RebeccaAnn's 2010 Challenge

So far, in 2009, I've made it to 76 books. It was a struggle to get here, but despite that, I've decided to push myself even farther this year. This is mostly because of my new book buying habits (i.e. I'm buying a lot more books so I'm going to try and read more to hopefully eat through some of that new TBR pile). I actually have a goal of not buying any books in 2010 but ha! That'll never last.

I have a secret goal of wanting to make it 125 books this year. I'm a busy college student, so I don't know if I can actually do it. I read slow and thoroughly. I enjoy studying books. And I refuse to sacrifice reading enjoyment for the sake of reading more books. But still, I envy all those prolific readers out there :)

And for anyone interested and who wants to follow along, here is the link to my 1010 challenge.

Wish me luck!

Book read in 2010:

January

* - These are books I own pre-2010 (I want lots of these on the list :P )
** - These are books I bought after January 1, 2010

1. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
2. Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce
3. *The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
4. *Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman
5. Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
6. The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
7. *Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
8. *The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
9. *The Funhouse by Dean Koontz
10. **The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

February

11. *The Awakening by Kate Chopin
12. *The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
13. **The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
14. *Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
15. **Another Country by James Baldwin
16. **Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
17. *The Locked Room by Paul Auster
18. *If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino
19. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

March

none :(

April

20. **The PowerBook by Jeannette Winterson

May

21. **Passing by Nella Larsen
22. **The Passage by Justin Cronin
23. New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler

June

24. *Firestarter by Stephen King
25. Winning by Losing by Jillian Michaels
26. *Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
27. *The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
28. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
29. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
30. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
31. The Sandman: Prelude and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
32. 6039::The Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman
33. 8486939::Horns by hilljoe::Joe Hill
34. **1491561::The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

July

35. Emma by Jane Austen

Welcome back! Should be interesting to make 125! 8^}

*crosses fingers*

I hope I can do it! I've never made it into triple digits before :)

Good luck in 2010, RebeccaAnn! I will be rooting for you to reach your goal.

*waves hello*

>5 alcottacre:: Thank you!

>6 cameling:: *waves back*

Hallo!

Hi! Welcome aboard!

Good luck with your challenge RebeccaAnn. Got ya starred.

1. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
1010 Category: Youth Fiction (1/10)
362 pages

Wild Magic is the first book in Tamora Pierce's Immortals Quartet and I must say, it sets the bar high. Here we meet Daine, a young orphan with a dark past who is taken in by Onua, the horse keeper for the Queen's Riders. Though Daine does not possess the Gift, it is quickly apparent to Onua and the warrior-mage Numair that she has more Wild Magic than either one of them has seen in a single person before. This gift manifests is self most clearly in her ability to speak to animals and it comes in handy when the beastly Immortals, previously sealed into the Divine Realms, break out and begin preying on humans. With her Wild Magic, Daine is an asset to Tortall, but will her and her magic be enough to save them all?

Based on only the first of four books, I like this series even more than the Song of the Lioness Quartet. Perhaps I'm just a bit jealous of her magic, though :) Being a lover of animals, actually speaking with them is something I can only dream of. I think it's great to include this in youth fiction. It shows a younger audience that an animal, though it may not think like a human, does indeed feel things and for me, a vegan, it resonated strongly with my own morals.

I love the relationships between characters and the emotions in this book as well. There was just the right amount of character angst, heartfelt pain, fear, silliness, and joy. I laughed out loud more times than I remember and I got teary-eyed at the end. I love being touched by books like this and I can't wait to read the rest of this series.

5 stars!

Sounds like a good read... off to the wish list it goes. In fact, I think my niece will enjoy this too and her birthday is coming up...hmmm...benevolent aunt is considering getting this for her birthday present.

Just don't forget the other three books in the series. You'll be the favorite aunt then ;-)

I really have got to get to some Tamora Pierce books this year!

Tamora Pierce was my best friend's favorite author; I may just have to check that one out!

Yes, you really can't get the first one of the series without the others of the Immortals Quartet--and you WILL be the favorite aunt then!

And yet, it's better to start with the Alanna books.... so you'll have to get her both quartets ;)

And of course, there's still the Protectors of the Small quartet, the Trickster duology, and the Beka Cooper trilogy, all of which follow the Immortals quartet (though techinically, the Cooper trilogy is a prequel to the entire series). She really should get the full Tortall experience, no? ;-)

Er... I've not read any Tamora Pierce but intended to, but now you've all thoroughly confused me as to where to start... LOL!

She really should get the full Tortall experience, no? ;-)

Well, if you really want to be the best aunt.... ;)

I've actually been holding off on the Beka Cooper books because I like to wait until trilogies are completed and then read them all at once. It seems like it's been taking forever, though--maybe this will be the year!

Faith, you should start with Alanna: The First Adventure and the rest of that quartet (silly name but good book). The LT series page lists them all in the right order. The only possible issue is when to read the prequels; I'd just leave them until the end because that's when they were written.

Tamora Pierce has two major universes that I know of: Tortall and the Circle Universe. Tortall is the one I've been reading and it's only universe from which I've read any books at all so I can't vouch for the quality of the Circle Universe. The Tortall universe is as follows:

The Song of the Lioness Quartet
Alanna: The First Adventure
In the Hand of the Goddess
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man
Lioness Rampant

The Immortals Quartet
Wild Magic
Wolf-Speaker
Emperor Mage
The Realm of the Gods

The Protector of the Small
First Test
Page
Squire
Lady Knight

The Trickster Duology
Trickster's Choice
Trickster's Queen

The Beka Cooper Trilogy (this is incomplete and really a prequel to all the above so I think you can technically read it before or after the other books - once it's finished, of course :P )
Terrier
Bloodhound
Mastiff (not published yet)

And the Circle Universe consists of two complete quartets and the beginning of a third, as follows:

Circle of Magic Quartet
Sandry's Book
Tris's Book
Daja's Book
Briar's Book

The Circle Opens Quartet
Magic Steps
Street Magic
Cold Fire
Shatterglass

The Circle Reforged Quartet (incomplete according to Wiki)
The Will of the Empress
Melting Stones

I think I got 'em all :)

Thanks for the review - I think I will have to check out that series.

I'm personally not a huge fan of the circle universe, though I couldn't say exactly why. I think I've only read the first quartet.

>20 _Zoe_:: Thanks Zoe, I'll keep an eye out for it in that case! And I'll wait until after to read the sequels, I tend to like reading things in the order they were written anyway.

>21 RebeccaAnn:: Great list! I think I'll do a copy/paste into my TBR list... heehee.

>21 RebeccaAnn: I've got one more Circle book which isn't on your list; Melting Stones is the second Circle Reforged book and was an audiobook before it was an actual published book.
Tamora Pierce is my favourite author and reading your review of Wild Magic (which was the first Pierce book I read) has reminded me that I need to have a re-read soonish :)

>25 RLMCartwright:: Duly noted and I have updated my post. Thanks for letting me know!

>26 RebeccaAnn: no problem :) It's the great thing about LT that I can actually find other people who've read her books because in the UK she's not very well known (there's no longer a UK publisher for her books) so I sound like a lunatic saying she's my favourite author when no one has heard of her.

>27 RLMCartwright:: I think it's great that on LT, I can actually talk to people who read period. I really have no friends who read. My roommate claims she's an avid bookworm, but in 2009 she read two Agatha Christie books and nothing else so I'm not quite sure I believe her ;-) In this day of television, it's nice to know I'm not the only loony who prefers to turn the TV off and crack open a great book :)

LadyViolet, I would love to know what you're other favorite YA authors are. I've been reading a lot of Diana Wynne Jones lately, but apart from that, YA fiction is kind of a new concept for me. It wasn't until I joined LT that I really started reading it so I'm always up for more suggestions. We both love Tamora Pierce so I'm hoping we have some other common interests as well!

Thank you, Rebecca, Roni and _Zoe_ for your kind encouragement .... alas, the tyrant that currently rules my life, (aka my bank account) shivered in shock and my check book threatened to self-combust when I went to Amazon.com to take a peek (only a peek, mind you).

I shall have to settle for being a somewhat liked aunt by giving her Alanna and Wild Magic and then if the stories really resonate for her, she can bug her parents to buy her the others in the quartets. (My check book has uncurled in relief and pats me on the back)

2. Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce
1010 category: Youth Fiction (2/10)
281 pages

Daine has been called to Dunlath Valley by her old wolf pack, the Long Lake Wolves. The humans are tearing apart the trees and poisoning the water. Wildlife all around the valley is dying and Brokefang, the alpha of the pack, wants help reclaiming his home. When Daine and Numair arrive, though, they find out the people of Dunlath are mining something. Though they can't figure out what, they know it must be important. And when they find the charred remains of a squadron of Queen's Riders as well as Stormwings, they know there's something more than meets the eye.

After following such a fantastic book like Wild Magic, Wolf-Speaker had a lot to live up to and unfortunately, it didn't quite make it. Of all the Tamora Pierce books I've read to date, this was the weakest. There wasn't much character involvement because really, Daine was the only human character through the most part. Numair rarely showed up and Alanna only appeared briefly after the final battle. I loved all the animals that showed up but for some reason, I just didn't love them as much as Dain's human friends. A good majority of the book also seemed to be Daine discovering and growing into her powers. While I understand the importance of this, it felt like chapter after chapter was devoted to Daine entering the mind of yet another animal and transforming her own body more and more. It got old.

Lastly, the final battle was quite a letdown. There was so much build-up through the book as to what horrible things Tristan and his mages were doing, and there was such a struggle to get to the room where his weapon was being kept, and it only took a couple of hits from the hilt of her knife to destroy it. Boring.

I hope I haven't dissuaded anyone from reading Tamora Pierce. Her books are thoroughly enjoyable and while I don't remember exactly what happens in the rest of the books, I remember loving them and I'm almost certain this is just a dry spell. It happens to every good author so please, read on!

3 stars!

>29 cameling:: I wish I had a somewhat liked aunt. My relatives never my me any books.

And don't feel bad. We all have to bow down to and beg mercy from the Tyrant Bank Account :P

It's also fun to BE a "somewhat liked aunt." I am godmother to 2 nieces and 1 nephew, and they are all trained to give me Borders/B&N gift cards for all occasions. Love it!

>32 tloeffler:: How did you go about training them? My sister just had a baby a couple years ago. Is it too late? Is there still hope for me? :P

3. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
1010 Category: Youth Fiction (3/10)
186 pages

It seemed like a good idea to take a bit of break from Tamora Pierce and read The Book of Three for the group read coming up in a few days.

Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper for Hen-Wen, the oracular pig, dreams of adventure. He wants to make swords and be a hero. Unfortunately for him, it looks like he'll get his chance. With the Horned King coming to Caer Dallben and King Arawn gathering his evil forces for what can only be assumed to be very nasty things to come, Taran and the legendary prince Gwydion are the only two in a position to warn the people of Prydain of the powers they will soon be facing.

The Book of Three was a quick and fun read. I really enjoyed the characters. Taran was fun, Fflewddur was a hoot, and Eilonwy is a girl after my own heart. The interaction between Taran and Eilonwy was great and Fflewddur with his popping harp strings had me laughing out loud several times. I have a feeling this wasn't meant to be taken too seriously.

The only thing I really have to complain about is that so much happened in the book, there wasn't time to properly give depth to everything. All the events just flew by. I think the bit where Taran is captured and held in the Spiral Castle was supposed to be a bit scary, but it wasn't. There wasn't time to build up the right spooky, tense atmosphere.

That being said, I still enjoyed the book and I look forward to the next volume!

4 stars!

Found you and starred you, Rebecca! Your continued reading of the Tamora Pierce books makes me want to reread them all. And, like you, I am aiming for 125 this year!

>34 RebeccaAnn: I've wanted to read the Prydain chronicles since I realised that the first book is what Disney based their film "The Black Cauldron on - hands down creepiest disney film I've *ever* seen so I'm intrigued about the books. They sound like books that I'll enjoy :)

>35 allthesedarnbooks:: Another fan of Tamora Pierce! It's starting to amaze me how many followers she has :)

>36 RLMCartwright:: Are you doing the group read? From January to May, a bunch of us 75ers are reading the Prydain chronicles together (one book a month). The Book of Three was set to be read by January 10. If you're interested but unable to read the first book in time, we don't mind latecomers ;-) Here is the link to the group read thread.

>37 RebeccaAnn: I had seen the thread for the group read although I'm gonna have to try and find the books pretty sharpish if i want to join in. As it happens though I'm not all that good at group reads since last year I was part of the group read of The Pillars of the Earth but not only did I *not* post in the discussion threads i stopped reading partway through (not cos i didn't like it- i just got distracted). I'll have to see how things go.

>38 RLMCartwright:: Yeah. I did the same thing when I was reading The Count of Monte Cristo for a group read. The group read ended over a month ago and of the 1500 pages in my book, I'm just about to get to 400. I just a bit overwhelmed with school and it was easier to finish smaller books. So now I'm determined to finish it, even though I've completely missed the group read.

Luckily, for the Prydain books, they're very short and we only read one a month so it's quite easy to keep up with them. It only took me three or four hours total to read the entire book so if you get behind, it wouldn't be terribly difficult to catch up ;-)

4. Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman
1010 Category: Postmodern Literature (1/10)
136 pages

This is the second half of Vladek Spiegelman's terrifying tale of his ordeal in Auschwitz and his own liberation. Like the first volume, this is raw, gritty, and horrible. No Holocaust tale is happy, and this is not an exception. Vladek isn't a very likable character. Even his own son doesn't really want to be around him and now, with the discovery of what happened to him in the concentration camp, the reader learns why he is the way he is. His miserly habits are a large part of why he survived. They became so ingrained into him that now, years after the Holocaust, he cannot stop being a stingy as possible. It really shows how the Holocaust affected people even after it was over, right down to the relationship between father and son.

This is a quick, but powerful, read. It's not pleasant, and the last words of the entire book broke my heart, but I still highly recommend it to everyone.

4 stars!

>39 RebeccaAnn: Ooh I've got The Count of Monte Cristo on my bookshelf to get read this year along with a couple of other tomes but I expect I'll be reading those books bit by bit over the months and reading shorter books at the same time as it really frustrates me if I'm reading lots but not finishing anything.
I'll probably scour some second-hand bookshops to see if I can cobble a set of the Prydain books together and with a quiet sunday afternoon and several cups of tea I could rip through the lot I reckon.

>33 RebeccaAnn: You have to start with the parents. Once you get a gift card, you act (okay, really, it's not an act) so excited about it. The kids remember next time & say, "Mom, don't forget to pick up a gift card for Aunt Terri!" My 6 year-old goddaughter just shakes with excitement while she's waiting for me to open my card. The older ones (27 & 30) just know the drill by now!

>41 RLMCartwright:: There are small rumblings of a Count of Monte Cristo group read this year, if enough are interested... we could read it bit by bit, as it's quite the enormous tome!

>42 tloeffler:: Haha! Good to know! I will definitely have to get started immediately. Gotta get those gift cards rolling in :P

>43 dk_phoenix:: I know I've already started, but could I join in the discussion? I would love to talk about what I've read once the group read gets going.

5. Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
1010 Category: Youth Fiction (4/10)
294 pages

Daine, along with Numair, Alanna, Duke Gareth, and many other important officials, sail to Carthak as part of a peace delegation. There she meets Kaddar, the charming nephew of the infamous Emperor Mage, Ozorne, who is responsible for the all the chaos brewing in Tortall. However, the longer Daine stays in Carthak, the more she realizes Ozorne doesn't want peace. He wants destruction. And he won't let anyone stand in his way.

If you want to read this book, I'd recommend starting it on a day when you have lots of time and nothing to do. I could not put this down. I tried, several times, but somehow, the book just wouldn't leave my hand. It had a good beginning, and intriguing middle, and a fast-paced, high-energy, page-turning ending. It was an incredible adventure. After the previous book in this series, Wolf-Speaker, turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, I was very pleased to see it was just a temporary dry spell that ended quickly. The ending of Emperor Mage more than made up for the lackluster ending of Wolf-Speaker. It was breathtaking and so emotional. I finished this book and immediately, I wanted to go right back to the beginning and read it again.

I cannot wait to read the last book of this quartet. I'm excited to see how all the events (and one particular mortal to immortal transformation) turn out in the end. I loved Kaddar and his willingness to take a step back and really think about whether everything he has been brought up thinking as normal (such as human slavery) is really right and moral. I hope he plays a part in book four because I would love to see how his character develops. All in all, a perfect book!

5 stars!

6. The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
1010 Category: Youth Fiction (5/10)
277 pages

It's time for the final battle. Ozorne's back and he wants revenge. Daine and Numair are sucked into the Divine Realm at the worst possible time: right before Ozorne's forces strike Tortall. Will Daine and Numair be able to make it back in time to help King Jonathan drive off Ozorne and his Stormwing legion or will all of Tortall be destroyed in the upcoming battle?

As for being the "final battle" of this quartet, The Realms of the Gods was a bit of a letdown. The book, like the other three, follows Daine and in this final volume, Daine spends about four-fifths of the book trying to get back to the mortal realm. That means four-fifths of the book is her and Numair walking. They come across a trap every now and then and you get little insights into the battle that's occurring in Tortall while they're trapped, but it's still a lot of walking. Not exactly what I expected to find in what should be the most powerful and intense book of the series. The final fight between Daine and Ozorne was exciting, but it took a lot of work to get there.

I also didn't believe the romance between Daine and Numair. Age difference aside, there weren't any hints in the previous books (minus I think one statement where Numair called her pretty when she put on a dress) that their student-teacher relationship would progress further. For me, it felt kind of like she realized she hadn't paired Daine up with anyone and since she was trapped all alone with Numair, the two might as well be a couple.

The Immortals Quartet was a bumpy ride. It started off strong, got weak, got strong, ended weak. I must say that I prefer the Song of the Lioness Quartet. The quality of the books was much more stable, the romance more believable, and the ending was insanely good. The Immortals, while strong as a whole, just didn't hold up to that quality of writing. Still, it's a good read and I do recommend it.

3 stars!

So are you going straight to the Trickster books? Or doing Page, Squire etal. first?

I'll be reading the Protector of the Small Quartet first, so it'll be First Test, Page, Squire, and Lady Knight next. Then it's on to the Trickster duology :)

Though I do think I'm going to take a short break and read a couple other books. I need a breather from Tamora Pierce and youth fiction in general. It's all I've really been reading lately and I want to read something else for just a little while. I will be going back to Pierce, though. I promise!

I totally agree with you about the Daine/Numair romance! It seemed totally out of the blue and wasn't convincing at all. On the other hand, unlike you, I didn't mind that she spent most of the book in the immortal realm. I loved the depiction of the gods and their realms.

>49 allthesedarnbooks:: I enjoyed god's realms, but I just wish it hadn't been during the final book. All that traveling and trying to get somewhere really lent it the feel of the middle book of a trilogy, if you know what I mean. That, on top of the weird romance (and I'm very glad I'm not the only one who wasn't convinced) just kind of had me shaking my head sadly. But ah well, the series as a whole was really good and I am looking forward to reading the next quartet :)

Well, since it seems everyone else is doing it, I've decided to also keep track of the books I acquire in 2010. I've put my list in post #2. My goal, like usual, is to buy no books and keep mooching to a minimum. Right now, I'm in the red as far as my bank account is concerned so that's not really a problem :P However, I do need to work on saving my money so I'm hoping to buy no more than 20ish books this year. The ratio of books I own and haven't read to those I have read is getting just slightly ridiculous so hopefully, actually having to write down every book I acquire, will keep me from getting more. Overall, I'm desperate to keep that number lower than the number of books I've read from my own TBR stack *crosses fingers*

7. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
1010 Category: Foreign Authors (1/10)
309 pages

I think this is the best book I’ve read since joining LT. Stylistically, it’s amazing. I’ve never read an author with such a mastery of the English language. Thematically, it’s haunting and disturbing, yet also tragic. No character is likeable, yet you feel and cry and bleed for them all. Is it disturbing? Yes. All cases of sexual abuse are. However, through all the sadness and despair, their runs a beautiful thread of what might actually be love.

I don’t think I need to reiterate the story. It’s extremely well-known. The characters, however, are positively unbelievable. The narrator, a man obsessed with the seductive charms of prepubescent females, Humbert Humbert, is a man I fully expected to loathe. And yet, despite his awful and despicable actions, I found myself pitying him more than anything. He’s delusional and very unreliable as far as narrators go. He twists the story he’s telling until not even the reader can discern what’s really going on, and he does it masterfully. On his rendition of his first time with little Dolores, he manipulates the words so well, it seems like it was all Lolita’s fault. You have to constantly remind yourself that her mother was recently killed and she has no one else to turn to. Threatened by Humbert with reform school, she’s not in a position to resist him. When reform school no longer scares her, he bribes her for sexual favors. When he masterfully manipulates Lolita, he manipulates the reader as well.

And yet, despite this, he feels remorse. He calls himself a monster more than once. At the end, he hears a group of children playing and mourns for Lolita’s lost childhood. When Lolita is stolen from him by another child predator who wants her in his child pornography video, Humbert loses it. He drinks and becomes paranoid, going from motel to motel in a wild goose chase, thinking he sees clues in the names of former patrons. I think he loved Lolita, but he was so obsessive, manipulating, controlling, and self-absorbed and she was too young that it broke both of them.

And the language! I’ve never seen anyone able to command the Enlgish language like this. It’s beautiful. I admit I had to look several words up in the dictionary every time I read this book. After reading this, I wonder if there is a word out there Nabokov didn’t know. If the subject material is too squicky for you, I would still recommend reading this just for the language.

This is a book to be savored slowly. Read it in 15-20 page increments to fully take in the language and it’s beauty. Reflect over what you’ve read to really digest the characters and the emotions. It took me about two months to get through this book, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

5 stars!

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I read Lolita for a banned book reading group, and I thought it was amazing. Wonderful review.

I have not yet read Lolita (and am not sure I will, but I completely agree with you regarding Nabokov's use of language. If you have not read his Speak, Memory I highly recommend it. Just do not expect your normal, run-of-the-mill autobiography when you read it.

>54 alcottacre:: Lolita is actually the only book I've read by Nabokov so thanks for the rec! He has so many books published that it's nice to get steered towards a good one (not that any will be bad :P )

I loved Lolita. It was a sad, beautiful, tragic and haunting read. I haven't seen the movie the movie because a friend was so disappointed by it she had to read the book again.

>56 cameling:: Oh no! I just ordered the newer version (the one with Jeremy Irons) from Netflix and should be here early next week. Ah well, I'll start the movie and if it's really bad, I just won't finish it :)

Wow, I am totally impressed with your review of Lolita, Rebecca! It is definitely going on my TBR.

Hey RebeccaAnn I like the sound of your challenge so im going to star you! My friend brought me Alanna: The First Adventure for christmas I love fantasy books so I'm excited to read my very first Tamora Pierce! Happy reading :)

>58 Cait86:: Aw, you're making me blush :P

>59 JessicaLouise23:: Hi! I really hope you love the books. The Alanna books were favorites of mine when I was younger and I love them just as much now as I did fifteen years ago!

Let me know what you think of the movie, Rebecca. I love Jeremy Irons. I didn't know he was in the new version of the movie. Do you know when this version was released? *keeping fingers crossed that it's relatively recent and not the version my friend saw*

>61 cameling:: The Jeremy Irons version was released in 1997. There was an older one in 1962. Hopefully, that was the one your friend saw ;-)

Just dropping a note to let everyone know that I'm still here, even though I haven't finished anything for a few days. I've been trying to work my way through The Count of Monte Cristo and I've been breaking that up with Sense and Sensibility and 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, none of which are quick reads so it might be awhile before I finish my next book :)

Aha - found you again! Lost you in the maelstrom that has been this group since Christmas...

Wonderful review of Lolita - it's one of those books that's been on my TBR pile for years (in fact, it's been there since I left school, which is pretty shameful!) - clearly it needs to be bumped up the pile.

You are seriously denting my resolve to read slightly less YA fiction this year with all these Tamora Pierce reviews - I've a sneaking suspicion she may turn into this year's Sharpe - I'll end up reading everything I can lay my hands on by the end of the year...

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favourite books, despite only having read it once (it being such a tome) - there was a point at which I just couldn't put it down and, as a consequence, it took over my life... ;o)

How do you feel about Sense and Sensibility - there seems to be a lot of meh-feeling about it, but I love the relationship between the sisters.

I saw the 1997 version in a film class and loved it, although I saw the movie before I read the book. From what I can remember, my professor claims the 1997 version is the better of the two, which is why he selected it.

>64 flissp:: Read less YA?!?! But why? It's so much fun! As for Tamora Pierce turning into another Sharpe, that's kind of what's happening to me and DWJ and since you're her main endorser around here, it would serve you right :P

I'm loving The Count of Monte Cristo but it is kind depressing when you've read the equivalent of three books, but you just passed the halfway point in the novel o.O

I'm only about thirteen-ish chapters into Sense and Sensibility, but I am enjoying it. I love Colonel Brandon. He seems so earnest in his affection for Marianne that I really feel for him when she goes on about him being too old to arouse affection in any female. I also like Elinor. Even though she is very sensible, she seems to also put others first and makes it a point not to carelessly hurt others like her sister does. I'm looking forward to seeing how this novel plays out. It's the only one I don't the story line of!

I don't expect to finish any of my books for at least another week. I'm also reading 1491, which is big and dense. I'm taking breathers by reading stories from Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman and The Peaceable Kingdom by Jack Ketchum, and I'm also reading The Funhouse by Dean Koontz when I'm overwhelmed by the Big Books, so I probably won't finish anything for awhile and then I'll finish seven books in one day :)

As for DWJ and Pierce, I'll be getting back to them eventually, but I have a huge pile of TBRs I need to work my way through first. I have Doktor Glas and Gregorios for the Reading Globally group. I'm determined to read the last book in the New York Trilogy as well as Blindness by Jose Saramago, Beloved by Toni Morrison, Fludd by Hilary Mantel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke, Under the Dome by Stephen King, and Miss Lonelyhearts and the Day of the Locusts by Nathanial West. Adding in my four group reads (the Prydain Chronicles, Moby Dick, Anna Karenina, and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle) plus what I'm reading for school, I'll hopefully be getting back to DWJ and Pierce in March or April!

And I might have spelled some names wrong. All my books are in a different room so I'm going off of memory right now.

>65 London_StJ:: That's very good to hear! It got pushed back in my queue on Netflix because it wasn't available at the time, so hopefully I can get in about a week!

You are seriously denting my resolve to read slightly less YA fiction this year with all these Tamora Pierce reviews - I've a sneaking suspicion she may turn into this year's Sharpe - I'll end up reading everything I can lay my hands on by the end of the year...

Sounds good to me :). Everyone should read more Tamora Pierce!

>67 _Zoe_: Zoe Amen to that! ;)

Well yes, you're all quite right - and I do love YA fiction, so I probably shan't keep to my resolve - I just felt that last year, between all the Sharpe (17%) and YA (25%) books, I didn't really read as broadly as I would usually like! ;)

OK, OK 66/67/68, I'll read as many as I can lay my hands on, but only because you're forcing me (rubs hands gleefully together...) ;)

Re DWJ, Mwah ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!

Glad you're enjoying Sense and Sensibility - I'm not going to comment on it, in case I spoil anything for you, but I'll be looking forward to your thoughts when you get to the end.

I take it you've not seen the Ang Lee/Emma Thompson film adaptation then? Definitely recommended, although the reason I thought of it is that my single big problem with it is Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon - I just felt he got him completely wrong (it's the only role of his I can think of off the top of my head that I didn't like him in, I should add...)

>69 flissp: *snerk* Yea cos you're *so* reluctant to read them ;)

#70 I don't know WHAT you're implying!! ;)

>69 flissp:: For the movie, my roommate owns it and loves it, but every time she puts it in I quickly leave the room so as to avoid spoilers. At least one Austen must be a surprise!

Enjoy Tamora Pierce! All her books are quick read so it should only take you a month or two to finish them all ;-)

#72 Ah, but I have to find them first - not as straight forward over here as you might think!

Re the film, they did alter the ending a bit, but to be honest, I thought that it was done in a good way - you'll have to tell your roommate to postpone her next viewing until you've finished the book! ;)

I bought some more books and, even though they're for a class, I felt I should record them here anyways :)

The Powerbook by Jeanette Winterson
The Heartsong of Charging Elk by James Welch
Another Country by James Baldwin
The Book of Salt by Monique Truong
My Year of Meats by Ruth L. Ozeki
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alixon Bechdel

Hopefully, I'll be finishing a book soon. I'm in the middle of about seven so even though I'm reading a lot, I'm just not finishing anything :P Oh well, I'll get there eventually!

I'm in the middle of about seven so even though I'm reading a lot, I'm just not finishing anything :P Oh well, I'll get there eventually!

I have that problem a lot!

How do you ladies keep everything sorted in your heads? I can do two at a time at the most, but mostly, I only read one at a time.

I don't read all of the books equally actively; I might put down one for weeks at a time. Also, I think it helps that a lot of them are non-fiction.

>77 _Zoe_:: I don't read all of the books equally actively; I might put down one for weeks at a time.

Ditto. Plus, I'm rarely reading two books that are similar. Right now, I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, The Funhouse by Dean Koontz, Smoke and Mirrors (short stories) by Neil Gaiman, The Peaceable Kingdom (more short stories) by Jack Ketchum, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, and 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann. Currently, I'm focusing on The Count of Monte Cristo but I spent most of today on 1491 to take a break. Although typing this has made me want to go read a little of Sense and Sensibility. I haven't touched that in about a week so I'm getting a craving for a little Jane Austen :) Having a lot of books on hand keeps me from getting overwhelmed with what I'm reading because I can always switch to something lighter. Similarly, if I'm bored because something's a really easy read and I want to stimulate my mind more, I have denser material to work with.

And soon I will have to start The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, and Moby Dick by Herman Melville for group reads next month.

Plus, I have my books for classes. Right now, that includes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (again :| ) and Another Country by James Baldwin.

I'm never bored ;-)

...just a few books at a time then... ;o)

(actually, I can't talk, I do exactly the same...)

Seriously, Rebecca, I think you hit the nail on the head with I'm never bored. Shortly after my divorce many years ago, during a conversation with my ex-husband, he was complaining about his life, and asked me "Don't you ever get bored?" I was startled because, the truth is, I don't know that I have ever been bored (okay, maybe during a tedious meeting, but in general). And I think that's an awesome testimony to life. Thank goodness for a large TBR pile & list!

Well, I admire you guys for that approach although personally, I am just not built for it. My question was one of curiosity and it was answered in full. So, thank you!

I have a huge TBR pile but I still take one or two at a time. When I start a book, I like to commit to it to the end with as little interruptions as possible. I live and breathe it to the final page. I just don't think I could get the same experience, for example reading Anna Karenina, dropping it for a few weeks, and then get back to it with the same enthusiasm. I would be flipping back tons of pages just to familiarize myself with all the characters again.

In the end, the important thing is that we are all reading.

>81 Huge_Horror_Fan:: Honestly, I envy you :) Sometimes, I wonder if I'm missing out on things when I read so many books at once but, like tloeffler said, I get bored when reading one book. I love Stephen King but there are times when I'm just in a mood for something else. Maybe something more light-hearted or some nonfiction and I wouldn't like reading as much as I do if I were forced to stick with the first book I was reading. I think it's one of the reasons I rarely enjoy books I read for classes. It's because I have to sit down and read just that book, regardless of what I'm in the mood for, how tired I am, or my emotional state. But, then again, I have a really good memory. When I read something, I usually remember it. So forgetting everything I read usually isn't a problem for me.

"In the end, the important thing is that we are all reading."

Bingo! Definitely the most important thing. As long as we're all reading and we all enjoy what we're reading, how we read it isn't that big of a deal. No one lives their lives exactly the same way, or thinks exactly the same way, and since reading is so tied in to what's going on in your life and how you think, why should we read the same way? Long live our differences!

#81/82: I am 100% there - it is that we are reading that is of importance, not how we go about the process!

So true Stasia. As for myself, I sometimes find myself despairing because I am reading four or five books at once and nothing is getting finished. But then, inevitably, a number of them are finished 1, 2, 3 - just like that - and I can dig out replacements for them and get to reading those.

#84: I am rarely reading less than 15 at any given time (which tends to give the impression that I finish a book a day which is not the case), so I understand where you are coming from. I set a goal as far as pages numbers to complete in certain books, others I just read as I will. Eventually they will all be done.

>84 Fourpawz2:: That's exactly what I'm going through right now. I haven't finished a book in a couple weeks (which is a little bit of a bummer) but I'll be finishing the Count of Monte Cristo soon (only 200 pages to go!) and I'll finish all the others soon afterwards because for most of them, I'm already about two thirds to three quarters of the way through :)

8. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
1010 Category: Big Classics (1/10)
1,462 pages

I don't even know where to start on this review. The book was huge in weight and scope that I don't think any puny little review could possibly do it justice. But I'll do my best.

I doubt I need to do a summary. Monte Cristo is famous as the ultimate novel of revenge, and rightly so. The reader is given a front row seat to the transformation of a kind, generous spirit into one who wants only vengeance on those who have done him wrong. We see Edmund Dantes wrongfully imprisoned for fourteen years. We see his betrothed stolen from him and we are witness to the horrible, painful death of his father. We see those who hurt him rise to power and fortune while he rots in a cell and attempts to starve himself to escape his pain. The beginning is chilling and sad.

And then it drags. It drags for a fairly hefty portion of the book. We are introduced to new characters and shown enough of them to get a feel for their personality. We see the vast wealth of the new Count of Monte Cristo (of whom the reader but not the characters of the book know the real identity). And boy is he wealthy. The immensity of it all is pounded into our heads until we are sick of it. The many and frequent descriptions of his exotic Oriental property, food, and slaves also starts to get old after awhile. We all know he's plotting something, especially when he begins to get close to those responsible for his imprisonment, but we don't know what. There's a lot of set up that leaves the reader wondering "Well, when he is going to get on with ruining their lives?"

And then, approximately two thirds of the way through the book, he "gets on" with it and the books becomes a page turner you cannot put down. It devours your life and leaves you with an aching wrist from holding up this nose breaker of a book but still wanting more.

What I most enjoyed was Dantes's transformation. He's a lovely, generous character in the beginning but when he returns as the count, he is despicable. Believing to be acting as God's emissary, he excuses his actions through religion. He's cold and ruthless, ruining his enemy's honor, destroying their fortunes, and driving away their families before doing away with them. Even knowing what he's been through, at times it was hard to sympathize with Dantes. But at the same time, it was even harder to sympathize with his enemies. Most of the time, I pitied the innocent family members of Dantes's enemies. They were the ones unjustly punished.

Eventually, Dantes has a paradigm shift after one of his schemes leads to the death of an innocent boy and he realizes how his need for vengeance has been controling him. It's a tear-inducing moment when he forgives Danglars, the chief instigator of his own ruin, and allows himself to love and be loved again.

This book is beautiful. Yes, it's long and at times even tedious. The characters are not always likeable and sometimes, you hate them all. I would recommend having other books on hand to break this one up when you start to feel a bit overloaded. But it's all more than worth it in the end. Upon finishing this book, I immediately went back and reread favorite moments. This will be a book I keep by my bedside so that the tragic, yet always hopeful, life of Edmund Dantes is never far from reach.

5 stars!

This is definitely one of my favorites among the classics. The first version I read was the Classics Illustrated Comic Books when I was a child. I think this is a wonderful series, and reading the CICB drew me to reading the actual books when I was older.

I've seen the 2002 version of the movie and really enjoyed it. Although now, after reading the book, I don't know if I'll be able to watch it. From what I remember, the differences are huge.

I actually read The Three Musketeers a few years ago and loved it! It is my favorite book of all time. Reading that is what got me into Dumas. I plan on rereading it this year and hopefully the sequels too (there are five books total which I didn't when I first read TTM, together called The D'Artagnon Romances, I think).

I'm glad you loved TCOMC as well!

9. The Funhouse by Dean Koontz
1010 Category: Genre Fiction (1/10)
327 pages

Ellen once had a baby. It was deformed. It was a freak. So she killed it and ran away. Now, the father of it is back, and he wants revenge. He's going to hurt Ellen the way she hurt him, through her two innocent children, Amy and Joey.

This book was okay. It had its scary moments, but they were few and far between. I wasn't particularly fond of Koontz's use of Ellen's religious mania. I'm not terribly religious myself, but it ranks up there with amnesia as one of my least favorite plot devices.

All in all, the book was what I needed at the time: an easy, quick read when I wanted a break from the tome that is The Count of Monte Cristo. But to be honest, unless you're a die-hard fan Dean Koontz or the horror genre, I don't recommend this book.

3 stars.

#87: I am going to be reading that one with the group read. I am really looking forward to it. I am glad you enjoyed the book (for the most part), Rebecca!

Alas, I bought more books :)

They are:

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers Seventh Edition
Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates by David Cordingly
Four Ways to Forgiveness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 2 edited by Harry Harrison and Brian Aldiss
The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 4 edited by Harry Harrison and Brian Aldiss
The Years Best SF 14 edited by David G. Hartwell
Nebula Awards Showcase 2009 edited by Ellen Datlow
Sword & Citadel by Gene Wolfe

>91 alcottacre:: I do hope you enjoy it! I can't imagine anyone not loving it, but I did read a few quite negative reviews :(

I actually woke up this morning wanting to start the book all over again! I contented myself with rereading a few favorite passages, but I think I might have to reread it this year again or early next year. I just cannot get this book out of my head!

Unfortunately I think I'm the only person who doesn't enjoy Koontz ... I gotten nightmares (literally) from reading his books. Ok, I've only read 2, Intensity and Hideaway but I woke up from dreaming I was a character in the books with a pounding heart each time.

>94 cameling:: I love being scared like that (weird, but true :P ) Unfortunately, none of Koontz's books have done that for me yet. As soon as I read your post, I ran upstairs to my library and of course, out of the twenty or so Koontz books I own, I don't own those two.

I do know the feeling you're talking about. I remember when I read The Shining for the first time. I kept getting the feeling someone was watching for me and eventually, I became so creeped out I had to sit in a corner and read it so there was no way for anything to sneak up on me. It was great :)

I'm going to start Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz next. I think it was on Huge_Horror_Fan's thread last year that I read it was an excellent book so I'm very excited to start reading it again!

10. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
1010 Category: None
324 pages

I read this once about ten years ago. I remember thinking it was alright but that Twain wasn't an author I was ever really going to explore on my own.

My, how the times have changed. This book was amazing. It was absolutely hilarious (I couldn't stop laughing at the end when the whole scheme was revealed to Aunt Sally) and yet it had just the right amount of the brutality and cruelty of the time showing through. The atmosphere created was perfect.

This is a very character driven story. Plot-wise, it kind of mirrors life (Twain was a realist) in that it doesn't really go anywhere. Events happen and the characters develop because of it, but there's not really an "ultimate event" at the end. Well, there's sort of one but it was completely pointless in the end. I loved Huck's development from spouting off what he was taught to making his own decisions.

I loved this book so much that I bought seven or eight other books by Mark Twain before I even finished this one and I cannot wait for them to get here!

5 stars!

You see, I don't even remember the tedious bit in the middle of The Count of Monte Cristo - it's quite possible that I also found it so, but if I did, that memory has been completely wiped out by the rest of the book - my overriding memory is of not being able to put it down. Ever. I was already thinking of a re-read this year, but you've just given me extremely itchy fingers to pick it up right now!

Incidently, there's a rather good French TFI serial adaptation of it with Gerard Depardieu as Edmund Dantes (I know - anyone less pale and wraith-like is hard to imagine - but in fact, he's extremely good) - it messes with the ending a bit, but considerably less so than the Hollywood version. ...In case you need a quick fix!

I also loved The Three Musketeers (in fact, I read the whole book in one night) and have been meaning to read the sequels for years - I found a copy of Twenty Years After in a second hand book sale last year, so I may do that at some point this year...

>97 flissp:: I finished the book just a few days ago and even I've already forgotten most of the tedious bits. I find myself increasingly obsessed with this book. I keep going back and rereading different parts of it and I really, really want to do a reread already o.O Definitely the sign of a good book!

I might have to check that version of the movie out. I watched the 2002 one but so much of the story line was botched that it was almost painful to watch it. I hated what they did to Fernand. Yes, he was petty and what he did was unforgivable, but he was not some evil man who went around sleeping with random women and then killing their husbands. That just made me mad.

Funny enough, I just ordered the two missing books from the D'Artagnon romances and I hope to start reading them soon - probably in a month or so when I get through some of the books I'm already reading.

I can't believe you read it in one night O.O You must read fast. I think it took me at least a month to get through it. Then again, I think I was seventeen the first time I read it and it was my first foray into the classics. Definitely a good book to start ;-)

>95 RebeccaAnn:: Exactly how I read scary thrillers ... I read with my back to a solid wall so nothing can sneak up on my from behind. I also don't read them at night facing a window (just incase someone/something appears outside) ... actually now I just don't read them if I can help it. Oddly enough, I used to enjoy them when I was younger .... (and braver)

Keeping honest about my buying habits, here are some new books. I sort of went on a bit of an author kick with this one :)

Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
Roughing It by Mark Twain
The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
The Prince and The Pauper by Mark Twain
Mark Twain's Own Autobiography by Mark Twain

Daisy Miller by Henry James
1010 Category: None
79 pages

Really, this is more of a short story than an actual book (the 79 pages includes the notes at the end) so I'm not going to count it as one of my books for this year. Still, I'd like to review it.

The story's easy to follow. A young American girl in the late 1800s who is new to money does not understand society's rules. She flirts and openly goes around with strange men of unknown origins. She cares little for her own reputation. Winterbourne finds her pretty and is instantly attracted to her. When she pushes the boundaries, he shoves right back. In the end, Daisy pays the price. In a society where the double standards favor men, Daisy is punished by the author for being reckless. Winterbourne? He gets off with no harm done to his person. Typical.

I liked this story. It was fun and easy. The story was told from Winterbourne's point of view, so it was hard to tell if Daisy was just ignorant of the rules or if she was purposely flaunting them. I personally thought she was ignorant and the "mystery behind Daisy Miller" was just a fantasy Winterbourne forced upon her image. Who knows?

All in all, I liked this story.

3 stars.

I haven't read any Henry James before, Daisy Miller sounds interesting though - thumbed your review!

79 pages counts as a book!

>102 souloftherose:: I've heard it's kind of Henry James-lite. I can't say for sure as I've never read anything else by James, but I can say he's an author I'll explore in the future. I'm hoping to read Portrait of a Lady later this year.

>103 jmaloney17:: I will be counting the pages, though! Does that make it better? ;-)

11. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
1010 Category: none
133 pages

Edna, an obedient housewife, wants more from life. She's not really the housewife, motherly type. She's not fond of her children. She wants to be free to go after her own desires and it is this which, in the end, claims her life.

The book, as a story, is okay. It's kind of slow and doesn't really go anywhere. I might not have finished it if it hadn't been read for a class. But I don't regret the time I spent reading it either.

As a piece of feminist literature, however, this book is amazing. It shows the birth of the "new woman" and the struggle women had paving a way for their own independence. I think most disturbing is the fact that, despite everything Edna does to create her own life where she can fulfill her own desires, it all amounts to nothing. She's trapped in a male dominated society. In the end, rather than give up her own desires, she commits suicide. The more I read of this book, the more I'm glad I'm born now when it's no longer expected of me to be docile and produce babies.

All in all, it's not bad. I don't think I'll be reading it again any time soon though. If you enjoy feminist literature, I would recommend this book. If you're looking more for a good story, this might not be the best book for you.

3 stars.

Oh my - sounds a little "worthy" to me? I'm afraid I think that's one I'll give a miss to, however historically fascinating ;)

(Note to self, must give Henry James a go at some point!)

>106 flissp:: I don't blame you. I'm seriously considering putting my copy up on BookMooch because I have no desire whatsoever to do a reread. Sad. It's the favorite book of a friend of mine but it just wasn't for me. Then again, despite being a woman, feminist literary theory has never really been interesting so it stands to reason neither would feminist literature. I've always been drawn almost exclusively to postmodernism. Ah well, what can you do? You like what you like ;-)

Nice review, Rebecca. I think I'll give this one a miss though.

#105: I read that one a couple of years ago. I agree with your assessment.

#106: Ah well, what can you do? You like what you like ;-) You got it!

12. The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
1010 Category: Youth Fiction (6/10)
178 pages

Taran and company decide it's time to relieve Arawn of the cauldron that allows him to make the Cauldron-Born. Of course, things don't go as planned. The cauldron isn't where it's supposed to be, the groups get separated, and there's this snooty little prince who just will not let Taran be. Will they manage to divest Arawn of his cauldron or will they be made into Cauldron-Born themselves?

I definitely enjoyed this book more than it's predecessor. I feel Alexander has settled into his characters. They didn't feel forced like they did in The Book of Three. I especially like Taran's development. He was still immature at the beginning of the book but he grew immensely throughout the course of the story and it was very well done. His growth felt natural.

I must say that I was extremely happy when he gave up Adaon's brooch. Upon receiving it, I was angry. I felt like Alexander was cheating in the maturation process of Taran but in the end, I think it worked out for the best. I liked that, with the brooch, his friends finally got to see his potential but he still has to get himself there. It's not just given to him.

If Alexander continues in this manner, I think this series will be absolutely fantastic. I'm very excited to read the next book!

4 stars!

Well, I finished The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao today but I think I'm going to wait a bit to review it. I have yet to decide as to whether I even liked it or not...

#111: I 'Pearl Ruled' that one. Glad to see you could finish it.

"Pearl Ruled"? I'm curious. What is that?

#113: Nancy Pearl, the librarian who wrote the Book Lust books, says if you are 50 pages into a book and it is not doing anything for you, put it aside. She has a formula taking into consideration a person's age, but I just use 50 pages as the benchmark.

>114 alcottacre:: Ah. I've heard of that method but I didn't know it had a name. I just put it down when I can't stand a book anymore. However, in this case, there wasn't much of a choice. I read it for a class ;-)

Though, to be fair, I think I still would have finished it anyways. My problem with it is that while I read it, I liked it well enough but now that I'm finished, I can't remember what was good about it. It's just, for me, a very forgettable book.

13. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
1010 Category: Foreign Authors - Dominican Republic (2/10)
335 pages

I find it hard to review this book. I liked it. It wasn't bad. I think it was interesting in terms of identifying oneself with one's appearance. It was interesting reading a book whose narrator was so involved with science fiction. I felt a little fangirlish trying to pick out all the references. The narration was fun and sarcastic and made me laugh. I thought the personalized footnotes - what seem to be an attempt to tell the point of view of the victims of the Trujillo regime - interesting, informing, and helpful. The story wouldn't have worked without the footnotes and the footnotes would have been boring without the story.

Despite these wonderful qualities to the book, I find it easily forgettable. Only hours after finishing, I couldn't remember why I'd liked it. I think, for me, there just wasn't enough character. It was all told from some point in the future by a character who wasn't present during the events, and that's what it felt like. A story. It didn't feel alive and I just didn't care about the characters until the very end when, finally, Oscar started becoming a strong character driven by something he desired. Of course, then he was killed and that was that.

Bottom line: do I regret time spent reading this? No. Do I regret buying it? Kind of, but it was for a class so that wasn't really an option. Will I read it again in the future? Probably not.

3 stars.

Sadly, I'm a little overwhelmed with school right now, so I had to drop a couple of books that I started and didn't get very far in. For now, I'm putting aside Sense and Sensibility and 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. I'm not going to stop reading them, I'm just going to wait until I have more time and then restart them (I only got about 50 pages into both).

School just sort of takes over my life...

The good news about books is that they are always waiting for you to get back to them. I wish more things in life were like that!

14. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
1010 Category: Genre Fiction - Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance (2/10)
324 pages

A fairly standard Sookie Stackhouse mystery. Sookie finally finds out why she seems to draw so much supernatural attention and a dark secret about Bill is revealed. Sookie again gets herself involved in vampire politics and she now has a new man.

The book wasn't great, but it wasn't awful. I read these books to get a break from more serious literature and they serve that purpose well. I will continue to read this series because they're great mind candy and I'm looking forward to the next book.

3 stars.

15. Another Country by James Baldwin
1010 Category: None
436 pages

This novel was stunningly beautiful in its prose and depiction of its characters. They were tangible. I could relate to each and every one as they searched for their own personal identity. Baldwin attacked America with this book, showing the gritty, raw truth about racism and people's views towards those who don't "fit in".

That said, this was also a hard book to read because it just would not end. I believe that a good book has to know when to end and I don't think Baldwin quite nailed it in this book. It just went on and on and on. I don't think it would have been so bad if there had been a serious plot, but this more of a "slice of life" novel. It depicts a time period in these characters' lives which has a plot and a climax, but not in the traditional sense. The book doesn't resolve cleanly. Neither does life. Things are left unfinished. However, there is so much searching for one's identity in this book that I kept feeling as if I had read events more than once and that gets a bit old after awhile.

I do recommend this book because I think it's a fantastic book to read at least once in your life. I was touched and horrified and sad and happy throughout it. It touched all my emotions. However, I don't think I'll be rereading it anytime soon.

3 stars.

16. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
1010 Category: None
231 pages

A fantastic graphic novel of the author as a young girl coming to terms with her own sexual identity and that of her father's. Told in simple, yet perfect, prose, I found the story and the art to be compelling and beautiful. This is definitely a book to reread.

I loved the blatant honesty of Bechdel's narration. She doesn't hide her father's faults, nor her own. She lays everything down on the table and lets the reader maker his or her own decision. None of the characters are perfect. They're all human. The family is dysfunctional, but they all love and support each other.

My favorite moment of the entire book is when Alison runs across a picture of her father in his college years, wearing a women's swimsuit. She says he doesn't look awkward or silly, like one wearing it as a prank would, but rather he looks elegant. You can just feel the narrator finally seeing the truth about her father and, in the picture, he looks happy and finally at peace with himself. It's a beautiful moment that I kept finding myself drawn back to.

I recommend this book. It's a quick read, but I hope it honestly touches your heart like it did mine.

4 stars!

I read Bechdel's graphic novel for a graduate queer theory course a few years ago. It was my very first graphic novel, and I loved it. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I'm hoping to get back to it soon.

17. The Locked Room by Paul Auster
1010 Category: Postmodern Literature (2/10)
103 pages

I didn't realize when I was reading this that Auster's NYT would be so interconnected. Almost, you might say, as if it were one book instead of three. I'm not going to review this because I feel as if I missed out on a lot, reading it so much later the first two volumes. However, I do plan to reread this book sometime during the year as just one book. Hopefully I will get more out of it that way *crosses fingers*

I did really like it anyways, even if I didn't get it all, and rated it 4 stars!

Auster is an author I mean to get to one of these days!

I really enjoyed The New York Trilogy. I just read all the books so far apart from one another that I think I missed all the ways they interconnect. I have a copy of The Brooklyn Follies which I think I might start soon. I'm currently reading If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino and I have some DeLillo books I want to get to as well, so it might be awhile. We'll see :)

I tried If On a Winter's Night a Traveler and just could not read it. I am going to try and get back to it one of these days and see if giving it another shot improves the book for me. I suspect, however, it is one of those books that I am just not destined to read.

>>121 RebeccaAnn:, 122. I loved Fun Home. It was my first graphic novel too, and I haven't liked any as much since then. I'm going to try Stitches next, I think to see if the Bechdel was an anomaly or if the genre works for me generally.

#126 Stasia, me too. I just can't seem to get on with Italo Calvino for some reason. It is, however, one of those books that I am determined to finish one day (yes, sometimes, I think it's worth skipping the 50 page rule ;))

#123 The Locked Room was my favourite part of The New York Trilogy really, but I know what you mean about feeling like you're missing stuff. I read all three books together, but in very small doses (lunch break) and I think they all suffered from that a little bit - I'm also going to have to have a re-read one of these days...

>126 alcottacre:, 128: That's sad you didn't like it. I'm actually finding it quite enjoyable (albeit a little frustrating :P ). Hopefully I'll be finishing it in the next couple of days, so I'll let you know my final verdict then.

18. If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino
1010 Category: Postmodern Fiction (3/10)
260 pages

This is not an ordinary book. In fact, it might not even be correct to call it a book. Properly, it's many books but then again, it's not really any books. None of them end. None of them even progress past the first chapter.

The novel starts of with you, the reader, opening Italo Calvino's new novel, If on a winter's night a traveler. It's an espionage thriller and you're hooked. However, at a moment of suspense, you realize there's something wrong with your book. It just repeats the first chapter over and over again. Frustrated, you go to the bookstore to exchange your defect copy for a correct one. Once you have your new book in hand, you happily open it, only to realize the book is not the one you were reading before. But this one's interesting too, so you decide to keep reading. At another moment of suspense, the book ends. The pages, in a printing error, are blank throughout the rest of the book.

Wash, rinse, and repeat. Everytime the book you are reading gets interesting, for some reason you cannot continue it.

If on a winter's night a traveler delves into the reading process, the different types of readers, the writing process and the different types of authors. It questions what a story actually is, what reading really is. It addresses society's reliance on technology. It asks the reader what true creativity and imagination is. In a time when everything has been done before, isn't it impossible to truly be original? It has everything from the Arabian Nights to thrillers to Japanese erotica to a romance with the Other Reader.

Calvino doesn't let you just fall into the story. You're constantly kept on your toes. When will the next first chapter end? From the opening line, which reads "You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel, If on a winter's night a traveler," Calvino doesn't let you absorb yourself in the story, becoming one with it. He keeps you at a distance. You, as the reader, are yanked from one setting to another, from one unlikely circumstance to an even crazier one. You go from searching for the original book in order to finish your story to becoming involved in an international conspiracy involved author plagiarism.

This book is not safe. It's not ordinary. But it's fantastic, and I highly recommend it.

5 stars!

I am not sure I am ever going to be ready to tackle that one again, but I am very glad you enjoyed it, Rebecca!

What a great review. And what an unusual read. I think you did it justice and I'll definitely have to check it out.

>131 alcottacre:: Meh. Everyone loves different things. It'd be boring if we were all the same ;-)

>132 PamFamilyLibrary:: I hope you love it too!

19. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
1010 Category: Youth Fiction (7/10)
375 pages

With so much hype, and a new movie, surrounding this book, I figured I'd better check it out. See what all the fuss is about and decide whether it was worth forking over ten bucks to see the movie.

My opinion: I liked the book. It was fun, engaging, and moved quickly. There was lots of action and numerous funny one-liners, which is always a plus for me. I thought the idea of bringing back the Greek gods was an interesting concept.

However, this is still fairly standard fantasy material. Nobody hero finds out he's part of a prophecy and must go off to save the world, starting with rescuing two magical artifacts. There's the loyal, if someone clumsy, sidekick who's there for comic relief most of the time but every once and a while does something really brave. There's the token strong female character who can do everything except face spiders. The quest was solved and peace restored only for the hero to realize that there is actually a bigger bad guy that was controlling who we originally thought was the big bad guy.

I give the book props for good writing. The characters, though cliche, were humorous and overall I liked the book. I take points away for total lack of originality. This is just standard hero-goes-on-quest-to-save-world material in a different setting. Will I continue reading the series? Yes. It was good enough to go on. Will I go see the movie in theaters? Nope. I don't think this was a good enough book to waste money over.

3 stars.

I've got The Lightning Thief on my TBR ... maybe I need to move this up the ranks a little

For me, it was a nice, "palate cleansing" book to read after the last few more serious ones I've gone through. I'll probably intersperse the books between others. It was still a light, fun read though.

I do the same thing. That's why I keep a bunch of really light reading material on my TBR, so that my brain doesn't explode from too many consecutive serious reading material. Comics work for me too. ;-)

IMHO, The Lightning Thief was the weakest book in the series, which improves from book to book. Just my 2 cents.

>138 alcottacre:: That's good to hear! It's nice to know I have only good things to look forward to!

I'll be moving in a few months so I've been doing some book purging recently. I went through all my books and loaded up into those giant library bags (those super heavy duty ones that can hold about twenty five paperbacks) all the books I no longer plan to read or never plan to reread because I didn't like them much the first time round. I realized that I've developed a lot as a reader over the last few years and I've grown to love books that challenge me more than books that I would just passively read. I've also come to terms with the facts that I should not buy books I know I'll read only once (like bestseller mysteries such as Cornwell or Sandford) and that there are authors I used to love and I don't mind now but I wouldn't consider buying their books anymore. Dean Koontz falls into this category. Mind you, there are still some guilty pleasure books that I'm not quite ready to get rid of and I'll never stop reading some books just for the sake of a good story. I love my science fiction and fantasy, it's just most of it I don't mind getting from a library instead of buying. As a result of this purging, I think I'm taking about 200 books down to the second hand shop tomorrow (it's about seven of those library bags). My shelves look so much tidier now! I can't wait to fill them again!

I love your last sentence. Ain't it the truth?

#140: I can't wait to fill them again!

Part of the fun of book purging! Getting to refill the shelves.

There is something quite liberating about ridding yourself of all the books you know longer want to read, though. It's like literary spring cleaning. I just feel so much better about my whole library now. I feel it definitely represents more of me, if that makes any sense.

And yeah, I do look forward to filling them with books I know I'll love even more than the ones that were previously occupying space :)

The nice thing about giving the books to second hand shops is that you know someone will find a book you have discarded and absolutely love it. Win-win situation for everyone involved.

And what I love is this is a non-profit second hand shop. Everything in there is donations and all the money goes straight back to the community. Everything there is so cheap I can't help but love it. After dropping off my books, I went in a browsed around and came out with five books and about six audiocassettes for only $2.00!

Please tell me this bookshop is FAR from Missouri...

It's in South Dakota (that state rumored to exist south of North Dakota - we don't produce much except faces on rocks :P )

Ah, see, I keep trying to purge my bookshelves, to make more space for all the books piled up on the floor and the table, but every time I do, I always end up putting at least half of them back again!

Re #130, If on a Winter's Night a Traveller... - great review - and I think that it pretty much sums up why I didn't get on with the book - I just got so frustrated with never getting further than the first chapter! I will finish it one day though, I will!

So I realize I've been a little MIA lately In fact, it's been exactly a month since I've even finished a book :( RL had been rough lately. My last semester of undergraduate college is giving me a lot of work to do and I've also been focusing a lot of my health recently. I had a wake up call when I realized that, if I continued to gain weight at the rate I've gained it since I started college, I would weigh about 350 pounds in ten years. That scared the s*** out of me. I've always been overweight, but in the past six years it's spiraled out of control. Lately, I've been putting a lot of time into work so I can afford healthier foods and I've been getting at least an hour of exercise in a day. Both of these have contributed to a rather drastic cut in my reading time (I'm a little behind on my class reading too). I'm close to finishing a couple books and so hopefully I will finish those soon, but my schedule won't really lighten up until mid-May so I probably won't be very active on the site for awhile. But I'm still here and reading away! Don't forget about me!

We won't forget. Concentrate on getting through the semester, and good luck on the weight loss/exercise--that's important too!

You could try what I do for exercise - read while walking on the treadmill...8^}
.

I've tried that but I have to either walk really slow or I fall of the treadmill. I've started the Couch-to-5K program and I'm listening to an audiobook. It's a good substitute :)

Audiobooks sound like a good way forward. Good for you with the weight loss program and hour of exercise a day - I wish I were better at sticking to programs like that, particularly as the more you exercise, the more energy you'll have...

Finally, I finished another book!

20. The PowerBook by Jeanette Winterson
1010 Category: None
289 pages

I'm at a bit of a loss at how to describe this book. It's most definitely not conventional. It's confusing but at the same time, strangely clear. It's without a doubt one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. It's a love story that ends in both a heartbreaking and yet a hopeful manner. It shows the power of stories. It evokes so many different emotions. It's about ambiguous identity and erasing the binary opposition between males and females.

Honestly, the first scene is very...strange. But I hope is doesn't deter anyone from reading this book. I really enjoyed this book and it's going on to my list of memorable reads. It's one of those books that just begs to be reread over and over. I wish I could write a better review for this book but I'm tired so this will have to do for now. I hope I've encouraged someone to try this book out though :)

4 stars!

21. Passing by Nella Larsen
1010 Category: None

I read this about a month ago and I read it fast so I could use it in a paper. It was a good book, but the ending was a little sudden and felt a little out of character. I'm not going to write a full review because I read the book so long ago, but I will give it a solid 3 stars :)

On a happier note, SCHOOL'S OUT!!!

Finally, I can have time to read what I want to read. These past few weeks I think I was studying from when I got up in the morning until I went to bed at night. Blegh...

Hopefully, I'll finish The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles soon (I have about 150 pages left) and then I'll be focusing on The Passage by Justin Cronin (my ER book). I'm still dipping into my collections of short stories and on the backburner, I have Firestarter by Stephen King and Blindness by Jose Saramego. Hopefully I can start getting some books read!

Woot for summer!!

And I forgot to mention:

I'm graduating too!

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations on the graduation! That is so cool.

Congratulations! What an exciting time for you.

You "forgot to mention" graduation??? You should be dancing on the tables!
Congratulations!

Congrats!

Congrats on your graduation!

Thanks for all the congratulations guys! Makes me feel warm and fuzzy :P

22. The Passage by Justin Cronin
1010 Category: Genre Fiction 3/10

This was an ER book and I tried really hard to finish it. But by page 150, I still wasn't hooked. I didn't really care about the characters and the plot was just boring me. I found myself picking the book up just to put it down again. Normally, I would forge ahead for an ER book even though I believe it's perfectly fine to not finish it. One of a book's job is to hook you and draw you in. But I could have handled another 200 pages of a book I wasn't enjoying. But this book was 766 pages long! To have to sit down and read another 600 pages of a book I really didn't like was just too much for me so I'm very sorry but I'm calling it quits now.

From what I've gathered, the book appears to be a zombie book. That doesn't bother me. I read Stephen King (think 'Salem's Lot) and I enjoyed World War Z. I'm a fan of movies like Dawn of the Dead, Resident Evil, and 28 Days Later. But this one didn't catch me. The plot moved sooooo slow and the nuns irritated me. Part of it is just the fact that religious themes in literature in general are just a deal breaker for me. I'm not religious and it's not something I care to read about. Even the mention of God usually annoys me, though as long as it's not a big plot point, I can usually ignore it (and I apologize to all Christians/believers of any religion. I mean no disrespect. This is just my personal view on the subject). But the nuns weren't even very nun-like and all in all (they were surprisingly materialistic), it just wasn't working for me.

I didn't really like Amy either. I can't say she was a Mary Sue, but she seemed headed in that direction (she's six and super wise because she's had a hard life, she can talk to animals, and there's something about her that will save the world according to the dust jacket). I had no desire to keep reading about her or really any of the characters.

I think this book might have been good. I think it had the makings of a good book but it just didn't draw me in and make me feel like I had entered another world. It didn't make me feel special. In fact, it was putting me off of reading altogether so I'm closing the book and calling in good. Mr. Cronin, I'm very sorry.

Since I didn't finish this book, I'm not going to rate it. Who knows, perhaps starting on page 151 the book became a masterpiece...

ETA: I talked to another reader on LT who convinced me to keep giving this book a try. I will continue (hopefully) to read it but I don't suspect I'll finish it any time soon.

So my goal this year was actually to reach 125 books.

...

...

Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen. I'm not sure I'll even make 75. I recently acquired a Wii and a Nintendo DS so those plus working out and playing with my dog and work have cut into my reading time (video games are my other passion in life :P ).

Ah well. I'm still enjoying myself. I'm just reading at a much slower pace now ;-) Now, I'm off to find a book I'll like!

#165: I read Stephen's (Ape's) review and he rather liked that one. Now, I will have to read it just to see whose side I am on. Of course, I have to wait until the local library actually has a copy.

#166: Nothing wrong with re-evaluating your goals in light of changes in your life!

Just popping in to catch up on your thread. Congratulations on graduating and I hope your exercise plan is still working. I've made a dedicated push this year to become healthier and I'm on track to achieve my 6 month goal.
If on a winter's night sounds very intriguing and I'm pushing it up my tbr pile.

Congratulations on graduating - enjoy the summer!

>167 alcottacre:: I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on it! If you live in the US, I'd be willing to send it to you (as long as you don't mind media mail :P ).

>168 avatiakh:: Thanks! I hope you enjoy Calvino! It's one of my favorites!

>169 flissp:: Thank you and I wll!

23. New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess by Lou Schuler
1010 Category: None

Ok, crappy title aside (look like a goddess...seriously?), I really liked this book. It had tons of great information in it about why you might not lose or why you may even gain weight while strength training (though you'll probably lose inches) and I liked that it's finally a program not based on low weights and high repetitions (women are strong too!). There were a few things I was skeptical about, though. He stressed a lot of protein shakes (one after every single workout) and I'm not sure about that. I hear a lot of different things about how much protein you need so I'm just experimenting to see how my body feels with x amount of protein. I thought the workouts looked good, though. I haven't tried them because I'm currently on a program with a trainer but I'm thinking of purchasing the book so I can try them afterwards.

I like most of the recipes included. They're yummy, low calorie, and high in protein so I've been eating them for breakfast which is when I like to have a lot of protein because lunch for me isn't until about 1:30. His oatmeal pancakes keep you full forever>.

So in short, there were things I liked and things I didn't like. It's a health book and with so many out there on the market telling you a million different things, I think it's advantageous to read them but to think for yourself as well. I would recommend this book mostly for the six month program and the recipes. The information is good, but the workouts and the food would make it worth the cost.

4 stars!

Btw, I have a whole slew of health books on the backburner. I love books so when I'm curious about something, I read about it. I want to learn about health and have more knowledge about it, so a lot of upcoming books will probably be health related (I'm still working on my Stephen King though, which is NOT related to health!!!)

We moved recently and for about ten days, I had no internet service whatsoever. Consequently, I finished a lot of books! I don't have time to review them right now (I'm busy catching up on the threads I haven't been reading for the past three months!!!) but I'll hopefully be coming back to give them a proper review in the next few days. I did include some brief thoughts on them though :)

24. Firestarter by Stephen King - Classic King taking on the government conspiracy idea. Recommended if you like King's work, but I didn't find it as scary as his other books.

25. Winning by Losing: Drop the Weight, Change Your Life by Jillian Michaels - same old same old. Tackles the emotional aspect of overeating and has a nice guide to the weight room but really isn't anything special.

26. Smoke & Mirrors by Neil Gaiman - positively delightful! Loved "Troll Bridge" (which made me cry), "Murder Mysteries" (a completely different take on the biblical creation story), and "Snow, Glass, Apples" (the stepmother is good, Snow White is evil, and Prince Charming is a necrophiliac!). Highly recommended.

27. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami - a beautifully written story that raises tons of questions and answers none. Recommended but don't expect any form of closure with this one.

Now, back to all those threads!

24. Firestarter by Stephen King
1010 Category: Genre Fiction (4/10)

When Andy was in college, he participated in an experiment in which he allowed himself to be place under the influence of a hallucinatory drug: Lot Six. What he wasn't told was those drugs would influence his being on the cellular and chromosomal level, giving him powers. Powers that others want to both use and study. What he also didn't know is that his daughter, Charlie, would also inherit his powers, but in the form of pyrokinesis. Now they're on the run from the Shop, a government organization out to get Charlie and harness her fire starting ability.

I liked this book. I don't think it was King's best and it certainly won't be going on to any of my lists of favorites or top reads of the year, but it passed the time and made my heart race at the more suspenseful parts so I'm satisfied. I thought the book got just a tiny bit redundant after awhile (wait, you mean they're still running? Again? Shock!) but some parts of the book were just brilliant. I thought the scene in which you see the experiment through Andy's eyes was just chilling. That was, far and above, the best part of the book for me. I thought their capture was good part of the book as well, but it didn't hold up to the experiment scene at all.

I recommend this book if you're already a fan of Stephen King (or the thriller genre - I wouldn't call this horror because it's not really scary) but otherwise, you probably won't be missing much by not reading this one. King has so many better books out. Read those instead.

3 stars.

25. Winning By Losing: Drop the Weight, Change Your Life by Jillian Michaels
1010 Category: None

I love The Biggest Loser. It's one of those shows I watch religiously, so I decided to try one of the trainer's first book. Michaels does a good job of addressing the different issues of weight loss (your mentality, your nutrition, and your exercise regime). I really did like the section about making sure your mentally prepared for what's ahead and that you know your worth it. There was a nice description of a lot of exercises in the back of the book which detailed how to do each one and what muscle groups are worked. But that's about it. The rest of the book is the same stuff you find in every exercise book. I wouldn't say this book is worth buying. It's not a bad read. It had useful information but nothing you couldn't find by searching the Internet for free.

3 stars.

Found your thread Rebecca. No connection for 10 days! What a nightmare! I had similar problems a couple years ago when a wind storm knocked our power out for a week. NOT fun.

Glad to have you back!

Nice to see you back posting again!

>176 London_StJ: and 177: It's good to be back!!! I missed it here!

26. Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
1010 Category: Collections of Short Stories (1/10)

I loved this book! My relationship with Gaiman to this point hasn't been the best. Having only read Stardust and Coraline (and not loving either), I was tentative to dive into an entire collection of his short stories. But I'm glad I did. Smoke and Mirrors allowed me to see a wide variety of Gaiman's styles and while there were stories in here I didn't really care for too much, they were the exception, not the rule. Most of the stories were absolutely brilliant!

My favorites were "Troll Bridge", "Murder Mysteries" and "Snow, Glass, Apples". "Troll Bridge" is about a boy who accidentally wanders upon a troll and for the remainder of the story, he must continually try to keep his life from being eaten. This was the saddest story in the entire collection. I read it multiple times before I'd even finished the book. "Murder Mysteries" is an interesting take on the biblical creation story. It paints Lucifer in a gentler light (actually, he comes across as the true victim of the story). It's one of the longer stories in the book but it's worth it. "Snow, Glass, Apples" is another look on the faerie tale of Snow White, this time portraying Snow White as the evil one and the evil stepmother as the protagonist. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at the original tale in quite the same way...

I highly, highly recommend this collection. It doesn't take a big commitment to read. The stories are quick and they fly by. You're done before you know it. But each story leaves its own mark that I don't think will be forgotten for quite awhile.

5 stars!

#178: I will have to look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Rebecca!

I read Gaiman's short story collection Fragile Things last year which was quite good, but I've heard that Smoke and Mirrors is better, so I should try it. You should try his American Gods, I've just finished that and thought it was excellent. It's quite different to Stardust and Coraline.

>178 RebeccaAnn: You know, I had been planning to take a good long break from Gaiman after my experience with American Gods, but you make that book sound so appealing....

Great goal and an inspiration. I need a small success. I was given three books in the last three weeks Gould's Book of Fish, Mariner's Compass and Oh, That You Would Bless Me, Indeed but . . . Who the Heck Are You?!. My goal is to complete them in the next three months.

Hi, RebeccaAnn...

I'm new to your thread, but I'm trying to meet up with more 75-bookers. I'm glad I came by here! Way back in your thread you reviewed If on a Winter's Night a Traveler and it sounds fascinating. I'm going to have to go find a copy!

Karen O.

>180 avatiakh:: I own American Gods (and Neverwhere and Anansi Boys) but I'm in the middle of ILLing the Sandman series (the second volume is in - hopefully they'll send the first sometime soon...). After I finish what's out in the series so far, I plan on reading American Gods. Hopefully I can finish most of Gaiman's books before summer ends (and school begins o.O )

>181 _Zoe_:: Nothing like a good temptation :P

>182 nzinga:: You can do it! I haven't heard of any of those books so I'd be interested in hearing what you think of them.

>183 klobrien2:: Nice to meet you! I hope you enjoy Calvino. That's my favorite book of the year so far!

27. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
1010 Category: Postmodern Literature (4/10)

I'm going to put a disclaimer right at the top of this review: I don't think I comprehended half of what was in this book. Everything from here on out is based on what I know (or what I think I know).

This book was amazing. What begins as a silly mystery to find a pet cat evolves into a tale of love, devotion, betrayal, hurt, comfort, life, death, desperation, hope, good and evil. It took me a good five months to work my way completely through this book because at so many points, I would have to stop and reread a section again. Normally, this would piss me off but for Murakimi, I didn't mind. I loved going back and making new connections or witnessing new themes. With the introduction of each new character, a new layer of mystery shrouds the story but at the same time, a veil is lifted and answers are discovered.

Murakami's prose is brilliant as well. He somehow manages to stay oddly distant from his characters yet also incredibly intimate. For example, the reader only knows May Kasahara through Toru. They interact a lot in the beginning of the book and then we are privy to her letters near the end. Even though we don't know much about her, a sense of loneliness and a strong desire for friendship just radiates off of her and I felt like I connected with more than any other character in the book. I don't know much about her, but I finished the book considering her a friend.

I don't know what really happened in the book. Murakami twists reality and makes everything a dream. Through Toru we experience fantastic and horrifying things that may or may not have happened. Some things made sense, like Kumiko's adultery. Other things, like psychic prostitution, did not. I can't tell if the book is magical realism or if we're also experiencing Toru's imagination along with the actual events of the story. All I know is I loved this book and I have every intention of making this one a regular reread and devouring as much Murakami as I can get my hands on.

5 stars!

Wow! I was planning to read this book anyway, but now I really can't wait.

I really liked that one when I read it earlier this year, Rebecca! I am glad you enjoyed it as well.

#185 Already on the wishlist but I should probably bump it up now! Great review!

I seem to have reached the jackpot of amazing books recently!

28. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
1010 Category: Youth Fiction (8/10)

I don't even know how to begin describing this book. A basic summary: a small boy (Nobody Owens) is raised in a graveyard by the local dead community after his family is brutally murdered. I expected to like the book. I've liked everything I've read by Gaiman (some more than others). I didn't, however, expect to love it. I didn't expect to be on the edge of my seat with anticipation when Nobody was captured by the ghouls. I didn't expect to simultaneously laugh in delight and feel extremely jealous when the living and the dead danced the Macabray together and I wasn't able to join in. And I most definitely didn't expect to bawl like crazy during the last chapter. But I did. I'm not going to say much more than that because I don't think anything I wrote could do this book justice. I loved it. It resonated with me and touched me on an emotional level and I count it amongst the few perfect books I've read in my lifetime.

Highly, highly recommended.

5 stars!

#189: The Graveyard Book was the first Neil Gaiman book I ever read and I loved it. I am glad you enjoyed it too, Rebecca!

I knew my streak of good books was just too good to be true :(

29. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1010 Category: Dystopian Literature (1/10)

My God, what a bore! I've been trying to get through this book for a couple months now and I'm finally calling it quits. From the amount of good reviews this book has gotten, it appears I'm in the minority when I say I think watching paint dry might be more entertaining. I was listening to this on audiobook and every time I put it on, I found myself wanting to take it off five minutes later. I can see why this book attained "classic" status. It had some interesting takes on where consumerism and genetic modification are heading but the book was just missing...something. I'm not exactly sure what that something even was. Sympathetic characters? A viable plot? A protagonist? A world I could dive into and just get lost in? I feel as if these books achieved these points, but only to the halfway point. I see the hints of all these points which for me are absolute necessities for a good book but it just didn't actually have them. I didn't like the world. John annoyed me. So did everyone else. The plot was too slow. The whole thing was just one big mess of a book.

So in short, I guess I understand why this book is considered good but for me, it just didn't make the cut. And I found out from a friend how it ends. Very anti-climatic. I have no desire whatsoever to finish this book so I'm declaring it abandoned.

2 stars.

Sorry you didn't like Brave New World! It's one of my faves.

Too bad, Brave New World is one of my favorite books this year. The beginning is dreadfully boring, all the talk about the factory and whatnot? I can understand hating that part, I hated it too, but once the story got rolling I really liked it.

I hope you like your next read better! :)

>I quit reading (listening, I guess, since it was an audiobook) right after John's mom (I think her name was Linda) finally died and all the little kids were there to experience her death. I think if I was going to find it interesting, I would have by then. Oh well, to each their own. Life would be dreadfully boring if we all liked the exact same books :)

Better luck with your next read, Rebecca!

Hallo Rebecca! ...I'm finally caught up... I hope your move went well, despite lack of internet?

#178 - 189 So pleased Neil Gaiman has been a bit rehabilitated in your eyes! I'll agree that Stardust isn't his best (although it improved on me when I re-read it). May I recommend Neverwhere ahead of American Gods? Personally, I loved both, but I know that American Gods has been one of those books where people seem to either really love it or hate it... The one thing you can say about Neil Gaiman is that he chops and changes a lot - I don't think any of his books are truly similar to each other - it's one of the reasons I enjoy him so much.

#185 The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is one of the books I've started, but realised it was going to take more concentration than I had time for and consequently put by for a while - I really must start it again some time soon. I haven't read very much by Haruki Murakami, but what I have, I've really been struck by (have you read After Dark?)...

#191 Sorry you hated Brave New World - it made a big impact on me (along with 1984 and Lord of the Flies) when I read it when I was at school... But as you say, to each his own!

>195 alcottacre:: Thanks! My next book will probably be Perdido Street Station by China Mieville and I am definitely enjoying it!

>196 flissp::The move went well and we got the internet back up on Monday (very exciting!). Neverwhere, American Gods, Anansi Boys, and the Sandman graphic novels are all in my current TBR stack and should get read in the next month or so. Gaiman is definitely being rehabilitated in my eyes :P By then end of the summer, I should have read a good majority of his works!

I do own After Dark, but I think I'm going to take a break from Murakami. I'll be a grad student in the fall and I've seen a third of my reading list so far and I can already tell you it's going to be a busy semester and most of my reading is going to be for academic purposes. Since Murakami is a postmodern writer and I'll be (hopefully) focusing on postmodernism for my master's thesis, I think I want to spend the summer just reading fun books and not trying to read anything too serious. The next two years of my life are going to be devoted to my studies and I want to savor my last summer of freedom. Also, that way, when school rolls around, I'm all ready for some heavy reading (I just found out a week ago that for my American Romanticism class, Moby Dick is just one of seven books we have to read. I don't about you, but I think I could make Moby Dick last one whole semester all by itself o.O)

I also wanted to make my way through a good portion of China Mieville's and Diana Wynne Jones's works as well. Looks like I'll just be hitting up all the UK fantasy authors this summer :P

Yay for Gaiman rehabilitation! Re the Sandman comics, I'll add that they definitely get better as they go along (with one or two lower points - not low, just lower) - I think my favourites are the last three collections (World's End, The Kindly Ones and The Wake).

I can sympathise with not reading more Murakami immediately (although I will add that After Dark is quite short ;o))! ...and I definitely sympathise with having a nice easy going summer with two years of hard graft lined up! I'd be interested to see your reading list, will you share it with us? I've never read Moby Dick, but I have heard it's quite heavy going?

Obviously non-stop Diana Wynne Jones this summer is the way forward - I suppose some China Mieville can be allowed too, just so you don't burn yourself out mind... ;o)

So far, my reading list for next semester is:

* Margaret Fuller - Summer on the Lakes, in 1843
* Nathaniel Hawthorne - The Blithedale Romance
* Nathaniel Hawthorne - The Marble Faun
* Rebecca Harding Davis - Life in the Iron Mills
* Herman Melville - Moby-Dick

I also have two textbooks for this class that are more less anthologies of essays and literary criticism. The class is an American Romanticism class and looks like it will be focusing on the era of the transcendentalists.

The other two classes I'm taking are Literary Criticism (which I'm extremely excited for - I love theory!!!) and Medieval Studies: Dream Vision which looks like it will focus on the era of Dante, the Gawain poet, Chaucer, Julian of Norwich, William Langland, etc etc. The descriptions for every class say I'll be writing two long papers (length not given), taking several exams, doing in class writing and participation, and other fun stuff :(

On top of all that, I accepted a TA position so I'll actually be teaching at my university as well. It'll just be lower level English courses for incoming freshmen but still. I will have one heck of busy semester. I don't know when I'm supposed to start my master's thesis either.

Gah! Just thinking about it all makes me want to go back to bed. Oh well, such is life.

As far as DWJ goes, I'm trying to finish the books I have checked out from the library right now before I check out any more (I'm already going to have renew a bunch because I'm reading too damn slow!). So I only have five China Mieville books and at least the first two volumes of Gaiman's Sandman series to go. I probably won't get to start on DWJ for another month. Sad day... :(

30. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
1010 Category: Genre Fiction - Steampunk (5/10)

I found this book to be very entertaining. It had everything I look for in a book. Fantastic but believable characters? Check. A genius plot that's grand in scope? Check. Bad guys that give you the creeps? Check. A supremely original idea? Check check check!!!

Mieville's world is extraordinary. New Crobuzan, with it's twisted alleys, frightening underground, and multitude of different species is enough to set anyone's imagination awhirl. His descriptions are vivid, visceral, and poetic. My favorite one occurred when Mieville describes soldiers sliding down a rope from airship. His words are "Dark figures slid expertly, at breakneck speed, the length of the cords. They came in a constant quick drip. They looked like glutinous clots dribbling down the entrails of the disembowelled airships." Perhaps it's just me, but I found I couldn't get enough of this kind of prose. I actually marked this page on my read through and kept going back to it. The image was just so vivid in my mind. I loved it!

The story itself was beyond original. What seems like a silly premise (an experiment to discover what a mysterious caterpillar that only eats a hallucinogenic drug will eventually turn into) becomes a crazy plot suitable to a horror novel. And within Mieville's world, it's all believable. Not many authors could pull that one off.

His characters were all very real too. At times I loved them and at times I hated them. They were brave but they were cowards. They were loyal and yet the betrayed too. They acted how I believe ordinary people placed in extreme circumstances would act.

Unfortunately, I can't call this a perfect book. The ending left something to be desired in my opinion (the climax was not climatic and I wanted to know more about Yagharek and what will happen to him - hopefully he will appear in later books). And as much as I usually don't like them, this is I book I think could have really benefited from a map. Mieville's imagination is way beyond me and I kept forgetting what each place was and where was within the city.

My last complaint lies in the science of crisis and the magic of thaumaturgy. There was a little bit too much uncomprehendible detail on the first and not nearly enough on the second. I didn't understand anything dealing with crisis but I remained curious about what exactly thaumaturgy was. Hopefully this will also be addressed in the subsequent books.

I don't really feel my review does this book justice so I would just recommend going out and reading it yourself.

4.5 stars!

ETA: It's just been pointed out to me that there was, in fact, a map at the very beginning. I was just too silly to see it...

#200: I would just recommend going out and reading it yourself.

I have tried - 3 times! I cannot make it past the first 50 pages. I have decided the book is just not for me. I am glad you enjoyed it though, Rebecca.

>201 alcottacre:: Fourth times a charm? :P

Nah, I could see how you could be turned off at the beginning of the book. I think you're a good 150 to 200 pages in before any semblance of the overall plot begins. Before that point, if you're not intrigued by the world or the characters (all of which are more than a bit confusing and never really explained), it would be almost impossible to continue.

You can't say you didn't give him a shot though :P

#202: True! And I did make it through his The City and the City, although just barely.

I have his Un Lun Dun here to read some time as well.

>203 alcottacre:: I have The City and the City and Un Lun Dun checked out from the library, but I think I'm going to finish the Bas-Lag books first (I have The Scar and Iron Council left). How was The City and the City? I've read about the premise and it seems a bit...unbelievable. Not that Perdido Street Station was much better, mind you :P

The City and the City is much more to my taste, sort of a hark back to Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, with its shades of noir. My biggest problem with the book was the (to me) excessive use of the 'f' word.

I've heard it's similar to hard boiled detective fiction with a weird, two cities occupying the same space thing. I'm excited to see how it plays out. As for the f-word, I'm not too fond of it either. I can handle it, but for I always feel like it actually detracts from a story. I understand that it's part of the character and the environment, but for me, a lot of swearing in a book always jolts me out of the story. I don't quite understand it myself, especially since I know I don't have the cleanest mouth, but it is what it is, I guess.

#206: The use of the F word detracted me from the story, I know that. I understand its use in war books and I forgive it a lot more in that context, but in regular fiction books I really have a problem with its overuse. On occasion, OK, but not several times a page.

...but not several times a page.

I agree. It's a bit much. Of course, I haven't read the book yet but I have a feeling that's going to be an annoyance factor with me. Oh well. Hopefully the rest of the book is good :P

31. The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
1010 Category: Genre Fiction - Fantasy/Horror (6/10)

I can tell I'm going to like this series. I loved this book!

The stories were wonderful. I don't know what I was expecting from this. I've read some Gaiman before and I had him categorized in my mind as a kind of a fantasy and horror-lite author. Some of his works are creepy but I read a lot of horror and Gaiman doesn't scare me. Or at least, he didn't. Preludes and Nocturnes is a whole different ballgame. The story "24 Hours" scared the piss out of me. That is far and above one of the creepiest stories I've ever read in my life.

All the stories were different, but there was the underlying theme of horror and loneliness within each. "Sleep of the Just" set the mood perfectly for the rest of the book. "Imperfect Hosts" had a very twisted sort of humor. "A Hope in Hell", with Dream's trip to Hell to reclaim his helmet, was one of my favorites. I loved Dream's "duel" with the demon. "The Sound of Her Wings" was pure perfection and served as the perfect wrap-up to the book. It's a bit ironic that it was Death who lightened the mood at the very end. The interaction between Death and her little brother Dream was hilarious!

The artwork was amazing as well. I don't think this book would have been half as good without the artists and the colorists. Normally when I'm reading a graphic novel, I have a bad habit of skimming the pictures and focusing more on the words. Not so in this book. Words and pictures alike were studied intensely.

This was excellent and a true work of genius. I cannot wait to dig in to the next volume.

5 stars!

Hi Rebecca - really glad you enjoyed the Mieville :-) Strangely, my copy did have a map in the front and I had to flick back to it every few pages to see where the story was. What would have been really helpful is a separate pull-out map to refer to! Maybe in a future deluxe edition of the book.

I now have every other book by Mieville quite high up on my list of books to check out of the library at some point. I haven't read any others by him but I think the other books in the Bas-Lag trilogy don't feature the same characters so sadly I think that may be the last we see of Yagharek.

#209 And I agree completely with your thoughts about Preludes and Nocturnes too :-) I don't read a lot of horror but 24 Hours scared me something silly. I've been told that the other books in the Sandman series are more like the last story so I think I'll try them otherwise I would just be too scared!

>210 souloftherose:: Out of curiosity, I had to go back to my copy of PSS (or the library's, I guess) to double-check the map thing. Sure enough, there it is, right after the dedication page and right before the first page of the story.

*headslap*

Doh! I feel a little bit "special" right now... :P

32. The Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman
1010 Category: Genre Fiction - Fantasy/Horror (7/10)

Still good, but it didn't quite reach the level of genius as the first volume.

The underlying story of this graphic novel is a girl name Rose is the vortex of her era. If she remains alive, the world will be destroyed. It is the only time Dream can take a human life and he intends to do it. Subsequent stories include a couple that has been pregnant for years, an abused boy locked in the cellar, and a convention for serial killers who like to "collect".

My favorite stories, "Tales in the Sand" and "Men of Good Fortune", were actually the two that had the least to do with the main plot of the book. Rather, they offered a glimpse into the past of Dream. They showed Dream's desire for companionship and the loneliness he must suffer. I was touched emotionally by those stories more than any other. The other stories were good but they focused more on Rose and, in comparison to Dream, Rose's life is so ordinary that I couldn't help but be more drawn to Dream's mysteriousness.

While this volume doesn't meet the standards set by the first in the series, it's still terrific and it still held me in thrall all the way through. Highly recommended.

4 stars!

Playing "catch up" here and delurking to say I loved what you said upthread about Wind Up Bird Chronicle. I've only read Norwegian Wood by Murakami so far. I have Wind Up Bird on the tottering TBR tower and have been avoiding it because I was afraid of its complexity. It's good to know that it can be so loved despite the lack of understanding it. Thanks for the encouragement!

Glad you're enjoying Sandman!

#205 It's funny you say that, because I really didn't notice the overuse of the "f-word" when I was reading The City and The City - how strange! Clearly I just blank it out ;o)

#204 Re The City and The City, yes, the concept is a bit hard to believe in, but I think it does work - it brings up all sorts of interesting issues about how much we just do what we are expected to do. It probably helps that you know about it in advance as I was very confused initially!

I really enjoyed Un Lun Dun when I got in to it, but it also took me being in the right frame of mind - The City and The City also took a while to get going for me (and, despite reading very little crime fiction, I love Dashiel Hammet, so it wasn't the genre). It sounds to me as though Perdido Street Station might be similar in that sense (slow start)? I shall definitely bear it in mind, but I've got another couple of his books to get through first...

>213 Donna828:: I'm slowing forming a pile of books that are going to be rereads and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle definitely made that list! I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it!

>214 flissp:: Perdido had a really weird start. I was interested in the events, but it just didn't seem like a real story at first. It just seemed like a mass conglomerate of events. They were interesting but didn't really seem like they were going to form any sort of plot any time soon. And then the damn caterpillar hatches from its cocoon and all hell breaks loose and from that point, there is a very distinct story. It's a little hard to explain it, but maybe he did the same in some of his other books?

I think I even remarked to my roommate at one point that "I have no idea why I can't put this down. Nothing's happening. There's no real plot yet. But for some reason, I find myself wanting to know more."

#215 OK, now I'm just extremely intrigued. Maybe I should go and get it after all... ...no No NO! I must read the other two first!!

33. Horns by Joe Hill
1010 Category: Genre Fiction - Horror (8/10)

I'll admit right off the bat that Joe Hill isn't my favorite horror author. I read Heart Shaped Box and thought that was a pretty good book. I haven't read 20th Century Ghosts yet so I can't comment on that. What I can say, though, is that his newest novel fell far short of the bar set by his first.

The premise is interesting. Hill managed to successfully make the devil a sympathetic character. But while I sympathized, I never really found myself caring too much. I thought the characters were kind of standard. A guy gets the quirky, beautiful girl and another guy is jealous for years until he eventually kills her and frames her boyfriend. There were a few twists near the end I didn't expect but all in all, nothing surprised me too much. I had called the killer somewhere around page 15.

The book wasn't scary, either. I read it at two o'clock in the morning with all the lights off except my booklight and wasn't worried a bit about what might be lurking just outside my bubble of light. I don't know if it was intended to be scary, but I certainly hope not. There were parts that were a bit disturbing (the descriptions of the killer torturing his dying mother, for example) but I felt like Hill was more trying to gross out the reader than scare them.

I would count this as a "potato chip" book. It's not really that great, and it's probably not that great for you, but it's not too hard to keep reading until the end. It's fairly mindless entertainment. I finished it in two days. I do feel like reading some more serious literature now that I'm done with this one though in hopes of regaining some lost brain cells.

Recommended for die hard fans of horror. If that's not you, you could probably skip this book.

3.5 stars.

I've been wanting to read Horns. Hmmm, I think I'll keep it on my wishlist...but maybe knock it down a few notches...

>218 Ape:: I wasn't too impressed with it. It was an ok story but it just didn't grab me like Heart Shaped Box did.

Interesting. I thought the opposite. Heart Shaped Box was a solid novel for a debut, but Horns knocked my socks off. I thought it had solid characters paired with great story telling. The horns and the power given to the main character(or curse depending on how you want to look at it) had a comic book feel, but it kept me entertained the whole way through.

I quite enjoyed it.

#217: I do not read horror, so I think I will be skipping that one!

I enjoy horror fiction and just recently got a copy of Heart Shaped Box. I guess I've been living under a rock, but I didn't know about Joe Hill until a couple of weeks ago. I'm a big Stephen King fan, an attitude that can practically get you banned in some circles here on LT. Too bad.

Rebecca, I see that you're also a lit major, which I was as well for about 10 years (part-time, getting my BA and MA, concentrating on American lit). I found King's books to be well-written and also a welcome relief from required reads like (shudder) Tristam Shandy. Don't get me wrong, I loved my classes, but it was also during that time that I read a lot of King.

>220 Huge_Horror_Fan:: I thought the premise was interesting but it just never pulled me in the way Heart Shaped Box did. I did, however, think Horns had a much stronger ending than Heart Shaped Box. I liked that, overall, it was happy, but at the same time it was really sad. See, now I want to reread it to see if I missed something. Grr...:P

>221 alcottacre:: I have some non-horror books coming up soon so hopefully I can hook you in with those!

>222 labwriter:: I love Stephen King! Any circle that bans King isn't one worth being in ;-) I tend to gorge myself in between semesters and during the summer on "potato chip" books. I've been reading a lot of Gaiman, King, Mieville, and Hill lately. I checked out Breathless by Dean Koontz from the library but I'm thinking about returning it unread. Koontz is an author I've kind of fallen out of love with and I just don't feel the desire to read his books right now.

I did, however, start Emma by Jane Austen and The Floating Opera by John Barth, as well as joined a Proust group read for July, so I can still feel smart :P I agree with you last statement though. I love my classes too but sometimes it's just nice to read a book for the sake of good story.

See, all this talk about Heart Shaped Box just makes me think of Nirvana ;o)

It's the reverse for me. I hear the song and always think "This is nothing like the book" :P

Edited because it's think, not thing.

hee hee

223> I am halfway through Breathless by Koontz and I think you should follow your instinct: return the darn thing. I am going to finish it because I have bared with it this long, but it is awful if you compare it to his earlier novels.

>227 Huge_Horror_Fan:: I used to really like Koontz but it seems like every book I've read lately by him as been complete and utter trash (Relentless is at the top of the trash heap). I think he's just one of those authors I used to like but no longer care for. Oh well, it happens...

I see you've been reading lots of Gaiman! I'm plowing through American Gods at the moment, but the process has been long...and tedious. But it looks like he has plenty of other books to enjoy. I really liked your review of The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes. Thanks for the recommendation!

34. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
1010 Category: Youth Fiction (9/10)

A good second installment on a decent young adult fantasy series. I listed to this on audiobook and it did a good job of making meaningless tasks just fly by. I will warn those who want this in audiobook: the narrator does fine when voicing Percy or Annabeth, but everyone else is just annoying. Luke, Grover, and Tyson especially grated on my nerves.

Honestly, there's just not much to comment on. They went on a quest to save Grover. Everyone lived. End of story. I felt this one lacked a little bit in the humor department, but it was still ok. I plan to keep listening to the rest of the series so this book didn't turn me off or anything. There was a nice twist at the end that I'm interested in seeing resolved in future installments, but that's about it. I hope to start the next book soon.

3.5 stars.

Just finished Emma by Jane Austen. I hope to have a review up soon!

Oops. Double post :(

Good to see you back on LT! Should have been a quiet time school wise, so hope you've been having a good vacation!

#231 Emma's one of my least favourite Austen novels although it still ranks pretty high overall. Will look forward to your thoughts.

Oh, I loved Emma, so I too will be looking forward to what you have to say.

Emma fell in the middle for me...not up there with Pride and Prejudice but better than Sense and Sensibility. I think it's interesting to read the relative ranking of her books by those who enjoy them.

I apologize in advance for the long review. There’s just so much to say!

35. Emma by Jane Austen
1010 Category: None

This novel has kind of a bad rep amongst Austen fans. Though I haven't seen any statistics, I would hazard a guess that this book and Mansfield Park are probably tied for least favorite Austen book ever. I don't agree with these statements. I love Emma!

Emma Woodhouse is a big fish in a small pond. She's good at everything she tries, she's beautiful, she's charming, she's very smart as well as very rich. She fancies herself the source of many marriages. She wants for nothing. She desires no man, preferring to take care of her father rather than search for a husband for herself. This sets her apart from all of Austen's other heroines (whose sole purpose of their respective book seems to be securing an advantageous marriage both in fortune and in love). Though she’s usually polite, Emma is a snob. Her natural privileges in life lead her to believe she can set up and arrange her friends like chess pieces in her game of matchmaking and it’s this sense of superiority that is the root of so much misfortune in this book. In that sense, Emma could be considered to be both the protagonist and the antagonist of her own novel.

I love this novel for several reasons. I feel of all Austen’s heroines, Emma is the most flawed. She hurts people many times over throughout the book, albeit unintentionally. Her matchmaking attempts hurt Miss Smith, Mr. Knightley, Mr. Churchill, and Miss Fairfax. Her snobbery and gossipy nature leads her to potentially ruin Miss Fairfax’s reputation and to insult Miss Bates in a very hurtful manner. But the thing is, no matter how much Emma screws up, she never means to hurt anyone. All her intentions are good. It’s her methods and her inability to really consider anyone’s feelings but her own that make her so unlikable. I felt like Emma was playing tug of war with my heartstrings all the way through. Half the time I loved her and found her spunky nature irresistible and the other half of the time I wanted to slap her silly.

It’s because of her flaws, though, that I think the ending of this book is so poignant. After she insults Miss Bates, Emma has to really consider her nature and how she really isn’t as good a person as she had originally thought. Speaking from experience, that is a hell of a bitter pill to swallow and I think the fact that Emma can overcome that makes her so much more admirable. She hit rock bottom in the eyes of those she loves and she managed to come out of the other side a stronger person with much better morals. That takes a lot of bravery and that’s the primary reason I love this book.

This book also has some of the best characters in Austen canon (in my opinion). Mr. Woodhouse cracks me up every time he says something. Mrs. Elton, as well, I find simply hilarious. She’s the woman who thinks she so much better than every one else that you want to be around her just to see how she’ll embarrass herself next. And Miss Bates is probably one of the most annoying yet sympathetic characters ever. I feel for her and her lack of luck as far as her fortune goes, but her ability to ramble on and on made me groan every time she opened her mouth.

And the layers that are present in this story! Every time I read it, I find new things to admire. Austen truly was at her literary best when she wrote this. It’s amazing to sit there and reread a scene, trying to see it from the eyes of every character present. Every single time I do this, I see another meaning to the words. There are hidden meanings and double meanings to everything. I don’t know how Austen did it, but the fact that she did makes this quite possibly one of my favorite books to reread.

It’s true that as far as action goes, not much happens. They wander around Highbury a lot and that’s about it. It’s primarily driven by dialogue so I understand why a lot of people don’t like it. But this is still one of my favorite books of all time. I love everything about this book, especially the mischievous, playful, beautiful Emma Woodhouse.

5 stars!

>236 TadAD:: I love Emma. It's one of my favorite books ever! You'll have a chance to see how it ranks among Austen's other books because I'm hoping to read one Austen per week (so I can finish them all before school starts). Sense and Sensibility will actually be the next one I read. I'm about six chapters in at the moment.

How great to see a long, thoughtful review of such a famous book. I like Emma, too, and think maybe some of those who say they hate Austen on the basis of P&P should try this one before they make a final decision. Thumbs up from me.

Thank you for the compliment! It's always wonderful to meet other people who love Emma as well. We seem to be few and far between :P

I'm another Emma lover! Great review!

Mansfield Park is the last of Austen's novels I have to read and I've heard not so great things about it too, but I hope it will be like Emma and just under appreciated.

What a wonderful, wonderful review! I read Pride and Prejudice last week. While I saw the pbs, or perhaps it was masterpiece theatre production of Emma, I've never read the book. Your review prompts me to do so.

#237 Great review! It's my least favourite Austen but still a fantastic book. I really like all the others Austen wrote and would be hard pressed to put the rest in order except for Persuasion which I love so much.

Hope you enjoy Sense and Sensibility. There was a really good film with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet some years ago (although it should be watched after finishing the book, films are never quite as good as the originals).

I also love Emma, but Persuasion (and then Pride and Prejudice) will, forever be my favourite(s).

I've actually not come across many people who don't like Emma - I think there are probably more who don't rate Sense and Sensibility particularly highly. Not me (although, to be honest, I've read everything she's written and there isn't one thing I didn't like) - it's the relationship between Eleanor and Marianne that makes it for me - I hope you enjoy it - there are flaws, but there are also wonderful moments (and I agree with Heather/souloftherose, the Emma Thompson film is wonderful - and, shock horror, I actually like the alterations they made as it improves the weak parts of the book!

Great review (will thumb it in a minute). I completely agree with you that Emma herself is such a great character precisely because she is flawed, but I would argue with "This sets her apart from all of Austen's other heroines (whose sole purpose of their respective book seems to be securing an advantageous marriage both in fortune and in love)" - I don't think that Fanny Price in Mansfield Park is looking for a husband - she loves her cousin, but is resigned to a life looking after her aunt. I'm not sure that I would say that Anne Eliot actively looks for a husband either.

The reason Emma doesn't have marriage as a goal in her life is that she doesn't need to - she has a healthy income and will be able to support herself in life whether she marries or not. Lizzie Bennet (and family!), Eleanor Dashwood and Catharine Moorland can none of them look forward to supporting themselves comfortably on their future incomes. Their only option, to avoid penury and degradation is to marry - and hopefully marry well. Which is one of the reasons why the characters of Charlotte Lucas and Miss Bates are so wonderful. Charlotte Lucus, because she does what has to be done - bringing the real world home to Lizzie and into Pride and Prejudice and Miss Bates because, well, she's just fantastic - easily my favourite character in Emma (although Mrs Elton, I agree, is also wonderful). Both demonstrate just how aware Jane Austen was of her own precarious position.

>241 RosyLibrarian:: Mansfield Park is my least favorite of all the Austen's I've read (I haven't read Sense and Sensibility or her lesser works like Lady Susan or the unfinished Sandition). I'm reading and rereading all her books this summer so that might change. A reread of Mansfield Park might be just what's needed to see the good points of it :P

>242 Whisper1:: Thanks and I hope you really like it too!

>243 souloftherose:: I haven't seen the movie yet but I have it saved to my Netflix queue (it's available instantly) and will probably watch it, as well as a couple other versions if possible, after I finish the book.

>244 flissp:: Wow, thanks for all the insight! I have to go to work in a minute but as soon as I get back I will properly respond to it :)

Hi RebeccaAnn, I know, I'm an interloper here but just catching up a bit on many threads.
I was crushed to see Brave New World got 2 stars from you, it's on my Tipping Tower of Tomes and I had high hopes for it, it'll be a long while before I actually get around to read it.
I like that you've included your assigned reading for your courses. I miss college and so enjoyed the mix of ideas during a good lecture.
Lastly, I hope you do give MP a reread some day, it is my absolute, hands down favorite Austen. But S&S and P&P are right up there too.

#245 I agree with you on Mansfield Park - for a long time it was the only one I'd only read once, but I did re-read it a few years ago and you're absolutely right, it did improve for me. Still my least liked but there are definitely good bits to it. I'm planning to read it again at some point this year myself - maybe we should do a group read?

...btw, have I missed a new thread?

No you haven't. My reading has just slowed down a lot. I'm preparing for graduate school (I'm taking four classes, teaching classes, AND doing administration work so preparation has taken over my life). I'm about halfway through four books so hopefully I'll be finishing one of them soon :P That will be the start of my next thread :)

#248: Sounds like you are very busy these days, Rebecca! Just post when you can so we know you are alive and kicking :)

Wow, yes - amazed you're able to fit anything else in! Hope it's all going well!

Hey guys! Here is the link to my new thread. Hope to see you all over there!