Rantings of a Bookworm Couch Potato

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

2010-05-05T07:34:00.000-04:00

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
1961, 463 pages

I've let this go too long before reviewing it and can't come up with a good summary, so I'm going to cheat this time and use the blurb from the back of the book:

In the hopeful 1950s, Frank and april Wheeler seem to be a model couple: bright, beautiful, talented, with two young children and a starter home in the suburbs. Perhaps they married too young and started a family too early. Maybe Frank's job is dull. And April never did see herself as a housewife. Yet they have always lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. But now that certainty is about to crumble.

I decided I wanted to read something by Richard Yates after Rachel at Book Snob reviewed several of his books earlier this year. I picked Revolutionary Road because I've seen the movie, and I like reading the books movies are based on. When my copy arrived via bookmooch I was a little daunted, both because Yates' books are supposed to be pretty heavy and because my copy is pretty thick.

Once I picked the book up, it proved to be a really quick read because of Yates' great writing, the strong characterization, and the compelling plot. The writing drew me in and I was completely engrossed, despite the fact that I knew where the story was going from seeing the movie. I don't know if this makes any sense, but the writing sort of reminded me of John Steinbeck (one of my favorite authors) -- the way Yates intersperses descriptions of aspects of the time, the tone of the book, and the way he handles his subject matter. Here's an example of what I mean:

How small and neat and comically serious the other men looked, with their gray-flecked crew cuts and their button-down collars and their brisk little hurrying feet! There were endless desperate swarms of them, hurrying through the station and the streets, and an hour from now they would all be still. The waiting midtown office buildings would swallow them up and contain them, so that to stand in one tower looking across the canyon to another would be to inspect a great silent insectarium displaying hundreds of tiny pink men in white shirts, forever shifting papers and frowning into telephones, acting out their passionate little dumb show under the supreme indifference of the rolling spring clouds. (p164)

I really liked Yates' writing style. I enjoyed his descriptions, as I mentioned above, but also the tone and the characters felt very realistic. Yates really shows how the characters operate as the reader observes the disintegration of Frank and April's marriage. Although at times the characters are portrayed ironically, at the same time there were aspects that were sympathetic. Here's one excerpt that I really identified with:

I still had this idea that there was a whole world of marvelous golden people somewhere, [...] people who knew everything instinctively, who made their lives work without even trying, who never had to make the best of a bad job because it never occurred to them to do anything less than perfectly the first time. Sort of heroic superpeople, all of them beautiful and witty and calm and kind, and I always imagined that when I did find them I'd suddenly know that I belonged among them, that I was one of them, that I'd been meant to be one of them all along, and everything in the meantime had been a mistake; and they'd know it too. I'd be like the ugly duckling among the swans. (p353)

The subject matter, obviously, is not exactly cheerful. The book follows Frank and April as they plan to move to Paris, where April will work in order to give Frank a chance to find what he was really meant to do, and as these plans fall apart. Yates really takes us into the minds of the characters - how Frank and April hold themselves above their surroundings, how their neighbors react to their unconventional plan to move to Paris, etc. Here's an example from Frank's point of view that really shows the attitude of Frank and April at the beginning of the book:

It simply wasn't worth feeling bad about. Intelligent, thinking people could take things like this in their stride, just as they the larger absurdities of deadly dull jobs in the city and deadly dull homes in the suburbs. Economic circumstance might force you to live in this environment, but the important thing was to keep from being contaminated. The important thing, always, was to remember who you were. (p27)

I feel like I'm not really doing this book justice. It is by no means a light read, but it is wonderfully written and compelling. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a great work of literary fiction to read, and definitely plan on picking up something else by Yates soon (or as soon as my TBR pile slims down a bit...).

[...] if you wanted to do something absolutely honest, something true, it always turned out to be a thing that had to be done alone. (p426)

April Wrap Up

2010-05-03T21:23:00.002-04:00

Ack, April was definitely a tough month for me - I only managed to read 4 books! Still, I'm really happy that I managed to finish Searching for Pemberley and Revolutionary Road, both of which were long-ish but really satisfying reads.

In other news, due to moving apartments over the weekend and an overdue vacation planned for this coming weekend, not much reading/blogging has been getting done lately, so posts might be sparse over the next week or so (especially since I've made the executive decision to take a complete vacation and leave the laptop at home). On the bright side, two five-hour airplane rides = lots of reading time!

Books read in April:

1. Mrs. Somebody Somebody by Tracy Winn
2. Searching for Pemberley by Mary Lydon Simonsen
3. The Guest House by Barbara K. Richardson
4. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (review coming soon)

In My Mailbox (5.2.10)

2010-05-02T12:03:00.000-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Head over there to see what everyone else received this week!

I received Whiter than Snow by Sandra Dallas this week for review. Here's a summary from Goodreads:

From The New York Times bestselling author of Prayers for Sale comes the moving and powerful story of a small town after a devastating avalanche, and the life changing effects it has on the people who live there.

Whiter Than Snow opens in 1920, on a spring afternoon in Swandyke, a small town near Colorado’s Tenmile Range. Just moments after four o’clock, a large split of snow separates from Jubilee Mountain high above the tiny hamlet and hurtles down the rocky slope, enveloping everything in its path including nine young children who are walking home from school. But only four children survive. Whiter Than Snow takes you into the lives of each of these families: There’s Lucy and Dolly Patch—two sisters, long estranged by a shocking betrayal. Joe Cobb, Swandyke’s only black resident, whose love for his daughter Jane forces him to flee Alabama. There’s Grace Foote, who hides secrets and scandal that belies her genteel façade. And Minder Evans, a civil war veteran who considers his cowardice his greatest sin. Finally, there’s Essie Snowball, born Esther Schnable to conservative Jewish parents, but who now works as a prostitute and hides her child’s parentage from all the world.

Ultimately, each story serves as an allegory to the greater theme of the novel by echoing that fate, chance, and perhaps even divine providence, are all woven into the fabric of everyday life. And it’s through each character’s defining moment in his or her past that the reader understands how each child has become its parent’s purpose for living. In the end, it’s a novel of forgiveness, redemption, survival, faith and family.

That's it for me this week!

The Guest House by Barbara K. Richardson

2010-04-29T07:17:00.000-04:00

The Guest House by Barbara K. Richardson
2010, 216 pages

After witnessing a car accident in which a biker is killed, Melba quits her job as a real estate agent and stops driving, relying on public transportation to get her where she needs to go. Melba befriends JoLee, who is trying to get a divorce from her husband Gene, who has absconded to Idaho with their son, Matt. Melba rents a room in her house to JoLee, and when Matt comes to visit for Thanksgiving, Melba quickly becomes the most stable adult in his life.

I liked the pace of this book - the plot moved along quickly and kept me interested. I also thought most of the characters were well developed - Melba, Matt, even JoLee and especially Gene. Some of the secondary characters weren't as well developed - I never managed to distinguish Melba's neighbors from each other - but the author really took me into the minds of the main characters, which was the highlight of the book for me.

It took me a little while to get into this book - I feel like I was bombarded with too many characters at first, and I never quite connected with Melba. Once I got into the book it was a quick read, but I still feel like I didn't connect with it on the level that I should have. I appreciated reading the voices of the different characters, but in the end this is a light read that didn't quite hit home.

Melba took the last batch of oatmeal cookies from the oven. She grated cheese, looked out the window and lost herself in the open, unrealized yard. She wondered why she'd ever traveled. When you held still and stopped traipsing around the world, the world came to you. She had tired of splendid sights, rich foods and customs that had nothing to do with her. Even movies, good movies, failed the test. Life was so good she couldn't make time for substitutions. Blind in the way we all are blind, Melba wondered how anyone else ever did. (p130)

I received a copy of this book for review from the author's publicist.

Teaser Tuesday (4.27.10)

2010-04-27T07:09:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser comes from Glorious by Bernice L. McFadden. I'm only a few chapters in and already it is a very intense read, and I'm looking forward to getting more into it. Here's the teaser:

Was she still writing? She was writing to keep a grip on life, the evidence of which was right there on the skin of her index and middle fingers--dark indentations she from the pencils she used. (p101)

Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond

2010-04-26T07:41:00.000-04:00

Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond
2009, 247 pages

This is a cookbook put together by the author of the popular Pioneer Woman blog, Ree Drummond. I was really eager to pick this up after I discovered Ree's blog. I've (successfully!) made a couple of recipes that I found on her blog, so I was excited to see what I'd find in a full cookbook of recipes.

I enjoyed reading through the cookbook - the recipes are interspersed with stories of Ree's life in on a ranch in Oklahoma with her husband and kids. The thing I love about Ree's recipes (both on her blog and in her cookbook), is that she takes pictures of every step in the process, so it's easy to tell whether or not you're on the right track (useful to a beginning cook like me).

In Ree's words, here are the types of recipes you can find in this cookbook:

All of the dishes in this book are very easy to prepare, and use widely available, simple ingredients. The dishes are not fancy, and they're certainly not low-cal. But they're always flavorful, hearty, and crowd pleasing. (p5)

I tried a couple of recipes from the cookbook -- the braised beef brisket was probably the most ambitious one that I chose, but I also tried to make the burgundy mushrooms (and failed when I halved the recipe but failed to lower the cooking time... doh!), and I successfully made the basic breakfast potatoes. The brisket and potatoes were good, but overall the recipes in this book were a little too time-intensive and meat centered than I usually cook. What I'm looking for in recipes these days is easy and quick to prepare, and healthy/light, and this cookbook isn't really geared towards that. Regardless, I'm glad I gave it a chance, since I am a fan of Ree's blog, but I can't really comment on the quality of the recipes since it's not really my style of cooking.

Sidenote -- apparently there's also talk of making a Pioneer Woman movie based on Ree's story. Woah!

In My Mailbox (4.25.10)

2010-04-25T15:03:00.004-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Head over there to see what everyone else received this week!

These books actually came to me over the last couple of weeks, but since I haven't done an In My Mailbox post in a while, I thought I'd post about them now. I received two books in the mail, and I'm really excited about both of them!

I received a copy of Fireworks over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff from the publisher. I've been wanting to read this one, since I've seem some great reviews of it. Here's a summary, from Goodreads:

Lily was married for just days before her husband was sent abroad to fight in WWII. Now, he and the other soldiers are returning, and the small town of Toccoa, Georgia plans a big celebration. But a handsome and kind Italian immigrant, responsible for the elaborate fireworks display the town commissioned captures Lily's heart and soul. Torn between duty to society and her husband, and a poor, passionate man who might be her only true love--Lily must choose between a love she never knew and a commitment she'd already made.

The second book I received is The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, which I won from a giveaway hosted by Stacy at A Novel Source. I've been wanting to read this one ever since I first heard what it's about, so I'm so glad to have won a copy. Thanks Stacy! Here's the summary from Goodreads:

Filled with stunning parallels to today's world, The Postmistress is a sweeping novel about the loss of innocence of two extraordinary women-and of two countries torn apart by war.

On the eve of the United States's entrance into World War II in 1940, Iris James, the postmistress of Franklin, a small town on Cape Cod, does the unthinkable: She doesn't deliver a letter. In London, American radio gal Frankie Bard is working with Edward R. Murrow, reporting on the Blitz. One night in a bomb shelter, she meets a doctor from Cape Cod with a letter in his pocket, a letter Frankie vows to deliver when she returns from Germany and France, where she is to record the stories of war refugees desperately trying to escape.

The residents of Franklin think the war can't touch them- but as Frankie's radio broadcasts air, some know that the war is indeed coming. And when Frankie arrives at their doorstep, the two stories collide in a way no one could have foreseen. The Postmistress is an unforgettable tale of the secrets we must bear, or bury. It is about what happens to love during wartime, when those we cherish leave. And how every story-of love or war-is about looking left when we should have been looking right.

Up in the Air (Movie Review)

2010-04-24T08:31:00.000-04:00

Up in the Air
2009

Ryan Bingham travels around the country, hired by cowardly managers to handle the firing of employees. A seasoned traveler, Ryan spent 322 days traveling last year, which means that he had to spend 43 "miserable" days at home in Omaha. Ryan derives pleasure from his elite status when he travels, so when he's called back to Omaha and learns that young upstart Natalie Keener has introduced the idea of virtual firing, his way of life is challenged. Ryan asserts that Natalie doesn't truly understand the nature of his business, and that you can't perform this job virtually. Ryan's boss lets Ryan have a few more weeks of travel to show Natalie the ropes of how he does his job. In the meantime, Ryan is involved in a relationship with Alex, who is also "turned on" by elite status and connects with Ryan when their layovers overlap.

One of the most poignant moments of this movie for me was a conversation between Ryan and Natalie, wherein he tells her that he doesn't spend any money unless it contributes to his frequent flyer miles, with the goal of reaching 10 million miles, which only six people have every accomplished before. Natalie wonders if he's planning a trip to Hawaii or somewhere to use all those miles, but Ryan says that the miles themselves are the goal, to which Natalie replies that if she had that many miles, she'd go to the airport and just pick a place and go.

That's just one example, that I probably butchered in trying to retell, but it's only one of many brilliant moments in this movie. The acting was fantastic all around - Anna Kendrick as Natalie and Vera Farmiga as Alex -- and, it goes without saying, George Clooney as Ryan Bingham ;) But more than that, the movie as a whole was well done and powerful, and my attention was captured from the beginning credits all the way through to the end. I really related to the character of Natalie, as I'm of a similar age and place in life right now, but I also enjoyed the scenes between Ryan and Alex - in fact, I think Alex might have been my favorite character, because Vera Farmiga's acting was excellent.

Coming in, I expected this movie to be good, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. If you haven't seen it yet, go rent this movie - I'd recommend it to anyone, period.

Searching for Pemberley by Mary Lydon Simonsen

2010-04-21T07:32:00.000-04:00

Searching for Pemberley by Mary Lydon Simonsen
2009, 473 pages

World War II is over, and Maggie Joyce, reluctant to settle down in her small hometown of Minooka, Pennsylvania, sets her sights abroad and ends up working in London. One weekend, Maggie and a friend leave the city and visit Montclair, which is rumored to have been the home of the real-life Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. As Maggie unravels the similarities between Jane Austen's characters and their real-life counterparts, she forms a deep friendship with Jack and Beth Crowell, who know more about the basis for Austen's story than they initially let on, and ends up entangled in a love story of her own - torn between her American former-pilot boyfriend, Rob, and the Crowell's too-good-to-be-true son, Michael.

I added this one to my wishlist after reading a review by Anna at Diary of an Eccentric. Another Austen spinoff, I really liked that this one used Austen's characters as part of a (more) modern story, rather than trying to retell it or give a prequel/sequel. The premise of this story is that the characters of Pride and Prejudice were based on real people, and the real story behind Austen's novel is revealed through letters and diaries as Maggie makes her way through post-World War II England.

I enjoyed reading about life in England during this time period; the details Simonsen provides about Maggie's life in London, and even what it was like during the war through the histories of other characters, was very interesting and one of my favorite aspects of the book. I also thought that the characters were all really well developed and easily sympathized with their stories. Simonsen is a good writer and does a good job of developing relatable characters.

The action of this book is derived from learning about the true history of the story of Pride and Prejudice and from learning the backstories of the characters moreso than on actual plot action, especially for the first two thirds of the book, and although it sometimes got tiresome having so little action in the present, overall I enjoyed reading about these characters and their observations of life in England during and after both World Wars.

On the other hand, it was a little jarring that both the "true" story of Pride and Prejudice and the histories of the main characters were never told in chronological order. In some cases this made sense - the history behind the marriage of Jack and Beth Crowell isn't something they'd tell a stranger - but other times it was confusing and felt contrived, especially the order in which letters from the characters in Pride and Prejudice were revealed. It was also sometimes hard to keep all of the characters straight. Simonsen includes a list of the characters from Pride and Prejudice matched to their "real" counterparts in Searching for Pemberley, but it was still hard to keep all the names straight, including the characters in the present.

Overall, I think this is one of the better Austen spinoffs and I enjoyed reading Maggie's story and observing life in post-World War II England. The strengths of this book were the writing, the setting, and the character development, and in some ways I think the Pride and Prejudice aspect almost took away from this. I could have read a book just about Maggie, Rob, Michael, and the Crowells in post-World War II England, although the diary excerpts and letters did appeal to the Austen fanatic in me. Bottom line - I'd recommend this one for its characters and setting, but with the warning that it's not particularly plot-heavy and can feel like it's rambling at times.

Teaser Tuesday (4.20.10)

2010-04-20T07:33:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week comes from Guest House by Barbara K. Richardson:

"If you were smart--" Ellie said, but Melba wasn't. Melba was tired of smarts, tired of playing to win. Anyone could win. She wanted to sink into the bones of things. She wanted her life to matter. (p89)

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

2010-04-19T07:46:00.000-04:00

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
2000, 312 pages

In Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain takes the reader through his career in the restaurant industry, from his days as a dishwasher to running his own kitchen in New York City. I finished this one a couple of weeks ago and never quite got around to reviewing it, so this is going to be a short review since it's not as fresh in my memory anymore...

Writing and making television, no matter what some whining dipshits may tell you, is easy. Cooking is hard. Any author who gripes about the "pressures" of celebrity, the "difficulty" of being "on" all the time, or the travails of "the road" has clearly never worked a busy grill station. (p307)

Bourdain's writing is really entertaining, and his adventures in the food industry are very interesting to read about. The foodie in me loved reading about the inner workings of a restaurant, and I loved reading about different aspects of working as the kitchen as Bourdain moves of the ladder from lowly dishwasher to, eventually, having his own kitchen. Sometimes I was a little disoriented because the book isn't always told in chronological order, and towards the end it felt like the book was rambling a little rather than coming to closure, but overall it was a very enjoyable read. I'd recommend this book for Bourdain's entertaining writing and for the behind the scenes look at what it's like to work in a restaurant. Here's an excerpt from one of my favorite sections of the book, when Bourdain works for "Bigfoot" at a restaurant in New York:

Bigfoot understood--as I came to understand--that character is far more important than skills or employment history. And he recognized character--good and bad--brilliantly. He understood, and taught me, that a guy who shows up every day on time, never calls in sick an does what he said he was going to do is less likely to fuck you in the end than a guy who has an incredible resume but is less than reliable about arrival time. Skills can be taught. Character you either have or don't have. (p96)

As a side note, not long after finishing this, some friends and I went out to a nice dinner in Boston's North End, and I definitely had this book in the back of my mind... as I read the menu I remembered Bourdain's statements, such as chicken is on the menu for people who don't know what they want, vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent, etc., and I was definitely thinking about what might be going on in the kitchen during our meal.

Returning from my mini-hiatus

2010-04-18T10:33:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed that things have been pretty quiet around here for the last couple of weeks... I lost a little bit of my blogging momentum lately, partly from things getting busy in real life and partly from needing to strike up a better balance between reading/blogging and everything else. When I first started blogging, I was reading a book a week, but over the last few months I've picked up the pace, reading 2 or 3 books a week, and while I've really enjoyed becoming exposed to some great books through blogging, I also became a little fatigued by reading so much (I didn't even think that was possible!), and as a result I've been reading the same book for the last two weeks (Searching for Pemberley by Mary Lydon Simonsen), which isn't a reflection on the book itself so much as my own need to slow down a little.

Anyway, I think I've finally gotten through my hump and am planning to resume pick up my blogging schedule this week :) This is just a quick note to explain the mini-disappearance, and to let you all know that I'm looking forward to catching up on reading blogs this week!

Mrs. Somebody Somebody by Tracy Winn

2010-04-08T07:42:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Somebody Somebody by Tracy Winn
2009, 199 pages

Set in the industrial New England town of Lowell, Massachusetts, Mrs. Somebody Somebody tells 10 intertwined stories of its residents, from post-World War II to the present.

When I picked up this book, something about the writing immediately drew me in, and I really enjoyed the first story, Mrs. Somebody Somebody, from which the novel takes its title. Although it was by far the longest story in the book, I was really interested in the story of Stella, a mill worker who dreams of someday becoming Mrs. Somebody Somebody and owning her own salon. Stella is drawn into the middle of the mill's struggles over unionization and provides a revealing window through which to view the struggle. Winn's writing is interesting and enjoyable, and was the highlight of this book for me.

Mrs. Somebody Somebody was exactly who I wanted to be. The way some kids grow up knowing they want to be mayor, want to have their name in the book of history, I wanted to wear a white dress and a ring that said I was taken care of. It was all mixed up with my hankering to live better, to have pretty things, to be glamorous. I wanted that Mrs. title like it was what I was born for--a want that settles into you when you are very young and grows as you grow. (p17)

Unfortunately, none of the subsequent stories drew me in as much as the first one. I liked some more than others, but overall the concept of short stories connected by the same location ultimately failed to really come together for me in this book. Part of me feels like maybe I didn't pay enough attention after the first story to really grasp the stories' overall connection, but overall I just have lukewarm feelings toward this book.

How a quarry cutter's daughter gets screwball ideas could be a whole other story. The happy accident--how my nose and eyes landed in a nice arrangement, how my lips came to be a fashionable shape--had a lot to do with it. People have always been pleased to look at my face and figure. Anywhere I'd gotten, I'd gotten because of my looks. But being a looker can make you think you might be something special. Let me tell you, you're not. You may have the finest eyes in the world, long dark lashes, lovely shape and color, but it's what those eyes see that counts. Mine were blind, blind.

Glamour and LOOK magazine showed me better ways to live. I loved those glossy pages of beautiful women, all those brides who looked like they knew the secrets I would learn. I never doubted that I could be one of them. Not for a second. Those days the world was my mirror. Nothing but shiny surfaces to give me back myself. Wherever I looked, there I was. (p9)

I received this book for review from LibraryThing.

Teaser Tuesday (4.6.10)

2010-04-06T08:03:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser comes from Searching for Pemberley by Mary Lydon Simonsen. I've had this one on my shelf for a while and I'm happy to finally get a chance to read it!

Walking down the long drive, I could hear the sound of carriage wheels and horses' hooves as they made their way up the hill, carrying couples to a night's entertainment. Welcoming them was Elizabeth Darcy, dressed in an elegant but simply ivory-colored Empire dress, while Fitzwilliam Darcy was outfitted in clothing made popular by Beau Brummel: jacket, waistcoat, neckcloth, breeches, and high leather boots. (p11)

March Wrap Up

2010-04-03T15:16:00.001-04:00

A bit belated, but here's a wrap up of my reading this month:

The Arrival by Shaun Tan
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
what the world will look like when all the water leaves us by Laura van den Berg
Enlightened Sexism by Susan J. Douglas
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
Balancing Acts by Zoe Fishman
Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond (Review Coming Soon)
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (Review Coming Soon)

Wow, looking at that list, I definitely read a lot more this month that I thought I had when I sat down to write this post. Things have sort of slowed down over the last week, as work & other things have gotten busy, but overall I'm happy about my reading in March - I branched out to read a mystery and a book of short stories, two genres which I generally don't read much of, and enjoyed the experience. Fair warning - posting here may continue to be slow over the next week as I continue to try to dig myself out of this hole I seem to be in.

Balancing Acts by Zoe Fishman

2010-03-31T07:44:00.000-04:00

Balancing Acts by Zoe Fishman
2010, 368 pages

Charlie, Bess, Sabine, and Naomi reconnect at an informal 10-year college reunion in New York City. Charlie is there to recruit students for her fledgling yoga studio, and Bess, Sabine, and Naomi, all intimidated by and uninitiated to yoga, agree to a six-week class. As the class progresses, so does the friendship between these women as they all struggle to overcome obstacles in their personal and professional lives.

Bess, Sabine, and Naomi were all standing awkwardly in the middle of the studio, clutching their mats with apprehension. Charlie was suddenly sure that they hadn't looked much different fourteen years earlier, arriving at college with their suitcases and shower caddies--their clothes smelling of Mom's detergent. Their nervousness was endearing, but Charlie had to nip it in the bud now, if she expected them to get anywhere in that morning's class. They only had six weeks, after all. They had to let go. (p65)

I read a review of this book a couple of weeks ago from Heather at Book Addiction, and soon after I was at the bookstore trying to pick up some light reads, and I bought this one on an impulse. The story of four women in their thirties finding friendship and overcoming obstacles in their lives was pretty much what you'd expect from a chick lit novel, but there were a few aspects that I liked about this one.

It took me a while to connect with the four main characters in this novel, and even at the end I feel like the four women weren't as well developed as they could have been. Despite this, after a slow start I did become invested in their stories, partly because in each of these women's situations I found something I could relate to, whether it was Naomi's fears about her health, Sabine's struggles to return to writing in addition to her full time job, or Bess's reluctance to move across the country to be with her boyfriend.

I also enjoyed the focus on yoga. This book definitely made me want to get myself in shape and go to a yoga class! I thought the writing could be corny sometimes, but overall I enjoyed reading these women's stories, and would conditionally recommend it to fans of chick lit.

"Yoga is about surrendering to a sense of flow and internal rhythm," Charlie explained. "You connect with your inner being to flow more successfully on a physical level. You are evolving inside in order to evolve outside." (p191)

In My Mailbox (3.28.10)

2010-03-28T13:31:00.003-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Head over there to see what everyone else received this week!

I've put myself on library probation, and actually ended up returning a couple of books unread this week, which I hate to do but feel like is necessary. Regardless, a few books arrived in my mailbox this week, all of which I'm really excited to get to.

I won a copy of Still Alice by Lisa Genova from Kay at My Random Acts of Reading. Thanks so much Kay!! Here's the blurb from the back of the book:

Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she's a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life--and her relationship with her family and the world--forever.

At once beautiful and terrifying, Still Alice is a moving and vivid depiction of life with early onset Alzheimer's disease that is as compelling as A Beautiful Mind and as unforgettable as Ordinary People.

Having had a family member die of Alzheimer's, this is a book that I think is really important for me to read and I'm glad to finally get my hands on a copy!

Keeping the Feast by Paula Butterini arrived this week from Bookmooch. I've been wanting to read this one since the first reviews came out - I'm really developing a taste for foodie memoirs, and this one sounds like a really inspiring read! Here's a summary from Goodreads:

A story of food and love, injury and healing, Keeping the Feast is the triumphant memoir of one couple's nourishment and restoration in Italy after a period of tragedy, and the extraordinary sustaining powers of food, family, and friendship.

Paula and John met in Italy, fell in love, and four years later, married in Rome. But less than a month after the wedding, tragedy struck. They had transferred from their Italian paradise to Warsaw and while reporting on an uprising in Romania, John was shot and nearly killed by sniper fire. Although he recovered from his physical wounds in less than a year, the process of healing had just begun. Unable to regain his equilibrium, he sank into a deep sadness that reverberated throughout their relationship. It was the abrupt end of what they'd known together, and the beginning of a new phase of life neither had planned for. All of a sudden, Paula was forced to reexamine her marriage, her husband, and herself.

I also received a copy Guest House by Barbara K. Richardson for review from Anne Staszalek at The Book Report Network. The first chapter is available online at the author's website, and after reading that I decided this was a book I definitely want to read. Here's the blurb from the back cover:

Driving home from work on a summer afternoon, Melba Burns witnesses a nightmare collision. She abandons her car, quits her job, and stops driving. The wreck ends Melba's desire for success at any cost; she retreats into her beloved old farmhouse yearning for a simpler peace. But peace has never met Melba's stunning to roommate JoLee Garry, a magnet for messes and trouble. JoLee brings a series of unexpected guests who transform Melba's solo life into something different, darker, and richer.

Finally, I also received a copy of Glorious by Bernice L. McFadden for review from the author. I heard great things about her previous novel, Sugar, so I'm looking forward to reading her latest novel. Here's the blurb from the back cover:

Glorious is set against the backdrops of the Jim Crow South, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Civil Rights era. Blending fact and fiction, Glorious is the story of Easter Venetta Bartlett, a fictional Harlem Renaissance writer whose tumultuous path to success, ruin, and ultimately revival offers a candid and true portrait of the American experience in all its beauty and cruelty.

It is a novel informed by the question that is the title of Langston Hughes's famous poem: What happens to a dream deferred? Based on years of research, this heart-wrenching fictional account is given added resonance by factual events coupled with real and imagined larger-than-life characters. Glorious is an audacious exploration into the nature of self-hatred, love, possession, ego, betrayal, and, finally, redemption.

Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

2010-03-27T11:52:00.000-04:00

Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
1938, 214 pages

I've been wanting to try reading mysteries for a while, and I figured what better way to start than with the 'Queen of Crime' herself, Agatha Christie. I picked this one up on an impulse in the bookstore, mostly because I liked the setting and thought the plot sounded interesting.

In this book, Christie's beloved detective Hercule Poirot is on vacation in Jerusalem, and during his first night's day he overhears part of a conversation in which someone says, "You do see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?" Not long after that, Poirot is asked to look into the murder of Mrs. Boynton, the controlling matriarch of her family, who by all accounts is better off dead. Poirot perserveres in his investigation regardless, and in time virtually everyone comes under suspicion for the murder of Mrs. Boynton.

I didn't quite know what to expect coming into this novel. I think I may have watched a few too many procedural tv shows, where the story starts off with a body being found, and the investigation takes center stage. In this book, Christie spends over 80 pages setting the stage before the murder even takes place, and where Poirot was barely featured. I was surprised by this and, as I was reading, almost wished that the murder would happen already, since you know who's going to die before you even open the book. After finishing the book, I can see why this build up was important and understand why it's there. But I'm curious - is this long buildup before the crime typical of mysteries? Just trying to manage my expectations ;)

Anyway, I really liked the premise of this book - the question of whether Mrs. Boynton deserved to die, and the fact that virtually every character has some motive for wanting her dead. The resolution was a surprise to me, but it made sense in hindsight and I really liked the way it played out in the end.

"There is no doubt that her death was--how shall we put it?--beneficial to the community. It has brought freedom to her family. They will have scope to develop--they are all, I think, people of good character and intelligence. They will be--now--useful members of society! The death of Mrs. Boynton, as I see it, has resulted in nothing but good."

Poirot repeated for the third time:

"So, are you satisfied?"

"No." Dr. Gerard pounded a fist suddenly on the table. I am not 'satisfied," as you put it! It is my instinct to preserve life--not to hasten death. Therefore, though my conscious mind may repeat that this woman's death was a good thing, my unconscious mind rebels against it! It is not well, gentleman, that a human being should die before his or her time has come." (p102)

This book definitely makes me want to pick up some more mysteries in the future. The jury is still out on whether I love Agatha Christie's mysteries - I thought this one was enjoyable, but not quite what I expected.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

2010-03-24T07:58:00.000-04:00

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
2009, 290 pages

In 1942 Seattle, twelve-year-old Henry Lee is the only Chinese student at Ranier Elementary. Proud of his son's "scholarshipping," Henry's father forbids his son to speak anything other than english at home, despite the fact that neither of his parents understand him, yet at the same time forces Henry to wear a button that says "I am Chinese." Henry is lonely and picked on, until one day his world brightens when Keiko, a Japanese girl, starts at Ranier. Henry and Keiko become friends, despite Henry's father's aversion to all things Japanese. Henry and Keiko's friendship becomes more complicated when Keiko's family is "evacuated" along with the entire Japanese population of Seattle.

In 1986, Henry is still getting over the recent death of his wife, Ethel, when he hears that belongings of Japanese families that were evacuated during World War II have been found in the Panama Hotel. Henry quixotically searches these belongings for an old record that he and Keiko had shared, all the while trying to cross the rift that exists between him and his son, Marty.

Henry stared in silence as a small parade of wooden packing crates and leathery suitcases were hauled upstairs, the crowd marveling at the once-precious items held within: a white communion dress, tarnished silver candlesticks, a picnic basket--items that had collected dust, untouched, for forty-plus years. Saved for a happier time that never came.

The more Henry thought about the shabby old knickknacks, the forgotten treasures, the more he wondered if his own broken heart might be found in there, hidden among the unclaimed possessions of another time. Boarded up in the basement of a condemned hotel. Lost, but never forgotten. (p6-7)

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet alternates between telling the story an adolescent Henry's war years with his later life in 1986. What really amazed me about this book is how Ford manages to tell the story of the Japanese evacuation, of the struggles between generations in immigrant families, and of the friendship between Henry and Keiko, with each story ringing true to the reader. All of the elements in this novel - the Oscar Holden record Henry searches for; his meeting of Ethel, who he marries; even the bullies who pick on Henry mercilessly - all fit together seamlessly in a touching story.

Ford creates an unexpected cast of characters that works in the context of this novel. I loved Sheldon, the African American saxophone player who acts as a big brother to Henry, and Samantha, the Caucasian fiance of Henry's son, Marty, who impresses her future father-in-law with a mastery of Chinese cuisine. I read this book slowly, over the course of a week, but I savored every page and enjoyed Ford's writing, which brings these characters to life and is artful and beautiful. Take this example:

Henry squinted, allowing his senses to adjust to the daylight and the cold, gray Seattle sky that filled the paned windows of the Panama Hotel lobby. Everything, it seemed--the city, the sky--was brighter and more vivid than before. So modern, compared with the time capsule downstairs. As he left the hotel, Henry looked west to where the sun was setting, burnt sienna flooding the horizon. It reminded him that time was short, but that beautiful endings could still be found at the end of cold, dreary days. (p76-77)

This book also tells an important story - that of the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. This is one of the darker moments in American history, and it was heartbreaking to watch Keiko's family as they were "evacuated," despite the fact that her family was more "American" than Japanese, and that Keiko was born in the U.S. Keiko's frustration at seeing those of Japanese heritage taken away and her family's strength as they are forced to leave behind their entire life is touching.

Keiko halted and looked at Henry. She looked down at his button, the one his father had made him wear. "You are Chinese, aren't you, Henry?"
He nodded, not knowing how to answer.
"That's fine. Be who you are," she said, turning away, a look of disappointment in her eyes. "But I'm an American." (p60)

Another aspect of the novel that really rang true for me was its depiction of the relationship between first generation American Henry and his immigrant parents. Henry's father demands that he speak only english in their home, despite the fact that this essentially renders Henry unable to communicate with his parents. Henry is torn between two worlds - not American enough to fit in at Ranier Elementary, but not fitting into Chinese culture either. This experience is echoed to some degree by Keiko's experience, as well as Henry's struggle to be understood by his own son, Marty.

This book is definitely a worthwhile read, and I would recommend it to practically anyone. It is well-deserving of all the praise it's been getting and is a very memorable book.

Teaser Tuesday (3.23.10)

2010-03-23T07:46:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I am currently reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. This book is really interesting and so far, and I'm enjoying Bourdain's style of writing. Here's my teaser:

Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food. (p70)

Kind of harsh, huh? The former vegetarian in me grimaces, but the rest of me chuckled ;)

Enlighted Sexism by Susan J. Douglas

2010-03-22T07:58:00.000-04:00

Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message that Feminism's Work is Done by Susan J. Douglas
2010, 334 pages

Enlightened sexism is a manufacturing process that is produced, week in and week out, by the media. Its components--anxiety about female achievement; a renewed and amplified objectification of young women's bodies and faces; the dual exploitation and punishment of female sexuality; the dividing of women against each other by age, race, and class; rampant branding and consumerism--began to swirl around in the early 1990s, consolidating as the dark star it has become in the early twenty-first century. Some, myself included, have referred to this state of affairs and this kind of media mix as "postfeminist." But I am rejecting this term. It has gotten gummed up by too many conflicting definitions. And besides, this term suggests that somehow feminism is at the root of this when it isn't-it's good, old-fashioned, grade-A sexism that reinforces good, old-fashioned, grade-A patriarchy. It's just much better disguised, in seductive Manolo Blahniks and an Ipex bra. (p10)

In Enlightened Sexism, Susan J. Douglas argues that the through the combination of "enlightened sexism" and "embedded feminism," the media and popular culture conceal the very real need for continued feminism - the very idea of which having become almost a dirty word. In embedded feminism, tv shows and the media present women in power as fait accompli, leading women to believe that feminism is part of the cultural landscape and hiding the fact that there still exist many disparities between women and men in this country. Through enlightened sexism, women continue objectified and exploited in popular culture, but the viewer is meant to watch with irony, as Douglas explains:

This is the knowing wink: guys are so dumb, such helpless slaves to big breasts, and the female display is, in the end, so harmless, that a feminist critique is not necessary. Therefore, the objectification of women is now fine; why, it's actually a joke on the guys. It's silly to be sexist; therefore, it's funny to be sexist. (p13)

Douglas writes in a conversational tone that immediately pulled me into her writing and kept me interested. Not having read much nonfiction lately, I expected this to be a tough read for me and was pleasantly surprised to find the opposite to be the case - for the most part, I was constantly engaged by Douglas's writing and managed to finish it over the course of a weekend.

I also enjoyed reading the examples she cites of movies, tv shows, and popular culture in which embedded feminism or enlightened sexism are at work. Having watched or at least heard of many of the examples that she gives, I was intrigued by her analysis of them. To be honest, I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed this book as much as I would have if I wasn't so familiar with all of her examples - I did lose some interest when the chapters focused on aspects of the media I wasn't as familiar with. Her chapters also tended to be example-heavy, and more than once I wished that she would give fewer examples and make her point sooner.

This book definitely got me thinking more about feminism, and the role that it plays in my life. It's not something I've really considered before, and I'm definitely watching tv shows and movies in a new light now. Overall, I'd say that this book is illuminating and well-written, but be wary before picking it up if you're not completely interested in the subject material.

Note: I received a copy of this book for review from Goodreads First Reads.

Reading Funks and Spontaneous Book Buying

2010-03-21T12:05:00.000-04:00

It seems that every time I read a really good book, it's hard for me to choose what to read next. Whatever I pick will most likely suffer in comparison to what I've just finished, so it's hard to get motivated to pick up something new.

In other words, after finishing Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet on Friday (and loving it - review coming soon!), I spent almost all of yesterday procrastinating on picking what to read next. My aversion to reading something new was only compounded by my growing pile of library books with looming due dates. Especially since I didn't really feel up to reading any of the library books sitting on my shelf right now. I ended up running to the bookstore and splurging on some impulse buys. At long last, an Agatha Christie mystery (Appointment with Death - my first Christie mystery!) succeeded in capturing my attention and getting me reading again.

I realized that I hate the pressure of having to read library books by a certain date - especially new releases that I can only check out for one week. I am very much a "moody" reader - I can pick up a book and not be able to get through it if the time isn't right, and a week later I'll pick the same book up and read it in a few days. The pressure to read library books before they're due stresses me out, especially since my frequent bouts of binge-requesting means that I end up with waaaay too many books coming in at once.

The point of this post? I want to take some of the pressure off in terms of reading. I want to try to avoid ending up with tons of library books to read, such that I ignore what's already sitting in my shelf or feel too guilty to buy new books. Does that make sense? Basically, I want to have more freedom to pick up whichever book on my shelf I feel like reading at the time, without having to worry about when I need to read something by. Or to pick up a book at the bookstore and read it right away, if I want. This means I'm going to try to reign in my library requests for the time being... we'll see how that goes.

Sorry for the rambling post. In book related news, I should have reviews for Enlightened Sexism by Susan J. Douglas and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford up this week. I also picked up these books at the bookstore yesterday during my impulse book-buying spree:

Alice in Wonderland (Movie Review)

2010-03-20T15:39:00.000-04:00

Alice in Wonderland
2010

Alice is at an outdoor party, and becomes distracted by a rabbit wearing a suit, who she follows down the hole to Wonderland. However, Alice does not remember her visit to Wonderland as a child, and those around her become convinced that she is "the wrong Alice," while Alice believes that she is in a dream. Alice reignites her friendship with the Mad Hatter, and reluctantly becomes drawn into the rivalry between the Red and White Queen.

I have to admit, I'm not sure if I've ever seen the original Alice in Wonderland, and when I tried reading the book a few years ago, I got stuck on the part where she drinks the from the bottle that says "Drink Me," so I was almost completely ignorant going into the movie, having little knowledge of the original story.

I saw the movie in 3-D, and I almost wish I hadn't. This may sound silly, but I spent a large part of the movie trying to figure out what was in 3-D and what wasn't, which means that I didn't become particularly invested in the story. For the most part I thought the movie was just ok... I was expecting something weird, as one would from the combination of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, and the movie was definitely what you would expect in that regard.

I did enjoy any scene featuring the chesire cat - I'm not quite sure why but he was definitely the highlight of the movie for me. I also thought that Helena Bonham Carter did a great job as the Red Queen. My friend that I saw the movie with absolutely hated Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, but I was more amused than bothered by her acting. Then again, I was also cracking up during the big fight scene, so go figure.

One thing the movie did was make me want to try reading the book again. I'm not quite sure what happened to the copy I was reading a while back, but I feel like now that I know more about the story and characters, I might be more motivated to keep reading. Overall, I'd say this is a movie to rent rather than see in the theaters, and definitely not worth it for the 3-D.

what the world will look like when all the water leaves us by Laura van den Berg

2010-03-17T07:52:00.000-04:00

what the world will look like when all the water leaves us by Laura van den Berg
2009, 205 pages

what the world will look like when all the water leaves us is a book of short stories by Laura van den Berg. The stories are set in locations ranging from Boston to the Congo, from Paris to Madagascar. In eight stories, van den Berg's heroines deal with loss, disappointment, and other obstacles.

Despite the fact that this was a book of short stories, van den Berg quickly establishes her characters and their worlds in each. For example, in the opening paragraph of goodbye my loveds, I was amazed at how quickly she established an atmosphere and character, immediately making me interested in the story:

My brother entered my room at dawn. He wanted to show me the hole outside our building. I got out of bed and he drug me through the blue-black light of our basement apartment. He was twelve, although most people thought he was younger. I didn't tell him I was already awake, lying on my back and gazing at the ceiling, trying hard to return to sleep until my alarm sounded, trying hard to be normal. (p34)

Laura van den Berg is a fantastic writer. Several times when reading this I paused to reread something and savor her writing. Her writing is lyrical and natural, and I loved the way she uses images to convey the emotional state of the characters. Take this example (the narrator has lost her parents and has become the sole caretaker of her brother):

One section of the store consisted entirely of antique maps. I liked to find maps of the places my parents had been and study the geography, imagining them crossing the blue lines of the Kalambo River in Tanzania or climbing the brown peaks of Mount Abu in India. The phone rang. I ignored it at first, then realized it might be my brother and answered. It was Denver, calling to tell me the hole in the street was actually a tunnel that led to the other side of the world. (p41)

All of the stories in this collection are incredibly touching. When I finished the first short story in the book, where we must be, I was really touched and had to put the book down and let it sink in before reading any more. In most of the stories, van den Berg's heroines are coping with some form of loss, and van den Berg does an amazing job of portraying the emotions of her characters yet ending each story on a hopeful note. It's been a few days since I finished reading this, and most of the stories still stick out to me individually.

I will say that, reading this book exclusively over the course of a week, the stories began to feel repetitive midway through. I think that be my own fault though - perhaps my mistake is attempting to read all the short stories in a row. Do you all tend to read a book of short stories exclusively all at once, or intersperse it with other things? As a newcomer to short story collections, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend it for van den Berg's writing and characters. It has definitely served as a great reintroduction to short fiction for me!

Teaser Tuesday (3.16.10)

2010-03-16T07:19:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week is from Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. I haven't actually had time to start this yet, so it's a teaser for me as well!

Keiko cut him off. "No, this is for taking me to the Black Elks Club with you."

"And almost getting us thrown in jail," Henry muttered sheepishly.

He watched her purse her lips and consider that comment, then dismiss his concern, beaming at Henry. "It was worth it." (p111)

This came up on the first random page I turned to - I think it's so sweet! Can't wait to get started with this book, I've heard so many great things about it!

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

2010-03-15T08:17:00.001-04:00

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
2007, 463 pages

With the death of Egypt's crown prince, Tuthmosis, his brother Amunhotep is the new heir to Egypt's throne. However, Amunhotep has his own ideas about the future of Egypt, and Queen Tiye, who is currently ruling Egypt by default, hopes for him to take a Chief Wife who will be able to temper his dangerous ideas. Into this steps the irresistible Nefertiti, who convinces the Queen that she can play that role. Mutnodjmet, her younger sister, observes as Amunhotep and Nefertiti together try to build their own version of Egypt, displacing the old gods to worship Aten, the sun. Lacking the grand aspirations of her sister, Mutnodjmet struggles to help her sister maintain her role all the while searching to fulfill her own happiness.

I absolutely loved The Heretic Queen, so I could hardly wait to start reading Nefertiti when it arrived from the library. I was excited to revisit the world of Ancient Egypt that Moran so convincingly creates, and once again I was not disappointed. This book is full of interesting characters - Queen Tiye and Ipu (Mutnodjmet's body servant) immediately come to mind as background characters who I nonetheless enjoyed - and Moran's writing succeeds in portraying an Ancient Egypt that is realistic and relatable.

"You can't change the desert. You can only take the fastest course through it. Wishing it's an oasis won't make it so, Mutnodjmet." (p128-9)

Just as I enjoyed watching Nefertari navigate Egyptian politics in The Heretic Queen, I eagerly followed her mother, Mutnodjmet, in Nefertiti. It is very easy to sympathize with Mutnodjmet, who is in many ways a foil to her sister. Unlike Nefertiti, Mutnodjmet does not seek power, and finds a niche for herself through her knowledge of herbs and cures. She finds a similar spirit in General Nakhtmin, who desires a quiet life. When Mutnodjmet's relationship with General Nakhtmin interferes with her family's agenda, Mutnodjmet is forced to choose between the two, and I enjoyed watching her character develop throughout the book.

"Be careful here, my lady. Let history forget your name. For if your deeds are to live in eternity, you will have become exactly what your family wants you to be." (p136)

The character of Nefertiti was also well-crafted and interesting to read. At times Nefertiti seems to be driven only by her quest for personal power, to the detriment of Mutnodjmet and others. However, Nefertiti is a complex character brought to life by Moran, and though I didn't always like her, I was intrigued by her portrayal. Her climb to power in some ways mimics that which Nefertari undergoes in The Heretic Queen, but Nefertiti's motives and ambitions are very different. Take this example:

"I play the goddess to the people!" she cried. "I play the savior of this kingdom when masses of Egyptian soldiers want to revolt and are stopped only when I can convince them that Aten has spoken through me and assured them of prosperity. I am the one who must hold the puppet strings in this play, and only father"--her lower lip began to tremble--"only Father knows how hard and tiring that is." (p316)

As a tangent, I know that I read this book out of order - it was both written and takes place prior to The Heretic Queen. It was interesting to get to know characters that, without ever actually being introduced, had had such an impact in the world of The Heretic Queen. Having read Heretic Queen first, I wonder if my impressions of both novels may differ from someone (I'm sure many of you) who read the books in the proper order. For example, I thought that the scope of Nefertiti was much greater than that of The Heretic Queen, but I think that I related to the characters more in The Heretic Queen. Nefertiti and Mutnodjmet were both complex characters and I quickly became invested in Mutnodjmet, but I didn't root for her quite as much as I rooted for Nefertari in the next installment. I wonder if those who read the books in their proper order might disagree.

At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed Nefertiti. It was easy to become invested in the characters and story, and I voraciously devoured every page. I may have to make myself wait longer before picking up Moran's latest novel, Cleopatra's Daughter, as when I finish that, I'll have run out of things to read by her!

"Have I offended you my lady?"
"Yes, you have."
"I'm sorry. I shall be more careful in the future. After all, you will be one of the most dangerous women at court."
I stopped walking.
"Privy to the secrets that viziers and priests are paying spies very handsomely to procure."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Information, Lady Mutnodjmet," hes aid, and he kept walking toward the stables.
"And what do you think information can do?" I called after him.
"In the wrong hands," he replied over his shoulder, "it can do anything." (p74)

In My Mailbox (3.14.10)

2010-03-14T11:16:00.000-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I (hopefully) have learned my lesson about library requests. (What am I saying? I'll never learn my lesson...) So, nothing from the library this week, but I did receive a copy of Mrs. Somebody Somebody by Tracy Winn courtesy of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

That's it for this week... looking forward to seeing what arrived for everyone else!

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

2010-03-13T07:34:00.001-05:00

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
2010, 290 pages

Set in the U.S. in the early 1850s, this book tells the story of Lizzie, Sweet, Reenie, and Mawu - slaves who go on vacation with their masters to Tawawa House, a resort in Ohio renowned for its water. All four women are mistresses to their masters, who don't bring their wives along for the trip. Not far from the resort lies a hotel for freed blacks, and a visit there broaches the idea of escape among the slaves, each of whom have their own motives for running or staying. Lizzie, the centerpiece of the novel, struggles with the decision of whether to stay out of her love for her master, Drayle, and for her children, who are still on the plantation; or to run away to freedom.

This book tells an important story about the history of slavery in the U.S. From each of the women's stories, we learn about a different aspect of the cruelty and heartbreaking nature of slavery. I don't read much fiction about slavery, so although technically I knew about the kind of stories this book tells beforehand, it was still eye-opening and heartbreaking to read about it in this book, when I was invested in the characters and frustrated by their fates.

Lizzie, one of the slaves, is the central figure in the novel. We follow her through three visits to the resort in Ohio and also learn about the history of her relationship with her master, Drayle, and watch the changing status of Lizzie's children on the plantation. Although I found Lizzie a little hard to relate to and didn't quite understand all of her decisions, the her relationship with Drayle and her struggles with the decision of whether or not to run away is a very important part of the book.

Overall, I would say that this is a good book but not a great one. I'm glad I read it because the story that it tells is an important one, but I didn't love the story and characters for their own sake.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

2010-03-10T07:36:00.001-05:00

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
2007, 372 pages

For me, there's nothing that quite rivals the feeling of picking up a favorite book, opening it to the first page, and reembarking on a journey that I know will captivate and move me. Yes, I know what's to come, but I find something extremely comforting in re-immersing myself in the writing and a story that I know and love.

That feeling of comfort is exactly what happened from the minute I opened A Thousand Splendid Suns to the first page. A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of my favorite books, and I took advantage of the Flashback Challenge to give myself an excuse to reread it. The reread proved that this book very much deserves its place as one of my favorites.

A Thousand Splendid Suns takes place in Afghanistan, and tells the intertwined stories of two very different women - Mariam and Laila. These two women live in Kabul and survive the war that surrounds them as the communist regime falls and, ultimately, the Taliban gains power. This book offers a window into the effects of the war and shows how the Taliban regime affected the scope of these women's lives.

Mariam grows up outside of Herat, Afghanistan. She lives with her mother in a village outside of the city, visited once a week by her father, Jalil, who, while kind to his illegitimate daughter, keeps her separate from the children of his three wives. Despite this, Mariam loves Jalil and looks forward to his visits, to the chagrin of her mother.

Laila is born in Kabul as the communist government takes control in Afghanistan. All her life, Laila has lived next door to Tariq, her best friend, who lost a leg when he stepped on a mine in his childhood. As she reaches adolescence these feelings develop into something more. Meanwhile, Laila's mother allows depression to overcome her after her two sons leave to fight in the war, and Laila is the one who takes care of her father. A teacher, Laila's father is determined that Laila should get an education.

I know you are still young, but I want you to understand and learn this now, he said. Marriage can wait, education cannot. You're a very, very bright girl. Truly you are. You can be anything you want, Laila. I know this about you. And I also know that when this war is over, Afghanistan is going to need you as much as its men, maybe even more. Because a society has no chance of success if it's women are uneducated, Laila. No chance. (p103)

We are introduced to these two women separately, and watch as they are forced to grow up and as their lives become intertwined by the war. For me, it is Mariam's story that really gives this novel its compelling and powerful edge. As much as I love Laila's story, and I do, it is Mariam's life that I find utterly heartbreaking, and that moves me to tears at the end of the novel. Take this quote, for example:

At the time, Mariam did not understand. She did not know what this word harami--bastard--meant. Nor was she old enough to appreciate the injustice, to see that it is the creators of the harami who are culpable, not the harami, whose only sin is being born. Mariam did surmise, by the way Nana said the word, that it was an ugly, loathesome thing to be a harami, like an insect, like the scurrying cockroaches Nana was always cursing and sweeping out of the kolba.

Later, when she was older, Mariam did understand. It was they way Nana uttered the word--not so much saying it as spitting it at her--that made Mariam feel the full sting of it. She understood then what Nana meant, that a harami was an unwanted thing; that she, Mariam, was an illegitimate person who would never have legitimate claim to the things other people had, things such as love, family, home, acceptance. (p4)

I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone. It's heartbreaking yet hopeful, and provides a window into the recent history of Afghanistan. Hosseini's writing is beautiful, and this is a story that I will come back to time and time again.

Teaser Tuesday (3.9.10)

2010-03-09T07:14:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser comes from what the world will look like when all the water leaves us, a collection of short stories by Laura van den Berg. I can't remember the last time I read a book of short stories, but the two I've read so far in this book have both been really powerful, so I'm looking forward to reading the rest. Here's my teaser - I actually stuck to two sentences this week, yay!

Since then, he'd come to believe in magic, in making the unknowable knowable. I viewed him with equal doses of fear and admiration. (p43)

For some reason, the phrase making the unknowable knowable appeals to me... I keep rolling over the words in my mind.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

2010-03-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

The Arrival by Shaun Tan
2006, 128 pages

To be honest, I'm not quite sure how to review this book. I've never delved into the realm of graphic novels before now, and The Arrival isn't exactly your typical graphic novel anyway: told exclusively in pictures, Tan relies on his images to tell his story, rather than words.

Outwardly the story of an immigrant leaving his family behind to move to a new country, Tan mixes the very real feelings of a new immigrant with a fantastical world that contains just enough of reality to be heartbreaking and just enough fantasy to convey the strangeness of arriving in a new country.

Reading a story comprised entirely of pictures was a new experience for me, and it required some effort on my part. At several points I had to skim backwards to really understand the story that was being told, and I hadn't expected the fantasy elements coming in. However, Tan's artwork is amazing and you can see the effort he put into every detail of the story - even two pages devoted entirely to the sky during the protagonist's journey.

I definitely gained something from reading this book, and would recommend it to any fan of graphic novels, but with the proviso that if this is your first exposure to the medim (as it was mine), it might be a bit jarring at first.

In My Mailbox (3.7.10)

2010-03-07T11:34:00.002-05:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Eurg, I think I may need to temporarily place a moratorium on library requests. I had five books come in this week, in addition to the five from last week! This may not seem like a lot to those amazing readers to read a book a day, but I'm lucky if I get through 2 or 3 books a week. I'm so excited about these though, so without further ado, here's what came in from the library this week:

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez: I've been intrigued by this one ever since I first heard about it, so I was so excited when my request finally came in! This one is due back in a week, so expect a review sometime soon!
Nefertiti by Michelle Moran: I decided that, despite all the other reading I want to do, I simply could not wait any longer before picking something else up by Michelle Moran. I absolutely loved The Heretic Queen, so I have high expectations for this one!
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford: This is another one that I've heard nothing but good things about and was super ecstatic when I found out my library request had finally arrived. Can't wait!
What the World Will Look Like when All the Water Leaves Us by Laura Van Den Berg: I've always had a patience problem when it comes to short story collections - I lose interest midway through because there's no overarching plot to keep me invested. However, lately I've been thinking I should give short stories another try, and when I heard about this one from Heather at Book Addiction it sounded too good to pass up!
Don Quixote by Cervantes: I've always wanted to read this, and since it's on the list of books for the Gilmore Girls Reading Challenge I finally have an impetus to get through this 1000+ page monster. I have a feeling this is going to be a long-term project...

I also received Enlightened Sexism by Susan J. Douglass courtesy of Goodreads First Reads program:

Now here comes the dilemma... what to read first??

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

2010-03-06T15:30:00.000-05:00

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
2005, 199 pages

Almost everyone knows the story of Homer's The Odyssey, wherein Odysseus spends years trying to return to his home of Ithaca after the Trojan War, and how in the meantime his wife Penelope holds off the suitors who are trying to force her to marry one of them. When Odysseus finally returns, he kills all the suitors and also hangs twelve of Penelope's maids who had been sleeping with them. In The Penelopiad, Atwood gives a voice to Penelope and to her twelve maids that were killed by Odysseus.

He told me once that everyone had a hidden door, which was the way into the heart, and that it was a point of honour with him to be able to find the handles to those doors. For the heart was both key and lock, and he who could master the hearts of men and learn their secrets was well on the way to mastering the Fates and controlling the thread of his own destiny. (p57-58)

This is a short book, less than two hundred pages, in which Penelope narrates the story of her life from the grave. The narrative shifts from Penelope in the afterlife to Penelope narrating her life to the maids interrupting with their perception of what happened. While Penelope tells her story chronologically in prose, the twelve maids interrupt with "The Chorus Line" - wherein the they tell their side of the story through poems, songs, and skits. I really enjoyed this structure, and the chapters "told" by the maids were the highlight of the book for me.

Otherwise, I couldn't quite connect with Penelope, and because I couldn't connect with her character, the story didn't come across as powerfully as it should have. Other than the parts featuring the maids, I feel like the story didn't add much to the myth of The Odyssey. It's interesting in that it's told from Penelope's point of view, but I didn't find anything novel or compelling when Penelope "sets the record straight." Because I never really became invested in Penelope's version of the story, I didn't really gain much from this retelling.

I feel like this review is sounding more negative than I really mean it to - I did enjoy this book and am glad I read it. The maids' sections really made the book for me, and even though I thought the retelling as a whole was somewhat lackluster, it was still a worthwhile read.

Under the old rules only important people had marriages, because only important people had inheritances. All the rest was just copulation of various kinds - rape or seductions, love affairs, one night stands, with gods who said they were shepherds or shepherds who said they were gods. Occasionally a goddess might get mixed up in it too, dabble around in perishable flesh like a queen playing at milkmaids, but the reward for the man was a shortened life and often a violent death. Immortality and mortality didn't mix well: it was fire and mud, only the fire always won.

The gods were never averse to making a mess. In fact they enjoyed it. To watch some mortal with his or her eyes frying in their sockets through an overdose of god-sex made them shake with laughter. There was something childish about the gods, in a nasty way. I can say this now because I no longer have a body, I'm beyond that kind of suffering, and the gods aren't listening anyway. As far as I can tell they've gone to sleep. In your world, you don't get visitations from the gods the way people used to unless you're on drugs. (p23-24)

Almost Famous (Movie Review)

2010-03-04T07:27:00.000-05:00

Almost Famous (2000)

Have you ever thought at a movie was all hype, and wondered what all the fuss whas about - and then watched it, and been blown away? That's what happened to me when I watched Almost Famous over the weekend, so I decided I had to post a review!

I had pretty much no desire to see this movie when it first came out, and I can't even remember why it was on my netflix queue other than out of a vague notion that I should watch it someday. When it arrived, I procrastinated on watching it, and ended up popping it in to keep myself amused while folding laundry. I was certainly in for a surprise! From the moment the movie started I was completely hooked!

Almost Famous is about William Miller, a 15-year-old high school graduate (yeah... his mother had him skip more than a couple of grades...), who decides he wants to be a music journalist and manages to grab an opportunity to write an article about the band Stillwater for Rolling Stone. William goes on the road with the band, observing them behind the scenes and befriending Penny Lane, one of the band's groupies (although she calls herself a "Band-Aide").

This kind of story normally wouldn't appeal to me all that much, but it was really well done and the acting was great - I was surprised to enjoy Kate Hudson as Penny Lane, and was thrilled when I recognized Frances McDormand (who I last saw in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day) as William's mother. I also have to say that although I'm not normally a fan of the long-haired rock look, Billy Crudup definitely made it work for me ;) However, the acting was fantastic all around, and when I finished this movie I immediately decided that I needed to sing its praises and recommend it to all movie lovers. So go watch this movie!

Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds

2010-03-03T07:35:00.002-05:00

Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds
2010, 248 pages

Imagine that instead of a reverberating refusal, Elizabeth Bennet was forced to accept Mr Darcy's first proposal, and finds herself engaged to a man she despises. This is the premise in Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World, where, after proposing to Elizabeth, Mr Darcy immediately kisses her, and when they are interrupted by by Colonel Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth is faced with the choice of refusing and ruining herself and her sisters' chances at marriage, or accepting Mr Darcy's proposal.

I picked this book up because I thought the premise sounded interesting. Instead of following Elizabeth and Mr Darcy after their marriage like so many other Austen spinoffs I've seen, this one pushes them together into marriage prematurely. I was definitely pulled in by the story, and finished this book within a few hours. The characterization of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy was very true to their characters in Pride and Prejudice, and I enjoyed seeing these characters again.

However, I have to say that on the whole I was disappointed by this book. Maybe it's a case of having expectations set too high, but I often found myself groaning as the plot unraveled. I thought that the development of the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy was abrupt and uneven - not enough development in some places, while in others it felt like both characters were being intentionally stupid, or else the plot seemed a little too convenient and cliched.

Despite all of these frustrations, I did race through the story, so I can say that it held my attention and kept me invested in the developing relationship between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy. Overall, I have lukewarm feelings toward this book, and would only recommend it if you're looking for an Austen sequel to read.

Teaser Tuesdays (3.2.10)

2010-03-02T07:33:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My reading was a little haphazard this weekend - I kind of flitted from one thing to the next before settling on A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This is a reread for the Flashback Challenge, and from the minute I opened it I remembered why it's one of my favorite books. I have a used copy of this book, so when I opened it up to a random page to find a teaser I was immediately drawn to a couple of sentences that had been underlined by the previous owner - I guess someone thought they were important! Enjoy!

The Soviets are gone, but he still has the guns, and now he's turning them on innocent people like your parents. And he calls this jihad. What a farce! What does jihad have to do with killing women and children? (p190)

February - Packed to the Brim with Books!

2010-03-01T07:32:00.000-05:00

For the shortest month of the year, I managed to get a lot of reading done in February! I didn't think it would happen, but I managed to outdo my January reading (9 books) this month, with 11 books. I think my favorite book that I read this month is Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien, although So Easy by Ellie Krieger gets a special mention for giving me lots of easy, healthy recipes to try! I really enjoyed most of my books this month, the only flop for me being Nanny Returns. Here's a list of all of the books I read this month:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Being Written by William Conescu
Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
The Confessions of Noa Weber by Gail Hareven
The Night Counter by Alia Yunis
Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien
So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger
Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds (Review coming soon!)
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood (Review coming soon!)

February was a great reading month for me... I'm looking forward to seeing what March has in store! I'm hoping to vary my reading with a little more non-fiction - I'm intermittently reading The Blind Side by Michael Lewis between other things and hope to get to The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer in the next few weeks. I also want to branch out and eventually start reading some mystery and/or fantasy books - two genres that I have basically no experience in but would love to explore! Any recommendations?

In My Mailbox (2.28.10)

2010-02-28T08:58:00.002-05:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

This week I felt the effects of my library request-a-thon from last weekend - now I'm hoping I can read everything before they're all due back! I've decided to start including links to goodreads so you can get a better idea of what these books are about by clicking on the covers - let me know if you like it!

Here's what I got from the library:

Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds: I'd been wanting to read this one for a while, so when my requested copy finally came in, I immediately started reading it, and finished it within only a few hours! Review coming soon
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood: I've been seeing a lot of reviews of Atwood's newer books lately and I felt like it was time to pick up something else by her (the last thing I'd read was The Handmaid's Tale, years ad years ago), so when I saw this one it sounded like something I would like. It also comes recommended by Paula Butterini, author of Keeping the Feast, via Rosie's Riveters which is hosted by Aarti at Booklust.
The Arrival by Shaun Tan: I saw this book reviewed on a couple of blogs a while ago and it sounded really good, so I decided to give it a try. This is my first-ever try with a graphic novel book (if this can even be called that - there are no words, just pictures), so we'll see how it goes!
Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond: I sometimes stalk Pioneer Woman's blog for recipes, so when I heard (from her blog, as it so happens) that she had published a cookbook, I knew I had to try it. This might not get reviewed for a few weeks - need to try out some of the recipes first! You can find Ree's blog here.
The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century by Ian Mortimer: I requested this one after seeing a great review by Jen at Devourer of Books, and it sounds exactly like something I'd enjoy!

I also discovered bookmooch this week - and I've already mooched my first book. Yay!

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates: Book Snob has been reading her way through Yates' works lately, so I decided I needed to read something by him. I chose Revolutionary Road because I've already seen the movie, so it's fitting that I should read the book it was based on.

So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger

2010-02-27T11:06:00.007-05:00

So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger
2009, 272 pages

Before I post a review for a cookbook, I should probably note that I'm pretty much a beginner when it comes to cooking. I haven't had much experience in the kitchen until this year, and I'm still garnering the skills (and motivation) to cook for myself on a regular basis. That being said, I've found that I really enjoy cooking and trying out new recipes, even when my "experiments" don't always turn out the way I planned!

Anyway, onto the review!

I picked up So Easy after reading a great review at Beth Fish Reads, and I definitely wasn't disappointed by it. The recipes in this cookbook are broken up into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert; and each meal is further divided in to one chapter devoted to quick, on the run, recipes, and one for more leisurely cooking. I really liked this set up, as my own life requires quick meals during the week, but I enjoy spending more time in the kitchen on weekends.

Krieger focuses on simple, healthy recipes, and gives the nutritional information for every dish, which I really appreciate in a cookbook. The recipes are straightforward, with clear instructions - such that even my tendency to mess up recipes was subverted. I also liked that she sprinkled tips throughout the book, for example information on how best to store a type of dish, or suggestions of ways to brighten up a simple sandwich.

Her pictures are beautiful - I need pictures in cookbooks to let me know if my recipe turned out like it was supposed to, and my only complaint is that not every recipe had a picture for me to compare the results with!

Over the last month I've tried a bunch of different recipes from this cookbook, and the results have ranged from a thoroughly satisfying meal to an absolutely delicious dish that I hope to make again soon. Oddly enough, I enjoyed the breakfast recipes the most, even though that's the one meal I always have the least time for. I actually cooked up her breakfast recipes for lunches or dinners instead! Below are pictures of some of my more successful attempts, although my food photography skills do leave something to be desired...

My favorite recipe that I tried was her beef taco salad as a "lunch to go". This recipe was a welcome relief from the salads that I ordinarily make for myself. It involved cooking ground beef on a skillet with beans and garlic, and then combining that with lettuce and a homemade dressing made from tomatoes, olive oil, and lime juice. It surprised me how quick and easy this meal was to prepare, but then again I always get nervous when cooking meat is involved. My only complaint is that it didn't hold up well in the fridge, and when I tried to pack it for work it wasn't nearly as good as when it was freshly made.

Here are a couple of dinner recipes that I tried, both from the "quick dinners" chapter. First is the Tri-color pepper steak, which was my first experience cooking beef... ever. But I really enjoyed this recipe, especially because it included liberal amounts of bell peppers, which are one of my favorite veggies! It did take me longer than I had expected to prepare - I think about an hour - despite the fact that it was in the quick dinners section. The next picture is of her Asian noodle bowl, which I also enjoyed because it was so full of vegetables and flavor!

Hopefully these pictures give you a feel for what the recipes in this cookbook are like. I definitely recommend it as a great source of healthy, easy recipes. Although I had to return my copy to the library last week, I first transcribed many more recipes to try and hopefully will get around to making them soon!

Weekend cooking is hosted at Beth Fish Reads. Head over there to see more food-related posts!

Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien

2010-02-26T07:18:00.004-05:00

Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien
1978, 336 pages

One day, soldier Cacciato leaves the fighting in Vietnam with the seemingly impossible intention of walking to Paris. His squad follows him, and corners him on a hill, where they wait through the night to ambush him in the morning. Paul Berlin, one soldier in Cacciato's squad, standing watch at night, begins to ponder the possibility of what would happen if Cacciato eluded them and led them all the way to Paris.

It was a fact that one day in the rain, during a bad time, the dummy [Cacciato] had packed up and walked away, a poor kid who wanted to see Paris, no mysterious motives or ambitions. A simple kid who ran away. There was no toying with the truth. It couldn't be colored or altered or made into more than it was. So the facts were simple: They went after Cacciato, they chased him into the mountains, they tried hard. They surrounded the hill. They waited through the night. And at dawn they shot the sky full of flares and then they moved in. [...]

That was the end of it. The last known fact.

What remained were possibilities. With courage it might have been done. (p323)

On the back of my edition of this book, there's a quote from a New York Times review that says "To call Going After Cacciato a novel about war is like calling Moby-Dick a novel about whales." I've never read Moby Dick, but I couldn't agree more with the sentiment. From the very first quote before the story even began - "Soldiers are dreamers" - Siegfried Sassoon - I was completely engrossed and amazed by this book. The premise of this book may seem rather silly - a soldier trying to walk to Paris in the middle of the Vietnam War - but O'Brien uses this premise to show the effects of war on the soldiers fighting it, and the power and limitations of the imagination to cope under these circumstances.

From the beginning, O'Brien created a strong sense of place in the novel, and this continued throughout the book. I quickly became invested in the story and it didn't let up until I finished. I love his descriptions of both people and places, and the way they are intertwined with the action of the novel.

O'Brien manages to combine humorous events with the tragic effect of war seamlessly. I don't know how to describe what it is about his writing that gets me - it isn't particularly complicated, but it's real, and he really took me into the mind of Paul Berlin, which is part of what I loved so much about this book.

Paul Berlin, whose only goal was to live long enough to establish goals worth living for still longer, stood high in the tower by the sea, the night soft all around him, and wondered, not for the first time, about the immense powers of his own imagination. A truly awesome notion. Not a dream, an idea. An idea to develop, to tinker with and build and sustain, to draw out as an artist draws out his visions.

It was not a dream. Nothing mystical or crazy, just an idea. Just a possibility. Feet turning hard like stone, legs stiffening, six and seven and eight thousand miles through unfolding country toward Paris. A truly splendid idea. (p27)

At times humorous, at times intense, most often managing to be both at once, this book takes you into the mind of a soldier fighting in the Vietnam War, and I highly recommend it. Here's one more quote, of many, that just got to me when I was reading:

In the morning the fifty new men were marched to a wooden set of bleachers facing the sea. A small, sad-faced corporal in a black cadre helmet waited until they settled down, looking at the recruits as if searching for a lost friend in a crowd. Then the corporal sat down in the sand. He turned away and gazed out to sea. He did not speak. Time passed slowly, ten minutes, twenty, but still the sad-faced corporal did not turn or nod or speak. He simply gazed out at the blue sea. Everything was clean. The sea was clean, and the sand and the wind.

They sat in the bleachers for a full hour.

Then at last the corporal sighed and stood up. He checked his wristwatch. Again he searched the rows of new faces.

"All right," he said softly. "That completes your first lecture on how to survive this shit. I hope you paid attention." (p37)

I read this book for the War Through the Generations: Vietnam War Challenge.

Turning into Rory Gilmore...

2010-02-24T07:31:00.000-05:00

I finished Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien yesterday, and after reading that I've been having trouble figuring out what to read next. I absolutely loved Going After Cacciato, but I feel like I'm just not up for another heavy/"thinking" book right now. My brain is still all mushy from processing Going After Cacciato (in other words, it might be a few days before a review is up), and nothing on my shelf seems to quite fit the bill of a short, light, fun read. Sorry, I'll stop complaining, but I'm just curious, does anyone else ever feel the need to intersperse heavy or intense reads with lighter ones?

This is sort of related to another experience I had this weekend. Whenever I return library books I allow myself to request the same number that I just returned - trying to avoid checking out waaaaay more books than I can read and ending up having to return them all, which seems to happen on a regular basis because all of my requests always end up coming in at the same time! This weekend, however, I lost all self control. I couldn't seem to stop requesting books, even after I was well beyond my quota, and I justified it to myself by saying "But they're all different types of books... one's nonfiction, one's short stories, one's a cookbook, one's a graphic novel, there's not even any fiction on there... must go remedy that... " And of course, being the tv fanatic that I am, this immediately reminded me of a scene from Gilmore Girls where Rory has too many books to fit in her bag. If you haven't seen it (or even if you have), here's the youtube clip (crossing my fingers that this will work)...I hope you all enjoy it, I feel like this its really fitting for book lovers ;)

Teaser Tuesday (2.23.10)

2010-02-23T06:35:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I feel guilty for the super long teaser I posted last week, so to make up for it I'll post a short one this time around. Short--but still over two sentences; I can't seem to help myself! :/

Here's my teaser, from Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien:

"The way in is the way out. To flee Xa one must join it. To go home one must become a refugee." (p97)

The Night Counter by Alia Yunis

2010-02-22T07:38:00.001-05:00

The Night Counter by Alia Yunis
2009, 365 pages

992 nights ago, Fatima Abdullah was visited by Scheherazade for the first time, and every night since then Fatima has told Scheherazade stories of her childhood in Lebanon, counting down the nights until Scheherazade's fateful 1001st and final visit, which will also signal the death of Fatima herself. The matriarch of a large Arab-American family, Fatima tells Scheherazade stories about each her ten children as she tries to decide who is worthy of her house in Lebanon, which she has not visited since she left for the United States many years ago as a bride.

Her children, all somehow having ended up with their own thoughts and ideas, did not make easy heirs. Still, she would have liked to have seen them--and the house--one more time. Alas, life was now too short. She was sound in mind and body at the moment, but a debilitating disease could strike her down at any moment and incapacitate her for her remaining days. One never knew. After all, everyone had a cause of death. (p5)

This book was an entertaining and quick read. It wasn't great, but I did enjoy reading it. Each of Fatima's children have interesting stories and I was never bored as I was introduced to each of them in turn, however at a certain point it became difficult to keep all of her children and their families straight, even with the family tree included at the beginning of the book.

It was interesting to read about how each of Fatima's children related to their parents, ranging from Randa, who moved to Texas with her husband and strived to hide her heritage from her neighbors; to Nadia who became a Professor of Arabic, studying classical Arabic in college when she could have learned it from her parents for free. However, because so short an amount of time was spent with each of Fatima's children, it was hard to really connect with any single one of them, and while their stories were interesting, none were particularly memorable.

Scheherazade was an interesting tour guide into the lives of Fatima's children, riding on her magic carpet to visit them while Fatima slept, and often complaining of her gaudy portrayal in popular culture. Here's one quote from Scheherezade that I particularly enjoyed:

This indoor plumbing of today did cut down on the number of servants needed to run a house, but people no longer knew how to bathe. They actually stood up most of the time and let the water fall on them. Where was the comfort in standing under a waterfall that was not real when the world was filled with real ones? (p264)

I liked how the stories all became related through the impending demise of Fatima, although I wish there was more interaction between all the branches of the family tree throughout the novel. I was also able to guess a few of the twists well before they took place. The ending was satisfying and I enjoyed the book while I was reading it. Here's one last quote that I enjoyed:

No, nothing she hadn't had a chance to do in this lifetime in America still interested her, not even eating cookie dough right out of the tube as her American neighbor in Detroit, Millie, used to do while she watched The Guiding Light. [...] At first, she thought Millie was disgusting for eating raw eggs mixed with God only knew what. Then she started to notice how every crease in Millie's face would iron out and how her shoulders collapsed more and more with each bite, as if she had found paradise after a long journey. (p7)

Who doesn't love raw cookie dough (except for Fatima, apparently)? ;)

In My Mailbox (2.21.10)

2010-02-21T07:45:00.002-05:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I'm so impressed with myself, I actually managed to read all three of the library books that I checked out last week, so now I'm ready for something new! Luckily, I had some more library requests come in on Friday:

The Night Counter by Alia Yunis: This is another one that I can't quite remember where I heard about it, but it's about a multi-generational Lebanese family living in the U.S. as the matriarch is trying to get her affairs in order before she dies - I've already finished this one so look out for a review in the coming days!
Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien: This is my first book for the Vietnam War Challenge - I need to get a move on on all of my challenges! I'm excited to read it, as I remember really enjoying O'Brien's writing in The Things they Carried.
Saffron Dreams by Shaila M. Abdullah: I saw a couple of great reviews for this last month, so hopefully it will be a good read!

That's it for this week. I really need to keep better track of where I hear about books, so I can give better credit in these posts! Hope everyone else got great books this week as well!

The Confessions of Noa Weber by Gail Hareven

2010-02-20T09:51:00.004-05:00

The Confessions of Noa Weber by Gail Hareven, translated by Dalya Bilu
2009, 331 pages

Noa Weber is a successful Israeli author of crime thrillers that feature a female-lawyer version of James Bond, Nira Woolf. Now, however, she is sitting down to write a confession of her all-consuming unrequited love for Alek, which has ruled her life.

This is the first book translated into English by Israeli author Gail Hareven. Hareven certainly has a way with words, although credit should also go to her translator, Dalya Bilu. The writing in this book pulled me in from the first page, and it was a pleasure to read. The writing should be savored, and a couple of times I had to put the book down because it was late at night and I knew I was too tired to really appreciate the prose. There are far too many passages I'd love to quote from this novel, so I'll just put in the first paragraph to give you a feel for her writing style:

The city of J lies at the top of the hills of J. That's how I'd like to begin my story; at a calm distance, with a deep breath, in a panoramic shot focusing very slowly on a single street, and very slowly on a single house, "this is the house where I was born." But you'd be making a fool of yourself if your J were Jerusalem, since every idiot knows about Jerusalem. And altogether it's impossible to talk about Jerusalem any more. Impossible, that is to say, without "winding alleys" and "stone courtyards," "caper bushes" and "Arab women in the market place." And I have nothing to say about caper bushes and stone courtyards, nor do I have the faintest desire to flavor my story with the colorful patios of colorful Jerusalem characters, twirling their mustaches as they spin Oriental tales. (p8)

This book was written in an almost stream-of-consciousness style, with Noa moving back and forth between different times of her life, defeating her efforts to tell her story in a linear fashion. I thought this format worked well for the novel, and was intrigued to read about Noa's relationship with Alek and her growth into an independent feminist woman who is still debilitated by this love. I enjoyed reading about Nira Woolf, the protagonist of Weber's crime novels, who serves as a foil to the love-stricken Noa. For example:

Nira Woolf, for example, would not make that mistake, because my Nira is first of all a moral being, and it's quite clear to her what's important and what's not. Fighting for the rights of dispossessed Arabs, defrauded patients, oppressed women, abused children, and so on, exposing the "system," saving the innocent and stamping out evil - that's important. But pining and whining about luuuve when your heart's broken, all that's just self-indulgence and nonsense as far as she's concerned. (p37)

However, the novel started to drag towards the middle - after the story moved past the first phase of her relationship with Alek I felt like there was less to tell and lost some of my interest. I also had to re-read the final chapter several times, and I'm still not completely sure I understand it. Although Noa claims that "there isn't going to be any historical panorama here, only me, me and my life," I think having some knowledge of Israeli politics/history is definitely helpful in understanding the conversations and events that take place over the course of the book.

I loved the writing in this book, and for the most part the plot as well. It's a book that I think I need to reread to fully appreciate, and is definitely a book to take your time with. It's hard for me to recommend this book, because while the writing is excellent and the story is interesting, it does drag in parts and it may be a tad confusing if you don't know much about the political history of Israel. Overall, I enjoyed it, and hope that I'll have time to reread it someday. In the meantime, here's one last quote - I couldn't resist!

Let's say Noa Weber is suddenly sixty-eight. A bony body full of the opinions of a militant old lady, climbing tip-tap up those same old stairs. An old body full of opinions entering its old house, and lying down on the same old bed to give its feet a rest. And when this Noa Weber finally lies down, what exactly runs through her brain's worn-out connections? Does she polish up one of her correct opinions? Reflect compassionately about one of the victims in her books? Does she think about reforming society and justice for all? Definitely not. Just like now, Noa Weber thinks about him. (p11-12)

Rebecca (Movie Review)

2010-02-18T07:16:00.000-05:00

I've mainly been using this blog to talk about books, but I thought I'd throw in the occasional movie review, as TV/movies are my other obsession in addition to reading. I read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier last month and loved it, and Amy at The Black Sheep Dances pointed me to the 1940 Hitchcock movie adaptation staring Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. Since I reviewed the book here, I thought it might be fun to review the movie too.

From the start, I really enjoyed the opening sequence to the movie because it starts out exactly the same way as the book does, and I loved the pairing of Du Maurier's words with a haunting view of Manderley.

The movie follows the book very closely in the beginning, and overall stays pretty true to the book for the most part, changing/leaving out some things but nothing that really affects the overall story or that I particularly missed. Also, despite the fact that this movie was made before all of the modern special effects etc., I thought it was very well done and that the camera work and other affects were very fitting to the plot.

I loved Lawrence Olivier as Maxim de Winter and Joan Fontaine as his second wife. Both played the roles as I had imagined the characters would be and I enjoyed watching them in this movie. Lawrence Olivier isn't so bad to look at either - I'm not sure that I've ever seen a movie with him in it before.

In fact, most of the actors fit well with my imagination of the characters, with the exception of Mrs. Danvers. I didn't think Mrs. Danvers was nearly creepy enough, and I thought the movie would have played up the creepy/haunting factor a more than it did.

I thought the movie was a very good counterpart to Rebecca, and is a great example of classic film at its best. Highly recommended!

The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum

2010-02-17T07:35:00.000-05:00

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
1900, 259 pages

I somehow escaped my childhood without ever having read The Wizard of Oz, despite the fact that it was one of my favorite movies growing up, so when I saw it on the Reading List for the Gilmore Girls Reading Challenge I decided it was finally time for me to pick it up.

I accidentally requested the annotated version from the library: a monster of a book with a 100+ page introduction, which I'm ashamed to say I skipped, along with most of the annotations... I did find some of the notes that were written alongside the text interesting, but I didn't want to be distracted from the story, especially since it was my first time reading it. I did enjoy the fact that the annotated version had the original illustrations from the book, but otherwise the massive annotations were wasted on me. Then again, I almost always skip over introductions/notes/etc when I'm reading.

One thing that I loved that I'm not sure comes across as well in the movie (it's been a while since I last watched the movie, so I can't say for sure), is that each of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion actually exemplifies those traits (brains, heart, and courage, respectively) that they feel that they lack. Maybe it's really obvious and I'm silly for pointing it out, but I found passages like the following heartwarming:

[...] He walked very carefully, with his eyes on the road, and when he saw a tiny ant toiling by he would step over it, so as not to harm it. The Tin Woodman knew very well he had no heart, and therefore he took great care never to be cruel or unkind to anything.

"You people with hearts," he said, "have something to guide you, and need never do wrong; but I have no heart, and so I must be very careful. When Oz gives me a heart of course I needn't mind so much." (Chapter 6)

This is completely irrelevant, but I cracked up when I read the following quote...

Now the Wicked Witch of the West had but one eye, yet that was as powerful as a telescope, and could see everywhere. (Chapter 12)

...the first thing I thought of upon reading that was Sauron in Lord of the Rings, and his "eye"! Ack, I feel silly. Another interesting factoid: did you know that the "ruby" slippers were silver in the book - they changed them to ruby for the movie.

Back to the review, one thing I kept thinking while I was reading is whether I would have liked it if I'd read it as a child. I think I would have enjoyed it if I'd read it when I was young, but I'm curious to hear if anyone read this growing up, and what their impressions were. Here's one last quote, my favorite in the entire book:

The Scarecrow listened carefully, and said,

"I cannot understand why you should wish to leave this beautiful country and go back to the dry, gray, place you call Kansas."

"That is because you have no brains," answered the girl. "No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home." (Chapter 4)

Teaser Tuesday (2.16.10)

2010-02-16T07:15:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Having taken advantage of my 3-day weekend to finish Nanny Returns and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, I've now moved on to The Confessions of Noa Weber by Gail Hareven. I'm really enjoying the writing so far, for which I'm not sure whether to credit Gail Hareven, or her translator, Dalya Bilu. Here's my teaser - sorry it's on the long side this week!

Thirty-six steps of an external stairway led to the apartment on the second floor. I didn't count them then. Forget the prophecies of the heart: No premonition told me that for the next twenty-nine years I would go up and down them about seventy thousand times, a few hundred of them with a baby carriage; no tingling of my toes hinted that I would wound my exposed big toe four times on the rusty can holding the sick jasmine bush that refused to die; that in certain moods I would decide to change the soil and plant a new bush there, and in others I would plan to drag it to the dumpster, and that I would never do either; I had no inkling that I was to see the top of the shaky iron banister covered with a strip of snow, and that its unsteadiness would would worry me from time to time, and that about this too, I would do nothing. (p29)

Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

2010-02-15T07:37:00.000-05:00

Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
2009, 305 pages

This book takes place more than a decade after the end of The Nanny Diaries. Nan has just moved back to New York after living abroad with her husband (Harvard Hottie, aka Ryan), and as she is trying to renovate her falling-apart home and get an HR consulting business off the ground, she finds herself being drawn back into the privileged life of the X family, as Grayer (the boy who she was a nanny for during The Nanny Diaries), now sixteen, is once again suffering at the hands of his negligent parents and reluctantly relies on Nan for help. On top of that, her husband is ready to have kids, but Nan isn't sure if she's is, or will ever be, ready, and reentering the world of the X's doesn't help matters.

I read The Nanny Diaries back when it first came out and remember liking it but not loving it back then, but I did enjoy the movie version, so when I saw that there was a sequel something nostalgic in me decided that I had to see what happens next. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by Nanny Returns and did not particularly enjoy the read.

I wasn't a huge fan of the plot. Maybe I'm heartless, but I thought it was weird that Nan allowed herself to become so deeply involved in the X's current situation, and I thought that the plot with the X's was way too dragged out. I would have preferred to see more of Nan dealing with her own issues than to have her dragged back to the X family in such an awkward way. Also, I'm not sure if it's because I'm an impatient reader, but I thought the writing/dialogue was a little jumpy/choppy in places - I'd be reading and the scene or conversation would suddenly shift gears, leaving me confused.

In short, I don't think this book is worth a read unless you really want to know what happens next after The Nanny Diaries. The Nanny Diaries at least seemed more realistic - a young nanny observing and becoming victim to the negligent parents of her charges - but the plot of this book just wasn't very believable, and I found it hard to sympathize with Nan this time around.

In My Mailbox (2.14.10)

2010-02-14T07:43:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. I had three of my library requests come in this week:

Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus: I read the Nanny Diaries a long time ago, and I remember liking the movie, so I'm interested to see what a sequel has to offer.
The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum: I'm reading this for the Gilmore Girls Reading Challenge, and because I always wanted to read it but never got around to it - I loved the movie growing up. I didn't realize it when I requested it from the library, but I ended up getting the annotated version, which is humungous, so it seems a bit daunting right now!
Confessions of Noa Weber by Gail Hareven: I can't remember how I found this book, but I have a minor obsession with Israeli literature, so I'm excited to read it.

That's all for this week - I managed to avoid the President's Day coupons (so far, anyway), which I'm proud of. Hopefully I'll have a review for Nanny Returns up this week, as I only have it on a 7-day loan from the library!

Being Written by William Conescu

2010-02-13T10:55:00.004-05:00

Being Written by William Conescu
2008, 196 pages

One day, walking home late at night from a party, Daniel Fischer is robbed, and as the event takes place he hears the scratching of a pencil. Daniel believes that the scratching indicates that he is living in an author's world, and that his robbery is being written into a book. However, Daniel only plays a passing role in that book, so when, years later, he again hears the scratching in a bar where he meets an aspiring musician named Delia, he is determined this time to play a more important role. By insinuating himself into Delia's circle of friends, Daniel won't allow the author to ignore him this time around.

It was only after you got home that it occured to you that you didn't have to stay in the background the whole time the author's pencil was scratching. You could have walked up to their table and offered some advice. Not that people really do that kind of thing, but you could have. Or you could have followed one of them into the lobby and said something outside the bathrooms. You could have sent a message through the waiter, or passed by the table and tripped over the woman's handbag. If you'd made a real effort, you could have been important to them. And their book. (p 58)

I heard about this book from Anna's review at Diary of an Eccentric (back in the dark days when I was an avid lurker...), and the minute I heard the premise of the book, I knew I had to read it. I loved the idea of a self-aware character trying to force himself into a more important role as the author is writing a book.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, and found most of the characters to be engaging. I'm a little ambivalent towards the actual plot: on the one hand it was interesting to see Daniel use his desire to be an important part of the book to justify more and more extreme actions as the book progressed, but at the same time I found myself groaning as certain plot twists took place.

I thought that Daniel's view of the world he lived in - part of the author's imagination - and the way he considers potential ways to impact the plot was interesting as a manifestation of the decisions an author might make while writing a book, but embodied in one of his characters; however, after a while (and as the plot twists became more extreme), it grew a little tiring.

I really liked the ending of the book - I liked that it was ambiguous and thought it fit the idea of the book well. Overall, I'd say this book is enjoyable but not great. I liked the idea behind it but am not sure if it necessarily translated well to the book as a whole. Here is a final quote (with some parts taken out to avoid spoilers):

[...You] are just a character. Just doing what the author has you do. [...] Because this has become your book. You are the protagonist, not some yes-man, not some two-dimensional supporting character. [...] It's becoming the kind of book people can't put down, the kind they sell at the airport. (p132)

When book places and real life converge...

2010-02-11T07:42:00.000-05:00

I had a really interesting experience while reading the other day. I'd just picked up Being Written, by William Conescu, to take with me on my commute, and was completely surprised to learn within the first few pages that it was set in Boston, which is where I live and work. I hadn't known that before I started reading the book. Then, coming home from work, I was amazed when I was reading a scene set at the Davis T Station as I was passing through Davis on the T. Maybe I'm making way too much of this, but I felt this incredible sense of deja vu - or if that's not the correct term then let's call it just plain awesomeness - that I was actually in the place being described as I was reading about it.

I don't generally choose books based on their locations, but I realized that I have read several books that take place or partially take place in/around Boston in the past two months: in addition to Being Written, Firmin by Sam Savage was set in Boston, and My Life in France by Julia Child briefly touches on Julia's life in Cambridge, MA. That feels like kind of a lot, considering that I didn't choose these books based on their locations, and it's not like Boston is a hugely popular setting for books, at least in my reading experience.

I don't know why I get a little thrill out of recognizing places described in books as part of my ordinary routine - it's not something I noticed at all until recently. Now that I have noticed it, I'm not sure that I'll pick out books based in Boston on purpose in the future, but it may be something that I'll keep in the back of my mind...

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

2010-02-10T07:22:00.003-05:00

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
2002, 582 pages

Sue Trinder is an orphan who is approached by a man known to her as Gentleman to help him in a plot to marry and steal the fortune from Maud Lilly, a supposedly simple girl living with her uncle in the country. Sue agrees, taking a position as Maud's maid, and the plot twists and turns many times from there.

I have been hearing a lot of good things about Sarah Waters lately, so I was so excited to finally get around to reading one of her books! I definitely wasn't disappointed - Fingersmith was full of intriguing plot twists and great characters for me to devour. Waters' writing is also a pleasure to read, for example:

I remember lying, and hearing the sound of knives and forks and china, Mrs Sucksby's sighs, the creaking of her chair, the beat of her slipper on the floor. And I remember seeing--what I had never seen before--how the world was made up: that it had bad Bill Sykes in it, and good Mr Ibbses; and Nancys, that might go either way. (p7)

I think the biggest strength of this book is the plot - the many twists kept me invested until the end. One word of warning: avoid reading the back cover! I was able to guess a couple of the plot twists based on what I read there, and think I would have been more surprised by some of the twists if I hadn't read the back cover. I'll also admit that there were some elements of the plot that I found really disturbing, but I guess that's the point.

The characters were also great - I enjoyed reading about both Sue and Maud, although Sue was my favorite character by far. I loved her spirit and cunning. The minor characters were also interesting - this may be weird, but I ended up even liking the character of Gentleman, who is the main villain throughout the book.

Despite all the good things to say, I find myself hesitating before completely recommending this book. I enjoyed it and was pulled in by the plot, but I something kept me from loving it. It was long-ish, and I felt myself pushing through at times and getting impatient for the plot to start moving again. And despite the twisty plot and great characters, I don't see this as a book that I'll be rereading anytime soon. Still, it was definitely worth the read, as long as you know what you're getting into beforehand. This last quote is kind of long, but I love it so I had to include it in my review:

The night had been cold as winter, but the hill was a steep one and we grew warm as we climbed. When we got to the top, the sun was higher in the sky and the day was lightening up. I thought, The morning has broken.--I thought of the morning like an egg, that had split with a crack and was spreading. Before us lay all the green country of England, with its rivers and its roads and its hedges, its churchs, its chimneys, its rising threads of smoke. The chimneys grew taller, and the roads and rivers wider, the threads of smoke more thick, the further off the country spread; until at last, at the furthest point of all, they made a smudge, a stain, a darkness--a darkness, like the darkness of coal in a fire--a darkness that was broken, here and there, where the sun caught panes of glass and the golden tips of domes and steeples, with glittering points of light.

'London,' I said. 'Oh, London!' (p 496)

Teaser Tuesday (2.9.10)

2010-02-09T07:22:00.001-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

After finishing Fingersmith this weekend (review will be up tomorrow, I hope), I picked up Being Written by William Conescu yesterday morning to take with me on my commute. Its definitely entertaining me so far -- plus, it takes place in Boston! Here's my teaser--I can definitely sympathize!

At least once a week, she suffers an attack of guilt for not investing emotionally in her work--or even in the fight against lupus--but the path between what she does and what good might result from it is so long and circuitous that it feels like she could just as easily be selling mail-order cosmetics or working as an accountants assistant. Maybe the other people at the foundation have to feign enthusiasm too. (p19)

Spreading the award love!

2010-02-07T13:18:00.002-05:00

As I have no new books to share this week, I decided instead to stop procrastinating and pass on some awards that I'm grateful to have received in the last month. I'm so glad to be able to pass these awards on to some fantastic bloggers!

First is the Bliss (Happy 101) Award, given to me by Emma Michaels. Head on over to check out her great blog! The rules for this award are that I have to list 10 things that make me happy, and pass it along to 10 other blogs.

Here are my 10 things (in no particular order):

Chocolate covered pretzels = my favorite dessert ever. Yummmmmmy ;)
Shopping with a friend
Visiting my family
Going out for drinks
Staying toasty inside with a good book on a cold day
The beach
Checking off all the items on my to-do list (rarely happens)
New books
Lost, The Office, NCIS, Bones, So You Think You Can Dance, and other TV obsessions...
Feeling excited about work

I'd like to pass this award on to 10 sweet bloggers who make my day every time I read their great comments!

Next is the Kreativ Blogger award, which I was lucky enough to receive from both Wendy at W.M. Morrell's Musings from Down Under and Laura at Reading and Roiboos. Thank you both so much! Now I have to list seven things about myself and then nominate seven blogs...

Seven things about myself:

This may make me girly, but I actually like to wear the color pink.
I don't like spicy food. Or cheese, although I'm working on that... I also used to hate mints (I thought they were spicy), but I've gotten over that one.
Despite being an environmentalist, I use obscene amounts of paper towels in the kitchen...
I drink 2-4 cups of coffee a day, plus at least 1-2 cups of tea. But I'm not addicted to caffeine (or so I think...)
I used to want to be a writer, and still wonder about it sometimes.
I'm a packrat... I can't get rid of anything, especially books ;)
I'll buy three pairs of new shoes, but then just keeping wearing my old, comfy ones anyway.

Now I would like to pass this award on to 7 bloggers with fantastic blogs that I consume voraciously...

Emma Michaels at Emma Michaels
I Heart Monster at I Heart Monster
JoAnn at Lakeside Musing
Marquetta at Love to Read for Fun
Muse in the Fog at Confessions and Ramblings of a Muse in the Fog
Sandra Stiles at Musings of a Book Addict
Stephanie aka The Stark Raving Bibliophile at Laughing Stars

The One Lovely Blog Award was given to me by Marquetta at Love to Read for Fun. For this award, you pass it on to five blogs that you have newly discovered. I'd like to pass this on to the following blogs that I've recently discovered and love! Please go check them out!

Andi at Estella's Revenge: Tripping Toward Lucidity
April Nichole at April Nichole's Blog
Jenn at Books at Midnight
Krista at Mental Foodie
Laura at Reading and Roibos

And last but certainly not least is the Over the Top! Award, which I received from Rhiana at Rhiana Reads just this week. For this award, I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and then pass the award on to 5 more deserving bloggers.

Here are my answers:

(1) Your Cell Phone? Neglected

(2) Your Hair? Frizzy

(3) Your Mother? Loving

(4) Your Father? Wise

(5) Your Favorite Food? Chocolate

(6) Your Dream Last Night? Disturbing

(7) Your Favorite Drink? Coffee

(8) Your Dream/Goal? Environment

(9) What Room Are You In? Bedroom

(10) Your Hobby? Blogging ;)

(11) Your Fear? Failure

(12) Where Do You Want To Be In Six Years? Happy

(13) Where Were You Last Night? Reading

(14) Something That You Aren't? Confident

(15) Muffins? Yummy!

(16) Wish List Item? iPhone

(17) Where Did You Grow Up? N.J.

(18) Last Thing You Did? Breakfast

(19) What Are You Wearing? Workout-clothes

(20) Your TV? Overused

(21) Your Pets? None

(22) Friends? Wonderful!

(23) Your Life? Limbo

(24) Your Mood? Complacent

(25) Missing Someone? Family

(26) Vehicle? Subway

(27) Something You Aren't Wearing? Glasses

(28) Your Favorite Store? H&M

(29) Your Favorite Color? Blue

(30) When Was The Last Time You Laughed? Morning

(31) Last Time You Cried? Reading

(32) Your Best Friend? Sister

(33) One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Work

(34) Facebook? Annoying

(35) Favorite Place To Eat? w/Friends

Ok, I cheated for that last one, I know. Anyway, here are five over the top bloggers who I am passing this award along to!

Alexia at Alexia's Books and Such
Anna at Diary of an Eccentric
Lisa at Lit and Life
S. Mehrens at A library is the Hospital of the Mind
Wendy at W.M. Morrell's Musings from Down Under

Phew, sorry for this ridiculously long post! Thanks again to the great bloggers who gave me these awards, and please go visit everyone listed here - they're all fantastic!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2010-02-06T14:35:00.002-05:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
2009, 451 pages

The Help narrates from the point of view of three women living in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi: Skeeter, a white woman and aspiring writer, and Aibileen and Minny, two black maids. After getting advice from a New York publisher to "Write about what disturbs you, even if it bothers no one else," and hearing from Aibileen that her dead son had wanted to write a book about what it's like to be a black man in Mississippi, Skeeter decides to interview black maids working for white women in Jackson.

I'll admit, I picked up this book more because I felt that I should read it than because I wanted to, but I'm glad I did. It wasn't the fastest or most engrossing book I've read, but I did enjoy the characters and the plot moved quickly enough that I was never disinterested. I really liked that it was told from three different perspectives, because I found myself enjoying reading each of their stories. Stockett did a good job of establishing what it was like for both white and black women in 1960s Mississippi, as well as establishing her narrators and each of their distinct voices. I definitely enjoyed the chapters narrated by Minny the most, but Skeeter and Aibileen were interesting to read about as well.

I was moved by the fact that Aibileen, Minny, and the other black maids were willing to face the danger inherent in talking about their experiences. I at first questioned Skeeter's sincerity, because at the beginning of the book it seemed like she was undertaking the project and putting these women in danger out of a desire to advance her career moreso than to help them, but as the project continues her character evolves as she too faces the consequences of her work. Here's an example:

I read through four of the twenty-five pages, mesmerized by how many laws exist to separate us. Negroes and whites are not allowed to share water fountains, movie houses, public restrooms, ballparks, phone booths, circus shows. Negroes cannot use the same pharmacy or buy postage stamps at the same window as me. I think about Constantine, the time my family took her to Memphis with us and the highway had mostly washed out, but we had to drive straight on through because we knew the hotels wouldn't let her in. I think about how no one in the car would come out and say it. We all know about these laws, we live here, but we don't talk about them. This is the first time I've ever encountered them written down. (p173)

In the end, this book was definitely a worthwhile read and provides an interesting perspective on the civil rights movement. I'm glad I picked it up and definitely highly recommend it. Here's one last quote to leave you with:

Loud voices shout in the street and both our eyes dart toward the window. We are quiet, stock-still. What would happen if someone white found out I was here on a Saturday night talking to Aibileen in her regular clothes? Would they call the police, to report a suspicious meeting? I'm suddenly sure they would. We'd be arrested because that is what they do. They'd charge us with integration violation--I read about it in the paper all time--they despise the whites that meet with the coloreds to help with the civil rights movement. This has nothing to do with integration, but why else would we be meeting?" (P145)

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

2010-02-03T07:43:00.002-05:00

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
2009, 425 pages

Lara Lington is at her great aunt Sadie's funeral when she hears a voice demanding, "Where's my necklace?" Lara soon realizes that she is being haunted by Sadie, and she attempts to fulfill her great aunt's final wish(es) while simultaneously dealing with her own personal and professional problems.

I move my eyes along, incredulously. The hand belongs to a long, pale, sinuous arm. Which belongs to a girl about my age. Who's lounging on a chair in front of me, her fingers drumming impatiently. She has dark bobbed hair and a silky sleevless pale-green dress, and I can just glimpse a pale, jutting chin.

I'm too astonished to do anything but gape.

Who the hell is that?

As I watch, she swings herself off her chair as though she can't bear to sit still and starts to pace up and down. Her dress falls straight to the knee, with little plaits at the bottom, which swish about as she walks.

"I need it," she's muttering in agitation. "Where is it? Where is it?" (p27)

I am a big fan of Sophie Kinsella. I've lost count of the number of times I've read her Shopaholic series, and I know I can rely on her books for a light but satisfying read. Twenties Girl was no exception - in fact, I think it might be my second favorite book by her after the Shopaholic books.

I was very skeptical of the premise of this book coming in. I'm not generally a fan of ghost stories, and recent experiences haven't exactly helped me revise that prejudice. However, I really liked the way Kinsella used the ghost of Sadie in this book. I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as Shopaholic, but I ended up really enjoying it.

As has been my experience with other books by Kinsella, once I picked this book up, I was pulled in by the story and kept reading until I finished the book, several hours later. The plot definitely kept me interested, and I really enjoyed some of the twists in the latter half of the book. I loved the characters of both Lara and Sadie, and especially the way they interacted - seeing just what Sadie could get Lara to do for her, and watching as the friendship between the two developed.

Overall, this book was a very entertaining light read. I'd recommend it to anyone who's a fan of Kinsella or looking for a quick, fun book to read. I'm glad I got over my fear of ghosts and picked it up ;)

Teaser Tuesday (2.2.10)

2010-02-02T07:53:00.002-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I'm enjoying it so far, but have a heavy chunk of reading to get through if I want to finish it before it's due back to the library! Here's my teaser this week:

I listen wide-eyed, stupid. Glowing by her voice in the dim light. If chocolate was a sound, it would've been Constantine's voice singing. If singing was a color, it would've been the color of that chocolate. (p67)

Wrapping up my first month of blogging!

2010-02-01T07:43:00.001-05:00

Wow, January has really flown by, I can't believe it's been less than a month since I started this blog! Not only have I discovered many, many great blogs in the past month, I've also read more books this month than I had thought possible - I was aiming for 1 book per week but ended up reading almost twice that! Somehow being able to discuss my reading and finding out about great new books on everyone's blogs has really motivated me and I've managed to make reading a priority for once, which I'm really proud of. Thanks to everyone who's visited my fledgling blog and for welcoming me into the book blogging community!

Moving on to what I read this month... I think my favorite read this month is a toss up between Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier and The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran. I love DuMaurier's prose in Rebecca, but was completely engrossed by The Heretic Queen, making it hard to choose a favorite between the two!

Here are all the books I read this month, in chronological order:

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
My Life in France by Julia Child
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Firmin by Sam Savage
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
Roses by Leila Meacham
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella (review to be posted later this week)

Overall, a great month in terms of reading! All of the books I read this month were really enjoyable, with the exception of Her Fearful Symmetry, which I wanted to throw across the room (but didn't, because it was a library book) when I finished.

This month I signed up for 5 challenges: The Flashback Challenge, The Gilmore Girls Reading Challenge, The Memorable Memoir Challenge, War through the Generations: Vietnam War Challenge, and the Social Justice Challenge. So far, I've only managed to read one book for my challenges (My Life in France, for the Memorable Memoir Challenge), but it's only January... right? I also completed Bloggiesta, hosted by Maw Books, which came at the perfect time to really get things rolling on my blog!

In other news, three lovely bloggers have given me awards this month. I'm planning to post about each separately when I have time, but in the meantime a thousand thank you's to

Wendy at W.M. Morrell's Musings from Down Under for giving me the Kreativ Blogger award
Emma Michaels for giving me the Cupcake Award
Marquetta at Love to Read for Fun for giving me the One Lovely Blog award

And thanks to everyone who reads/comments at my blog... I've had so much fun blogging this past month, and am looking forward to more bloggy goodness in February!

In My Mailbox (1.31.10)

2010-01-31T08:53:00.001-05:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Wander over to her blog to participate!

This week a couple of my library requests finally came in:

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella: The Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella is my favorite comfort read/guilty pleasure, and I've enjoyed her other books as well. This one has been on my TBR list for a while because I'm a little skeptical of the ghost element in the book (not really my thing, although I have been reading a lot of ghost-ish stories this month), but I love Kinsella so I'm willing to give it a chance.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett: I've read so many good things about this book, I'm excited to finally get to read it! Hopefully I can read it fast though... I could only check it out for a week :/
So Easy by Ellie Krieger: I requested this one after reading a great review here at Beth Fish Reads. I flipped through the recipes and there are a bunch I want to try, so I may review this in a couple of weeks after I've had some time to test out some of the recipes.

I received this in the mail this week from a giveaway over at Nonsuch Book. Looks really interesting!

That's it! Looks like I'll be reading The Help this week, since it's due back so soon.

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

2010-01-30T09:10:00.010-05:00

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
2009, 384 pages

The Heretic Queen tells the story of Princess Nefertari, the niece of the "heretic" former queen, Nefertiti. Nefertari falls in love with the Prince Ramesses, but first must find her place in Pharaoh's court and overcome her family's past. While there are those who want to help her, there are others in Thebes who are determined to prevent her from becoming Queen.

Paser said firmly, "You cannot help who your family was."

"Then why am I cursed to live in their shadow?" I asked.

"Because they were giants," Woserit said, "and their shadows loom large." (p195)

This book is the first I have read by Michelle Moran, and now I understand why so many bloggers have been singing her praises lately. From page one, this book sucked me into the ancient Egypt that Moran created, and I was fully engrossed in that world until well after I put the book down. I wasn't sure if this book could live up to all of the great reviews I'd read before picking it up, but it turned out to be a gripping and completely satisfying read.

I easily found myself rooting for the character of Nefertari, and although there was really no question in my mind as to how the story would ultimately turn out, I was still intrigued to read how Nefertari navigated the Pharoah's court and struggled to come to terms with her family's past. The character development of Nefertari was great, and I loved many of the other characters as well, including Ramesses, Asha (friend of both Nefertari and Ramesses growing up), and even Iset (Ramesses other wife who is also angling for the throne).

It's been a while since I read a piece of historical fiction that I enjoyed this much. I was drawn into Moran's Egypt and the characters she created. I love it when my high expectations coming into a book are actually met, as it seems to be so rarely the case. The Heretic Queen is a book that I know I'll want to pick up again at some point, to immerse myself again in the world of Ancient Egypt and follow along as Nefertari grows over the course of the story.

"It's true!" I shouted. "I am the niece of a heretic. But if you are not responsible for your grandfather's crimes, why should I be? Who in this crowd has chosen their akhu? If that were possible, wouldn't we all be born into Pharaoh's family?"

There was a surprised murmur in the crowed, and Ramesses's grip on my hand relaxed.

"Weigh each heart on its own," I shouted, "for how many of us would pass into the Afterlife if Osiris weighed our hearts with those of our akhu?" (p207)

Roses by Leila Meacham

2010-01-27T07:42:00.003-05:00

Roses, by Leila Meacham

2010, 609 pages

Roses follows the Toliver, Warwick, and Dumont families in Howbutker, Texas, as Mary Toliver and Percy Warwick fall in love yet evade each other, and their families live with the consequences. The book flashes back and forth from the past to the present, telling the stories of Mary, Percy, and Mary's great-niece Rachel, as the struggle of choosing between land and love is repeated across generations.

She lowered her eyes briefly, fatigue clearly evident in their sepia-tinged folds. When she raised them again, her gaze was soft with affection. "Amos, dear, you came into our lives when our stories were done. You have known us at our best, when all our sad and tragic deeds were behind us and we were living with their consequences. Well, I want to spare Rachel from making the same mistakes I made, and suffering the same, inevitable, consequences. I don't intend to leave her under the Toliver curse." (p7)

The cover of this book is what initially caught my attention. I wasn't sure whether to be intrigued or skeptical of the (literally) florid cover of a book that promised a family saga spanning three generations. After a rocky start, I eventually ended up really enjoying Roses.

When I first picked up the book, I was completely put off by it. I had a hard time keeping track of all the names being thrown at me in the beginning, and wasn't initially interested by the plot. I put the book down in frustration after 20 pages, but when I picked it up again a week later I was hooked.

I think my initial lack of interest was due to the way the novel starts out in the present and then goes back into the past to explain the current events. I don't normally have a problem with this kind of narrative, but in this case I didn't really become invested in the plot until I reached the first flashback.

That being said, despite the rocky beginning, once I got to the first flashback, I quickly became invested in the story and the main characters. From that point onward, the book was a very satisfying and enjoyable read. The story is interesting and doesn't drag. Although I didn't quite buy into some of the plot twists, I still enjoyed reading about the journey these families take over the course of two world wars and three generations.

I really enjoyed the characters of Mary Toliver, Percy Warwick, and Ollie Dumont -- all descendants of the founding families of Howbutker. I thought that these characters were well developed and interesting to read about. However, many of the supporting characters were not as well characterized, and I never really became as invested in the subsequent generations.

I also think this book would have really benefited from a character list/family tree at the beginning, because I had a hard time remembering all of the characters and who was related to whom until I was well into the book. This was partially due the the flashback format, as I was introduced to a number of characters in the present well before I learned who they were via the flashbacks.

This is a hard review to write, because while there were elements of the book that I found frustrating, overall it was a thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable read. I'd probably rank it as a really good family saga, and if you enjoy intergenerational stories this one will definitely not disappoint.

Teaser Tuesday (1.26.10)

2010-01-26T07:33:00.002-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

After speeding through and finishing Roses last night, I decided that I had to read The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran next, primarily based on all the great comments about it in response to my In My Mailbox post this Sunday! You can expect a review of Roses sometime tomorrow, but in the meantime, here's a teaser from The Heretic Queen. I haven't really started yet, so this quote is from the prologue, and I'm definitely intrigued!

"Where will Amun have heard your name," she demanded, "to recognize it among so many thousands begging for aid?"

"Nowhere," I heard Ramesses whisper, and the old priestess nodded firmly.

"If the gods cannot recognize your names," she warned, "they will never hear your prayers." (p4)

Can't wait to get more into this book! Enjoy the teaser!

In My Mailbox (1.24.10)

2010-01-24T13:21:00.001-05:00

This week I decided to do the meme In My Mailbox hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, since I did actually borrow/buy a slew of books this week (yay three-day weekends + coupons!).

First, two of my hold requests from the library came in:

Roses by Leila Meacham: I'm about 25 pages into this one, and it's not really grabbing my attention yet. Trying to decide whether it's worth it to continue reading it right now, or to return it and try again when I'm more in the mood for reading a family saga.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck: I've read this already, but it's one of my favorite books and I'm really excited that the classic reads book club is reading it for their first book! I'm not sure if I actually am going to reread the entire thing (as my TBR pile is otherwise tempting me right now), but I might reread parts of it so I can follow along the discussion.

In addition to the library, I also got a little coupon happy at the bookstore over MLK Jr. weekend:

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks: I got this one because I love love love the movie trailer and needed to read the book. I've already read & reviewed it here. Now I can't wait to see the movie!
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran: I haven't read anything by Michelle Moran yet, but I skimmed the first chapter or so in the bookstore and it looks like it will be right up my alley!
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: I've heard so many good things about Sarah Waters lately, I couldn't resist picking this one up. So excited to read it!

I also have a ton of pending requests at the library right now, and knowing my luck they'll probably all come in at the same exact time, but for now this is what's at the top of my TBR pile.

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

2010-01-23T09:42:00.000-05:00

Dear John, by Nicholas Sparks
2006, 335 pages

Dear John is about the relationship between John Tyree and Savannah Lynn Curtis, who fall in love in just a few weeks while John is home on a furlough from the army. The book follows their relationship as it develops and then, as it later struggles to survive while John is overseas.

Confession: the reason I wanted to read this book is because I saw the trailer for the movie and thought it looked really good. I guess that's as good a reason as any to pick up a book. I've read a couple of Nicholas Sparks books before (The Notebook for one, before it was a movie), and the first time I read one of his books I remember absolutely loving it, but I think my tolerance for this kind of sentimental romance has declined since then.

I really don't have much to say about this book -- it was pretty much exactly what the movie trailer/back cover suggest, and it neither surprised nor disappointed me. I found the character of Savannah to be a little annoying, but enjoyed reading about John's relationship with his father and the way that changed over the course of the book. It was a quick read, and if you enjoy reading Nicholas Sparks-type books then this one probably won't disappoint.

I'll leave you with a quote, which *WARNING* might be slightly spoilery:

Our relationship, I felt with a heaviness in my chest, was beginning to feel like the spinning movement of a child's top. When we were together, we had the power to keep it spinning, and the result was beauty and magic and an almost childlike sense of wonder; when we separated the spinning began inevitably to slow. We became wobbly and unstable, and I knew I had to find a way to keep us from toppling over. (p213)

Passion

2010-01-21T08:20:00.001-05:00

"It's the same thing. Passion is passion. It's the excitement between the tedious spaces, and it doesn't matter where it's directed [...] It can be coins or politics or horses or music or faith...the saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there's nothing to make it last. I'd love to hear your dad talk about coins, because that's when you see a person at has best, and I've found that someone else's happiness is usually infectious." (p71)

This is a quote I came across last night while I was reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. For reasons unrelated to anything actually going on in the book, this quote pretty much sums up my life philosophy, and I wanted to post about it separately.

I've mentioned before that I work in an environment-related field, and this quote just reminded me of why I do what I do and why I love what I do, even on days when it doesn't come easy. This passion kept me going in college when I struggled through tough classes, and when I was working and began to wonder if what I was doing plays to my strengths. I work in the environment because I'm passionate about environmental issues, and what the quote says is really true - I do feel satisfaction because I'm following this passion. When I came across this quote, I knew I had to blog about it because the idea behind it - the importance of having passions in life - is so important to me.

What are you passionate about?

Firmin by Sam Savage

2010-01-19T23:22:00.001-05:00

Firmin, by Sam Savage
2006, 165 pages

This book is told by Firmin, a literate rat who resides in the basement of a bookstore and whose story is self-proclaimed as "the saddest story I have ever heard." Although his earliest encounters with literature consist of him chewing (literally) his way through books, he quickly develops a love for literature, and must reconcile this love with his own reality.

I loved the way this book was written. Told from the point of view of Firmin, the writing was both clever and beautiful, and at times when I was reading I wanted to jot down quotes from multiple paragraphs at a time, but quickly realized that if I did so I'd end up transcribing the entire book! I was drawn in by writing that, while describing situations with humor, at the same time was also profound. Here is one of countless examples where the writing made me sympathize with Firmin and drew me in:

Loquacious to the point of chatter, I was condemned to silence. The fact is, I had no voice. All the beautiful sentences flying around in my head like butterflies were in fact flying in a cage they could never get out of. All the lovely words that I mulled and mouthed in the strangled silence of my thoughts were as useless as the thousands, perhaps millions, of words that I had torn from books and swallowed, the incohesive fragments of entire novels, plays, epic poems, intimate diaries, and scandalous confessions--all down the tube, mute, useless, and wasted. (p40)

In addition to the language, there were many times in the book when I was reading and my heart just went out to Firmin - I guess I'd like to call this the "aw" factor. There were also times, especially towards the end of the novel, when a scene and Firmin's reaction to it were built up to and described so well that I could just see it happening in incredible detail in my head - both the event and Firmin's reactions to it.

The setting in Boston was also interesting for me, as I live here and have been to most of the places described in the book, albeit more than 40 years later. Regardless, the changes happening at Scollay Square at the time when the book takes place provide an interesting backdrop to the novel and help drive some of the action in the plot.

For a relatively short book, this one was packed full of clever writing and managed to make me sympathize with a rat. I'd definitely recomend it to anyone who enjoys clever writing and fiction relating to literature. I had high expectations coming into this book, and they were actually met, which was a delightful surprise!

Finally, one of my favorite quotes from the book - not as witty as some other quotes I could have chosen, but it stood out when I came across it, in a book where many many lines stood out.

"Everyone has two jobs, Firmin, a day job and a night job, because everyone has two sides, a dark and a light. You do, they do, I do. No one can escape it." (p159)

Teaser Tuesday (1/19)

2010-01-19T19:36:00.002-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I'm in the middle of Firmin, by Sam Savage, which so far has been an entertaining and fun read. Here's my teaser:

During business hours, when I was not asleep or hanging out of the Balloon, you could find me on the Balcony. Nothing that happened in the store below escaped my scrutiny. When Norman made an especially big sale, ringing it up on the ornate antique cash register that stood on a stand by the door, I clapped my paws and silently shouted, "Way to go, Norm!" (p69)

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

2010-01-17T19:54:00.009-05:00

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
2009, 404 pages

Her Fearful Symmetry follows American twins Valentina and Julia as they take up residence in an apartment (or, to be less American, a flat?) in London left to them by their recently deceased Aunt Elsbeth, herself the twin of their mother, Edie. While living in the apartment, Valentina and Julia get to know their neighbors: Robert, Elsbeth's former lover; and Martin, who suffers from a case of obsessive compulsive disorder so severe he is unable to leave his apartment. Though dead, Elsbeth is a very real presence in the apartment that Valentina and Julia inhabit.

On these nights in the cemetery Robert stood in front of Elspeth's grave, or sat on its solitary step with his back against the uncomfortable grillwork. It did not bother him when he stood by the Rosetti grave and couldn't feel the presence of Lizzie or Christina, but he found it disturbing to visit Elspeth and find that she was not "at home" to him. In the early days after her death he'd hovered around the tomb, waiting for a sign of any sort. "I'll haunt you," she'd said when they'd told her she was terminal. "Do that," the had replied, kissing her gaunt neck. But she was not haunting him, except in memory, where she dwindled and blazed at all the wrong moments. (p55)

I guess I should say up front that I was incredibly disappointed with this book. I loved The Time Traveler's Wife and had read so many rave reviews about Her Fearful Symmetry, so even though the plot summary didn't particularly appeal to me at first, I decided to read it anyway. I'll admit I had pretty low expectations coming in, but even so I was left frustrated and dissatisfied.

I had a hard time getting into the story, partly because I was skeptical coming in, partly because I initially found it difficult to sympathize with most of the main characters. Around the middle of the book I found that I was beginning to enjoy reading about the twins, and, to a lesser extent, Roger, but as the events unfolded in the last part of the novel I became more and more frustrated. I thought that some of the plot twists in the latter part of the novel were a little absurd and their conclusions did not really fit together with the build up in the earlier part of the novel. The ending did not give these characters the closure that I was rooting for for them and that I felt they deserved, and I was left feeling extremely dissatisfied as I read the final pages.

I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the plotline that revolved around Martin, the OCD upstairs neighbor. Niffenegger did a good job of making making me sympathize with and root for him right from the start, and I always looked forward to the chapters where he was featured. I also enjoyed Niffenegger's writing style for the most part, but it was jarring when I came across words like "LOL" and "k" when the twins were speaking.

Upon finishing the book I was a bit bewildered, as so many bloggers seem to have enjoyed it, while I ended up regretting having picked it up at all. It did draw me in and was a quick read, but I was so dissatisfied by the ending that I'm not sure it was worth the initial effort I had to put in to get invested in the story in the first place. I don't mean to discourage anyone from reading this book, as many seemed to have enjoyed it, but I'd love to hear the perspective from someone who's read and enjoyed this book, to try to understand the appeal and what I seem to have missed when reading it.

Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier

2010-01-16T11:26:00.002-05:00

Rebecca, by Daphne DuMaurier
1938, 357 pages

This at last was the core of Manderly, the Manderly I would know and learn to love. The first drive was forgotten, the black, herded woods, the glaring rhododendrons, luscious and overproud. And the vast house too, the silence of that echoing hall, the uneasy stillness of the west wing, wrapped in dust-sheets. There I was an interloper, wandering in rooms that did not know me, sitting at a desk and in a chair that was not mine. Here it was different. The Happy Valley knew no trespassers. (p105)

Rebecca is told from the perspective of the second wife of Maxim de Winter as she comes to Manderley with her new husband and slowly unravels the identity of Rebecca, his deceased first wife, whose presence is still felt strongly by the characters in the novel.

Rebecca is a book that I always thought I should read, but was just never able to motivate myself to do it. I remember in high school many of my friends had to read it for english class - one of the english teachers at my school love love loved this book, and so half of my classmates ended up reading it. At the time I felt lucky to not have to read it - I was skeptical of the thick book with the florid red cover. I was surprised to hear from my friends that it was actually really good, which is how it ended up on my "I should read this someday, but not today" reading list.

Once I finally picked it up, I was hooked from the first paragraph, and continued to be completely absorbed for the entire novel. I devoured this book, finishing it in only three days (which is fast, for me). Daphne DuMaurier's writing is beautiful, I often found myself just getting taken away by her words. Many times I felt myself needing to slow down as I read, to reread a passage in order to fully absorb the language.

This is a rarity for me - I'm usually attracted to books with compelling plots and get bored with books that spend too much time playing around with the language. This wasn't the case with Rebecca, the writing was just beautiful and I completely enjoyed it. Here's (yet another) example of when the language just enraptured me:

The enchantment was no more, the spell was broken. We were mortal again, two people playing on a beach. (p106)

Not that the plot of Rebecca isn't compelling, because it is - why else would I have zoomed through this book so quickly? When I finished Rebecca, I immediately wanted to pick it up again, to see how the events earlier on in the novel would hold up, knowing the ending. This is actually a bad habit of mine - I'll obsessively reread a book or rewatch a movie several times over a short period of time because it's so interesting to me to observe the entire thing all over again, knowing how everything turns out.

I have to say, though, that there were times when I had to put down the book because I was frustrated with the narrator (I was rooting for her to grow a spine for over half the novel), or saw how an aspect of the plot was going to unfold ages ahead of time. I was interested in the plot and it kept me reading because I wanted to see how everything turned out, but in the end I wasn't particularly convinced by the love story between the narrator and Maxim, and I think that's where the book let me down a little bit. It's not that the plot was uninteresting, it's just that the book was so good otherwise that the fact that I wasn't completely spellbound by the plot is the only thing keeping it off of my all time favorites list.

It's strange for me to love a book for its language moreso than the plot, but I think that's what happened with Rebecca. It made me want to read more by Daphne DuMaurier, because I love her writing style, and maybe one of her other novels will be able to capture my imagination more than Rebecca did. I definitely enjoyed this book, and would whole-heartedly recommend it, but it just fell a tiny bit short for me in the end.

I'll leave you with one last quote:

Packing up. The nagging worry of departure. Lost keys, unwritten labels, tissue paper lying on the floor. I hate it all. Even now, when I have done so much of it, when I live, as the saying goes, in my boxes. Even to-day, when shutting drawers and flinging wide a hotel wardrobe, or the impersonal shelves of a furnished villa, is a methodical matter of routine, I am aware of sadness, a sense of loss. Here, I say, we have lived, we have been happy. This has been ours, however brief the time. Though two nights only have been spent beneath a roof, yet we leave something of ourselves behind. Nothing material, not a hair-pin on a dressing-table, not even an empty bottle of Aspirin tablets, not a handkerchief beneath a pillow, but something indefinable, a moment of our lives, a thought, a mood. (p45)

Booking Through Thursday: Flapper? Or Not a Flapper?

2010-01-14T17:53:00.002-05:00

Suggested by Prairie Progressive:

Do you read the inside flaps that describe a book before or while reading it?

I can be a pretty impatient reader, so a lot of the time I will start reading a book, want to know more about what's going on, and refer to the inside flap hoping that it will let me know where things are going. I do this especially when I'm having trouble getting into a book or am trying to figure out the implications of something that I just read. Sometimes I'll refer to the flap several times throughout a book. I also refer to the inside flap when I'm trying to figure out what book I want to read next, and will read whichever one sounds more interesting or that I'm more in the mood for. Although I'm far more likely to refer to the flap while I'm reading rather than beforehand.

My Life in France, by Julia Child

2010-01-13T19:04:00.001-05:00

My Life in France
by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme, 2006, 352 pages

My Life in France follows Julia Child from 1948 to 1985 as she transforms from amateur cook to student at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris to author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking to world renowned TV personality. Told chronologically, the book touches on Julia's adventures with food as well as other important events in her life during that time.

I really enjoyed reading along as Julia's cooking developed, and was amazed by her thoroughness in learning to cook and, later, in testing recipes for her cook books. The book is written from Julia's voice, which is very entertaining. It contains amusing anecdotes about her life in France (see my Teaser Tuesday post for an example) along with mouth-watering descriptions of French food.

In addition to the cooking, it was intriguing to read about what life was like in Paris in the 1950s, and how the Cold War was treated in France. The book touches on the Marshall Plan, McCarthyism, and the foreign service (Julia's husband Paul the was a member of the foreign service). I liked reading about the differences between Europe and America during that time - I didn't realize just how big a role these differences played in preparing a French cookbook for the American kitchen.

The book also includes pictures that Paul took during their time in France scattered throughout the book, and I really enjoyed seeing pictures of the people mentioned - it made it seem more real to me. I couldn't always keep track of all the people Julia came in contact with over 352 pages, but it didn't matter all that much and the important ones (such as Chef Bugnard, her teacher at the Cordon Bleu, or Simone Beck, her collaborator for Mastering the Art of French Cooking) were easy to pick out.

I only have one complaint: I wish they would have included just a few of the recipes that were described throughout the book! I know that's not the point of this book, but even so, I may have to go borrow a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking from the library for curiosity's sake.

I'm not sure if this book is for everyone, but if you have an interest in reading about food/cooking or are interested in the subject matter, I think you'll enjoy this book. I knew I had to buy the book when I looked at the first page on amazon and could hear Julia Child's voice coming through the pages. I flew through the book, reading most of it over the weekend, and it kept me constantly entertained. Definitely a worthwhile and interesting read.

Teaser Tuesday (1/12)

2010-01-12T19:14:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Rebecca (by Daphne DuMaurier) is certainly living up to its promise so far! I'm zooming through it, already more than halfway through, which is fast for me! Here's my quote:

I wanted to go on sitting here, not talking, not listening to the others, keeping the moment precious for all time, because we were peaceful all of us, we were content and drowsy even as the bee who droned above our heads. In a little while it would be different, there would come to-morrow, and the next day, and another year. And we would be changed perhaps, never sitting quite like this again. Some of us would go away, or suffer, or die, the future stretched away in front of us, unknown, unseen, not perhaps what we wanted, not what we planned. This moment was safe though, this could not be touched. (p 99)

Sorry, I know it's longer than two sentences, but I couldn't find a place to break it up. Enjoy!

Hooked from the first paragraph!

2010-01-10T22:24:00.000-05:00

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter for the way was barred to me. There was a padlock and a chain upon the gate. I called in my dream to the lodge-keeper, and had no answer, and peering closer through the rusted spokes of the gate I saw that the lodge was uninhabited.

From Rebecca, by Daphne DuMaurier, first paragraph.

Have you ever fallen in love with a book on the first page? The first paragraph, to be exact?

That's what happened when I opened up Rebecca last night. I was totally blown away by that first paragraph, and as I kept reading the first chapter, I was entranced by her language and just knew that I was going to end up liking this book. I'm not sure that I've ever gotten such a strong feeling from the first paragraph of a book before.

I was almost going to put off Rebecca too, because a new batch of books arrived Thursday that I really want to get to, but I'm so glad I decided to read Rebecca first. I haven't gotten very far yet -- I was distracted by bloggiesta for most of the weekend so didn't get much reading done -- but it's so good right now, I just had to share. Here's to hoping it doesn't go downhill from here ;)

Bloggiesta: Wrap-Up Post

2010-01-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

All right, I'm finally calling it quits for bloggiesta, but I'm really pleased with what I accomplished! I think I ended up spending somewhere around 12 hours working on my blog between yesterday and today. Here's what I accomplished:

Mini-challenges completed:

2010 Resolutions Mini-Challenge: See my separate post here with my reading/blogging resolutions for this year.
Comment Challenge: I commented on 10 new blogs and joined the comment challenge to comment on at least 5 book blogs a day.
Labels/Tag Mini Challenge: Admittedly, this one was not hard for me to do as I had <10 posts at the time, but I labeled all my posts in a system that I will hopefully stick to.
I posted on the new book blogger forum, Bloggie Cult.

What else I accomplished:

I got through all of my original goals that I posted about here:

I decided which other challenges I want to participate in for now and posted about them here.
I added a profile picture that I'm mostly happy with.
I thought for a while about a possible ranking system for reviews, but ultimately decided that since I haven't written that many reviews yet, I'm going to wait and reevaluate this one later.
I put my entire to-read list onto goodreads, and learned that there are 76 books I want to read right now. That's a little overwhelming, but I at least have it organized in the order I want to read them... I'm not sure what the benefits are of having it up at goodreads versus library thing (or any other sites I don't know about), but I'm happy to have it easily accessible right now. You can see my goodreads profile here. Feel free to friend me over there (or make an argument for why I should have used library thing/other site instead!)
I redid the layout of the blog, adding widgets for currently reading (from goodreads), books I'm reading next (from goodreads), labels, and a list of my reviews. We'll see how it holds up!
I went through every book blog in my google reader, purged the ones that are inactive, organized the rest, and added at least 20 (I lost count at some point) new blogs to follow!
I thought a bit about what kind of content I want to feature on my blog. Nothing is set it stone yet, but I do have a few ideas for types of posts:

My goal is to read one book a week minimum, which means write one review a week minimum.
I also may review some of the books that I've read recently (before starting the blog), and some of my other favorites -- at most one a week.
I'm going to keep doing Tuesday Teasers and Booking Through Thursday memes, but I'm going to think carefully about joining other memes, as I don't want the blog to be overcome by them.
Even though I started this blog to rant about both books and TV, I'm going to limit myself to a maximum of one tv-related post per week for now, and see how it goes.
I may consider occasionally blogging about other topics that I'm near-fanatical about other than books/tv. Specifically, I may try to blog about environmental issues (which is my current field and what I studied) whenever I find something interesting to share, and I'd like to try to read an environment-related book every once in a while.

Overall, a very productive weekend! Thanks to Maw Books for hosting this awesome event!

Challenges

2010-01-10T11:32:00.002-05:00

As part of bloggiesta, I'm going through my list of potential challenges and picking the ones I want to do/can actually accomplish. Instead of posting separately about each one, I'm just going to post them all here. This brings me to a total of 5 challenges for this year - lets hope I don't regret it!

This one is hosted by Melissa over at The Betty and Boo Chronicles. Participants must read at least 4 memoirs, letters, and diaries between January 1 and December 31, 2010. I joined this challenge because of the relatively low commitment and because I've been meaning to read more non-fiction, and this is a good way to get myself to do it. I also already have one book I'm going to read for it! No idea what the other books will be yet.

1. My Life in France by Julia Child

2. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

I've been thinking about doing this one for a while but wasn't sure if I wanted to make the commitment. I think it will be an interesting experience though, and I already know one book I want to read for it. I'm going to start at the level of Dip, or 5 books, about the Vietnam War

1. Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien

I really like the idea behind this challenge: focusing on a different area of injustice every month. You can choose your level of participation month by month, but must be at the activist level for at least three of the months of the challenge. January is focusing on religious freedom. I haven't decided what level to do for this month yet. I'm probably most excited for the month focusing on water - that is a big part of what I studied in college so I'm excited to share what I know and hear from others!

Bloggiesta Challenge: Set Goals for 2010

2010-01-10T08:34:00.000-05:00

To read about this bloggiesta mini-challege, click here. I wasn't originally going to do this mini-challenge, because I've never been a huge fan of resolutions, since this is a new blog I cracked and decided to write up the informal goals that I've had in my head for the last week anyway:

Read at least one book a week. I know this probably doesn't seem like a lot to bloggers who read 100+ books a year, but up until now I've been lucky to manage to read one book a month, so this is actually kind of an ambitious goal for me. I'm hoping to read a minimum of 52 books this year. So far, I'm on track (2 books per 2 weeks in 2010), but it's still early ;)

Explore New Genres. I want to broaden my reading horizons, so to speak. I'd like to delve into more non-fiction, and maybe try out some genre's I've never really touched, such as mystery or scifi.

Comment regularly on other blogs. Until I started this blog a week ago, I lurked around tons of blogs while never, ever commenting. My innate shyness coupled with inertia made it hard to get started, but eventually I wanted to participate in conversations rather than just observing them, so voila!

Post to this blog regularly. This past week I've been trying to think of content for my blog, and ways to keep things interesting. I'm probably going to be posting 1-2 reviews a week, and I don't want the rest of my blog taken over completely by memes and challenges, as addicting as they are. I also ostensively started this blog to rant about both books and TV, but I don't want the blog taken over by that either. I think I may limit myself to a maximum of one TV-related post a week, and see how that goes.

That's all I have for now!

Bloggiesta!

2010-01-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

This is my introductory bloggiesta post. For more information about the bloggiesta, check out the post on Maw books here. Since my blog is still in its nascent stages, I figure now is a great time to figure out my approach, etc.

I'm not sure what I'll actually accomplish, but here are some of my initial goals:

~~Decide if I want to participate in any more challenge~~ UPDATE: Done! See here.
~~Figure out different kinds of content I want to feature on my blog~~ UPDATE: Done. See my wrap-up post here.
~~Work on adding to the layout etc of the blog~~ ~~UPDATE: Done for now, but I'm still not completely happy with it.~~ UPDATE2: I added some widgets from goodreads, and I think I'm happy for now.
~~Organize my to read list~~ UPdATE: Done! Took forever, but I put my entire wishlist on goodreads. You can find it here.
~~Figure out an organizational/labeling system for my posts~~ UPDATE: Done! It wasn't that hard, since I don't have that many posts up yet anyway, but I'm glad I did it sooner rather than later ;)
~~Get a profile picture up~~ UPDATE: Done, but I'm not entirely happy with it. It'll do for now though.
~~Set up a ranking system for reviews~~ UPDATE: After some thought, I've decided against instituting a rankign system at this point. This is an issue I'll revisit after I've reviewed more books and have a better idea of how I want to review them.
~~Organize my google feed reade~~r and add some more great blogs to follow! UPDATE: organized my feed reader, so now I can start adding blogs again...
to be determined...

Booking Through Thursday

2010-01-07T20:17:00.000-05:00

Another meme I'm starting...

Barbara wants to know:

What books did you get for Christmas (or whichever holiday you may have celebrated last month)?

Do you usually ask for books on gift-giving occasions or do you prefer to buy them yourself?

Does it count if I bought books for myself? Right after I got home from visiting my family, I decided to treat myself and placed an order for a couple of books I'm dying to read from my reading list. And they were waiting for me when I got home from work today! I'm so excited to start on them, but I probably won't get to them for a week or so because I want to finish My Life in France (sadly I'm not even halfway through yet, but I always get more reading done on the weekend...), and I just picked up Rebecca from the library today. But here's what just came in the mail:

Firmin, by Sam Savage
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
Being Written: A Novel, by William Conescu
Searching for Pemberly, by Mary Simonsen

I'm so excited for all of them!!

I haven't asked for books as gifts in a while... either because if I want to read a book badly enough to buy it, I usually won't wait around to get it as a gift, or because I don't see the point in paying for a book if I can get it from the library for free in a timely manner. I do like being surprised with books though, as it's interesting to see what someone else thinks I'll like!

Teaser Tuesday!

2010-01-05T21:42:00.000-05:00

This is my first time posting to this meme, but I really like the idea, so hopefully I'll remember to do it week to week :P

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I'm in the middle of My Life in France by Julia Child. I had a hard time starting it (think it might have had something to do with being really tired at the time), but I've been engrossed by it the last two days!

Standing up through the Citroen's open sunroof, my six-foot-three-inch, red-cheeked sister pointed a long, trembling finger at the perpetrator and with maximum indignation yelled: "Ce merde-monsieur a justemente crache dans ma derriere!" Her intended meaning was obvious, but what she said was, "That shit-man just spat out onto my butt!" (p73)

Gilmore Girls Reading Challenge

2010-01-03T13:51:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist signing up for the Gilmore Girl's Challenge hosted by Lisa. I love love love the Gilmore Girls (and have seasons 1-6 on DVD), so this challenge looks like it'll be great. I am going to join at the Emily level (5 books from two categories). Additionally, I'm going to impose the following restrictions on myself:

1) I can't reread anything I've read before
2) It can't be something I was planning to read anyway
3) Each of the five books has to be from a different category (classics, children's/young adult, modern classics, non-fiction, and other).

I'm doing that because I want to use the challenge to allow myself to explore new books. No idea what specific books I'm going to read yet, I'll update this post when I decide!

~UPDATE~

I've managed to narrow down my choices a little:

1. Classics: These are all books that I thought about reading at one point but never followed through on.

- Don Quixote (Cervantes)

- A Christmas Carol (Dickens)

- Moby Dick (Herman Melville)

2. Children's/Young Adult: No real contest here, as I've been meaning to read this for ages (I used to be obsessed with the Wizard of Oz/Wicked), but never got around to reading it.

- The Wizard of Oz (Baum)

3. Modern Classics: There are a bunch I want to read for this one:

- Sanctuary, As I Lay Dying, or The Sound and the Fury (Faulker) - I've always meant to read something by Faulkner but never plucked up the courage.

- Catch-22 (Heller) - I've started this a couple of times but never committed.

- Daisy Miller (James) - I recently read Reading Lolita in Tehran, which spend a whole chapter on Daisy Miller, so for that reason alone I'm tempted to read it.

-Mencken's Chresthonomy (Mencken) - I thought about reading Mencken a while ago but never got around to it.

4. Non-fiction: Here are a few that caught my eye:

- Kitchen Confidential (Bourdain) - Fits in with my other interests at the moment

- On the Road (Kerouac) - I feel like this is one of those books that I should read

- Bitch in Praise of Difficult Women (Wurtzel) - Looks like it would be interesting

5. Other: I'd be up for reading any of these:

- Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption (King) - Loved the movie

- Godfather (Puzo) - I had no idea there was a book version

- Driving Miss Daisy (Uhry)

- Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood (Wells) - Been thinking about reading this

Well, like I said, I'm going to try for one from each category, but we'll see. My immediate reading list is kind of long (I have a bunch of outstanding library requests + bought myself a few books from amazon this week), so I'm not sure how soon I'm going to get to any of this.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions from these choices! The full list of books for the challenge is here.

Flashback Challenge

2010-01-03T12:38:00.000-05:00

I've decided to sign up for a few challenges to stimulate my reading, so there'll be several posts to that effect over the next few days. The first one I'm signing up for is the Flashback Challenge, hosted by Aarti and Kristin M. The challenge is from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. From their description:

You can sign up for the following levels:
Bookworm - Up to three books
Scholar - Four to six books
Literati - Over six books

Within these levels, we have mini-challenges! These are:

1. Re-read a favorite book from your childhood
2. Re-read a book assigned to you in high school
3. Re-read a book you loved as an adult

Thus, if you sign up for the Bookworm level, you could ostensibly choose to read one book from each mini-challenge. Or you could choose to do none of the above (though, granted, not sure what you could have possibly read that does not fit into either childhood, high school or adulthood).

I'm excited about this challenge. I think I'm going to sign up at the level of Literati, because I love to reread books and I've already thought of a bunch of books for it.

Favorite Books from my Childhood:
1. This is where I'm a little stumped... It's hard to remember what books I loved as a kid! I remember devouring series like The Babysitters Club, The Boxcar Children, and Nancy Drew, so maybe I'll go back to something from there... TBD....

Books Assigned in High School:
1. The Things they Carried by Tim O'Brien -- I remember really liking this at the time, and have been thinking about rereading it for awhile.
2. Either The Great Gatsby or The Scarlet Letter - Not sure which of these I'll choose. I want to reread the Great Gatsby because I remember liking it at the time and I think I'd really like it as a reread, plus there's going to be a production of it in my area soon so it'd be nice to read it again if I want to see that. The Scarlet Letter I don't really remember much of other than not liking it much, but it might be interesting to reread.

Books I loved as an Adult:
1. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck -- This has long topped my list of favorite books, but I haven't reread it in years. Time to reevaluate to see if it really belongs on top. Plus it's already sitting on my bookshelf!
2. Either The Kiterunner or A Thousand Splendid Suns (both by Khaled Hosseini) -- I loved both of these books and bought used copies after I already read them because I loved them so much, but haven't touched either copy since, so this is a good opportunity to get to them.

Thanks to Aarti and Kristen for hosting this challenge! I'll update this post as I start reading!

MIss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson

2010-01-03T10:17:00.000-05:00

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Winifred Watson, 1938, 234 pages

She prayed desperately for a knock on the door. A knock on Miss LaFosse's door heralded adventure. It was not like an ordinary house, when the knocker would be the butcher, or baker, or candlestick-maker. A knock on Miss LaFosse's door would mean excitement, drama, a new crisis to be dealt with. Oh, if only for once the Lord would be good and cause some miracle to happen to keep her there, to see for one day how ilfe could be lived, so that for all the rest of her dull, uneventful days, when things grew bad, she could look back and in her mind and dwell on the time when for one perfect day she, Miss Pettigrew, lived.

This reimagining of a Cinderella story featuring the spinster Miss Pettigrew was hilarious and a charming read. This quote pretty much sums up this incredibly entertaining book. The gist is that Miss Pettigrew is an out of work governess in London, who goes to see Delysia LaFosse for a job but ends up getting sucked into her world instead, helping Delysia juggle the three men in her life, successfully navigating among the elite, and experiencing the wonders of both alcohol and flirting for the first time.

I read this book because the movie is really good, and the book didn't disappoint. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, though, that every time I read one of Delysia's lines, I heard Amy Adams' voice, ditto Miss Pettigrew, Edythe, Michael, etc. That's never actually happened before that I can remember, but it definitely greatly increased my enjoyment of the book. I'm not sure if I would have appreciated the humor and other interactions as much if I didn't have those voices saying their lines in my head.

That being said, there were some parts of the book that I liked that weren't featured in the movie. The repartee between Miss Pettigrew and Tony, a character who I believe is absent from the movie, were one of my favorite things about the book. Most things are excellent in both, however. Miss Pettigrew's transformation from sparkling spinster to society hit, including her shock at the world of Delysia along with her quick thinking that helps save Delysia on more than one occasion, is delightful to observe both in the book and the movie.

This book was a super quick read, I read it in a matter of hours, and its one of those books that I'll go back to and reread again and again for its charm and hijinx. I honestly can't say whether I liked the book or movie better, because the movie completely informed my reading of the book, and I'm sure if I rewatch it I'll enjoy it all the more for having read the book. Oh well. Overall, a completely satisfying read.

The re-emergence of the bookworm

2010-01-02T23:26:00.000-05:00

When I was younger, I used to be a total bookworm. I would read for hours and hours, sometimes staying up all night to finish a good book. Then I went to college, and a combination of having little time for recreational reading and overdosing on dry, scientific papers meant that I was lucky if I read one non-class related book a semester. Now that I've graduated, I've just begun to rediscover how fulfilling it is to get sucked into a book, to have have a stack of books waiting to be read, and a to read list a that keeps on growing.

You'll notice, however, that this blog is titled "Rantings of a Bookworm Couch Potato," and that's because, in addition to reading, I also spend a lot of time watching TV, and occasionally I need to vent/squee about it, so from time to time some tv-related posts may make their way on here as well. At the moment, however, partially due to the lack of new TV and partially due to overdosing on Bones before Christmas (I just discovered Bones -- it's awesome! I'm halfway through season 2 right now), my TV watching has waned, so expect more reading-related posts for now.

Speaking of which, I'm about 2/3 of the way through Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (Winifred Watson), and it is as awesome as the movie, if not more so. Expect a post about that tomorrow, unless I get hopelessly distracted by my netflix instant queue ;)