Check out the July Challenge!
Do you have a book you read in school that you swore was the worst book ever? Have you ever thought that maybe your teachers weren't out to torture you, and there may have been a method to their madness after all? Then the July Challenge is for you!
Details on the challenge can be found here...check it out, and join us!
Details on the challenge can be found here...check it out, and join us!
Closely Observed Trains** written by Bohumil Hrabal is considered one of the greatest Czech and European writers of the 20th century. His books are translated into 27 languages. The short novel was the basis of one of the most popular new wave movies made in the 60’s. He died in the late 1990’s possibly by suicide and had to struggle through the long oppression of the communist regime with many of his books having to be smuggled out to be published.
However this is not some worthy political diatribe but an earthy sensual satire that contrasts the bumbling humour of the Czechs and the crudity and repression of the local Nazis as the German front collapse at the end of the war. The opening scene is of a shot down aeroplane wing fluttering into the town and causing panic in the streets. From this we learn about the Hrma family, Great Grandfather who had a war pension from 18 and would drink a bottle of rum and smoke a pack of cigars a day in from of the local workers to show how easy he had it until finally beaten to death in his 80’s, a grandfather who tried to hypnotise the Germans invaders to stop, and a father who had served on the railways for 25 years before he retired to be the village holder of lost and abandoned objects.
And finally we meet Milos Hrma the teenage railway apprentice on the way to work at the local railway station after a 3 month sick leave. He is acutely aware of the town’s view that the whole family are scroungers and wastrels. The sick leave was because he had tried to commit suicide after failing to “rise to the occasion” with his first love as he feared that the eyes of the town were on him.
Milos is one of Hrabal's "wise fools" - simpletons with occasional or inadvertent profound thoughts - who are also given to coarse humour, lewdness, and a determination to survive and enjoy oneself despite harsh circumstances. As he rejoins work he walks into a crisis. It appears that the station dispatcher –a sex mad woman’s man had used the entire official stamps one night to stamp the bum of the female telegraphist. As these were in German, this prompts the investigation of the way that the station was being run much to the frustration of the bumbling pigeon fancier station master ambitions. In the resulting chaos of events Milos gets to achieve sexual maturity and political maturity as he finally makes a moving and heroic stand against the Germans.
The novel is less then 100 pages but each of the characters spring of the page and the underlying politics are hinted rather then laid on with a trowel. For example the horror of this time is mainly conveyed with subtle quiet descriptions of the trains and their passengers passing through the station- a hospital train from the front passing a train with fresh troops on the way to the front or the state of the animals stranded on delayed trains. Its real targets were off course the Communists and the need to take a stand against them which the Czechs did in 68 and in the 90’s to gain their freedom in the velvet revolution. But don’t worry about the politics. Instead enjoy the story and writing that paints pictures in your mind with memorable scenes and humour leaving you desperate to see the film and read more of his books. Highly recommended.
**oops forgot to post this one back in March 2008
- Location:Bristol,UK
- Music:Talking Timbuktu by Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder
I'm currently in a foreign country, and I made the mistake of only bringing non-fiction books. I found myself craving fiction (I would've fared better packing beach reads than economics books) and ended up with
22/50 Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
which is BIG, at 883 pages. Always with the habit of picking the largest book on hand, for these crazy moments. *shakes head*
Daniel Deronda can be divided into two intertwining stories. One story centers around the coquette Gwendolen Harleth who simply wishes for her freedom in the face of a society that has given her little choice but to marry. The other story concerns the titular Daniel Deronda, the question of his parents, and Judaism.
The book was highly enjoyable (if a bit of a drag, at 883 pages. The character of Mordecai was particularly boring.) Eliot's writing style reminded me of Jane Austen's, but while Austen's novels ended at the happy marriage, Eliot went beyond it, to deliver a fuller portrait of her characters. There are, not only happy, amusing moments in Daniel Deronda, but sad, devastating moments as well
I will echo what the critics have said about Daniel Deronda: that the best parts of the book involve Gwendolen, and that the Jewish characters are flat (and therefore less interesting) in comparison to the much maligned English characters.
Recommended.
Next: The Mystery of Capital or Making Globalization Work
Rest of the reading list here.
22/50 Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
which is BIG, at 883 pages. Always with the habit of picking the largest book on hand, for these crazy moments. *shakes head*
Daniel Deronda can be divided into two intertwining stories. One story centers around the coquette Gwendolen Harleth who simply wishes for her freedom in the face of a society that has given her little choice but to marry. The other story concerns the titular Daniel Deronda, the question of his parents, and Judaism.
The book was highly enjoyable (if a bit of a drag, at 883 pages. The character of Mordecai was particularly boring.) Eliot's writing style reminded me of Jane Austen's, but while Austen's novels ended at the happy marriage, Eliot went beyond it, to deliver a fuller portrait of her characters. There are, not only happy, amusing moments in Daniel Deronda, but sad, devastating moments as well
I will echo what the critics have said about Daniel Deronda: that the best parts of the book involve Gwendolen, and that the Jewish characters are flat (and therefore less interesting) in comparison to the much maligned English characters.
Recommended.
Next: The Mystery of Capital or Making Globalization Work
Rest of the reading list here.
This was my choice for the July challenge – forced to read it in junior high, I never got past the first 100 pages, opting instead for the cliff notes.
Set in the 1930’s, Harper Lee’s novel develops as slow as the small town Alabama summer during which the characters are introduced. This is precisely why I could not get through the book in school. I did get past the scene setting this time and am very glad I finally read this wonderful story. I was surprised to find how many more modern legal dramas were based around the court room in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Every character was believable and multifaceted. Narrated by the youngest child of the town’s most respected citizen, Lee’s tale is nuanced with commentary about humanity and respect for all people. Rather than heavy handed civil rights messages, Lee’s young protagonists learn by observing that character is measured by how you treat those around you, not how they treat you.
I rented the movie after finishing the book, and although it was a decent portrayal of the main plot, the film left out many of the endearing secondary characters and their contribution both to the story and moral objective. I am glad I read the book first as the film would not have inspired me to seek out the novel.
1001 Books:
18. Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy. 492 pages.
This was a depressing book. Really depressing. That being said, once you got past the flowery late-nineteenth century language, it was really well-written and rather enjoyable. Hardy did a wonderful job of creating characters that seemed real, and Tess was incredibly sympathetic. However, the way Tess was treated was horrendous, and the only thing that made her treatment somewhat palatable was that it was clear that Hardy didn't feel that way. This book wasn't an easy read, but it's definitely worth reading.
19. North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell. 496 pages.
I was surprised at how much I like this book. Gaskell writes like the love child of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, and it works.
20. The Razor's Edge, W. Somerset Maugham. 314 pages.
I liked this book, but I didn't think it was as good as I had heard it was. It's a story about a young man who travels around the world trying to find himself, and it's related by the author, who is a character in the novel.
Other Books:
26. Fluke, Christopher Moore. 321 pages.
Ah, Christopher Moore. I love Christopher Moore. This wasn't one of his best novels, but that doesn't mean much. It's still bizarrely hilarious.
27. Sorcery and Cecelia, Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. 320 pages.
A very cute YA novel. There are definite Austen influences, and the magic is reminiscent of the Harry Potter books, but this was written before Rowling started to write them. A really quick read.
28. Breaking Dawn, Stephanie Meyer. 756 pages.
I won't say anything spoilerish, but I wasn't expecting much after really disliking the first three books. I liked this one a lot better. Almost all of the issues I had previously were resolved.
1001 Books:
20/25 - 80%
Total Books:
48/75 - 64%
Total Pages:
21,419/22,500 - 95.2%
Days Passed:
226/366 - 61.7%
18. Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy. 492 pages.
This was a depressing book. Really depressing. That being said, once you got past the flowery late-nineteenth century language, it was really well-written and rather enjoyable. Hardy did a wonderful job of creating characters that seemed real, and Tess was incredibly sympathetic. However, the way Tess was treated was horrendous, and the only thing that made her treatment somewhat palatable was that it was clear that Hardy didn't feel that way. This book wasn't an easy read, but it's definitely worth reading.
19. North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell. 496 pages.
I was surprised at how much I like this book. Gaskell writes like the love child of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, and it works.
20. The Razor's Edge, W. Somerset Maugham. 314 pages.
I liked this book, but I didn't think it was as good as I had heard it was. It's a story about a young man who travels around the world trying to find himself, and it's related by the author, who is a character in the novel.
Other Books:
26. Fluke, Christopher Moore. 321 pages.
Ah, Christopher Moore. I love Christopher Moore. This wasn't one of his best novels, but that doesn't mean much. It's still bizarrely hilarious.
27. Sorcery and Cecelia, Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. 320 pages.
A very cute YA novel. There are definite Austen influences, and the magic is reminiscent of the Harry Potter books, but this was written before Rowling started to write them. A really quick read.
28. Breaking Dawn, Stephanie Meyer. 756 pages.
I won't say anything spoilerish, but I wasn't expecting much after really disliking the first three books. I liked this one a lot better. Almost all of the issues I had previously were resolved.
1001 Books:
20/25 - 80%
Total Books:
48/75 - 64%
Total Pages:
21,419/22,500 - 95.2%
Days Passed:
226/366 - 61.7%
- Location:Wisconsin
- Mood:accomplished
- Music:What Not to Wear
Well, I'm horribly behind so far this year in both my reading and my posting. I'm officially up to fourteen books (pathetic, but I'm working on it). Initially I had planned on doing a long post (behind a cut, of course) with thoughts on all of these. However, the task has proved to be rather daunting, so I think I'm just going to do one at a time, whenever I can find a spare minute to sit down and actually post.
Book One
Title: The Mysteries of Udolpho
Author: Ann Radcliffe
Page Count:: 704
Genre: Gothic Romance/Suspense
Synopsis/My Thoughts: As a fan of Austen's Northanger Abbey, I wanted to read this just to find out what all the fuss was about. It features the standard pure-as-the-driven-snow heroine, Emily St. Aubert, who, after the tragic death of her parents, is shipped off to live with her nasty aunt, who has no greater joy in life than to torment Emily, and keep her from her beloved suitor, Valancourt. Just when the nasty aunt finally agrees to let Emily be wed to Valancourt (after it becomes clear that Valancourt is actually a rather well-connected young man with Important Family Ties), in steps the villainous Montoni. Montoni is the smooth Italian Don Juan type, and in record time he manages to seduce the aunt and marry her. Immediately after the marriage, it becomes clear that he is actually a villain and a cad of the highest order, and he wastes no time in whisking Emily and her aunt away to his terrifying castle lair in the mountains of Italy. What horrors await her here are beyond imagination. In addition to the various scoundrels attempting to sully her virtue, Emily must cope with everything from mysterious prisoners to sinister locked rooms, not to mention the assorted corpses and possible ghosts scattered about for good measure. As the foreword to my copy of the book so helpfully points out, on average someone (usually Emily) faints every forty-eight pages in Udolpho. What will become of poor Emily? Will she EVER be reunited with her stalwart lover? Or will she perish alone in the moldering, gloomy hallways of Udolpho? *dun dun dun* In its day, this book was condemned as a "horrid novel". Nowadays, they'd probably call it fluff. All in all, I thought the book was great fun, but I probably won't be reading it again anytime soon. At seven hundred pages, with some very dense descriptive passages, it's a rather exhausting read (no wonder everyone was always fainting). I definitely felt it was worth the trouble, and will be keeping it on my shelf for when I recover (in a few years) to possibly re-read then. It has also given me a desire to read more of Ann Radcliffe's works, which I no doubt will be doing in the future.
Book One
Title: The Mysteries of Udolpho
Author: Ann Radcliffe
Page Count:: 704
Genre: Gothic Romance/Suspense
Synopsis/My Thoughts: As a fan of Austen's Northanger Abbey, I wanted to read this just to find out what all the fuss was about. It features the standard pure-as-the-driven-snow heroine, Emily St. Aubert, who, after the tragic death of her parents, is shipped off to live with her nasty aunt, who has no greater joy in life than to torment Emily, and keep her from her beloved suitor, Valancourt. Just when the nasty aunt finally agrees to let Emily be wed to Valancourt (after it becomes clear that Valancourt is actually a rather well-connected young man with Important Family Ties), in steps the villainous Montoni. Montoni is the smooth Italian Don Juan type, and in record time he manages to seduce the aunt and marry her. Immediately after the marriage, it becomes clear that he is actually a villain and a cad of the highest order, and he wastes no time in whisking Emily and her aunt away to his terrifying castle lair in the mountains of Italy. What horrors await her here are beyond imagination. In addition to the various scoundrels attempting to sully her virtue, Emily must cope with everything from mysterious prisoners to sinister locked rooms, not to mention the assorted corpses and possible ghosts scattered about for good measure. As the foreword to my copy of the book so helpfully points out, on average someone (usually Emily) faints every forty-eight pages in Udolpho. What will become of poor Emily? Will she EVER be reunited with her stalwart lover? Or will she perish alone in the moldering, gloomy hallways of Udolpho? *dun dun dun* In its day, this book was condemned as a "horrid novel". Nowadays, they'd probably call it fluff. All in all, I thought the book was great fun, but I probably won't be reading it again anytime soon. At seven hundred pages, with some very dense descriptive passages, it's a rather exhausting read (no wonder everyone was always fainting). I definitely felt it was worth the trouble, and will be keeping it on my shelf for when I recover (in a few years) to possibly re-read then. It has also given me a desire to read more of Ann Radcliffe's works, which I no doubt will be doing in the future.
- Mood:
tired
Book 56: Fearless Fourteen
Author: Janet Evanovich
Genre: Chicklit, Crime Fiction, Humor
Summary: New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum finds herself saddled with the teenage son of Loretta Rizzi, her latest skip, at the start of that latest entry in Evanovich's bestselling series. When Mario "Zook" Rizzi and his obsession with the online role-playing game "Minionfire" become too much for Stephanie to handle, the pair camp out at Trenton cop Joe Morelli's house. Stephanie also takes a job with the mysterious Ranger, helping him "babysit" Brenda, a fading music star in town for a concert. After Loretta is kidnapped, Stephanie and Morelli discover that to ensure Loretta's safety, they'll have to find the $9 million that disappeared after a bank robbery committed by Loretta's recently paroled brother, Dom. A mild-mannered stalker and the upcoming nuptials of Stephanie's colleague Lula to Ranger's right-hand man, Tank, add to the crazy fun.
My Rating: 9/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 57: Oryx and Crake
Author: Margaret Atwood
Genre: Fiction, Sci-fi
Summary: As the story opens, the narrator, who calls himself Snowman, is sleeping in a tree, wearing a dirty old bedsheet, mourning the loss of his beautiful and beloved Oryx and his best friend Crake, and slowly starving to death. In a world in which science-based corporations have recently taken mankind on an uncontrolled genetic-engineering ride, he now searches for supplies in a wasteland. Insects proliferate and pigoons and wolvogs ravage the Pleeblands, where ordinary people once lived, and the Compounds that sheltered the extraordinary. As he tries to piece together what has taken place, the narrative shifts to decades earlier. How did everything fall apart so quickly? Why is Snowman left with nothing but his bizarre memories -- alone except for the more-than-perfect, green-eyed Children of Crake, who think of him as a kind of monster? He explores the answers to these questions on the double journey he takes -- into his own past and back to Crake's high-tech bubble dome, where the Paradice Project unfolded and the world came to grief.
My Rating: 9/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 58: Full Frontal Feminism
Author: Jessica Valenti
Genre: Feminist, Non-fiction
Summary: Feminism isn't dead. It just isn't very cool anymore. Enter Full Frontal Feminism, a book that embodies the forward-looking messages that author Jessica Valenti propagates on her popular website, Feministing.com. Covering a range of topics, including pop culture, health, reproductive rights, violence, education, relationships, and more, Valenti provides young women a primer on why feminism matters.
My Rating: 8/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 59: Daisy Miller
Author: Henry James
Genre: Classic, Fiction
Summary: The young Daisy Miller an American on holiday, with her mother on the shores of Switzerland's Lac Leman, is one of James's most vivid and tragic characters. Daisy's friendship with an American gentleman, Mr. Winterbourne, and her subsequent infatuation with a passionate but impoverished Italian bring to life the great Jamesian themes of Americans abroad, innocence versus experience, and the grip of fate.
My Rating: 7/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 60: Eden Close
Author: Anita Shreve
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Summary: Andrew, in his mid-thirties, returns to his hometown to attend his mother's funeral. Planning to remain only a few days, he is drawn into the tragic legacy of the beautiful girl next door, Eden Close. An adopted child, Eden has learned to avoid the mother who did not want her and to please the father who did. She also aimed to please Andrew and his friends, first by being one of the boys and later by seducing them. Then one hot night Andrew was awakened by gunshots and piercing screams from the next farm: Mr. Close had been killed and Eden, blinded. Now, seventeen years later, Andrew begins to uncover the grisly story -- to unravel the layers of thwarted love between the husband, wife, and tormented girl. And as the truth about Eden's past comes to light, so too does Andrew's strange and binding attachment to her reveal itself.
My Rating: 7/10
( My thoughts: )
60 / 74 books. 81% done!
Author: Janet Evanovich
Genre: Chicklit, Crime Fiction, Humor
Summary: New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum finds herself saddled with the teenage son of Loretta Rizzi, her latest skip, at the start of that latest entry in Evanovich's bestselling series. When Mario "Zook" Rizzi and his obsession with the online role-playing game "Minionfire" become too much for Stephanie to handle, the pair camp out at Trenton cop Joe Morelli's house. Stephanie also takes a job with the mysterious Ranger, helping him "babysit" Brenda, a fading music star in town for a concert. After Loretta is kidnapped, Stephanie and Morelli discover that to ensure Loretta's safety, they'll have to find the $9 million that disappeared after a bank robbery committed by Loretta's recently paroled brother, Dom. A mild-mannered stalker and the upcoming nuptials of Stephanie's colleague Lula to Ranger's right-hand man, Tank, add to the crazy fun.
My Rating: 9/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 57: Oryx and Crake
Author: Margaret Atwood
Genre: Fiction, Sci-fi
Summary: As the story opens, the narrator, who calls himself Snowman, is sleeping in a tree, wearing a dirty old bedsheet, mourning the loss of his beautiful and beloved Oryx and his best friend Crake, and slowly starving to death. In a world in which science-based corporations have recently taken mankind on an uncontrolled genetic-engineering ride, he now searches for supplies in a wasteland. Insects proliferate and pigoons and wolvogs ravage the Pleeblands, where ordinary people once lived, and the Compounds that sheltered the extraordinary. As he tries to piece together what has taken place, the narrative shifts to decades earlier. How did everything fall apart so quickly? Why is Snowman left with nothing but his bizarre memories -- alone except for the more-than-perfect, green-eyed Children of Crake, who think of him as a kind of monster? He explores the answers to these questions on the double journey he takes -- into his own past and back to Crake's high-tech bubble dome, where the Paradice Project unfolded and the world came to grief.
My Rating: 9/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 58: Full Frontal Feminism
Author: Jessica Valenti
Genre: Feminist, Non-fiction
Summary: Feminism isn't dead. It just isn't very cool anymore. Enter Full Frontal Feminism, a book that embodies the forward-looking messages that author Jessica Valenti propagates on her popular website, Feministing.com. Covering a range of topics, including pop culture, health, reproductive rights, violence, education, relationships, and more, Valenti provides young women a primer on why feminism matters.
My Rating: 8/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 59: Daisy Miller
Author: Henry James
Genre: Classic, Fiction
Summary: The young Daisy Miller an American on holiday, with her mother on the shores of Switzerland's Lac Leman, is one of James's most vivid and tragic characters. Daisy's friendship with an American gentleman, Mr. Winterbourne, and her subsequent infatuation with a passionate but impoverished Italian bring to life the great Jamesian themes of Americans abroad, innocence versus experience, and the grip of fate.
My Rating: 7/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 60: Eden Close
Author: Anita Shreve
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Summary: Andrew, in his mid-thirties, returns to his hometown to attend his mother's funeral. Planning to remain only a few days, he is drawn into the tragic legacy of the beautiful girl next door, Eden Close. An adopted child, Eden has learned to avoid the mother who did not want her and to please the father who did. She also aimed to please Andrew and his friends, first by being one of the boys and later by seducing them. Then one hot night Andrew was awakened by gunshots and piercing screams from the next farm: Mr. Close had been killed and Eden, blinded. Now, seventeen years later, Andrew begins to uncover the grisly story -- to unravel the layers of thwarted love between the husband, wife, and tormented girl. And as the truth about Eden's past comes to light, so too does Andrew's strange and binding attachment to her reveal itself.
My Rating: 7/10
( My thoughts: )
- Mood:
amused - Music:Peachtree Street - Rosemary Clooney; Frank Sinatra
44. New Horizons, issue 1 (2008)
First issue of the new fiction magazine published by the British Fantasy Society. I'm not clear what the difference is meant to be between this and the BFS's more established fiction title, Dark Horizons (then again, I haven't read an issue of Dark Horizons properly in quite a while!), but you might get an idea from knowing that New Horizons is put together by Andrew Hook of Elastic Press (and if the name is unfamiliar, I do recommend seeking out some Elastic Press books). Anyway, there is some good stuff in this issue, such as Harvey Raines's story about a man who gains the ability to re-imagine his city as he sees fit (apart from a pair of tower blocks that remain stubbornly in place); David Barnett's mystery in which people start believing they're fictional characters; and a typically idiosyncratic tale from Allen Ashley about relationship woes against a background of water shortages and visiting aliens.
45. ChiZine, issue 37: July-September 2008
Latest issue of an online dark fiction magazine. I don't want to say too much about this as I'll be writing about it at greater length elsehwere, but you will find: a shaman who helps a general gain power, making increasingly difficult demands in the process; a couple waiting up for their son, who may not be human; and the disorientating story of a prisoner who can hear everything (even thoughts) but say nothing.
46. The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (1927)
In 18th-century Peru, a bridge collapses, sending five people to their deaths. The book pieces together the lives of the victims as a monk tries to find some reason for their fates. I read this book for my reading group, and would not have read it otherwise. I've very little to say about it, as it's one of those books I just didn't mesh with and didn't get.
First issue of the new fiction magazine published by the British Fantasy Society. I'm not clear what the difference is meant to be between this and the BFS's more established fiction title, Dark Horizons (then again, I haven't read an issue of Dark Horizons properly in quite a while!), but you might get an idea from knowing that New Horizons is put together by Andrew Hook of Elastic Press (and if the name is unfamiliar, I do recommend seeking out some Elastic Press books). Anyway, there is some good stuff in this issue, such as Harvey Raines's story about a man who gains the ability to re-imagine his city as he sees fit (apart from a pair of tower blocks that remain stubbornly in place); David Barnett's mystery in which people start believing they're fictional characters; and a typically idiosyncratic tale from Allen Ashley about relationship woes against a background of water shortages and visiting aliens.
45. ChiZine, issue 37: July-September 2008
Latest issue of an online dark fiction magazine. I don't want to say too much about this as I'll be writing about it at greater length elsehwere, but you will find: a shaman who helps a general gain power, making increasingly difficult demands in the process; a couple waiting up for their son, who may not be human; and the disorientating story of a prisoner who can hear everything (even thoughts) but say nothing.
46. The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (1927)
In 18th-century Peru, a bridge collapses, sending five people to their deaths. The book pieces together the lives of the victims as a monk tries to find some reason for their fates. I read this book for my reading group, and would not have read it otherwise. I've very little to say about it, as it's one of those books I just didn't mesh with and didn't get.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
From the back of the book:
This is the story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who dreams of travelling the world in search of a treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the exotic markets of Tangiers and then into the Eqyptian desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him.
My thoughts:
I enjoyed this book. It's style is simple, like that of a fairy tale or a fable - all telling and no showing - but that suits the story. It reminded me of a parable. I felt as if I were sitting around a camp fire while and aged Bedouin wove a tale to entertain and educate me. The message could be considered an old one, but there is nothing new under the sun. Take the message with a pinch of salt, and don't expect to find a new philosophy for life. Just enjoy and then think about what you've read.
Fiction List (9/50)
From the back of the book:
This is the story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who dreams of travelling the world in search of a treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the exotic markets of Tangiers and then into the Eqyptian desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him.
My thoughts:
I enjoyed this book. It's style is simple, like that of a fairy tale or a fable - all telling and no showing - but that suits the story. It reminded me of a parable. I felt as if I were sitting around a camp fire while and aged Bedouin wove a tale to entertain and educate me. The message could be considered an old one, but there is nothing new under the sun. Take the message with a pinch of salt, and don't expect to find a new philosophy for life. Just enjoy and then think about what you've read.
Fiction List (9/50)
I'm not even sure what was the last book I posted, but I think it was somewhere around here.
23...Dreamcatcher...Stephen King...6/5
24...Blood Noir...Laurell K. Hamilton...6/30
25...Animal Farm...George Orwell...7/1
26...Sula...Toni Morrison...7/8
27...Pride and Prejudice...Jane Austen...7/24
Having never read Animal Farm, I picked it up at a book sale and figured it would make for good summer reading, which it did. It's a classic and I recommend it, but I wouldn't read it again. I was too put off by the demise of a certain character!
Sula had been sitting around my house for years. I think I bought it for some college class, but never got to it. Another book I would recommend, with a warning of a few disturbing scenes.
Pride and Prejudice, of course, whoops them all to shame and then some. This classic should not be missed by anyone, and is now among my favorite books. (But Jane Eyre still holds number one.)
23...Dreamcatcher...Stephen King...6/5
24...Blood Noir...Laurell K. Hamilton...6/30
25...Animal Farm...George Orwell...7/1
26...Sula...Toni Morrison...7/8
27...Pride and Prejudice...Jane Austen...7/24
Having never read Animal Farm, I picked it up at a book sale and figured it would make for good summer reading, which it did. It's a classic and I recommend it, but I wouldn't read it again. I was too put off by the demise of a certain character!
Sula had been sitting around my house for years. I think I bought it for some college class, but never got to it. Another book I would recommend, with a warning of a few disturbing scenes.
Pride and Prejudice, of course, whoops them all to shame and then some. This classic should not be missed by anyone, and is now among my favorite books. (But Jane Eyre still holds number one.)
Book 51: Me Talk Pretty One Day
Author: David Sedaris
Genre: Essays, Non-Fiction
Summary: ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY contains far more than just the funniest collection of autobiographical essays - it quite well registers as a manifesto about language itself. Wherever there's a straight line, you can be sure that Sedaris lurks beneath the text, making it jagged with laughter; and just where the fault lines fall, he sits mischievously perched at the epicenter of it all.
My Rating: 7/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 52: The Virgin Suicides
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Genre: Fiction
Summary: The Virgin Suicides is the 1993 debut novel by American writer Jeffrey Eugenides. The story, which is set in Grosse Pointe, Michigan during the 1970s, centers around the suicides of five sisters. The Lisbon girls' suicides fascinate their community as their neighbors struggle to find an explanation for the acts.
The novel is atypical in that it was written in first person plural from the perspective of an anonymous group of teenage boys who became infatuated with the girls, a style mirroring a Greek chorus. The narrator(s) rely on relics and interviews gathered in the two decades after the suicide to construct the tale. The novel is rich in descriptive detail, using observations about the state of the Lisbon house and the contents of the girls’ rooms to advance the plot. The effect is that the reader glimpses the novel’s main characters as if he or she were one of the neighborhood onlookers.
My Rating: 6/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 53: Someone I Loved
Author: Anna Gavalda
Genre: Fiction
Summary: ...A spare, dialogue-based tale of a young, abandoned wife. Chloé, mother of two, is in shock after her husband, Adrien, leaves her for another woman. In an improbable move, her laconic father-in-law, Pierre, rescues her, driving Chloé and her daughters to his country house, where they spend a few surprisingly therapeutic days together. While in the country, Pierre gives Chloé an extended account of an extramarital affair of his own. His dalliance was based on real love, and this, ironically, comforts Chloé.
My Rating: 8/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 54: Animal Farm
Author: George Orwell
Genre: 1001 Books to Read Before You Die, Classic, Fiction
Summary: George Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary culture. It is the account of the bold struggle, initiated by the animals, that transforms Mr. Jones's Manor Farm into Animal Farm--a wholly democratic society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. Out of their cleverness, the pigs Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball emerge as leaders of the new community in a subtle evolution that proves disastrous. The climax is the brutal betrayal of the faithful horse Boxer, when totalitarian rule is reestablished with the bloodstained postscript to the founding slogan: But some Animals Are More Equal Than Others. . . .
My Rating: 8/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 55: Atlas Shrugged
Author: Ayn Rand
Genre: Classic, Fiction, Philosophy
Summary: The astounding story of a man that said that he would stop the motor of the world-and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is unlike any other book you have ever read.
My Rating: 9/10
( My thoughts: )
55 / 74 books. 74% done!
Author: David Sedaris
Genre: Essays, Non-Fiction
Summary: ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY contains far more than just the funniest collection of autobiographical essays - it quite well registers as a manifesto about language itself. Wherever there's a straight line, you can be sure that Sedaris lurks beneath the text, making it jagged with laughter; and just where the fault lines fall, he sits mischievously perched at the epicenter of it all.
My Rating: 7/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 52: The Virgin Suicides
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Genre: Fiction
Summary: The Virgin Suicides is the 1993 debut novel by American writer Jeffrey Eugenides. The story, which is set in Grosse Pointe, Michigan during the 1970s, centers around the suicides of five sisters. The Lisbon girls' suicides fascinate their community as their neighbors struggle to find an explanation for the acts.
The novel is atypical in that it was written in first person plural from the perspective of an anonymous group of teenage boys who became infatuated with the girls, a style mirroring a Greek chorus. The narrator(s) rely on relics and interviews gathered in the two decades after the suicide to construct the tale. The novel is rich in descriptive detail, using observations about the state of the Lisbon house and the contents of the girls’ rooms to advance the plot. The effect is that the reader glimpses the novel’s main characters as if he or she were one of the neighborhood onlookers.
My Rating: 6/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 53: Someone I Loved
Author: Anna Gavalda
Genre: Fiction
Summary: ...A spare, dialogue-based tale of a young, abandoned wife. Chloé, mother of two, is in shock after her husband, Adrien, leaves her for another woman. In an improbable move, her laconic father-in-law, Pierre, rescues her, driving Chloé and her daughters to his country house, where they spend a few surprisingly therapeutic days together. While in the country, Pierre gives Chloé an extended account of an extramarital affair of his own. His dalliance was based on real love, and this, ironically, comforts Chloé.
My Rating: 8/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 54: Animal Farm
Author: George Orwell
Genre: 1001 Books to Read Before You Die, Classic, Fiction
Summary: George Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary culture. It is the account of the bold struggle, initiated by the animals, that transforms Mr. Jones's Manor Farm into Animal Farm--a wholly democratic society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. Out of their cleverness, the pigs Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball emerge as leaders of the new community in a subtle evolution that proves disastrous. The climax is the brutal betrayal of the faithful horse Boxer, when totalitarian rule is reestablished with the bloodstained postscript to the founding slogan: But some Animals Are More Equal Than Others. . . .
My Rating: 8/10
( My thoughts: )
Book 55: Atlas Shrugged
Author: Ayn Rand
Genre: Classic, Fiction, Philosophy
Summary: The astounding story of a man that said that he would stop the motor of the world-and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is unlike any other book you have ever read.
My Rating: 9/10
( My thoughts: )
- Mood:
okay - Music:High - Trace Adkins
Book#12: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
After reading several books from Dickens I start to feel that there is not so much variation in the plots and characters. The main character seems to be always a child which is poor and treated badly and then some good people help out and it turns out that the child is rich and happy ever after. David Copperfield is still my favorite.
Book#13: Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
Interesting and funny little book about science and wolves. Got my sympathies on the side of the wolves.
After reading several books from Dickens I start to feel that there is not so much variation in the plots and characters. The main character seems to be always a child which is poor and treated badly and then some good people help out and it turns out that the child is rich and happy ever after. David Copperfield is still my favorite.
Book#13: Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
Interesting and funny little book about science and wolves. Got my sympathies on the side of the wolves.
I haven't had a chance to post in quite a while. Here's what I've read since I last posted in April.
19 - ( Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas )
20 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer #13: Wolves at the Gate pt 2
21 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer #14: Wolves at the Gate pt 3 (I'll post about these after #4)
22 - ( Angel #5: After the Fall pt 5 )
23 - ( I Heard that Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark )
24 - ( Grief by Andrew Holleran )
25 - ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer #15: Wolves at the Gate pt 4 )
26 - ( A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice )
27 - ( Dream Boy by Jim Grimsley )
28 - ( Us Ones in Between by Blair Mastbaum )
29 - ( The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger )
30 - ( The Year of Ice by Brian Malloy )
31 - ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer #16 - Time of Your Life pt 1 )
32 - ( A Secret Edge by Robin Reardon )
33 - ( Spike #1 - After the Fall pt 1 )
34 - ( The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold )
19 - ( Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas )
20 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer #13: Wolves at the Gate pt 2
21 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer #14: Wolves at the Gate pt 3 (I'll post about these after #4)
22 - ( Angel #5: After the Fall pt 5 )
23 - ( I Heard that Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark )
24 - ( Grief by Andrew Holleran )
25 - ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer #15: Wolves at the Gate pt 4 )
26 - ( A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice )
27 - ( Dream Boy by Jim Grimsley )
28 - ( Us Ones in Between by Blair Mastbaum )
29 - ( The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger )
30 - ( The Year of Ice by Brian Malloy )
31 - ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer #16 - Time of Your Life pt 1 )
32 - ( A Secret Edge by Robin Reardon )
33 - ( Spike #1 - After the Fall pt 1 )
34 - ( The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold )
- Mood: relaxed
- Music:Goldfrapp ~ Caravan Girl
Yeah, I'm way behind. Shhhhhh...
Woodswoman: Living Alone in the Adirondack Wilderness - Anne LaBastille
Amazon Link
Rating: 3
Genre: Memoir-ish
This book came highly recommended by my boyfriend's mother. It is the first in a series of four books - true stories about the author and her life living in a cabin she built herself on a lake in the Adirondacks. I quite disliked her writing style, I'll be honest with you. It was jumpy, some of her word choices were very strange, and the detours she took from the main story of the chapter to describe things were quite distracting. Many times, by the time she got back to the point of the story, I had forgotten what she had been talking about in the first place. Also, much of it is just description. There are stories, and all the actual stories are worth reading. But there are also pages upon pages of description of things like ... the length of the boards used to put up a certain wall of her cabin. I dunno, it was just a very tedious read. I skipped more of it than I'd like to admit.
But, like I said, there were so many good stories there. I'd recommend suffering your way through the rest of it to get the stories. The story of her pet fox. The story of how she fell in love with her first husband. The story of rowing across the lake and watching the ice freeze up behind her. The story of her hike through the mountains and the history she found there. The story of the locals placing a 50lb barrel on the frozen-over lake and making bets as to when it would fall through the ice. And just the story of her survival in general. It was really inspiring and very interesting - I felt like I learned a lot while being somewhat entertained simultaneously.
Emma - Jane Austen (Barnes & Noble Classics Edition)
Amazon Link
Rating: 3
Genre: Classic Novel
I had never endeavored to read Emma before, although I have read and enjoyed others of Jane Austen's novels. This one, I didn't care for as much. The plot was interesting, and I did enjoy the twist at the end involving Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax - I was never expecting that and I actually laughed aloud with surprise. This is rare for me in any book - so obviously it did have its merits. It was just really long, an even more difficult read for me than her other novels (which is saying something). I have only one "real" complaint, and that is with regards to Emma's feelings about Frank Churchill. She first believes herself to be in love with him - and later decides she never was. And manages to convince poor Mr. Knightly of that as well (with help from the fact that Frank says in his letter he never believed Emma to be taken in by his act). But really, I think she may have been, at least to some extent. Certainly not the same kind of love that she felt for Mr. Knightly, but... love can express itself in many ways. I guess that's all I have to say about that. I'll be watching the movie Emma sometime in the future for my own movie community, so I'll be interested to see how it compares.
Speaking of that - I forced myself to read both the Introduction to the book (which is usually best read AFTER reading the work in question, rather than before) as well as the "Inspired by Emma" section at the back. In the "Inspired by Emma" section, it was noted that the movie Clueless was actually based on this novel, which I NEVER would have guessed if they hadn't mentioned it. I guess there are some similarities (Cher was a matchmaker, tried to improve Tai's status at school by taking her under her wing), they certainly took some liberties with a lot of the plot (falling in love with her step-brother rather than a sibling's husband's brother, which is far more removed).
The Introduction was a bit dry (but aren't they all?) and extremely wordy. I think the average word length went up by 2-3 for the Introduction. But he made a lot of really good points that I wouldn't have noticed on my own - even though most of what he did just seemed to be summarizing the novel.
Woodswoman: Living Alone in the Adirondack Wilderness - Anne LaBastille
Amazon Link
Rating: 3
Genre: Memoir-ish
This book came highly recommended by my boyfriend's mother. It is the first in a series of four books - true stories about the author and her life living in a cabin she built herself on a lake in the Adirondacks. I quite disliked her writing style, I'll be honest with you. It was jumpy, some of her word choices were very strange, and the detours she took from the main story of the chapter to describe things were quite distracting. Many times, by the time she got back to the point of the story, I had forgotten what she had been talking about in the first place. Also, much of it is just description. There are stories, and all the actual stories are worth reading. But there are also pages upon pages of description of things like ... the length of the boards used to put up a certain wall of her cabin. I dunno, it was just a very tedious read. I skipped more of it than I'd like to admit.
But, like I said, there were so many good stories there. I'd recommend suffering your way through the rest of it to get the stories. The story of her pet fox. The story of how she fell in love with her first husband. The story of rowing across the lake and watching the ice freeze up behind her. The story of her hike through the mountains and the history she found there. The story of the locals placing a 50lb barrel on the frozen-over lake and making bets as to when it would fall through the ice. And just the story of her survival in general. It was really inspiring and very interesting - I felt like I learned a lot while being somewhat entertained simultaneously.
Emma - Jane Austen (Barnes & Noble Classics Edition)
Amazon Link
Rating: 3
Genre: Classic Novel
I had never endeavored to read Emma before, although I have read and enjoyed others of Jane Austen's novels. This one, I didn't care for as much. The plot was interesting, and I did enjoy the twist at the end involving Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax - I was never expecting that and I actually laughed aloud with surprise. This is rare for me in any book - so obviously it did have its merits. It was just really long, an even more difficult read for me than her other novels (which is saying something). I have only one "real" complaint, and that is with regards to Emma's feelings about Frank Churchill. She first believes herself to be in love with him - and later decides she never was. And manages to convince poor Mr. Knightly of that as well (with help from the fact that Frank says in his letter he never believed Emma to be taken in by his act). But really, I think she may have been, at least to some extent. Certainly not the same kind of love that she felt for Mr. Knightly, but... love can express itself in many ways. I guess that's all I have to say about that. I'll be watching the movie Emma sometime in the future for my own movie community, so I'll be interested to see how it compares.
Speaking of that - I forced myself to read both the Introduction to the book (which is usually best read AFTER reading the work in question, rather than before) as well as the "Inspired by Emma" section at the back. In the "Inspired by Emma" section, it was noted that the movie Clueless was actually based on this novel, which I NEVER would have guessed if they hadn't mentioned it. I guess there are some similarities (Cher was a matchmaker, tried to improve Tai's status at school by taking her under her wing), they certainly took some liberties with a lot of the plot (falling in love with her step-brother rather than a sibling's husband's brother, which is far more removed).
The Introduction was a bit dry (but aren't they all?) and extremely wordy. I think the average word length went up by 2-3 for the Introduction. But he made a lot of really good points that I wouldn't have noticed on my own - even though most of what he did just seemed to be summarizing the novel.
74. Gossamer Lois Lowry (4/5)
Littlest One and her teacher, Thin Elderly, are tiny creatures whose job it is to touch beloved objects and then piece the bits of memory and emotion therein into dreams for humans. It is a wonderful vocation, but not without its dangers: there are also the Sinisteeds, terrible creatures that plague people with nightmares. Perhaps most frightening of all, dream-givers like Littlest One and Thin Elderly can become Sinisteeds if they don't do their work carefully.
Littlest One and Thin Elderly are in charge of giving dreams to a kind old woman, a fairly simple task. But when the woman takes in John, a foster child, his anger and troubled past leave him open to torment by the Sinisteeds, and the dream-givers must find a way to counteract this.
This is a short novel, but Lowry is adept at sketching out a tantalizing and fascinating story in so few pages. Her use of launguage is lovely, and I was utterly absorbed.
75. Trick of a Tale: A Collection of Trickster Tales John and Caitlin Matthews (4/5)
This is a beautifully illustrated book of trickster folktales from all over the world. The stories are short enough to make good read-alouds, and there's also a good range of stories, from simpler ones that will appeal to the very young, to more thought-provoking stories for older children and adults. I would definitely recommend it to librarians, storytellers, or just anyone who enjoys a beautifully executed collection of tales.
76. The World of the Druids Miranda J. Green (5/5)
This is a comprehensive, copiously illustrated volume that is sufficiently academically rigorous for the well-informed layperson, but straightforward and sufficiently full of eye candy for the neophyte. Green covers what we actually know about the Druids (not a lot, really), their place in myth and legend, and the Neo-Pagan Druidic movement.
77. Tales of Soldiers and Civilians and Other Stories Ambrose Bierce (4/5)
This is a selection of Ambrose Bierce's short stories, taken from several collections that were published during his life.
I read this book pretty much straight through, but if I were to read it again, I would probably jump around in the collection more instead of reading it from cover to cover. The first section of the book is all Civil War stories, many of which are excellent, but reading them all in a row is a little bit tiring.
On the whole, I somewhat preferred Bierce's later works, many of which are ghost stories, wickedly funny, or both. "My Favorite Murder" and "Oil of Dog" are both so awful and so funny that one feels vaguely guilty for laughing so hard.
78. Jack of Fables, Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape Bill Willingham (4/5)
Fans of the Fables series of comics will enjoy this spin-off, which follows the adventures of Jack (you know, THAT Jack, as in "the Giant-Killer," etc.). Folks who haven't read Fables might be pretty confused, though.
79. The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath (4/5)
I hadn't read this autobiographical novel since high school, so I figured maybe it was time to re-read it. It was actually quite different from what I'd remembered; I'd forgotten that more than half of the book takes place BEFORE Esther goes to the hospital. I'd also forgotten -- or just hadn't picked up before -- how mordantly funny the book is. Esther's observations about the people around her and her reactions to them are incredibly witty, and even her description of a depressive's twisted thinking is tinged with the humor of someone looking back wryly. The book is sad and serious as well, but since I had missed the humor before, that was what I ended up concentrating on.
There was much that I found confusing the first time I read this book. Plath's description of the slow slide into depression and the incredible inertia involved is SO spot-on, but I think in some ways it would be confusing and somewhat incomprehensible to someone who doesn't have more intimate knowledge of the experience. I could be wrong, though; it may just be that it resonated much more deeply this time around than it did when I first read the book.
Littlest One and her teacher, Thin Elderly, are tiny creatures whose job it is to touch beloved objects and then piece the bits of memory and emotion therein into dreams for humans. It is a wonderful vocation, but not without its dangers: there are also the Sinisteeds, terrible creatures that plague people with nightmares. Perhaps most frightening of all, dream-givers like Littlest One and Thin Elderly can become Sinisteeds if they don't do their work carefully.
Littlest One and Thin Elderly are in charge of giving dreams to a kind old woman, a fairly simple task. But when the woman takes in John, a foster child, his anger and troubled past leave him open to torment by the Sinisteeds, and the dream-givers must find a way to counteract this.
This is a short novel, but Lowry is adept at sketching out a tantalizing and fascinating story in so few pages. Her use of launguage is lovely, and I was utterly absorbed.
75. Trick of a Tale: A Collection of Trickster Tales John and Caitlin Matthews (4/5)
This is a beautifully illustrated book of trickster folktales from all over the world. The stories are short enough to make good read-alouds, and there's also a good range of stories, from simpler ones that will appeal to the very young, to more thought-provoking stories for older children and adults. I would definitely recommend it to librarians, storytellers, or just anyone who enjoys a beautifully executed collection of tales.
76. The World of the Druids Miranda J. Green (5/5)
This is a comprehensive, copiously illustrated volume that is sufficiently academically rigorous for the well-informed layperson, but straightforward and sufficiently full of eye candy for the neophyte. Green covers what we actually know about the Druids (not a lot, really), their place in myth and legend, and the Neo-Pagan Druidic movement.
77. Tales of Soldiers and Civilians and Other Stories Ambrose Bierce (4/5)
This is a selection of Ambrose Bierce's short stories, taken from several collections that were published during his life.
I read this book pretty much straight through, but if I were to read it again, I would probably jump around in the collection more instead of reading it from cover to cover. The first section of the book is all Civil War stories, many of which are excellent, but reading them all in a row is a little bit tiring.
On the whole, I somewhat preferred Bierce's later works, many of which are ghost stories, wickedly funny, or both. "My Favorite Murder" and "Oil of Dog" are both so awful and so funny that one feels vaguely guilty for laughing so hard.
78. Jack of Fables, Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape Bill Willingham (4/5)
Fans of the Fables series of comics will enjoy this spin-off, which follows the adventures of Jack (you know, THAT Jack, as in "the Giant-Killer," etc.). Folks who haven't read Fables might be pretty confused, though.
79. The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath (4/5)
I hadn't read this autobiographical novel since high school, so I figured maybe it was time to re-read it. It was actually quite different from what I'd remembered; I'd forgotten that more than half of the book takes place BEFORE Esther goes to the hospital. I'd also forgotten -- or just hadn't picked up before -- how mordantly funny the book is. Esther's observations about the people around her and her reactions to them are incredibly witty, and even her description of a depressive's twisted thinking is tinged with the humor of someone looking back wryly. The book is sad and serious as well, but since I had missed the humor before, that was what I ended up concentrating on.
There was much that I found confusing the first time I read this book. Plath's description of the slow slide into depression and the incredible inertia involved is SO spot-on, but I think in some ways it would be confusing and somewhat incomprehensible to someone who doesn't have more intimate knowledge of the experience. I could be wrong, though; it may just be that it resonated much more deeply this time around than it did when I first read the book.
 |
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell, 1851.
Genre: 19th Century Literature. Classic. Victorian chick-lit.
Other Details: 2007 Omnibus edition, introduction by Jenny Uglow, 530 pages.
Elizabeth Gaskell based Cranford upon stories recalled from her childhood in Knutsford, Cheshire. It was first published in serial form in Household Words in 1851 and later issued as a novel. This omnibus edition also includes the short story, The Cage at Cranford and the novellas Mr. Harrison's Confessions and My Lady Ludlow. These works were woven together and adapted by Heidi Thomas in 2007 for the highly acclaimed BBC series Cranford.
Rather than being driven by a central plot the Cranford stories are quite episodic; offering glimpses into the quiet lives of its mainly female characters in the early Victorian era. It is a genteel world in which decorum must be maintained at all times and the rules of propriety followed. Overall it's tone is low-key with a gentle charm and wit. It is not all bonnets and tea parties though as there is an awareness of poverty, illness and the proximity of death.
This book was the July selection for our Borders Book Club. Many of us had seen and adored the BBC series and so when we decided to tackle a classic novel this seemed a good choice. While I appreciated it as a window into the past that was more natural than dramatic works such as those of Dickens, I did find this somewhat of a chore to read. Of all the stories Mr. Harrison's Confessions engaged my attention the most, perhaps as this did have more of a focus in the narrative of a young doctor who finds himself beset by amorous attentions when he arrives in a new community. It is the funniest story and also a tender romance.
I also hadn't quite realised the length before opening it as the omnibus edition is quite slender despite the page count. I feel I would have enjoyed it more if I had tackled it over a longer period rather than tried to read it in the 2-3 days before our meeting as I would a modern novel. It really needed more time.
Given its provenance I started to consider it Victorian chick-lit with Mary Smith, its narrator, the Bridget Jones' Diary of her era. Sort of a 'No Sex and the Village' - how times have changed!
Band of Women - Jenny Uglow's introduction published in The Guardian, November 2007.
Hurray, summer is here and I have lots of time to read again :)
( Fables, One of Us, Jack of Fables, Virtual Unrealities, Shadow's Return, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, The Forever War, A Wizard of Earthsea, Dearly Devoted Dexter, Forever Peace, The Yellow Wallpaper, Of Withered Apples, Blacksad, Durham Red: The Vermin Stars, The Changing American Family )
- Mood:
bored
I'm about a month behind in posting, and I'm going to review the books I've read one by one as I get the review finished. Click on the book title to read the review:
#52. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, 1869, 426 pages.
#52. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, 1869, 426 pages.
- Location:bed
- Mood: upset
- Music:birds
Book #77 -- James Baldwin, Going to Meet the Man, 189 pages.
A collection of short stories. I liked Baldwin's novels, but his short stories are just amazing. He manages to capture so effectively some small slice of the human experience in such little space.
Progress toward goals: 195/366 = 53.3%
Books: 77/150 = 51.3%
Pages: 21024/50000 = 42.0%
2008 Book List
cross-posted to![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
gwynraven
A collection of short stories. I liked Baldwin's novels, but his short stories are just amazing. He manages to capture so effectively some small slice of the human experience in such little space.
Progress toward goals: 195/366 = 53.3%
Books: 77/150 = 51.3%
Pages: 21024/50000 = 42.0%
2008 Book List
cross-posted to
15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven05. You Suck by Christopher Moore ★★★★
This book was hilariously funny and very sharp-witted. Totally in the moment with snappy dialogue and incredible character development using multiple narrators. It is hip and young and fabulous and I loved it! Way to make vampire books fun. It is how I imagine, were I ever to wake up as a creature of the night, I would bumble along in my first few days as a vampire. Brilliant.
Now I have to go back and read the first novel, Bloodsucking Fiends, since I did not know this one was a sequel.
06. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger ★★★★★★★★
This is a story about love, loss, absence. It is true and touching and real. Henry skips through time like a stone in a way that he can't control, and his life becomes entangled with Clare's and his own, whether by free will or inescapable causality. Clare falls in love with the man from the future, meets the man from the present, and longs for the man from the past. Their love becomes an anchor, and a lighthouse, and the beating heart of their lives together. And these lives are far from simple. Henry's trips through time can be dangerous, brutal, give him knowledge he should not have, and force him to commit through his own eyes the mistakes he knows he will commit. Clare deals with Henry's phasing through reality, with having to hide her true love, and with the knowledge that somewhere their future together is mapped and committed. Their relationship is not romanticized. There are ups and downs, horrific loss, unanswerable questions, doubt. And there are the shining perfect moments, the comfort, the passion, and the completeness of their hearts finally together, swept away in the uncontrollable river of time.
This has become one of my favorite books.
07. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan ★★
A keenly observed short novel about tragic misunderstanding within a newlyweds' relationship during the early 1960s.
You might be thinking ‘Oh no, more misunderstandings! Hasn't he written enough of them in Atonement?’ Chesil Beach is less about class issues and more about sex issues (both in terms of gender and physicality). They're similar though in that the misunderstandings could have been resolved in both books if only certain characters would have spoken up sooner or acted with more thought.
I think Atonement was the better read overall. Though that's probably mostly because about 2/3rds of Chesil is spent describing in great detail, albeit artfully, the consummation of a marriage. I've heard that McEwan writes about sex a lot, but that's literally all this book is about, aside from some sparse backstory. I especially thought it effective the way he alternated between characters' perspectives, and between the past and the present.
08. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov ★★★★
John Updike once said of him, "Nabokov writes prose the only way it should be written, that is, ecstatically." I found myself laughing spontaneously throughout simply because I was so tickled by how much fun the author was having with the language.
Otherwise, though, I found this book a bit upsetting, not only for the obvious reason of the (very discreet, mind you) portrayal of the mutually damaging sexual relationship of a very inappropriate couple, but because I had such sympathy with the narrator. Not being loved by the object of one's affection and desire hurts, period, regardless of whether the object is an appropriate one or not. And the fact that the object, in this case, was hugely inappropriate just served to multiply my sympathetic feelings towards the man. Sucks to be painted into a corner, even if it's an ignoble one.
★★★★ | Loved.
★★★ | Enjoyed.
★★ | Okay.
★ | Pass.
This book was hilariously funny and very sharp-witted. Totally in the moment with snappy dialogue and incredible character development using multiple narrators. It is hip and young and fabulous and I loved it! Way to make vampire books fun. It is how I imagine, were I ever to wake up as a creature of the night, I would bumble along in my first few days as a vampire. Brilliant.
Now I have to go back and read the first novel, Bloodsucking Fiends, since I did not know this one was a sequel.
06. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger ★★★★★★★★
This is a story about love, loss, absence. It is true and touching and real. Henry skips through time like a stone in a way that he can't control, and his life becomes entangled with Clare's and his own, whether by free will or inescapable causality. Clare falls in love with the man from the future, meets the man from the present, and longs for the man from the past. Their love becomes an anchor, and a lighthouse, and the beating heart of their lives together. And these lives are far from simple. Henry's trips through time can be dangerous, brutal, give him knowledge he should not have, and force him to commit through his own eyes the mistakes he knows he will commit. Clare deals with Henry's phasing through reality, with having to hide her true love, and with the knowledge that somewhere their future together is mapped and committed. Their relationship is not romanticized. There are ups and downs, horrific loss, unanswerable questions, doubt. And there are the shining perfect moments, the comfort, the passion, and the completeness of their hearts finally together, swept away in the uncontrollable river of time.
This has become one of my favorite books.
07. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan ★★
A keenly observed short novel about tragic misunderstanding within a newlyweds' relationship during the early 1960s.
You might be thinking ‘Oh no, more misunderstandings! Hasn't he written enough of them in Atonement?’ Chesil Beach is less about class issues and more about sex issues (both in terms of gender and physicality). They're similar though in that the misunderstandings could have been resolved in both books if only certain characters would have spoken up sooner or acted with more thought.
I think Atonement was the better read overall. Though that's probably mostly because about 2/3rds of Chesil is spent describing in great detail, albeit artfully, the consummation of a marriage. I've heard that McEwan writes about sex a lot, but that's literally all this book is about, aside from some sparse backstory. I especially thought it effective the way he alternated between characters' perspectives, and between the past and the present.
08. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov ★★★★
John Updike once said of him, "Nabokov writes prose the only way it should be written, that is, ecstatically." I found myself laughing spontaneously throughout simply because I was so tickled by how much fun the author was having with the language.
Otherwise, though, I found this book a bit upsetting, not only for the obvious reason of the (very discreet, mind you) portrayal of the mutually damaging sexual relationship of a very inappropriate couple, but because I had such sympathy with the narrator. Not being loved by the object of one's affection and desire hurts, period, regardless of whether the object is an appropriate one or not. And the fact that the object, in this case, was hugely inappropriate just served to multiply my sympathetic feelings towards the man. Sucks to be painted into a corner, even if it's an ignoble one.
★★★★ | Loved.
★★★ | Enjoyed.
★★ | Okay.
★ | Pass.
| |
8 / 50 (16.0%) |
New here -- this is my first book with this community, not my first book this year, I promise :)
Title: The Professor
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Genre: Classic Lit?
Basic Info from Wikipedia because I'm lazy:
The Professor was the first novel by Charlotte Brontë. It was originally written before Jane Eyre and rejected by many publishing houses, but was eventually published posthumously in 1857.
I love how these kinds of books cherish morality and honor, without being over-bearing or boring. I read a lot of them as I was growing up, and have actually been thinking lately that they're probably somewhat to blame for my over-developed senses of honesty, responsibility, etc. Not that I don't struggle with these issues (REALLY need to call my grandparents!!), but I'm the nerd girl who pisses off her friends by picking up their litter, paying back loans of $.25, not speeding, etc.
Anyone else think their character may have been affected by the books they read as a child?
Title: The Professor
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Genre: Classic Lit?
Basic Info from Wikipedia because I'm lazy:
The Professor was the first novel by Charlotte Brontë. It was originally written before Jane Eyre and rejected by many publishing houses, but was eventually published posthumously in 1857.
The book is the story of a young man, William Crimsworth. It describes his maturation, his loves, and his eventual career as a Professor at an all-girl's school. The story is based upon Charlotte Brontë's experiences in Brussels where she studied as a language student in 1842.
My thoughts:
I highly enjoyed this book. I've always loved Jane Eyre, and I'm somewhat frustrated with myself for not exploring Charlotte Bronte's other works before. The Professor is well-written, funny, thought provoking, and actually cheery and inspiring (which was a bit of a surprise). Strongly recommended, particularly if you enjoy Bronte/Austen-style books :)I love how these kinds of books cherish morality and honor, without being over-bearing or boring. I read a lot of them as I was growing up, and have actually been thinking lately that they're probably somewhat to blame for my over-developed senses of honesty, responsibility, etc. Not that I don't struggle with these issues (REALLY need to call my grandparents!!), but I'm the nerd girl who pisses off her friends by picking up their litter, paying back loans of $.25, not speeding, etc.
Anyone else think their character may have been affected by the books they read as a child?
- Location:Home
- Mood: tired
- Music:Grey's Anatomy in the background
#24
Author: Quite various - Russian writers of the 19th century
Title: Белое привидение: Русская готика (The White Ghost: Russian Gothic stories)
Genre: gothic stories and novels - decent 19th century-fashioned
Language: Russian
Rating: 9/10
That's a collection of stories and short novels of famous - and not-so-famous - Russian writers of the early 19th century. To name several - A. Pogorelskiy, V. Odoyevskiy, A. Tolstoy (his novel 'Upyr', or 'The Vampire' is the one which comes into one's mind at once when the adjectives 'Russian' and 'gothic' appear together). The only story I've read before was this 'Upyr', other ones were completely new to me. They were amazing. I like this old fashon of writing, of narrating... the very air of 19th century gothic stories... The language, in brief, was very refreshing - after all those stupid modern bestsellers, in which the author violates the language, the style, the plot (if there's any plot present).
I recommend this book to all my Russian-speaking friends. And I also think these old writings are worth being translated into English.
#25
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Title: Jane Eyre
Genre: classics, romance
Language: English
Rating: 10/10
That was formally a reread. But I've last read this marvellous novel not less then nine years ago. In addition to that, I've only read it in Russian translation. So this book was a real treat. The edition was also one, with those thick yellowish pages and a very long introduction by Lucy Hughes-Hallett (I didn't like many ideas of this lady, but I adore reading long introductions and literature criticism even if I don't agree with them). I won't say anything on the book itself - I guess it is known by everyone. I like it very much, that's just the sort of thick 19th century novel I adore. And the depiction of relations between Jane and Mr Rochester, ah! I didn't remember them to be so-o-o sensual. This book is a must-read for anyone (however, I doubt, whether there's someone who hasn't read it).
As a foreigner, I also should add that the language is rather sophisticated. It took me some effort. Jane Austen's novels have much 'easier' language.
#26
Author: Марина і Сергій Дяченко (Marina and Sergey Dyachenko)
Title: Vita Nostra
Genre: As always, difficult to say - between fantasy and sci-fi. Let's say, psychological sci-fi
Language: Ukrainian
Rating: 8/10
The latest book of Dyachenko. A Ukrainian high-school student, Alexandra, gets under the influence of some horrifying dark man Farit. He tells her to do strange things: to bathe naked in the sea at four o'clock a.m.; to run in the nearby park at five a.m. each day - if she fails, something terrible - most likely, lethal - is going to happen to her mother or stepfather. After her graduation, she is forced to enter some eerie university in a small provincial town. There the rules are the same: study hard (and studying there is frighteningly difficult, for it seems nonsense), otherwise something terrible will happen to your relatives. Closer to the end Alexandra starts to see some sense in that... and then she comes to the final exam.
My thoughts: This book is said everywhere to be probably the most powerful of Dyachenko's novels. As for me, I can't agree with that. Yeah, it is strong - and quite cruel, as well. But the end is almost a disappointment. For me (and my mother, we've both read the book) there's no catharsis in it. ( a spoiler ) However, the book is pretty philosophical; captivating to read - few books offer such depth. That's the reason for my high rating.
#27
Author: Barbara Hambly
Title: Travelling with the Dead
Genre: mystery, vampires
Language: Russian (read in translation)
Rating: 10/10
I won't say anything on the plot (better ask google(C) ), only my ardent emotions. That was great. As great as the first book ('Those Who Hunt the Night') was. Same Edwardian England - or, rather, pre-World War I age - we are shown France, Austria, and Turkey. Same precision of details, sa
Author: Quite various - Russian writers of the 19th century
Title: Белое привидение: Русская готика (The White Ghost: Russian Gothic stories)
Genre: gothic stories and novels - decent 19th century-fashioned
Language: Russian
Rating: 9/10
That's a collection of stories and short novels of famous - and not-so-famous - Russian writers of the early 19th century. To name several - A. Pogorelskiy, V. Odoyevskiy, A. Tolstoy (his novel 'Upyr', or 'The Vampire' is the one which comes into one's mind at once when the adjectives 'Russian' and 'gothic' appear together). The only story I've read before was this 'Upyr', other ones were completely new to me. They were amazing. I like this old fashon of writing, of narrating... the very air of 19th century gothic stories... The language, in brief, was very refreshing - after all those stupid modern bestsellers, in which the author violates the language, the style, the plot (if there's any plot present).
I recommend this book to all my Russian-speaking friends. And I also think these old writings are worth being translated into English.
#25
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Title: Jane Eyre
Genre: classics, romance
Language: English
Rating: 10/10
That was formally a reread. But I've last read this marvellous novel not less then nine years ago. In addition to that, I've only read it in Russian translation. So this book was a real treat. The edition was also one, with those thick yellowish pages and a very long introduction by Lucy Hughes-Hallett (I didn't like many ideas of this lady, but I adore reading long introductions and literature criticism even if I don't agree with them). I won't say anything on the book itself - I guess it is known by everyone. I like it very much, that's just the sort of thick 19th century novel I adore. And the depiction of relations between Jane and Mr Rochester, ah! I didn't remember them to be so-o-o sensual. This book is a must-read for anyone (however, I doubt, whether there's someone who hasn't read it).
As a foreigner, I also should add that the language is rather sophisticated. It took me some effort. Jane Austen's novels have much 'easier' language.
#26
Author: Марина і Сергій Дяченко (Marina and Sergey Dyachenko)
Title: Vita Nostra
Genre: As always, difficult to say - between fantasy and sci-fi. Let's say, psychological sci-fi
Language: Ukrainian
Rating: 8/10
The latest book of Dyachenko. A Ukrainian high-school student, Alexandra, gets under the influence of some horrifying dark man Farit. He tells her to do strange things: to bathe naked in the sea at four o'clock a.m.; to run in the nearby park at five a.m. each day - if she fails, something terrible - most likely, lethal - is going to happen to her mother or stepfather. After her graduation, she is forced to enter some eerie university in a small provincial town. There the rules are the same: study hard (and studying there is frighteningly difficult, for it seems nonsense), otherwise something terrible will happen to your relatives. Closer to the end Alexandra starts to see some sense in that... and then she comes to the final exam.
My thoughts: This book is said everywhere to be probably the most powerful of Dyachenko's novels. As for me, I can't agree with that. Yeah, it is strong - and quite cruel, as well. But the end is almost a disappointment. For me (and my mother, we've both read the book) there's no catharsis in it. ( a spoiler ) However, the book is pretty philosophical; captivating to read - few books offer such depth. That's the reason for my high rating.
#27
Author: Barbara Hambly
Title: Travelling with the Dead
Genre: mystery, vampires
Language: Russian (read in translation)
Rating: 10/10
I won't say anything on the plot (better ask google(C) ), only my ardent emotions. That was great. As great as the first book ('Those Who Hunt the Night') was. Same Edwardian England - or, rather, pre-World War I age - we are shown France, Austria, and Turkey. Same precision of details, sa