February - 2015--The Ragtime Kid

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February - 2015--The Ragtime Kid

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1tloeffler
Feb. 1, 2015, 5:44 pm

For February we will be reading The Ragtime Kid by Larry Karp. We've set a tentative discussion date of February 23 (always subject to change...).

And as of right now, the Kindle version is free on Amazon!

Happy Reading!

2lindapanzo
Feb. 2, 2015, 9:50 am

February 23rd sounds like a good starting date, Terri.

3sjmccreary
Feb. 15, 2015, 10:40 pm

I've got the book - carried it with me on vacation and back home again without opening it up, but will queue it up as the next start.

4lindapanzo
Feb. 19, 2015, 4:06 pm

I've started reading it. Not too far into it. So far, I have mixed feelings about it.

So far, I'm liking the music-related parts but the mystery hasn't gotten going for me.

5tloeffler
Feb. 23, 2015, 11:38 am

I'm only halfway through, although I am finding it very interesting. Probably a few more days before I'm finished.

6lindapanzo
Feb. 23, 2015, 3:55 pm

I finished it late last night. There are certain things I absolutely loved about the book (the piano lessons with Scott Joplin, for instance) and the whole feel of 1899 Missouri.

I wasn't as interested in the mystery portion of the book.

7sjmccreary
Feb. 23, 2015, 5:51 pm

Still haven't picked it up yet - does it read quickly?

8lindapanzo
Feb. 23, 2015, 9:49 pm

I read it in 3 evenings. Well, plus the dull parts of the Oscars yesterday.

Terri, the second and third parts of the trilogy aren't free on Kindle but they're at a reduced price $2 to $3 or so.

9tloeffler
Mrz. 1, 2015, 12:05 pm

So far, I haven't decided if I want to continue the series. I'm close to finished, and I agree, Linda, there are certain things that I love, but sometimes I just want to knock Brun upside the head. For a smart boy, sometimes he is just not very smart....

I'm really hoping to finish by tomorrow night. Depends on how writing my final paper for my class goes tomorrow...

10lindapanzo
Mrz. 2, 2015, 4:12 pm

>9 tloeffler: After reading it, I would love to visit that town. I'd also like to read more about Scott Joplin's life and music.

However, like you, I'm not sure I'll read on. The mystery part just wasn't that interesting to me.

11sjmccreary
Mrz. 9, 2015, 7:32 pm

OK, based on comments by Linda and Terri, I put everything else aside last night and picked this book up, and then continued neglecting every productive activity on my schedule today until I finished the entire thing. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Granted, the mystery is weak, and Brun is a typical amateur-kid-sleuth and does dumb stuff, but so do a lot of the grown-ups around him. But I especially enjoyed the epilogue where the author described how he wrote the novel to fill in the gaps between known facts.

This weekend we were in St Louis and while driving through one of the more - um - historic parts of town, I saw a marker for a Scott Joplin historic site. We were on our way to the airport and didn't have time to stop, but the next time I'm there in the daytime I want to go see what they have. And I am interested in learning more about him and his music, too.

Linda, Sedalia is a nice town - some of the old neighborhoods still intact - especially the mansions on Broadway and the big old churches - and of course the state fair is still there, too!

12lindapanzo
Mrz. 9, 2015, 8:54 pm

When I started, I was not aware of Sedalia. Had to look up to see whether it was an actual Missouri town.

The parts involving Joplin were fascinating and I definitely want to read more about him. I think there might be a Penguin Lives bio, for instance.

Sandy, I was thinking of you when I saw your team was upset in the tournament and wondered if you'd gone to it this year.

13tloeffler
Mrz. 15, 2015, 12:29 am

Oh, maybe if anyone comes to the St. Charles Book Fair this year, we could take a day and go to the Joplin house! (hint, hint)

I did end up enjoying the book for the most part, and thought I might read the next one, until I read an excerpt and it takes place years later, no Brun, Joplin's a derelict, and I decided not to.

I did like the epilogue too, Sandy, and it was fun to realize the characters were mostly based on real people!

Good call, whoever suggested it!

14sjmccreary
Mrz. 16, 2015, 4:26 pm

>12 lindapanzo: Yes, we were there. After we lost on Saturday, most of the Wichita fans left early Sunday morning to go home (an 8-hour drive to Wichita from St Louis) and skipped the championship game on Sunday afternoon. My daughter reported seeing Wichita people in the KC area about noon - wearing the colors and sporting the special WSU license plate on their car. That would have been about the right timing for them to stop for lunch on their way home. But Chris already had made plans to fly directly from StL to Washington DC for a conference, so we went to Sunday's game. It was a good game, but not nearly as much fun when your team isn't playing!

>13 tloeffler: Good call, whoever suggested it! - That would be Linda. So far this year she seems to be the one moving us forward. What would we do without her?

When is the St Charles book fair? I'll come if I can.

15tloeffler
Apr. 1, 2015, 8:17 pm

July 17, 18, 19.

16sjmccreary
Apr. 2, 2015, 6:16 pm

I've put it on my calendar. Chris is chairman of a committee that meets in St Louis regularly - I'll encourage him to schedule their meeting that week and ride over with him.

17tloeffler
Apr. 2, 2015, 7:10 pm

Exciting! Something for me to look forward to!