Category: Archived DMs

A teensy tiny entry this week, since I’m mostly offline. Here’s to Week 15 and your arrival therein!
Next Wednesday: Let’s meet up at the end of Chapter LI (aka page 797, Grossman), just before “the claw marks had healed.”

And just like that, there it is: Week 14, in which the diverting advertures of these deathmarchers continue, along with other things that are really very worthwhile.
I’m dragging along a little behind agin’ this week, but hopeful that an all-day trip tomorrow will be my key catch up time. Meanwhile, I’ve been enjoying the heck out of this week’s exchange. Also: 13 comments in week 13 is an exact tie with week 13 of our original Deathmarch (Gravity’s Rainbow), way back in April ’05. What does it all mean?
Next Wednesday: It’s on to the end of Chapter XLIV (746 Grossman), just before our encounter with the “perpetual discloser of the Antipodes, torch of the world, (and) eye of heaven.” Finally!

Welcome to Week 13, regarding matters that concern and pertain to this adventure and this memorable online reading group.
Almost caught up — got to about the halfway point in this week’s reading. Over the last week or two the thing I keep coming back to is the feeling that DQ is really living the dream. He’s not just a knight errant, standing up to lions, spelunking into the unknown, “brandish(ing) his lance with so much strength and dexterity that he filled all who did not know him with fear” — but even better, he’s become a knight errant of legend, literally a character in a book, which mebbe was his real dream all along.
Like I think just about everyone on the ‘march, I’m finding Part II much more compelling and flat out fun than Part I. Besides all the neat meta moments, even the language has become more lively — I find myself underlining some cool phrase on just about every page. Looking forward to seeing where this all lands.
Next Wednesday: Let’s meet up at the end of Chapter XXXV (696 Grossman) where I’m thrilled to report that “there really was nothing that gave them greater pleasure.”

Welcome to Week 12, which recounts what will soon be commented.
I read 80 pages in the last two days, and I’m still a week behind. Not sure exactly how that happened. I blame a vile enchanter. But on the upside, I’ve gotten to really roll around in the first several chapters of Part II, which I think we’ll all agree is filled with glorious stuff. And speaking of glorious stuff — 18 comments in Week 11?! Gadzooks!
Meanwhile, as we mourn the loss of e and the good Captain, I’m hearing rumors that there are two or three folks racing through Part I at this very moment, in a zany, madcap effort to meet us at the finish line. Sort of like The Gumball Rally of literary deathmarches. Or mebbe The Cannonball Run of online reading groups? Either way, keep an eye on that rearview mirror….
Next Wednesday: Destination — page 641 (Grossman) and the end of Chapter XXVIII, where, in a bit of eerie foreshadowing, we find ourselves “in that place [where] they would have raised a [mugnet] to their victory.”

More excellent comments this week — it looks like Part II is off to a rousing start. Me, I’m behind and a bit bushed, so I’m going to drop this placeholder here, with apologies, so new comments can start up. And I’ll swap in hopefully somewhat more on topic verbiage by the weekend.
Next Wednesday: It’s just a short hop over to Chapter XXI (591 Grossman) where an unspecificed hindering something or other is about to “be recounted below.”

Week 10, no less, in which the identities of many marchers and their monkeys may be revealed — and yes, Part II! Congrats to you not-so-few, you justly proud, you still-marching marchers. I’m really delighted with how many people are hanging in there and with the rich spate of comments from this past week. I’m sure some folks are a bit behind (I’m about 20 pages shy of the mark my own self), but, call me a delusional marcher errant, it feels like this remaining crew is gonna make it through.
Besides the Part II-ness of it all, I had a personal DM-related milestone this last week: suddenly both my kids are old enough that I can take them with me to the coffee shop for 20-30 minutes of mellow time — just enough to read a chapter or two of the ole DQ, while they sip their lemonade and draw. And the days are long. And life is good.
Next Wednesday: Let’s catch our breath at the end of Chapter XIII: (aka page 538, Grossman), where two squires appear to be loaded, and we’re just about to learn — finally! — “what befell the Knight of the Wood and the Knight of the Sorrowful Face.”

Oh my stars and garters — Week 9!, wherein both marchers errant and their faithful squires cavort, with strange and pleasing results. As Mr. Magoo pointed in last week’s comments, we’ve hit a heckuva milestone by flipping past page 400 (Grossman). And you know what they say about Don Quixote: the last 540 pages are the easiest.
For me, this last patch wasn’t quite up to the level of, say, the tale of Zoraida and the Captain, which was a pure page-turning treat. But I’m glad we’ve left that inn, at least for a stretch. It was starting to get kinda claustrophobic in there — like some sort of 17th Century Bob’s Big Boy, with an infinite number of wandering Dons and their flawless luvs supreme. It feels like most of the main threads have to come to some sort of resolution, leaving an appealingly open road for the second part of the book. Speaking of which…
Next Wednesday: …to Part II and beyond! — let’s aim for the end of our second Chapter II (page 473 Grossman), where I’m glad to report that the three of them appear to be having “a most amusing conversation.”

Welcome to Week 8, which recounts the pleasing tale of the mugnet inclined, along with other strange events that occured along the way. This was a week of highs and lows for me. There was the high of finding out that Mr. Magoo finds me extremely hot. Followed almost immediately by the low of finding out that he thinks “So Called Bill” and “Jeff” are hot too. And then another low — losing my book. And finally, the high of finding it again. I’m spinning, I am. I’m also a couple of chapters behind, and like a lot of folks, finding the plot sorta blending into itself. But then there’s the Second Part of the Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha,” just a short flip ahead. It calls to us! And so we march on!
Next Wednesday: let’s hang our spurs at the end of Chapter XLIX, just before something Don Quixote appears to think is “really good!”

Week 7, in which our weary band of ‘marchers may or may not end up attacking some skins of red wine, and other diverting adventures. I just finished the week’s reading, with about an hour+ to spare (west coast time). And I will admit to much relief that this whole Don Fernando, Luscinda, Camila, Anselmo mishigas appears to have come to some sort of swirling resolution. Or at least a stable moment. And yes, as promised, we’ve found that place where all the misfortunes on earth reach their conclusion and we’ve got to love ourselves for that. Still, here’s hoping the next section brings back the dwarves.
Next Wednesday: now that we’ve had a moment to catch our breath, let’s pick the pace back up and aim for the end of Chapter XLII, where if you press your ear against the book, you may just hear that “the boy was singing.”

Week 7, in which I’m quite lame and behind and largely off-web for various and sundry, but hoping to catch up and post the real thread shortly. Feel free to post toward mugnet on this placeholder. When I swap the real post in, the comments will remain……
Update: By popular demand (OK, two people, but still….) this is officially the 7th week stretch. A week for those behind to catch up and those caught up to get ahead. In terms of mugnet glory, comments are optional this week. Feel free to chat amongst yourselves 🙂 Next week, we dive back in with vigor!
-Cecil