BeSerene's Reads of 2011: the Beginning

Last year I read a total of 101 books (To see my masterlist from 2010, visit my second 2010 thread, BeSerene's Reads 2010, Part Two). Since I surpassed my goal, however thinly, I suppose I will amp it up a bit.

2011 reading goal: 125; Revised goal (as of April): 75

We'll see how it goes. I am also going to try a couple of group reads, but I don't want reading to feel like work, so have only loosely committed myself:

Austenathon:
Jan/Feb: Sense and Sensibility (done)
Mar/Apr: Pride and Prejudice
May/Jun: Mansfield Park
Jul/Aug: Emma
Sep/Oct: Northanger Abbey
Nov/Dec: Persuasion

Future Women: Explorations and Aspirations:
Feb: Native Tongue by S. H. Elgin
Mar: Always Coming Home by U. K. LeGuin
Apr: Gibbon's Decline and Fall by S. Tepper
May: Woman on the Edge of Time by M. Piercy
Jun: The Female Man by J. Russ
Jul: The Handmaid's Tale by M. Atwood
Aug: Monstrous Regiment by T. Pratchett
Sep: Thendara House by M. Z. Bradley

I'm avoiding set categories this year, because they didn't really work that well for me last year, but I will keep a regularly updated list up here and will use some of my usual categories to keep that list organized.

Reads of 2011: 2/125

Fantasy
-- #7: Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo (children's)
-- #9: Reckless by Cornelia Funke (YA)
-- #10: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer (children's)
Science Fiction
-- #1: Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear
Mystery
Historical Fiction
Literary Fiction
-- #4: The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
-- #5: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
-- #8: Mr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt
-- #11: Very Good, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse
-- #12: The Inimitable Jeeves by PG Wodehouse
Biography/Memoir
Non-fiction
Graphic Novels
-- #6: Harvey by Herve Bouchard
Miscellaneous
-- #2: Skellig by David Almond (children's; magical realism)
-- #3: Don't Let the Turkeys Get You Down by Sandra Boynton (humor)

I'm looking forward to finding out about lots of good books here :)

Sarah, I posted this in the meet'n'greet thread, but figured it never hurts to double post advice:

"Sarah! There is a group *made* for you!! Books Off The Shelf is a group dedicated to the encouragement of catch-and-release policies regarding books. Buy it, shelve it, release it back into the noosphere. Check him out!"

Glad to see you with us again, Sarah!

Thanks to you both. Richard, I did see your advice in the other thread, but I appreciate you taking the time to pop in here.

I'm quite intrigued by the possibility that there are people out there who actually read what they own, rather than buying new books to read practically every day, so perhaps I will find my people and be healed there. :)

See you there, Sarah. Not that it helped me all that much this past year, alas.

Please don't hold your breath, Sarah. It's a lovely group of people, and we do try to read some books off our shelves, but really, we're just a bunch of enablers.

Still, I think I read 25 more books off my shelves than I would have read without that group...

Welcome back!

Thanks! Glad to be back.

>6 ffortsa:-7: Oh dear, more enablers?! I already have a boyfriend who works at a bookstore (hello discount) and a best friend who is a book blogger, both of whom are on LT...

When the members of your book-overbuying support group are also your shopping buddies, you know there is a flaw in the plan.

So, never mind about that whole read-what's-on-the-shelf-already idea, let's just go get some more books, shall we? :)

#9: Although I love your plan about going to get some more books, Sarah, I must pass. Linda and I are going on a year-long book buying ban. If you hear of a woman dead in Texas from a lack of book buying, you will know who it is!

Don't worry, Sarah. I'll buy extra in Stasia's name. The publishers/bookstores have nothing to worry about. I am right behind you.

Thank heaven! When Stasia said "book ban" I felt the ground tremble. Fortunately, you and I shall band together and prevent any imminent collapse. It will be tough -- grocery money may be sacrificed -- but that's a small price to pay for saving the book world. :)

I appreciate the sacrifices you two are making to prevent the WWBF from depriving us of much needed literature :)

It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Might as well be us!

ETA: When the WWBF does come, Stasia, you & Linda are going to begging Sarah & I for books. We shall be prepared.

#14: Good! I am glad. I am already considering breaking the 2011 book buying ban and the year has not even started yet! I am in terrible shape :)

That's not terrible shape - think of it rather as wisdom breaking through that rash, crazy plan. Order is restored! :)

#16: Unfortunately, I cannot do it unless Linda agrees. She will not agree. She is my Bookaholics Anonymous sponsor :)

Wow, the strength of that woman. Of course, they say that the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. I, on the other hand, have perfected my denial to such a point that I see no problem at all. Simply a challenge: to buy all the books there are.

My goal may be a little lofty, but it makes my actual book buying seem tiny in comparison. Thus, rationalization. No problem here. :)

Simply a challenge: to buy all the books there are.

Hear, hear! Challenge ACCEPTED.

#181: LOL, Sarah!

Happy New Year, Sarah! I look forward to sharing another year of books with you. And fear not, no book-buying ban here, even if I did acquire nearly as many as I read this year!

Happy new year to you too! And Hooray for book buying, whether moderate or totally obscene (my own 2010 purchase totals were on the obscene side).

Happy to get the new year rolling. I'm currently reading Hull Zero Three and hope to be finished with it this week. Quite intriguing so far.

Happy reading!

Just an FYI: I've edited my top message and plan to keep my masterlist for the year up there (I shall also try to be better about updating it).

>22 beserene: - I can personally attest to the craziness that was Sarah's book purchases in 2010. Just saying. Ignore the fact that I was probably standing in line next to her to buy books as well, but she made an amateur of me this past year...

Found your thread, darling! **smooches**

Hello to you and Happy New Year!

Awfully glad you found me, dear - I was rather wondering. But you oughtn't talk about my book purchasing that way - you'll make everyone think I am utterly out of control.

Oh, wait... never mind. :)

Linda, a hearty hello and happy new year right back at you! Delighted to see you. :)

(You get your very own smiley.)

Everybody already knows you are utterly out of control, Sarah. It comes as no surprise :)

Curses, my secret is out.

Although, I will have you know that it is January 3rd (count 'em, THREE whole days into the new year) and I have not purchased a single book. Ha!

Granted, in the last few days of 2010, I did acquire about a dozen volumes, but new year = fresh start, therefore those are SO in the past.

And of course, there was that SantaThing book that came in the mail today... but that hardly counts.

So, you see, I am quite under control. And I'm managing my three-day withdrawal symptoms (shaky hands, sudden urges to get in the car, random auditory hallucinations of rustling pages and the occasional mysterious scent of ink and chai) quite nicely.

Okay, so not two seconds after I posted the above, BF texted me with the following:

"Johannes Cabal used today!"

Meaning that Johannes Cabal the Necromancer had come in to his bookstore as a used copy this afternoon.

My reply: "Mine?" (Seagull sound effects are impossible in text, but totally implied.)

Yeah, you see the sort of iniquitous enablement I am subject to? Is it any wonder I have an addiction?

:)

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer makes me very jealous. I think a quick trip to the bookstore is in order, claiming, "Oh, Sarah just asked me to come by and pick up the book for her." ;-)

And your receiving a SantaThing book gives me hope that mine will be arriving soon. =)

I just realized reading that I didn't even last a whole week not buying a book, well, two actually. But I swear that's all! Honest.

I only bought books because I was away from home with nothing to read and there were ones on my "to read" list on the bargain table.

Why of course thats my real reason.
*attempts an innocent face*

Seriously though - I do have a lot on my shelf at home I want to read and I am going to try and hit before I let myself buy anything NOT on the bargain table =D (Can't pass up bargains that are on the list - after all then you'll pay $10 for the paperback instead of only $3-6 for the hardcover!)

#1 - I'm so glad I have your thread starred - I'll be doing some more lurking...er... *reading* during July. I am such a huge fan of Sir Terry's Discworld books!! If you have no idea what Monstrous Regiment is about, DO NOT go strolling through your library's Biography section. Inadvertent spoiler will spoil the surprise. Luckily for me I had already read Monstrous Regiment when I saw the other book!

>32 YoungGeekyLibrarian:: I love your rationale about bargain books. That's exactly how I feel. And it gets even better when I go to a library sale or used bookstore...

"But it's only two dollars! I can't possibly pass that up. When else would I find it for such a price?"

I say this about almost every book I find, and thus typically walk out with a pile that requires the use of a box to transport.

>33 PrincessT:: Are you taunting me? Of course you are. There is now no way that I am going to wait for July. :)

edited to fix post numbers. I'm losing track already, apparently. :)

>30 tapestry100:: Step away from my hold-stack, mister!

>31 sibylline:: Two weeks without buying a book is about my maximum. Anything longer than that and the withdrawal symptoms are impossible to resist -- I start doing things like shopping my friends' shelves ("Dude, are you going to read that?") and lingering longingly in the book section of the grocery store, where only the most ungodly remainders end up. It's a scary thing. I encourage everyone to buy books regularly in order to avoid such suffering. :)

>34 beserene: - No taunting meant, just overeager enthusiasm. Seriously, Sir Terry is one of my absolute favourite authors. Ever!
And... now I don't know what to say. Do I, as almost-rabid fan, encourage immediate reading? Or, as responsible LT-er encourage group participation and shared fun with like-minded individuals? Er.. I'll just reinstate my lurker status now....*waves and sidles away*

>36 PrincessT:: I've been dipping into the Discworld books for years -- the Tiffany Aching YA books are my absolute favorites of all -- but perhaps I should make a more concerted effort to read them in some kind of order. Hmmm...

I can see my TBR stack crumbling under the weight of Discworld even as we speak.

Could be fun, though. :)

I will be interested in seeing what you think of Johannes Cabal when you get to it, Sarah - assuming David does not steal it first, of course.

BF is reading Johannes Cabal now, so I think it is safe from David for the moment. Though who knows when I will actually get to it -- I've started the year off really slowly, plodding through the Greg Bear book...

Of course, it might have something to do with all the cataloguing and thread-reading I've been doing here on LT. Hmm.

And today I was distracted by the stupid Huckleberry Finn reissue news. Grr. I just posted a rant on Prop2gether's thread, so I will refrain here. But grr.

edited for typos.

I bet I could distract the BF with football and then STEAL THE BOOK! Mwuahahahahaha!!

You are a naughty thing, young man. Don't try it. Especially since it would probably work.

Hey, guess what? I finished a book! Hooray!

#1


Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear
This novel, released in November 2010 and received by me as an ARC, is serious science fiction. It's not a subgenre -- not space opera, not *punk -- but true science fiction, with astrophysics, "aliens" (so to speak), conflict... in short all the ingredients of a classic science fiction plot. It is also complex, sometimes confusing, and occasionally downright creepy. I quite liked it.

The novel is written in first person from the perspective of an individual usually referred to as "Teacher" -- Bear plays with the irony of that title throughout the novel, starting from page three, because Teacher begins the novel as ignorant as the reader, and progresses slowly toward a knowledge of who/what/where/why he is. The reader follows that journey, through a hostile environment in a damaged spaceship, where nearly everything is trying to kill nearly everything else. The reader is often as confused as Teacher is, but the small steps toward the resolution of the ship's mystery keep one turning pages.

The environment of the ship itself is eerily evoked through Bear's descriptions. We see this world through Teacher's eyes, including as his memory awakens, so things for which the reader might have a ready word or comparison are sometimes described in new, alien terms or with a sense of rediscovery. Most of the time, this works to enhance the sense of eerie otherness that the novel is building -- occasionally Teacher's "hey, I remembered a new word!" moments are a little annoying, but that is generally outweighed by some of the sly allusions that Bear uses Teacher's wakening memory to make. References to literature (including Carroll's 'The Hunting of the Snark', unless I am way off) and scientific knowledge abound.

The characters that Teacher meets along the way are puzzles unto themselves, and the reader could easily spend plenty of time considering their particular evolution. Bear has put a great deal of thought and craftsmanship into the logical pattern of development for the ship, its inhabitants, and how they all fit into the mysterious circumstances he has created. There is a lot of crafty build-up in this novel, to the point that the final chapters seem to fly by as the pieces of the larger puzzle start to come together. The end, which of course I will not reveal here, is perhaps not as mindblowing as one might expect from that build-up, but still works in the grand scheme of the book.

Bottom line: If you are a fan of science fiction in its purest form, this is the book for you. It has all the ingredients -- a tight plot, suspense, science, space travel, strange beings, even a healthy dollop of blood and gore -- that made classic sci-fi great. Warning: it also contains a touch of the surreal (as the allusion to Carroll would testify), so don't expect simplicity here.

edited to add that last sentence. :)

Now that actually sounds interesting. I may have to borrow that one at some point.

Great review! I've been eying Hull Zero Three on our librar shelf - I'll have to give it a go. Your last sentence intrigues me!

#42: I hope my local library gets a copy of that one soon. I need to spread my sci/fi wings :) Great review, Sarah!

>42 beserene: I've been wanting to read more science fiction. Hull Zero Three sounds like a good one to add in.

>43 tapestry100:: No problem. It's on the shelf, just waiting for you. Waiting, that is, for you to be finished with Theodosia. ;)

It suddenly occurs to me that I have been lax in recording lends in the book-book -- you may not even still have the Theodosia book. Do you think LT would be useful in marking books lent out, once I get them all in? Hey, I bet I could make a separate collection! Hmmm. Thoughts?

>44 Aerrin99:: It's definitely an intriguing sort of book. I hope you like it. :)

>45 alcottacre:/46: If you have not read a lot of sci-fi, I do think that this is a good one to stretch with, because you don't have to actually be an astrophysicist to get it -- the science lends realism, but isn't overloaded with jargon or self-inflation -- and it has that surreal-yet-literary sensibility that appeals across genres.

Just a note, Stasia -- it does contain significant violence, some gory descriptions, and a couple of moments that are genuinely creepy. If I recall correctly, you aren't a big horror fan, so I thought I would warn you that this sci-fi novel borrows a bit from that genre. Hope that's helpful.

I've been using tags to record books lent out, and it works well for me.

Cool -- thanks for the suggestion. I might have to use a combo of collections and tags for mine, because I would want to record who it went to and when it went out for each book (I have a tendency to forget that stuff). Do you include those details in your tags? If so, do you just use long tags or multiples?

I'm curious about this, since I am finally getting close to having all my books in LT -- just three bookshelf units to go (probably about 400 more books, I think) -- and I would like to use the catalog for more than just "ooh, look at my books!" (though that is a great function too). :)

I just say who I lent it to, "lent to Stephanie" or whatever. I just want to make sure I know where it is, so I'm not too worried about about when it went out.

I always send my books (that I own) to my sister in Kansas after I read them. I stick them in a box and mail it to her when the box is full. I use tags. When it goes in the box, I put "nan" and then the month and year, e.g., 1/11. When she returns it, I alter the tag by putting an asterisk at the end. That way I know when I sent it and that I got it back. I can also sort by the tags. If I lend books out to other people, I use the same system, just a book at a time.

I have a collection for books that are currently out on loan and use private comments to record who has what. I usually only have three or four out at the same time, though, so not sure how well that would work if you're regularly lending out lots of things at once.

I use collections to mark a book as lent out. Then I will put in tags who it went to. Then when I get it back I unmark the box and remove the tag.

Delurking to say I made it four days into the new year before I bought a book. Argh! And the $1 bookstore is once again open and semi-organized. And I'm lending books out, but they still multiply like tribbles. I'm planning to only buy books as gifts this year and read off my shelves (and floor and stacks), but we'll see.

The Huckleberry Finn lunacy is spawning all sorts of commentary, isn't it. I wonder if the same editor would do the same thing to all those slave narratives, Toni Morrison, or Alice Walker--well, just to name a few writers who have used the term in their works. *sigh* To me, the discussions generated open more doors than Bowdlerizing works to conform with current mores.

#37 I can see my TBR stack crumbling under the weight of Discworld even as we speak. I have just that problem Sarah. I've read Pratchett intermittently, and already owned perhaps a quarter of his, but I've started reading through in sequence from the beginning, which has meant gradually acquiring more and more volumes... I'll need a whole shelf just for Discworld soon.

>50 _Zoe_:-53: Great tips, thanks! It's funny how I've been a part of something called LibraryThing for almost five years and it just now occurs to me that I could use it, you know, kind of like a library. Wild.

>54 Prop2gether:: Well done indeed. I think you should reward yourself for your self-control. Perhaps that reward should be a book. :)

And I agree that all this business with the Twain books does have that positive outcome -- people are talking and hopefully that talk will inspire them to read and then talk some more. Always a good process.

>55 gennyt:: Genny, I think I am soon to follow in your footsteps, heaven help my shelf-space. Pratchett is like tasty Lays potato chips, I swear. In spite of the dangers... how can I resist? :)

On another note, I'm joining in Smiler's read-a-thon for an hour, in solidarity (other commitments keep me from full participation), so I'll post a little update before I zonk out. For now, I'm snuggled up in my chair, ready to read. See you in an hour or so.

A read-a-thon post...

One Hour Update:

I've been reading: Skellig by David Almond and The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
Books finished: 1 (only had a bit left when I started)
Pages read: 89
Reading time: 55 minutes
Posting time: 9 minutes

Almond's YA novel was particularly intense, in a positive way, and delivers a profound emotional vignette of how kids and adults cope with serious, scary issues. Really wonderful.

I'm only 37 pages in, but I'm in love with Ms. Brown's novel already. It might be the constant quoting of Shakespeare, or the sly wit, but I think I'm going to like this one.

Favorite line of the hour: "Sometimes we just have to accept there are things we can't know... We have to allow ourselves to see what there is to see, and we have to imagine." -- Mina, Skellig

And now I must to bed -- morning in just a few hours. Carry on, sisters and brothers! Fight the good fight! Read the good book! :)

#47: Thanks for the heads up, Sarah. I will pass on the book in that case.

#58: Get some rest and come back reading tomorrow!

I hope to put in a couple of hours before the read-a-thon wraps tomorrow, but it's going to be a busy day, so we will see. One hour might have been it for this one -- but maybe next time I will rock all 24! :)

#60: maybe next time I will rock all 24! :)

I hope you do!

#56

My mum has two shelves entirely devoted to Discworld. Some are better than others, many I have read numerous times and some only once, but I wouldn't be without them :)

Life's just better with Pratchett; I agree. :)

#2


Skellig by David Almond
This children's novel was recommended to me by a fellow LTer (Linda, perhaps?). I found it to be intense and moving. It's not exactly what one expects -- there are shades of Gabriel Garcia Marquez here, as some of the books detail echoes "The Very Old Man With Enormous Wings", a short story I have taught a few times -- but is never the less a great experience.

The book centers on two kids, one of whom is experiencing serious life-chaos, with a new home that's not quite in good shape and a new baby sister who is seriously ill. The children encounter Skellig, who is a being of strange and wondrous nature. I don't wish to give away too many details about Skellig, because part of the joy of the book is imagining for yourself who or what he really is, but Almond manages to evoke a multi-faceted significance within this one figure that is both mysterious and tangibly satisfying for the reader.

The story is really about coping, which the reader discovers as the plot progresses through the stressful happenings of a young boy's life. It's also about relationships, and some of the most poignant moments in the story are also the most real -- interactions between father and son, between mother and baby, and between the children themselves, never stray into the saccharine or the implausible, even when the surrounding events become surreal or even magical.

Overall, I found this to be a beautiful, emotional book, one that will appeal most to those (children and adults) who have found themselves on the brink of family tragedy or who are perhaps struggling to cope with a current situation. I think this is a book that speaks to our core and would strongly recommend it as a together-read, something for a parent and child to discuss with each other.

edited to fix the image -- oops.

#64: I enjoyed that one too, Sarah. Glad you did as well!

Aha, perhaps it was you, Stasia, that I got the rec from! I really should note these things down. *fail*

PS: I lasted all of a week into the new year before buying new books. Yesterday David and I went to BOTH Barnes & Noble and a local bargain bookstore (oh, the extravagance! the temptation!) and so, of course, I could leave neither empty-handed.

I got...

The King in the Window by Adam Gopnik (which has been on my wishlist for ages)
Hero's Song and Fire Arrow by Edith Pattou (I loved her East and have been looking at these for a while)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, with illustrations by Lynd Ward (B&N bargain table -- could not resist this edition)
Aesop's Fables, with illustrations by Ernest Griset (one can never have too many copies of Aesop, as long as the illustrations are good)
Rudyard Kipling's Tales of Horror and Fantasy, with an introduction by Neil Gaiman (absolutely no justification necessary)

Ah, such joy! So few things in life can equal the pleasant satisfaction of adding a new book to one's library.

(I know, I know -- it's a sickness.)

#66: Sarah, several people in the group read the book around the same time, so it could have been any one of a number of us. I am just glad you found it worth the read.

Nice haul! How many books did David buy? I am sure he was encouraging you in your spending spree by buying right along with you! :)

Sarah, I'm enjoying your thread immensely. I am also a book buyer, although I tend to buy mine really cheap at those library book sales so I haven't had to use my grocery money -- yet! I do have way too many books sitting around here (in my husband's opinion). I bit the bullet and put 20 books in a box in the basement. These are books that I bought for whatever reason -- probably the price -- and now I realize I will probably never read them. Off to the used bookstore they will be going. No worries, I easily have several hundred other books that I do plan to read someday.

Oh, I really liked Skellig also. It's completely different than anything I'm used to reading. Actually, I listened to it on the way up to Kansas City last year to visit my grandkids on a recommendation by Linda (Whisper1). Sometimes it's good to get out of the box and visit another genre.

What a beautiful review of Skellig. I don't usually read children's or YA books, but this is tempting. I did love the Very Old Man with Enormous Wings so that's another vote for this book.

>67 alcottacre:: David bought about half of what I did -- including that same volume of Aesop, because we don't like to share very much -- which is typical. He likes to rub it in that he has more self-control.

Of course, then I just remind him that, while he may have more self-control, I have more books. :)

>68 Donna828:: Donna, so glad you are enjoying the thread. A few overstuffed chairs and an extra bookshelf and I'll have the place fixed up just right. ;)

And I totally agree about getting out of your box and trying other genres. I'm teaching a children's literature course again this semester and I was just telling my students that very thing earlier this evening.

>69 ffortsa:: I think you should give in to temptation, and not just because I'm that kind of girl. ;)

Seriously, I think Skellig is a worthy read for anyone who can appreciate the abstract profundity of magical realism, children's lit reader or not. Give it a try.

I've heard of Skellig for years but still have not read it. Must track down a copy soon.

Interested to see you've acquired a couple of Edith Pattou's - I read East last year and thought it was really well done, too. I'll look forward to hearing about your two new ones.

Teaching a children's literature course sounds fun. What sort of time-scale do you cover, or do you approach it thematically rather than chronologically?

I don't read a lot of science fiction, but Hull Zero Three sounds interesting . . . Great review!

#70: just remind him that, while he may have more self-control, I have more books

You have a very good point!

>71 gennyt:: Genny, I thought East was very well done -- I love fairy tale reworkings anyway, but particularly enjoyed that one -- so I am hoping for good things from the other two.

As for children's literature, I plan my readings by form/genre -- picture book, chapter book, historical fiction, nonfiction, etc. We start with fairy tales and classics, though, so that I can give an historical overview of the development of children's lit, with some discussion of early didactic works and adapted work not originally intended for children. I go into more detail post-1744, starting with Newbery, and move forward into the Victorian conception of childhood and the works that resulted. Post-1900 I use historical context connected with specific books.

We are reading about a dozen books this year (I had to cut back a few from last time, because my department chair yelled at me for ordering too many), including some personal favorites of mine -- Little Women, The Velveteen Rabbit, The House of the Scorpion, The Tale of Despereaux, Snowflake Bentley, The Rough Face Girl -- and some initially recommended by other instructors -- Crispin: the Cross of Lead, Rosa, We Are the Ship, Clementine, can't think of the rest at the moment.

>72 tymfos:/73: Thanks!

Haven't really picked up The Weird Sisters since the weekend -- too much happening to distract me from reading, for heaven's sake! -- but I did manage to purchase two more books: Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon and The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar.

The Gordon book had a good excuse -- I attended her reading at my local bookstore this evening, and she is quite a character herself, so of course I had to buy the book.

The other one was just for fun. :)

BF is trying to convince me to go to another library sale on Saturday. This could be bad. Maybe I will develop some willpower and stay home.

#74 That syllabus sounds great fun! I'd happily come on the course... and your list that includes personal favourites is intriguing, as I've only heard of two of those and only read one - The Velveteen Rabbit - which is lovely of course.

Skellig is a class reader at my school and pretty much everyone falls under its spell. The kids are all desperate to borrow his other books.

>76 gennyt:: I, safely I hope, assume that the other you've heard of is Little Women? The other favorites are all modern works, two novel length (The House of the Scorpion, which is sci-fi, and The Tale of Despereaux, which is fantasy) and two picture books. I mentioned Snowflake Bentley on last year's thread -- it's a picture book biography of the first person to photograph snowflakes. And The Rough Face Girl is a folktale -- a native American story in the Cinderella tale-type (can never remember the Aarne-Thompson numbers). All worth reading, in my humble opinion. :)

I really like all my required readings for that class. Of course I do, or else I wouldn't assign them. But you know what I mean -- all are books that I would read even if I weren't teaching such a course.

>77 JenMacPen:: Jen, that is wonderful. It's a pity that I didn't read Skellig sooner, else I might have added it to my children's lit course at the CC. It is going to be one I recommend, however. Have you read many of his other books? I'm keeping an eye out for them -- I saw that there is one about Mina.

BF is trying to convince me to go to another library sale on Saturday. This could be bad. Maybe I will develop some willpower and stay home.

#giggling hysterically

Jokes on you, Mr. Sassy - I did not go. Ha.

Wow. I am impressed and take back my previous post. I, however, bought a book in Chicago: The Plan of Chicago. It was my consolation prize for not getting to see the Muppets.

I have been thoroughly distracted all week and have not only been away from LT, but have barely been reading. I'm only 3/4 of the way through The Weird Sisters. Curse you, Netflix, and your instant queue of all five "Bones" seasons! I am addicted.

I did, however, manage to acquire 40 books today. How, you might ask? Well, it is me. First, a box arrived from Amazon -- the result of some shopping therapy a couple of weeks ago -- and it contained three Pink Carnation books (my dear friends had gotten me the first book and the Christmas one for, you guessed it, Christmas, so I am gathering the rest of the series) and Among Others by Jo Walton, about which I am very excited.

Then, I went to a library sale. It was a $5/box day. These are dangerous things, as we all know. Among the 35 or so books that ended up in my box (as if of their own volition) were...

Shadows on the Grass by Isak Dinesen
Ireland's Pirate Queen: The True Story of Grace O'Malley
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
London Holiday by Richard Peck
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
The New York Public Library Book of Chronologies
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
two Alexander McCall Smith mysteries from The No. 1 Ladies Detective series
and about two dozen other treasures.

I feel quite glutted with books, though I'm sure the feeling will pass... no doubt, as Mr. Bennett says, more quickly than it should. :)

I did manage to read a (very) little something this afternoon, for my own amusement:

#3


Don't Let the Turkeys Get You Down by Sandra Boynton
This humorous illustrated piece showcases Boynton's signature illustrations alongside her trademark wit, but this time aimed at adults rather than toddlers. Published in the '80s, the book is a bit dated, but some types don't change -- the reader is treated to an overview of the "turkeys" we all meet in life, along with some amusing suggestions on how to recognize and deal with them.

Overall, this was a nice, quick distraction from my current distraction. I enjoyed it, especially since I love Boynton's kids books, but it's not something I would have sought out, had it not leapt into my library sale box. :)

Always have to edit something, it seems.

40 books? Honey, you need a chaperone at these book sales!! =)

Only 40 books? I envy your restraint! And you might try Boynton's Chocolate: The Consuming Passion -- delectably distracting reading.

>84 tapestry100:: Nonsense, I was chaperoned. BF was there and even paid the whole $5 for my books. Can't get much more supervised than that, right? :)

>85 Prop2gether:: Thank you! Actually, I felt that the book sale didn't have all that many books that I really wanted, but BF kept finding things that I might like and putting them in my box. So that thing that I just said about supervision -- yeah, scratch that.

And now I have another book that I want. Boynton on chocolate sounds like a book written just for me. Yay!

#4


The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
This new novel, which I received as an ARC through Shelf Awareness (I think), is solidly enjoyable, though neither surprising or mind-blowing. The story concerns three sisters, each very different from the other, all daughters of a vaguely preoccupied mother and a father immersed in Shakespeare scholarship; so immersed, in fact, that he has named his daughters Rosamund, Bianca, and Cordelia -- each name from a different play of Shakespeare's. The relationships between these parents and their children and between the sisters themselves are, predictably (given the title and literary patterns), the focus of the novel.

I liked the characterization of Rose (Rosamund), Bean (Bianca) and Cordy (Cordelia) -- each woman felt real; in fact, I recognized patterns and characteristics in them that I know in myself and in others in my life. They were all relatable and genuine, even though some of their actions were at the exaggerated end of common human behavior. Their conflicts also feel authentic -- I was not surprised to learn at the end, in the author blurb, that Eleanor Brown is one of three sisters.

I also appreciated that the conclusion of the novel does not lapse into overdone tidiness -- not everyone ends up hitched to their earlier romantic interests, at least. I did find the ending a little soft, in the sense that the novel kind of peters out rather than wrapping up with an emotional punch. Part of that is simply the type of story this book is -- the novel is about family drama, but it is almost entirely without melodrama (a rare thing), and the setting is a small college town in summer -- so the whole package feels calm and quiet throughout. Many readers will find this a pleasant change from the over-amped adventures created in response to current popular literature trends. Some may be bored by it.

My favorite detail of the novel -- and I know that any English major reading it will be on board with this -- is the inclusion of frequent Shakespeare quotes. This is a family that, among several quirks, uses lines of Shakespeare to express personal feelings, including approval and disapproval. It starts with the aforementioned father, but the lines pop up in the sisters' dialogue as well. Some of the funniest parts of the novel revolve around the family's awareness of their own quirk. The novel acknowledges at a couple of points that the frustrating thing about using Shakespeare's words to communicate is that even Shakespeare might not have known what he was talking about. :)

The peppering of quotations aside, the novel is cleanly written, with bright prose and cinematic -- but not overwrought -- description. I had great mental images throughout my reading. I did wish that the characterization of the mother was a little clearer, but the focus here is definitely on the sisters -- in fact, the novel is written from their collective viewpoint -- so the reader's understanding of the parents is colored by that perspective. That also means that our understanding, not only of the parents but of the whole family and the world it inhabits, grows throughout the novel, as the sisters' eyes are opened and reopened. It's a satisfying experience, made better by the connection that the reader feels with these very real women.

Bottom line: I liked it. I think many of you will too.

edited to add touchstone.

Your latest read sounds wonderful.

Why can't I live in a place where the libraries sell boxes of books off for a fiver?

#87: I already have that one in the BlackHole or I am sure I would be adding it again. I am glad to see that you liked it, Sarah.

Hi There Sarah

I'm compiling a list of birthdays of our group members. If you haven't done so already, would you mind stopping by this thread and posting yours.

Thanks.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/105833

Hi Sarah, the Weird Sisters does sound like a good read - thanks for the review. I hope you've managed a bit more reading despite distractions.

Thanks for popping by, all. My reading is still tragically sluggish, Genny - I am slow-dancing my way through Sense and Sensibility now. It's a familiar read, but I am having a hard time focusing even so.

I did hit another library sale this weekend and for $12 got a bag full of books - not as many as last time, perhaps two dozen - about have of which were children's picture books to use with my children's literature class (that's my story and I am sticking to it). There were quite a few caldecott honor books that I picked up and I read some of those this weekend, including two lovely ones, The Umbrella and Crow Boy by a Japanese artist. Touchstones are off on those, so I will have to fix them later, but they were beautiful little books, the first about childhood, the second about tolerance. They don't count toward my total, being less than 50 pages each, but I heartily recommend them.

#93: Another haul, Sarah? Color me jealous :)

MORE books? I'm calling the BF and telling him he's not allowed to take you to anymore book sales until after we get back from FL!

>94 alcottacre:: Stasia, you won't be so jealous when my floor collapses under the weight of all the books, which my friends have been telling me is an imminent danger. And yet, I just keep adding. :)

>95 tapestry100:: It was only $12, dear. Besides, I needed a little shopping therapy.

For perhaps the first time in my entire life, I am really struggling to read. This dry spell, if you like, has been ongoing since mid-January and I am starting to get somewhat concerned. It started when I hooked up the Nintendo Wii and discovered NetFlix instant streaming video -- I watched two Elizabeth Gaskell BBC adaptations, then got started on the "Bones" television series and have watched its five seasons in their entirety in the past three weeks or so -- but, though I expected that the "shiny new toy" factor would wear off after a while, I am now finding it a struggle to pick up a book rather than turning on the NetFlix. When I do pick up a book, I've been having trouble focusing for an extended period of time (like, I am only 1/3 of the way into Sense and Sensibility, reading only a couple of short chapters at a time -- this is a book that I previously read in the space of a few days). It's kind of freaking me out.

And it has made me think about the neurological impact of near-constant digital media feed. Even in these past few weeks of digital distraction, I have felt my brain change. Is it any wonder then that months and years of extended video exposure have a severe impact on the reading habits and abilities of individuals?

And if I, a cognitively formed adult, can feel the neurological impact of mere weeks of high level media input, how much more impact, maybe even lasting damage, is the brain of the average American child undergoing, when so many families leave electronic media on often or even constantly?

I've been giving this a lot of thought lately. I might simply be overreacting. On the other hand, if I ever have children, I think I am going to put the television in the closet for at least the first several years of their lives.

That said, I still have five more episodes of "Bones" to watch before I am caught up with the current season. I'm ashamed to say it, but I'm not sure whether Jane Austen can compete against that in my current state of mind. And I love Jane Austen. Seriously, love.

I appreciate and enjoy modern media, but the unstudied possibilities of its long-term consequences are a little scary.

I read an interesting article about this recently ( New York Times or maybe Wired Magazine? ). They took people who never read articles online and those who did so frequently and the researchers noticed differences in their brain mapping and concentration. The part that was really scary was that they then had those who never surfed the web and had them do so for a few weeks and in that time their brains had remapped too.

That said you're probably just going through a reading rut ;) It happens to me from time to time. I hope you find a good book to break it soon!

It would be tough to stop watching a series you're really enjoying, like 'Bones'. Things will probably balance out after you catch up to the current season. Just don't get hooked on another!

>99 ffortsa:: Yeah, no kidding about the "don't get hooked on another" advice. There are so many series on that instant streaming service! I am trying not to watch any others. I did just enjoy a "Glee" marathon with some dear friends (one of whom was our lovely David/tapestry100) last night, but I think I've only a few episodes before I am caught up there AND (this is key) "Glee" season 2 is not available on NetFlix, so I can't marathon that at home, thank heaven. Other than that, the only other current danger is "Firefly", which the BF got me started on, but we have been watching that together and it's a short series, so I should be safe there. I hope you are right that things will balance out.

>98 Tanglewood:: I will have to look up that article. I have seen studies about the impact of television on children's cognitive development (not good, btw) recently, which have contributed to my thoughts about all this. The topic is fascinating but frightening, as I don't think that many people realize how much our brains can literally change based on what they are exposed to.

(I do hope that this spell will resolve itself soon -- there are so many books that I REALLY want to read, but my brain isn't cooperating with the urge to sit down and read them. Grr.)

>97 beserene: Lots to think about there. Not sure what to say about it at the moment.

I hope you manage to get over your rut soon, though. Have you tried reading a lighter book, or just anything else?

Sarah, along the same lines as what you are saying, but geared toward the Internet is Nicholas Carr's The Shallows. You might want to look into that book.

I tend to do the same thing. I go in cycles - sometimes I want to spend all my evening time reading, and sometimes I want to spend it watching Netflix or playing Fallout. It drives my boyfriend nuts sometimes because he wants me to finish the video games he got me so we can talk about them. ;)

I wouldn't worry much. Sometimes I think your brain just needs a change of pace. I do agree about the worrying impact of those who /never/ read, but taking a bit of a hiatus is different.

One thing that I do is always spend my lunch break reading - so even if I'm not reading a lot at home, that's 45 minutes a day, and often that drags me back in via a book I can't put down. If you're really worried about staying in a rut, maybe try having a set aside time of just 30 minutes a day or something to read?

>101 _Zoe_:: Thanks for the good thoughts. I have done some super-light reading, Zoe -- read a few more children's picture books, including a beautifully illustrated version of Little Red Riding Hood (illustrator is Daniel Egneus, but I can't find a touchstone for that version) -- but nothing seems to be jumpstarting my brain. A good idea, though.

>102 alcottacre:: I have been totally intrigued by that book since I first heard about it. It's definitely on my wishlist -- obviously, I feel a personal connection to the issue currently, but I have been interested in the neurological impact of technology for a while. Thanks for the rec.

>103 Aerrin99:: Thanks for the reassurance. While there are certainly times that I read less, this is the first time I can recall that I have simply not read (those few children's picture books and chapters of Austen aside) for an extended period. I hope that this is a one-off situation. I think I may try to set aside specific reading time this week, as you suggest, to see if it gets me back in the habit.

BF is helping tempt me back to reading too. For an early V-day gift, he gave me...

Stories From Northern Myths by Emilie Kip Baker (in a lovely red copy from 1914)
Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn

and several ARCs, including...

Fire World (#6 in the Last Dragon Chronicles) by Chris D'Lacey
The Empire of Gut and Bone (Book 3 in The Game of Sunken Places quartet) by MT Anderson
Twenty-Five Books that Shaped America by Thomas C. Foster (comes out in June)
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson (already out, but I still want to read it)
Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer (out for a while now, but intriguing)

I'm so spoiled, having a bookstore boyfriend. :)

edited to try to fix touchstones

The Shallows does sound like a very interesting read.

I sometimes find that I can get through fluffy non-fiction better than fiction when I'm in a reading rut, maybe because it seems more like reading a newspaper article than reading a book. Or maybe because, when I'm not exactly *enjoying* anything, I can at least feel like it's worthwhile since I'm learning something.

>106 _Zoe_:: I think your idea of fluff nonfiction might be a good one. Since I am already feeling intrigued by the topic, perhaps I will pick up The Shallows and see if it breaks my reading rut.

I'll look forward to seeing what you think of it!

Great haul of books.

#105: Nice haul once again, Sarah! You are spoiled with that bookstore boyfriend of yours :)

Honey, you're not the only one who seems to be challenged by reading right now. I think I just need some romping good, no-need-to-think-about-it, fun reads. Or, maybe I just need to come over and watch Bones with you. Either one. =)

I'm in a similar reading rut and just can't figure out what it is that will appeal and get me devouring the books again, despite having a multitude of books that I was insanely excited about just a few weeks ago.

Maybe it's the February doldrums for everyone?

Yes, I think it just might be the Feb. doldrums. I know I am very weary of the ice, the cold, and mainly the grey, grey days.

Hmmm. Sounds like we all need a bit of a pick-me-up. Barring activities that will get us arrested, what should we do to get back our zing?

We could drink. But that seems like more of a downward spiral.

We could join a Polar Bear club and go dipping in a frozen lake. Though I think David might object to the likelihood of hypothermia.

We could... um... well, great, now I'm out of ideas. What usually pulls me out of the dumps?

Oh, wait, book-buying does. Dang! Perhaps I'll just scamper off to http://booksalefinder.com/ to see if there are any good hauls in my immediate future.

And maybe I'll have some cake. Yeah, cake makes me feel better.

If anyone has a more rational, coherent plan, I am open to suggestions. :)

If you are having cake, you might as well have ice cream too, Sarah!

You are so right.

Here you go. . .

Yum!

Who knew cartoon cake could be so tempting.

In other good news, I am now halfway through Sense and Sensibility -- I read a bit last night and this morning and I am taking that as a good sign. It was really challenging to focus on the text, so I did find myself having to reread sections, which I take as confirmation that my brain is at least out of shape after my media distraction period, but I have confidence that a little mental exercise will bring it back. Baby steps.

I may pause in my reading of S&S and take Zoe's advice -- I'm feeling a little bit in the mood for reading about enraged sperm whales and cannibalism, both themes which, however fascinating she may be, Jane Austen cannot satisfy. Luckily, Nathaniel Philbrick has her back.

Yup, I think In the Heart of the Sea might be calling out to me.

I feel the same way when I read the classics! A lot of time, it takes me a while to get into the book since I am constantly reading the same passages over and over again. But they are usually a worthwhile read by the end...exhausting sometimes, but well worth it. :)

#118: I found In the Heart of the Sea to be excellent. I hope you like the book when you get to it, Sarah.

Thanks for all the encouragement!

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles -- I finished Sense and Sensibility! Yesterday morning I stayed in bed for a couple of hours, reading the second half of the novel. Apparently all I needed was to finish all the back episodes of "Bones" (which I did Thursday night) and then have a relaxing morning, because my reading went smoothly.

Today I started Midnight For Charlie Bone, after finding the first 5 books in that series for $2 all together at a library sale this morning. Thus far I'm finding the prose pretty basic -- this is obviously a younger book than one thinks at first glance -- but the main characters are likable enough, so I will finish the first book and see if I want to read more.

It's good to be back in the saddle. :)

#121: I finished Sense and Sensibility early too, Sarah :)

Glad to see you are back in the saddle!

#5


Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
One doesn't really review Jane Austen, so much as bask in the elegance and wit of her prose and wonder at such auspicious beginnings. Sense and Sensibility was Austen's first published novel -- though she had written significant juvenalia and an unpublished epistolary novel, Lady Susan, before writing this one -- and as many other LTers have noticed, her craft still bears a little youth when this freshman effort is compared to her greater masterpieces. Even so, there is nothing bad, or even mediocre, about the book.

Anyone who has ever had a sister can appreciate and connect with Austen's two heroines, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. The two, early in the novel, are opposites in perspective, expression and, of course, sense. Marianne is the angsty teenager, Elinor the elder, calmer, more pragmatic young adult. For sisters, their relationship is relatively typical: the younger drama queen thinks she knows it all; the elder goody two-shoes frets in overly-maternal fashion and tries to gently enlighten her sister about how the world really works. Of course, in the context of the reserved Regency period, their interactions are much more sedate than the melodrama to which 21st century television has accustomed the current reader, but genuine emotion -- love, heartbreak, frustration, respect, injury -- pervades their connection.

The core of the novel is the transformation of these two young women. Over the span of the plot, they become each a little bit more like the other (with significant transformative weight given to the common sense and reserve of Elinor, who is the obvious role model throughout -- she becomes a little bit more open, like Marianne, while Marianne becomes a great deal more like her in comparison) and each a little wiser in the world. Of course, the mechanism of their respective transformations involves romantic love, foolishness and family interference, as much of life does.

The gentlemen who provide agency of transformation range from the tragically selfish Willoughby to the solidly dependable Edward. For my money, however, the ideal male figure in the novel is Colonel Brandon, who offers up a mysterious and sad history that could have graced a Gothic character, combined with gentlemanly manners, unflagging devotion, and a quiet, eternal romanticism. Each of these characters is fleshed with particular realism but highlighted with a certain glow of the ideal that makes them appealing when the novel needs them to be so.

The true masterpieces of this particular Austen novel, however, are the characters who are utterly untouched by any ideal. However fond we might be of our heroines and their love interests, it is the rest of the cast -- each character pocked and pitted with personality quirks ranging from the quixotic to the flat-out bitchy -- that makes the book a genuine pleasure. From the early chapters, in which Fanny Dashwood's snipes about money and property prompt the reader's ire and humor, through the hilarity of Mrs. Jennings' ridiculousness, to the deliciously snide self-righteousness of Miss Lucy Steele, the novel is thoroughly populated with satire and social indictment. Austen's eye for the true ridiculousness of humanity makes the genius here.

Overall, while some may not find this to be a quick and bright as Austen's pinnacle, the novel does present a rich reading experience, authenticity of emotion, and brilliant satirical observations. Granted, I am biased, as a Jane Austen fan of long-standing and having read the novel several times, but for me the bottom line is this: Sense and Sensibility is exactly what a classic should be.

>122 alcottacre:: Thanks, Stasia. (I was writing my review as you posted.) :)

#123: Nice review, Sarah!

Very nice review, Sarah! Yes, the Charlie Bone books are a children's series, not a YA series, but have some nice originality that tends to carry them, along with a few good characters.

>125 alcottacre:: Thanks, again!

>126 ronincats:: Thank you, too. And I appreciate the insight on the Nimmo books. I was a little hesitant to read them, but I started reading anyway and have found the characters likable so far, so I will keep reading.

And this afternoon, I read...

#6


Harvey by Herve Bouchard
This brief graphic novel (which apparently does not yet have a touchstone) is ostensibly for children. The loose, line-drawing style resembles a child's drawing and both image and text take a child's perspective. Whether it actually will draw a child audience, however, remains to be seen. It has the slow, nostalgic beat of many children's books that are really, at heart, meant for adults.

In dealing with the subject of death, this book does manage to work across age lines -- Harvey, the title character, comes slowly home after school to find that his father has died of a heart attack (not a spoiler -- it's on the back of the book) and the process of realization that ensues is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Certain images stick in the reader's mental eye -- Harvey's neighbors fading away as one turns the pages; Harvey's mother curled in a fetal position on the bed after the ambulance has taken away her husband's body. The simplicity of the drawings might at first glance seem odd, but they actually serve to amplify the emotion, providing a bittersweet context for the events that unfold.

Overall, I found this short, simple story to be a wonderful experience. I think it may be valuable to those dealing with loss, for many reasons, but also offers an expression of the simple truth of grief for all of us. Bottom line: well worth the very short time that it takes to read.

Nice review of Harvey, Sarah. There is probably no chance at all that my local library will ever get it. I will have to hunt further afield.

What a great review of Harvey. I will search for this book in the hope I'll find it.

Hello to you!

Linda and Stasia, it is a new release - in fact it may not even be out yet - so it might be a while before libraries have a copy. My copy was an advance from the BF's bookstore. Should've noted that in the review, sorry.

#130: Ah! Thanks for letting me know.

Hello Sarah, I hope March is going well and you are managing to get some reading done after your earlier difficulty in focussing. I know what it's like sometimes to get drawn into watching whole series - I find it very hard to stick to one episode when I have a box set, and can spend many hours/days watching instead of reading (or doing anything else I should be doing!). I do wonder also what the constant availability of TV and internet is doing to the way we think - I've also been meaning to read The Shallows as that sounds an interesting study.

Yes, Sarah, we've been missing you and hoping all is well!

Hi! I kidnapped Sarah this past week and we spent a loverly time in sunny Florida for spring break with our friend Brad. Sarah will be back to her regularly scheduled posting sometime next week. =)

Pictures to follow shortly!

Thanks for the encouragement and good thoughts, my dears.

It has been, obviously, more than just vacation that has pulled me away from LT, but I am working my way back to normal and hope to be catching up here. I'll start with my own thread, but I want to rejoin the discussions as I can.

#7


Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
I read this a while ago, in February I think, as an attempted antidote to my reading issue. I was hoping that the series would be both quick and catchy. Unfortunately, though the books are plumped up with large print and Potter-esque covers in a blatant attempt to pull in an additional older audience, there simply isn't enough complexity here to really compel an experienced reader. That said, the target audience (8-10 year olds, I would think) will probably find this solid story charming. Nothing wrong with the book other than a little false marketing -- I have passed my copies of this and the rest of the series (unread) along, in hopes that they will find a home with a younger reader.

edited for an oops.

#8


Mr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt
This one I just finished today, having started it during vacation and struggled to return to it after. I find it strange that I unknowingly gravitated toward this book about depression whilst in the thrall of my own, but perhaps there is order in the universe after all.

This debut novel provokes mixed feelings in me. On the one hand, it is well-written and unusually cogent for a novel whose center is mental illness; its depictions of grief-induced depression resonate truthfully and its female protagonist, Esther, is a sympathetic heroine without feeling overwrought or cloying.

The flip-side of the novel, however -- the side that includes Churchill and his life-long battle with clinical manic depression/bi-polar disorder -- strikes some false notes, at least for me. Hunt picks up the mythic metaphor of Churchill's "black dog" (the image Churchill supposedly used to signify his depressive periods and one whose shadow appears on the deceptively bright, chipper cover of the book) and runs with it, personifying depression as Black Pat, a massively threatening yet charmingly seductive combatant in the mental game which both Esther and Churchill are fighting.

My problem with this extension of the popular metaphor is that it firmly externalizes depression in a way that can feel very misleading to the reader who actually has depression. Depression is not a stranger at the door or even an enemy in the room -- it is your own twisted face sneering back at you, your own voice whispering that you are worthless, that your friends only tolerate you, that your lover only uses you, that your family finds you pathetic, that there is no meaning and no true joy and nothing worth reaching for. Depression is an internal enemy, and while the novel starts to hint at that parallel toward the end, I found that the externalized metaphor was taken too far in the bulk of the book, to the point that it became a frustration for the reader (me) rather than the emotional connection that it should have been.

In fairness, there are many things about the Black Pat character Hunt has created that do have a truthful resonance. Depression is incredibly seductive -- there is nothing easier to do, when that black weight starts pulling at the loose threads of your life, than to let the burden press you into the ground, to curl up and close up and give up. Depression does have a largeness in your life -- its effects are broadly destructive, it is unwieldy and impossible to ignore. And to fight depression is a complex but necessary act of defiance, in reality, self-defiance. I did appreciate Hunt's construction of an historically consistent Churchill, a protective force, representative of that constant mental struggle, battling upright against his particular demon, even into his last days.

I cannot accuse Hunt of counterfeiting such a darkly intimate experience, only of taking what was originally a psychologist's metaphor for the unexplainable a little too far. There is value in this novel -- in the end, it does acknowledge, subtly, that those who encounter the "black beast" (and I am more comfortable with that phrase, if we must, since personally I struggle to think of a black dog as anything other than cuddly) must and should fight, and that some can shake the darkness from their lives (those whose depression is born of grief or other external circumstances) and some must battle continuously because the beast is borne within their brains and cannot be fully exorcised.

As I read the novel, I struggled with it, but having finished it this afternoon and considered it, the bottom line is that the book can have a positive impact, even though it may frustrate certain readers. A worthwhile, if difficult, exercise.

A final note, in anticipation of some reactions: I do know that this novel is "only fiction", and obviously my own experience and my own current state of mind focuses my attention more minutely on certain details than others, but even were I not where I am now, I do feel that if a novelist places a particular mental illness at the center of her novel, she had better be sure her details in that regard can hold up to serious scrutiny. Otherwise, such a novel can hold only superficial entertainment (which is not terribly admirable for a book about depression) and little artistic or personal truth.

edited for more oops.

Well-said. Having gone a few rounds myself, I'm quite familiar with that twisted face and internal weight. I hope you're in a better place with yourself soon.

Thank you. I am battling - I think that finishing the book today and being interested in LT again are both positive signs, even though with two steps forward I always manage to take a step and a half back - I broke a promise tonight and couldn't keep my tears under control. I am sure you are familiar with such embarrassing moments. But I've begun to be able to acknowledge it, and maybe that is a good sign too.

Hello there, new to your thread, just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed reading your review of Mr. Chartwell. You have such a way with words--your description of depression really resonated with me:

" Depression is not a stranger at the door or even an enemy in the room -- it is your own twisted face sneering back at you, your own voice whispering that you are worthless, that your friends only tolerate you, that your lover only uses you, that your family finds you pathetic, that there is no meaning and no true joy and nothing worth reaching for."

I look forward to reading more of your thoughts.

Sandy K

That was a moving and interesting review of Mr Chartwell - it is strange that you were drawn to this book in your current mood.

I hope the steps forward continue to outnumber the steps back - I am on something of the same struggle myself and I know it can be slow progress...

A great review, Sarah, of a difficult book! And a difficult condition, indeed.

>140 sandykaypax:: Sandy, you are very welcome to the thread. Thank you for the compliment. I am strangely glad that my description seemed good -- I struggled with how much to really say in that review, but in the end I just let it be open and truthful and I hoped that no one would get angry that the review ended up being more about the condition than the book. I appreciate you taking the time to comment on it.

>141 gennyt:: Genny, thank you too. Picture me with a hand held out, my dear, for I am taking those slow steps and would be pleased to help someone else along. I think LT is a good thing in these times, for it makes me feel connected to people, even when I want nothing more than to ignore the world. Connections help. Talking helps. Reading helps too, in its own way. The bookstore boyfriend and I broke up, in part (though not all) over this struggle, and in many ways that set me back, but I can feel myself forging on. I hope you are forging on as well.

>142 ronincats:: Roni, thank you for your kind compliment. I appreciate your caring thoughts. :)

The last two days have been a little strange, because I have not left my house, and normally that is a bad sign. I often sit and stare for such a long time, if left too long to myself. But yesterday and today my head has been full of story, and I have been doing some writing, and some reading. I spent time in bed, but wasn't curled up in the dark -- I lifted the blinds and let yesterday's sun stream in as I read.

I think these are good things. I feel a little bit good on the inside. It has been quite a while since I have felt that. Two steps forward.

#9


Reckless by Cornelia Funke
I was somewhat surprised by this book, mainly because it seems to be oriented toward an older audience than most of the novels I have read by this author. Though we get a glimpse of them as children, for the body of the novel the protagonists, Jacob and Will (and, yes, this book is chock full of Grimm references), are much older than those of books like Dragon Rider and Inkheart. The creatures of the MirrorWorld, into which these two young men have wandered, are often sinister and violent. That world itself is, as we discover, on the cusp of change, with a war ending and technologies shifting toward the industrial.

In many ways, this novel is melancholy. At times it feels like an elegy for the impossible -- the magic objects of Grimm's fairy tales are locked in the museums of Empresses and Emperors; the bright creatures of Fairyland are dirtied by clouds of coal smoke and the trappings of early modern life -- and all those things that we, the readers of childhood and adulthood, would expect to be wondrous and magical taste of a bitter reality. The characters in the novel, especially Jacob, perceive this in a variety of ways, but they do not fight it. In retrospect, that feels frustrating, but it is a part of the grittier portrait within which Funke is working here.

I suspect that many readers who are used to the more hopeful, sunnier worlds in Ms. Funke's other novels may be disappointed by this book's darkness. The climactic scene, while I won't give it away, is startlingly bleak -- it offers an unheroic consequence to an impossible choice -- and the end, which leaves the door open for further installments, is only barely hopeful.

For me, though, the novel worked. I found in it a sense of disillusionment that seems to be appropriate for a teen audience -- an age where the stuff of edited nursery fairy tales has become entirely too unlikely and the world seems tainted anyway -- and that was consistent with the quest plot and the finely woven details that clothed it. I was not composing a review as I read -- a sign of a truly engaging story -- and I felt the emotional context strongly, especially in that climactic scene.

Bottom line: I liked this one, but I suspect that some others will strongly dislike it, especially if they have approached it with very different expectations.

I hope you have many days of two steps forward in your future. I liked your review Reckless, I am going to add it to my TBR pile.

Thanks for the review.

Thank you for the kind wishes. And I would be interested to hear your thoughts on Reckless, when you get to it. I've been reading some of the other reviews, now that I have posted my own, and they seem to vary, but are largely positive. I had forgotten how dark the later books got, like Inkdeath -- the reviews reminded me that this is not the first time Funke has painted with such tones. I do like her books, whatever the tone, though. :)

I am not going to try and catch up, Sarah, just checking in :)

I've read several of Funke's other books and I'll be adding Reckless to my list. I'm glad you mentioned that it is darker, so I'll make sure I'm in the right mood when I pick it up.

>148 alcottacre:: No worries, Stasia. I know you've been very busy lately (and always?). Thanks for popping by. :)

>149 Tanglewood:: I hope you like it!

Zero reading done this week. I really need to pick up my next book, but I still seem to be struggling with my reading-blahs.

I have a bunch of ARCs to read, but I'm also considering The Grimm Legacy as a possibility. Should I read another inspired-by-Grimm YA so soon after the Funke book?

Feeling very... meh... today.

Sorry to hear about the funk, Sarah. I hope it goes away soon!

#144 I'm glad to hear that was a 2 steps forward day; I hope there have been more since. And thank you for the hand held out.... I'm spending too long today on hear reading threads and posting, instead of going outside on my day off to enjoy the lovely sunshine. It's not quite how I intended to spend the day, but the company and contact through these threads is important to me at present.

Hi Sarah.

I'm sending gentle hugs your way.

>152 alcottacre:: Thanks for the good thought, Stasia. :)

>153 gennyt:: Genny, you are welcome. I too have spent much too much time indoors lately, but I agree that reaching out through LT is of value, so neither of us should feel guilty about time passed here, or about a day not going according to plan. The nice thing about spring -- and stepping forward -- is that it means there will be more sunny days to come. :)

>154 Whisper1:: Thank you, dear Linda -- I reciprocate those same gentle hugs. I haven't been able to catch back up on your threads yet, but I hope all is well for you and that you are feeling better than ever.

A note in general: Still no reading this week -- I'm seeking a chipper book that will pull me in so that I can crack the reading-blahs and improve my mood at the same time. Grey skies and grim memories have been slowing my forward motion. Slept half the day away today, but I have set myself some tasks for the weekend and I'm hoping that a feeling of productivity will chase the grey away.

Many thanks to those who have been commenting here and on my profile -- I think many of us who are struggling down similar paths right now have found both encouragement and joy from the solidarity and strength of our LT friends. The warmth of friendship fuels the soul, and is much appreciated.

Surfacing to say such good reviews of Hull Zero Three and S&S!

I totally understand about getting sucked in to Netflix -- our present obsession is the newer version of Battlestar Galactica....

I wish I could think of just the right book for you! Have you read Lois Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan SF books? Probably you have if you like SF, but if you haven't, I'd leap for those.

I watched a bunch of BSG recently and decided to stop after the 3rd episode of the 3rd season. I hear it goes downhill from there...

I'll have to check and see where we are.... Hubster is usually the one putting the disk in -- he thinks somewhere in season 4. I'm still quite entertained..... it's been a bit uneven since the beginning, alternating a good set of episodes and then a string of lesser ones. I have noticed any particular change. Guyas (or however his name is spelled) is one of the best bad guys I've encountered in a long time.

Apologies Sarah for a bit of hijacking....

Really? I thought Gaius was awful. I just wanted someone to kill him already, please, put him out of his misery!

Funny how people see things differently :)

No problem - hijackings like these are very entertaining, especially since the new BSG is currently in my Netflix queue. It's fascinating to see both perspectives, because I had heard great things about it, but have been trying to resist starting it.

As for the Bujold books, I have had those recommended to me before, but haven't had a chance to pick one up. I have read and loved some of her fantasy novels though. She's excellent.

That's exactly it!!!! He is awful, just so incredibly wormily, horribly, I have to get up and leave the room awful. There is no accounting for taste, that is for sure! We compare him to a developed Wormtongue -- very clever, but with no moral compass at all, an incredible instinct for self preservation, and yet not without empathy which is a very strange brew.
Hubster just informed me we are in fact, in Season 3 -- so maybe it's about to go to the dogs. Didn't it switch somewhere around then from being exclusively on the 'net to being on a regular cable network of some kind?

Oh you are in for a treat Sarah, Miles Vorkosigan is a marvelous character. Her best. I usually hoard books by an author I like, but I couldn't, I just screamed through all of them.

Honestly, I didn't think BSG was as amazing as it's been made out to be. There was way too much fantasy mixed in with the SF (and religion, ugh, too much religion!). There were things I thought were amazing, though, which were mostly minor things like "sir" being a gender-nonspecific term for officers and unsegregated bathrooms, things that totally make sense on spaceships but I've never seen done before.

I know there were webisodes, but I thought it was just a few of them, I didn't think the rest of the series was online. I don't know, though, I never looked into it.

Okay, so your comments here made me way too curious - I just watched the first three hours of the series, which I believe was the original miniseries, and I can see why people got excited. For anyone who watched the first BSG back in the day, and my whole family did, this is full if goodies, but it is also some of the tightest sci-fi storytelling I've ever seen in tv. There are some awesome traditional SF references here too - the Cylon types are straight out of classic SF short fiction. Great start. And the reveals are so sly... I love the style.

I can see what you mean about Gaius already - he is super oily - so I can anticipate that his character could quickly become cringe-worthy. Still, I liked this opening well enough to keep watching.

Great, another distraction. Just what I need. Gee, thanks. :)

Oh my apologies.......! And I've been waiting to see how the religion piece unfolds..... reserving judgment, I guess, until I see where they are really going with it.

The miniseries is excellent, if horrifying. My sister and I had been planning to watch the show together, and we got through the miniseries and no further.

From what I've read and people I've talked to, the series is generally considered to go downhill after season 3 and end poorly. I stopped a little early, and a friend of mine told me some stuff about what happens later, and I'm very glad I stopped when I did. It left a lot of loose ends, but sometimes that's better.

Oh this is sad news indeed, we've been enjoying it so much!

I liked the whole thing really. Maybe I did not like the final season as much as the rest, but I still liked it.

Aha! Hope for the future, which is good because I will be starting season 2 later tonight, I'm pretty sure. Say what you like, the series is definitely addictive.

I can relate to getting sucked into Netflix. Stasia recommended Netflix and now I'm hooked. I'm currently watching the disks from the first year of The Big Bang Theory and spending lots of time laughing at the antics of these four nerdy geeks.

I hope today brings sunshine for you!

Jim has a subscription to Netflix, but the discs tend to hang around unwatched. Probably my fault - I can't sit still in my own apartment without itching to do some chore or other. We haven't tried series requests yet - but we do have two movies at home. Maye we'll watch one of them tonight!

I love Big Bang Theory! That one I actually bought on DVD -- I still haven't watched season 3 yet, but I'm saving it. You know, for one of those weeks where I just really need to laugh so hard I hurt myself. Hmmm... wait a minute... :)

I just finished the very last episode of "Battlestar Galactica". It's been quite the immersion experience - 76 episodes in 10 days - so I am probably more invested in the emotional context of the show than the average viewer, but I have to say - wow. It got a little loose in season three, I admit, and the darkness gets more and more intense, but the full conceptualization if what is essentially a twenty-first century epic myth is truly something to behold. If you can handle it, don't stop watching. This is an allegory for the ages. If you guys have not experienced the end, I will say no more. It isn't for everyone, that's true, but for those who can take it, the show is a magnificent expression of humanity - all of humanity, even the terrible parts.

I enjoyed it and really liked it, too. Have you been able to see the seasons of Caprica which are like prequels to B.G.?

I have not been able to see Caprica, but perhaps someday. At the moment I've begun the Eccleston season of Dr. Who, continuing my scifi tv education. And still not a page of reading to report. I wonder why. Curse you, Netflix.

We are on exactly the same tv sf trajectory!!!! Dr. Who is next after we finish BG. We're taking forever since we watch en famille and there are several evenings a week someone is not around.... I don't mind dragging it out.

I just recently learned about The Sarah Jane Chronicles which are another BBC series, tied in to Dr. Who. I somehow ended up with the third season. More SciFi fun in England.

I also just heard about SJC -- the lead actress just died, I believe. That's such a shame.

I am getting very attached to Eccleston as the Doctor -- it is hard to believe he is only in one season. What will I do when David Tennant comes along?

Not to worry - you'll adore him.

>177 beserene: I heard about her death just as I had received the first DVD! What timing!

I saw a t-shirt or bumber sticker that read "You'll always remember your first Doctor!" My daughter stopped watching because she was so used to David Tennant. She hasn't been able to get into Matt Smith.

That's understandable - but I go back to Tom Baker!

I never really saw the appeal of Christopher Eccleston but absolutely love David Tennant. Definitely 'my' Doctor. However, I thought I would hate Matt Smith and I don't at all. I've really enjoyed him so far, so fingers crossed that continues.

I watched my first David Tennant episode and the jury is still out. I kept seeing him in his various literary adaptation roles, including slither-tongued Barry Crouch Jr., as I was watching him become the Doctor. So weird. So far, I still love Eccleston's chemistry best.

I haven't gotten to see much of the classic series but my sister may help me remedy that soon.

I *loved* Eccleston's Doctor... I think he got it spot on, right from the get-go. Tennant took some time coming into his character, and I honestly think it took the entire first season for him to find 'his doctor self' in the role. By the time season 2 rolled around, he was The Doctor by his own right. Hang in there! It's a bit of a bumpy ride during his first season as Doctor.

So far Matt Smith seems to be doing a commendable job. He's quite good at being old, for such a young actor. I'm not sure he's 100% there in the role yet, but I think he's done quite well for having such big shoes to fill.

I've been watching since I was a wee tot in the Davidson days, but for some reason Sylvester McCoy was always 'my' Doctor. I've enjoyed all the new Doctors, though, and Matt Smith may be my favourite of the bunch.

#184> He's quite good at being old, for such a young actor.
I think that's what I've been enjoyed so much about him!

another Eccleston fan here - even though technically the order I first saw Doctor Who was

1) first episode of Matt Smith
2) one episode of David Tennant
3) entire first season with Christopher Eccleston
4) the rest of last season with bits and pieces of David Tenant seasons interspersed (didn't watch so completely all in a row as the Eccleston season though)

so while the Ninth Doctor wasn't quite my "first" doctor - he still gets that spot (but I thoroughly approve of the other two as well - the only episodes I didn't like of last season were ones where I thought they were written out of character for the doctor, rather than it being a problem with Matt Smith...

I'm way behind on the threads...zipping by to say hi.

Hi Linda! *waves at her swiftly passing figure*

As for the rest of my fellow geeks (and geeks-in-denial, and geeks-by-association), glad to know I am not the only Eccleston fan. I am still watching the Tennant episodes -- I'm into the Martha ones now -- but I still have trouble with Tennant as the Doctor. He's kind of... hammy. Which is fun, but also very... well... hammy. And his face is very malleable, which I think gets overused a bit. Not that I would call Eccleston subtle, but put the two next to each other and Tennant makes him look like Patrick Stewart.

But I still like the show. And I think the writing is great. I might use the episode "Blink" in a future science fiction class -- I think it's a great example of well-crafted SF writing. Also, the Shakespeare episode made me laugh deep into my little English-major soul. :)

So, Tennant episodes done, including the specials (except for the ONE which is not available through NetFlix instant -- this thing is so random sometimes, I swear). Before I jump into Matt Smith as the Doctor, I am taking a break and trying to watch less TV. So far, not so good, because I keep watching episodes of 'Torchwood' to get my fix, instead of actually keeping the TV turned off. *sigh*

But I did read something! Chapter One of Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex. Yeah, I know, one whole chapter... woo. But, considering it's the first thing I've read since... well, when did the TV thing start again? Yeah, beginning of April. Anyway, we'll see how it goes. Slowly, so far.

I kind of miss my books, what with all this screen time, you know?

I really need to watch the new Doctor Who, obviously!

>188 beserene: Have you heard that there will be a Torchwood series on Starz? Starting July 8! More about it here.

>189 alcottacre:: Yes, you sure do. :)

>190 mamzel:: I had not heard -- but I don't get Starz! I'll have to keep an eye out for it on NetFlix.

A note actually about books (gasp!): I finished the most recent Artemis Fowl book and enjoyed it, though I think the series is starting to feel a little tired. Full review to come a bit later.

OK, so I watched the first episode of the new Doctor Who series, and you all have to tell me that it gets better, because killer mannequins? Really? If that's what I have to look forward to, I think I'd better pass on the series right now.

You absolutely cannot stop at the first one. At least give it three episodes to enchant you with its strange mix of quirkiness and philosophy. If you still don't like it after a few episodes, then it may not be your thing. It's not for everyone. Frankly, my dear, you may not be weird enough to really like it. But do give it a solid chance. :)

ACK but Rose is my favorite episode! (ok so not for the mannequins... for Ecclestons "I'm the doctor by the way, what's your name?" "Nice to meet you Rose, Run for your life!" =D but that might not have been true until I watched more and became such a Ninth doctor person...

Anyway - I can't get through episodes with Martha for some reason - if I'd had to start with it, I'd probably have given up - that to say - I think no one should write off doctor who on a particular segment of it - what works for some of us might not for others... I like Tennant otherwise (though not nearly as much as Eccleston) he and Matt Smith are probably tied...though I'm getting pretty attached to Matt Smith as the first doctor I've watched as they've aired...

(playing catch up on LT threads while waiting for the new episode - 8 minutes!)

Things are carrying on around here. My mood has lightened -- with the exception of occasional episodes of despair and panic when bad things happen, like the car breaking or my grandmother getting unfortunate health news -- so, while I'm not fixed, life seems better.

Our dear David, and mutual friend Brad who isn't an LTer, treated me to a lovely birthday dinner and shopping adventure this evening. Everyone should have such friends.

And here I find myself back on LT, with some actual books to report! (See next message.)

>194 YoungGeekyLibrarian:: I understand your affection for Rose -- I loved the chemistry between Eccleston and Piper and have yet to see anything in the show top it. Woohoo for Who! Although, lately, I've been watching old episodes of 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', which was my favorite show years ago and, thanks to my good pal NetFlix, I now get to watch all over again!

#10


Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer
I do enjoy the Artemis Fowl series. If ever a children's fantasy series could be called "cheeky", this one is it. It's full of cleverness, sass, humor, puns, and other entertaining things. This latest installment (though not exactly new anymore) has the same elements the rest of the books have had. Even so, however, the series seems to be getting a little tired. Part of the problem, I think, is that our central character, Artemis Fowl, has simply outgrown his own series. He is nearly an adult now, and while there has been some attempt to expand the pattern of putting him in clever scrapes and then having the world's coolest fairy, Holly Short, work with him to save the world, it is starting to feel like the same old kid's story, which is now happening to someone who is no longer a kid. For the first time, reading this, I felt some of the details were forced instead of fun.

Still, Colfer on a bad day wields a lot of entertainment power and the book remains a great escape. Moderate your expectations and you should enjoy it just fine.

#11-12


Very Good, Jeeves and The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
I love the Jeeves stories. Yes, I know that it's really the same story told over and over again in the same book and in different books and the only things that change -- occasionally -- are the character names, but still... it's funny every damn time.

And that is why, when I really need something sharp to make me chortle, I turn to Wodehouse's Jeeves. Those who do not appreciate British humor or who don't have any understanding of the old class system will probably lose patience with these books quite quickly, but for the rest of us, there is no one like Jeeves. And, of course, our ridiculous narrator, Bertie Wooster. The antics of the aforementioned individuals -- though "antic" really only describes one of them -- inform a hundred other novels and authors, from Evelyn Waugh to Terry Pratchett to Connie Willis. Anyone who thinks the classics are stuffy should read a good bit of Wodehouse. Recommended.

Yay, books! I'm glad you were able to get some reading done :)

>197 _Zoe_:: Thanks, Zoe; I was pretty glad myself. It's been a shock to the system, this half-year of non-reading -- especially since last year I'd read something like 50 books by this time -- but that's the way the cookie crumbles, I suppose.

I have been feeling like a bit of a book-poser, though. I suppose I ought to stop signing up for Early Reviewers books since I haven't been reading and am way behind in my reviews. I did finish my most recent ER book, though -- see next message.

*sigh*

I miss reading.

#13


Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact by AJ Hartley
I just finished this children's fantasy novel this evening, so it's still whirling about in my head a little bit, which I take as a positive sign. At first, the book does not offer much to impress -- a story of a displaced orphan who discovers a magical Other World, along with his own uniqueness, and proceeds to have an adventure, at a new school where something odd is going on, no less, is not exactly grounds for amazement these days. The simple level of writing here does little to elevate the story -- there are no masterful passages or impressive descriptions, though given the young target audience, that's probably okay -- the world can only take so many Philip Pullmans, after all.

Hartley's details, however, grow on you. The world beyond the mirror has some interesting attributes, including some clever steampunkish side details like pipe-and-gear gateways and fairies wearing mechanical wings. The novel's monsters are vivid and varied -- no zombies-du-jour here -- and range from the gross and intriguing to the genuinely scary. The figure who turns out to be the central villain (I won't spoil it here) seems a bit of an afterthought, however, and the main characters -- though obviously designed to throw off certain stereotypes -- rely a little too heavily on established tropes (the inherently decent English boy, the secretly smart redneck, the annoying but brilliant/creative girl).

On the whole, the novel reminded me very much of the first book in the Charlie Bone series, though with some extra imagination. As the (again, very obvious) start to a series, the idea has the potential to -- with some further character development as well as exercises in improving dialogue and description -- engage middle grade readers who are looking for something a bit like the first couple of Harry Potter books (emphasis on "a bit"). Though many are derivative, the ideas are still good, the framework is interesting and, while it may feel somewhat tedious for the adult reader who has already experienced a myriad of such stories, the story has a steady pace and relatable characters. Sometimes, you can't really ask for more than that. Recommended for middle grade readers; experienced readers can probably skip this.

Note: This advance reader copy was sent to me via the LT Early Reviewers program. The book is due for release in early autumn 2011.

Hey, Sarah, good to see you here! I read a children's ER in April that sounded somewhat similar to this one, but no steampunk. My comments on it are here--http://www.librarything.com/topic/111092#2656477
They are much shorter than yours.

#199: Nice review, Sarah. Thumbs up from me!

I wouldn't worry about requesting too many ER books; I think the program is pretty self-correcting in that they automatically send you fewer books as you fall behind. I currently have three ER books to read and one more on the way, so I can definitely understand the feeling!

I think you'll get back to reading soon; it looks like you've been making good progress already. There was one year in college when I only read 21 books in total, though for a different reason, and I managed to survive it. I think the biggest problem is that reading less leads to a reduction in reading speed, so it's that much harder to get into a book. That was an issue for me, anyway. Fortunately LT helps me find lots of fascinating books. I'm looking forward to the release of Heartless at the end of the month, and that was a series that I initially discovered in your thread :)

Hi Sarah

I'm stopping by to say hello. Ditto what Stasia said in message 201.

Hugs!

>200 ronincats:: Roni, How to Slay a Dragon sounds like fun (pun?) -- sounds like it might be worth a look if I am in the right mood for its humor. They can't all be masterpieces, can they? :)

>201 alcottacre: and 203: Hi Stasia and Linda! Thanks for the complimentary thumbs. I appreciate your appreciation. :)

>202 _Zoe_:: Zoe, I agree that reading less has made both my reading pace and my concentration significantly slower. That is one of the reasons it's been all easy books for me lately -- I am hoping to recover some of that brain power so I can tackle the more challenging reads I have waiting for me. And I am so glad you enjoy the Carriger series -- talk about fun! -- I too am eagerly awaiting Heartless. I think that will be right up my alley in terms of reading tastes at the moment. :)

#14


The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
I know I have said it before, but I do love Rick Riordan. His children's books are fast-paced, strong storytelling and, even better, he uses ancient mythology in a way that both updates it and respects it. While I prefer his Greek/Roman series, thus far, I am becoming fonder of the Egyptian series -- The Kane Chronicles -- especially after reading this, its second book. Perhaps it's just a matter of being used to the differences at this point -- this time around I was prepared for the dual narration and the goofy sibling-intrusions, so they did not irritate me in that distracting way that I had experienced while reading the first book. I also feel that this one was a little more settled -- the characters were a little more solid, the locales a little more real -- as well as having a few lighter, more humorous touches, particularly with the added character of Bes.

That's not to say there weren't flaws. After the dramatic flair that the climax of the first book threw out there, this one felt a little... well... anti-climactic, at a key moment (no spoilers, I swear). That often happens with middle-of-series books, however, so I suppose I can't really complain. Even Tolkien had that problem. Also, even with the slightly lighter touch, the series is still at the dark end of Riordan's spectrum, so some of the topics and images are disturbing (though much of that is appropriate to the plot -- this author doesn't generally do gratuitous gore). There were a couple of moments that fell flat, but overall, I found this to be a good follow-up novel and I am eager to read the next installment. Recommended for readers of Riordan; if you are new to his books, you must read the first of the series first -- not one you can just dip in and out of.

PS: Yay, I finished another book! :)

I have to go back and reread the first three Riordan's so I can read the last 2 of his first series now that they are all out in paperback...soon, very soon...

Roni, I hope you do reread them -- his first series is well worth finishing, especially since you can then lead into the follow-up series. :)

I've been nervous that his output level, managing two series concurrently, would negatively affect his story quality, but so far, so good.

Stalled in my own reading again. ARCs of Mary Doria Russell's and Louis Bayard's recent releases have been awaiting my attention for weeks, but I can't bring myself to pick them up. Just can't seem to focus on anything much lately.

I've been stuck in YA reading pretty much all month, thanks to the stresses of finding a subletter and various other end-of-semester things. I can't seem to focus on anything heavier for the moment. I even picked up a copy of Heartless tonight, but feel like I should save it until I'm in a better mood.

Sarah, I'm going to take advantage of July Juvenile and Young Adult to blow through all five of the Riordans, as well as books 4 and 5 of the Ranger Apprentice series, the Gregor the Overlander series (the first four) and four other YA/childrens in my TBR pile: Elijah of Buxton, Spinners, Esperanza Rising, and Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed. And the good thing is that all except the Gregor books also count for Books Off the Shelf, where I've been lagging lately.

Gasp! Zoe, you have Heartless already! It's not due out until next Tuesday!

>209 ronincats: Check your stores! I heard that people who ordered it from B&N actually got it more than a week ago.

I'll be at Borders today so I'll look. I have Tuesday on my calendar to go pick it up.

Just picked up Heartless for myself this evening, whilst shopping with David and our friend Brad.

We went to three different Borders stores in two different towns. They weren't closing Borders -- we weren't scoping sales or anything -- we just went to three Borders.

And I bought books at every single one. :)

(edited to fix touchstone)

Fun! What else did you get, besides Heartless?

LOL, Sarah!

I bought quite a few books as gifts -- a friend of mine is having a baby, so I got her a couple of baby bath books, and I bought a copy of the first of the Kane Chronicles for David's sister -- but for me, I also got:

Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem (bargain table: $4)
Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord (bargain table: $3)
Songs of Love and Death, a collection of supernatural stories (bargain table: $5)

I think that was it. I'm currently surrounded by stacks of books, though, because I am trying to get some of the random stacks CueCatted into my LT library catalog, so it's hard to tell. :)

Sounds like a shopping trip the wife and I would take. :)

I have been feeling the need for retail therapy lately because Friday this week I went book shopping again. At my local library's used bookshop I spent $16 and acquired:

The Science Fiction Century by David G. Hartwell (a massive SF story anthology in great shape, which would have been worth $16 on its own)
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (a second edition hardcover with dust jacket, also in great shape, as a back-up to my tenderly worn paperback copy)
Like Shaking Hands with God by Kurt Vonnegut (a transcript of conversations on writing)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (a plain but pleasant little 1950s volume of a Dickens novel I actually didn't have)
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (having recently watched the newer movie of this, I thought I'd get the book)
The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho (this may actually be the copy that David donated to the library; that happens to us sometimes)
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
How to Be Alone by Jonathan Franzen (essays)
Beet by Roger Rosenblatt (it's a novel about academia, so I couldn't resist)
a volume of essays by Sloane Crosley, which I gave to David's sister because I thought she might enjoy them.

I think that was it for that shop; I was happy to spend $16 on 10 or so books. (Have I mentioned that I love our library store?)

Happy, but apparently not entirely satisfied, I also stopped at our local Barnes & Noble and got a few more:

Kingdom Beyond the Waves by Stephen Hunt (the first one of his wasn't my favorite, but I feel like giving this a chance)
Fall of Light by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (love her)
Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon (I will buy anything he writes, even if it's a memoir about guy stuff; plus, it was on the bargain table)

and the purchase of the afternoon... '80s Scene It DVD game for 1/2 off (clearance)! :)

So, that was my book extravaganza for the week. Tonight I got back into cataloguing and entered three shelves of children's books as well as these new acquisitions. I have three more shelves of kids' books, plus a shelving unit full of textbooks and academic reference books, a shelf of miscellaneous Batman-related volumes and a few random stacks, and then I think I'll have almost all my books listed on LT -- except for the antiques. I haven't yet decided whether to put my Alcott collection and the few other antique books I have on LT or not.

Anyway, the point is, I'm almost done cataloguing! Only about 500-600 more books to go, I think! Yay!

Oh yes, and I have been reading. I started Heartless and am enjoying it, though much more slowly than I might have before the Great Reading Slump. The noggin still isn't concentrating all that well, but I am trying my best.

I'll let you know when I manage to get it finished.

Doc, was it the titles or the bargains or both that made you recognize a kindred shopping spirit in my earlier purchase? :)

#217: Nice haul, Sarah! I hope the "Great Reading Slump" is gone soon.

Nice collection for that small amount of loot! Sound like a lot of winners there.

I did some retail shopping of my own this weekend - but it was at Macy's, and not books. Just as well - no room on the shelves for even one more.

>219 alcottacre:: Thanks, Stasia. I keep trying to kill the Slump but it comes back with a vengeance. Will keep you posted.

>220 ffortsa:: No, no, no -- that is never so -- when you lose all the room on your shelves, that is when you start using the floor. Until the floor collapses. It is only then that you truly have a problem. (PS: my book room floor is starting to creak ominously.) :)

I don't know my downstairs neighbor - maybe I wouldn't like to land there.

Lovely haul there -- hope it keeps the slump at bay.

Another day, another book... or four.

I did a favor for David today -- took his copy of The Snow Queen's Shadow to get signed by Jim Hines, one of our local authors. Then, of course, I also had to get a copy for myself.

And then I had to shop the used section. It's a matter of principle, you understand. So I also picked up...

Arthur and George by Julian Barnes
The Land of Silver Apples and The Islands of the Blessed by Nancy Farmer

I simply couldn't pass up books by these authors. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.) :)

Yeah, you stick to that story, Sarah. I am sure everyone will believe it :)

The madness has no end!

In the fourth book purchase of the last couple of weeks (each one a bit less thrifty than the last, by the way), I acquired another eight or so books. This is what happens when my book conscience (otherwise known as David) leaves me to my own devices for too long.

Here's my excuse: I went to another author event this evening, this time as a favor to our friend Brad, who wanted to get the most recent Jacqueline Carey book signed but was out of town for the event. Not being a Jacqueline Carey fan myself, I had no intention of purchasing one of her books, but... there's always a but... she was such a pleasant speaker, I felt I really HAD to support her. And, of course, there was the used book section... and I'd been meaning to pick up one or two other titles... thus, I ended up with a bag full of the following:

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey (inscribed by the author)
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
The Pale Blue Eye and The Black Tower by Louis Bayard (an extraordinary writer -- couldn't pass them up, used)
The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl (another literary mystery/thriller, used)
The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte (noticing a trend in my used selections? Yay, lit-mystery-metafiction!)
Thud! by Terry Pratchett (used HC in great shape -- couldn't leave a Pratchett behind, could I?)
Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (a splurge: new and regular price, but I've been wanting it)

I was intending to pick up a copy of A Game of Thrones, because I suppose I must set aside my personal distaste for GRRM himself and start reading what may be THE great fantasy epic of the age, but every single copy was tainted with a "NOW A HIT SERIES ON HBO" tie-in cover and I simply could not abide the tackiness. I shall have to find used copies, if anyone who has read Martin actually will part with one.

And, yes, I hear you saying it... perhaps I should stop shopping and start reading.

But the shopping part is just so much darn fun!

It's a sickness, I know. :)

Yeah, but a sickness that is shared by many around these parts. You are not alone!

Nice haul once again :)

**raises right eyebrow of disbelief**

I haven't even been gone a week, and look what happens. Shocking. Simply shocking.

In fact, I am SO shocked by your book shopping excesses that I may feel the need to try to match your efforts by hitting up the local Borders today at the start of their liquidation sale! HA!

And thanks again for getting the Hines signed for me, darling. I appreciate it. Smooches!

Oh, and I may have acquired a book or two already while I've been out here. I picked up The Visual Guide to Xanth and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay from a little used bookshop owned by a friend of Mandy's. See? I'm helping the local economy and a small business as well.

Oh yeah... And then there are the books that Gail picked up for me. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross (signed), Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (signed) and an ARC of Goliath by Scott Westerfeld (signed).

All this book-buying is making me tired. I think I'll lie down with a book.

>230 ffortsa:: You are so wise. :)

>228 tapestry100: & 229: I knew you would be bookshopping, dear, so I couldn't bear to be left out. That's my new excuse -- does it fly? :)

I'm glad you got the Chabon -- I hope you like it. And you know I am madly jealous of those signed books -- does the Westerfeld ARC include the glorious artwork? If so, I am now especially jealous. Practically green. I may have to go buy more books to comfort myself.

Except that all the shops are now closed. Dang. I may have to order books from that devilish Amazon to comfort myself.

Oh, wait, I already did! A dozen titles are on their way right now! Which, by the way, is also your fault -- who was it that said "oh, you should look at the Marketplace titles that are less than $1.00"? That would be you. All your fault. Smooches right back! ;)

>227 alcottacre:: Stasia, you are so right -- and isn't it lovely that we all enable each others' book-buying sicknesses? Such a charming bonus! :)

PS: I did finish reading Heartless, which, while not my favorite of the series, is not my least favorite of Carriger's books either. It was quite enjoyable. I will add a more complete review here a little later, once I decide what else I ought to say. At the moment, my head is full of more books I want to buy!

#231: At the moment, my head is full of more books I want to buy!

Oh, dear. You do have it bad at the moment!

I do not even want to know what that link contains. Since this thread is attracting some unwanted attention, I have made a new one, which you may find here: BeSerene's Reads of 2011: The Next Chapter.

See (most of) you there. :)