36: The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
Pages: 388
Finished: June 27
Seriously? I’m still reading these? You better believe it. This is the perfect beach read. Light, sappy, romantic, full of dashing men in waistcoats saving damsels who aren’t really in distress. I will say that this was a bad choice size-wise, because this damn library book added at least five pounds to my carry-on luggage.
37: The Magician’s Assistant
by: Ann Patchett
Pages: 368
Finished: June 28
I think that this might be my favorite book I have read this summer. It is definitely in the top three. Patchett’s prose is excellent, and the character development was beautiful. Sabine, the titular assistant, had only recently married the gay magician whom she had faithfully worked alongside for twenty years. Parsifal’s sudden death leaves Sabine with many questions about the holes in his past and the family that suddenly appears. My particular favorite part is that Parsifal’s gay lover for many years, Phan, appears in Sabine’s dreams, showing her what death is like for them, and having all the conversations that they didn’t have in life. I read the book on the beach, so when Sabine goes to find this elusive family and discover why Parsifal would change his name and ends up in the wintry desolation of the Midwest, it was a little difficult to wrap my head around.
Since I had all day to read, I enjoyed the lack of chapter breaks. There was never a point that said “ You can put the book down now if you want” so I never felt the need to put it down, and when I had to, it was exceptionally easy to pick right back up where I left off. It was just a constant flow of words that lulled me into another world.
38: This is Where I Leave You
Pages: 339
Finished: June 29
A family of non-practicing Jews are called by their mother to sit Shiva for their father who just died after a long illness. Our narrator has quit his job and separated from his wife after catching her in bed with his boss. His eldest brother is worried about the family business and getting his wife pregnant. His sister has just had her third kid with a husband that it seems she does not love. His youngest brother, a compulsive liar and ladies man tells everyone who comes by the house a different story of where he has been for the last three years. Throw into this mix lies, anger, hilarious outbursts, drug use, and secrets and you have a week in hell with a family that defines dysfunctional. All in all, a quick but delightful read. You can’t help cheering your narrator on, even when he makes one terrible choice after another.
Good Reading (with sand),
Caitlin
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Summer Part One: 33-35
33: The Masque of the Black Tulip
Pages: 453
Finished: May 26
Entertaining but not quite as amusing as The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. I think that maybe I just didn't like the two main characters as much, or appreciate their interactions. I did like the little pieces of character development, like Miles' love of ginger biscuits, but past that, I really just wanted to finish this one and move on to the next.
34: The Deception of the Emerald Ring
Pages:
Finished: May 27
Much better than Black Tulip, I really enjoyed this one immensely. Her parents, the mistaken identity, the general feel of the book, all lead to a more enjoyable read.
35: The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
Pages: 385
Finished: June 11
So, this is the first of the Pink Carnation books that I talked about to someone who wasn’t reading them, and I realized that these are not books you can talk about without sounding like an idiot. For example, the conversation went
“Caitlin, what are you reading?”
“Well, it’s a book about spies in England.”
“You mean James Bond?”
“Well, not exactly…”
“…?” (The raised eyebrow is very difficult to put into dialogue)
“Well, see, Lord Vaughn might or might not be a spy, and Mary Alsworthy is supposed to help him, but right now she’s been kidnapped, and Lord Vaughn has to rescue her without drawing additional suspicion.”
“Uh…what?”
Aside from the awkwardness of discussing this book with others, I really liked this one a lot because I have always enjoyed the dark brooding characters with a dark past and secrets. I mean, Severus Snape is my hero, so Lord Vaughn is right up my alley. I knew there had to be more to him than just being a jerk.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 453
Finished: May 26
Entertaining but not quite as amusing as The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. I think that maybe I just didn't like the two main characters as much, or appreciate their interactions. I did like the little pieces of character development, like Miles' love of ginger biscuits, but past that, I really just wanted to finish this one and move on to the next.
34: The Deception of the Emerald Ring
Pages:
Finished: May 27
Much better than Black Tulip, I really enjoyed this one immensely. Her parents, the mistaken identity, the general feel of the book, all lead to a more enjoyable read.
35: The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
Pages: 385
Finished: June 11
So, this is the first of the Pink Carnation books that I talked about to someone who wasn’t reading them, and I realized that these are not books you can talk about without sounding like an idiot. For example, the conversation went
“Caitlin, what are you reading?”
“Well, it’s a book about spies in England.”
“You mean James Bond?”
“Well, not exactly…”
“…?” (The raised eyebrow is very difficult to put into dialogue)
“Well, see, Lord Vaughn might or might not be a spy, and Mary Alsworthy is supposed to help him, but right now she’s been kidnapped, and Lord Vaughn has to rescue her without drawing additional suspicion.”
“Uh…what?”
Aside from the awkwardness of discussing this book with others, I really liked this one a lot because I have always enjoyed the dark brooding characters with a dark past and secrets. I mean, Severus Snape is my hero, so Lord Vaughn is right up my alley. I knew there had to be more to him than just being a jerk.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Friday, May 6, 2011
Books 31 and 32
31: Gifts
Finished: May 4
Pages: 274
32: Voices
Finished: May 5
Pages: 341
These books are connected but could stand alone. They were both written by Ursula K. Le Guin, the author of the Earthsea Cycle, which I read years and years ago. Although they are stand alone, the main characters of the first novel are supporting characters in the second. The stories take place in a magical land (surprise surprise) that allows people to have gifts: the ability to do certain magical actions, including talking to animals, and reading minds. For young adult novels, they were interesting and a little heavy handed when it came to the moral lesson of the book, but that didn't keep them from being interesting. Le Guin has a distinct voice that I can still appreciate even as an adult.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Finished: May 4
Pages: 274
32: Voices
Finished: May 5
Pages: 341
These books are connected but could stand alone. They were both written by Ursula K. Le Guin, the author of the Earthsea Cycle, which I read years and years ago. Although they are stand alone, the main characters of the first novel are supporting characters in the second. The stories take place in a magical land (surprise surprise) that allows people to have gifts: the ability to do certain magical actions, including talking to animals, and reading minds. For young adult novels, they were interesting and a little heavy handed when it came to the moral lesson of the book, but that didn't keep them from being interesting. Le Guin has a distinct voice that I can still appreciate even as an adult.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Book 30: Water for Elephants
Finished: May 3
Pages: 331
Water for Elephants is one of those books that I didn't read for years because everyone and their dog was reading it and telling everyone else how awesome it was. Don't think for one minute that I read this book because of the movie coming out, that was not the case at all. I never saw the movie, and never really wanted to, mostly because Robert Pattinson is creepy. The action and love story I found a secondary amusement to the deep sensory details that enveloped you as you read the novel. I enjoyed the feeling of the train, the smells of the circus, even the scenes in the nursing home. I enjoyed the unreliableness of the narrator. He was pretty hilarious, in a crotchety way. Although I had the ending ruined for me, I still enjoyed how the ending came to apss. I relaly appreciate the way the book opens, because it sets up the reader for a wonderful twist at the end.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 331
Water for Elephants is one of those books that I didn't read for years because everyone and their dog was reading it and telling everyone else how awesome it was. Don't think for one minute that I read this book because of the movie coming out, that was not the case at all. I never saw the movie, and never really wanted to, mostly because Robert Pattinson is creepy. The action and love story I found a secondary amusement to the deep sensory details that enveloped you as you read the novel. I enjoyed the feeling of the train, the smells of the circus, even the scenes in the nursing home. I enjoyed the unreliableness of the narrator. He was pretty hilarious, in a crotchety way. Although I had the ending ruined for me, I still enjoyed how the ending came to apss. I relaly appreciate the way the book opens, because it sets up the reader for a wonderful twist at the end.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Books 23-29: TAKS Week
Book 23: Ash
Finished; April 25
Pages: 264
Claims to be a retelling of Cinderella, but I would say more that it simply shares some of the motifs of Cinderella: mean stepmother, magic, servitude. I read the first chapters of about 6 books on Monday before I decided to read this one, and then I finished it that day. It was interesting, sometimes confusing, with interesting magic and characters. I particularly liked the fairy tales that were told throughout the book, because they were stories that I had never heard before, and I like when the authors make up new fairy tales but they sound like old stories.
Apparently, according to goodreads, this is a lesbian story, and therefore a big effing surprise. I picked up on the subtle hints that homosexuality was a normal part of the magical world that the author had created. It helps that I am not a teenage girl, though.
Book 24: Chalice
Finished: April 25
Pages: 272
I've read this one before, but it's such a good book I had to read it again. I thought I read it last year, but I can't find my review of it, so maybe I read it back in 2009? There are parts of this story that I loved, and parts of it that I was a little disappointed in. The main character, and the world in which she lives are well developed and interesting. The antagonist seems thrown in at the last minute and not as malicious as I would have hoped for.
Book 25: Penelope's Daughter
Finished: April 26
Pages: 357
Recommended to me by Lydia, this is the story of The Odyssey, sort of. It imagines a world where Odysseus has a daughter born nine months after he leaves for the war. Reminded me a lot of The Red Tent, with an interesting female perspective on a story told formerly only through male eyes. The background information and religious details were interesting and believable. Once I sat down and really tried to read this, I really enjoyed this book, though I will admit it was slow going at the beginning.
Book 26: Perfect Fifths
Finished: April 26
Pages: 258
Another re-read, this is the conclusion to one of my favorite young adult series, and a book that I pick up ever once in a while just to amuse myself for a couple of hours. I really like that it is in five parts, and each part is written in a different style. The first three books are entirely journal entries, and I can't remember how the fourth book was written, but the fifth one starts in third person omniscient, then we get first person, then an entire chapter of dialogue transcript, and then haiku, followed by a return to the first person viewpoints of each character. I dunno, it's not high-brow literature, but I still love this series.
Book 27: The Toughest Indian in the World
Finished: April 27
Pages: 238
Sherman Alexie is awesome. This collection of short stories continues the trend. My favorite story is about a white man who holds us a diner asking everyone for a dollar and for someone to help him believe in love. An old Indian man stands up, is renamed Salmon Boy and they embark on a "non-violent killing spree" across the Southwest.
My favorite quote was from the story "Assimilation", and the relationship between an Indian woman and her white husband, when someone asks about their love:
Love is Love. They knew is was romantic bullshit, a simpleminded answer only satisfying for simpleminded people, but it was the best available defense. Listen, Mary Lynn had once said to Jeremiah, asking somebody why they falling love is like asking somebody why they believe in God. You start asking questions like that, she had added, and you're either going to start a war or you're going to hear folk music (15).
Book 28: Ophelia
Finished: April 28
Pages: 328
Retelling of Hamlet from the point of view of Ophelia. I think that here we have an interesting idea, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. I liked the writing, but Ophelia was at times too wimpy for me, and some of the actions that she takes after the action we know of in the play was a little silly. I did like how some lines from the play were seamlessly thrown in to the dialogue of the novel. Overall, decent, but maybe not my cup of tea.
Book 29: The Graveyard Book
Finished: April 29
Pages: 307
This is an extremely interesting novel for young adults that involves illustrations reminiscent of The Sandman comics that won Gaiman fame. Personally, I love the world that Gaiman has created here, that was inspired by London's High Gate cemetery. Since it's never explicitly stated in the novel, I was merely guessing, until I saw the credits in the back, where he thanks Audrey Niffenegger (of Her Fearful Symmetry fame) for being a tour guide around the cemetery. Since she was a tour guide at High Gate, it all makes sense to me. The premise is that a young child, only one or two years old, barely escapes from a murderer who kills the rest of his family by stumbling out of the house and into the cemetery. There, the ghosts and other protectors of the cemetery vow to keep him safe until such a time as he is able to fend for himself. Named Nobody Owens by his ghostly parents, he grows up hidden in the cemetery, learning how to Haunt, and create Fear and Terror, and other ghostly talents, as well as learning traditional education from 15th century schoolmarms. The reader follows Bod as he discovers the world outside the cemetery and unravels the mystery about his parents' deaths.
Seriously, it's adorable and quirky and hilarious, just as I would expect from Gaiman.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Finished; April 25
Pages: 264
Claims to be a retelling of Cinderella, but I would say more that it simply shares some of the motifs of Cinderella: mean stepmother, magic, servitude. I read the first chapters of about 6 books on Monday before I decided to read this one, and then I finished it that day. It was interesting, sometimes confusing, with interesting magic and characters. I particularly liked the fairy tales that were told throughout the book, because they were stories that I had never heard before, and I like when the authors make up new fairy tales but they sound like old stories.
Apparently, according to goodreads, this is a lesbian story, and therefore a big effing surprise. I picked up on the subtle hints that homosexuality was a normal part of the magical world that the author had created. It helps that I am not a teenage girl, though.
Book 24: Chalice
Finished: April 25
Pages: 272
I've read this one before, but it's such a good book I had to read it again. I thought I read it last year, but I can't find my review of it, so maybe I read it back in 2009? There are parts of this story that I loved, and parts of it that I was a little disappointed in. The main character, and the world in which she lives are well developed and interesting. The antagonist seems thrown in at the last minute and not as malicious as I would have hoped for.
Book 25: Penelope's Daughter
Finished: April 26
Pages: 357
Recommended to me by Lydia, this is the story of The Odyssey, sort of. It imagines a world where Odysseus has a daughter born nine months after he leaves for the war. Reminded me a lot of The Red Tent, with an interesting female perspective on a story told formerly only through male eyes. The background information and religious details were interesting and believable. Once I sat down and really tried to read this, I really enjoyed this book, though I will admit it was slow going at the beginning.
Book 26: Perfect Fifths
Finished: April 26
Pages: 258
Another re-read, this is the conclusion to one of my favorite young adult series, and a book that I pick up ever once in a while just to amuse myself for a couple of hours. I really like that it is in five parts, and each part is written in a different style. The first three books are entirely journal entries, and I can't remember how the fourth book was written, but the fifth one starts in third person omniscient, then we get first person, then an entire chapter of dialogue transcript, and then haiku, followed by a return to the first person viewpoints of each character. I dunno, it's not high-brow literature, but I still love this series.
Book 27: The Toughest Indian in the World
Finished: April 27
Pages: 238
Sherman Alexie is awesome. This collection of short stories continues the trend. My favorite story is about a white man who holds us a diner asking everyone for a dollar and for someone to help him believe in love. An old Indian man stands up, is renamed Salmon Boy and they embark on a "non-violent killing spree" across the Southwest.
My favorite quote was from the story "Assimilation", and the relationship between an Indian woman and her white husband, when someone asks about their love:
Love is Love. They knew is was romantic bullshit, a simpleminded answer only satisfying for simpleminded people, but it was the best available defense. Listen, Mary Lynn had once said to Jeremiah, asking somebody why they falling love is like asking somebody why they believe in God. You start asking questions like that, she had added, and you're either going to start a war or you're going to hear folk music (15).
Book 28: Ophelia
Finished: April 28
Pages: 328
Retelling of Hamlet from the point of view of Ophelia. I think that here we have an interesting idea, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. I liked the writing, but Ophelia was at times too wimpy for me, and some of the actions that she takes after the action we know of in the play was a little silly. I did like how some lines from the play were seamlessly thrown in to the dialogue of the novel. Overall, decent, but maybe not my cup of tea.
Book 29: The Graveyard Book
Finished: April 29
Pages: 307
This is an extremely interesting novel for young adults that involves illustrations reminiscent of The Sandman comics that won Gaiman fame. Personally, I love the world that Gaiman has created here, that was inspired by London's High Gate cemetery. Since it's never explicitly stated in the novel, I was merely guessing, until I saw the credits in the back, where he thanks Audrey Niffenegger (of Her Fearful Symmetry fame) for being a tour guide around the cemetery. Since she was a tour guide at High Gate, it all makes sense to me. The premise is that a young child, only one or two years old, barely escapes from a murderer who kills the rest of his family by stumbling out of the house and into the cemetery. There, the ghosts and other protectors of the cemetery vow to keep him safe until such a time as he is able to fend for himself. Named Nobody Owens by his ghostly parents, he grows up hidden in the cemetery, learning how to Haunt, and create Fear and Terror, and other ghostly talents, as well as learning traditional education from 15th century schoolmarms. The reader follows Bod as he discovers the world outside the cemetery and unravels the mystery about his parents' deaths.
Seriously, it's adorable and quirky and hilarious, just as I would expect from Gaiman.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Book 22: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
Finished: April 21
Pages: 428
Well, I read it in a day, so that must say something. Campy romantic fun, with all the flair of The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Three Musketeers, and some Zorro for flair. Certainly expect to see the rest of these written up in the next few months.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 428
Well, I read it in a day, so that must say something. Campy romantic fun, with all the flair of The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Three Musketeers, and some Zorro for flair. Certainly expect to see the rest of these written up in the next few months.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Book 21: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Finished: April 16
Pages: 340
I checked out five books from the school library to read during my students' fifteen minute reads this last six weeks. I figured it would take me all six weeks to finish them because I wasn't sure about any of them when I started, not because they didn't grab my attention, but instead because I thought I would be too busy to want to read outside of class. Turns out I was wrong.
This is a delightful book, a sort of scientific To Kill a Mockingbird, and I loved every minute of it. Maybe it was trying too hard to have Calpurnia be the next Scout, but that didn't make her less endearing, or her trials and tribulations more trivial.
Taking place in Fentress, Texas in the summer and fall of 1899, this young adult novel gives us a glance into the life of a budding scientist inspired by Charles Darwin, and her relationship with her grumpy but loveable grandfather, who is a founding member of the National Geographic Society, as they strive to discover a new species of plant or animal. Add to this six amusing brothers, young ladies coming to call, a mother convinced that a woman's place is cooking and sewing, and a family cook who strongly resembles Harper Lee's Calpurnia, this Calpurnia struggles to find her place in the world and keep her pinafore clean.
There were several heartfelt moments in the novel, including her grandfather's stories of the Civil War, Calpurnia trying to check out The Origin of the Species at the library and being denied, not to mention the way that Calpurnia talks about the inherent racism of the time period. Obviously that was because the person writing the book is a modern woman who knows to throw these comments in, and she did a good job of doing so.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 340
I checked out five books from the school library to read during my students' fifteen minute reads this last six weeks. I figured it would take me all six weeks to finish them because I wasn't sure about any of them when I started, not because they didn't grab my attention, but instead because I thought I would be too busy to want to read outside of class. Turns out I was wrong.
This is a delightful book, a sort of scientific To Kill a Mockingbird, and I loved every minute of it. Maybe it was trying too hard to have Calpurnia be the next Scout, but that didn't make her less endearing, or her trials and tribulations more trivial.
Taking place in Fentress, Texas in the summer and fall of 1899, this young adult novel gives us a glance into the life of a budding scientist inspired by Charles Darwin, and her relationship with her grumpy but loveable grandfather, who is a founding member of the National Geographic Society, as they strive to discover a new species of plant or animal. Add to this six amusing brothers, young ladies coming to call, a mother convinced that a woman's place is cooking and sewing, and a family cook who strongly resembles Harper Lee's Calpurnia, this Calpurnia struggles to find her place in the world and keep her pinafore clean.
There were several heartfelt moments in the novel, including her grandfather's stories of the Civil War, Calpurnia trying to check out The Origin of the Species at the library and being denied, not to mention the way that Calpurnia talks about the inherent racism of the time period. Obviously that was because the person writing the book is a modern woman who knows to throw these comments in, and she did a good job of doing so.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Friday, April 15, 2011
Book 20: Kitchen Confidential
Finished: April 15
Pages: 305
If there is anything to say about Anthony Bourdain's memoir, I would have to say that it is a stunning example of author's voice. From start to finish I can hear him say all of these words, and maybe that says more for my obsession with No Reservations than it does for Bourdain's talent, but I'm going for this book is an honest reflection of his time as a cook and chef in and around New York City, and he has taken that personality with him on the road for A Cook's Tour and then No Reservations.
Let me give you some insight into that personality.
" I do have heart, you see. I've got plenty of heart. I'm a fucking sentimental guy--once you get to know me. Show me a hurt puppy, or a long-distance telephone commercial, or a film retrospective of Ali fights of Lou Gehrig's last speech and I'll weep real tears" (248). This just after having admitted to being willing and happy to fire someone who breaks any of the cardinal rules. I would say this is the most inappropriate coming-of-age story I've read in a while. It certainly shows his progression from a young child learning the mysteries of food in France, to a Vassar drop out, to a drug addict cook, ending with his first adventure in Tokyo where you can see the seeds of No Reservations being planted. But I'm not kidding about the inappropriate-ness.
"As an art form, cook-talk is, like haiku or kabuki, defined by established rules, with a rigid, traditional framework in which one may operate. All comments must, out of historical necessity, concern involuntary rectal penetration, penis size, physical flaws or annoying mannerisms or defects" (220). He then goes on to describe, in detail, all of the various words and phrases, both Spanish and English, and their meanings. At times, I was exceedingly glad that I read parts of it at home, but I wasn't really expecting the three pages of cursewords in English and Spanish that greeted me on the next page. I probably shouldn't have read this in class.
This book is full of helpful tidbits: things you should have in your kitchen, things you should look for in a good or bad restaurant, the myriad reasons not to start your own restaurant, when to order or not order certain specials, what days of the week to eat out. The often quoted piece of advice: don't eat fish on Monday, while helpful, doesn't give you the full gamut of insider information that Bourdain happily throws at his reader. I'm not going to lie, don't read this book and expect to want to go out to eat. At some points, yes, the descriptions of the food was mouth-watering, but at other times I never wanted to eat anything that I didn't prepare for myself ever again. A Mexican restaurant full of rats, the hazards of eating vegetarian food at a non-vegetarian restaurant, medical emergencies being handled in the kitchen while still cooking, all this and more horrified and entertained me.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 305
If there is anything to say about Anthony Bourdain's memoir, I would have to say that it is a stunning example of author's voice. From start to finish I can hear him say all of these words, and maybe that says more for my obsession with No Reservations than it does for Bourdain's talent, but I'm going for this book is an honest reflection of his time as a cook and chef in and around New York City, and he has taken that personality with him on the road for A Cook's Tour and then No Reservations.
Let me give you some insight into that personality.
" I do have heart, you see. I've got plenty of heart. I'm a fucking sentimental guy--once you get to know me. Show me a hurt puppy, or a long-distance telephone commercial, or a film retrospective of Ali fights of Lou Gehrig's last speech and I'll weep real tears" (248). This just after having admitted to being willing and happy to fire someone who breaks any of the cardinal rules. I would say this is the most inappropriate coming-of-age story I've read in a while. It certainly shows his progression from a young child learning the mysteries of food in France, to a Vassar drop out, to a drug addict cook, ending with his first adventure in Tokyo where you can see the seeds of No Reservations being planted. But I'm not kidding about the inappropriate-ness.
"As an art form, cook-talk is, like haiku or kabuki, defined by established rules, with a rigid, traditional framework in which one may operate. All comments must, out of historical necessity, concern involuntary rectal penetration, penis size, physical flaws or annoying mannerisms or defects" (220). He then goes on to describe, in detail, all of the various words and phrases, both Spanish and English, and their meanings. At times, I was exceedingly glad that I read parts of it at home, but I wasn't really expecting the three pages of cursewords in English and Spanish that greeted me on the next page. I probably shouldn't have read this in class.
This book is full of helpful tidbits: things you should have in your kitchen, things you should look for in a good or bad restaurant, the myriad reasons not to start your own restaurant, when to order or not order certain specials, what days of the week to eat out. The often quoted piece of advice: don't eat fish on Monday, while helpful, doesn't give you the full gamut of insider information that Bourdain happily throws at his reader. I'm not going to lie, don't read this book and expect to want to go out to eat. At some points, yes, the descriptions of the food was mouth-watering, but at other times I never wanted to eat anything that I didn't prepare for myself ever again. A Mexican restaurant full of rats, the hazards of eating vegetarian food at a non-vegetarian restaurant, medical emergencies being handled in the kitchen while still cooking, all this and more horrified and entertained me.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Book 19: The Postmistress
Finished: April 7
Pages: 326
I didn't think that I was going to like this book, based on the first few pages. It was a very weird beginning. I mean, who starts a book with a woman at the doctor's office getting a certificate to verify her virginity? The first hundred pages or so didn't hold my interest; though I enjoyed the character of Frankie from the beginning, it was easy to put down.
Then you get to the meat of the story, Summer 1941. You see the connections of the people sitting at home listening to the radio, across the wires to the reporters sitting in front of the microphones, hoping to reach someone on the other end. You see the suffering and the pain that comes from being like Cassandra, you talk and talk and no one seems to hear, or even if they hear, to heed the warnings. I guess it seems likely that there would have been signs of what the Nazis had planned for the Jews of Europe long before the concentration camps came to light.
I have always had a love/hate relationship with journalists, because I cannot understand standing by, watching horrible things happen, and doing nothing to stop it. Yes, I understand that the story itself is important. Yes, I understand that if you help one person, then where do you stop? But I can understand why the things that Frankie saw are things that broke her a little, and I can applaud that she felt obligated to try to help people, even though, in the end we see the consequences of those actions. I can feel angry at Murrow and other journalists who ridiculed her lack of objectivity, her lack of immediate identifiable purpose.
Aspects of the story made me so angry, but it was more the immediate realism of the Blitz itself, of what it felt like to be an American in the face of the suffering of people just trying to get to America that really got under my skin. I've heard stories of the Holocaust, I've heard stories of what it felt like to try to get out, of being a Jew in these countries, but not the perspective of what an outsider would feel. As an outsider myself, I appreciate this perspective. I appreciate the burden that Frankie feels in the face of that story.
"They are just sound. Voices without a story. People need to know why they are listening and what they are being asked to hear."
"Or they won't understand?"
"They won't listen." (118)
The tragedies for me seemed appropriately poetic. That the doctor didn't meet death in a bomb, but looking the wrong way in traffic was perfect because he had to die, and it should have been that kind of death: typically American. An American student studying abroad when I was in London was hit by a bus just this way. It just makes sense to me. Otto facing all the prejudice made sense to me, and was so tragic because other people refused to acknowledge what they were doing, they were so caught up in fear. I am glad, however, that the final tragedy was not something involving Otto, because that would have been too trite. I loved the addition of the story of Theseus and the black sails, I loved Frankie's understanding and response to that story, and the perfection of that tragedy:
And how true it is, that mistakes, looking left instead of right, running into one bomb shelter instead of the other, meeting a friend and stopping to say hello or going on ahead, happen all the time.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 326
I didn't think that I was going to like this book, based on the first few pages. It was a very weird beginning. I mean, who starts a book with a woman at the doctor's office getting a certificate to verify her virginity? The first hundred pages or so didn't hold my interest; though I enjoyed the character of Frankie from the beginning, it was easy to put down.
Then you get to the meat of the story, Summer 1941. You see the connections of the people sitting at home listening to the radio, across the wires to the reporters sitting in front of the microphones, hoping to reach someone on the other end. You see the suffering and the pain that comes from being like Cassandra, you talk and talk and no one seems to hear, or even if they hear, to heed the warnings. I guess it seems likely that there would have been signs of what the Nazis had planned for the Jews of Europe long before the concentration camps came to light.
I have always had a love/hate relationship with journalists, because I cannot understand standing by, watching horrible things happen, and doing nothing to stop it. Yes, I understand that the story itself is important. Yes, I understand that if you help one person, then where do you stop? But I can understand why the things that Frankie saw are things that broke her a little, and I can applaud that she felt obligated to try to help people, even though, in the end we see the consequences of those actions. I can feel angry at Murrow and other journalists who ridiculed her lack of objectivity, her lack of immediate identifiable purpose.
Aspects of the story made me so angry, but it was more the immediate realism of the Blitz itself, of what it felt like to be an American in the face of the suffering of people just trying to get to America that really got under my skin. I've heard stories of the Holocaust, I've heard stories of what it felt like to try to get out, of being a Jew in these countries, but not the perspective of what an outsider would feel. As an outsider myself, I appreciate this perspective. I appreciate the burden that Frankie feels in the face of that story.
"They are just sound. Voices without a story. People need to know why they are listening and what they are being asked to hear."
"Or they won't understand?"
"They won't listen." (118)
The tragedies for me seemed appropriately poetic. That the doctor didn't meet death in a bomb, but looking the wrong way in traffic was perfect because he had to die, and it should have been that kind of death: typically American. An American student studying abroad when I was in London was hit by a bus just this way. It just makes sense to me. Otto facing all the prejudice made sense to me, and was so tragic because other people refused to acknowledge what they were doing, they were so caught up in fear. I am glad, however, that the final tragedy was not something involving Otto, because that would have been too trite. I loved the addition of the story of Theseus and the black sails, I loved Frankie's understanding and response to that story, and the perfection of that tragedy:
"Theseus could have fixed it. If only he had known. [...] I've never gotten over the waste of that accident," Iris said quietly.
"But the story knew."
"I beg your pardon?"
"The story"--Frankie nodded, still not quite sure what she was saying--"it knew. The story wouldn't have mattered without the mistake. If Theseus had remembered to change the sails, the things wouldn't have been told. The story would have ended, as they all do, with the hero's triumphant return. But that mistake made the story. That mistake is the story. that's why it's told."
Iris stared. "You can really be so coldhearted."
"It's a myth, Miss James," Frankie went on, exhausted. "Mistakes happen all the time."
And how true it is, that mistakes, looking left instead of right, running into one bomb shelter instead of the other, meeting a friend and stopping to say hello or going on ahead, happen all the time.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Friday, March 25, 2011
Book 18: The Peach Keeper
Finished: March
Pages: 273
Things to remember:
The way you feel when you finish a book that makes you feel confident in yourself, your abilities, your hope for love.
Being able to imagine a world with that much magic.
The desire for a certain kind of affection, that is bittersweet because you are alone, and cannot adequately imagine believing in it.
Wanting desperately to change, but having some sense of peace with life's decisions for the few hours after you finish reading.
The contradiction of loving and hating a book, an author, a genre.
Buying a house with extra room for hope.
Willa, one of two main characters, tells the other "Happiness is a risk. If you're not a little scared, then you're not doing it right" (238).
There was a strange but universal understanding among women. On some level, all women know, they all understood, the fear of being outnumbered, of being helpless. It throbbed in their chests when they thought about the times they left stores and were followed. The knocks on their car windows as they were sitting alone at red lights, and strangers asking for rides. Having too much to drink and losing their ability to be forceful enough to just say no. Smiling at strange men coming on to them, not wanting to hurt their feelings, not wanting to make a scene. All women remembered these things, even if they had never happened to them personally. It was a part of their collective unconscious.
I like this quote because I agree with it wholeheartedly. I think that all women do have this radar, or they should. I tried to explain to one of my guy friends why I wouldn't walk around late at night by myself, and he didn't understand at all, but saying the same thing to a female friend, she didn't blink an eye.
This time the story was about a ghost, though the ghost didn't seem to be a particularly harmful one. He made people speak truths that they didn't want to say, but nothing else that seemed particularly malicious. I would have liked to have seen that explored more. The book could have been longer. There could have been more mystery. I feel like this time the secret came out too early and I didn't care enough about the old ladies to really mind that they killed someone. I did like that Claire showed up from Garden Spells, but I felt like that was more a pat on the head than necessary for the story.
It was a decent book, it just didn't seem as fleshed out and magical as the others have been.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 273
Things to remember:
The way you feel when you finish a book that makes you feel confident in yourself, your abilities, your hope for love.
Being able to imagine a world with that much magic.
The desire for a certain kind of affection, that is bittersweet because you are alone, and cannot adequately imagine believing in it.
Wanting desperately to change, but having some sense of peace with life's decisions for the few hours after you finish reading.
The contradiction of loving and hating a book, an author, a genre.
Buying a house with extra room for hope.
Willa, one of two main characters, tells the other "Happiness is a risk. If you're not a little scared, then you're not doing it right" (238).
There was a strange but universal understanding among women. On some level, all women know, they all understood, the fear of being outnumbered, of being helpless. It throbbed in their chests when they thought about the times they left stores and were followed. The knocks on their car windows as they were sitting alone at red lights, and strangers asking for rides. Having too much to drink and losing their ability to be forceful enough to just say no. Smiling at strange men coming on to them, not wanting to hurt their feelings, not wanting to make a scene. All women remembered these things, even if they had never happened to them personally. It was a part of their collective unconscious.
I like this quote because I agree with it wholeheartedly. I think that all women do have this radar, or they should. I tried to explain to one of my guy friends why I wouldn't walk around late at night by myself, and he didn't understand at all, but saying the same thing to a female friend, she didn't blink an eye.
This time the story was about a ghost, though the ghost didn't seem to be a particularly harmful one. He made people speak truths that they didn't want to say, but nothing else that seemed particularly malicious. I would have liked to have seen that explored more. The book could have been longer. There could have been more mystery. I feel like this time the secret came out too early and I didn't care enough about the old ladies to really mind that they killed someone. I did like that Claire showed up from Garden Spells, but I felt like that was more a pat on the head than necessary for the story.
It was a decent book, it just didn't seem as fleshed out and magical as the others have been.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Book 17: My Name is Memory
Finished: March 20
Pages: 11 CDs (342)
I figure it counts because it took up quite a bit of my time driving home from Denver. I saw it in the bookstore several times, but it wasn't until I was standing in a Borders that was closing that I actually decided to read it. The idea sounded just preposterous enough that the story would keep my interest on the (excruciating) drive home.
Here's the premise: girl meets boy at school, instantly intrigued by him, feels like she knows him somehow. The night of the senior dance, they meet and he talks to her for the first time, and explains that he knows her because they've known each other in past lives, she just doesn't remember. He calls her by a different name, totally freaks her out, and spends the next five or six years living in the shadows, reliving his past lives and trying to avoid seeing her. It's been a while, so I don't remember her name, maybe Lucy? (Just checked goodreads, that's her name, and his is Daniel.) Lucy slowly has a series of events, including a psychic reading and a hypnosis session, that awaken feelings that she might just be this Sophia he kept calling her. Then there is some conflict involving Daniel's brother, who is evil, and pretends to be Daniel when he meets Sophia, and takes her off to Mexico, and she goes with him even though she doesn't really like him. Lucy/Sophia is rescued by Daniel and he takes her to a monastery to keep safe while he goes to find and fight his evil brother.
The end of the book left me very angry, because it was a total cliffhanger, and there was no indication that this was a series. Goodreads and amazon.com reviews have now led me to believe that it will be a series, rather than a stand alone, but the book could have easily been a complete idea if she had spent less time having Daniel repeat himself when he is the narrator. I did enjoy some of his memories, and some of the stories that he told, particularly the parts about his interaction with Sophia in previous lives, but other parts seemed totally extraneous. But let's be honest, it's a story about someone who can remember all his past lives back to the year 200 A.D. or so. I can't imagine that all of the parts are supposed to make sense.
For a book written by the author of the Traveling Pants series, I suppose I shouldn't have expected brilliance, but over all the ending of the book left me too angry to appreciate the rest of the story, or even its ability to hold my attention for 17 hours striaght. I just couldn't get past the fact that I wouldn't know what happened next.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 11 CDs (342)
I figure it counts because it took up quite a bit of my time driving home from Denver. I saw it in the bookstore several times, but it wasn't until I was standing in a Borders that was closing that I actually decided to read it. The idea sounded just preposterous enough that the story would keep my interest on the (excruciating) drive home.
Here's the premise: girl meets boy at school, instantly intrigued by him, feels like she knows him somehow. The night of the senior dance, they meet and he talks to her for the first time, and explains that he knows her because they've known each other in past lives, she just doesn't remember. He calls her by a different name, totally freaks her out, and spends the next five or six years living in the shadows, reliving his past lives and trying to avoid seeing her. It's been a while, so I don't remember her name, maybe Lucy? (Just checked goodreads, that's her name, and his is Daniel.) Lucy slowly has a series of events, including a psychic reading and a hypnosis session, that awaken feelings that she might just be this Sophia he kept calling her. Then there is some conflict involving Daniel's brother, who is evil, and pretends to be Daniel when he meets Sophia, and takes her off to Mexico, and she goes with him even though she doesn't really like him. Lucy/Sophia is rescued by Daniel and he takes her to a monastery to keep safe while he goes to find and fight his evil brother.
The end of the book left me very angry, because it was a total cliffhanger, and there was no indication that this was a series. Goodreads and amazon.com reviews have now led me to believe that it will be a series, rather than a stand alone, but the book could have easily been a complete idea if she had spent less time having Daniel repeat himself when he is the narrator. I did enjoy some of his memories, and some of the stories that he told, particularly the parts about his interaction with Sophia in previous lives, but other parts seemed totally extraneous. But let's be honest, it's a story about someone who can remember all his past lives back to the year 200 A.D. or so. I can't imagine that all of the parts are supposed to make sense.
For a book written by the author of the Traveling Pants series, I suppose I shouldn't have expected brilliance, but over all the ending of the book left me too angry to appreciate the rest of the story, or even its ability to hold my attention for 17 hours striaght. I just couldn't get past the fact that I wouldn't know what happened next.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Book 15: The Girl in the Green Sweater
Finished: March 10
Pages: 288
The Diary of Anne Frank is much better. I found this memoir to be repetitive, though the story should have been very interesting. In Poland, three families survived the occupation of Lvov by living in the sewers, saved by three sewer workers, including Leopold Socha, a former thief. The girl in the green sweater is the narrator, Krystyna Chiger, and her green sweater, was given to her by her grandmother, who did not survive the liquidation of Lvov to join them in the sewers. The green sweater now hangs in the Holocaust museum in Washington D. C., which is pretty cool.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 288
The Diary of Anne Frank is much better. I found this memoir to be repetitive, though the story should have been very interesting. In Poland, three families survived the occupation of Lvov by living in the sewers, saved by three sewer workers, including Leopold Socha, a former thief. The girl in the green sweater is the narrator, Krystyna Chiger, and her green sweater, was given to her by her grandmother, who did not survive the liquidation of Lvov to join them in the sewers. The green sweater now hangs in the Holocaust museum in Washington D. C., which is pretty cool.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Book 14: Clockwork Angel
Finished: March 1
Pages: 479
So, I have an confession to make. I love steampunk. I'm relatively sure that I have made this obvious on other occasions, like when reading The Somnambulist, and while this book isn't pure steampunk (it has too many elements of fantasy: werewolves, vampires, etc.), it certainly is the most I've seen in any young adult book so far.
This series is a prequel of sorts for The Mortal Instruments series that I read last year. This story takes place in Victorian London, with all the trappings and atmosphere to go with it. The foggy, rainy streets are the perfect location for a society bent on protecting normal people from "Underworlders" (previously identified werewolves, and vampires). It's got a little Sherlock Holmes, a lot of historical fiction, and some fantasy all rolled into one, and I like the vibe of these books, not to mention the characters themselves a lot more than the related series, The Mortal Instruments series, that I read last OFYP week. Even the girl characters, who seem to be little shrinking violets have backbone, which is nice to see. I think that she's really getting into the swing of things with this series. I look forward to the next one, which should be out in a few months.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 479
So, I have an confession to make. I love steampunk. I'm relatively sure that I have made this obvious on other occasions, like when reading The Somnambulist, and while this book isn't pure steampunk (it has too many elements of fantasy: werewolves, vampires, etc.), it certainly is the most I've seen in any young adult book so far.
This series is a prequel of sorts for The Mortal Instruments series that I read last year. This story takes place in Victorian London, with all the trappings and atmosphere to go with it. The foggy, rainy streets are the perfect location for a society bent on protecting normal people from "Underworlders" (previously identified werewolves, and vampires). It's got a little Sherlock Holmes, a lot of historical fiction, and some fantasy all rolled into one, and I like the vibe of these books, not to mention the characters themselves a lot more than the related series, The Mortal Instruments series, that I read last OFYP week. Even the girl characters, who seem to be little shrinking violets have backbone, which is nice to see. I think that she's really getting into the swing of things with this series. I look forward to the next one, which should be out in a few months.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Book 13: Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Finished: February 27
Pages: 528
I really wanted to like it.
It is one of those novels where I want to be the kind of person who recommends it because, I don't know, it is the kind of book that I would recommend. I want to like "smart" books. I mean, I want to sound extra smart when I say, "Oh, I loved this book, and so will you" and then we would both be in the secret club of people who like and "get" it.
Sadly, this is not the case, and I fear it never will be. Are there things that I loved about this book? Yes. Without hesitation, yes. I love that there is a quiz at the end, and that the chapter titles are great works of literature that you should have read (which I have, mostly.) and that there are some really badly done illustrations. I particularly love that most of the quotes that she offers up to her reader are made up, citation and everything.
All these things aside, the ending was so ridiculous that it ruined everything up to that point out of sheer ridiculousness. So, I am disappointed, but at least a little I was disappointed in myself, as if it was my fault that I didn't like it.
Good reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 528
I really wanted to like it.
It is one of those novels where I want to be the kind of person who recommends it because, I don't know, it is the kind of book that I would recommend. I want to like "smart" books. I mean, I want to sound extra smart when I say, "Oh, I loved this book, and so will you" and then we would both be in the secret club of people who like and "get" it.
Sadly, this is not the case, and I fear it never will be. Are there things that I loved about this book? Yes. Without hesitation, yes. I love that there is a quiz at the end, and that the chapter titles are great works of literature that you should have read (which I have, mostly.) and that there are some really badly done illustrations. I particularly love that most of the quotes that she offers up to her reader are made up, citation and everything.
All these things aside, the ending was so ridiculous that it ruined everything up to that point out of sheer ridiculousness. So, I am disappointed, but at least a little I was disappointed in myself, as if it was my fault that I didn't like it.
Good reading,
Caitlin
Book 12: A Sweet Disorder
Finished: February 20
Pages: 418
Eh. It was alright, but I'd rather just read Phillipa Gregory, because this is the same idea but much more poorly written.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 418
Eh. It was alright, but I'd rather just read Phillipa Gregory, because this is the same idea but much more poorly written.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Book 10: Almost a Crime
Finished: Gave up on February 15
Pages: I got to page 427
I read more than half, I think that makes it count considering more than half is 400 pages.
If I had to read about one more meeting, or working lunch, or phone conversation about fundraisers and sponsorship, I thought that I was going to die. I should have kept track, because there is no way that I am going back through this stupid book to find out how many I read about. Any time that Octavia complained about being a bad mother, all I could think was "Yes, you are a bad mother. What's wrong with you?" I saw through the affair very quickly, and was disappointed by the trite-ness of it. I mean, the best friend? Really? I think it would have been much better if it had been the best friend's mother, or something like that.
I skipped to the end, I'm not ashamed to admit it, and reading the last 20 pages, I didn't recognize half the characters, and I found that to be rather unfortunate considering the number of characters who had already been introduced.
I think that with good editing this book could have been entertaining, but there was too much extraneous and Dickensonian information that it would never hold my attention.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: I got to page 427
I read more than half, I think that makes it count considering more than half is 400 pages.
If I had to read about one more meeting, or working lunch, or phone conversation about fundraisers and sponsorship, I thought that I was going to die. I should have kept track, because there is no way that I am going back through this stupid book to find out how many I read about. Any time that Octavia complained about being a bad mother, all I could think was "Yes, you are a bad mother. What's wrong with you?" I saw through the affair very quickly, and was disappointed by the trite-ness of it. I mean, the best friend? Really? I think it would have been much better if it had been the best friend's mother, or something like that.
I skipped to the end, I'm not ashamed to admit it, and reading the last 20 pages, I didn't recognize half the characters, and I found that to be rather unfortunate considering the number of characters who had already been introduced.
I think that with good editing this book could have been entertaining, but there was too much extraneous and Dickensonian information that it would never hold my attention.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Book 11: The Ring of Solomon
Finished: February 16
Pages: 398
I was so happy to see this novel come out because I read the first three books back in 2006, and I was sad to see the series end. I still love Bartimaeus and his snarky use of footnotes. Rather than the ridiculous and unnecessary footnotes of other books we have read (cough cough Someday my Prince will Come cough), these set up the characterization of Bartimaeus as rude, uncivilized, yet underneath his creepy, let's face it, downright demonic attitude, he can have a real sweet side. Bartimaeus is a djinn, living in a world that is partially based on ours, but where spirits can be summoned by magicians.
It's a funny, light-hearted romp in the world of ancient Egypt and Jerusalem, and people who have studied that part of history will find some really amusing inside jokes. It's not really advanced literature or anything, but definitely better than many of the young adult books out there.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 398
I was so happy to see this novel come out because I read the first three books back in 2006, and I was sad to see the series end. I still love Bartimaeus and his snarky use of footnotes. Rather than the ridiculous and unnecessary footnotes of other books we have read (cough cough Someday my Prince will Come cough), these set up the characterization of Bartimaeus as rude, uncivilized, yet underneath his creepy, let's face it, downright demonic attitude, he can have a real sweet side. Bartimaeus is a djinn, living in a world that is partially based on ours, but where spirits can be summoned by magicians.
It's a funny, light-hearted romp in the world of ancient Egypt and Jerusalem, and people who have studied that part of history will find some really amusing inside jokes. It's not really advanced literature or anything, but definitely better than many of the young adult books out there.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Friday, February 11, 2011
Book 9: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Finished: February 11
Pages: 230
I've loved Sherman Alexie for a long time, and I don't know what has taken me so long to read his young adult stuff. I can totally understand why this novel won the National Book Award, much less the other 22 awards and honors. It is excellently written, with heartbreaking tragedy and an inside look at the world of our young people and their interactions with the world around them. It also has that insider's honesty about the ramifications of growing up on an Indian Reservation, the kind of people who work there, and the politics of that kind of life.
The story is narrated by Arnold Spirit Jr. Called Junior on the reservation, Arnold at the white school he attends, and illustrated by him as well. He communicates some of his best ideas through pictures, and they are at times both heartbreaking and hilarious.
The life of an Indian living on the reservation is a life that I would not want for myself. Arnold leaves the reservation school because a teacher asks him to find hope, to not let
When his grandmother dies, Arnold's mother reacts by sobbing violently, a reaction that is familiar to us all, and Arnold's poignant observation that "When anybody, not mater how old they are, loses a parent, I think it hurts the same as if you were only five years old, you know? I think all of us are always five years old in the presence and absence of our parents" shows how mature the narrator is.
As a white person, I am occasionally guilty of some of the things that are brought to light in this book, no matter the intentions. The misrepresentation of Indians in mainstream culture can have a pretty powerful impact on how we interact with one another. The novel is full of wonderful cartoons and illustrations that go a long way to put into words (1,00 to every picture) the things that Arnold tries to express about his life, and the lives of everyone on his reservation.
Good reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 230
I've loved Sherman Alexie for a long time, and I don't know what has taken me so long to read his young adult stuff. I can totally understand why this novel won the National Book Award, much less the other 22 awards and honors. It is excellently written, with heartbreaking tragedy and an inside look at the world of our young people and their interactions with the world around them. It also has that insider's honesty about the ramifications of growing up on an Indian Reservation, the kind of people who work there, and the politics of that kind of life.
The story is narrated by Arnold Spirit Jr. Called Junior on the reservation, Arnold at the white school he attends, and illustrated by him as well. He communicates some of his best ideas through pictures, and they are at times both heartbreaking and hilarious.
The life of an Indian living on the reservation is a life that I would not want for myself. Arnold leaves the reservation school because a teacher asks him to find hope, to not let
When his grandmother dies, Arnold's mother reacts by sobbing violently, a reaction that is familiar to us all, and Arnold's poignant observation that "When anybody, not mater how old they are, loses a parent, I think it hurts the same as if you were only five years old, you know? I think all of us are always five years old in the presence and absence of our parents" shows how mature the narrator is.
As a white person, I am occasionally guilty of some of the things that are brought to light in this book, no matter the intentions. The misrepresentation of Indians in mainstream culture can have a pretty powerful impact on how we interact with one another. The novel is full of wonderful cartoons and illustrations that go a long way to put into words (1,00 to every picture) the things that Arnold tries to express about his life, and the lives of everyone on his reservation.
Good reading,
Caitlin
Friday, February 4, 2011
Book 8: Light Boxes
Finished: February 2
Pages: 147
Here is the deal with this book. I am apparently not cool enough or smart enough or something, because I just do not get it. The premise seemed simple: the month of February is never ending, causing all sorts of issues: flight stops working, the sun never shines, the snow, winter, are never ending, despair reaches all the citizens.
But then the weirdness started, and it never stopped. February became a person, then was someone else; people died, but didn't die; every character was an archetype rather than a character; the font changed sizes, and took up little room on some of the pages.
I felt crazy by the time I finished, which I suppose was the author's intention. However, all the different font sizes, and empty pages just made me feel like I wasn't getting it. I hate not getting it.
I did like the opening quotation:
"The most serious charge which can be brought against New England is not Puritanism but February." With all our crazy weather we have had lately, I could only imagine how awful it would be to have all that snow and grey and cold all winter long, all February long.
All in all, I'm glad that, unlike February in the story, the book was short.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 147
Here is the deal with this book. I am apparently not cool enough or smart enough or something, because I just do not get it. The premise seemed simple: the month of February is never ending, causing all sorts of issues: flight stops working, the sun never shines, the snow, winter, are never ending, despair reaches all the citizens.
But then the weirdness started, and it never stopped. February became a person, then was someone else; people died, but didn't die; every character was an archetype rather than a character; the font changed sizes, and took up little room on some of the pages.
I felt crazy by the time I finished, which I suppose was the author's intention. However, all the different font sizes, and empty pages just made me feel like I wasn't getting it. I hate not getting it.
I did like the opening quotation:
"The most serious charge which can be brought against New England is not Puritanism but February." With all our crazy weather we have had lately, I could only imagine how awful it would be to have all that snow and grey and cold all winter long, all February long.
All in all, I'm glad that, unlike February in the story, the book was short.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Book 7: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Finished: January 31
Pages: 373
I suppose, for a man in his 70's publishing his first mystery novel, this one isn't bad. And to be perfectly honest, I don't read mystery novels.
My issues are few but inescapable. The heroine is both precocious and naive, sometimes in a way that is well done, sometimes in a way that makes me want to punch her in the face. The overwhelming British-ness makes me think that the author was trying too hard to be British, and in light of discovering his Canadian roots, is slightly forgivable.
The thing that bothered me the most is the reason why I don't like mystery novels. I need to know what the hell is going on, and in this particular book, it took me two-thirds of the book to figure out who and what and huh? I'd rather just watch Hercule Poirot reruns on PBS.
The dialogue and character development was good, with the minor exception of the protagonist, sometimes.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 373
I suppose, for a man in his 70's publishing his first mystery novel, this one isn't bad. And to be perfectly honest, I don't read mystery novels.
My issues are few but inescapable. The heroine is both precocious and naive, sometimes in a way that is well done, sometimes in a way that makes me want to punch her in the face. The overwhelming British-ness makes me think that the author was trying too hard to be British, and in light of discovering his Canadian roots, is slightly forgivable.
The thing that bothered me the most is the reason why I don't like mystery novels. I need to know what the hell is going on, and in this particular book, it took me two-thirds of the book to figure out who and what and huh? I'd rather just watch Hercule Poirot reruns on PBS.
The dialogue and character development was good, with the minor exception of the protagonist, sometimes.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Book 6: Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War
Finished: January 21
Pages: 406
Perhaps, if I had read this book during history class, either in high school or in college, I might have made better grades than C’s. This is my kind of history: still alive and told in a narrative form. Although some might argue that Horwitz’s book is more a travelogue than a history book, I would say that he bring history to life by discussing historical moments in context with the modern repercussions. This book is complex, and addresses complex ideas and thoughts in an easy to read, easy to agree with look into Southern life that (mostly) lacks judgment, which is remarkable.
Although I'm from a technically Southern state, and many would automatically label me such, I have always considered myself Texan, and therefore even more distanced from the Civil War (or "The War of Northern Aggression" as my father loves to say). I spent many a childhood summer touring and being bored by touring Civil War Battlefields, and museums, and houses. I have, however, come to realize that my childhood boredom barely scratched the surface when it comes to the Civil War.
If I could sum up this whole book in one quote it would be this one, from one of the chapters on Virginia: "Everywhere it seemed, I had to explore two pasts and two presents; one white, one black, separate and unreconcilable. The past had poisoned the presetn and the present, in turn, now poisoned remembrance of things past" (208). Although this maybe started out as one man trying to reclaim his childhood love of the Civil War, in the end it became an exploration of the questions that anyone studying the Civil War is inevitably called to answer: is it racist to remember and/or honor the Civil War? How do we talk about the Civil War without either becoming apologetic or revenge seeking? How can we honor men who were killed fighting for something they might or might not have believed in?
Schools today gloss over this point in history, either out of a misplaced sense of shame, or a way of avoiding arguments. Horwitz has some interesting observations about how deeply the war affected our schools, discussing racial tensions in classrooms, desegregation, voluntary segregation, even curriculum. He also had some interesting observations from people he encountered, some insightful, some humorous, some down-right sad.
About students in schools, a teacher observed:
"I've taught two generations now, and this one is different. They're much thinner-skinned than kids used to be, but at the same time more insensitive to others" (375)
About the Rebel Battle Flag, the only living Confederate widow observed:
"One flag can just as well fly as another. But it's not worth no fuss and fight. Blacks all hate it. And you know, there's lots of people that's colored that's better than any whites. Some of the whites are the sorriest you ever seen" (342)
About slavery from a Black store clerk:
"Say your mother's sister's son, he's got slaves. You gonna say to him, 'Let's fight over it?' C'mon now, no way What you really gonna say is this." He paused for a moment, then continued in a perfect-pitch parody of redneck dialect: 'Hey, Billy Joe, whatever you want to do with those niggers is okay by me. Keep 'em in chains, what the fuck. Your momma is my momma's sister" (266).
And last, but not least, Jefferson Davis, in his last public speech, ironically written on a monument behind a Flag Day rally promoting white Southern Pride:
"The past is dead; let it bury its dead, its hopes and its aspirations; before you lies the future. Let me beseech you to lay aside all rancor, all bitter sectional feeling, and to take your places int he ranks of those who will bring about a consummation devoutly to be wished--a reunited country" (113).
If only the South had listened to Davis's advice, perhaps our fascination with the Ward Between the States would be purely historical, without the rancor that still haunts our discussions today.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 406
Perhaps, if I had read this book during history class, either in high school or in college, I might have made better grades than C’s. This is my kind of history: still alive and told in a narrative form. Although some might argue that Horwitz’s book is more a travelogue than a history book, I would say that he bring history to life by discussing historical moments in context with the modern repercussions. This book is complex, and addresses complex ideas and thoughts in an easy to read, easy to agree with look into Southern life that (mostly) lacks judgment, which is remarkable.
Although I'm from a technically Southern state, and many would automatically label me such, I have always considered myself Texan, and therefore even more distanced from the Civil War (or "The War of Northern Aggression" as my father loves to say). I spent many a childhood summer touring and being bored by touring Civil War Battlefields, and museums, and houses. I have, however, come to realize that my childhood boredom barely scratched the surface when it comes to the Civil War.
If I could sum up this whole book in one quote it would be this one, from one of the chapters on Virginia: "Everywhere it seemed, I had to explore two pasts and two presents; one white, one black, separate and unreconcilable. The past had poisoned the presetn and the present, in turn, now poisoned remembrance of things past" (208). Although this maybe started out as one man trying to reclaim his childhood love of the Civil War, in the end it became an exploration of the questions that anyone studying the Civil War is inevitably called to answer: is it racist to remember and/or honor the Civil War? How do we talk about the Civil War without either becoming apologetic or revenge seeking? How can we honor men who were killed fighting for something they might or might not have believed in?
Schools today gloss over this point in history, either out of a misplaced sense of shame, or a way of avoiding arguments. Horwitz has some interesting observations about how deeply the war affected our schools, discussing racial tensions in classrooms, desegregation, voluntary segregation, even curriculum. He also had some interesting observations from people he encountered, some insightful, some humorous, some down-right sad.
About students in schools, a teacher observed:
"I've taught two generations now, and this one is different. They're much thinner-skinned than kids used to be, but at the same time more insensitive to others" (375)
About the Rebel Battle Flag, the only living Confederate widow observed:
"One flag can just as well fly as another. But it's not worth no fuss and fight. Blacks all hate it. And you know, there's lots of people that's colored that's better than any whites. Some of the whites are the sorriest you ever seen" (342)
About slavery from a Black store clerk:
"Say your mother's sister's son, he's got slaves. You gonna say to him, 'Let's fight over it?' C'mon now, no way What you really gonna say is this." He paused for a moment, then continued in a perfect-pitch parody of redneck dialect: 'Hey, Billy Joe, whatever you want to do with those niggers is okay by me. Keep 'em in chains, what the fuck. Your momma is my momma's sister" (266).
And last, but not least, Jefferson Davis, in his last public speech, ironically written on a monument behind a Flag Day rally promoting white Southern Pride:
"The past is dead; let it bury its dead, its hopes and its aspirations; before you lies the future. Let me beseech you to lay aside all rancor, all bitter sectional feeling, and to take your places int he ranks of those who will bring about a consummation devoutly to be wished--a reunited country" (113).
If only the South had listened to Davis's advice, perhaps our fascination with the Ward Between the States would be purely historical, without the rancor that still haunts our discussions today.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Monday, January 17, 2011
Not a Book, Just a Something
So, I was trying to think of a way to make this year different from last year, and I finally figured out the answer I've been looking for. I'm only going to buy 12 books this year, the 12 bookclub books. Everything else that I read this year is going to be something that I either already own, or something that I have borrowed from someone else.
This is because I currently own 168 books that I haven't read yet, and quite frankly, that is embarrassing.
I am going to make the exception for Sarah Addison Allen's new book, that comes out in March, and say that if I'm just dying to have a new book when that comes out, I'm allowed to buy it.
Personally, I give myself three months. Especially if Borders keeps sending me Borders Bucks.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
This is because I currently own 168 books that I haven't read yet, and quite frankly, that is embarrassing.
I am going to make the exception for Sarah Addison Allen's new book, that comes out in March, and say that if I'm just dying to have a new book when that comes out, I'm allowed to buy it.
Personally, I give myself three months. Especially if Borders keeps sending me Borders Bucks.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Book 5: Love Walked In
Finished: January 15
Pages: 307
I was supposed to be finishing up Confederates in the Attic, but I made the stupid mistake of leaving it in my classroom over the weekend. Since I was avoiding cleaning my apartment, as well as a myriad of other distasteful activities, I decided to pick up a book that I loved the last time I read it. I didn't expect to read straight through until it was over, but c'est la vie.
I both love and hate this book. I love this book for exactly the same reasons that I hate it. I want, not so secretly, to be Cornelia. I want to have that kind of life, know those kinds of people, fall in love with a gorgeous and wonderful man. I want to be witty, and knowledgeable, and have people who love being my friend. To know all the references to all the movies and books and fashion. I hate her because, since this is a book, she isn't real because that kind of awesome doesn't happen in real life. But that doesn't stop me from hoping, and that's why I hate it.
But don't worry, I love it more.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Pages: 307
I was supposed to be finishing up Confederates in the Attic, but I made the stupid mistake of leaving it in my classroom over the weekend. Since I was avoiding cleaning my apartment, as well as a myriad of other distasteful activities, I decided to pick up a book that I loved the last time I read it. I didn't expect to read straight through until it was over, but c'est la vie.
I both love and hate this book. I love this book for exactly the same reasons that I hate it. I want, not so secretly, to be Cornelia. I want to have that kind of life, know those kinds of people, fall in love with a gorgeous and wonderful man. I want to be witty, and knowledgeable, and have people who love being my friend. To know all the references to all the movies and books and fashion. I hate her because, since this is a book, she isn't real because that kind of awesome doesn't happen in real life. But that doesn't stop me from hoping, and that's why I hate it.
But don't worry, I love it more.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Monday, January 10, 2011
Book 4: Someday My Prince Will Come
Finished: January 7
Pages: too many..I mean 320
Alright, it's taken me a few days to come to terms with my feelings about this "memoir."
If you want to read this book and even try to enjoy it, pretend that it is fiction, and then it is bearable. Maybe bearable is too nice a word.
Here are the things that I don't understand: almost everyone on amazon and goodreads loved this book. What the hell is wrong with women? Are they trying to live vicariously through a delusional anglophile because they want to live "in a fantasy world?" Yes, most girls do want to grow up and find out that they are secretly princesses, as evidenced by the success of books like The Princess Diary series. However, I feel that there is nothing wrong with growing up and doing something that is in the "real world." Fine says that "Sometimes I think the 'real world' is just a phrase invented by adults to give credibility to the miserable lives they've created for themselves. Feel free to call me delusional, but I was someone on this planet who, no matter how silly it seemed, was actually listening to my heart" (6) but personally, I'm glad that I grew up and live in the real world, rather than a fantasy that leads one to cry outside of Buckingham Palace (because it's just so familiar), or believe a psychic who tells you that you were once a member of the Court of Henry VIII. I'd much rather be a teacher, even if it is less glamorous. I'd much rather live in misery in the real world, than spend my time in a fantasy world that doesn't help anyone else and only seems to make her miserable.
She doesn't understand why all these British men would make out with her drunk ass but then not call her again. Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. By that definition Jerramy "feel sorry for me" Fine is crazy as a peach orchard boar (1). I just don't understand why you would write such drivel, when you have the opportunity to write a novel, and you have such interesting characters to draw from as that hippie family, that back country town, going to the psychic, being in London, but it all seems disingenuous and fake.
That is not to say that the book was without any redeeming qualities, or that the narrator was a horrible person bent on ruining everything for everyone. Her descriptions of London, specifically as it relates to meeting British people, I find totally accurate, as they reflect my experiences in London. The only people whose acquaintance I made while there were the teachers that I worked with, and a couple of Canadians who were introduced to me by a friend from TCU. I can understand her wonder at being in London, because I remember wandering by myself for hours through the streets falling over myself trying to see everything there was to see. I can still remember vividly the first time that I saw Big Ben and the realization hit me: I was in London.
It was her social commentary that I found to be lacking in insight and deep thought. She says:
I don't know what kind of crack this woman must have been smoking to think that this is true. Maybe because I'm from Texas, but I feel constantly judged by my accent, and I don't even have much of one, aside from the occasional "y'all" or more embarassing "fixing to." People in the South are often labeled ignorant by others because of their way of speaking.
There were a few moments of clarity and insight when you almost think that she has redeemed herself, where she almost realizes that maybe being royalty isn't everything; that English people are just people, rather than god's gift to the world, but when these realizations are uncomfortable or require a change in behavior she shoves the thoughts aside to continue stalking royalty and crying at buildings. That time that she spent in India, being confronted by the things her parents had always talked about, she could have made a difference there, really showed her royal carriage and distinction she's always talking about, but instead of stopping the car and learning something about suffering, she stays drunk for an entire week and parties every day. I guess she is just like a real princess!
The thing that annoys me the most? At the end of the book she grows as a person, really learns a lesson, and then went out and WROTE THE BOOK ANYWAY.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
(1) "Crazy as a peach orchard boar” (also “madder than a peach orchard boar") is a Southern expression used in Texas and elsewhere. Its exact origin and meaning remains unknown, but a peach orchard boar (or peach orchard pig) allegedly shows wild and unrestrained behavior. The term “peach orchard boar” also means sexual excess. (Appropriate, eh?)
Pages: too many..I mean 320
Alright, it's taken me a few days to come to terms with my feelings about this "memoir."
If you want to read this book and even try to enjoy it, pretend that it is fiction, and then it is bearable. Maybe bearable is too nice a word.
Here are the things that I don't understand: almost everyone on amazon and goodreads loved this book. What the hell is wrong with women? Are they trying to live vicariously through a delusional anglophile because they want to live "in a fantasy world?" Yes, most girls do want to grow up and find out that they are secretly princesses, as evidenced by the success of books like The Princess Diary series. However, I feel that there is nothing wrong with growing up and doing something that is in the "real world." Fine says that "Sometimes I think the 'real world' is just a phrase invented by adults to give credibility to the miserable lives they've created for themselves. Feel free to call me delusional, but I was someone on this planet who, no matter how silly it seemed, was actually listening to my heart" (6) but personally, I'm glad that I grew up and live in the real world, rather than a fantasy that leads one to cry outside of Buckingham Palace (because it's just so familiar), or believe a psychic who tells you that you were once a member of the Court of Henry VIII. I'd much rather be a teacher, even if it is less glamorous. I'd much rather live in misery in the real world, than spend my time in a fantasy world that doesn't help anyone else and only seems to make her miserable.
She doesn't understand why all these British men would make out with her drunk ass but then not call her again. Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. By that definition Jerramy "feel sorry for me" Fine is crazy as a peach orchard boar (1). I just don't understand why you would write such drivel, when you have the opportunity to write a novel, and you have such interesting characters to draw from as that hippie family, that back country town, going to the psychic, being in London, but it all seems disingenuous and fake.
That is not to say that the book was without any redeeming qualities, or that the narrator was a horrible person bent on ruining everything for everyone. Her descriptions of London, specifically as it relates to meeting British people, I find totally accurate, as they reflect my experiences in London. The only people whose acquaintance I made while there were the teachers that I worked with, and a couple of Canadians who were introduced to me by a friend from TCU. I can understand her wonder at being in London, because I remember wandering by myself for hours through the streets falling over myself trying to see everything there was to see. I can still remember vividly the first time that I saw Big Ben and the realization hit me: I was in London.
It was her social commentary that I found to be lacking in insight and deep thought. She says:
While the English are able to determine one another's class within seconds of hearing another's voice, the U.S. has no equivalent to this. Think about it. Your accent--be it from the Bronx, Texas, Wisconsin, or a tiny mountain town in Colorado--doesn't come with any kind of class label and you're not instantly judges or pigeonholed by the sound of it.
I don't know what kind of crack this woman must have been smoking to think that this is true. Maybe because I'm from Texas, but I feel constantly judged by my accent, and I don't even have much of one, aside from the occasional "y'all" or more embarassing "fixing to." People in the South are often labeled ignorant by others because of their way of speaking.
There were a few moments of clarity and insight when you almost think that she has redeemed herself, where she almost realizes that maybe being royalty isn't everything; that English people are just people, rather than god's gift to the world, but when these realizations are uncomfortable or require a change in behavior she shoves the thoughts aside to continue stalking royalty and crying at buildings. That time that she spent in India, being confronted by the things her parents had always talked about, she could have made a difference there, really showed her royal carriage and distinction she's always talking about, but instead of stopping the car and learning something about suffering, she stays drunk for an entire week and parties every day. I guess she is just like a real princess!
The thing that annoys me the most? At the end of the book she grows as a person, really learns a lesson, and then went out and WROTE THE BOOK ANYWAY.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
(1) "Crazy as a peach orchard boar” (also “madder than a peach orchard boar") is a Southern expression used in Texas and elsewhere. Its exact origin and meaning remains unknown, but a peach orchard boar (or peach orchard pig) allegedly shows wild and unrestrained behavior. The term “peach orchard boar” also means sexual excess. (Appropriate, eh?)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Book 1 to 3: or, Why I Love Benchmarking
Book 1: The Demon King
Finished: January 4
Pages: 506
I read Williams' other young adult series a couple years ago, at the behest of several students, and I really enjoyed it. This series, while very different from the "Heirs" series, set in a fantasy world and full of political intrigue was very interesting. She has set up a complex society and I look forward to seeing this series through.
All of the main characters are complex and there are many twists and turns. Although several of the "bad guys" are definitely bad, it's nice to see a Young Adult novel with complex undertones.
Book 2: Behemoth
Finished: January 5
Pages: 485
The sequel to Leviathan, which I finished in a day over Christmas break, was just as good as the first one, if not a little better. Set during the beginning of WWI, this alternative, steampunk history is very entertaining. I like the development of the characters and their relationships to each other.
Book 3: The Exiled Queen
Finished: January 6
Pages: 586
The second in the Seven Realms Series, the follow up to The Demon King was just as enjoyable as the first. All the main characters, the princess and her loyal guard; the thief Han, his friend Dancer; as well as the "bad guys" Micah and his sister are all attending the school on neutral ground. This allows for the characters to show some growth and additional character, which helps the book move the action forward, if slowly. This one reminded me more of Harry Potter, just because of the addition of schooling to the plot. It's nice to see that the princess continues to learn a few lessons in humility and reality that she began in the last book.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Finished: January 4
Pages: 506
I read Williams' other young adult series a couple years ago, at the behest of several students, and I really enjoyed it. This series, while very different from the "Heirs" series, set in a fantasy world and full of political intrigue was very interesting. She has set up a complex society and I look forward to seeing this series through.
All of the main characters are complex and there are many twists and turns. Although several of the "bad guys" are definitely bad, it's nice to see a Young Adult novel with complex undertones.
Book 2: Behemoth
Finished: January 5
Pages: 485
The sequel to Leviathan, which I finished in a day over Christmas break, was just as good as the first one, if not a little better. Set during the beginning of WWI, this alternative, steampunk history is very entertaining. I like the development of the characters and their relationships to each other.
Book 3: The Exiled Queen
Finished: January 6
Pages: 586
The second in the Seven Realms Series, the follow up to The Demon King was just as enjoyable as the first. All the main characters, the princess and her loyal guard; the thief Han, his friend Dancer; as well as the "bad guys" Micah and his sister are all attending the school on neutral ground. This allows for the characters to show some growth and additional character, which helps the book move the action forward, if slowly. This one reminded me more of Harry Potter, just because of the addition of schooling to the plot. It's nice to see that the princess continues to learn a few lessons in humility and reality that she began in the last book.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Friday, January 7, 2011
Year in Review: 2010
Favorite Narrator: Little Bee
Best Idea with the Worst Execution: The Secret of Lost Things
Biggest Waste of Time (that I actually finished): Year of Fog
Hardest Read: Infidel
Most Recommended: The Help
Best Young Adult Book: The Hunger Games
Best Feel-good Book: Garden Spells
Shortest Book: Readicide (150 pages)
Longest Book: Harry Potter #7 (759 pages)
Book Total: 65
Pages Total: 23,516
Best Month: January (12)
Worst Month: tie between February and March (3)
Best Idea with the Worst Execution: The Secret of Lost Things
Biggest Waste of Time (that I actually finished): Year of Fog
Hardest Read: Infidel
Most Recommended: The Help
Best Young Adult Book: The Hunger Games
Best Feel-good Book: Garden Spells
Shortest Book: Readicide (150 pages)
Longest Book: Harry Potter #7 (759 pages)
Book Total: 65
Pages Total: 23,516
Best Month: January (12)
Worst Month: tie between February and March (3)
Book Sixty-Five: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
Book Sixty-Five: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary
Finished: December 31
Pages: 159
Short and sweet, a wonderful way to end the year. I read this collection of short stories in bed New Years Eve, while trying to decide if I wanted to get out of bed at all. I'm glad that I put it off long enough to get through these adorably illustrated tales of animals having the same issues that humans do: family doesn't approve of your spouse, uncontrolled pets, you name it.
Now, although I called it sweet, I must say that this book is more a satire of all the horrible things that people say or do to each other, as well as things that we would never actually say or do, but really want to. Sort of An Addams Family Aesop's Fables. I've never read any of the Olivia books, but please don't buy this book for your children just because the illustrator is the same. Yes, they are sometimes adorable, but often very disturbing illustrations.
All in all, I really enjoyed it, but maybe I was just feeling particularly macabre at the end of the old year and the return to school. I particularly liked the story of the mouse who had a pet snake. Yes, the ending is predictable, but sometimes a little predictability makes for good reading.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Finished: December 31
Pages: 159
Short and sweet, a wonderful way to end the year. I read this collection of short stories in bed New Years Eve, while trying to decide if I wanted to get out of bed at all. I'm glad that I put it off long enough to get through these adorably illustrated tales of animals having the same issues that humans do: family doesn't approve of your spouse, uncontrolled pets, you name it.
Now, although I called it sweet, I must say that this book is more a satire of all the horrible things that people say or do to each other, as well as things that we would never actually say or do, but really want to. Sort of An Addams Family Aesop's Fables. I've never read any of the Olivia books, but please don't buy this book for your children just because the illustrator is the same. Yes, they are sometimes adorable, but often very disturbing illustrations.
All in all, I really enjoyed it, but maybe I was just feeling particularly macabre at the end of the old year and the return to school. I particularly liked the story of the mouse who had a pet snake. Yes, the ending is predictable, but sometimes a little predictability makes for good reading.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Book Sixty-Four: Leviathan
Book Sixty-Four: Leviathan
Finished: December 27
Pages: 464
The first in a new series by the author of the Uglies series, I received this young adult novel from a friend for Christmas. It was a very entertaining read during the lull of Christmas activities in Oklahoma (where there is nothing else to do late at night, trust me) and on the ride home.
A few things stand out for this book in a sea of young adult literature. First, it's an alternative historical fiction, which isn't that big of a surprise until you realize that the history is the First World War. Second, the science fiction-y, steam punk nature of the novel is not something that I have run across in young adult lit lately.
The set up is fairly simple. Draw the lines previous to WWI in the same places, but add in a few extras: England and their allies are Darwinist countries, where Charles Darwin unlocked the keys to DNA and was able to create all kinds of creatures that fodm the technology of the day, whales turned into zeppelins, etc.; while Germany and their allies are called Clankers: mechanical technology with walking robots, steam powered airplanes and the like. The two protagonists of the story are as diverse (if predictable) as you could imagine; a girl, Deryn, disguised as a boy in the service of the British Air Service, a boy, Alek, the imaginary son of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Eventually, some might say inevitably, our characters meet and our stories become intertwined, causing hijinks and all sorts of adventures.
One thing that was not predictable, and that I certainly appreciated, was the lack of romance between our two heroes. In all other books I've read, it would seem impossible to resist throwing romance into the mix, and I appreciate Westerfeld for resisting.
I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series as they come out; I definitely want to see where this ends up.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
Finished: December 27
Pages: 464
The first in a new series by the author of the Uglies series, I received this young adult novel from a friend for Christmas. It was a very entertaining read during the lull of Christmas activities in Oklahoma (where there is nothing else to do late at night, trust me) and on the ride home.
A few things stand out for this book in a sea of young adult literature. First, it's an alternative historical fiction, which isn't that big of a surprise until you realize that the history is the First World War. Second, the science fiction-y, steam punk nature of the novel is not something that I have run across in young adult lit lately.
The set up is fairly simple. Draw the lines previous to WWI in the same places, but add in a few extras: England and their allies are Darwinist countries, where Charles Darwin unlocked the keys to DNA and was able to create all kinds of creatures that fodm the technology of the day, whales turned into zeppelins, etc.; while Germany and their allies are called Clankers: mechanical technology with walking robots, steam powered airplanes and the like. The two protagonists of the story are as diverse (if predictable) as you could imagine; a girl, Deryn, disguised as a boy in the service of the British Air Service, a boy, Alek, the imaginary son of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Eventually, some might say inevitably, our characters meet and our stories become intertwined, causing hijinks and all sorts of adventures.
One thing that was not predictable, and that I certainly appreciated, was the lack of romance between our two heroes. In all other books I've read, it would seem impossible to resist throwing romance into the mix, and I appreciate Westerfeld for resisting.
I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series as they come out; I definitely want to see where this ends up.
Good Reading,
Caitlin
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