Classics Without All the Class discussion

There are lots of options for picking up "The Sound and the Fury."
I picked up a copy at the library. Though, admittedly I've barely glanced at it so far.
What are your plans for reading this month's book? Do you intend to grab an E-book, a print copy, audio, or a combination of the three?

Going to read the book from my library.

Pam wrote: "Going to read the book from my library."

A sound plan.





Pun intended.

I have my own copy, but in terms of tackling it and actually understanding what is happening I've been using shmoop.com

I've never heard of shmoop.com. I'll have to check it out when I am pretending to be a responsible adult again, and not staying up past my bedtime. :)

I borrowed it from the library but loved it so much I am going to have to own a copy. I went to Spark Notes after I read each section. I tried to go to shmoop this morning but it crashed my computer each time. I did manage to access it on another computer and it looks fabulous.

Great to hear you liked it Karen. It's very encouraging.
It appears that the library is still one of the best places for us. 3 out of 3 is a pretty good streak, considering the number of options available to us.

I just finished Sound and the Fury with the help of Smoops.com. I highly recommend it unless you are a stream of consciousness expert. It is easy to get frustrated early on in this book. Shmoop provides support that will guide you through this fascinating but challenging book.

Karen wrote: "I borrowed it from the library but loved it so much I am going to have to own a copy. I went to Spark Notes after I read each section. I tried to go to shmoop this morning but it crashed my compu..."

Beth wrote: "I just finished Sound and the Fury with the help of Smoops.com. I highly recommend it unless you are a stream of consciousness expert. It is easy to get frustrated early on in this book. Shmoop p..."

hmmm, I wonder which is better, Shmoops or Sparknote. Anyone have a preference?

Jeane wrote: "Karen wrote: "I borrowed it from the library but loved it so much I am going to have to own a copy. I went to Spark Notes after I read each section. I tried to go to shmoop this morning but it cr..."

I have not had much time to peruse, but it appears as if shmoop tries to be a bit younger and friendlier. It has a lot of things that adults wouldn't necessarily need, but that students studying might like, or that teachers may utilize, like flashcards. I like shmoops attention to detail, but it can be difficult to navigate. (I dislike that it goes to a summary before the chapter by chapter summaries, because I can not avoid at least catching a bit of the plot, and greatly detest spoilers.) The resource section is nice, but unless it is something that you take seriously for educational reasons, or are can click links for a while like just because you want to know more it might not be very useful.
At first glance, other than what is previously mentioned, the general layout and a difference in tone are the main deciding factors.
If you like your action broken down moment by moment in bullet format, then shmoop's your site, and if you prefer a more traditional paragraph approach to a summation more thematically concentrated then SparkNotes would be preferable. A combination of the two would most likely be ideal in an overly complicated book.


*This brief comparison is based on the two sites treatments of my two favorite books, and my opinion may be altered in the future. Also tell me if there are any grammar problems, because there are red lines everywhere because of the alarming number of copywritten names that are not words I have mentioned.


**TL;DR Shmoop is more detail oriented and choppy, somewhat unnecessarily at times; SparkNotes is more fluidly broad, concentrating on main plotlines, but might skip over some details.

My book club read this in January. I tend to buy a lot book club books on the cheaps on eBay. Then I don't feel badly if I don't like it. I figure someone else from my club can have the library copy...

I noticed that it was .99 on Kindle, so I thought I'd spurge... :)

I don't know many libraries here in UAE, so I got it second hand from Better world books. It still hasn't arrived though and I'm getting just a little bit anxious...

Inaya wrote: "I don't know many libraries here in UAE, so I got it second hand from Better world books. It still hasn't arrived though and I'm getting just a little bit anxious..."

When did you order it? It can take me a week or more to get packages later than the listed day, at times.

Valerie wrote: "I noticed that it was .99 on Kindle, so I thought I'd spurge... :)"


I didn't even hear of that. Grr. (I prefer e-books for bed reading.)

Maureen wrote: "My book club read this in January. I tend to buy a lot book club books on the cheaps on eBay. Then I don't feel badly if I don't like it. I figure someone else from my club can have the library cop..."
I don't have an irl book club, and no one ever reads the same book as me until I recommend it half the time, so I am safe. Once one of the books I was checking out hadn't been checked out in my lifetime. 0_o

Shanea wrote: "Maureen wrote: "My book club read this in January. I tend to buy a lot book club books on the cheaps on eBay. Then I don't feel badly if I don't like it. I figure someone else from my club can have..."

Goodness! I checked out your current reads and I think my brains might leak if I tried to manage all that! We have a lot in common on your favorites shelf though!

Maureen wrote: "Shanea wrote: "Maureen wrote: "My book club read this in January. I tend to buy a lot book club books on the cheaps on eBay. Then I don't feel badly if I don't like it. I figure someone else from m..."
I have a problem. It's a serious case of literary addiction.
There's only four right now, which is pretty tame for me. I find it's easy to keep them straight if they're from different genres. I find it best to have a variety available in case I lose interest in one or another.