kaylaraeintheway reads ALL THE THINGS!

Welcome to my Club Read 2014 journal! I have no idea how I'm going to organize this...I'll figure it out as I go.

I'll be talking about the books I'm reading for my LT challenges and LT Early Reviewers, as well as the stuff I'm reading for school. I also subscribe to Vogue, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, and W magazines, so if an article or photo spread catches my eye, I'll probably mention it on here, too.

Sounds like a plan :)

Currently Reading:

Cress by Marissa Meyer
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 12: The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket
Constructive Wallowing: How to Beat Bad Feelings by Letting Yourself Have Them by Tina Gilbertson (ER book)

Books Read So Far...

1. Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas
2. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
3. The Weight of a Feather by Judy Croome
4. Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen
5. 50 Reasons to Hate the French by Jules Eden and Alex Clarke
6. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
7. A Story Lately Told by Anjelica Huston
8. Doctor Who and the Three Doctors by Terrance Dicks
9. A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle
10. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
11. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
12. The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
13. Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell (audiobook)
14. Shakespeare's Restless World by Neil MacGregor
15. The Dinner by Herman Koch
16. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler (audiobook)
17. The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
18. The Boy in His Winter by Norman Lock (ER book)
19. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
20. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
21. A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
22. The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
23. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
24. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 2: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
25. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 3: The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
26. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
27. Naked by Betsy Franco
28. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
29. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 4: The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket
30. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 5: The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket
31. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
32. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 6: The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket
33. A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
34. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 7: The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket
35. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
36. The Library: An Illustrated History by Stuart Murray
37. Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
38. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 8: The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket
39. Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas by Rebecca Solnit
40. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 9: The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket
41. Only in New York: An Exploration of the World's Most Fascinating, Frustrating, and Irrepressible City by Sam Roberts
42. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 10: The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket
43. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
44. Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
45. Transformations by Anne Sexton
46. Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
47. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 11: The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket
48. Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas by Rebecca Solnit
49. The Giver by Lois Lowry
50. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
51. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
52. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
53. The Martian by Andy Weir

Finished my first book of 2014! I went up to my friend's cabin for a day with my boyfriend, which gave me plenty of time to read my Walt Disney biography (it helped that the boys were absorbed in the football games yesterday haha).

I love Disneyland and all things Disney, so I'm glad I read his bio. While the author clearly admires Disney, he didn't sugar-coat everything; he included Walt's flaws and bad habits. I was really interested to read about how the Disney brothers went from cartoon shorts to feature-length features, as well as their involvement with the government/army during WWII producing war films. This book filled in the gaps that I was not aware of before regarding Walt's history and the history of his studio. Now I want to pick up a book on the construction of Disneyland and Disney World.

As for House of Leaves, I am ab little over 100 pages in, and I have to say I have never read a book like this. I am incredibly intrigued and fascinated by the story, as well as the way in which it is constructed. It is not easily explained. Also, I am now afraid of dark hallways...

Also, I am now afraid of dark hallways
Hahaha!

Glad the Disney one was good :)

I finished House of Leaves! Oh boy...what a book. Here's my review from my TBR Challenge thread:



House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (2000)
4.5 out of 5 stars

You can't really explain House of Leaves. It's an experience. It's thought-provoking. It's maddening, frustrating, terrifying, and not completely satisfying. It's a most unusual and fascinating. It's a psychological thriller. It's a horror story.

It's a love story.

The novel takes the form of a non-fiction book that examines a film called The Navidson Record, which was written by a blind man, Zampano, and discovered by a young man named Johnny in the author's L.A. apartment after his death. The thing is, the film itself probably doesn't even exist. Yet Zampano writes hundreds of pages describing the events documented in the film, namely the discovery of an impossible dark hallway in a house where none existed before. As the hallway grows in size and scope, Will Navidson becomes more obsessed with the space. Johnny, and by extension the reader, become obsessed as well. Johnny's edits of Zampano's manuscript begin to echo the house explorers' descent into the vast nothingness, with sentences and paragraphs written upside down, backwards, in the corners, and along meandering lines.




What is in that house? Is it some kind of monster? A portal to another dimension? The reflection of the crumbling psyche's of the house's inhabitants? Don't think about it too hard. Navidson did, and well...you'll see.

By the way, has that hallway always been there?

*******

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants something completely different yet totally exciting. This is definitely not a book everyone will enjoy. In fact, I can think of a few people near and dear to me who would hate it. However, if you can handle crazy text, totally unreliable narrators, and scenes of violence, insanity, and sex, then dive in I say!

I would suggest not reading it when you're home alone, however...

What a strange book!!!! Fascinating.

I have a few Early Reviewer/Member Giveaway books to catch up on and review, so I think I'll tackle those next. Also, I'm terribly behind on my magazines; I have issues of Vanity Fair and Vogue from December and January that I need to finish, plus I got Entertainment Weekly and February W today...so many things to read!

Classes start on Monday, so I'll have even less free time to read (non-academic) books. But I'll be sure to make time. For the sake of my sanity :)

Excellent review of House of Leaves. It really is such a bizarre and in many ways unsatisfying book... and yet, years after reading it, I still feel creeped out any time I think about it. In a good way! Or at least a way that testifies to just how effective it was at crawling into my brain and staying there.

in many ways unsatisfying

Now that I can agree with!

I looked at House of Leaves many times in the bookstore and it just looked too strange for me because of the way the text was laid out. But you do make it sound intriguing . . .

>9 bragan: Thank you! I will definitely be thinking about this book for years to come. When I was reading the exploration sections, I couldn't put it down, but at the same time I wanted to stop because I was so freaked out!

>11 rebeccanyc: Rebecca, I say definitely give it a try. The structure does take some getting used to, but the whole book isn't like the pictures I posted.

I'm not sure I want to read House of Leaves, but I enjoyed learning about it. The pictures help.

House of Leaves sounds fascinating... I like experiments in format and this sounds like something I may enjoy... and somehow I had never heard of it.

>14 AnnieMod: The only reason I even picked it up at a used bookstore in Berkeley was because I read about it on a book/movie blog that same morning. I took it as a sign that I should read it :)

I have almost 30 books on my wishlist because of all of your lovely reviews, and it's only the 2nd week of January!

I also picked up 6 "new" books at Almost Perfect Bookstore in Roseville today...got to keep adding to my shelves! There can never be too many books; that's my philosophy. I got Orlando and A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg, and Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson.

I probably won't get to them for a while, since I have like 4 other books I need to read/review, but I'm still super stoked! I love the smell of used bookstore books. So much so my boyfriend got me a fragrance called "Pages" (I think...) that is reminiscent of old book pages. It's divine.

Hah, well the two I've read I thoroughly enjoyed, and I'm really curious about Orlando, I wasn't sure what Woolf books we owned because I knew Hubs had picked up a couple at the Boekenmarkt and had at least one or two for class, also, so I didn't pick up any when we were at the used store, which had Orlando on the shelves, so now I've been aching to get back there and see if they've still got it! Haha.

Oh man, I want to smell that! I love old book smell! Although, it may make my rats try to eat me, they really love old book smell too and try gnawing on them, the older the better, it seems! LOL

I really liked Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe when I read it a few years ago. It's a fun little book with lots of charm.

>18 Cait86: I've only seen the movie version (and the DVD is around here somewhere). My bookclub liked her Can't Wait to Get to Heaven. That's a fun one too. When we discussed the book, a few of the ladies (including yours truly) actually made the caramel cake mentioned in the book. :)

>18 Cait86:, 19 That's exactly what I was hoping for when I bought it! I've only seen the movie as well, but it was a long time ago so I don't remember most of it. I'm excited to get reacquainted with the story :)

The Weight of a Feather and Other Stories by Judy Croome (2013)
3 out of 5 stars

I feel bad that it took me so long to get to this book, since I won it in the LT Member Giveaway. This collection of short stories by Judy Croome (find her on LT!) took me a few stories to really get into. Her stories range from a few lines of "Flash Fiction" to almost a page to 10+ pages, yet all of them provide a fascinating portrait of her home country, South Africa. I loved the stories that incorporated myths or tales from South Africa, and I enjoyed when she included Afrikaans words (even though I have no idea how you would pronounce them!).

The stories were whimsical ("Jannie Vermaak's New Bicycle"), thought-provoking ("Rainbow Farm, Or the Ghost of Christmases Past"), violent ("The Last Sacrifice"), heart-wrenching ("The Gold Miner"), and just plain beautiful ("Autumn Tears", "Crabwalk").

However, I'm only giving this book 3 starts because I thought some of the stories were a little dragged out and heavy-handed with the symbolism and/or message, and the Flash Fiction sections felt out of place among the stories.

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiassen (2013)
4.5 out of 5 stars

I'll be honest, I was initially wary of starting this book because I am not very fond of crime/detective novels. Turns out this book is hilarious and nothing like the stuffy crime story I expected--obviously I never read a Hiassen novel before.

The story follows Andrew Yancy, disgraced former Miami detective, who stumbles upon a severed arm. What follows is a fun romp through the Miami Keys and the Bahamas, where Yancy and his coroner girlfriend encounter an orange poncho-wearing killer, a bratty rich girl, a woman on the run, a drunk, sex-obsessed voo-doo queen, shady Russians, disgusting restaurants, and yes, one very bad monkey.

Yancy is not the most upstanding guy, and the pranks he pulls on the developer who's trying to build a large mansion next door (obstructing Yancy's view of the gorgeous Miami sunsets) are less than kind, but I found myself rooting for him the whole time, and laughing out loud at his one-liners.

I enjoyed how Hiassen brought his cast of characters into the story. The action jumps from one person to the next, and while it's not always clear how these snippets will come together, Hiassen manages to bring it all to a head with a twist that I didn't see coming.

I can't wait to discuss this book with the ladies of my book club in a few weeks (although I imagine some of them will be put off by the language and sexual exploits of some of the characters!). I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fun crime story that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Hah, sounds like a good read :)

>22 kaylaraeintheway: I enjoy Carl Hiassen. His books are generally quite funny, and his environmental message is always there. I have not read Bad Monkey. Skinny Dip is still my favorite of his.

>24 NanaCC: I just picked up Skinny Dip from the library! I'm looking forward to reading it. Thank you for the recommendation!

50 Reasons to Hate the French by Jules Eden & Alex Clarke (2006)
3 out of 5 stars

I received this e-book from LT Early Reviewers in the December batch.

I thought that this book was just going to list the silly, stereotypical ways that the French annoy people (especially the British). However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the authors included historical and political figures and events, as well as the usual smelly cheeses, body odor, and terribly French pop stars.

Admittedly, since the authors are British, there was probably a lot of bias when reporting on most of these reasons, but I laughed a lot and also managed to learn a few things about the French, so I was ok with that.

The only thing that really bugged me were the many typos...it made reading some of the chapters, especially the later ones, a little difficult. I also wish I got the paper book instead of the e-book, since the version I got had some weird formatting.

I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a good laugh with their history lesson. However, if you are easily offended or squeamish (the chapter on the French Revolution is particularly horrifying), then I would give this book a pass.

Oh typos drive me crazy! But it sounds like a good amusing book otherwise. :)

There's only one reason to hate the French - Jealousy

>28 baswood: I actually really like the French! Or what I experienced of them and France on my one and only journey there. I went for a week-long school trip when I was 13, and I just fell in love. I even tried out a few basic French phrases and got a lot of friendly smiles in return. I'm very eager to go back now that I have bit more French under my belt and I am able to travel around on my own.

>26 kaylaraeintheway:
ER books can be non-final versions so as annoying as they are, typos are to be expected. I would drop a mail to the publisher to tell them about the typos -- especially if the number of them increase later in the book.

>30 AnnieMod: Thanks Annie, I think I will. I was just confused as to why there were so many, since the book was published in 2006...but maybe this is the first time it's in e-book form?

>31 kaylaraeintheway:

Maybe. Or it was retyped (or whatever the term is). Or maybe the book is just not fully edited - who knows. :)

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (2013)
5 out of 5 stars

This book was not what I thought it was going to be. Much like Mr. Penumbra and his bookstore...

I grew up surrounded by books. I was reading simple picture books by myself at age 3. I was reading at a high school level at 11. I never left the house without a book in my bag. My first job was at a public library, then when I went to college, I worked all 4 years at the library. I wanted to get my masters degree in Library Sciences.

Basically, I am obsessed.

I was also very firmly on Team Paper Books--there was no way a Kindle or Nook was going to come anywhere near me, no sir! So when I started to read about Clay Jannon, San Francisco-dweller, graphic designer/web marketing guy who gets a job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, I figured this book would be about Clay (and all other techies) realizing that you can't beat real-life, musty-smelling, delicious, wonderful books.

I was wrong. But I'm totally OK with that.

I don't want to give anything about this amazing, fascinating, funny book, so I won't go too much into the plot. But let me just say that when the book started heading in a direction I wasn't too sure about, I began to realize what Sloan was trying to say, and what Mr. Penumbra had been striving for for years: why try to pit one side against the other? Technology is inevitable and ever-expanding, and it can help us discover so many things that before were thought to be lost. You can enjoy and embrace this technology and still love physical books more than anything. It's about working together to keep the written word, and their authors, alive. That's immortality.

I was originally going to give this book 4.5 stars, because of the uncertainty I felt with the plot half-way through, but the feelings I had (and the tears I shed) after I finished reading made me realize that of course this is a 5-star book (at least to me).

That's it, I'm not saying any more! Now, everyone, go read this book! Go go go!

(Fun fact: the book cover glows in the dark!!)

Nice review of Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore and how can you resist a cover that glows in the dark

Oh! Must have glowing book cover book! You've totally sold me on a book that's about .... well I'm not really sure ... but I WANT it.

Nice review, it certainly makes me curious.

>34 baswood: Thank you! I didn't know the cover glowed until I turned off the light and there was this weird green glow coming form my shelf! I pleasant surprise.

>35 avidmom: haha yeah, I was pretty vague on the details, but I don't like to spoil anything for readers...I just try to get them curious enough to check the book out for themselves! Glad I could convince you :)

>36 .Monkey.: Thank you!

I have Mr Penumbra on my TBR. I've heard lots of good things about it. I'll have to read it soon.

Glowing in the dark? How hilarious.

>37 kaylaraeintheway: I appreciate that! That's why I also give only the most vague of summaries (if any at all) in most of mine (and half the reason I merely skim most very long detailed reviews), because I don't like when things are given away, so I won't do it in mine! I prefer knowing as little about the plot/content of a book as possible, I only want to know vaguely what it's about, I'm far more concerned with opinions on the writing itself than summaries, that's easy enough to find out from blurbs and the like. As far as I'm concerned, what's important is how well the author did what they were trying to do! :)

I'm still alive! Just buried under an avalanche of school reading and projects...

Quick update: I decided to give up on Netherworld because I just could not get into it. I feel bad, because it was an ER book and I always finish those, but this time...I don't know what it is. I was just not impressed :/

I still have another ER book to read/review, plus a Member Giveaway book I received last week. Luckily I didn't snag any ER books from the January batch, so I'll have a chance to catch up.

I started reading A Story Lately Told, the first part of Anjelica Huston's autobiography, which is a pretty good read so far. I want to finish that one up before it's due back to the library on the 13th (it's a "Lucky Day" book, meaning that it can't be renewed because it's new and/or really popular). So I put We Need New Names on hold for the time being, since I can renew that one.

Also, I'll be going to Gallifrey One, the Doctor Who convention in L.A. next weekend, so I'll be busy scrambling to finish my costumes, clean the apartment, and complete all my homework (since there's no way I'll be doing it when I'm in L.A.), so I probably won't have any time to read.

So much going on in life! At least I'm never bored...

A Story Lately Told: Coming of Age in Ireland, London, and New York by Anjelica Huston (2013)
3.5 out of 5 stars

I first read an excerpt from this autobiography in one of my issues of Vogue. I wasn't particularly blown away by the writing style, but I found Anjelica Huston's descriptions of her parents and her childhood very intriguing. So when I saw A Story Lately Told on the library shelf a few weeks ago, I decided to pick it up.

The narrative style took some getting used to, since Huston doesn't follow a specific timeline when writing about her first 18 years I mean, she obviously goes chronologically, but she sometimes bounces around when talking about a certain event or person that relates to something that happens later on). I liked this, because it wasn't just a boring "this happened, then this, then this, blah blah blah". I loved reading about her upbringing and all the privileges she had, but also how hard it was to grow up with such famous parents. While I did not know all of the people she mentioned, I could still appreciate how important or famous they were. I also had no idea she had a pretty dysfunctional relationship with the photographer Bob Richardson, so that was interesting (and terrifying) to read about.

After reading this first part of her autobiography (the second part is coming out later this year), it is easy to see why she became an actress. Her life was full of drama, and she was a dramatic and enigmatic person herself. I'm excited to read the second book, which goes into her years as an actress.

The only issue I had with this book was that sometime the writing was cliched. But I can forgive her for that, since "author" is not her main profession. However, her story is so interesting and so unlike my own that I found myself constantly engaged while reading this book.

Doctor Who and the Three Doctors by Terrance Dicks
3.5 out of 5 stars

This is one of the short Doctor Who books I picked up at the convention last weekend. I got this one signed by the author for my sister, so I wanted to read it before I passed it along to her.

As far as I know, most (if not all) of the Target-published classic Who books are based on episodes that aired. It was interesting starting with this book, since I have not actually seen any of the Classic Who episodes yet, but I still enjoyed reading this book. The 3 incarnations of the Doctor that make an appearance are all very distinct, and I really enjoyed the character of The Brigadier. Jo (the female companion), was routinely ignored and kind if useless, which is par for the course for the early Doctor Who stories.

I rated this book higher than I probably would have had it not been a Doctor Who book, simply because it's a fun piece of Who nostalgia.

This book (as well as the other Doctor Who books) are pretty short and therefore fast reads. But they are fun and fast-paced, with the Doctor's usual wit and quirks. I'm looking forward to reading the other books I got, as well as watching the classic series.

Ah, it's always nice to see New Who fans being willing to give the classic series a shot! I think actually watching the episodes is a lot more rewarding than reading the novelizations (even if some of the "special" effects are perhaps better left to the imagination), but the books are kind of fun, and great for that hit of nostalgia.

I'm rather fond of Jo, myself; I think she's less useless than a lot of people give her credit for. But not every story comes close to doing her justice.

I hope you enjoyed Gallifrey One! I went a few years ago and had a lot of fun, even though the guest of honor had to cancel.

>44 bragan:: I just started watching the classic episodes, and even though they're kind of cheesy, I love them :)

I was so entertained and enamored by Katy Manning that I can't wait to get to Jo's episodes.

Gallifrey was AMAZING! I wrote up a quick summary of what I did there in my ROOT challenge thread, but I'll copy it here:

The convention was AMAZING! I got to do meet-and greet pictures with Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann--I also got his autograph and had a beer with him Saturday night), and Mark Sheppard (Canton Everett Delaware III, among many other roles in my favorite sci-fi shows), sat up close on panels with Colin Baker (the Sixth Doctor), Paul, Billie, Mark, Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams), plus the amazing Katy Manning (Jo Grant) and Nicola Bryant (Peri), along with so many other guest stars, writers, directors, and producers of Doctor Who. I couldn't believe how intimate the convention was (my only other con experience was San Diego Comic-Con, which was horrible). The guests mingled with the attendees in the lobby and restaurants, which is amazing. I also was inspired to watch all of the available Classic Who episodes (which I have never seen).

Everyone was so polite and nice and pleasant, and the guests all say thank you to the attendees at the closing ceremonies at the end of the con. I admit I got a little teary-eyed when it was time to leave.

I can't wait to go next year! I'm going to bring my little sister as a high school graduation present :)

Oh, and I got some books while I was there! 3 of them were written by Terrence Dicks, who is a god among Whovians, and he was there at the con, so I got him to sign the books :)

All in all, a pretty amazing experience. I might post some pictures when I have more time to update.

Who was the guest of honor when you went? Shame they had to cancel. Billie Piper caught the flu a few days before Galley was supposed to start (we all got the Facebook notification on the Wednesday before the con started), but the next night it was announced she could make it after all! We were all very happy, and I sure hope she felt out appreciation.

>45 kaylaraeintheway:: I think the cheese is, in its way, sometimes part of the appeal.

And Katy Manning is just such an adorable little pixie person, isn't she? :)

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Amusingly enough, I went with my little sister, the year I went. Not that she's exactly little any more, but I think a Who con makes for pretty much ideal sibling bonding time.

Oh, and the guest of honor was Peter Davison, but he ended up having a commitment to a play he was doing and couldn't come. He made and sent along an awesomely hilarious video, though.

Another Doctor Who fan - great. I really enjoyed your piece on the Doctor Who convention, sounds like a wonderful event.

Nice review of A story lately Told

>46 bragan:: Katy Manning and Nicola Bryant have a great rapport together, so I was pleased when they appeared together on a few panels.

Colin Baker actually mentioned that video! He found it very amusing as well :)

>47 baswood:: Thanks! Also, for anyone interested, tickets for next year's con go on sale March 21st at 10am (pacific time)!

A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle
4 out of 5 stars

A Swiftly Tilting Planet, the third book in L'Engle's "Time Quintet" is typical L'Engle (and I mean that in the best, most loving way possible!). She explores big themes in this book, among them good vs. evil, brother vs. brother, and, of course, time travel. In order to prevent nuclear holocaust, Charles Wallace must go back in time, aided by an ancient Welsh rune and a time-traveling unicorn called Gaudior.

I felt that this book was a lot more ambitious than the previous two, but that also could be because I found myself getting confused or lost at some points in the book. The fact that many of the characters L'Engle names have very similar (if not identical) names as everyone else didn't really help. However, despite some confusion, I really enjoyed this story. While the Murry/O'Keefe's are all present for this story (except Calvin, who is in England), the focus is really on the various ancestors that Charles Wallace observes and inhabits. It was also really cool that the action took place pretty much in the same place (just not the same When). Although I knew how this all was going to end, it was exciting to discover just how exactly it was all going to happen.

I'm eager to go out and buy the last 2 books in the series, as well as the other books L'Engle wrote (I think the other series is about the Austin family...). But A Wrinkle in Time will always be my absolute favorite.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
4 out of 5 stars

This book reminded me of myself when I was in undergrad (or at least reminded me of some friends I had). Like Cath, I was obsessed with books about a young wizard who has to defeat the most evil wizard of all time (Simon Snow is Rowell's Harry Potter). Like Cath, I was so nervous about starting college and so unsure of myself that I did not eat in the dining hall for the first 2 months. Like Cath, I never thought a boy would like me because I was so nerdy and anti-social. And like Cath, I love reading and writing.

However, unlike Cath, I do not write fanfiction. I also do not have a twin sister who abandoned me and enjoyed the social aspects of college a little too much...

Despite these differences, I really enjoyed this book! It hits you right in the feels, especially if you didn't have the best college experience (at least at the beginning). When Cath and her sister Wren are waiting in line at midnight for the final Simon Snow book and they cry, it reminded me of waiting in line for the last HP book with my own sisters.

I thought that Fangirl was well written and that the characters were supremely believable (I met or knew characters like Rowell's when I was in college...it's truly uncanny.). There were a few instances where I wanted to reach through the pages and slap some sense into Cath and Wren, which was kind of frustrating. But I guess that leads to a more interactive reading experience haha.

I would have given this book 5 stars, but I felt the ending was really abrupt. Even though the book was already approaching 440 pages, I wanted it to go on! I wonder if Rowell will write a sequel detailing Cath's further college adventures. I would totally read that.

Sadly, I had to return We Need New Names back to the library before I got to finish it (someone else requested it so I couldn't renew it). However, I'm not too sad about it because I kind of started losing interest in it, especially since I started reading Night Film. I do plan on finishing it, though, once I can get it back from the library :)

Night Film by Marisha Pessl
4 out of 5 stars

When I first started reading this book, I immediately thought of House of Leaves. Night Film uses devices that are similar to House of Leaves, such as pictures and documents that look like they're real (as well as website pages). I really enjoyed that, since it immersed me into the story even more. Plus, the model they got for Ashley Cordova (the girl at the center of the mystery) is perfect. Also similar to House of Leaves, which has a film at the center of the book, Night Film has a set of films, Stanislas Cordova's entire oeuvre of terrifying films that delve into the deepest pits of the human psyche. I don't normally go for mysteries, but when it's done in a more out-of-the-box way like Pessl did, then I really get into it.

I don't want to talk about the plot for fear of giving away too much. Despite the book being 600 pages, I blasted through it in a few days because I wanted to keep reading. All the characters, from the disgraced investigative journalist Scott McGrath, to his two helpers Nora and Hopper, to the mysterious Cordova family, all the way down to the minor and side characters, are all interesting and well-crafted. The only gripe I had with characterization was that Scott occasionally made snide comments about how fickle, untrustworthy, and manipulative women are, but it's never explained why he has such a grudge against them (he divorced his wife, which is probably why, but it's never explicitly stated, so it was a little frustrating).

I was also not 100% on board with the ending. Don't get me wrong, I thought it ended the way it had to (and the only way it could, really), I guess I was just hoping that the witchcraft/devil's curse explanation was what actually happened, and not the real-world explanation. What can I say, I like the paranormal and unexplained haha. Despite that, I still really enjoyed the book and I'm super glad I got it from the library! I want to pick up Pessl's first novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics. It sounds really intriguing, and if it's as smart and stylish as this book, I know I'm going to love it.

I thought Night Film was a really interesting book. I agree about Scott and his attitudes, but I think he was a self-absorbed jerk, who was slightly less so by the end of the book. Look at how he treated both his cohorts. Not a sympathetic protagonist, but Pessl was good enough to make the book compelling despite (and maybe because) he was unlikeable.

>53 RidgewayGirl:: I agree, and I actually appreciate that Pessl made a lot of her characters unlikable. Because not everyone in life is a good or likable person haha

> 52, >53 RidgewayGirl: I wasn't a fan of Pessl's previous work, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, because I thought she was saying "look at how clever I am" all over the place, so I wasn't going to read this one until you reviewed it, RG. Now I'm wavering again . . .

Ack! Totally missed my own Thingaversary! It was yesterday haha oh well. Happy (late) 1 year to me!!

You do know that you should buy a celebratory book now, don't you? And one to grow on if you're so inclined. And happy belated Thingaversary! We're glad you're here!

>57 RidgewayGirl: Thank you! What a perfect excuse for me to buy a few books! :)

I'd never heard of Night Film but you've made it sound really interesting and exactly the sort of thing I'd enjoy. I think I'll have to check that out. (Though I went out of my way to buy a copy of House of Leaves but then still haven't got round to reading it because it's so daunting. Maybe I need to get that read first.)

>59 valkyrdeath: House of Leaves may look daunting, but you'l probably get through it pretty quickly, due to the suspense and the fact that a lot of the pages have a paragraph or less of actual text haha

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
2.5 out of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It has a lot of elements that I normally love in a novel: early 20th century New York, historical events, a museum of wonders (where everything, including the person who runs it, it not what it seems), True Love.

However, I found myself finishing the book just to say that I did. Don't get me wrong, Alice Hoffman's description of the horrific Triangle Shirtwaist and Dreamland fires, as well as her sympathetic and empathetic descriptions of the terrible conditions in which the poor lived and worked were fantastic, but having all of that as the backdrop for the ho-hum love story between Coralie (the deformed daughter of the sadistic museum owner) and Eddie (the hardened immigrant photographer who abandoned his Jewish faith) did not work for me. I would rather have gotten a story that focused specifically on the two tragedies, with other characters as the central characters.

To me, it felt like Hoffman wanted to write a story about the injustices suffered by the poor and immigrant peoples of new York before the time of labor laws and workers' right (and the lack of women's rights), and also an epic love story full of strange oddities...I don't know. I can't really put my finger on it. I just know that after the fifth passage describing how once you find your one tru epic love, there is nothing you can do but follow it and let yourself go and blah blah blah.

I'm sure many people will enjoy this book (and judging by the other reviews, they do), which is totally cool. I guess I was just expecting something else. Hoffman included a "For Further Reading" list at the end of the book, which includes books on the historical events of the time, so maybe I'll pick one of those up instead.

Despite my gripes, I still enjoyed portions of the book, and Hoffman's secondary characters were very interesting. Her descriptions of the city and the changing times were also very well-written, and it makes me excited to go to New York this summer :)

That's too bad. The title alone is so intriguing.

I just know that after the fifth passage describing how once you find your one tru epic love, there is nothing you can do but follow it and let yourself go and blah blah blah.

LOL!

>62 fannyprice: That's why I picked it up at the library haha

>63 avidmom: I realized I never actually finished that sentence! I meant to say "...I wanted to throw the book down a flight of stairs." While I didn't actually do that, I did do plenty of over-the-top eye-rolls.

Eye-rolls while reading are never a good sign.

I'm afraid I had to abandon Mrs.Dalloway. I was so bored and kind of confused by the stream-of-consciousness writing style. Maybe I'll wait a while then pick it up again...

In other news, my boyfriend Matt (LordHavelock) just joined LT last night! He joined this group as well, although he hasn't started a thread yet. But don't worry, I'll bug him until he does :)

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell
3 out of 5 stars

This was my first foray into audiobooks, and I'm still on the fence on how I feel about them. But I figured, since I drive 45 minutes to school each way 4 days a week (and I was getting tired of the songs on my iPod) I should try audiobooks. My library doesn't have the most expansive selection, but Vampires in the Lemon Grove was on my TBR list, so when I saw that on the shelf, I took that as a sign.

I was worried that I would get annoyed with the various readers (which I did), or that I wouldn't like some of the stories (which I did). However, I found most of the stories and readers enjoyable, especially the titular story about vampires who live off of lemon juice in a grove in Italy, and a kooky guide to tailgating in the Antarctic. Unfortunately, the story I liked the least ("The New Veterans") ended up being the longest of the bunch, and I found the reader to be the most annoying. I guess it was hard for me at first to get used to "reading" a story with someone else's voice and at someone else's pace.

It did make the commute more enjoyable though. Russell's stories all have a sense of the fantastic to them (I'm hesitant to call it "magical realism", but that's the closest phrase that comes to mind). You don't always know right away what's different in the stories, but something happens that makes you think "Oh. Well, that's different." And that's not a bad thing. I appreciate authors who can present familiar situations and characters then turn the entire thing on its head.

I admire authors who write short stories. To me, it seems like a difficult style to write, since you need to essentially create a believable world with interesting characters in a fourth of the time as a novel. I wonder now, though, would I have enjoyed the stories more if I read them for myself and not listened to them?

Shakespeare's Restless World: A Portrait of an Era in Twenty Objects by Neil MacGregor
4.5 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! I was worried that MacGregor's style would be stuffy and too academic for my taste (his is British after all, and runs a British museum), but I was pleasantly surprised at how easy-to-follow and engaging his text was. The full and half-page photographs also helped to bring each of the 20 objects (and other supplemental things) to life.

I picked up this book because I love Shakespeare's plays, but know relatively nothing about the time period in which they were written and performed. MacGregor uses seemingly innocuous items, like a fork, an apprentice's cap, a clock, and a model of a ship, to describe the many events, aspects, and people of Elizabethan life.

Originally, this was a 20-part radio show on BBC, which must have been fun. MacGregor also did a "History of the World in 100 Objects" radio show, which he also turned into a book. I would love to pick that up next, especially since my only complaint about this book was that it felt too short!

Shakespeare's Restless World seems very cool. I love material object histories. I'll keep a look out for this one. Good luck with your audiobook adventures. I started listening to them this year for very similar reasons (commute length).

I've tried listening to audiobooks on my commute and haven't been able to get into it. I tend to go on autopilot on my commute and I tune out the "noise" of the audiobook. I kept missing large portions of the books. I keep trying periodically, though, because I love the idea of getting some books "read" during all the time I spend in the car. Glad it seems that you had a good first experience!

>69 fannyprice: Thanks! I've also got my eye on a few of Bill Bryson's books that are in a similar vein--examining a period of history through objects.

>70 japaul22: I found myself tuning out at certain points, too. But now that I've started my second audiobook (The Jane Austen Book Club), I'm more used to listening to a book.

The Dinner by Herman Koch
3 out of 5 stars

"But a world without disasters and violence--be it the violence of nature or that of muscle and blood--would be the truly unbearable thing."

That quote pretty much sums up the general mood of The Dinner. This was not an easy book to read, although I did finish it in one sitting. It's difficult because the people are horrible people who commit and encourage horrible acts. The ending shocked me; I honestly didn't see it coming. I thought, "Surely, the adults in this situation would do the morally right thing." But no. Quite the opposite. I suppose that, not being a parent myself, I can never fully grasp the situation the adults find themselves in. But I would certainly never encourage my kid to harm or kill another kid (let alone a relative) just to cover up the fact that they had already killed a homeless person. I mean, I know that parents want to protect their children and all that, but good lord, this "solution" seemed completely over the top.

The dialogue and story were engaging, and I thought it interesting (and a little frustrating) that the narrator, Paul, left out certain details, like the mental illness he has and what his wife went to the hospital for. Although I'm sure some guesswork combined with Google will help you figure those things out in no time. I keep reading that people are calling this book "the European Gone Girl", which would mean more to me if I actually read Gone Girl. I plan on reading it, but I hope those reviewers are just looking for a pop culture buzz book to compare The Dinner to, because if Gone Girl is just like The Dinner I don't think I'd be able to handle it (I'm only slightly joking, of course).

I didn't like this book. But I did like it at the same time, if that makes any sense. It's one that I will be thinking about for a while, and that I will discuss with friends who have read it, since it really does elicit intriguing conversations about secrets, families, and crime. But I will not read it again.

I think I might be the only one, but I didn't believe the ending was real. Maybe this is just me not wanting to believe that ending, but I thought - in part based on some of the things that the narrator spills about his mental illness near the end of the book - that he suddenly became unreliable and that this was like a weird macho fantasy.

>73 fannyprice: That's a super interesting explanation. Especially considering how violent he got with the principal and his brother with the frying pan...maybe he is just imagining his violent fantasies. Considering that, would be then have to believe that Michel did not actually do anything do Beau at the end, that maybe that was just Paul's fantasy about what he would do?So many possibilities! But maybe that's why I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Once you start considering all of these things, especially with an unreliable narrator, it can be frustrating not knowing what's real and what's imaginary.

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
3 out of 5 stars

I've decided that I don't like audiobooks. I get too distracted by other things when I listen to books, and my mind wanders.

I really liked the book though, even though towards the end I wasn't paying attention as much so I got confused as to who was speaking and what was happening (I blame the rainy driving conditions). I really loved Fowler's latest book (We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves), so I figured I would like this one, too. Like I said, I did really like it, but I would have gotten more out of it if I actually read it myself. Each of the characters were unique, funny, and frustrating in their own way. I just wish we got more time with each of them! I wanted to know if anything ever came of Prudie's fantasies about her students. Fowler just kind of dropped that story line. I was also inspired to finally crack open my own Austen anthology (even though Jocelyn and Sylvia would scoff at it) and read the Austen novels I've never read before (Persuasion and Mansfield Park).

However, I am going to steer clear of the movie version of The Jane Austen Book Club, as it looks terrible.

The Novel Cure: From Abandonment to Zestlessness: 751 Books to Cure What Ails You by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin
Unfinished, but still 4 out of 5 stars

When I saw this book at the library, I had to get it! I have always had trouble finding books to match my mood, so I knew this would be life-saving tome. Are you suffering from judgmental, Being? Pick up The Reader. Procrastination? Try Remains of the Day. The authors offer up these suggestions plus hundreds more for all sorts of ailments, serious and not-so-serious (like Baldness). Think of it as one big, 400-page TBR list! The books included are a mixture of well-known and under-the-radar (at least for me), so there is bound to be something for everyone.

I'm really sad that I had to return it...normally I would keep it past the due date and pay the late fees, but someone requested it and I would feel bad if I kept them waiting. But that just means I'll have to purchase this for myself :)

The novel cure sounds like a neat idea

I looked at The Novel Cure in a bookstore and thought it looked intriguing. But since I'm sort of averse to anyone telling me what to read, I thought it probably wasn't the book for me. Still . . .

>78 rebeccanyc: What I liked about this book was that I didn't feel like the authors were telling me what to read, at least not in a forceful "you have to read this now!" kind of way. They used pretty prose to mimic a doctor's tone (without all of the medical jargon), and I felt each "remedy" was more of a suggestion than a command. If that makes sense :)

I found the entries and ailments quirky and witty, which made it more fun. They also had a few lists scattered throughout, like "10 Books to Read When You're...", as well as lists of 10 books to read in your 20s, 30s, 40s, etc.

This is a kind of book that you don't have to read all the way through, or in order (unless you want to, of course!). The main reason I think it would be fun to own this would be because it would be fun to take it down and flip through it when I'm in a particular mood to see what the doctors suggest.

>75 kaylaraeintheway: I remember watching the movie version of The Jane Austen Book Club. Not bad; it wasn't great either. I'm sure the book is better. :) The Novel Cure sounds like a lot of fun! It reminded me of a book I've been interested in finding Rent Two Films and Let's Talk in the Morning that mkboylan recommended on my thread.

>80 avidmom:: I read Austenland not too long ago and enjoyed that one a lot more than The Jane Austen Book Club, I can't really explain why haha. I'm also more interested in seeing the movie version of Austenland than JABC.

That book sounds really interesting! I took a psychology & film class during undergrad and I found it fascinating, so I'll have to check Rent Two Films out :)

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
3.5 out of 5 stars

"Why are those of us who survived to blame? Did we cause that calamity? Do you remember what it was like to watch that ship go down? My God, I couldn't believe it. Tipped onto its bow like a toy, a toy of nature, a sight like none anyone has seen, and we're supposed to come out of it unscathed? Go back to civility, men tipping their hats to women, saying 'after you' when getting into the lifeboats--what a joke! If there is a God, surely he was amused--how stupid are we to sail the ocean on something built out of toothpicks? We were the toys! What is going on in this world?"

The Dressmaker is about the hearings in New York and Washington D.C. after the sinking of the Titanic. Lady Lucile and Lord Cosmo Duff Gordon (along with many of the other rich survivors of the disaster) are under fire for rumors of bribery and cowardice while they were floating in their lifeboat as the Titanic sank. Kate Alcott uses real transcripts from the hearings to give us a picture of just how stupid, unprepared, and totally out of touch with the world around them the sailors, passengers, and the White Star Line company were at the time. Of course, there were a few brave people willing to tell the public about what really happened in the lifeboats and on the ship as it was sinking (such as the sailor Jim Bonney and, of course, the Unsinkable Molly Brown), but for the most part, the wealthy and important people wanted nothing to do with the disaster after it happened.

None more so than Lucile, whose only concern was her latest spring fashion show. It is infuriating to read about her total lack of concern for others, her stubbornness, and selfishness, but as the above quote demonstrates, she was a product of her time, station, and the disaster. Which, of course, doesn't excuse her abhorrent behavior. But I did find myself feeling sorry for her at times.

I suppose I should mention Tess, who "fortunately" was able to get passage on the Titanic last-minute as Lucile's maid. It is Tess's deepest ambition to design and make clothes, so this opportunity was a boon for her. Once docked in New York, Tess feels a certain loyalty to stick by Lucile's side, even though she has conflicting feelings for the sailor who publicly denounced what happened in Lady Lucile's boat. There is another love interest for Tess, but I had no interest in this "love triangle" situation so I won't go into that.

Most of us know the story of the Titanic, whether through television specials, books, or, of course, the 1997 film. But not everyone knows what happened after the disaster, when the survivors stepped back onto dry land and tried to make sense of the situation, or forget about it and attempted to move on with their lives. Kate Alcott paints an interesting picture of the hearings, and made me anxious to seek out other books on the subject. Lady Lucile, Cosmo, Molly Brown, and all of the other real-life people who were a part of this are fascinating in their own way, and Alcott's background as a reporter really shows through (the female reporter Pinky Wade, who is delightful, seems to be a reflection of Alcott).

It makes me think about what I would have done had I been on the ship. Would I have been brave? Selfish? Cowardly? It's hard to say. I would like to think that I would have been brave and calm, but surrounded by panicked people, crying children, and men chivalrously stepping aside to die while their wives and children were being lowered into lifeboats, I don't think I would know what to do.

The only gripe I had about this book was, as I mentioned above, the romance aspect, and Tess's character in general, which is why I lowered by rating from 4.5 to 3.5 stars.

The Boy in His Winter by Norman Lock
3.5 out of 5 stars

I got this book through the Early Reviewers giveaway. I expected something a little different based on what I read of the description, but I was pleasantly surprised by what the book turned out to be.

Huckleberry Finn was real, and he did travel on the Mississippi with Jim. But what Mark Twain leaves out of his story is that Huck and Jim were traveling through time, passing through the decades, witnessing history passing them by on the shores of the river, while they themselves remained unchanged. Huck finally washes ashore to real time during Katrina in 2005. After joining the crew of drug smugglers, he continues his life, living in a way that would come as a surprise to those who read and know Twain's Huckleberry Finn.

There is not a lot of detail regarding Huck and Jim's travels through time down the river, which I was a little disappointed about. I was hoping for more interaction between them and the people on shore as they move throughout history. Instead, the book focuses more on Huck's internal journey as a boy, told to us as a spoken narrative to an unnamed scribe through the eyes of a dying, 85-year-old Huck (now Albert).

No explanation is ever given as to how or why the Mississippi turned into a time machine for Huck and Jim (and no one else, unless they were invited onto their raft). Lock adds in a bit of humor at the horror Huck feels at discovering Twain turned him into a good little boy, forever an image of an "innocent" time in history, the epitome of a laid-back life on the river.

This book was interesting, and unexpected. The repetition of adult Huck can get tiresome, and, like I said, I wish there was more to the first part where they travel down the river and through time, but this book gave me some stuff to ponder, which I can appreciate.

In many ways, the twenty-first century has been a disappointment to me. We go faster; we go nowhere. We live longer, only to be sick and disillusioned at our end. There's a chicken in every pot, with no thought to the suffering of the chicken. We consider ourselves lucky to have discovered, at last, ice-free routes for luxury cruises to an Arctic without snow or once indigenous life. We've applied the commercial notion of wholesale to death, which was sufficiently ample during the middle years of the nineteenth century. We have more geniuses than ever before, and the fruit of that genius is spoiled by the black spore of greed, murder, and catastrophe.
Would I have traveled back in time to pastoral America? (Notice, I did not say innocent .) No, life flows only in one direction, which is forward, and - moment by moment - becomes enamored of itself.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
4 out of 5 stars

This was a spontaneous re-read today, after I watched the 2002 movie version (which I love). This is a very quick read--I finished all 139 pages in less than an hour--put it packs a punch, especially for a children's book. I won't go into much detail, since I'm sure most people know the story.

It leaves the reader with a big question: if you had the chance to live forever, would you take it?

I still don't know the answer to that.

In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
4.5 out of 5 stars

Australia is a terrifying and wonderful place. At least, that's the conclusion I came to after reading Bryson's hilarious travel narrative about his exploration of the country/continent (it's complicated). I knew Australia was huge, deadly, and endlessly fascinating, but I did not know the extent of any of these things until I read this book. It made me want to pack my bags and go on my own adventure across the country, even though I hate the heat, am terrified of bugs, and have next to no backpacking or camping skills.

Bryson writes about Australia with obvious love and reverence, and is quick to point out all the quirky charms that make the place great. I feel like I would love traveling with him, since we both share a fondness for seemingly boring novelty museums and kitschy tourist traps. He traveled through the big cities, like Sydney, but also explored the barren and lonely outback, where you can drive on the same stretch of highway for thousands of miles and literally not see anything but the flat desert land around you (I can't even fathom that, being from California). But Bryson somehow makes it all seem beautiful, which I love. He also delves into the strange, and often hilarious, history of the founding and exploration of Australia. Another thing I liked was his discussion on the Aboriginies, the indigenous people of Australia, who unfortunately have been virtually ignored in history books, media, policy, etc. not only in Australia but everywhere else in the world. However, I am lowering my grade for this book by half a star because I think this topic deserved a whole chapter or two instead of a few pages here and there (and because Bryson took a few too many jabs at overweight people, which I thought was in poor taste).

I have the edition with the added appendix on the Sydney Olympics, which was pretty interesting. Everything seemed to go extraordinarily well, especially when you consider the Winter Games that just happened in Sochi...

All in all, a very entertaining and humorous book that shows what a fascinating place Australia is. I'm excited to read more of Bryson's stuff (I'm borrowing A Short History of Nearly Everything from a friend next!).

Australia is mostly empty and a long way away. Its population is small and its role in the world consequently peripheral. It doesn't have coups, recklessly overfish, arm disagreeable despots, grow coca in provocative quantities, ot throw its weight around in a brash and unseemly manner. It is stable and peaceful and and good. It doesn't need watching, and so we don't. But I will tell you this: the loss is entirely ours.
You see, Australia is an interesting place. It truly is. And that really is all I'm saying.

Happy Star Wars Day! May the Force be with you :)

A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
4 out of 5 stars

It took me a while to get through this book, since a few of my favorite characters didn't make an appearance, and I tended to get bored with Arya and Brienne's storylines. However, everything really picked up the last 200-300 pages, so I blazed through the last part pretty quickly.

The latest season of GoT is starting to get into this book, so I'm glad I finished it, and I look forward to reading A Dance with Dragons, which takes place at the same time as A Feast for Crows, just with different characters (DwD also moves forward once the two timelines are caught up).

Winter is coming! Bring it on.

Without meaning to, I found myself with 14 new books! (Actually, they are all previously owned books, but they are new to my shelves).

My boyfriend's eccentric aunt gave me a box of books on Russian history, and the Romanov family in particular. I'm fascinated by that period of history, so I'm really looking forward to diving into them at some point this summer. She also gave me Life After Life, which has been on my wishlist for a while, and Inferno, the latest Dan Brown novel (I can't help but read his books - so formulaic and cheesy, but I love art and history...)

I also stopped by Almost Perfect Bookstore yesterday, since we were in the area, and picked up Night and Day by Virginia Woolf, Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow, and The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor.

I really don't need all of these new books, since I'm currently trying to read 5 at a time right now, but I can't help myself! I think I'll ask for a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf for my birthday...

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
4.5 out of 5 stars

Most of us know the names of the first astronauts in NASA's space program: Glenn, Grissom, Armstrong, Aldrin, Lovell, etc. But what about the wives of these men? Koppel's book explores the lives of the astronaut wives, the strong women who put on brave faces and pearls while they anxiously waited on Earth as their men orbited the Earth and, later, landed on the Moon.

It was fascinating to read about how NASA pretty much forced these women to be perfect American wives, who always have the house clean and breakfast ready for their astronauts at 5 am sharp. When the program first started, an astronaut's chances of going up in to space was largely dependent on how stable and stress-free their marriages were. That meant the wives had to project an air of selflessness, patriotism, and unwavering support for their husbands, despite long absences from home and frequent dalliances with astronaut groupies (called "Cape Cookies"). As the years passed from the prim and proper 60s to the more liberated 70s, however, the women began to break out of the cookie-cutter "Squaresville" that NASA set up for them, and started pursuing careers and activities that they have been wanting to do for years (including a deluge of divorces). I appreciate that Koppel wasn't afraid to talk about the not-so-great things the astronauts and their wives did, instead of painting them all as perfect American Dream families. Koppel gained a lot of her information from face-to-face interviews with some of the wives, and their voices really shine through the pages.

Koppel spent a good amount of time getting us acquainted with the First Seven wives, and they each had distinct personalities. However, as the number of wives grew, Koppel spent less time on most individuals and instead talked about certain specific events and the wives they directly affected. I would have gladly spent another 300 pages reading about each wife in more detail!

Funnily enough, I kept thinking about what an awesome TV show this would make, a la Mad Men. After a quick Google search, I found that they are, in fact, making a TV show! Unfortunately, it's going to air on ABC family so we probably won't get all the grittiness and historical accuracy as it could get on another network, but I'll remain cautiously optimistic.

That's a fascinating story about the Astronauts wives and how times have changed from the 1960's.

That sounds really interesting. I hope the show gets the period details as right as Mad Men does!

Sounds fascinating!

A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

My sister is moving out of her current apartment, which means that there is a lot of cleaning and organizing to be done. I stumbled across her A Series of Unfortunate Events collection (which had been shoved in the back of a closet), so I immediately asked if I could borrow them. There are 13 books total, and I have read books 1-11 when they all first came out, but I never finished the series...and I forgot most of what happened.

Turns out my boyfriend has never read any of them before, so I thought it would be fun to read them out loud together. We read a few chapters each night, trading off after each chapter, and it's pretty amusing. We sometimes try to out-do each other in over-dramatic voices haha.

Since this is mostly for fun, I'm not going to do actual reviews for each book, I'll just post a quick note on here after each one is finished.

After we finished this book, my boyfriend asked if there's ever any happy moments. I directed him toward the series's title, and patted him on the head.

>89 kaylaraeintheway:, The Astronaut Wives Club sounds so interesting - thank you for a great review. ABC Family actually gets kinda sleazy sometimes, so cross your fingers.

>93 kaylaraeintheway:, The Series of Unfortunate Events books are delightful. I hope you enjoy them. I bet they are great read-alouds.

>94 fannyprice:: You're welcome! I'll be eagerly anticipating the first episode of the series, whenever that may be...
They are so much fun to read aloud! Especially since the author does fun little word plays and, as was the case during a chapter last night, a page full of nothing but the word "ever" over and over again!

Finished up The Reptile Room last night in a marathon session of reading haha. Started The Wide Window right after and we are a little more than halfway through. My partner is looking forward to getting past this book, since he saw the movie and already knows what happens (the movie combined the first 3 books).

I'm also finally getting into Constructive Wallowing, my ER win from last month. It's really good so far! I'm learning how to allow myself to feel emotions and not be like Elsa (you don't want to just "let it goooo, let it goooooo!")

I've stalled with Giant, the second time this has happened when trying to read this book. I guess I just really have to be in the mood for it. I'm not going to completely give up on it yet, though.

And finally, I'm slowly but surely making progress with A Dance with Dragons. I'm a little over halfway through, and I hope to finish it by the end of the month. I have a 6-hour plane trip to New York City next week, so I'll be sure to get in a lot of reading!

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
4.5 out of 5 stars

This is a re-telling of the myth of Odysseus and his wife Penelope, told through the eyes of Penelope centuries after her death. It was a fascinating read, mainly because of the focus on the 12 maids (who Odysseus and his son hang after killing all of Penelope's suitors who had gathered in Odysseus's absence). They tell their story in small snippets in between Penelope's story, and they take the form of a jump-rope rhyme, a ballad, a tap dance, a courtroom trial, and several songs. A lot of it is mocking and ironic, which does not fully mask the tragedy of their murder.

Another interesting aspect was Penelope's version of events. It's easy to feel sympathy for her, but then one has to wonder, is what she telling the actual or her truth? Her thoughts on her cousin Helen (she of the face who launched a thousand ships) and how they interact are a study in contrasts (faithful versus unfaithful, pious versus wicked, clever versus beautiful, etc.) and, once again, one has to wonder if all Penelope says about Helen is true.

This book was short and a pretty quick read; I wish Atwood had written a longer book! This would also make a really fascinating stage play, and I found out that a company in Canada did put on a production a few years ago.

You've made me want to read The Penelopiad.

Me too. I've had it for quite a few years.

>99 RidgewayGirl: >100 rebeccanyc:: Ooooo, please do! It's a great read.

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
5 stars

This book was infuriating, in the best possible way. Richard Yates wrote characters who are so self-absorbed and realistic that I wanted to reach onto the pages and give them all a smack. It truly is a marvelous book.

I bought the book after I saw the movie, which I loved (Kate & Leo are my favorites), but I only just now got around to reading it (shame on me!). What I loved about the book, as opposed to the movie, was the inner thoughts and feelings of Frank Wheeler, who really is kind of a big butthead, but I still found myself feeling sorry for him, and for April, too. They became stuck in a marriage that was built on false feelings and the seemingly interesting and poignant ramblings of two young people having a good time. The "American Dream" of a stable job, 2 kids, and a house in the suburbs was not enough for the Wheelers, yet they could not bring themselves to fully commit and escape their dreary, "hopeless emptiness" they've found themselves in.

I want to read more by Richard Yates, as he seems to be able to perfectly capture the essence of American life, as frightening and hopeless as it can be.

Naked by Betsy Franco
2 out of 5 stars

I read this book because my Tridelta book club is reading it this month, and we are having the author come and speak to us about it at the Stanford University sculpture garden, where a majority of the novel takes place, which I'm super stoked about! (Betsy is the mother of the actors James and Dave).

The concept of the novel is really intriguing: a college student touches Rodin's Meditation statue and the spirit of Camille Claudel, Rodin's muse, emerges from the statue. However, I found the book kind of tedious and unrealistic at times (obviously not because of the subject matter, since it's supposed to be supernatural), but because of the actions and dialogue of the characters. I grew up in the Bay Area, and no teenage/college boy I ever met talked like Jesse. But the moments between Jesse and Camille were sweet, and I appreciated the journey of forgiveness they went on together. I was interested in finishing the book, so that's at least saying something.

I'm very much looking forward to discussing this book with my group and the author to see what I can learn from this book and the topic of muses, obsession, art, rage, and forgiveness.

Enjoyed your review of Revolutionary Road. Like you I enjoyed the film

It might be difficult discussing Betsy Franco's book with the author herself, when you found the actions and dialogue so out of tune with your own experiences.

>103 kaylaraeintheway: I loved Revolutionary Road too, and that's why I couldn't bring myself to see the movie as I just couldn't picture Winslett and DeCaprio as April and Frank (in fact, it irritates me to see them on the cover of the book)! But I'm glad enjoying the movie led you to the book, which I think is wonderful too. I haven't read any other Yates either although, like you, I've been meaning to.

>104 baswood:: I agree, because I don't want to insult her or anything. I think I'll discuss the artist/muse theme with her, since that is something about the book I was very interested in and I would like to see what inspired her to write about that in particular.

>105 rebeccanyc:: I usually don't like movie-poster book covers, but that's the version of the book I have and I try to be honest about that with my online library haha. Of course, since I saw the movie first, I can't help but picture those two when I read it, but luckily it didn't take away from the experience. Actually, now that I think about it, I was picturing a cross between Kate in the movie and Betty Draper (January Jones) from Mad Men as April!

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
2 out of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. But I was not impressed, and I was left thinking at the end, "Oh, is that it?"

I mean, I guess I can see why so many people like it, and why Oprah picked it for her book club (even though that in no way informs my decision on whether or not to read a book), but The Reader just didn't do anything for me. The relationship between Michael and Hanna was creepy and emotionally abusive, and I thought adult Michael was annoying; I really had to slog through the second part of the novel. Michael briefly touches on the people in his generation demanding answers and apologies from the generation previous (the ones who were involved in all of the terrible SS/Nazi business), which I thought would have made a much more compelling story, rather than framing it around a creepy relationship that Michael just can't get over (seriously, dude, make like Elsa and let it go).

And actually, I found the character of older Hanna to be way more intriguing, so if the novel focused more on her maybe I would have liked it better. But, it is called The Reader, so there's no getting around that Michael is the main focus.

Anyway, it's not like I completely hated the book. It was well-written (or should I say, well-translated, since the book was originally written in German). I appreciated the author's/Michael's observations on the reactions of the people during the trial of the horrible events at Auschwitz, and his description of what it felt like to walk through a concentration camp (and how we can never truly grasp what is what like to be there). But, like I said, I was expecting something more, and I was disappointed.

A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
3 out of 5 stars

Finally, after almost 3 months of reading this thing, I have finished.

I am growing increasingly frustrated with this series, not because Martin takes a while to write them (as Neil Gaiman said, "George R. R. Martin is not your bitch"), but because of how much hooplah is in the books. I feel like not...that...much...happens? Like, seriously, this book is 1,000 pages, and I have no idea what was going on, aside from the Big Moments. Did books 5 and 6 really need to be split up. I mean, reeeeeally, George? I get so confused about who is who and who is mad at who and who is dead from book to book, even with the (overly long and not really all that helpful) guide to the families at the back of each book. However, true to form, Martin leaves his readers with a couple of Oh My God What The F*CK Just Happened?! cliff hangers, which leave me giddy and frustrated in the best possible way.

Don't get me wrong, I think a lot of the characters are interesting and I am SO EAGER to see how this all plays out, but I feel like these books could be cut in half and still tell the exciting stories. I'm glad I started reading these books 2 years ago when they were all out, and avoided the 5 or 6 year gaps in between them.

Winter is coming, people!

>108 kaylaraeintheway: I keep thinking I will start reading this series, but I don't want to read it unless I know it will be finished before he dies. Unlike the show on HBO that Martin has already "fleshed out" in the event if his demise.

>109 lesmel:: I think he's almost done with book 6 (I keep hearing rumors that it's coming out at the end of the year), and then there's only (supposedly) going to be one more after that...but you never know, he may get more grand ideas and end up planning 5 more books lol

I think it's definitely worth getting into. The world-building is pretty great, and there are a lot of fascinating characters.

I'm enjoying (if that is the right word) the series on HBO, but I have no desire to read the books. I did give the books to my SO and he has just finished them, which is lightening fast for him. He now enjoys making cryptic comments during the show, which I do not like at all.

>111 RidgewayGirl: I have a couple of friends that have read the books and I occasionally beg them for shreds of detail...which they ruthlessly withhold, I might add. All the better, though, since I don't want the show to be ruined. If I had known about the Red Wedding and the Purple Wedding, I wouldn't have reacted as emotionally as I did.

>111 RidgewayGirl:, >112 lesmel:: My boyfriend finished all of the books while the season before this one was on, and he kept making cryptic comments too! I threatened to change by HBOgo password and not tell him haha. I like knowing what is going to happen, and it's fun to see what changes or additions the showrunners make.

Odd (from my point of view) that you read Revolutionary Road and The Reader so close together. These are both books where I saw the films first and was prompted to read the book. I would say that these are among the few occasions where I preferred the film to the book. Someone suggested it might have been Kate Winslet's performances that did it, but I don't think so! The other occasion was A Single Man where Colin Firth excelled with Isherwood's protagonist.

I have to agree with you about covers. Luckily my cover of the Yates book isn't a Hollywood one, but does encapsulate that false dream:



I have read another Yates book, Young Hearts Crying, which addresses many of the same concerns.

>114 SassyLassy:: What a beautiful cover! I might donate my copy and pick up another version at my favorite used book store :)

I didn't mean to read 2 books-that-were-turned-into-films-starring-Kate-Winslet, it just ended up that way haha. I still haven't seen The Reader, and I don't really plan to, but I saw Revolutionary Road before I read the book and loved it, mainly because the performances were so fantastic.

I also really enjoyed A Single Man, but I have yet to read the book.

>114 SassyLassy: >115 kaylaraeintheway: That's the same cover I have.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
5 stars

This book. THIS BOOK, Y'ALL.

I confess, I was completely hoodwinked. Bamboozled! I seriously had no idea what was going to happen in this book, and I was so shocked and excited when it did! I want to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, so I'm not going to go into plot details. But I will say that this novel was a very interesting examination of gender roles, specifically those in a marriage between a man and a woman, and how each are expected, or supposed to, act (at least, according to the main characters). Misogyny is also addressed, both in terms of men who abuse women physically, mentally, and emotionally through violent and hurtful actions, and those who do it by smothering and saving the women who are "broken". Just...wow.

This is not a comfortable book to read. Almost everyone is despicable in their own way, and I went back and forth many times over who I was "rooting for".

I was so convinced that Nick was the bad guy, then I was so convinced that Amy was the worst human (I still think she is, but after that ending, I'm just like, dear Lord, I don't even know what to think. What has this book done to me?!

A few of my friends just got engaged. If I wanted to be awful, I'd give this book to them as a wedding present haha but I won't!

This book was really fantastic, such a great character study. I'm eager to see the film now (I wasn't so interested before).

>117 kaylaraeintheway: I really enjoyed Gone Girl, and then I read two of her other books. Sharp Objects and Dark Places are very dark, very good.

>118 NanaCC:: I'm glad to hear that, because I wanted to read her other books, too.

The Library: An Illustrated History by Stuart Murray
3 out of 5 stars

This book was pretty interesting. Murray provides a snapshot of each historical period and place, discussing the beginning of the written word, books, and the first libraries, finally ending with the libraries in the United States and the beginnings of the digital age of libraries. Murray also provides a list of some of the best and most important libraries in the world, which is pretty cool.

I picked up this book because I've always been interested in libraries and books, and I am thinking of getting my Masters degree in Library Studies in a few years. While the information was interesting and I learned a lot, some of the chapters were kind of boring, and I didn't always follow the organization Murray chose.

This is a good book for anyone interested in the history of libraries, or any bibliophile who wants to know a bit more about the institutions they love.

Lost track of your thread and catching up from way back... Glad Shakespeare's Restless World was so good, as I got it for my brother-in-law last Christmas! Just put a hold on The Astronaut Wives Club at my library, sounds great.

>121 mabith:: I hope you enjoy it! Very fascinating read :)

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
3 out of 5 stars

This book is about Sophronia (you get used to reading it after a while), a young girl living in an alternate Victorian England, with flywaymen, flying dirigibles, werewolves, vampires, and lots of rules concerning the conduct of young ladies. She is chosen to attend a mysterious finishing school (Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality), where she not only learns the art of proper dress and effective eyelash fluttering, but how to poison dinner guests and conceal weapons on your person. It's a fun concept, and combined with the steampunk world and Gail Carriger's great wry wit (I laughed aloud several times), I breezed through this book in a couple days.

My main complaint is that the plot is a little lack-luster. There's a mystery about the location of a hidden prototype, which the school teachers are trying to pry out of Monique, an older student, and which flywaymen are trying to steal (aided by the help of a mysterious gentleman in a top hat). However, by the end, we don't get all the answers, and it was rather confusing in a "well, what was that all about?" kind of way. It's the first book in a series, so I'm hoping that some of the loose ends will be tied up in the next book (wonderfully titled Curtsies and Conspiracies). Despite the flaws in this book, I am intrigued enough to continue with the series. The characters, especially Sophronia and her best friend Dimity, are hilarious and each have distinct personalities and "roles" in the school.

Basically, if you're looking for a fun and witty read that does not require too much brain power, this book is great. It was especially welcome after the harrowing Gone Girl.

>123 kaylaraeintheway: Have you read anything by Libba Bray? Wait...*goes to look* Ahhhh, you have. Her Gemma Doyle trilogy is good! I have Diviners on my hold list and downloaded Going Bovine last night from Overdrive. I wish I liked Carriger's style more. Maybe it's the steampunk I don't like. Hmm. I read Soulless; but couldn't be convinced to read the next two...even though I own them as an ebook bundle.

>123 kaylaraeintheway: Great title!

>124 lesmel:: I read the first 2 books in the Gemma Doyle trilogy, but I have yet to tackle the 3rd book. I've had it since it first came out, but for some reason I just haven't read it yet...

I'm interested in Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, so maybe I'll try that when I have more free reading time.

Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas by Rebecca Solnit and others
4 out of 5 stars

This was a really fascinating book! It first came to my attention when my younger sister started school at USF a few years ago, and she was required to get this book as part of a freshman seminar class. I finally got my hands on her copy.



Rebecca Solnit and her team of cartographers, writers, and artists present atlases that juxtapose two seemingly unrelated events, people, topics, situations, occurrences, etc. onto one map that presents the reader with an in-depth look at places, events, and people throughout the fascinating history of San Francisco. Most of the time, these maps work (like in the Cinema map, which shows the locations of Hitchcock's film Vertigo and the former locations of the old-fashioned cinema houses, as well as the haunting map discussing the locations of a certain type of tree and the murders that occurred in the city). Others, however, fall flat, either because the topics don;t seem to mesh well at all, or because they are boring (which is at the discretion of the reader, of course). I did not enjoy the map/essay about the salmon and the zen centers, for instance.



Despite some questionable topics, I found the majority of the maps and accompanying essays to be really fun and fascinating (Rebecca Solnit in particular has a really great writerly voice, and I enjoyed all of her essays). I have visited the city many times, to visit friends or family, or just to have fun, and my mom grew up there (and I grew up an hour away from the city), so I am pretty familiar with it. It was fun to get more insight into the history of the city that I was not aware of before (such as the late-night bars that the dockworkers used to frequent, and the lives of people to inhabit the Mission district). I feel that people who are familiar with the city would appreciate and enjoy this book the most, but even readers who have never set foot there will be able to take away something about this truly infinite city, and perhaps even be inspired to take a journey to San Francisco themselves.

That does sound intriguing and I love that you posted the maps. I really enjoyed Solnit's River of Shadows, about the west, technology, and photography, and have bought various other books by her, none of which I've actually read.

>128 rebeccanyc:: Rebecca Solnit has also done the same thing with New Orleans (the atlas), and I am really eager to start reading that one

Only in New York: An Exploration of the World's Most Fascinating, Frustrating, and Irrepressible City by Sam Roberts
4 out of 5 stars

I picked up this book from the library based on a recommendation of a fellow LTer, and I was excited to read it since I had just come back from my trip to New York. I had never heard of Sam Roberts before, but I was pleased to find that he has a great writing style! Each mini-essay (taken from podcasts he's done for the Times) explores the people, history, and personal stories he has about New York. At 3-5 pages each, they provide fun snippets and make the book a breeze to read. It would be fun if he did an updated version with more recent essays.

My only complaint is that I wish some of the essays were longer!

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
5 stars!

This little collection of essays on books and reading is such a gem! I found a little bit of myself in each of the 18 essays, which was a hoot. Fadiman discusses everything from combining one's bookshelves with those of their spouse, failed attempts at writing sonnets, the proper way to write book inscriptions, the joy of reading catalogs, secondhand bookshops, reading aloud to your children or to your lover, and life as a compulsive proof-reader. Fadiman's writing is very accessible, even though she frequently uses words that I have not come across before (which is, ironically, another subject of one of her essays), and I found myself becoming lost in my own reminisces of childhood books and finding secret places to read.

Fadiman is a true lover of books (something that her parents, themselves great readers and writers, instilled in her from a very young age; parenting at its best!), and her love, knowledge, and respect for the written word comes across in her essays. She very helpfully listed other books about books that she loves and that helped her in writing her own essays (a lot of which are now on my wishlist, including Virginia Woolf's own Common Readers).

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who loves to read, write, and cultivate their bookshelves. I only wish that my copy of this book didn't have to be returned to the library so I could make notes and highlight all of my favorite parts (and yes, such carnal love for books is indeed another subject Fadiman wrote about).

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ex Libris and have given away countless copies (and I loved the courtly and carnal love essay too).

And I know Sam Roberts as a NY Times columnist but didn't know he'd written a book.

>132 rebeccanyc:: I'm going to scour used bookstores for multiple copies so I can give them away too (and of course keep one for myself!). Such a great little book.

Yes, I always buy copies of Ex Libris when I see them in secondhand bookshops, it's a great gift for book lovers.

Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
4 out of 5 stars

Man, these books are fun. You've got the steampunk elements, with the airships, mechanimals, and robotic servants, Victorian manners and sensibilities mixed with espionage, secrets, spies, balls, coy flirting, and vampires who are the ultimate dandies. There's also a good amount of wit and romance (oh, and werewolves, but don't worry, there's nothing even close to resembling Twilight in this series!). The vampire lore is much more interesting, and I hope it gets explained more in the next book. Also, the vampires are all ridiculous dandies, which is just hilarious.

The plot does get a little convoluted and complicated at times, particularly when you're trying to follow who is on whose side and which faction is angry at which and for what reason, but it all mostly comes together on the end. The third book in the series (deliciously titled "Waistcoats and Weaponry") will be out in November, and I'm really excited to continue reading about the adventures of Sophronia, Dimity, Soap, and the other members of Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

Transformations by Anne Sexton
4 out of 5 stars

Anne Sexton's poems first came on my radar my freshman year of college, when we read her version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in my seminar class. I was really intrigued by her darker interpretation, and I vowed to read all of her fairytale poems in her Transformations collection.

I didn't get to it until just now, 6 years later, but I still found myself intrigued by her poems. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know the first thing about poetry, or about how one "should" read it. I blazed through the collection in one night and went to bed with images of toes being cut off and incestuous fathers. And while I did not understand some of what I was reading or could not identify which fairytale was being transformed, I still loved the imagery and the structure of the poems. I like poetry that is readable (i.e., that almost feels like prose), and I thought Sexton's poems were hipper cousins to the original Grimm tales.

All in all, a very enjoyable collection.

I think the proper way to read poetry is always just the way that feels right to you! Some books you can't help but just devour, and some you can only read a few poems at a time. For me, when I especially love a poem I've read I also read it aloud once. I do think most poetry is more powerful when we hear it rather than just read it silently (particularly if you can find recordings by the author).

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
2 out of 5 stars

I was really disappointed by this book.

I read Kindred in college and absolutely loved it, so when I found out Butler wrote a vampire novel, I was really excited to read it. It started off promising, with a seriously injured and hungry female (who we later learn is named Shori) roaming around the forest in search of sustenance,e with no memory of who (or what) she is. But as soon as she runs into a (male, young, attractive) human, it becomes all obsessive-can't-live-without-you-and-this-feeling, a la Twilight (ugh).

The vampire lore is very cool in this novel, and I wish Butler was able to go into it even more (I think she does a good job of explaining it, although the family lines and relationships got super confusing at a few points). But things don't start getting interesting until the last 90 pages of the novel, when a bunch of vampire families gather together for a trial to punish the family suspected of killing Shori's entire family and most of their human symbionts. Shori is unique: she is a vampire bred from human and vampire (or, in this novel, "Ina") DNA. She has black skin and can therefore walk in the sun and not have to sleep during the day. The trial is the most interesting part because Butler uses issues such as racism, sexism, and ableism, issues that are still prevalent in our modern human world, and brings them to this Ina world. The trial scenes are very well-written. That's not to say the whole book isn't well-written...I just wish that Butler did not go the route of uber-sexual, passionate/obsessive vampires and their human symbionts. I got enough of that with Twilight and the subsequent "popular" vampire/supernatural novels.

Kind of a dis-jointed review, but I it took me a while to get around to writing this, which sort of reveals how I felt about reading the book in general. Oh well!

>138 kaylaraeintheway: I gave it 2 of 5 as well (I actually had to go look since it's been 8 years since I read it). I liked the writing enough that I would read Octavia Butler again; but I definitely wasn't a fan of Fledgling.

>139 lesmel:: I'm glad I wasn't the only one! I really recommend Kindred, the book I mentioned in my review. It's about a modern African American woman who gets transported back in time to when slavery was prevalent. Very harrowing and a great read.

Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas by Rebacca Solnit & Rebecca Snedeker
4 out of 5 stars

First off, I just want to say how much I love the smell of this book (and its predecessor, Infinite City). I'm a fan of book and bookstore scents - I even have a perfume called Paperback - so when a book smells amazing, I can't help myself (and just to clarify, the book smells like freshly-printed ink and paper draawings and crisp wood).



The first (and so far only) time I went to New Orleans was in 2010, on a trip the Social Entrepreneurs Club was putting on in order to work with a non-profit organization there who install energy-efficient lightbulbs in people's homes for free. Confession: I was not actually a member of this club; I just really wanted to go to New Orleans. I'm so glad I went, because not only did I make new friends, but I got to see a side of the city that tourists generally don't see, especially post-Hurricane Katrina. I absolutely fell in love with the city, and I frequently check Craigslist listings for apartments (you know...just in case).



I picked up this atlas after reading (and loving) Solnit's San Francisco atlas, and I was ecstatic when I learned she recently published a similar atlas on New Orleans (with the help of Snedeker, a native New Orleansian). The maps and essays in this book were just as beautiful, vibrant, thought-provoking, moving, and eye-opening as in its predecessor; however, I thought that some of the topics were kind of repetitive, and the same issues were being brought up over and over (such as Katrina, racism, classism, and the city's history with slavery), which of course makes absolute sense, since this atlas serves as a historical and cultural guide to the city, and you can't discuss New Orleans without discussing those topics. But I guess what I felt was that this book was more depressing than the San Francisco atlas. I wish there were a few more essays/maps about the unique and colorful people, events, and places in New Orleans, rather than the tragedies and shortcomings of its history and people.



Despite my complaint, this book made me more eager than ever to go back to New Orleans, and perhaps even live there for a while. I want to experience all that the city has to offer (and the food! My God, the food!), and I feel all the more informed about the city and its people than before.

The Giver by Lois Lowry
4 out of 5 stars

This post contains spoilers, although I'm assuming that most people have read this book, or at least know the plot, by now

I've read this book before, of course; it was required reading at my elementary school (and I've read it once or twice more since then), but I think it can be hard for kids that age to fully grasp the meaning of this book. I certainly had no idea what "Stirrings" were and what that meant for a growing boy, and I never understood why a community would want to go to "Sameness", but now, after growing up a little and becoming more aware of the horrors of the world, I can understand that aspect of the story more. I also am more frustrated with the ending now than when I was little, because I assumed that Jonas and Gabe made it to safety and the warmth of a family and love. Now, I don't know if all of my English Lit classes made me see symbolism and other things where they don't actually exist, but after this re-reading, I wasn't so sure about the happy ending I had previously imagined. Did they actually find a family, or was it all a hallucination brought on by a dying brain?

I decided to re-red this book this morning because A) I wanted to put off going to the gym for as long as possible, and B) The movie just came out, and while I have absolutely no desire to see it, seeing the trailers and previews made me want to return to an old favorite.

I have Gathering Blue, which is a novel that tales place in the same world as The Giver, so I might finally pick that book up and read it after owning it for 4+ years haha

>142 kaylaraeintheway: From Wikipedia: The novel forms a loose quartet(3) with three other books set in the same future era: Gathering Blue (2000), Messenger (2004), and Son (2012).

>143 lesmel:: Thank you! After I posted my review, I looked in the back of my copy of Gathering Blue and read the Q&A with Lowry, where she said that Gathering Blue took place in a kind of antithesis to Jonas's world, so I got it kind of mixed up. I had no idea she wrote those last 2 books, so I will definitely have to go and check those out as well.

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
5 stars

Oh, my heart!

This was such a sweet little collection of letters! Made all the more wonderful by the fact that this correspondence actually took place. It made me yearn for a typewritter of my own and a British bookseller to write to. I laughed out loud many times (I can only hope to be like MIss Hanff in 30 years), and I am not ashamed to admit that I cried when Frank Doel passed. It was like losing a friend, even though I only knew him through the 20 minutes it took me to read this book. Another short gem about books and booklovers that I just have to buy for myself and a few good friends.

I noticed a few gaps in correspondence, and it's a shame to think that some of these letters were lost. I am going to have to embark on an internet search and see what else Helene has been doing, and how the bookshop fares today. I really hope it's still around (although I can't imagine why it wouldn't be, after this book, film, and play).

Speaking of the film...is it any good?

Thanks for posting those pictures from the infinite map books, and interesting that Solnit chose San Francisco and New Orleans, cities which have some ill-defined similarity in my mind - odd histories and unique atmospheres, or something like that.

>131 kaylaraeintheway: just wanted to say I really liked this Fadiman collection too. It's nice to see the cover pop up around here every so often.

>142 kaylaraeintheway: I actually liked the end of The Giver and thought the uncertainty was a great touch...but I imagine the sequel undoes the uncertainty. Haven't been drawn to read it.

>142 kaylaraeintheway: Those maps are wonderful!

>146 dchaikin:: Solnit chose San Francisco because she has lived there for most of her life, and she chose New Orleans, or rather, New Orleans chose her, after she went on a trip there. It's hard not to fall in love with that city, despite its faults and shaky history.

>146 dchaikin:, >147 rebeccanyc:: I love the maps as well, and I'm glad to share them. I hope it inspires people to pick up the books :)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
3.5 out of 5 stars

This isn't your grandmother's Cinderella...

In Meyer's re-telling of the story (which makes up the first book in her Lunar Chronicles series), Linh Cinder is a cyborg mechanic living in New Beijing. The usual Cinderella elements are present, but with a twist: a wicked (yet more complex) stepmother, two stepsisters (one who is a brat, the other who is sweet); a witty droid companion; a handsome young Prince who must take over as Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth; and a ball. Throw in a deadly plague that is ravishing the Earthen people, a sociopathic Lunar queen who can manipulate everyone around her, a greasy ballgown, and revelations about people's true identities, and you have Cinder, a really fun, if often predictable, book.

The next book in the series (Scarlet) continues the events of this book, but with the addition of, you guessed it, Little Red Riding Hood. I'm interested to continue the story, because sometimes you just need a fun, genre-twisting book series to binge-read.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
3.5 out of 5 stars

The second book in the Lunar Chronicles follows Cinder and "Captain" Thorne, an American criminal full of swagger and charm, as they break out of jail in New Beijing and search for answers regarding the missing Lunar Princess Selene (spoiler alert: it's Cinder). We also join Scarlet Benoit's fiery redheaded French adventures as she teams up with Wolf (a streetfighter with a heart of gold and secrets to spare) to find her missing grandmother, who is somehow connected to Selene/Cinder.

As with Cinder, the storyline is fairly predictable, and the characters all play to their roles/tropes in unsurprising ways, but I was still entertained. The last act of the book was pretty fast-paced and full of dead/maimed people, so that was cool. I'm jumping right into the 3rd book of the series, Cress. Should be another quick read!

The Martian by Andy Weir
4 out of 5 stars

Since this book was labeled as science fiction, I was expecting aliens to pop up. I'm glad they didn't. Because Weir writes about stranded astronaut Mark Watney's experiences in an incredibly realistic and scientific way (I had trouble following along a few times, to be honest). Since I know pretty much nothing about what it takes to be an astronaut and all of the science it involves, I wasn't able to tell what could actually be feasible, but I'm ok with that. I was worried that all of the science parts would get boring, but it wasn't that bad. The suspense, especially in the final act of the book, kept me reading. It's good that Mark is funny, otherwise this would have been a very boring book (although I'm sure Weir wrote him that way on purpose, since who would want to read 360+ pages about a dull person stranded on Mars? Answer: no one). Although, Mark was sometimes the world's bro-iest astronaut, which got a little annoying.

This would make a really visually stunning movie, by the way. The cover image is so great.

I think the movie rights were bought for The Martian but I really worry about that. I feel like they'll get too far from the book in adding romance and taking out a lot of Watney's humor. It seems like the standard Hollywood approach would be to leave Watney and a woman stranded, which would alter way too much.

>152 mabith:: Ew :/
Well, here's hoping that the screenwriters don't mess it all up

I loved The Martian but I'm not actually sure how it would work as a film. Because so much of the personality of the book is in Watney's humour, I feel like it would all basically be lost in a film, since for most of the time he's got no-one to talk to.

>154 valkyrdeath:: I pictured him talking out loud a lot when I was reading the book haha. You're right, don't know how well that would transfer to film, but I found it funny picturing a guy all alone on a planet talking out loud to himself all the time

Time for me to start another thread! Wooo!