Just One More Chapter...

Practical Magic

2008-07-15T00:46:00.003-05:00

The first thing that has to be said is that this book has very little to do with the movie with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. Really, the only thing in common between the two are the characters names.

With that aside, I think that Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic was fairly good. Practical Magic is the story of Sally and Gillian Owens, two sisters who were orphaned very young and subsequently were raised by their aunts who never imposed any rules on them. Their childhood was also strongly effected by the legends that the Owens women were and are witches, and that their aunts often meddled in the love lives of the people in their small Massachusetts town. This singular childhood had very different effects on the two girls and finally, a crisis brings the two sisters together.

This book wasn't fabulous and I wanted more magic (both in the sense of the storytelling and in the sense of a family of witches) but Hoffman portrayed the relationships between sisters, different as night and day but bound by blood and experience, very well. One problem I had with the book was the verb tenses used by Hoffman: everything past a certain point is in the present tense. Perhaps it is because I am not used to a style of writing that uses the present tense so heavily but it got on my nerves.

I might try reading more of Hoffman's work but I wasn't thrilled. As I said, there were some good elements, including the relationships between the Owens women, but there wasn't enough for me to fall in love with it.

Rating: 3.0

The Memories We Keep

2008-07-10T21:47:00.005-05:00

I recently found myself reading another novel centered around the Holocaust, written by Walter Zacharius. In The Memories We Keep, previously published as Songbird, Mia Levy is a farmer in Isreal when she recieves a letter from an old friend that dredges up memories from the war thirty years ago. Back in August 1939, Mia and her family were very well off, living in Poland and Mia had no greater joy than playing her piano. At 17 years old, her most immediate desire was a measure of freedom. Of course everything in Mia's life changes with the German invasion.

The story was interesting and Zacharius succeeded in making wonderfully human characters. In many stories concerning the Second World War and the Holocaust, any German characters are shown as irredeemably evil while the Jewish characters are nobely suffering saints. However, Zacharius has created dynamic characters who do not often fit into any one mold. Many German characters are shown with redeeming qualities and vice versa.

There were parts of the book that I didn't appreciate but they were few in number. I am not sure this book is appropriate for younger audiences as there was a bit of sex and SM described in the book, but the passages tended to be short and the rest of the book was enjoyable. It was also nice to see a different view of the war.

Rating: 4.0

A Promising Man (And About Time, Too)

2008-07-07T23:44:00.005-05:00

I don't know why, but I decided to give myself something nice and fluffy to read and when I saw A Promising Man by Elizabeth Young, I thought it looked and sounded perfect and I think I was right.

A Promising Man is about Harriet Grey, a woman in her late 20's who lives in an old house with some interesting friends. Sally is one of her closest friends who recently had a little boy, Jacko is an old school friend on the mend after a car accident, and Frida is a beautiful young woman from Sweden. One day, Harriet meets John, who seems to be perfect and maybe a little into her. The only problem is that he might be dating a girl Harriet knew from school.

There were a few side plots that seemed completely unnecessary but they weren't bad so I wasn't bothered by them. The most difficult thing for me was to understand some of the British slang and some of the abbreviations in the book. I figured out what most of them meant and looked up a few others but I am still scratching my head about one or two of the others.

Outside of that, this was an amusing book, even if it seemed like some of the characters had a tremendously hard time telling the truth. It was cute and enjoyable and I am glad I saw it. If you enjoy lighter books on occasion, you will probably enjoy this one as well.

Rating: 3.5

Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes

2008-07-06T16:45:00.006-05:00

So to my great surprise, I actually won a book during last week's Read-A-Thon: a graphic novel of my choice, to be precise. And after hearing quite a bit about the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman, I thought starting there would be the best choice. I am really glad I did, though now, I think I am going to have to buy the rest of the series.

I read a few online comics on a daily basis, so I am used to the medium in some ways but Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes was so much better than I even thought to hope for. Essentially, it is about the Sandman, or the anthropomorphic realization of Dreams. When some occult group seeks to capture Death, they mistakenly end up with him and hold him captive for decades.

The Dream King, as he was sometimes referred to is a very interesting character and while the story was sometimes rather dark... ok, really dark... I enjoyed it. The art was beautiful and I am beginning to see why The Sandman was number 46 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 100 best new classics. I also enjoyed some of the references to other works and ideas, especially the Inferno reference that some of you may have also recognized.

In short, I loved it and I can't wait to get the rest of the series and see what happens!

Rating: 4.5

Lucinda, Darkly

2008-07-01T00:08:00.003-05:00

I originally picked this book up because I had heard that those who enjoyed Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Trilogy would also enjoy this story. Unfortunately, while I can see the resemblance, I found Sunny's Lucinda, Darkly to be a poorer, more sexually overt, poor man's version of The Black Jewels Trilogy.

The basic story is about Lucinda, who was once a queen of some sort of people called the Monere and is now some sort of bounty hunter demon. There isn't much information about any of it, either the Monere or being a demon, but I guess there was enough to have some story. Anyway, Lucinda meets a rogue Monere and then is sent after a different rogue and then a bunch of stuff happens.

Well, the set-up for a bunch of stuff happens but then the end comes and I felt like Sunny had taken a larger book and ripped it in half, leaving so much unresolved. That irked me.

What also irked me is related to how I feel about The Black Jewels Trilogy. In Bishop's work, there is a large amount of sexuality but there was never a cheap romance novel feel any of it. I liked that. It was tasteful and I appreciated that. In Lucinda, Darkly, however, it sometimes felt like a poorly executed romance novel parading around in the fantasy genre.

It was a quick read so I didn't waste a ton of my time but I certainly won't bother to waste any more time in this series or anything by this author.

Rating: 2.0

If You Could See Me Now

2008-06-30T12:56:00.002-05:00

What if imaginary friends were real? If they were people who worked to help children and just happened to be invisible to everyone but the child? In Cecelia Ahern's If You Could See Me Now, Luke has just made a new friend named Ivan but he's the only one who can see Ivan. His very strait-laced aunt, Elizabeth, avoids additional complications in her life and thinks this imaginary friend business is ridiculous, but then, one day, she meets a man named Ivan.

To some extent, the book was absolutely great but I am also not completely in love with it. I don't even know if I can explain why. It is a cute story and there is drama and romance and a unique idea but it just didn't grab me the way some books do and it was made more obvious by trying to get through it for the Read-A-Thon. It wasn't something I needed to set down and it wasn't dry or boring but it just didn't have that hold on me. The ending was pulled off beautifully but I just felt like the middle dragged a bit, though the fact that I was reading this at 4 o'clock in the morning might have a teensy little bit to do with it.

Apparently though, it is being made into a movie which I think I might actually like more than the book. Different stories work better with different mediums and I think a film might do better in this case. I'll have to wait and see.

Rating: 3.5

Odd Thomas

2008-06-30T10:54:00.004-05:00

I have been hearing about Odd Thomas for a while now and I finally decided that the Read-A-Thon would be the perfect time to read the first book and see what I thought about the series. I hadn't heard much, only that it was about a character named Odd Thomas and that it was really good. I have to say, just the first few lines grabbed my attention and made me look forward to the rest of the book:

My name is Odd Thomas, though in this age when fame is the altar at which most people worship, I am not sure why you should care who I am or that I exist.
I am not a celebrity. I am not the child of a celebrity. I have never been married to, never been abused by, and never provided a kidney for transplantation into any celebrity. Furthermore, I have no desire to be a celebrity.
In fact I am such a nonentity by the standards of our culture that People magazine not only will never feature a piece about me but also might reject my attempts to subscribe to their publication on the grounds that the black-hole gravity of my noncelebrity is powerful enough to suck their entire enterprise into oblivion.

Who can resist a beginning like that?

As you can see, Odd's voice is very unique and often very amusing. Add that to a rather interesting plot, where Odd has the singular ability to see the dead, at least when they decide to show themselves, and this book was a very enjoyable read. It was also perfect for the Read-A-Thon as it was easily devoured. I had a great time with this book and can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Rating: 4.5

Read-A-Thon Wrap Up and Survey

2008-06-29T10:48:00.000-05:00

Ok. Well, it is Sunday morning and so I think it is time to see how I did.

FINAL STATS
Books read: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz and If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern
Pages read: 705
Time spent reading: 10 hours and 5 minutes (Is it sad that less than half of the 24 hours was actually spent reading? Imagine how much I could have read if more time had been spent actually reading)
Hours slept: OK, so I didn't want to sleep and I could have stayed up past when I did but I ended up going to sleep around 5 AM, with the intention of waking up at 8. Unfortunately, the alarm clock either didn't go off or I slept through it so I didn't get up till 9:15. So 4 hour 15 minutes would, I guess, be the short answer.

Thoughts:
This was a ton of fun. Even when I was frustrated about interruptions or strung out on caffeine, it was still awesome to think of everyone reading at the same time and sharing everything. I think it is awesome that some people have family and friends to read with and family to help make it possible to participate. While I barely touched the TBR pile, all of the books will find their way in the larger TBR pile and I will be writing official reviews of both Odd Thomas and If You Could See Me Now. All in all, I can't wait to hear about the next Read-A-Thon!

And here is an End Survey on the whole thing!
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
I think it was around hour 17 or when I was concerned about family waking up and finding my light still on - at least that's when I gave in to sleep.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Odd Thomas was good for grabbing attention. Outside of that, it seemed many people were fond of YA books and graphic novels for reading.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
It was so awesome, I am not sure how to make things better, though I think the suggestion of making individual update posts might have been a good idea (therefore that's a personal improvement to the experience I will be making.)

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
The feeds created of all of the participants blogs was really nice. It made it easy to go there and read through some of the updates posted by fellow readers.

5. How many books did you read?
2

6. What were the names of the books you read?
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz; If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Odd Thomas - it was a suspenseful novel and easy read which was perfect for this event.

8. Which did you enjoy least?
Not Applicable

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
Not Applicable

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Oh, I am definitely up for another Read-A-Thon - just not in the next week, while I am catching up on sleep. I loved reading, but might donate prizes next time and cheer others on.

Read-A-Thon: Location, Location, Location

2008-06-29T01:31:00.002-05:00

So Dewey asks for us to find out five facts about the location of the book we are currently reading. In my case, that is If You Could See Me Now which takes place in Ireland. So, five facts about Ireland (which should be fairly easy for me since I wrote a paper on the conflict in Ireland a few years ago.

1- Ireland, the island, is split up into two parts: the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom.

2- The traditional language is Irish, which sounds nothing like it is spelled. For example, one of the characters names is Saoirse, which is apparently pronounced "seer-sha" and means "freedom."

3- The Republic of Ireland is one of the 27 members of the European Union and their currency is the Euro.

4- Over 85% of the country claims to be Roman Catholic and the country is famous for St. Patrick.

5- After many years of "The Troubles," a time when terrorism between the Republic and Northern Ireland and religious groups battled, Ireland seems to have found a measure of peace within itself.

Read-A-Thon Mid-Event Survey

2008-06-28T22:42:00.003-05:00

So the mini-challenge for the moment is a Mid-Event Survey from Dewey:

1. What are you reading right now?
I am actually between books and haven't picked out my next one yet.

2. How many books have you read so far?
Just one, Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz, which I loved.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Probably my Dorothy L. Sayers mystery, since I loved Whose Body? so much.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Well, I made a deal with my mother, but since I hadn't reminded her of it in the last week or so, she had forgotten.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
I had some major interruptions, also known as moving my younger sister's things to the house. As for dealing with them, I growled a bit and complained more than I should have and took every spare moment for reading. Finally, I rejoiced in the fact that we were done for the day and I could, again, devote myself to my beloved books.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
How hard it is to spend the day reading.
And how many people can spend the day reading with friends or family. My family usually tries to discourage my reading so I find that to be truly awesome. If you have that, appreciate it!

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Nope! It seems awesome to me!

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
Have my own place so that no one could bother me.

9. Are you getting tired yet?
It wasn't that long ago that I was a college student doing all-nighters and I still stay up late on a normal basis. So right now, I am fine. In about five hours, I may be singing a different tune.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Water is also a good way to stay up - something about staying well hydrated... It worked in school...

Meanwhile, I hope everyone is having a completely awesome time!

Read-A-Thon Quotes

2008-06-28T15:19:00.002-05:00

My absolute favorite quote comes from G.K. Chesterton's Phantastes: A Faerie Romance:

As in all sweetest music, a tinge of sadness was in every note. Nor do we know how much of the pleasures even of life we owe to the intermingled sorrows. Joy cannot unfold the deepest truths, although deepest truth must be deepest joy. Cometh white-robed Sorrow, stooping and wan, and flingeth wide the doors she may not enter. Almost we linger with Sorrow for very love.

EDIT: So apparently, I am a complete idiot because this quote and Phantastes is by George MacDonald - NOT G.K. Chesterton. Chesterton has some awesome quotes and he is probably one of my favorite authors but yeah - this wasn't him. So I apologize... (I am going back to my books now.)

Read-A-Thon Mini-Challenge 2

2008-06-28T13:12:00.003-05:00

So Nymeth has challeneged everyone to take some time to check out a web-comic and share with the class. In my case, I read about four comics on a normal basis. I found most of them through some of my more geeky friends and love them.

The first, and one of my favorites, is Real Life Comics by Greg Dean. This comic has been around for a few years and relates a bit from Dean's real life (thus, the title) and then takes some of it into the more fantastic. For example, his friend Tony has a space station and has almost taken over the world a few times in the past. Not so much reality, but lots of fun. Another I love is Girl Genius, which is about Agatha Heterodyne, a genius with inventing and someone who seems to get into trouble. Also in my list, is Something Positive, a very cynical but amusing comic, and Ctrl-Alt-Del, which is usually pretty funny and makes comments about the gaming world (which I only understand because of some of my friends.

For some reason, I usually don't think of these as reading, but then again, it is, in essence, an online graphic novel. Oh well, my prejudices regarding reading are constantly shifting and here's one more idea to change!

Back to the books!

My Read-A-Thon

2008-06-28T11:00:00.014-05:00

So it's finally here and I will be reading today for as much of the next 24 hours as I can manage. We'll see how this goes. I have my pile of books ready to go, not to mention a gift card for Starbucks for pumping caffeine into my blood stream. I am going to try to spend some time every couple of hours updating this entry, as well as checking out the blogs of other participants. With that, I'll cross my fingers and hope my eyes won't start blurring out in the middle of the night from over use and crack open my first book!

My book pile:
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Summer Desserts by Nora Roberts
Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Measure of a Lady by Deeanne Gist
If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern

Meanwhile, I might also try to spend some time today catching up on older book reviews... We'll see.

UPDATE (1:05 PM CST)
Currently reading: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Pages read: 80
Running total of pages read since I started: 80
Time spent reading: 1 hour 15 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since I started: 1 hour 15 minutes
Number of comments left: 4
Mini-challenge this hour: Read a webcomic (in my case, Girl Genius) and make a short post on it.
Books completed since I started: 0

Comments about this hour: I really love Odd Thomas so far. It is a bit out there but Odd's voice is fabulously entertaining. The only problem right now is that I actually drank coffee this morning with breakfast (something I almost never do) and so I am still a bit jittery. Note to self: I am not used to a large amount of caffiene.

UPDATE (4:55 PM CST)
Currently reading: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Pages read: 63
Running total of pages read since I started: 143
Time spent reading: 55 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since I started: 2 hours 10 minutes
Number of comments left: 6
Mini-challenge this hour: Create a collage of the book covers that you read today
Prize you’ve won: Yay!! I actually won something - a Bookmooch point and a graphic novel from Amazon!!
Books completed since I started: Nada

Comments about this hour: So, as I said in the Introduction meme, my sister is moving over the next week or so and I was informed today that my mother planned to do the bulk of that today. So I haven't spent nearly as much time reading as I would want to. Still, Odd Thomas is very interesting thus far and I am definitely looking forward to reading a ton tonight when the family sleeps.

UPDATE (6:20 PM CST)
Currently reading: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Pages read: 83
Running total of pages read since I started: 226
Time spent reading: 1 hour 10 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since I started: 3 hours 20 minutes
Number of comments left: 6
Books completed since I started: Still working on my first...

Comments about this hour: I've actually had time to read! And now back to it because things are starting to get very interesting...

UPDATE (9:00 PM CST)
Currently reading: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Pages read: 58
Running total of pages read since I started: 284
Time spent reading: 1 hour
Running total of time spent reading since I started: 4 hours 20 minutes
Number of comments left: 10
Books completed since I started: Still working on my first...

Comments about this hour: Let's see... I helped the sister a little more, ate dinner with the parental units who were confused by my consumption of caffeine at this time of night (I don't think they understand that I am staying up all night) and managed to squeeze in little bits of reading that added up to an hour. I need to get some solid reading done here...

UPDATE (10:35 PM CST)
Currently reading: Since I just finished book 1, I am about to pick out book 2 from the TBR pile, I just don't know which one it will be.
Pages read: 115
Running total of pages read since I started: 399
Time spent reading: 1 hour 25 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since I started: 5 hours 45 minutes
Number of comments left: 10
Books completed since I started: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Comments about this hour: So I finally have been able to really sit down and read and I have to say Odd Thomas was absolutely awesome. The story was good and I loved the narration and I will be writing a full review sometime after the Read-A-Thon. Now, to make myself some Earl Grey and pick my next book...

UPDATE (1:15 AM CST)
Currently reading: If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern
Pages read: 84
Running total of pages read since I started: 483
Time spent reading: 1 hour 25 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since I started: 7 hours 10 minutes
Number of comments left: 11
Books completed since I started: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Comments about this hour: So after a shower, a cup of tea, and a large glass of water, I think I am set to read for a while now. I would have tried the Korea mini-challenge but I can't think of that many facts I know, outside of the basics. Isn't that sad, considering I graduated with a major in International Relations. I am a bad Diplo-dork.

UPDATE (2:45 AM CST)
Currently reading: If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern
Pages read: 61
Running total of pages read since I started: 544
Time spent reading: 55 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since I started: 8 hours 5 minutes
Number of comments left: 11
Books completed since I started: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Comments about this hour: It was raining for a while but that is the only thing interesting here, other than my book, which is pretty good. An imaginary friend of sorts is one of the main characters and sometime narrators. So far, I am a fan.

UPDATE (3:55 AM CST)
Currently reading: If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern
Pages read: 55
Running total of pages read since I started: 599
Time spent reading: 55 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since I started: 9 hours
Number of comments left: 11
Books completed since I started: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Comments about this hour: I would love to say that I am going to stay up the whole time and then sleep but I think I am going to go to bed. I would rather not be up when my parents get up for church and try to explain that, yes, I have been up all night reading again. I will probably read for a few more minutes and then nap till 8 AM (CST).

Read-A-Thon Introductions

2008-06-28T08:53:00.002-05:00

So I guess we're starting early and here is our first mini-challenge in the form of an Introduction Meme from Darcie:

Where are you reading from today?
Most of my reading will be right here at home in northwestern Louisiana, though I may have to move around a bit today helping family with stuff.

3 facts about me...
*My 23rd birthday was a little over two weeks ago.

*I am the only person in my immediate family who likes to read.

*I might spend some of today helping to move my sister, which annoys me since my mother told me about that this morning.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
I have seven books in my pile right now but I am guessing I will read about three of them. Then again, two of them are fairly light so maybe I will manage more.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
My goal is more in staying up all night reading. I couldn't manage to stay up all night reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, partly because my eyes were blurring out, with or without my glasses, so we will see if I can manage it today.

Any advice for people doing this for the first time?
This is my first time so maybe I will have more advice this time tomorrow...

A Midsummer Night's Dream

2008-06-20T22:54:00.004-05:00

What can you say about A Midsummer Night's Dream? This is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's plays because it has everything. It is a comedy, which is much more suited to me and my personality that a tragedy like Hamlet. (I prefer jokes and true love to death and revenge, even if it makes for more dramatic circumstances.) There are faeries, true love, and strange actors and all of it is so delightful.

I think my favorite character would have to be Puck, Oberon's servant of sorts. He mocks everyone and makes a mess of things for the poor mortals in the forest but he has a good time. Hermia and Helena are also funny, especially when they fight and Helena makes the comments about Hermia being short. Of course, Bottom's transformation and the ensueing jokes are hilarious.

It is all wonderful and I can only say that I love it. Reading it for the end of the Once Upon A Time II challenge was delightful and a perfect way to spend some time at the beginning of summer.

Rating: 5.0

So You Want To Be A Wizard

2008-06-08T23:18:00.005-05:00

Nita Callahan isn't having the easiest time out of being 13. This might be due to the group of kids that sees it as a weekly obligation to give Nita a blackeye. Or that she doesn't have a whole lot of friends. Or that her younger sister is practically a genius. One day, while running from a beating, Nita finds a book in the library that she hasn't seen before: So You Want to Be a Wizard. When Nita takes it home and starts to read it, her whole world begins to change.

Honestly, I have been wanting to read this particular series for a while but since I didn't have the whole series at my disposal at any time until now, I have held off. I hate starting a series and then having to wait to get my hands on the next one. (I started one series about 10 years ago and I am still waiting for the author to finish the third book so I can read it and find out what happens. Now I know - have the whole series before you start.) Anyway, I have finally borrowed all of them so I can read one right after the other and read this series and that makes me a very happy person.

This series is cute so far and revolves around Nita and 12 year old Kit. I love the fact that Nita loves books and has read most of the books at her local library and it was very fun to see the world imagined by Duane and how it co-exists with our own world. In this world, plants and animals and even old beat-up cars can speak to you if you know Speech and can listen. The wizardry that Nita and Kit find themselves in has a very scientific approach at times, when the characters make some big calculations to work their magic.

The next book in the series is Deep Wizardry and I don't think it will be very long before I am finished with it.

Rating: 4.0

A Classic Challenge and a Bit of Craziness

2008-06-06T12:35:00.009-05:00

As if I don't have enough to read (though my lists are getting rather short) and I am not behind on reviews by enough (I have seven books that I have finished by not been able to write about, at least not to my satisfaction), I thought it was time to add another challenge or so to my list.

The first challenge, taking place from July 1 to December 31, 2008, is the Classics Challenge, hosted by Trish at Trish's Reading Nook. The rules are to read five classics but there is also an optional addition of one book that someone believes should be or will be a classic. Here is my present list for this challenge (though I am sure one or two of the titles will change before December):

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
A Thousand and One Arabian Nights
Lady Chatterly's Lover by D. H. Lawrence
And my new classic will be:
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

As for the craziness, I recently saw that Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf is hosting a 24-Hour Read-A-Thon. The idea is very simple: stay up and read for twenty-four hours, or as long as you can, and support those reading with you through blogging. (Here is the FAQ.) You can be a Reader (like I plan to be), or a Cheerleader. Readers will start reading on Saturday, June 28th at 9 a.m. (PST), which means 11 a.m. for me. (Can I tell you how happy I am that I won't need to get up early? I don't do mornings if I can help it.) There will also be mini-challenges posted by the Cheerleaders and other awesome people devoting time to this idea. All in all, it sounds like a great way to spend a day, even if it is a little crazy. I have no idea what I will be reading then (after all, it is two weeks away and my TBR pile may have changed quite a bit by then) but I am looking for any suggestions you may have.

The Portrait of a Lady

2008-06-05T23:51:00.006-05:00

This is a book that has been sitting on my shelf for at least 5 years that I never got up the courage to try until just recently. I don't know why I never touched it but I just wasn't sure I wanted to read it. Finally, I sat down and tried to get into it and, even though James spends much of his time in descriptions, the books was wonderful and well-deserving of its status as a classic.

Isabel Archer, the main character, is a young woman from America. After her father dies, her aunt Lydia decides to bring her to Europe for a time. There she meets her cousin, Ralph, and her ailing uncle, before traveling to see the rest of the continent and meeting a whole slew of other people, most of whom are captivated with Miss Archer. Add to this a few of Isabel's friends from the states and you have a very large group of characters, though James does a superb job of making it easy to remember who the characters are. I never found myself confused as to who someone was.

Have you ever seen Mona Lisa Smile? The scene where Betty is talking to her mother and asking for her opinion on a copy of the Mona Lisa?

She's smiling. Is she happy? She looks happy. So what does it matter?

This quote came to mind many times while I was reading this book, as James seemed to show that the picture presented by ladies in the mid to late 1800's was not always true to reality. He also explores the minds and motives behind the actions of the characters, giving the reader an unusually full idea of who each character is and, not only what they are doing, but why they are doing this. I will say that I was not always able to understand Isabel, which bothered me, but that wasn't because James wasn't allowing enough access to Isabel's thoughts.

I honestly don't know what to think about the end as James leaves it to the reader to decide what Isabel finally does. I am still mulling it over but while I am not sure of the destination, the journey was well worth the time and effort.

Rating: 4.5

Around the World in Eighty Days

2008-05-24T00:11:00.004-05:00

I have never had the chance to read something by Jules Verne, though he is the only author one friend of mine will even try to read. Finally, I saw a lovely little copy in one of the Barnes and Noble classics that are small enough to fit in my back pocket and I decided I should try it.

Should I also mention that the only film version I had seen of this book was one with Jackie Chan playing the role of Passepartout? Which means I was very pleasantly surprised by the plot of the real story - it really is a good story.

I don't know how much I can say about this novel but I had a good time reading it. As I am sure you know, Around the World in Eighty Days is about a man, Phileas Fogg, who makes a bet that he can travel around the entire globe in eighty days. Going along with him is his new valet, Passpartout, and there are a few others who join him in his voyage as Fogg travels. Verne describes a lot and that sometime broke into the rhythm of the story and I felt that Phileas Fogg (how exactly do you pronounce his first name?) was a bit flat but it was a fun adventure story. I can see why it has come to be remembered as a classic. I am not sure I want to read more of Verne's work but Around the World in Eighty Days was short enough that it was enjoyable to read, even if it wasn't my normal fare.

Rating: 4.5

The Princess Bride

2008-05-21T23:40:00.006-05:00

I think almost everyone has seen The Princess Bride with Cary Elwes and Robin Wright playing the main characters of Westley and Buttercup. I mean, who can forget Andre the Giant playing the role of Fezzik, and Mandy Patinkin saying those classic lines: "Hello, my name is Inogo Montoya; you killed my father; prepare to die." And that's not to mention Miracle Max and his wife, Prince Humperdinck, Vizzini, and the evil Count Rugen. This movie is a classic and I absolutely love it. Thus, when I saw that there was a book, I had to buy and read it.

William Goldman presents The Princess Bride as an abridgement of a work by Florin author S. Morgenstern, who wrote the book as a political satire mocking the monarchy. Goldman also presents the story of his father reading this story to him when he was a small boy sick with pneumonia. Of course, all of it is false but it is an enjoyable plot device, for the most part. There were points when I wanted to skip the fictional Goldman parts to read the basic story but it wasn't often enough that I actually did skip anything.

The book and the movie are very similar; very few changes were made by the film crew when the adapted Goldman's book but, to be honest, where the two diverge, I tend to like the movie better. This is still a great book, full of humor and adventure, but this is one of the few examples where the movie may be better. Perhaps that is because, for me, Mandy Patinkin will always be Inigo, and Andre the Giant will always be slow, sweet Fezzik, and so on. I will say that the reader gets more of the back story in the book and it all adds to understand the characters.

To sum it up, the movie is iconic but the book is still pretty darn good. If you liked one, you will probably like the other.

Rating: 4.0

The Goose Girl

2008-05-21T00:01:00.004-05:00

I am not sure why I grabbed this book. It might be because I have looked at in the bookstore about ten times and hadn't bought it yet. It might be because I have heard several people speak very highly of Shannon Hale's work. It may be that my friend told me to go back and get it since I couldn't find anything else I wanted. Either way, I am very glad I got this book.

The Goose Girl is a retelling of a fairy tale by the same name by the Brothers Grimm. It is the story of the Crown Princess Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee (more commonly known as Ani), who was the first daughter born to the king and queen of Kildenree. When she was a child, her aunt spent a lot of time with her and taught her about the world. Her aunt also teaches her how to speak to the birds, telling her that each person is born with a word on their lips - the ability to speak to people, animals, or perhaps the elements themselves. I don't want to give to much away but you can read the fairy tale and know the general plot-line. Then again, even after I had done so, I didn't see everything that was coming in this book. Hale's characters were interesting and it was nice to see a fairy-tale princess that wasn't perfect and articulate.

While I did find this book in the YA section, where I seldom go, it didn't seem to me that it was a book that could only fit within the realms of YA novels. Since there is a sequel, called Enna Burning, I think I know what I will get next time I am at the local bookstore.

Rating: 4.0

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

2008-05-16T13:55:00.004-05:00

To be honest, I didn't think I was going to like this book. It was short but it also isn't my normal fare. Still, the idea of it, that of a young immigrant's experience in America changing after the September 11 attacks, held interest for me.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Moshin Hamid, is the story of Changez, a young Pakistani man who, in May of 2001, has just graduated from Princeton, found a great job, and has met a girl. Life seems to be going very well for him and he looks to be on the way to happiness. Of course, the September 11 attacks happen and, in his home country of Pakistan, war with India seems increasingly possible and eminant. All of this drives Changez to look around and reassess his life.

One of the best things about this book was the narrative style. Changez is telling his story to a mysterious American as they eat dinner in a Lahore cafe. We hear it from Changez's point of view.

There is also a good deal of suspence in the novel and there are definitely questions remaining at the end of the book. Sometimes I like that and sometimes it annoys me. I am not sure whether I like having these questions left but the device has made me think and ruminate on the book.

End thoughts: this is a good, suspenceful read that is very relevant to the current world situation. I am very glad I picked this one up and I recommend it to people who aren't put off but current issue type reads.

Rating: 5.0

Phantastes: A Faerie Romance

2008-05-14T23:48:00.001-05:00

In Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis wrote about a book he found on a train station when he was a young man. This book, written by George MacDonald, left such an impression upon Lewis that when he wrote The Great Divorce, his guide through Heaven is MacDonald himself. With such a recommendation, I felt that I simply had to try reading it myself.

Phantastes: A Faerie Romance chronicles the travels of a young man, known to the readers only as Anodos, who found himself in Fairy Land the morning after his birthday. In Fairy Land, he meets many beings, from the kind Beech tree to the evil Ash who seeks to devour him. Soon though, he is followed by his own Shadow, a dark, malevolent creature that he cannot escape. All the while, he is traveling through Fairy Land, seeking his white woman, a woman he loves.

I will admit that I found Phantastes rather difficult at times but that is probably due to the language used and how descriptive MacDonald gets at points. It was written in 1856, so some of the words and usage are archaic but once the reader gets past that, this is a wonderful tale.

I also found my favorite quote in this book:

Nor do we know how much of the pleasures even of life we owe to the intermingled sorrows. Joy cannot unfold the deepest truths, although deepest truth must be deepest joy. Cometh white-robed Sorrow, stopping and wan, and flingth wide the doors she may not enter. Almost we linger with Sorrow for very love.

Isn't that just lovely.

Rating: 4.5

The Fourth Bear

2008-05-10T17:07:00.003-05:00

In the world of The Fourth Bear, characters from novels, nursery tales, and other ideas are made real. In fact, those characters originating from nursery tales have their own police department, called the Nursery Crime Division. The NCD is headed by Jack Spratt who was last seen solving the mystery of the murder of Humpty Dumpty, in The Big Over Easy, along with Sergent Mary Mary, and Constable Ashley, an alien from Rambosia. Now, Jack has had a few bad breaks (letting Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother get eaten isn't good for a inspector's career) and Goldilocks goes missing, followed by the escape of the Gingerbread Man, a psychotic killer. Add to that a car bought from a man named Dorian Grey and the fact that Punch and his wife, Judy, have moved next door, and Jack's life is going to be interesting.

Jasper Fforde authors wonderfully amusing reads with his quirky style and his visions of many of our favorite childhood characters. Talking bears who have won the right to live among men and use honey and porridge as a euphoria-inducing substance and seven foot tall cookies (or is he a cake?) that tend to murder random people are stand-out examples of Fforde's anthropomorphication efforts. The characters understand that they are in a story and often ask what plot device they will use. Will they decide to go with number twenty-six, garnering glory by solving the mystery behind the backs of their superiors, or number thirty-eight, waiting until they are begged for help and then saving the day? There is also a point at which a joke is finally fully revealed and Spratt and Mary comment that they don't know how the author gets away with such lame jokes. All of it works well towards making a good detective story that also amuses till the very end and makes you look forward to the next Nursery Crime novel.

Rating: 5.0

Manual Labor - BTT

2008-05-08T12:17:00.002-05:00

It's time for another Booking Through Thursday and the question this week is:

Writing guides, grammar books, punctuation how-tos . . . do you read them? Not read them? How many writing books, grammar books, dictionaries–if any–do you have in your library?

Let's see... If I haven't thrown it out, I believe I have a small guide from college but that's it. Well, other than a dictionary and thesaurus, also from college. That's if you are only counting books on English. I have several guides, dictionaries, and workbooks on French but that is to help me continue to learn the language and not forget the little that I learned in school.