe on a voyage of Los Angeles' corrupt underworld.

The story is told from Marlowe's point of view. This is where the book really becomes alive, as with every place Marlowe visits and every person he meets, the reader is given Marlowe's own views on the case. A great example of this can be seen when Marlowe describes Sternwood's daughters: 'Vivian is spoiled, exacting, smart and quite ruthless. Carmen is a child who likes to pull wings off flies. Neither of them has any more moral sense than a cat.' Marlowe more often than not has a sarcastic and witty point to make and this really adds an extra layer to the book.

Chandler's attention to detail in the novel also has to be admired. He has a great way of describing a setting or a character in such a way that captivates the image in the reader's mind. An excellent example of this can be seen through Chandler's description of a rug: 'there was a thick pinkish Chinese rug in which a gopher could have spent a week without showing his nose above the nap'.

If you're looking for a classic crime fiction novel which strays from your norm of Agatha Christie or P.D. James, then I would say 'The Big Sleep' would be a perfect read.

[I]provided by Caspa[/I]


[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/for...t=40711&page=7[/url]

How about testing your general knowledge in [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49916"]The Litnet forum game quiz o' the week[/URL]

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

So a BIGGGG apology to everyone whose birthdays we missed in our hiatus sorry!

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 Getting to Know You thread.

Happy Birthday!
Kafka's Crow, Charles Darnay, amalia1985, Inderjit Sanghe, Remarkable, janesmith, Joreads, motherhubbard, Shurtugal, kiz paws, 1n50mn14



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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/for...=20158&page=97[/url]
Or join the photography social group Photo Freaks [url]http://www.online-literature.com/for....php?groupid=4[/url]

Also why not adopt give lit-nets travelling leprechaun a home for a few days? or just follow "Ullie's" travels [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29245&page=46"]here[/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/for...iz.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/for...ad.php?t=45417[/url]


[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

No letters these few months, any letters can be PM'ed to the newsletter account for inclusion in upcoming editions.





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


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
The Litnetter ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10711-July-Newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10227-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-April-2010 Sun, 18 Apr 2010 19:00:22 GMT [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


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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]
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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 ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10227-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-April-2010 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10109-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-March-2010 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:12:50 GMT [I][CENTER] [URL=http://s735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/?action=view&current=header.gif][IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header.gif[/IMG][/URL] [SIZE="5"]
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]March2010[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]


Welcome to the March edition of 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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

Don't forget to vote in the March Reading is Steppenwolf by Hesse [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?p=868034#post868034[/url]
And don't forget to cast your vote in the April read! for the April Read [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50490[/url]
The nomination period is well under way for the May read. Please drop over and see what has been nominated and if there is any places left why not nominate a book of your choice! [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51191[/url]
Also for anyone who is interested, the 2010 Valentines read is Breakfast at Tiffany's By Capote [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50694[/url]
The Forum Shakespeare Discussion Group is currently starting on Henry IV Part I. Pop over to the sub forum is you are interested in participating in the Discussion or any other forum Discussions. [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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Official Forum Contest[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

The next round of the annual short story competition is under way so get your entry in! [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49792[/url]
The first elimination round for the 2010 Short Story Contest is closed. The Winning story was Collettes Coffee. Well done!

[I][SIZE="4"][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: Qimissung
Picture: BienvenuJDC
Subject: The comedian
Minimalist :Virgil
Congratulations to you all!

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
This month we have selected three poems from The Personal Poetry Forum, posted during the month of February, to feature in the Litnet Monthly News! I hope you like them too!

[B][U]You Were Never the One ~ Dark Muse[/U][/B]

It was
raw animal
magnetism

Static electricity
which set off
a spark
of attraction
like synapses
firing

Undeniably
a pull is felt
caught within
charisma's
web

Enhanced
by rare
wisps
of tenderness

Small fires
still burn
a candle kept
not snuffed out

Still
drawn apart
our lives
would never
fit together
in completion
like
yin & yang

Primitive
wantings
of the body
invariably
suspended

Not quite lust
not enough love
but a friction
unfading
requiring
to be placed
aside

Never to break
into the light of day
but only to live
in passing
private
moments
of the mind

[B][U]Natural world ~ Biggus[/U][/B]

They say nature is perfect
They say nature is beautiful
But they are so wrong
Nature is ugly and brutal
Oh it looks pretty in a picture
I quite accept it all looks nice
But don’t be fooled
Nature will kill you in a trice
It doesn’t matter where you go
If you look closely enough
Something is eating something else
Nature is cruel and tough
Its dog eat dog its bird eat frog
Its fish eat fish its whale eat seal
In nature it seems to me
Everything is some body’s meal
So don’t try telling to me
That nature is perfect and wonderful
I don’t need the natural world
I can go to London if I want brutal



[I][SIZE="4"][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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Profile Of The Month[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

This months I have selected Petrarchs Love's profile [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=9941[/url]

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Blog of the Month[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

This months blog of the month is NikolaiI's blog [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=34281[/url]

[I][SIZE="4"][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 Book Buddies [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50369[/url]
Game of the Month Which movie would you like to watch with the person above you Thread [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44925[/url]


[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Lit Net Book Reviews[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

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

[B][U]The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius[/U][/B]

It's been a long time since I last read Stoic philosophy. I think the last work of this type that I read was the brief [U]Handbook of Epictetus[/U] as an undergraduate. I didn't like it much. Mostly because my girlfriend at the time (who was a major repair-job) loved it. She was using the emotional detachment ideas to get over this jerk she dated before me. Nice. As a result, I thought that stoicism was just a mask that emotionally weak people wore to hide the honest and hard-earned scars on their souls. Logos, detachment, "the whole" = chicken****.

But that was then. I don't really trust the self-important, hot-shot judgment that I had back then. Could stoicism kindle my intellectual fire? I bought Marcus Aurelius' [U]The Meditations[/U] (Grube translation) to find out.

[U]The Meditations[/U] begins with a series of odes to people in Aurelius' life who have demonstrated unique moral or personal characteristics. Many of these are touching, emotional, and reflective and (really) against the grain of the general stoic practice of emotional distance. None the less, there are some gems here:

From his father:

[QUOTE]not to take an empty pride in what are considered honors; to love work and to persevere in it; to listen to those who have something to contribute to the common good. . . .to use the comforts of life without arrogance or apology when fortune provides them when they are available, without making practice of it, and not to feel the lack of them when they are not. . .[/QUOTE]

These and many other observed qualities from the first book find their way into aphoristic style and structure of the remaining 100 pages that Aurelius uses as (almost) spiritual prayers or reminders of how to live a good life, make good decisions, and do good work.

Philosophically, Aurelius reiterates his belief in a guiding logos (sometimes found within divinity; sometimes logos assumes a divinity itself), a naturally derived order to which humans must synchronize if they are to be wise, and on our tendency to fall for the [I]femme fatales[/I] of praise, fear, and greed.

While the reading is often repetitive, the cumulative effect of the repetition is that of mantra or a family prayer before an evening meal: the repetition itself draws on the power of routine and language to build meaning.

Some more of my favorites:

This on the habit of pure thoughts:
[QUOTE]The kind of thought you frequently have will make your mind of the same kind[/QUOTE]

This on individual will and authority:
[QUOTE]Be upright or be put right[/QUOTE]

And this, my overall favorite:
[QUOTE]The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing, insofar as one should stand ready for, and not be thrown by, whatever happens unexpectedly.[/QUOTE]

This last makes me reflect back on my former girlfriend who had the bad beak up. Maybe she used stoicism to stand up right after she had been thrown, not as a mask to hide behind. Maybe in my mind, I was cruel to her for thinking as I did, and in those thoughts, discolored my mind.

Marcus tells me this: [QUOTE]when you are impatient, remember that the life of a man lasts but a moment, and after brief while we have all been laid out for burial.[/QUOTE]

And this: [QUOTE]rational beings are born for the sake of each other, that tolerance is a part of rightness[/QUOTE]

Indeed.

9/10 Comedian

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[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]March 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!
Livelaughlove, Amundsen, Schokokeks, DanielBenoit, JuniperWoolf, Chaneybean, Koa, vheissu, kevinthediltz, Bluebiird, imthefoolonthehill, Shanannigan, NikolaiI, PoeticPassions.

A very special happy birthday to our wonderful Admin! :)

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[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
The poetry book club is having a heck of a good discussion reading Giacomo Leopardi.
Here's the link: [url]http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=50876[/url].
Virgil

[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Special Thanks[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

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
Kilted Exile, Personal Poetry
Papayahed, Book Reviews ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10109-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-March-2010 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?9937-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-February-2010 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:05:41 GMT [I][CENTER] [IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header.gif[/IMG] [SIZE="5"]
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]February[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]


Welcome to the joint February edition of 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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

The Book Club is now reading the February read Villette by Charlotte Bronte [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50489[/url]
Don't forget to vote in the March Reading Poll [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49886[/url]
The nomination period is under way for the April Read [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50490[/url]
Also for anyone who is interested, the 2010 Valentines read is Breakfast at Tiffany's By Capote [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50694[/url]
The Forum Shakespeare Discussion Group is currently starting on Henry IV Part I. Pop over to the sub forum is you are interested in participating in the Discussion or any other forum Discussions. [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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Official Forum Contest[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

The first elimination round for the 2010 Short Story Contest is open for Voting. Please follow the link and vote for your favouite entry
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50517[/url]

[I][SIZE="4"][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 [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50408"]Minimalist Poetry Contest[/URL]. Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!
The current winners are;
Form: Not announced
Picture: Not announced
Subject: Not announced
Minimalist :Qimisung
Congratulations to you all!

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
This month we have selected three poems from The Personal Poetry Forum, posted during the month of January, to feature in the Litnet Monthly News! I hope you like them too!

[B]Rubix Cube By D.Rose[/B]

There are those who spin
There are those who turn
Few know the formula
The many, like children, and too eager to learn

If I could match up the yellow
Look to the sun and the light
Instead of being like a drunk fellow
Always looking to fight

If I could match up the blue
Let things roll off the shoulder
Maybe it wouldn’t hurt as much
When God sends down a boulder

If I could match up the red
Extinguish the fire
Because dynamite lies
At the end of the wire

If I could match up the green
Like I was planted yesterday
Be forever young
And never decay

If I could match up the orange
Lay a new focus on the table
Get farther than ever before
And cease to make myself unable

So much to match, so much to spin and turn
And since the formula is out of my grip
When I work on one side the rest will burn
But, I didn’t com ill-equip
Time after time I have gotten this tip
This tip that there is still one more side to write
The side of white

If I could match up the white
As long as I don’t cheat
I can see the light
And all sides will become complete

[B]The Meaning of Self by Dark Muse[/B]

It was amid tangled sheets
and twisted limbs
she once hoped to transcend.

A desire undefined within
to be reborn again
through another's eyes.

Weighed down by the definitions
imposed upon her
from the outside.

Those who sat smoking in her den
spoke in a language
she couldn't quite comprehend.

But that it was of her they
spoke she knew
in their slitted glances.

And she became their creation
of multiple-syllabolic obscured words
which she wore as her albatross.

Then a stranger saw her
as something else, which
she couldn't quite believe in.

But she conceived he could change her
with the movement
of his limbs.

Yet in the end she had not become
the other self she sought
instead of gained she felt she lost.

Removed for a moment from
the verbal charades
she experienced weightlessness.

Sadly when restored back into the den
she long could not evade
their theatric word games.

So at last she decided
she really was just
jumbled pretentious slang

[B]Long Awaited Rattled Ship by NickAdams[/B]

Long awaited rattled ship
Oared onto the earth
Whose crew doth seek to fill
A green devoured purse.

A token to please their fancy
Doth currency plow the field
Thou Captains shall dine at tables;
Thou mates shall second taste their meals.



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[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Profile Of The Month[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

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[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Blog of the Month[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

This months blog of the month is Aunt Shecky for her word blog. Check it out. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=34775[/url]

[I][SIZE="4"][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 Lit-Net Family Tree [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50570[/url]
Game of the Month is Wrong Answer [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50863&page=3[/url]

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Lit Net Book Reviews[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

This month’s book review was randomly selected from the Write a book Review sub-forum in general Literature.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The book starts out with a very intriguing concept in the portrayal of a young girl telling the tale of her own murder, and watching those she left behind deal with her death on earth. Sebold handles the real life elements of grief rather well in the way each individual handles the death of Susie Salmon in their own way. The way in which people are both pulled apart and brought together by the tragedy.

As a person with a fascination with alternative realities the construct of heaven within the book is also quite an interesting feature of the story. There were some original and provocative ideas relating to the after life which unfold within the book and some rather beautiful visual scenes.

The book should also be given credit for the beautiful poetic prose work which it caries throughout. Some of the lines are quite stunning and captivating and when I first began to read I found myself engaged within the story and pleasantly surprised.

But for all that, somewhere within the middle the book begins to falter and does not live up to the full potential which it presents within the beginning of the story. After a while the story takes on the feeling of starting to drag on and leaves the reader forever waiting with the feeling that something is going to "happen" something big or unexpected is just waiting around the corner, and yet it never comes.

As the story progresses it begins to flat line at a point, in which after a while it becomes wearisome moving back and forth between Susie and her watching her family carry on through their daily lives. It gives the impression that the author is making a promise which she cannot deliver. It ultimately ends in an anticlimactic fizzle.

The end of the story leaves something to be desired and I think was quite ruined by that tacking on of a rather unnecessary epilogue which did not enhance the reading, but rather left the reader with a feeling of confusion.

While the ideas relating to the afterlife, and the construct of heaven are initially interesting, the last pages of the book seems almost to be almost contradictory and leaves the impression that Sebold had not completely flushed her ideas in relation to heaven, and was not completely sure herself exactly what sort of vision of the after life she wanted to give.

The last chapter of the book ends in a way that could have been very powerful and perhaps helped salvage some of the earlier portions of the book, but the addition of the epilogue feels insecure as if like Susie, Sebold herself is not ready to completely "let go"

In an odd way, this last effort at what seems like an attempt to bring closure ends up having the very opposite effect.
Dark Muse
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[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]February 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!
Optimisticnad, Dark lady, Petrarchs Love, Brad Coelho, Mathor, Downing, Satan, PrinceMyshkin, Michael T, Janine, Hira, Lys, Tulysg1982,


[I][SIZE="4"][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]
There have been some recent upgrades to the forum. If you are interested in 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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

There are no letters for the month of February

[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Special Thanks[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

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
Kilted Exile- Personal Poetry

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[FONT="Book Antiqua"]December09/ January10[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]


Welcome to the joint December09/ January10 edition of The Literature Networks online newspaper. Every month, we will keep you updated with information regarding threads, contests, Book Club and lots more!
Happy Reading.

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

The Book Club is now reading the December Crime Fiction Read The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48928[/url] and the January random selection Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49885[/url]
Also its time to vote for the February read. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48927[/url]
The March nominations are now open [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49886[/url]
Also for anyone who is interested, the 09 Christmas read was the Turning of the Screw by Henry James. You can join in the discussion by following this link! [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49425[/url]
The Forum Shakespeare Discussion Group is currently starting on Henry IV Part I. Pop over to the sub forum is you are interested in participating in the Discussion or any other forum Discussions. [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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Official Forum Contest[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

The first elimination round for the 2010 Short Story Contest is open for entries. If you are interested, please follow this link and read the guidelines before submitting [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49792[/url]

[I][SIZE="4"][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]. Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!
The current winners are;
Form: TheFifthElement
Picture: DanielBenoit
Subject: alakungfu
Congratulations to you all!

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
This month we have selected ive poems from The Personal Poetry Forum, posted during the month of November and December, to feature in the Litnet Monthly News! I hope you like them too!

[I]November Poems[/I]

[B][U]Sitting in the Snow by Luckey09[/U][/B]

As the grass withers,
And the flower fades,
And the leaves fall in
The cool autumn days,
And the sun cuts his days short,
And night shadows the sky,
And the old men grows sleepy,
And sleeping dogs lie,
And the fruits grow less sweet,
And the warmth leaves your hands,
And the days grow in silence,
And the bird leaves the lands,
I’ll sit under this tree
Till the skies turn back blue,
Throughout the cold winter
Just waiting for you.
And you’ll sit by the fire
Just wishing to know
What kind of fool
Would sit in the snow.

[B][U]I Keep Death Prisoner by kevinthediltz[/U][/B]

Death waits for me at the door.
Like looking into a mirror.
Skin dripping off bones.
I keep it locked away.

Boots click on the concrete floor
It paces back and forth in its cell
Beating the walls
Feeding on the dark

Its plea is tempting
Spoken through a crack
"I'm waiting for you
Let me free you from this"

It pants and houls and waits for a fall
Licks the air for blood
Tastes my weakness
Waiting and watching

I give it nothing
I have nothing to give
I keep it prisoner
A trophy in my cellar

[I]December Poems[/I]

[B][U]Limerick by prendrelemick [/U][/B]

There was a young lady from Ealing,
who got on a bus to Darjeerling,
It said on the door,
don't spit on the floor,
So she carefully spat on the ceiling.


[B][U]Confessions of a Hooker by Biggus[/U][/B]

Lying in bed on their wedding night
The newly wed wife said, eyes full of tears
“Before we were married
I was a hooker for eight years”
The husband said to her calmly
That he had no concern about it
And that it might even
Spice up their nuptials a bit
Then she got flustered
And said “no, no you don’t understand
My name was Jeremy
And I played Rugby for England”


[B][U]What Time is There? by MorpheusSandman[/U][/B]

Will these distant thoughts
Divide the time
Between you and I?
The decrepit hands on clocks
Tick on; The noose
Is strung up by the minutes
Helplessly I’m hung
Left to suffocate unless the
Feet of my evil
Executioner will march
Backwards

What time is it there?

Waiting for inevitable death
The deviant sundown
Shines on; The amber
Glints on the guillotine
Or sharpened reaper’s scythe
Which descends
With the precision of a
Surgeon’s scalpel
To perform this wordless
Tracheotomy

What time is it there?

And I wonder at my smallness
This extant existence
What creeps between seconds
When money won’t buy
A single minute
Just dream of demons that eat
The light of life
Who can swim through shadows?
Reach the furthest
Shore of stilling time

What time is it there?

For a fleeting moment
I thought
I saw you lucent in the
Last light
Of the fading horizon
An ageless angel; my savior
Where are you
Now?
And I wonder, I wonder
What are you doing
Now?
And I wonder, I wonder
I hope you sleep
Like me
In the comfort of eternity
And I wonder, I wonder

As the hands have lain down on their lap
Resting in the sifting dust
These two lambencies that skip across the surface
Falter to a weakened walk
Then a crawl
Then
Are
Still
And still I wonder

What time is it there?

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[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Profile Of The Month[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

This months I have selected Beautifull's profile, as the Profile of the month for its starry night sky and dreaminess. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=48689[/url]

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Blog of the Month[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

This months blog of the month is Heathcliff's Foxtrot's Theory. Check it out. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=63809[/url]

[I][SIZE="4"][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 truly great short stories [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43163[/url]
Game of the Month is Avatar poem [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50145[/url]

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Lit Net Book Reviews[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

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



[B][U]The Pluto Files by Neil deGrasse Tyson[/U][/B]

The book chronicles the rise and fall of Pluto from it’s discovery in 1930 to until 2006 when the International Astronomical Union passes a resolution on the Definition of a Planet in the solar system. Pluto didn't make it. The author was at the heart of the controversy by not including Pluto with the other planets at an exhibit at the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History. The book includes interview and quotes from both sides of the arguement even hate mail from angry school kids all bristling at Plutos demontion.

It's a pretty easy read, the author was able to throw in info on the other planets even the periodic table and still keep it entertaining.

By Papayahed


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[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]November 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!

December09
Veda, Saskian, Mark F, WhimsySA, MissJaneEyre19, Forfila, Cellar Door, rimbaud, Pensive, ninawho, K.M Roberston, Digitalcrash, Alexei, Meh!, The Comedian, Mrs Dalloway,Paperleaves, Virgil, Sweets America, crazefest456, eyemaker, Jamsian, TheDave, Jekan Blazer, browneyedbailey, TheFifthElement, ntropyincarnate, psycheinaboat, ClaesGefvenberg, B-Mental, JaneEyre24, Wyoecho, BienvenuJDC, roland64, Eric the viking, Cat_Brenners.

January10
IJustMadeThatUp, djy78usa, Maryd, Mona Amon, APEist, GustavoL, Chinarose, Niamh, Suziemb, Chartreuse, Desolation, snowangel, Naomi moon, Skib, TEND, Kilted Exile, a_little_wisp, IWilKikU, Grace86, Laindessiel,

[I][SIZE="4"][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]
There have been some recent upgrades to the forum. If you are interested in 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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]


Dear LitNet Newsletter,

*New for 2010!*
Here's a chance for book-lovin' and pop culture consumin' trivia fans to share their knowledge and test what they know! It's the LitNet Forum Games
Quiz O' the Week!

You can participate in the weekly quiz in TWO-- that's TWO!-- ways!* Not only can you tease your brain by answering the questions, but you can write and post your own quizzes!

Click this link for details:
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49916&highlight=Forum+Games[/url]

I hope many LitNutters join in the fun!

Your friend and admirer,
Aunt Shecky



[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Special Thanks[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

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.
I also want to apologies for not posting a newsletter last month. This was due to reasons out of my control.
Happy New year to all who have just celebrated it. :)
Yours truly
Niamh, The Litnetter ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?9750-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-December09-and-January10 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?9562-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-December-09-Cancelled Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:57:07 GMT Due to very limited internet access, there will be no litnet news for the month of December. I would like to wish you all a merry christmas and a... Due to very limited internet access, there will be no litnet news for the month of December. I would like to wish you all a merry christmas and a happy new year. I'll have a special Edition next month for the Month of December and January.
Yours
The Litnetter ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?9562-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-December-09-Cancelled https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?9325-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-November-2009-1st-Aniversary-Edition Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:07:48 GMT [I][CENTER] [IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header-3.gif[/IMG] [SIZE="5"]
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]November 2009[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

[CENTER]HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY LIT NET MONTHLY NEWS![/CENTER]
Welcome to the November edition of The Literature Networks online newspaper. Every month, we will keep you updated with information regarding threads, contests, Book Club and lots more!
Happy Reading.

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

The Book Club is now reading the November Philosophical Novel The Fall by Camus
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48004[/url]
Don’t forget to Vote for the December Crime Fiction Read [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47227[/url]
Also its time to vote for the January read. Next year you the people of Litnet decided on random selections. So off you go and view the nominations so far!
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48005[/url]
The Forum Shakespeare Discussion Group is currently starting on Henry IV Part I. Pop over to the sub forum is you are interested in participating in the Discussion or any other forum Discussions. [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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Official Forum Contest[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

Its time for the Short Story Competition Final. Get voting for your favourite Short Story from this years elimination rounds!
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48195[/url]
[I][SIZE="4"][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]. Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!
The current winners are;
Form: undecided
Picture: Nick Adams
Subject: Dark Muse
Congratulations to you all!

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
This month we have selected three poems from The Personal Poetry Forum, posted during the month of October, to feature in the Litnet Monthly News! I hope you like them too!

[B][U]Thoughts and Philosophies ~ Pendragon[/U][/B]

Some say Faith is just self-deception,
That there is no God, no Heaven, no Hell—
That in the end there’ll be a mere cold reception,
Neither the Paradise nor Abyss that we’ve been taught so well…
Can it be that when life is over it just ends—
Or shall I still hope and pray for Salvation when I die…
Does something brighter beckon or does it depend
On choices I make while I am still young and spry…
Believe what you want, I still trust in eternal hope,
And eternal damnation for those who deny—
It is a hand that can throw a man a rope
When he is going down for the third time…
This world is enough hell to go through as it is—
And so I look forward to a new world when this one ends…


[B][U]the breaks ~ cogs[/U][/B]

order had ceased.
chaos ensued.
god awoke and doom curses spoke
toward cowards who blasphemed
then fled, followed by red flames of brimstone
straight from the cracked core heart
of the detoured, imbalanced earth-
split wide to swallow sinners and thieves,
to punish for payment, and drive to repent-
a red, silver mix marred and mocked
the smashing, self-righteous black gloss
that wrapped the wounded pride of the man,
his wheels.


[B][U]Practice and Theory ~ PrinceMyshkin[/U][/B]

And indeed, in practice, the world
works very well: the hungry
suffer quietly, out of sight,
the brutes all live in East- or South-Medialand,
the dogmatics rage at each other

and none of this, really,
affects us, while the theory that

--the meek shall inherit the earth;
--the lion will lie down with the lamb;
--we will beat our swords into ploughshares;
--we will love our neighbours as ourselves;
--we will honour the stranger who is within our gates;
--we will not do unto others as we would not have them do unto us...

will never, apparently, work.

[I][SIZE="4"][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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Members Profile Of The Year![/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

Well here we are! During the months of September and October you the members of Litnet were asked to nominate and vote for your favourite profile and here it is.
Congratulations Janine! Your “Eternal Springtime” is the Customised Profile of the Year! Hurrah!
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=21649[/url]

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Blog of the Year!![/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

As with the Profile, nominations and votes were cast for Litnets Blog of the Year. The winner is Mtpspur for his much loves Soul Ramblings. Congratulations.
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=13310[/url]

[I][SIZE="4"][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 Faulkner- Where to start? [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48515[/url]
Game of the Month is Your Poems inspired by Music [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27386[/url]


[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Lit Net Book Reviews[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

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

[B][U]Gone With the Wind [/U][/B]

In short, this 1031 paged book is great. The long responce is that it is filled with points of view, but mostly Scarlet O'Hara's because she's the one that matters most. When reading this book the first time, I thought Ashley was noble, proud, and strong; I realized how wrong I was when I saw the movie and read the book again. Ashley is a weak man that couldn't handle Scarlet if his life depended on it. At first I also though Melly was stupid and weak, the second time and when I had a discussion with my mother, I realize that she probably knew more about what Scarlet was up to than she let on. Did I mention that Melly is Ashley's cousin? Yes, that is a bit odd isn't it? And of course there is the dashing Rhett Butler who is head over heels for Scarlet. But let's not forget that he's twenty years older than her... In the end Rhett walks out of Scarlet's life because she's selfish and rude, but also extremely hard-headed. Being hard-headed isn't neccesarily a bad thing because that means you know right from wrong and can get your priorities in order. I think she used that quality to get ahead in life to be sure. Anyway, she thinks she'll get him back, but I think that would take alot of work on both their parts because a marriage is a joint effort.
The minor characters are also an important part of the story because that is how Scarlet comes across her first two husbands; Frank and Charles. We also get to know her beaux pretty well, such as Stuart and Brent Tarelton. It turns out that when they die at war all thier mother cares about is that fact that she's out of horses. And we can't forget Scarlet's sisters; Suellen and the other ones I can't recall right now. Suellen is worse than Scarlet because at least Scarlet knew to show respect for her father when he was going senile and Suellen complained when she found out that she had to help do farm work. She's a little priss for sure. That leads us to Gerald O'Hara, a spitfire through and through. He was loud, but small and had a soft heart and deeply loved his wife and his land.
In summary, this book is about relationships, love of country, and about loyalties. We can't forget that this story takes place before, after, and during the Civil War. A good book if you've got the time to read it and if you can get past that wild Scarlet O'Hara.

WentWiththeWind

[I][SIZE="4"][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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]November 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!
StLukesGuild, Isagel, LadyWentworth, Olga4Real, Lucidnightmares, *Classic*Charm*, AimusSage, Captain Pike, Symphony, Pendragon, Delta40, Countess, Nyu001,Mortis Anarchy, Amuse, Kratsayra.

[I][SIZE="4"][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]
There have been some recent upgrades to the forum. If you are interested in 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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]


Dear Litnetter,

I would like to invite everyone to join the Newbery Book Club. We will be reading and discussing a Newbery book each month. We will start in December with The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

Thank You,
Motherhubbard

Dear newsletter,

It is with unreserved (but well deserved) praise that I am writing you this letter. Since your inception (dare I say conception?!:p), I have read each issue top to bottom. Thank you!

What do I like best about you newsletter? Me. That's right, me. The Comedian. You see, I'm a competitive chap (blushes), and in each issue I eagerly look for mention of my name: did one of my poems make the list? How about a book review of mine? Did anyone else mention me? Me. Me. Me.

But enough about me. I want to talk about your strengths. And, this I think, is what needs to be said: YOU, newsletter, make us famous. You're our press. (O' Vanity!) You're our critic (O' T.S. Eliot!). You're our mirror (O' you handsome devil!).

In short, there is nothing parenthetical about you (newsletter). You are this: !, and sometimes this: ?. But always, always, this: 

Best,

The Comedian

[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Special Thanks[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

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.
It’s been an interesting year getting these newsletters together. What started off appearing at the beginning of the month is now something midway. Putting the Newsletter together initially had a bit of planning involved, but I think it was worth it in the end don’t you? ;)
The Valentines was a fun experience, which may be repeated next year with a bit more planning!
Let us not forget that during this year we lost a fellow Litnetter. As a tribute to donna I’d like to ask all of the Lit Net News readers to give a moments silence and think of those we know who are suffering from cancer.
Thank you to Admin and the Mods for giving me the chance to bring the newsletter to life.
A special thank you goes out to Nightshade and Kilted Exile who helped me out for the last few months gathering poems etc for the Newsletter while I tried to fit it in to my busy schedule.
Happy First Birthday Lit Net News. May the next year be as good as this one!
Yours truly
Niamh, The Litnetter ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?9325-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-November-2009-1st-Aniversary-Edition https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?9131-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-October-2009 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:01:51 GMT [I][CENTER] [IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header.gif[/IMG] [SIZE="5"]
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]October 2009[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]Welcome to the October edition of The Literature Networks online newspaper. Every month, we will keep you updated with information regarding threads, contests, Book Club and lots more!
Happy Reading.

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

The Book Club is now reading the October Horror Read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47220[/url]
The Vote for the November Philosophical Novel is now in full swing.
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46596[/url]
Its also Nomination Period for the December Crime Fiction Read [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47227[/url]
The Forum Shakespeare Discussion Group is currently starting on Henry IV Part I. Pop over to the sub forum is you are interested in participating in the Discussion or any other forum Discussions. [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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Official Forum Contest[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

The October Elimination Round is now open. Please don’t forget to send in your entries to Scheherazade.
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47219[/url]

[I][SIZE="4"][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]. Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!
The current winners are;
Form: Qimissung
Picture: Undecided
Subject: Alakungfu
Congratulations to you all!

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
This month we have selected three poems from The Personal Poetry Forum, posted during the month of September, to feature in the Litnet Monthly News! I hope you like them too!

[B]A Study on Chronography By The Rider[/B]

Eyelids can bring night far quicker than the sun
But day's length remains measured eternal,
Eternally promising a mileage immeasurable
By foot falls, or flight times.

Less understood, is this distance,
By old cartographers then by young lovers,
For on a map's rose, which direction points the hour hand?
Can eight bells truly face the bearer North?

With such a legend I understand
Why some fools choose to sleep it off;
Forgo the bearing wait above, and cross the mighty Atlas path,
And dream with both eyes closed.

Instead darling, stay awake and think of me,
Set your watch by the ticking of your heart;
The faster it beats, the closer I am to you.

[B]The Evening's Wine By NickAdams[/B]

The evening's wine stains the table,
As evening kisses stained our lips.
I held her under the Red Maple,
As leaves and bodies shook and slipped.

[B]View From a Starbucks By DanBierce[/B]

Rain won't slow the cell-phoned suits
or pop-and-beer-can scroungers
while cardboard pleas for handouts
compete with potholes
sunk by the jerk and shimmy
of the city's non-negotiable fault.

The boom-bred girl of the corner knows
of no kind monkeys. The one she sticks
into her tattooed ankle
bites and twists. She tilts
back her head, open-mouthed,
tries to tongue drops
of junk-ill sky

as the sidewalk tune of the unknown minstrel
is blown or strummed towards Puget Sound
to be caught in the pigeon's filthy craw,
sucked into a cup of la-dee-da latte,
or falls to the crumbs
of another nice try.

[I][SIZE="4"][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="4"][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 Lulim [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=43392[/url]

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][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 Helga’s Day in the Life [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=2076[/url]

[I][SIZE="4"][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 Tomorrow I Will… [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47484&page=5[/url]
Game of the Month is X and O [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44924&page=75[/url]


[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Lit Net Book Reviews[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

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

[B]The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. by Haruki Murakami[/B]

This is not a casual read. Set a couple of weeks aside if you're going to start, be prepared to lose your way more than once. With a book like this, you must trust the author and hope he knows what he is doing, and that he will resolve everything in the end.

The twists and turns of the plot are impossible to record here and I am not sure they are all relevent. Toro Okada, the main protagonist, leads an ordinary and blameless life. Then his wife disappears. His efforts to find her are unfocused and surreal, involving sitting at the bottem of a dry well for days, researching the war in Manchuria and meeting people with psycic abilities. Most of the book is spent relating these character's seemingly unconnected stories, but he needs to hear them in order to have the strengh and knowledge to find the place where his wife is and bring her back to the normal world.

As you read you really have to keep faith that this is going somewhere, fortunately the writing is of a high quality, and all the characters are interesting and have interesting stories to tell, so you have enough to keep you going to the end.

I will give it a 7 out of ten, a difficult read but worth it, - just.

By Prendrelemick

[I][SIZE="4"][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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]October 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!
Guzman, Gothman, Balehead, my name is red, Il Penseroso, NickAdams, Morad, Mir.

[I][SIZE="4"][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]
There have been some recent upgrades to the forum. If you are interested in 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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

There are none for this month. Why not send in letters next month about what you have thought of the Lit Net News over the last year!


[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Blog and Customized Profile of the Year Nominations[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

The Blog and Profile of the Year Nominations!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lit Net Monthly News will be one year old in November and to celebrate a successful first year, we are asking YOU to nominate and vote for YOUR favourite Blog and Customized profile.
In the month of October, we will open up the nomination period. Please forward your nominations to me via PM.
In October the top ten nominated will be added to a poll for you to vote.

The rules are simple;
-You can not nominate/vote for yourself.
-Once you have nominated/voted you will not be allowed to change your choices so be very sure of your choices.
-Any members found to be requesting other members to vote or nominate for them will be disqualified from being in the run for Blog and Profile of the year.
-Forum members are requested to not alter their profiles during this two month period, especially if theirs is one of the final top ten. Your profile may have been been nominated for a certain reason and alterations may remove this reason. Of course if yours is not one of the final ten, you can continue to alter to your hearts content.
-This is open to ALL forum members who have above 50 posts.

The voting Period is under way! Only one and a half weeks to go so please visit the Threads in the General Chat section of the Forum and vote for your favourite!
Any queries dont hesitate to PM me or leave a message on my Profile
The Litnetter

[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Special Thanks[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

I would like to thank everyone who helped contribute to the Newsletter, whether they were aware they were contributing or not!
Also a special thank you to all those that subscribe to the newsletter.
Yours truly
The Litnetter ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?9131-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-October-2009 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?8904-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-September-2009 Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:51:44 GMT [I][CENTER] [IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header.gif[/IMG] [SIZE="5"]
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]September 2009[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]Welcome to the September edition of The Literature Networks online newspaper. Every month, we will keep you updated with information regarding threads, contests, Book Club and lots more!
Happy Reading.

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
The Book Clubs Summer Challenge this year is As for Me and My House by Sinclair Ross
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44642[/url]
The Book Club is now reading the September Comic Novel A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46595[/url]
The vote for the October Horror Read [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46028[/url]
The nomination period for the November Philosophical Novel is now in full swing.
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46596[/url]
The Forum Shakespeare Discussion Group is currently starting on Henry IV Part I. Pop over to the sub forum is you are interested in participating in the Discussion or any other forum Discussions. [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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Official Forum Contest[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
The August Elimination round is now over. The winner of the August Elimination round is “The Child”. Congratulations to the Author.
The October Elimination Round is now open. Please don’t forget to send in your entries to Scheherazade.

[I][SIZE="4"][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]. Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!
The current winners are;
Form: Dark Muse
Picture: Pendragon
Subject: LMK
Congratulations to you all!

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
This month we have selected two poems from The Personal Poetry Forum, posted during the month of August, to feature in the Litnet Monthly News! I hope you like them too!

[U][B]The Winter of Our Discontent [/B][/U]
(With apologies and respect to John Steinbeck)

We sang of leaves and trees and flowers,
Did our wishing upon distant stars—
We could waste away the precious hours,
Lost in drugged dreams and flashy cars…
Hours spent perfecting guitar riffs,
Dreams of strutting upon the stage
Never thinking of the chances missed
We thought that we were all the rage—
Now the leaves have turned and fallen off,
The trees stark naked, flowers gone
The stars have somehow turned their burning hells off
Youth has vanished into old age’s storm…
Still somehow we think ourselves the universe’s center
Never realizing spring has now become winter…

Pendragon
© Sunday, August 16, 2009

[U][B]The judas kiss[/B][/U]

You said you had to go away,
Just a day or two
A business trip
Something you had to do

But I knew better
I knew that you were leaving
I found out
About the cheating and deceiving

I wait for the truth to come
But you just keep lying
You’re leaving me
And inside I’m dying

But you won’t see me cry
I just smile instead
I won’t let you see me
I will do that in my empty bed

You kiss me on the cheek
And look me in the eye
And with that Judas kiss
You turn and say goodbye
By Biggus

[I][SIZE="4"][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="4"][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 NickAdams [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=33500[/url]

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][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 AimusSage’s! [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=8893[/url]

[I][SIZE="4"][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 School Bells [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40837[/url]
Game of the Month is Pam [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16968&page=330[/url]


[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Lit Net Book Reviews[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

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


[U][B]Brideshead Revisited [/B][/U]

Pleased be advised that the below review contains spoilers.

I cannot say that Brideshead Revisited is Waugh's best novel as I haven't read all of them but of the four that I have read, it is definitely the best.
Unlike his other work, Brideshead has very little comedy and is concerned with with the problems of faith: in this case catholicism. The story concerns Charles Ryder an Englishman and his friend Sebastian Flyte who meet as students at Oxford university and strike up a homoerotic relationship. Flyte is the scion of an ancient aristocratic family who have a magnificent country seat in Wiltshire:the Brideshead of the title.
After an idyllic end of term holiday at the house which the two young men have to themselves, for the family are abroad for the summer, their return to Oxford presages the tragedy with which the novel unfolds. Flyte's mother, the Marchioness, is a fervent catholic whose husband, Lord Marchmain, has been driven by her religiosity to leave her to live in Venice. Sebastian's older brother 'Bridie' and sister Julia have been brought up as devout catholics along with a younger sister, Cordelia. Sebastian, however, like his father, feels that his independance is threatened by his mother's insistence but is unable to escape what he sees as a family conspiracy to force him into compliance with her wishes. He takes to drink and the story reveals the impact of his decline on the narrator and the family when he goes abroad and wanders through various countries sinking into the obscurity he longs for as his ultimate refuge.
Waugh handle's his tale with great sensitivity and introduces a number of susidiary characters who add colour to the story and extend the interest beyond its central theme. The prose writing is exquisite without being precious although his description of various settings is sometimes overlong.
Another problem is that the dialogue sometimes seems contrived but is otherwise quite natural. The story is set over a period of some twenty years against a background of rising political tension in Europe and eloquently depicts a social class in decay following on from the first World War.
Weighing in at 331 pp., Brideshead is considerably longer than Waugh's other novels and might have benefitted from a slimming down, especially towards the end. Despite this it remains essential reading for those who appreciate fine writing.

Brian Bean

[I][SIZE="4"][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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]September 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!
Sarasvati21, cipherdecoy, Tabula Rasa, Video Done, tokyorose, Qimisung, Bakiryu, Reccura, Nightshade, idiosynchrissy, Alt+Control+Delete, Saladin, Maraki16, Nikhar, Carrolb2, bazarov, Weisinheimer, Taliesin, hoope, higley, Maximilianus, Kafka1978, mayneverhave.

[I][SIZE="4"][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]
There have been some recent upgrades to the forum. If you are interested in 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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

Dear Lit Net Newsletter:

I have two points about posting threads in our beloved, and thoroughly indispensible Literature Network Forums.

1. Recently some of our participants experienced a harrowing and notorious plagiarism incident, and which some of our members, especially Firefangled, exerted Herculean efforts to rectify.

It might be time for us to reconsider the
ways in which we post our creative works
here.

Please consider following the suggestion from one of our moderators to post all of our creative works in a single thread, one thread each for personal poetry, short stories, and creative essays and such. The general thread could be like this: "So-and-so's Poems." Post each new poem as a separate "reply." It might also be a good idea to put a by-line including your screen name under the title of each individual poem. (Some of us have posted copyright notices, but apparently this doesn't thwart the thieves in anyway.)

2. I've been reading in the mainstream
media about several incidences of ordinary people (not just celebrities)suing anonymous bloggers for "flaming"
or otherwise injuring them online. I'm bringing this up because one of the articles about such incident contained a
piece of excellent advice which all of us would do well to remember:
"Think before you click 'post'."

That's all for now, except thank you, LitNet, for being the best site on the Web.

Auntie

dear lit-net news,

I have been here for a number of years now, and seen numerous changes take place on the forum. From the days of being able to dissappear for weeks and come back to find you can catch up on all the missed posts in 2 hours. To now where you miss a day and you have a week to go through.

I have been very impressed with the addition of the serious discussion forum and the blog section, these at times have the most interesting threads to read.
Kilted Exile

[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Blog and Customized Profile of the Year Nominations[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

The Blog and Profile of the Year Nominations!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lit Net Monthly News will be one year old in November and to celebrate a successful first year, we are asking YOU to nominate and vote for YOUR favourite Blog and Customized profile.
In the month of September, we will open up the nomination period. Please forward your nominations to me via PM.
In October the top ten nominated will be added to a poll for you to vote.

The rules are simple;
-You can not nominate/vote for yourself.
-Once you have nominated/voted you will not be allowed to change your choices so be very sure of your choices.
-Any members found to be requesting other members to vote or nominate for them will be disqualified from being in the run for Blog and Profile of the year.
-Forum members are requested to not alter their profiles during this two month period, especially if theirs is one of the final top ten. Your profile may have been been nominated for a certain reason and alterations may remove this reason. Of course if yours is not one of the final ten, you can continue to alter to your hearts content.
-This is open to ALL forum members who have above 50 posts.

The nomination Period is now open so get your nominations in before the end of the month.
Any queries dont hesitate to PM me or leave a message on my Profile
The Litnetter



[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Special Thanks[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

I would like to thank everyone who helped contribute to the Newsletter, whether they were aware they were contributing or not!
Also a special thank you to all those that subscribe to the newsletter.
Yours truly
The Litnetter ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?8904-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-September-2009 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?8807-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-Special-Bulletin!-The-Blog-and-Profile-of-the-Year-Nominations! Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:16:56 GMT [CENTER]
[IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header.gif[/IMG][/CENTER]
The Blog and Profile of the Year Nominations!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lit Net Monthly News will be one year old in November and to celebrate a successful first year, we are asking YOU to nominate and vote for YOUR favourite Blog and Customised profile.
In the month of September, we will open up the nomination period. Please forward your nominations to me via PM.
In October the top ten nominated will be added to a poll for you to vote.

The rules are simple;
-You can not nominate/vote for yourself.
-Once you have nominated/voted you will not be allowed to change your choices so be very sure of your choices.
-Any members found to be requesting other members to vote or nominate for them will be disqualified from being in the run for Blog and Profile of the year.
-Forum members are requested to not alter their profiles during this two month period, especially if theirs is one of the final top ten. Your profile may have been been nominated for a certain reason and alterations may remove this reason. Of course if yours is not one of the final ten, you can continue to alter to your hearts content.
-This is open to ALL forum members who have above 50 posts.
-If any member wishes to be exempt from the Blog of the Year and/ or Profile of the Year, please let me know in the next few days so i can put a list here for the rest of the Litnet community to know.

Any queries dont hesitate to PM me or leave a message on my Profile
The Litnetter ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?8807-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-Special-Bulletin!-The-Blog-and-Profile-of-the-Year-Nominations! https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?8746-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-August-2009 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:35:29 GMT [I][CENTER] [IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header.gif[/IMG] [SIZE="5"]
[FONT="Book Antiqua"] [B]August 2009 [/B][/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I] Welcome to the August edition of The Literature Networks online newspaper. Every month, we will keep you updated with information regarding threads, contests, Book Club and lots more!
Happy Reading.

[B][I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I][/B]
The Book Clubs Summer Challenge this year is As for Me and My House by Sinclair Ross
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44642[/url]
The Book Club is now reading the August Gothic Read The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Poe [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46027[/url]
We are also now voting for the September Comic Novel.
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45441[/url]
It is currently Nomination period for the October Horror Read [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46028[/url]
The Forum Shakespeare Discussion Group is currently starting on Henry IV Part I. Pop over to the sub forum is you are interested in participating in the Discussion or any other forum Discussions. [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.

[B][I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Official Forum Contest[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I][/B]
The August Elimination round is now under way. Please read and vote for the story you liked the best. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?p=763348#post763348[/url]
The winner shall be announced in the September Edition.

[B][I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Unofficial Poetry Contests[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I][/B]

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]. Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!
The current winners are;
Form: Dark Muse
Picture: Adorero Dio
Subject: no announcement yet
Congratulations to you all!

[B][I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I][/B]
This month we have selected three poems from The Personal Poetry Forum, posted during the month of July, to feature in the Litnet Monthly News! I hope you like them too!

[B][U]MORPHEUS #2[/U][/B]

I’m trying to sleep, but Morpheus has packed his bags and fled,
and when you’re not really sleepy, it’s very hard to sleep.
I toss and turn and writhe upon my bed.

I don’t think these are sugar-plums dancing in my head!
I fall through a night that’s endless, dark, and deep.
I’m trying to sleep, but Morpheus has packed his bags and fled.

Oh, well. No matter what I order, he brings something else instead,
rifling my dreams in search of something to make me weep.
I toss and turn and writhe upon my bed,

as Morpheus’ third-rate assistant messes with my head.
Like Sisyphus, I roll my weariness up an incline smooth and steep,
trying hard to sleep. But Morpheus has packed his bags and fled.

Nightmares ride by, a ghostly cavalry dread,
conjured by the daemon assistant at my feet.
I toss and turn and writhe upon my bed.

“Say, old boy, if you can’t do dreams any better, I’d rather be dead!”
“It can be arranged, if that is really what you seek.”
“I’m trying to sleep, but—“ “Morpheus has packed his bags and fled.”
“Yeah. So I toss and turn and writhe upon my bed.”

Pendragon
© 7/2/97

[B][U]Bubbles Floating on Concrete[/U][/B]

The congested corridors have spider eyes
And paintings seem to sing
A lullaby
To babies in oblivion’s nursery
In the waxing and waning of stuffed toys
Grown to giant size
And the Blue Bubble Jelly Marine
In Fuchsia coral reefs
Where the salmon swim cross-stream
To criticizing tongues of iris
Gracefully floating, its mushroom head just bobs
And tendrils sting
Did I drift away and forget you were there?
Omnipresent problems perpetually oppress
And I slammed my fingers in a snide car door
And can’t seem to care

By MorpheusSandman

[B][I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Forum Advertisement[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I][/B]
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.

[B][I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Members Profile[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I][/B]

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 [B]Lynne50 [/B]for her leafy page. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=58001[/url]

[B][I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Blog of the Month[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I][/B]

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 [B]Jersea’s[/B] blog. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=60223[/url]

[B][I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Featured Threads of the Month[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I][/B]

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 What Makes Good Writing? [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46058&page=7[/url]
Game of the Month is Lymerick [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2549&page=7[/url]


[B][I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Lit Net Book Reviews[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I][/B]
This month’s book review was randomly selected from the Write a book Review sub-forum in general Literature.

[B][U]A Long Way Down, by Nick Hornby[/U][/B]

Nick Hornby has a new book coming out next month (September, 2009) so I finally decided to get around to reading his last one, A Long Way Down. You know, so I could get all warmed up and stuff for the new one.

Loved it.

It goes like this: On the rooftop of Toppers’ House in North London on New Year’s Eve, a group of four previously unacquainted people have a chance meeting, and they decide to form a gang. They are all of different temperament, background, domestic situation, character, and age: Martin is 40ish and a former TV morning-show host (Former because he has recently been released from prison for having sex with a fifteen-year-old). Maureen is 50ish and a single, stay-at-home mom who is caring for her severely disabled twenty-year-old son. JJ is 30ish and an ex-pat American working as a pizza delivery man after the breakup of his rock-n-roll band and the departure of his girlfriend. Jess is a London teen with – issues. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, they were all on the rooftop that night for the same reason: to commit suicide.

As with his first novel, High Fidelity, Hornby’s story telling method is in the first person, told directly and intimately to the reader. In High Fidelity the neurotic protagonist, Rob, tells the story from start to finish, but in A Long Way Down each of the four main characters take turns guiding the reader through the story. It’s an interesting technique and it allows the author to use the strengths of the first person narrative and extend those strengths to four unique points of view. I’m sure professors of interpretive literature have a name for this style, but I don’t know what it is. Anyway, in my opinion, it is the method that provides for Hornby’s superb character development in this novel.

Here’s an example of Hornby’s first person narrative told intimately to the reader. I should set it up first. On the Toppers’ house that night the four of them decide to give their suicide decision some extra time just to see if they are really serious. During that time they plan to get together and check-up on each other. One of the things they decide to do in the interim is to read the work of writers who have killed themselves. I chose this vignette because, well, this is a literature forum. Here’s Jess:

[QUOTE]We started with Virginia Woolf, and I only read like two pages of this book about a lighthouse, but I read enough to know why she killed herself: She killed herself because she couldn’t make herself understood. You only have to read one sentence to see that. I sort of indentify with her a bit, because I suffer from that sometimes, but her mistake was to go public with it. I mean, it was lucky in a way, because she left a sort of souvenir behind so that people like us could learn from her difficulties and that, but it was bad luck for her. And she had some bad luck, too, if you think about it, because in the olden days anyone could get a book published because there wasn’t so much competition. So you could march into a publisher’s office and go, you know, I want this published, and they’d go, Oh, OK, then. Whereas now they’d go, No, dear, go away, no one will understand you. Try Pilates or salsa dancing instead. [/QUOTE]
There’s a natural ease and flow to the writer’s prose and it was a pleasure to read. Even so, he managed to get at some pretty hefty philosophical questions in the novel, questions of life and meaning, and he did it by way of a comic novel rather than a bludgeoning philosophical tract.

Here I go with an opinion again but I thought his two stronger characters were Jess and Martin. They seemed to me to be spot-on. Maureen was a little flatter and yet he examined closely the relationship (or her imagined relationship) between her and her son. JJ missed a little. I suppose I could hear Hornby’s British come through JJ’s American from time to time, just a subtle slip-up in slang or a minor difference in syntax. It’s the same sort of thing I hear when a Hollywood actor attempts a southern accent. Close, but no cigar, mon frère.

Speaking of Hollywood, I understand that Johnny Depp bought the movie rights to this novel but I don’t think any work has been done yet. High Fidelity was made into a pretty good movie, although I thought John Cusack played Rob a little too serious. That said, I thought Hugh Grant nailed Will in About a Boy. (I mean, Hugh Grant didn’t literally nail Will, he just interpreted the part well.)

So, there you go. I went down to my local book-monger yesterday and put my name on the list for Nick Hornby’s new novel: Juliet, Naked. It’s due to be released in the US on September, 29. I’ll make it a birthday present from me - to me.

Sancho

[B][I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Forum Advertisement[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I][/B]
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]

[B][I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]August Birthdays[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I][/B]

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!
Papayahed, Bookworm03, Biggus, Quark, Lord of Lorien, Chava, Madhuri, JBI, Cranberry, Annamariah, Mono, bree, farnoosh, Adorero Dio, Pretty^Athens, lupe, SleepyWitch, limajean, EAP, Lostprincess13, SpurYourImagina, promtbr.

This month also sees the birthday of CdnReader, who sadly passed away in February. Let us especially remember her this month on her birthday.

[B][I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]New Additions to the Site[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I][/B]
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]
There have been some recent upgrades to the forum. If you are interested in 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]

[B][I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I][/B]

Maybe you can highlinght some of the great blogs that have been posted lately. There was one in particular about the gas crises that I thought was well written. :p – Virgil

Summer Reading
Dear newsletter,

I have not been posting so much recently to our beloved Literature Network forums due to my slavish devotion to boat and water, paddle and fishin' pole -- in these summer months the call of the water is like that of the sirens to Odysseus' sailors to me. (And I am happy to report the my efforts in angling were not unfruitful. Nay! My haul of tiny sunfishes and minuscule perches has been particularly ripe with abundance this year).

But to matters more closely concerning those here -- I would like to promote the practice of taking a favourite book, particularly one that has been read over and over again, that is dog-eared, coffee stained, watermarked, and annotated, to a nearby stream, river, pond, lake, ocean, bay, sound, rivulet, rill, storm drain, rain-filled gutter, or any other convenient form of water and read. Read. Read.

The sound of moving water mixed with the flow of artful language fits the inner tune of the human mind and soul like no other harmony known to me.

Of course, should you take up my humble reading advice, be it for an hour, an afternoon, or even day stolen from work, I also recommend that you take along a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, a dozen worms, fishing pole & hook and bobber. And, if you're not above the practice, a pack of the cheapest cigars at your local convince mart.

The Comedian

Dear Litnetter
I would like to say best of luck to two of Litnets regulars this month. Firstly, Pussnboots (and hubby) with their adoption process. Almost there!!
And Secondly, our very own Andave Ya is heading off to start college life.
Best of luck to you both!
La Gra
Niamh

[B][I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Special Thanks[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I][/B]

I would like to thank everyone who helped contribute to the Newsletter, whether they were aware they were contributing or not!
Also a special thank you to all those that subscribe to the newsletter.
Yours truly
The Litnetter ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?8746-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-August-2009 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?8526-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-July-2009 Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:04:54 GMT [I][CENTER] [IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header.gif[/IMG] [SIZE="5"]
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]July 2009[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]Welcome to the July edition of The Literature Networks online newspaper. Every month, we will keep you updated with information regarding threads, contests, Book Club and lots more!
Happy Reading.

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
The Book Clubs Summer Challenge this year is As for Me and My House by Sinclair Ross
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44642[/url]
The Book Club is now reading the July Counter-Culture Literature read On the Road by Jack Kerouac
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45440[/url]
Don’t forget to vote for the August Gothic read!
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44643&page=2[/url]
We are also now taking nominations for the September Comic Novel.
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45441[/url]
The Forum Shakespeare Discussion Group is currently starting on Henry IV Part I. Pop over to the sub forum is you are interested in participating in the Discussion or any other forum Discussions. [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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Official Forum Contest[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
The winner of the June Elimination round is [B]“Unhinged”[/B] Which will no proceed to the 2009 final.
The August Elimination round is now under way. Please forward your entries on to Scheherazade.
The winner will be announced in the September Edition.

[I][SIZE="4"][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]. Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!
The current winners are;
Form: TheFifthElement
Picture: Not announced yet…
Subject: Qimissung
Congratulations to you all!

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
This month we have selected three poems from The Personal Poetry Forum, posted during the month of June, to feature in the Litnet Monthly News! I hope you like them too!

[B]The Camel, The Cat, The Bird By Planet Earth[/B]

Transcend
Before your life comes to an end
And back to the dust descend

Yes, I am the voice that you heard
Why do you react in a manner so absurd?
I am your insight
The voice of inner light
Are you trying to run away?
Why don’t you try to stay?
Busy in your play?
But after the dark, I am your gleaming ray

Why are you looking at me and frowning
You think you’re diving, you’re actually drowning
I am offering more than that reserve of oxygen
I tell you now, you tell me then
And every time I ask you when
You repeat the same answer again

But if you don’t come, I’ll go
You’ll lose, within you that illuminating glow
And I just want you to know
That I’ve come like a camel so big, so clear, so slow

So, remove this blindfold
And take of me strong hold
I am a moment of gold
Don’t immerse in your desires and sink
Come on, there is no time to think
Or else, I will quickly shrink
From a camel into a cat
Still clear, but small, and can run just like that

Come along and don’t your time waste
I want to show you what I have for you to taste
If you don’t hurry up and come in haste
Then, I might pass by a third
But this time I’ll be as small as a bird
That flies freely in space
And soon of me you’ll find no trace
I may be your last chance
So, either stay in your trance
And enjoy the dance
Or to the joy of eternity take a glance

HUH!!! What have you just said?
I’ll soon be among the dead
And underneath will be my coming bed
Wait I’ll come instead

When I don’t deserve but still earn
When things happen in front of me to learn
When I arrive late but still find my turn
I won’t turn my back, for I might not return

And suddenly, into tears I burst
Why didn’t I respond from the very first?
All this harmony and bliss
Was that what I was going to miss?
Everything inside me happened to shake
I am finally awake
What I’ve not seen before is now apparent
Everything now has become transparent.

[B]Antidote By Billl[/B]

tradition-taught
man sits on a hill, elevated
looks past my passions and pains
because he's seen it all
and he knows more love, he knows love more
but i don't know

tradition-taught
a theme snakes through, everlasting
collects my discovery and gently poisons
a life with room for all
respecting different visions-respecting-different-visions
because no one knows

[B]I Discovered By Tuninks [/B]

I've discovered something today.
I doubted,
I thought,
I questioned,
If I were human today.

Yet I saw a woman slap her child.
I saw a man beat his wife.
I saw a child cry, neglected.
I saw a student not care.
I saw inhumanity.

I discovered I love someone.
I discovered I can cry.
I discovered I can sing.
I discovered I am happy.

I discovered I am human.



[I][SIZE="4"][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="4"][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 A Little Wisp’s [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=56934[/url]

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][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 mkhockenberry’s blog Kings, Queens and Pawns [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=9339[/url]

[I][SIZE="4"][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 Nobel Prize in Literature [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45526[/url]
Game of the Month is Ask a Stupid Question, get a stupid answer [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21093&page=137[/url]


[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Lit Net Book Reviews[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

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

[B]Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind[/B]

When I first became aware of this book, I was at university. A friend of mine who had been reading the book at the time said it was "weird and scary". Since that day, I, if not consciouly avoid, did not make an attempt to read the book myself. However, a few months ago, after reading some comments made on the Forum, I decided to take the plunge.

The story opens with the birth of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, who is orphaned soon afterwards. He has been brought by a foster family but Jean-Baptiste fails to establish a real connection with the people around him and is shunned by almost everyone, which is, as it revealed later on, due to the fact that he lacks body odour. Ironically, he has a very heightened sense of smell himself, which sends him in search of the 'perfect' smell first around Paris and then France. His obsession with his search reaches to such extremes that he ends up committing murder to capture them... repeatedly.

The novel is rich with descriptions of 18th century Paris as well. Through Jean-Baptiste's journey on trail of smells, the author paints a picture, which is far from pretty: A garbage ridden squalid place, accommodating equally dirty people.

This was a breathtaking read; a captivating page-turner. Even though Jean-Baptiste's merciless 'captures' make a chilling read, Suskind achieves his goal without resorting to shocking and unnecessary sensational details. Still, he manages to leave his readers sniffing more often than they used to or should!

9/10 KitKats!

[I][SIZE="4"][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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]July 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!
Equality72521, Barbara0207, Charles Darnay, Johann cruyff, orionsbelt, amalia1985, RJbibliophil, Remarkable, motherhubbart, Shurtugal, Kiz Paws, Aunt Shecky

[I][SIZE="4"][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]
There have been some recent upgrades to the forum. If you are interested in 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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

Dear newsletter,

I am writing to inform the LitNet audience of how delightfully the "forum games" threads help pass away the otherwise grueling and unpleasant hours spent "on the clock" at my place of employment.

I mean, after I check my private email, my Facebook account, get a cup of coffee, talk to the department assistant, recheck my Facebook, review the Ebay sales that I'm monitoring, scan my office for any loose paper that needs to be thrown away. . . . well, after this routine has passed I now log on to LitNet to begin responding to "Would you?", "One thing," "Cold Ale," "Ask the Person Below You". . . . and so on. . .

Once a few pleasant hours have been diverted to this wholesome activity, I am ready to begin my day, all the while keeping LitNet up in a separate tab so that I may check every few minutes to see if someone has responded to post.

Work has, indeed, never been so pleasurable. Thanks LitNet!

Your gainfully and productively employed,

Comedian

[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Special Thanks[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

I would like to thank everyone who helped contribute to the Newsletter, whether they were aware they were contributing or not!
Also a special thank you to all those that subscribe to the newsletter.
Yours truly
The Litnetter ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?8526-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-July-2009 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?8354-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-June-2009 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:44:32 GMT [I][CENTER] [IMG]http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww354/litnetnews/header.gif[/IMG] [SIZE="5"]
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]June 2009[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]Welcome to the June edition of The Literature Networks online newspaper. Every month, we will keep you updated with information regarding threads, contests, Book Club and lots more!
Happy Reading.

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
The Book Clubs Summer Challenge this year is As for Me and My House by Sinclair Ross
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44642[/url]
The Book Club is now reading the June Historical Fiction Read Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott.
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44641[/url]
Also, please don’t forget to vote for the July Counter-Culture Literature read!
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43908[/url]
Nominations are now open for the August Gothic read.
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44643&page=2[/url]
The Forum Shakespeare Discussion Group is currently starting on Henry IV Part I. Pop over to the sub forum is you are interested in participating in the Discussion or any other forum Discussions. [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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Official Forum Contest[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

The June Elimination round is now under way. To vote for your favourite short story, please follow the link below or go to the Short Story Competition forum.
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44644[/url]
The winner will be announced in next months edition.

[I][SIZE="4"][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 two 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] and [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23444&page=34"]The Form Poetry Contest [/URL]for anyone who would like to join in.
Also one of our resident poets Pendragon has set up a new contest [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38056&page=4"]The Subject Poetry Contest[/URL]. Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!
The current winners are;
Form: alakungfu
Picture: Pendragon
Subject: Alexar
Congratulations to you all!

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
This month we have selected two poems from The Personal Poetry Forum, posted during the month of May, to feature in the Litnet Monthly News! I hope you like them too!

[B][U]Waste Not Your Roses by Stargazer86[/U][/B]
inspired by the movie "American Beauty"
You waste your money on roses
And your tears on a stone
I beg you to know that I'm not here
To Heaven I have flown

The roses shroud an empty corpse
And will one day die as well
Understand, I'm no longer here
I've escaped your earthly Hell

Let the roses grow wild
And remember me that way
Of free and natural beauty
You'll understand one day

[B][U]Brian the Conkerer by Delta40[/U][/B]

Bits of string to the wood
where the conkers be
There you might find
Ye old chestnut tree

A small foot in the crook
lifts a boyish body high
Yucky grimy knees
scraped on every side

So go forth young Brian
wrap your hand around
the fattest horse chestnuts
to ever be found

Pluck from its bough
choicest of the wise
stow within your breast
Find you the biggest prize!

Oh Conkerer see others
scrabble at your feet
shake, shake the tree!
let them grab the prickly treats!

leap back down to the earth
and colour autumn best
with the ancient song of herald
throughout the golden forest

'Oddly oddly onker!
Brian has done thee proud
I have my first conker!
begone you beggarly crowd'

[B][U]June By Niamh[/U][/B]

So softly swishes leafy trees of summer
as the gentle breeze caresses the green.
the heat of june shows misty horizons haze,
a blanket for lovers lying lazily in the shade.
Daisies sway and dance a union with blades of grass,
the birds above sing melodies of warm heart filled bliss.


[I][SIZE="4"][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="4"][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 TheFifthElement for her fun profile.
[url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=37531[/url]

[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][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 Pussnboots blog. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=42312[/url]

[I][SIZE="4"][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 The News Thread. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24884&page=66[/url]
Game of the Month is Picture Association Game [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44020&page=8[/url]


[I][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Lit Net Book Reviews[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

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

[B][U]The Maine Woods by Henry Thoreau[/U][/B]

Having read all of Thoreau's other works, I came to The Maine Woods to finish my work of reading his canon. I wish I had come to this book earlier. It easily offers, next to the peerless Walden, some of Thoreau's finest prose and observations of his world.

The Maine Woods is comprised of three chapters, "Katadin," "Chesuncook," and "The Allegash and the East Branch" each of which documents a different trip the Maine woods. (These trips, I should note, are not all terrestrial sauntering; two are canoe trips, primarily). Adding interest to the structure of the book is that each trip occurs over the same geographical area of the Maine woods and, in total, the book spans a time period of ten years -- the chapters/trips roughly evenly spaced out in this time. This structure allows the reader (and Thoreau himself) to observe that changes that have occurred in the area over a considerable amount of time.

Thematically the work deals with the complicated relationship of humanity and the landscape, the timber industry, hunting. . . . the effluvial nature of "wilderness" & co. Interestingly on each trip, Thoreau and his companion hire a different Indian guide, which allows him to comment on and observe the native cultures and individuals with his tender, honest, and naturalist eye that, for this reader, is still unmatched in environmental writing.

The prose is remarkable -- poignant, witty, simple, funny, beautiful.

There is the light-hearted wit: "Red flannel shirts should be worn in the woods if only for the fine contrast which this color makes with the evergreens and the water."

And there is magical writing like this: "If I wished to see a mountain or other scenery under the most favorable of auspices, I would go to it in foul weather, so as to be there when it cleared up; we are then in the most suitable mood, and nature is most fresh and inspiring. There is no serenity so fair as that which has just established itself in a tearful eye."

And, yes, there are Thoreau's countless list of trees, flowers, and scrubs with their Latin names and paragraphs of description given about their appearance, habitat, and value.

. . . . . . .

For me, the best books change our lives -- either in a small way or a big way. After I finished The Maine Woods , I spent the next two days identifying every tree and shrub around my house -- I took my oldest daughter along to help me distinguish between Red Maples (leaves 3-5 lobes, shallow notches between each lobe) and Silver Maples (leaves 5-7 lobes, deep narrow notches between each lobe). Together, we also found jack pines, red pines, white pines, alternate-leaf dogwoods, black spruce, red oak, viburnum, and others.

But more than helping me to better understand the woods around my house, The Maine Woods refreshed my attention to detail; it brought heightened value and mystery to the life around me that, for too long, I had passed as a stranger and wrongly called "friend" (for friends require understanding). I now take more time to understand the wilderness that I share with my family and I refresh my spirit there daily, if not hourly.

Overall rating of The Maine Woods: 10 chiogenes hispidula (creeping cherry) leaves out of a possible 10.

[B][I]The Comedian[/I][/B]

[I][SIZE="4"][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="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]June 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!
Manolia, Toni, mtpspur, Shea, LadyW, Shakira, sofia82, BulletProofDork, Stanislaw, Frankie Anne, Muhsin, Tournesol, Veva, Amanda Isabel, mazHur.

[I][SIZE="4"][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]

[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
There are no letters to the editor for the month of June


[I][SIZE="4"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Special Thanks[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

I would like to thank everyone who helped contribute to the Newsletter, whether they were aware they were contributing or not!
Also a special thank you to all those that subscribe to the newsletter.
Yours truly
The Litnetter ]]> newsletter https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?8354-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-June-2009 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?8273-Lit-Net-Monthly-News-Special-Bulletin!-Live-Read-Weekend Mon, 25 May 2009 10:42:53 GMT Nightshade wants to announce that she is hosting a Live Read on Saturday the 20th-Sunday 21st June. This will involve a reading of a short story... Nightshade wants to announce that she is hosting a Live Read on Saturday the 20th-Sunday 21st June.
This will involve a reading of a short story and a simultatinous live discussion, which will probably be hosted on MSN, although other platforms can be concidered depending on what people have access to.
The theme of the short story will be Summer. please see this thread, [url]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44136[/url] and leave your name and timezone if you are intrested in joining in.

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