Here's our reading and meeting schedule. We'd love to have a bunch of folks join us for this Great American Novel! Check out the website for resources. canonchat.com #CanonChat

Brandon Bussi 1 Jeremy Swayman 0

I'm not a drummer, so I'm genuinely curious what those of you who are drummers hear in this track. When I listen to Van Halen, my ears almost always lock onto Eddie’s guitar. Because he’s Eddie Van Halen! But with “Outta Love Again,” it’s Alex’s drums that take over the whole experience for me. And since I’m not a drummer, I can’t quite articulate what he’s doing that grabs my attention. Maybe the simplicity of the guitar riff leaves more space for Alex to go wild, but whatever it is, the drums are the star of the song for me. youtube.com/watch?v=Jgn9bEnZ…

A great evening listening to one of my favorite writers, Ann Patchett. Looking forward to reading "Whistler."

I see the Spurs decided to play Celtics basketball in the second half. #NBAFinals

Thank you, #CanonChat! I'm so lucky to read my favorite book with these readers. canonchat.com

Question 6 #CanonChat Last question!

A5: I admire how Steinbeck has his narrator shift between a wide, philosophical omniscience and the personal “I.” One moment he’s offering grand truths about land, families, and human nature; the next he’s speaking about the memories of his own mother. I find that I have to remind myself that this is a first-person narrator, even though he acknowledges that he “must depend on hearsay, on old photographs, on stories told, and on memories which are hazy and mixed with fable” to tell his story” (Ch 2). #CanonChat

Question 5 #CanonChat

A4: The moment we’re told Cathy had already decided to marry Adam before he even asked is the real crack in Adam’s dream. Even in her broken state, she’s planning her next move, manipulating the people around her. Poor Adam thinks he’s rescuing her and his hope is unraveling before he even knows it. #CanonChat

Question 4 #CanonChat

A3: It’s probably unsatisfying, but Cathy seems to be evil just for the sake of being evil. As the narrator says, there are monsters born of this world and Cathy appears to be one of them. Granted, she also is symbolic of the serpent in the Garden: “Cathy looked down at her plate while she ate a sliver of roast lamb. She looked up as she put it between her small sharp teeth. Her wide-set eyes communicated nothing… Cathy was chewing a piece of meat, chewing with her front teeth. Samuel had never seen anyone chew that way before. And when she had swallowed, her little tongue flicked around her lips” (Ch 15). #CanonChat

Question 3 #CanonChat

The number of goals in this #StanleyCupFinal is wild.

A2: I’m thinking of so many ways to answer this question, but I’ll settle on Samuel’s natural curiosity versus the Trasks’ self-absorption. Samuel meets people with interest and generosity, while most of the Trasks turn inward, obsessing over their own fears and desires. I think this reveals a central theme: goodness begins with attention for others; darkness grows when an individual can’t see past himself. #CanonChat

Question 2 #CanonChat

Question 1 #CanonChat

WU: I’m Matt from Mass. I teach high school English. “East of Eden” is my favorite novel and today my sophomores ranked it the highest book they read with me this year! The book that I really am going to get to this summer is “Lonesome Dove.” #CanonChat

Warm-up #CanonChat