Thanksgiving is over, except for the leftover turkey and pie and the warm feeling of being around family and friends that lingers on. It is nice to have a holiday that is all about appreciation and gratitude, and I am so grateful for so many blessings in my own life. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well.

In a side note, this morning I finally finished reading Moby Dick. Hurray! The last thrilling chapters proved why it's a contender for the Great American Novel. Like Shakespeare, Melville ranges from comedy to tragedy in one story and creates unforgettable characters. The climax had me biting my fingernails. I also learned more about whales than I really wanted to, but if you can make it through the portions about the different parts of the whale, its history in art and literature, and the various techniques involved in hunting it, it's a rewarding read.

Moby Dick - What a Tale!

Have you ever picked up a book you once read long ago, and found it was like reading a completely different novel? While finishing up a couple of my own projects (which should have been finished a l-o-o-o-n-g time ago, but that's a whole different story) I happened to pick up Moby Dick, the classic by Herman Melville. I slogged through that book as an adolescent, primarily to be able to brag that I had actually read what many claimed to be the Great American Novel. I did find it boring and hard to finish, but I achieved my goal.

This time around--WHOA!

Okay, I'm only twenty-three chapters in, and the Pequod has just set out to sea, but no one told me that the first part of the book could be billed as a comedy! Herman Melville has such a wry, sarcastic humor, and he paints such a comic, vivid image of the colorful characters and setting in the beginning, that I have been cracking up out loud all the way! I guess I have broad enough background now to get tongue-in-cheek allusions, nor am I so intimidated that I believe everything an author says must be deadly serious. 

Yes, I know that the story is about to turn much darker, but so far I've been having a lot of fun with Ishmael and Queequeg. By the way, I even understood what "sons of bachelors" means now! :)