casvelyn's Club Read 2013

Welcome to my inaugural Club Read thread!

I'm attempting to read 60 books in 2013, which is a low-ish goal, but I really want to read or reread some longer books and I'm trying to read more nineteenth-century novels, which aren't always easy. Otherwise, I read a wide variety of books, although I generally read more fantasy and mystery than anything else.

I can also be found over in the 2013 Category Challenge group, handing out tea, baked goods, and cats (but not armchairs--I haven't got an armchair to speak of).

Currently from the Library: The Shield of Achilles (Auden); The Thief (Turner); Magic for Marigold (Montgomery); Great Books (Denby); The Secret of Chimneys (Christie); The Princess Bride (Goldman); The Secret Adversary (Christie)

Currently Reading: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling); Institutes of the Christian Religion (Calvin); The Shield of Achilles (Auden)

Favorite Books of 2012:
(listed in the order I read them)

** = reread

**The Fellowship of the Ring -- J. R. R. Tolkien (5.0)
**The Two Towers -- J. R. R. Tolkien (5.0)
**The Return of the King -- J. R. R. Tolkien (5.0)
Introverts in the Church -- Adam S. McHugh (4.9)
The Big Over Easy -- Jasper Fforde (4.7)
**The Eyre Affair -- Jasper Fforde (5.0)
**Lost in a Good Book -- Jasper Fforde (5.0)
**The Sign of Four -- Arthur Conan Doyle (4.5)
**A Study in Scarlet -- Arthur Conan Doyle (4.5)
**Adventures of Sherlock Holmes -- Arthur Conan Doyle (4.7)
The Enchanted April -- Elizabeth von Arnim (3.5)
**Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes -- Arthur Conan Doyle (4.7)
**The Return of Sherlock Holmes -- Arthur Conan Doyle (4.6)
Citizen of the Galaxy -- Robert A. Heinlein (4.3)
Curtain -- Agatha Christie (5.0)
Mairelon the Magician -- Patricia C. Wrede (4.7)
Magician's Ward -- Patricia C. Wrede (5.0)
The Elegance of the Hedgehog -- Muriel Barbery (4.9)
Food in Jars -- Marisa McClellan (5.0)
Quiet -- Susan Cain (5.0)
**The Apology of Socrates -- Plato (5.0)
Kenilworth -- Walter Scott (4.1)
The Man in the Queue -- Josephine Tey (4.8)
The Fourth Bear -- Jasper Fforde (4.5)
The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook -- Deb Perelman (5.0)
Out of the Silent Planet -- C. S. Lewis (4.3)
Perelandra -- C. S. Lewis (4.9)
That Hideous Strength -- C. S. Lewis (5.0)
Northanger Abbey -- Jane Austen (5.0)
**The Man in the Brown Suit -- Agatha Christie (5.0)

Books Read in 2013:
Total: 6

Equal Rites -- Terry Pratchett
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone -- J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets -- J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban -- J. K. Rowling
Plenty -- Yotam Ottolenghi
Thirteenth Child -- Patricia C. Wrede

The Eyre Affair was one of my favorites of last year, too, but I haven't read the rest of the series yet. Only the first two.

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
HarperTorch, 2000 (originally published 1987); 213 pages

Obtained: public library via ILL

Rating: 4.0
.....Liked: 4.0
.....Plot: 4.0
…..Pacing/Details: 3.0
.....Characterization: 4.5
.....Writing: 4.5

Review

High in the Ramtop Mountains of Discworld, a dying wizard seeks out the eighth son of an eighth son upon whom he can bestow his power before he dies. Unfortunately, the son turns out to be a daughter, and women can't be wizards; the Lore of the Unseen University forbids it. So what's a girl with magical power to do? Travel across the Discworld and demand entry to the University, of course!

Plot-wise, Equal Rites is my favorite Discworld novel yet (mind you, I've read only three of them). I like Esk (the female wizard) well enough, but Granny Weatherwax steals the show. She's a witch (certain types of minor household magic are all that women are supposed to do) and she's hysterical, although she's certainly not trying to be, and she would probably be horribly offended if she knew I was laughing at her. I loved the story of Granny and Esk's travels to Ankh-Morpork and all the trouble they got into along the way.

However, the timing of the plot rather overshadows some of the events. There were multiple times where time jumped forward several months or years or the location of the story changed within the course of two paragraphs without any indication that this was the case. Since there are no chapters in the book, not even a chapter break gave any indication of changes in time or place. It did make the book a bit confusing and made it feel a bit rushed in certain sections.

Glad to hear that even the old Discworld novels hold up to scrutiny. By the way, this was the first novel I read that came out in the year I was born, so it still holds a special place for me. Thanks for the review!

No problem! The second Discworld book, The Light Fantastic, came out the year I was born (1986), although it was not the first 1986 book I ever read. (I think that honor goes to one of the American Girl books, although I did read a lot of 1980s picture books when I was very young.)

Stopping by to say hi to a fellow 1986 baby – are you rereading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, or is this your first read?

Hi Cait! I'm rereading Harry Potter, although this is only my third or fourth time through the series. I didn't read HP until I was in college, as I have an irrational aversion to books that "everybody" is reading.

#6/7 you're both pups!

Equal Rites brings back fond memories. Terry Pratchett helped lead me to read fiction and about six years ago or so I had this plan to read all his books in order...but I got stuck somehow and haven't read one in years.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
Arthur A. Levine Books, 1998 (originally published 1997); 309 pages

Obtained: I own it

Rating: 4.0
.....Liked: 4.0
.....Plot: 4.5
…..Pacing/Details: 3.5
.....Characterization: 5.0
.....Writing: 3.5

Review

Like I said on my blog earlier this week, the world does not need another Harry Potter review. So I'm not writing one.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
Arthur A. Levine Books, 1999 (originally published 1998); 341 pages

Obtained: I own it

Rating: 4.1
.....Liked: 4.5
.....Plot: 4.5
…..Pacing/Details: 4.0
.....Characterization: 4.5
.....Writing: 3.0

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
Arthur A. Levine Books, 1999 (originally published 1999); 435 pages

Obtained: I own it

Rating: 4.4
.....Liked: 5.0
.....Plot: 4.5
…..Pacing/Details: 4.0
.....Characterization: 4.5
.....Writing: 3.5

Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi
Chronicle Books, 2011 (originally published 2010); 288 pages

Obtained: Public library

Rating: 5.0
.....Liked: 5.0
.....Argument: n/a
…..Pacing/Details: 5.0
.....Accuracy: 5.0
.....Writing: 5.0

Review

I always feel a bit weird writing cookbook reviews when I haven't made any of the recipes. Considering how messy a cook I am, I don't like to cook from borrowed cookbooks.

The number one thing I noticed about Plenty is the sense of joy that pervades the entire book. Every couple of pages, I kept turning back to the picture of some sort of uncooked greens on the title page, because the picture was so beautiful and just made me so happy (I'm a sucker for photographs of green plants... don't ask). There's just such a sense that food is meant to be enjoyed with all the senses, that beautiful, good-tasting foods provide a sustenance beyond mere nourishment, that makes this such a brilliant cookbook.

As I took notes for this review, I think I used up my entire quota of exclamation points for the next three months. A brief sample looks something like this:

Garlic and goat cheese tart!
Harissa! Not since that little Middle Eastern restaurant in Paris!
And a whole section on mushrooms!

I also like that the recipes don't look overly difficult, although some reviewers said they did look difficult, so I guess everyone should judge for themselves. Personally, I emulate Julia Child, who said "The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a 'What the hell?' attitude." I'm really quite fearless in the kitchen, which is funny, because I'm not at all a risk-taker in any other aspect of life. But when it comes to food and cooking, I'll try anything once.

In one of the recipes in the book, I saw a vinaigrette that called for capers and maple syrup. I have no idea what that vinaigrette tastes like, but I love capers and I love maple syrup, and I really want to try that recipe. Ottolenghi does a lot of "odd" combinations in the book; pairing foods and spices from different cultures that seem strange, but grow on one. He even makes eggplant, zucchini, and sweet potatoes look appetizing (and I don't really care for the last two, and I HATE eggplant with an unspeakable passion). There's this recipe where an eggplant is broiled, and in the picture it looks more like fresh beef liver than anything else, and that intrigues me, because (like I said) I hate eggplant, but I love beef liver, and I love working with raw liver (I don't eat it raw--too bloody--but I like cutting it up because it's so smooth and shiny and smells funny... and is rambling on about raw meat weird? Because I like raw meat. I promise I'm not a psychopath and I'm not going to move on from cutting up chickens to cutting up people...

Okay, so that got a bit off topic. Anyhow, Plenty went on my Wishlist, because it is just that good, and I'm picky about cookbooks, so that's saying something. I guess I should also note that it's a vegetarian cookbook. I'm not vegetarian, and neither is Ottolenghi, but I really think if I were vegetarian I would have gone online and ordered the cookbook the minute I got done reading it. It's seriously that good, and books are one of the few things I don't impulse buy (which is weird, but good for my budget).

Enjoyed your review of Plenty:Vibrant Vegetable recipes from London's Ottolenghi. He has a TV series in the Uk at the moment on Mediterranean cooking, which I am avidly following. You are right about his odd combinations of ingredients. I have made a couple of his vegetarian recipes that I saved from magazine articles, which were not difficult.

Thanks! I really do want to try some of his odd combinations, but I find it difficult to "visualize" the taste beforehand, which makes me hesitant to use the ingredients, in case I end up having to throw out something I couldn't stand.

I love the illustrations in lush cookbooks and cooking magazines. I too pull out pages, and a recurring resolution is to try a new recipe every week. Heck, even once a month. Always looking for more vegetable ideas so thanks for this review of Plenty!

Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
Scholastic Press, 2009 (first edition); 344 pages

Obtained: Public library

Rating: 4.0
.....Liked: 4.0
.....Plot: 4.0
…..Pacing/Details: 3.0
.....Characterization: 4.0
.....Writing: 4.5

Review

Set in an alternate-history America, this is the story of Eff (short for Francine), a thirteenth child. In this magical culture, birth order is commonly thought to affect one's life, with a seventh son considered lucky, the seventh son of a seventh son extremely lucky, and a thirteenth child cursed. People are so biased against Eff that her family moves West, where no one knows that she has the potential to become a very bad person. (Eff's oldest siblings were married and didn't move, so people couldn't just count children and figure it out.) In the West, Eff grows up and learns about herself and the person she is meant to be.

More than any other part of this book, I want to know more about the alternate history. Why was the Civil War fought in the 1830s? Why did the Lewis and Clark expedition fail? Why are mammoths and saber-toothed cats not extinct? It's not that Wrede does a bad job of explaining her alternate history, it's more as if the characters don't think to explain because to them nothing is different. To them, their history is real and ours is the alternate, so they just talk about things matter-of-factly and in passing, as if we all know what they're talking about. It really adds to the realism, but it's also frustrating.

As for the rest of the plot, I found it a bit dull. Thirteenth Child covers quite a few years of Eff's life at a very rapid pace, not really allowing for a lot of character development beyond what's necessary for the plot. If I hadn't been so interested in the history, I probably would have found the book harder to finish. However, my younger self would have loved it.

Thirteenth Child sounds ok, especially the alternate-history angle. A shame that you found it a bit dull.

It was just so rushed. One chapter would start out, "In my fifteenth year...," relaying the single important thing that happened while Eff was 15, then the next chapter would begin with "During the summer I turned sixteen..." and so on, with multiple years of her life covered in this really episodic fashion. Wrede had a lot of background information to give the audience, and she really did need to cover that many years of Eff's life for the sake of plot development, but it might have been better as two books with more detail. Then again, I think Thirteenth Child is intended to be middle grade or YA, so it isn't exactly written for my age group. YA is not a genre I read often, but the alternate history angle drew me in, plus I've liked other books by Wrede.