It created a texture to the story that brought the characters to life. I almost felt I was living the experiences right along with them.

Janie did not want to marry her first husband and married the second to escape and hoping for someone who she could have a good life with. Instead it was another man who wanted her in the background, catering to his needs. Cake touched her soul in a different way and made her feel alive.

Such a simple, elegant, and true description of our internal mind, place, prison, home. We are as lost in this formless infinity as she, and none of us will ever express in words the full depth we hold within. This is consciousness itself.

Listening now and really enjoying it!

Jody's ability to free the mule shows what good power can do. It shows the fatigue of subjugation, and the repetition of bad power through ownership. The town's levity with its liberation make clear the collective benefits of freedom from it.

There is a poetic awareness of how our interactions with one another affect a person, a relationship, and thus community. As they bigged up one another, Eatonville prospers. It falls apart when hearts break under structure. It makes clear how delicate and important the personal connections are.

It brought the characters and their lives “to life” in your mind. It made dialogue more vivid and hinted at the characters’ backgrounds. The use of Standard English for Janie’s internal dialogue and spoken word vernacular added interest. Plus, the dialect reminded me of home.

Janie was expecting the pear tree and bees—an equal, reciprocal relationship. That is not what she got with the first 2 marriages where she was a possession. Her marriage to Tea Cake was more reciprocal, allowing Janie to create and live by her definition of love, not someone else’s.

The dialect enlivened things considerably, especially since I listened through the city library’s online site to the audiobook read by the wonderful Ruby Dee—recommend!

Sometimes I think about writing a novel.

My comfort watch is romantic South Korean dramas. My comfort food is roasted potatoes. My comfort read is acclaimed novels by people who are no longer living. I like old books. My comfort drink is Guinness Stout, though I reserve this for comfort dinners out with friends.

ICYMI, #BannedBookSkyClub on Bluesky discusses books that have been banned or challenged. It's kind of like an asynchronous online class only no deadlines or grades, so you can join discussions at any time #BookSky See below for link to feed to pin/like or check out the hashtag #BannedBookSkyClub

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston #BookSky How do you think the use of dialect for the dialogue in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God added to the story?

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston #BookSky What do you think Janie was expecting from marriage and why the disappointments?

This paragraph got me too. The house I grew up in was not far from a train station and sometimes at night, we could hear the train whistle. The sound of people going somewhere, returning somewhere, carrying their dreams in their pockets and briefcases. That's what I thought of when I read that. (1)

Community serves a duel purpose, both judgmental and stifling and supportive. The Eatonville community enforced conformity with traditional roles, ostracizing those who didn’t fit. Out in The Glades (the muck), community was more supportive and open. Both were backdrops for Janie’s journey.

Janie’s voyage involves conforming to, then challenging traditional gender roles. Subservient women are expected in Eatonville, something forced on Janie. Gender roles are more equal & fluid in the muck with Tea Cake, even though the relationship wasn’t perfect.

That first sentence! ❤️ Dreams are in view but out of reach. As with all ships, the question is will it voyage on or make port? Will the individual be able to seize their dreams or be consigned to watching them sail away, perhaps forever.

Any time storm clouds are forming overhead, I think of the title...

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston #BookSky Talk about the significance of the title of the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston #BookSky Were there any particular sentences in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God that really spoke to you? Do you have a favorite? Explain.

It evokes a longing for the dreams that may not be reached or achieved. It also sets up the novel by noting the different approaches of men and women in respect to their dreams and hopes.

I like how people say "my book" when talking about their current read. It's not just a read, it's a relationship. #BookSky

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston #BookSky I've sent out talking points to start the discussion of Their Eyes Were Watching God. I'll send out more for about a week. To join check the hashtags or pin/like the feed (go to link; click on 3 dots).

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston #BookSky Why do you think the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is frequently challenged?

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston #BookSky Talk about gender roles as represented in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston #BookSky How does the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God portray the importance of community?

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston #BookSky What do you think the mule in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God signified? Explain.

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston #BookSky I’ve often said the first sentence of Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of my favorites. What does this sentence evoke for you? What about the first paragraph?

Roses are red Some book covers are blue Support your local library They need your help, too

Two fighter jets flew over my neighborhood today and I gotta say it was loud and unsettling.

The first rule of #BannedBookSkyClub is that we talk about banned and challenged books. #BookSky

It was fun staying up really late to read a whole book in a day when I was a teen but now I can't because if I stay up past a certain time I wake up feeling like I have a hangover even though no alcohol was involved. #BookSky

I don't know about everyone else but I'm personally offended the team I respected in the 70s, what with Bradshaw and the defensive steel curtain, had the gall to hire the quarterback I want to see go away into retirement the most and yes that's Rodgers. And I don't even like pro football anymore.

My copy of 1984 by George Orwell is in quarantine in a plastic bag on the front porch because it went to France with me and the day before I left France I found a bedbug at the place I was staying. I'm still freaked out.

If you say there won't be future elections and scold people for saying there will be, you're signaling that you're willing to give up democracy here and now. It's enabling. It's counterproductive. You're just dragging people down. When you give up hope, you've already lost. You are Winston.

Dont forget, the January 2026 #BannedBookSkyClub book is #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston. I will start sharing talking points on Thursday, January 15, 2026 (or possibly the night before, depending on my schedule). Please join us! Link to feed in replies. #BookSky

A country can't survive on delusions of exceptionalism alone.

As a new semester begins, if you're teaching faculty at a university or college, don't forget to contact your librarian to schedule a library instruction class for your students. #AcademicSky

I am going to eat a boatload of potatoes with supper.

Is it raining where you are? Perfect day to stay inside and read a book. #BookSky

I think about this song a lot.

If you haven't read 1984 by George Orwell, now would be a good time to do so. #BookSky

I ate a whole bag of Lindor milk chocolate truffles today and have no regrets.

This seems extremely pertinent right now. #Read1984 #BannedBookSkyClub #BookSky

I guess I'm fortunate that I was never active on Twitter and there is nothing there for me to miss and deactivating my account was no big deal.

Zora Neale Hurston was born on this day in 1891. You can join the #BannedBookSkyClub in discussing #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod here on Bluesky. Discussion begin date is January 15, 2026. #BookSky

Zora Neale Hurston was born on this day in 1891. You can join the #BannedBookSkyClub in discussing #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod here on Bluesky. Discussion begin date is January 15, 2026. #BookSky

Dont forget, the January 2026 #BannedBookSkyClub book is #TheirEyesWereWatchingGod by Zora Neale Hurston. I will start sharing talking points on Thursday, January 15, 2026 (or possibly the night before, depending on my schedule). Please join us! Link to feed in replies. #BookSky

The periodic oh good not a bug but a piece of fuzz revelation.