Literary Musings

11/22/63 by Stephen King

2012-02-02T11:13:00.003-06:00

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed forever. If you had the chance to change the course of history, would you? Would the consequences be worth it? Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk. Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

This was my introduction to Stephen King and I wasn't sure what to expect. He's certainly been at the forefront of the literary world for quite sometime, but considering that some of the other authors who regularly make the bestsellers list over and over rub me the wrong way, I didn't know if I'd be sold. Turns out, the guy is brilliant; 11/22/63 was freaking awesome. The only thing I knew about this novel before I started it was that 1. it made the New York Times Ten Best Books of 2011 list and 2. it was about a man who traveled back in time in attempt to stop the assassination of JFK. Part of the delight of reading this book, for me, were the surprises of our main character's journey itself, not knowing what would happen next, and the nuances of King's version of time travel. Keeping this idea in mind, I am going to refrain from giving too much away in this review.

The premise of the novel is what initially drew me to this book, but in the end the reasons I adored it so much was not because it was a time travel novel (I'm a serious sucker for those) but because it was truly moving and really made me think. The idea that "the past is obdurate" gives Jake all sorts of problems when he travels back in time, as if he has to work against the universe itself to change the past. And then there is the question of the butterfly effect; by changing something in the past what will you alter in the future? Ultimately, does one's manipulation of the future prove to be worth it after its ramifications surface? How tightly are the past the present woven together and is there truly a destiny for each of us? Though the novel takes place in two different decades there are universal ideas that doesn't change over time, namely love, loss, trust and nostalgia.

“We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why.”

I enjoyed my time in the "land of ago," a time before cell phones and internet, when the soda tasted sweeter and the pies were creamier. The novel as a whole is well researched masterfully plotted. The end notes are worth reading as well. Here King explains that he started to write this novel in the 70's but set it aside after deciding it was "too soon" after JFK's assassination, choosing to return to the novel after his career was more established. He also touches on the fact that it was never 100% proven Lee Harvey Oswald was the one who killed JFK - many speculate he didn't work alone, or that he didn't have anything to do with it at all. King spent plenty of time researching these claims, citing what he believed are the most noteworthy books about the subject. After years of research, King claims he is 98% certain, sometimes 99%, that Oswald was the one who did it.

One other thing I want to metion - if you are put off by this book because of it's length, don't be. I can honestly say this novel does not feel as long as the pages it holds (849) and by the time you finish you will wish it was longer because you don't want it to be over. It has taken me longer to read a slow 300 page novel than it did for me to finish King's tome. If you are interested in the novel, just pick it up and forget its length! This book is nothing short of incredible.

A big thanks to my sister who gifted this book to me for Christmas.

Publisher: Scribner, 2011

January Reading

2012-02-01T11:57:00.001-06:00

For me, January is usually reserved for reading larger books and the novels I was excited to get on Christmas morning. (And those I bought with the B&N gift cards I recieved.) There is something about the cold weather and early dark nights that makes staying home and reading so enjoyable.

In January I reviewed a short story collection, Love Begins in Winter by Simon van Booy. I actually finished up reading it at the end of December and despite the title that is pretty spot on for the season in which I read it, the collection overall fell short for me. Then I picked up a lovely book by bookstore owner and blogger Michael Popek entitled Forgotten Bookmarks. Similar to his blog where he details the array of treasures he finds in used books, this was a unique and fun read. Then I moved on to something ~~a little~~ a lot heavier, Native Son, which turned out to be AHmazing. I finished this weeks ago and I still find myself thinking about it. If you haven't read this one yet I suggest you add it to your TBR. For real. Following that fantastic classic I hit Q: A Novel, which was not awesome. My sister got it for me for Christmas and I felt aweful that I didn't like it. But I was the one who asked for it in the first place, so I was the only one to blame. But then I picked up the other book she got me, 11/22/63 and fell head over heels obsessed with it. This book is Impressive with a capital I. (review coming soon) I also read The Western Lit Survival Kit, which proved to be a nice refresher of all those classics I studied back in college. I'll be keeping that one around to reference for sure.

Books read this month: 5
Page numbers read this month: 2,165

So there you have it. In February I hope to read another novel for the classics challenge (Native Son was my first) and get started on something for the Smooth Criminals challenge. I bought The Post Man Always Rings Twice a few weeks ago, so I'll probably start with that. I'm also really excited about the book The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, which was released in the US today. I first heard about it when Dog Ear Disks reviewed it, and I just might use what's left of my last B&N gift card from Christmas to pick it up.

image via Pretty Books

Books I Think Would Make Great Book Club Picks

2012-01-31T10:54:00.002-06:00

To me a great book club pick is one that begs to be discussed. It's not necessarily a book that everyone in the book club will like, but one that each member will have something to say about nonetheless. I've focused my list on fiction, because those are the books I know best. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

The Submission by Amy Waldman: This book is heated. It's subject matter is quite controversial and extremely relevant today, exploring the trials of an American Muslim who was annoymously chosen to design a post-9/11 memorial.

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham: Maugham's writing is truly lovely and his ability to convey ideas without hitting the reader over the head with them is refreshing. This is a book about the human ability to grow and change for the better, leaving much to discuss.

Native Son by Richard Wright: This is a book that truly inspires discussion, touching on topics that include civil rights, equality and freedom.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston: Hurston's novel explores gender roles and examines race in terms of its cultural construction and how ideas of race are spread. It's also a coming of age story, but its much more than that.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach: After I finished this book I wanted to talk to someone who had read it. The characters are all so memorable and fully realized I felt like I wanted to gossip about old friends, except they were really just fictional characters.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins: There is SO much to talk about while reading this book because most of the characters are unreliable narrators you can't be sure who to trust or who to blame.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov: Don't be scared, this novel is not super pervie, nor is it sleazy. The beauty of this novel is that Nabokov treads that fine line of portraying the abductor of a young girl as sympathetic, almost excusable. This device makes for a lot of discussion.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss: The novel is about a fictional book The History of Love and the interconnectedness of the of the people this book has affected. Each of the multiple plot lines are creatively linked in a way that makes me think Mrs. Kauss is one sharp lady.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: This is a tough one to read in terms of subject matter; it's infuriating, exposing the dark side of human nature. But it;s a book that you'll certainly want to discuss upon completion.

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton: First off, read this book in winter. Secondly, you will either love or hate this book. Guaranteed you can have a fun conversation with a group about this one. And while we are on Wharton, I'd also suggest The Age of Innocence, for fun or for book club.

Image from the movie The Jane Austen Book Club, a guilty pleasure of mine. (Leave me alone I know it's cheesy.)

Most Quoted Books of 2011

2012-01-30T16:50:00.000-06:00

Infographic via Media Bistro.

The Western Lit Survival Kit by Sandra Newman

2012-01-25T09:13:00.000-06:00

In The Western Lit Survivial Kit, author Sandra Newman seeks to shed a new light on the classics to prove they are less intimidating and more readable than you think. She argues that reading literature should be "emotionally satisfying, intellectually thrilling, and just plain fun." By providing a humorous guide that covers nearly every important work in the Western literary canon, Newman resurrects the classics you forgot you read in college and helps you remember why you studied them in the first place. Starting with classical literature, the Greeks and the Romans, and covering everything through the 20th century, Newman deconstructs the plots of important authors into concise summaries, so even if you never got around to reading Chaucer's Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, at least you've got a basic knowledge of its plot.

What is great about this book is that it makes for a great refresher if it has been awhile since your undergraduate lit survey classe (as it has been for me). I feel like I have brushed up on many of the movements, their key players and what made each so significant. The book can also work as an introduction to the history of the classics and would certainly make a good supplement to any related courses. I know the chapter on Shakespeare would have helped me greatly in my Shakespearean Drama class, where we read a play a week for 15 weeks. When studying for my final, it was hard for me to keep all the historical plays in order. While this isn't the end all be all book when it comes to western lit, it certainly helps clarify some of the fuzziness.

This book treats Western lit like an amusement park. It offers a guide to the rides, suggesting which ones are fun for all ages, which are impossibly dull for all ages, and which might take a lot out of you but offer an experience you simply can't get anywhere else.

What I found especially helpful about this book is it's rating system. Newman conveniently rates each work by each author she cites by it's importance, accessibility and fun, making it easy to weed through the lesser important works in favor for the ones that are more worth your while. The book as a whole has motivated to tackle more classics. While their may not be any new information or profound opinions included in this guide, and though it's likely you'll roll your eyes at some of her jokes, Newman's fresh take on the classics is sure to inspire a non-classic reader to take a look at the works that set the precedent for future literature.

I was provided a copy of this book by TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Gotham Books, 2012

Top Ten Unputdownable Books

2012-01-24T09:57:00.001-06:00

As I am stomping my way through 11/22/63, a book that I don't want to put down, but at 850 pages it's taking me a little longer than an average sized boo. This week I got to thinking about those "unputdownable" books. The books that keep you up past your bedtime. Those books that make you wish your lunch hour was longer (that is, if you read during your lunch hour like I do). Those books that keep you from watching tv for a week because all you want to do is read. Below is my list of my favorite unputdownable books.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: This novel is part science fiction, part romance, and entirely amazing. You've been living under a rock if you haven't heard of this book, but if you haven't given it a try yet you're really missing out on a good one.

11/22/63 by Stephen King: Ok fine I haven't finished this one yet, but it's making the list becauese I'm over halfway through and I can attest to it's unputdownable-ness. (I realize this post is full of made-up words.) I can't wait to find out how it ends, but I also don't want it to end.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon: Another recommended by a friend, I read this pre-blogging and it still remains one of my favorite literary mysteries. I can't wait for his second followup to this one (the first was The Angel's Game) due out this summer, The Prisoner of Heaven.

The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind: I got into this series when a friend from high school recommended it to me. It still remains one of my favorite series, following Richard Cypher as he gradually embraces his destiny as the Seeker of Truth, and sets out to stop the evil that others would unleash. Even though the books in the series are thick, I promise you'll fly through them.

The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster: This book was my introduction to Auster. While I haven't come across a book of his I didn't like, this one remains what I believe to be the most unputdownable. It offers a look at the silent movie industry and a complex mystery filled with corruption.

The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer: Say what you will about Adam Langer, I thought this book was freaking awesome. The novel follows a down-and-out aspiring short story writer and the web of lies in which he becomes tangled. It's equal parts funny, thrilling and snarky.

Native Son by Richard Wright: The terms "classic" and "unputdownable" aren't often used in the same sentence. This novel is an exception. Heartbreaking and eye-opening, I couldn't wait to find out what happened in the end.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers: This one was rage inducing, in the most thoughtful way possible. It's a book I think everyone should read, the true story of the Zeitoun family in post-Katrina New Orleans examining what it means to be a Muslim in modern America. It's quite interesting and moves very quickly.

The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver: This novel hasn't gotten nearly as much attention as Shriver's other novels, but it is equally compelling as most. It's an imaginative look at the implications of whom we choose to love, exploring the what-if's we all ponder at some point or another.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.
photo via weheartit.com

Q: A Novel by Evan Mandery

2012-01-19T14:08:00.003-06:00

“Q, Quentina Elizabeth Deveril, is the love of my life.” Shortly before his wedding, the unnamed hero of this uncommon romance is visited by a man who claims to be his future self and ominously admonishes him that he must not marry the love of his life, Q. At first the protagonist doubts this stranger, but in time he becomes convinced of the authenticity of the warning and leaves his fiancée. The resulting void in his life is impossible to fill. One after the other, future selves arrive urging him to marry someone else, divorce, attend law school, leave law school, travel, join a running club, stop running, study the guitar, the cello, Proust, Buddhism, and opera, and eliminate gluten from his diet. The only constants in this madcap quest for personal improvement are his love for his New York City home and for the irresistible Q.A unique literary talent, Evan Mandery turns the classic story of transcendent love on its head, with an ending that will melt even the darkest heart.

I can't remember where I first read about this novel, but the premise really grabbed me. I'm generally a sucker for time travel and this one sounded unique. Unfortunately, the premise was more captivating than the novel as a whole. The book goes from interesting to obnoxious as our unnamed narrator eventually encounters a dozen or so of his future selves, each telling him to pursue one thing, and the next telling him it won't work, instead he should do something equally as odd. This goes on for three hundred pages and by the end it just feels trite.

Overall, the novel seems to convey the idea that no matter what path you take in life, you will get shit on eventually. It may be true that one path will lead to more happiness and satisfaction than the other, but you will undeniably encounter some level of discontent regardless.

You still don't understand do you? There is no certain path to fame or happiness. The best you can hope for is to attempt to understand the mystery or existence and attain some measure of inner peace.

The book could easily be edited down to 250 pages or so (from 385) removing superfluous conversations that serve as metaphors for time and destiny. In addition, if an author is going to use time travel as a plot device, I think he or she should also include some sort of explanation as to how this time travel works. Audrey Niffeneger attibuted it to a genetic mutation, Stephen King detailed a storeroom portal that takes you back to the same day in 1958 each time you enter it. But in Q, we have a brief dialog that really just glazes over the subject all together, explaining one doesn't need to understand how something works in order to draw from its benefits. I don't need a detailed account of the science behind said time travel, but give a girl something to work with. For instance, do you age while you travel back in time? How long does it take to travel? Is it instantaneous? The fact that Mandery didn't include any nuts or bolts relating to time travel made the majority of the plot seem unauthentic.

Finally, for an ending that boasts it will warm even the coldest of hearts, it really felt lackluster. I was expecting a tsunami of emotions, and I got the tiniest of splashes. I consider myself a pretty warm-hearted person and I am moved by stories fairly easily. This one just missed the mark.

Publisher: Harper, 2011

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

2012-01-17T15:39:00.001-06:00

The Handmaid's Tale extra copy giveaway winner goes to:

L.L. from The Story Girl

I used random.org to generate a number 1 - 13 (everyone who commented besides myself) and the winner went to number 5. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Congrats, L.L. I'll be sending you an email shortly.

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To Someone Who Doesn't Read Classics

2012-01-17T10:07:00.002-06:00

I'm pretty sure most of you who read this blog have read a wide variety of classics, in which case, you don't really need this list. However, if there are some of you out there who typically shy away from classics, this is a list of them that I have read, which I believe to be quite accessible and fun to read. I am loosely using the term "classics" here to signify works that are widely considered worth studying.

1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain: Widely considered the Great American Novel, this is the story of a boy's adventures in the Mississippi Valley.
sample: "But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before."

2. Animal Farm by George Orwell: A political allegory that depicts barnyard animals to highlight powerful social commentary. This book, in my opinion, has one of the best closing sentences in the history of closing sentences.
sample: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it. (From Goodreads.)
sample: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."

4. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot: In my opinion, this is the most accessible Eliot novel. A buldungsroman that follows the rebellious Maggie Tulliover from youth to maturity.
sample: "Her future, she thought, was likely to be worse than her past, for after her years of contented renunciation, she had slipped back into desire and longing; she found joyless days of distasteful occupation harder and harder; she found the image of the intense and varied life she yearned for, and despaired of, becoming more and more importunate."

5. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe: This story examines the consequences of when white Europeans try to colonize an African villiage.
sample: "We have heard stories about white men who made the powerful guns and the strong drinks and took slave away across the seas, but no one thought the stories were true."

6. Native Son by Richard Wright: I finished this over a week ago and I'm still mulling it over. The novel explores what it means to be black in America.
sample: "Violence is a personal necessity for the oppressed...It is not a strategy consciously devised. It is the deep, instinctive expression of a human being denied individuality."

7. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins: A valuable stone goes missing and a slew of narrators theorize as to who may have done it. Truly a page turner.

sample: "Here follows the substance of what I said, written out entirely for your benefit. Pay attention to it, or you will be all abroad, when we get deeper into the story. Clear your mind of the children, or the dinner, or the new bonnet, or what not. Try if you can't forget politics, horses, prices in the city and grievances at the club. I hope you won't take this freedom on my part amiss; it's only a way I have of appealing to a gentle reader.

8.The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Another American classic, examines the possibilities of the American dream, as well as its pitfalls.
sample: "He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself."

9. A Doll's House - Henrik Ibsen: A moving play that looks at the convention of marriage in the late 1800's.
sample: "I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being, just as you are--or, at all events, that I must try and become one."

10. White Noise by Don DeLillo: My favorite DeLillo to date, White Noise examines family life in the age of extreme consumerism.
sample: "When I read obituaries I always note the age of the deceased. Automatically I relate this figure to my own age. Four years to go, I think. Nine more years. Two years and I'm dead. The power of numbers is never more evident than when we use them to speculate on the time of our dying."

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

Native Son by Richard Wright

2012-01-16T12:55:00.002-06:00

"He felt that there was something missing, some road which, if he had once found it, would have led him to a sure and quiet knowledge."

Native Son is one of those classics that I was always curious about but never had to read in school. This made it a first-time read for me and I was blown away. The back of this book states this novel is "an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and what is means to be black in America." That description is spot it. This book turned out to be one of the most powerful novels I have ever read.

Native Son follows Bigger Thomas, a young black man who has grown up in poverty in inner-city Chicago during the 1930's. Bigger is charged with the rape and murder of a white woman and we follow his story of remorse and guilt, fear and anger. The novel is split into three parts: Fear, Flight and Fate. Among other themes, Wright explores racial inequality, the meaning of freedom, racial divide in America, and the uncontrollable fate of inner-city black people after they were guaranteed "freedom". Bigger has felt as though he has been held down his whole life, restricted from the opportunities that were given to white people. His fear of white people eventually manifests itself as an uncontrollable anger, pushing him to ignore what is right and wrong.

He would have gladly admitted his guilt if he had thought that in doing so he could have also given in the same breath a sense of the deep, choking hate that had been his life, a hate that he had not wanted to have, but could not help having. How could he do that? The impulsion to try and tell was as deep as had been the urge to kill.

Not only is this an explicit and heart-wrenching account of the perils of the black man in 1930's America (and in some cases, they story is also relevant today), but it is truly a page-turner. Despite the brutal and affecting details, I was completely engrossed in this book. My heart went out to Bigger and the ways in which he was discriminated in a judicial system that was against him from the start. I can only imagine the controversy this book stirred up when it was first released in 1940. If you pick it up, it just might change the way you look at those less fortunate than you. Highly recommended.

I read this for the classics challenge, fulfilling a 20th century classic.

Publisher: Herper Perennial, 1940

Giveaway: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

2012-01-14T13:21:00.002-06:00

I was organizing my bookshelves and notice I have two copies of The Handmaid's Tale, one with my penciled annotations and underlines and another that looks as though it was never read. Since The Handmaid's Tale is one of my favorite Atwoods, I decided to give the clean copy away. The Handmaid's Tale was the first Margaret Atwood novel I read and I think it's a really good one to start with. So, if you haven't read this book and would like a copy sent you way, just leave a comment and be sure to include an email address.

Blurb from Goodreads: Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining fertility, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now... Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.

This giveaway is limited to US and Canadian residents only. I'll announce the winner Tuesday, January 17th.

The Joy of Books

2012-01-12T05:14:00.000-06:00

This video has been making the rounds and I wanted to share it with those of you who haven't yet seen it. Filmed at a bookstore in Toronto, Type, this magical video is a wonderful testament to the fascination of physical books.

Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages by Michael Popek

2012-01-11T07:03:00.001-06:00

It's happened to all of us: we're reading a book, something interrupts us, and we grab the closest thing at hand to mark our spot. It could be a train ticket, a letter, an advertisement, a photograph, or a four-leaf clover. Eventually the book finds its way into the world-a library, a flea market, other people's bookshelves, or to a used bookstore. But what becomes of those forgotten bookmarks? What stories could they tell?

By day, Michael Popek works in his family's used bookstore. By night, he's the voyeuristic force behind www.forgottenbookmarks.com, where he shares the weird objects he has found among the stacks at his store.

Forgotten Bookmarks is a scrapbook of Popek's most interesting finds. Sure, there are actual bookmarks, but there are also pictures and ticket stubs, old recipes and notes, valentines, unsent letters, four-leaf clovers, and various sordid, heartbreaking, and bizarre keepsakes. Together this collection of lost treasures offers a glimpse into other readers' lives that they never intended for us to see.

I have been following Michael Popek's blog Forgotten Bookmarks for well over two years now and I was delighted to have won a Friday giveaway a few weeks back in which Michael gave book titles that had been featured on his blog (and in his book), as well as a signed copy of his book. A week or so later I recieved a box of books that contained the following:

Photo from Forgotten Bookmarks

Not only was I excited to have won some of the same editions that I had seen featured on the blog, but I was also happy that Michael Popek had included a copy of his own book, which I had had my eye on ever since it was featured on NPR's Book Seller's Picks of the year's freshest reads. If you follow the blog Forgotten Bookmarks, you'll find the book to be quite similar in content, but even better because it's in book format.

If you've ever read a used book and found something stuck between the pages, left behind from a past reader, and felt a jolt of curiosity, even excitement, then you'll enjoy this book. There are chapters that include, among others, "Photographs," "Letters, Cards, and Correspondence," and" The Old Curiosity Shop: From Four-Leaf Clovers to Razor Blades." Popek explains his love of forgotten bookmarks in the introduction of the book, including several anecdotes describing the first few memorable pieces of ephemera he came across as a used bookseller:

One day, I came across a copy of a fairly common microwave cookbook - the sort of published by the appliance manufacturer to make a few extra dollars. By then, it was habit for me to flip through the pages looking for a lost treasure, and this book didn't disappoint. Near the end of the book, I spread the pages to discover a very large marijuana leaf, dried and pressed and in perfect condition. There was something about a pot leaf stuck inside this hurry-up cookbook that sent me into hysterics. I had visions of the impatient stoner, desperate with hunger, reaching for the book and marking a recipe with the item closest at hand.

Some of the "bookmarks" featured are funny, some angry, some sad, but all interesting. Even better, I found a treat inside the pages of Popek's book itself. He was kind enough to include one of the original forgotten bookmarks that he featured in his book. It is pictured on page 93 and was found in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig, published by William Morrow and Company, 1974. (I also received a copy of this book in the prize pack.) I was delighted to find this forgotten bookmark and share some of the excitement that Popek experiences when he finds other forgotten bookmarks.

All in all, this book was a delight to read. Popek keeps the commentary to a minimum throughout, explaining that he would rather present the "material in this book more like a museum curator than a critic." I found that Forgotten Bookmarks speaks to the importance of physical books, as keepsakes and depositories, highlighting a time before ereaders, even before emails, when writing letters and developing film were the norm. For me it evoked an odd sense of nostalgia for a time that I barely got to experience for myself. It really is a testament to books and the unique ways reading can bring us together.

Publisher: Perigee Trade, 2011

Authors I Wish Would Write Another Book

2012-01-10T10:06:00.000-06:00

We all have authors who we can't get enough of. For me, more often than not, these authors only publish a novel every couple of years or so. Of course the writing process is one that takes time to perfect, but I wish these authors would work double time so I could read more of their books. The list includes debut authors, authors who have seemed to take a writing hiatus, and those that just take awhile to write a book.

I'm not complaining, I would hate to see these talented authors mass produce novels like they were one of James Patterson's ghost writers. I just wish they would giddie up is all.

1. Audrey Niffenegger - Last published a novel in September of 2009.

2. Jhumpa Lahiri - Last published a novel September 2004, though she has a more recent short story collection, I'm aching for another novel.

3. Zadie Smith - Last published novel January of 2005.

4. Miranda July - Aside from the two McSweeny's Irregular books she published in 2011 and 2009, (irregular books of irregular content in irregular intervals) Miranda July last published a short story collection in 2007. I'm ready for more from her.

5. Johnathan Safran Foer - Last published novel 2005. (I am not counting The Tree of Codes, published 2010, as it is considered more a work of visual art than a novel.)

6. Robert Sloan - Sloan wrote this pretty awesome short story entitled Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore and word on the street is that it is going to be published as a novel by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. I can't wait.

7. Alison Bechdel - I'd love to see another graphic novel out of her. She last published Fun Home in 2006.

8. Chad Harbach - Ok to be fair he just published his first novel this year, but he worked on it for nine years. I'm really hoping his second won't take him quite so long.

9. Margaret Atwood - Last published novel 2009. She is working on the third book for the MaddAddam series, but I enjoyed Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood so much I can't wait.

10. Sylvia Plath - It's not exactly possible that she write another book, but even so I wish we could have one more.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Love Begins in Winter by Simon Van Booy

2012-01-03T16:52:00.004-06:00

I received a copy of this collection of short stories after Book Lush hosted a giveaway of sorts (literally she just gave a huge stack of her books away to make room on her self - no tweets or signing up required, which is my kind of giveaway.) I had been hoping to get my hands on a collection of stories by Van Booy for awhile, so I was super excited to see it was available on her list of giveaway books. I'm normally not a huge fan of short stories, as I tend to gravitate and enjoy longer narrative works, but I like to sprinkle them into my reading diet nonetheless.

Unfortunately, Love Beings in Winter was not a collection that ultimately satisfied me. While there were instances of fascination and curiosity, the majority of the stories fell flat for me. Each character seemed a little too delicate and many instances too exaggerated to enjoy the meaning of the story at hand. This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy any of the stories in the collection. There was one story that I found utterly charming, and there were passages in each story that were notable; I found myself underlining more lines in this book than I do in most. It should be said that Van Booy certainly isn't lacking in ideas and he manages to convey those ideas with eloquent and sobering prose.

Children are the closest we are to wisdom, and they become adults the moment that final drop of everything mysterious is strained from them. I think it happens quietly to every one of us -- like crossing a state line when you're asleep.

But in a collection of five stories, enjoying only one just seems like it misses the mark. I can say that while I didn't abhor this book, I don't think it will stay with me for very long. I probably won't be seeking out Van Booy's other collection of short stories anytime soon, though I do love the title The Secret Lives of People in Love. However, I would be willing to give his novel, Everything Beautiful Began After, a try.

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2009

Books I'm Excited to Read in 2012

2012-01-03T12:45:00.003-06:00

2012 is here which means, among other things, a brand new reading slate beings. Below are the books I am most looking forward to reading this year. Some are new releases and others are old classics.

1. 11/22/63 by Stephen King: I am waiting to start this one until I'm craving a real page-turner. I'm sure you all know the premise by now, and I'm really looking forward to giving it a go.

2. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon: According to Carlos Ruiz Zafon's website, The Prisoner of Heaven will be released in June of 2012 and returns to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. It begins one year after the close of The Shadow of the Wind when a mysterious stranger enters the shop looking for a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo.

3. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins: I adored The Moonstone when I read it in college, but I never got around to The Woman in White. This is the year.

4. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood: This one was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1996 and is a work of Atwood's fiction I've been looking forward to for awhile.

5. How to Read the Air by Dinaw Mengestu: I've had this one on my TBR wishlist since last year and eventually found it at Half Price Books at the end of 2011. I'm super pumped to get to it at last.

6. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson: I've read mixed reviews on this one, but since I'm a sucker for almost anything related to WWII Germany, I think I'll get into this one.

7. When I Was A Child I Read Books by Marilynne Robinson: Another 2012 release that I'm anticipating, this one is a collection of essays that explore "faith in modern life and the contradictions inherit in human nature." Not to mention the title sums up my life from the age of six to twelve.

8. Q: A Novel by Evan Mandery: This one has such an interesting premise I can't help but think it will make for a fun read.

9. In the Garden of Earthly Delights by Joyce Carol Oates: This is the first book in the Wonderland Quartet (no need to read them all in order) and since I liked the third so much, I went out and bought this.

10. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: Another classic that I've heard great things about, but haven't managed to read yet.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
photo via prettybooks.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-29T14:14:00.002-06:00

I'm all packed up and headed out of town tonight for a long weekend. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend ringing in the new year. I'll be back next week.

Cheers and GO BADGERS!

Windows on the World by Frédéric Beigbeder

2011-12-28T21:52:00.001-06:00

"this isn't a thriller; it is simply an attempt - doomed, perhaps - to describe the indescribable."

For those of you like me who never visited Manhattan prior to 9/11 (I had a sweet 16 trip planned for my birthday on September 13th, 2001, which was obviously postponed) the Windows on the World was the restaurant that sat atop the 107th story of the north tower. After Flight 11 hit the north tower, those who were in the restaurant survived the impact, but all eventually died. Beigbeder's novel Windows of the World is the fictional account of a father and his two sons who became trapped in the restaurant of the twin towers after the attacks commenced.

As you can probably guess, this novel was truly heartbreaking and incredibly moving. No one trapped above the crash site survived so at its center, this is a story about death. I decided to pick it up shortly before Christmas and wouldn't you know, it was the first book I read all year that made me cry. Aside from the poignant subject matter, Beigebeder structures the novel to emphasize the heartbreaking and catastrophic details of that tragic morning; each chapter represents one minute beginning at 8:30am and finishes when the tower falls at 10:29am. Each chapter alternates between the story of the family trapped inside the tower and the point of view of an unnamed French author, ruminating about the nature of America, childhood, 9/11, and the role of a writer. By weaving these two stories together, not only does The Windows of the World memorialize the thousands of lives lost on that tragic day, but it also reflects on what it means to be an American, both pre and post 9/11, and what it means to be human. It explores themes of love and redemption; what we may do differently when faced with death and what becomes important when the end of your life is imminent.

What I wanted to tell my sons was that you should never stay with someone you don't love; that you should only be faithful to love and love alone; that you should tell society to piss off as often as possible.

The novel as a whole is bizarre and disjointed (as many post-modernist French novels are), but also incredibly powerful and unique. Though certain passages are perhaps brash, self-indulgent, and controversial, the novel is captivating and incredibly philosophical. It will have you reflecting on your own life and the nature of literature itself.

Publisher: Miramax Books, 2004

A big thanks to my friend Ben for gifting this book to me.

A Year in Reading: 2011

2011-12-27T12:37:00.005-06:00

I did a little breakdown of my year in reading last year to give myself an idea of my own reading trends. I'm a little OCD when it comes to keeping track of every book I read, it's publication date and page numbers, so it's fun to tally everything up and see the results. Goodreads has made it even easier to keep stats like this so if you'd like to play along, just link up at the bottom!

I'm posting these stats assuming that I will finish the book I am reading now by December 31st. I'm quite positive I can make that happen.

Books read in 2010:

Challenges completed:

3 (RIP challenge, Classics Challenge and 1001 Books Challenge)

Pages read in 2010:

17,277

Percentage of male authors read:

55%

Percentage of authors of color read:

15%

Percentage of US authors read:

71%

Percentage of European authors read:

15%

Percentage of non-fiction read:

15%

Percentage of "new to me" authors:

68%

Percentage of classics read (not including modern classics):

22%

Percentage of books read that are older than me (published prior to 1985):

30%

Percentage of books read published in 2011:

Last year I told myself I wanted to read more worldly authors so my US author was less than 62% (which is what it was last year). I was on a roll at the beginning of the year, but for the last four months I have basically read all US authors with the exception of two books. I managed to read more classics this year than I did last year, thanks to the classics challenge. However, I dropped the amount of the authors of color read, despite trying to read more than 19% where is where I was in 2010. I think the surge of new(er) releases I read in the second half of the year contributed to my lack of diversity. There were so many interesting books released in fall of 2011 that I couldn't help picking up a few on the best seller's list.

All in all it was a great reading year for me. I originally set a goal to read 52 books this year and when I hit that number at the end of October I decided to bump it up to 60. Not too shabby for me.

To see my list of favorite reads of 2011, click here.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

2011-12-23T09:15:00.001-06:00

I can't think of many things that bore me more than the sport of baseball. I hopped on the Brewer bandwagon after they started doing so well this season not because I started to like the sport, oh no. I did it because I like to tailgate and I generally enjoy anything that gives me an excuse to take off work to drink beers at noon. With that being said, I wasn't sure I'd like The Art of Fielding. I got it for my birthday back in September but didn't pick it up until recently because I thought like the sport itself, this book would bore me. Man, was I wrong. This was one of the best and one of the most captivating books I have read all year.

The Art of Fielding follows a baseball team at a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin. Specifically we get to know Henry, the most promising player on the team, Schwartz, the team captain, Owen, Henry's eccentric roommate and teammate, Affenlight, the president of the school and his daughter Pella, who just returned to the Midwest after a short, failed marriage. These five central characters struggle to maintain happiness and find their way among the pressures and anxieties they are faced with. At its heart, this book is about relationships. It examines the relationships we have with others and more significantly, the relationship we have with ourselves. It's about new starts and new love, and learning to find your place among others.

Each of us, deep down, believes that the whole world issues from his own precious body, like images projected from a tiny slide onto an earth-sized screen. And then, deeper down, each of us knows he’s wrong.

It's hard to believe this is Harbach's first novel, because it's exponentially better than 99% of the other debut novels that I've read. Both the place and the characters Harbach has created are so fully realized that I can't help but wonder what they might be up to now. All in all, I didn't want this book to end.

However, I did have reservations near the end, for two reasons. (Don't worry, no specific spoilers.) One, everything was wrapped up a little two neatly for my taste and two, there was an instance that seemed incredibly unrealistic in an otherwise realistic narrative. However, the book as a whole was so incredible that I wouldn't let my tendency to be picky about endings stop you from reading this book.Whether you are a baseball fan or your'e not, if you're human you will enjoy this book.

Publisher: Little, Brown, 2011

My Favorite Books Read in 2011

2011-12-22T11:35:00.001-06:00

2011 was a good reading year for me. My goal was to read 60 books and at this moment I've got 58 down. I think I can manage two books in 9 days if I ~~choose short books~~ kick it into gear. With that said, below are my favorite books I read this year. Some are new releases others were published before I was born.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami: At it's root this is a love story, but it involves so much more. Murakami examines loneliness and sorrow in this coming of age story. The characters are memorable and the writing is incredible. (1987)

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach: I didn't think I would ever read a book about baseball that I couldn't put down, but Harbach did it. His novel focuses on relationships; those we have with others and more importantly, the the one we have with ourselves. (2011)

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: This Pulitzer Prize winner follows three generations of a Greek-American family living in Detroit and the genetic secret and later identity crisis of Calliope. (2002)

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri: The Namesake examines the immigration experience of a Bengali family and speaks to the physiological disjuncture and cultural displacement that results from belonging to two very different culture. This book is captivating, heartwarming and depressing, all at once. (2003)

The Submission by Amy Waldman: This novel challenges the fears of post 9/11 America and forces us to consider to what extent those fears are sensible and to face how much we are hurting Muslim-Americans. (2011)

Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood: A book about growing up and going back home, Cat's Eye examines women's relationships and the repression we inflict on one another. (1988)

them by Joyce Carol Oates: Part of the Wonderland Quartet series, them follows two generations of the Wendall family and explores the forces that keep them in poverty and struggling to achieve happiness. (1969)

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides: Among other things, this novel examines the confusions and angst of recent college graduates and how we get where we do in life, without really knowing where we want to go. (2011)

The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster: My favorite Auster to date, this story is abotu redemption and second chances and the power of human connections. (2005)

The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer: A riff on the publishing industry's literary fakes, this book follows a down and out writer and the web of lies in which he gets tangled. I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting. (2010)

Honorable Mentions: On Beauty by Zadie Smith, The Painted Veil by M. Somerset Maugham, How I Became A Famous Novelist by Steve Hely

Books that would make good Christmas gifts (for me)

2011-12-16T15:03:00.000-06:00

There aren't a ton of books I am hoping to get for Christmas, mostly because my TBR is pretty well stocked at this point. But I do have just a few that would be fun to unwrap next weekend.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

November 22nd, 1963 was a rapid-fire sequence of indelible moments: Shots ring out; a president slumped over; a race to the Dallas hospital; an announcement, blood still fresh on the First Lady's dress. But what if President John F. Kennedy didn't have to die; if somehow his assassin could have been thwarted? For Maine schoolteacher Jake Epping, those hypothetical what if's become real possibilities when he walks through a portal to the past. Without special skills and still unfamiliar with his new/old surroundings, he struggles to discover a way to change the history he left. Like its Under the Dome predecessor, Stephen King's 960-page novel shows that this master of suspense is back at the top of his game. (Goodreads)

Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson

Adopted by a pair of diehard hippies, restless, marginal Jude Keffy-Horn spends much of his youth getting high with his best friend, Teddy, in their bucolic and deeply numbing Vermont town. But when Teddy dies of an overdose on the last day of 1987, Jude's relationship with drugs and with his parents devolves to new extremes. Sent to live with his pot-dealing father in New York City's East Village, Jude stumbles upon straight edge, an underground youth culture powered by the paradoxical aggression of hardcore punk and a righteous intolerance for drugs, meat, and sex. With Teddy's half brother, Johnny, and their new friend, Eliza, Jude tries to honor Teddy's memory through his militantly clean lifestyle. But his addiction to straight edge has its own dangerous consequences. While these teenagers battle to discover themselves, their parents struggle with this new generation's radical reinterpretation of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll and their grown-up awareness of nature and nurture, brotherhood and loss. Moving back and forth between Vermont and New York City, Ten Thousand Saints is an emphatically observed story of a frayed tangle of family members brought painfully together by a death, then carried along in anticipation of a new and unexpected life. With empathy and masterful skill, Eleanor Henderson has conjured a rich portrait of the modern age and the struggles that unite and divide generations. (Goodreads)

Q: A Novel by Evan Mandery

Shortly before his wedding, the unnamed hero of this uncommon romance is visited by a man who claims to be his future self and ominously admonishes him that he must not marry the love of his life, Q. At first the protagonist doubts this stranger, but in time he becomes convinced of the authenticity of the warning and leaves his fiancée. The resulting void in his life is impossible to fill. One after the other, future selves arrive urging him to marry someone else, divorce, attend law school, leave law school, travel, join a running club, stop running, study the guitar, the cello, Proust, Buddhism, and opera, and eliminate gluten from his diet. The only constants in this madcap quest for personal improvement are his love for his New York City home and for the irresistible Q. A unique literary talent, Evan Mandery turns the classic story of transcendent love on its head, with an ending that will melt even the darkest heart. (Goodreads)

That's it. Which books do you have on your Christmas list?

A Man Without A Country by Kurt Vonnegut

2011-12-14T12:06:00.002-06:00

A Man Without A Country is a collection of essays, speeches and drawings in which Vonnegut reflects on politics, religion, art, and human nature. It was the last book that was published before Vonnegut's death in April of 2007. The collection is a delight to read; though a bit disjointed, overall it's funny and incredibly sincere, it's moralistic, and at times biting. Vonnegut discusses war, the bombing of Dresden and how it lead to his classic Slaughterhouse-Five, he examines the coincidence and hopelessness of life, our less-then-ideal government, the bleak state of the environment, and how he feels helpless in a world where most of us focus on the now, rather than the state of the future.

I don't think people give a damn whether the planet goes on or not. It seems to me as if everyone is living as members of Alcoholics Anonymous do, day by day. And a few more days will be enough. I know of very few people who are dreaming of a world for their grandchildren.

Despite the fact that Vonnegut was painted as a bitter, angry old man in his most recent biography, from these essays it seems to me that while he was disillusioned with the state of America and society as a whole, he did maintain a certain faith in people and the good of which they are capable. Moreover, Vonnegut stresses the importance of acting in kindness and advises to pay attention to moments of happiness, lest they should pass you by wasted and unnoticed. It's a simple piece of advice that is overlooked by many. It's also a testament that while Vonnegut was cynical and pessimistic about a lot of things, he truly took the time to appreciate his happiness what was good in his life.

I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur of think at some point, "if this isn't nice, i don't know what is."

I think part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much is because I happen to agree with its outlook and politics. The essays are meandering, but it works. If you're a fan of Vonnegut's novels but haven't read any of his essays, I urge you to read this book.

Other opinions:
The Avid Reader's Musings
Things Mean A Lot

Publisher: Seven Stories Press, 2005

Books Read in 2011: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2011-12-12T16:49:00.001-06:00

Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner has again created an end of 2011 survey to reflect on this years best and worst reads. I had a lot of fun with this one last year, so of course I was excited to see that she brought it back this year.

This survey includes books I have read this year, both old and new. It is not a survey that rates 2011 releases.

1. Best Book You Read In 2011?:

This one is hard. I read a lot of amazing books this year. Three titles immediately come to mind when I think back to the "best" books; Norwegian Wood, Middlesex and them. Of those three, the one that stands out the most for me is Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. On the surface Norwegian Wood is a love story, a very organic one at that. But it's really much more than just a love story. It's about memory and the memory of love, and how it stays with us even when the one we love is gone. It's about coping with death and sorrow, and understanding life while trying to find your place in this imperfect the world. It's about loneliness and isolation and the innate human desire to form unique relationships. I've got to thank Ben from Dead End Follies for recommending this book to me.

2. Most Disappointing Book?

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown: I wish I hadn't wasted my time and finished this one.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2011?

How I Became A Famous Novelist by Steve Hely: I picked this book up after Jackie at FarmLane Books recommended it. I thought I would like it, but I was surprised by just how much. I read this one in two days, laughed out loud quite a bit (which is something I rarely do when reading, or even watching a movie) and recommended it to a handful of bloggers.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2011?

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: This book had enough hype surrounding it that I didn't really need to push it on anyone, but I did recommend it to my mom, my sister and some friends. It's got such universal appeal that you can't really go horribly wrong by telling people to read it.

5. Best series you discovered in 2011?

The Wonderland Quartet by Joyce Carol Oates: To be fair I've only read one of the books in the series, but it was so good I already bought another and plan to read it soon.

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2011?

Jeffrey Eugenides: Yes, I only just discovered Eugenides this year when I read Middlesex in May for the Back to the Classics Challenge.
Joyce Carol Oates: Oates is absolutely astonishing. I can't wait to read more of her work.
Jhumpa Lahiri: It took me awhile to pick up some of Lahiri's work but once I did I immediately knew why she won the Pulizer.

7. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2011?

The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer: This one was easy, it was the only novel I read in under 24 hours this year. It was awesome.

8. Book you most anticipated in 2011?

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides: If you followed me on twitter near the end of the summer I wouldn't shut up about how excited I was for the book. I may have also posted about that a couple of times.

9. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2011?

On Beauty by Zadie Smith: I found this beautiful hardback edition at Half Price Books and scooped it up immediately. The picture doesn't really do the cover justice. It is made up of all these lovely patterns and textures.

10. Most memorable character in 2011?

Midori Kobayashi from Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami: This girl is bananas, in the best and most sincerely possible way.

11. Most beautifully written book read in 2011?

The Painted Veil by M. Somerset Maugham: Maugham's writing is truly lovely and his ability to convey ideas without hitting the reader over the head with them is refreshing.

12. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2011?

The Submission by Amy Waldman: If you are looking for a book that will challenge your notions of post 9/11 America, I ask you to let The Submission be it.

13. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2011 to finally read?

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut: I've been a long-time fan of Vonnegut's short stories, but I didn't pick up Slaughterhouse-Five until this year.

14. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2011?

"This goes along with another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise. " - Margaret Atwood, Cat's Eye (I liked this quote so much I paired it with this photo of myself taken a few months prior to reading this book.)

15. Book That You Read In 2011 That Would Be Most Likely To Reread In 2012?

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides: I was so excited to get my hands on this book that I cruised through it in a couple of days. I'd like to reread it and take my time with it the second time around.

16. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

This is a tie between the ending of The Marriage Plot and the second half of The Thieves of Manhattan.

photo via book oasis by Estudi FHG.net

A Holiday Gift Guide

2011-12-08T13:19:00.002-06:00

With the holidays right around the corner, I thought I’d put together a special edition of Book Fetish this week. The Holiday Gift Guide features carefully chosen bookish gifts from previous Book Fetish entries. I hope this helps you to cross off the bibliophiles on your Christmas list.

You can take a look at it here. Happy shopping!

them by Joyce Carol Oates

2011-12-06T13:44:00.003-06:00

"But, honey, aren't you one of them yourself?"

I read my first work by Joyce Carol Oates earlier this year and really enjoyed it. I started with Black Water, which is a novella that tells a fictionalized account of the Chappaquiddick incident, when a young girl was found inside of a sunken car driven by Senator Edward Kennedy. After reading Black Water I knew I wanted to read more JCO and I knew I wanted something larger. Enter them; winner of the 1970 National Book Award, nominee for the Pulitzer Prize, and book three of the Wonderland Quartet series.

In the introduction of the novel Oates describes that them is "a work of history in fictional form" and goes on to tell of a set of letters she received from an old student of hers when she taught at the University of Detroit. The girl expressed her restlessness in life and and overall feelings of resentment. Her "various problems and complexities overwhelmed" Oates and it was these letters that prompted Oates to write them. Parts of the letters appear half-way through the narrative. (I should mention the title is purposefully labeled with a lower-case "t," and details a specific "them".)

them follows two generations of the Wendall family and explores the forces that keep them in poverty and struggling to achieve happiness. The novel spans forty years, takes place in inner-city Detroit and ends during the race riots of 1967. Among other things, them explores the struggles of working class America, generational poverty, and obsessions of love, money and violence. If we focus on Maureen, the novel is a sort of bildungsroman, as we watch her grow from a small child into a woman. But the novel is more than Maureen's story. It is the story of a desperate family who desires a better life and struggles to understand those who are different from themselves.

I dream of a world where you can go in and out of bodies, changing your soul, everything changing and no fixed forever, becoming men and women, daughters, children again, even old people, feeling how it is to be them and then not hating them, out on the street. I don't want to hate.

This is a tough one to review because anything I say about this book will not do it justice. It's like trying to review Middlemarch; where do you start? Like one of my very favorite authors, Margaret Atwood, the works Joyce Carol Oates permeate with feminist themes and explore larger social issues that are still relevant in modern America. With a focus of the female characters Loretta Wendall and her daughter Maureen, Oates highlights the plight of working class women:

Oh, we women know things you don't know, you teachers, you readers and writers of books, we are the ones who wait around libraries when it's time to leave, or sit drinking coffee alone in the kitchen; we make crazy plans for marriage but have no man, we dream of stealing men, we are the ones who look slowly around when we get off a bus and can't even find what we are looking for, can't quite remember how we got there, we are always wondering what will come next, what terrible thing will come next. We are the ones who leaf through magazines with colored pictures and spend long heavy hours sunk in our bodies, thinking, remembering, dreaming, waiting for something to come to us and give a shape to so much pain.

The novel is beautifully written. Joyce Carol Oates certainly has a way with words; her prose it both eloquent and confident. The characters she imagines are sharp and memorable. I should say it's a bit of a downer; moments of happiness are few and far between. But don't let that deter you. It is absolutely worth the read.

Publisher: Modern Library Classics, 1969

Smooth Criminals: A Reading Challenge

2011-11-29T16:23:00.003-06:00

Ben over at Dead End Follies is hosting the Smooth Criminals Reading Challenge: it includes eight different categories, all related to crime, in an effort to bridge the gap between literary and crime. I think it's a great project and since there are so many acclaimed novels in this genre that I am unfamiliar with, I signed up right away.

After much deliberation, my choices for each category are as follows:

1. Hardboiled Classic: Raymond Chandler/ The Big Sleep

2. Noir Classic: James M. Cain/ The Postman Always Rings Twice

3. Prison Book: Margaret Atwood/ Alias Grace

4. Book written by a writer who did time: Jean Genet/ Our Lady of the Flowers

5. Book with psychopath protagonist: Joyce Carol Oates/ Zombie

6. Gothic Novel: Shirley Jackson/ We Have Always Lived in a Castle

7. Classic where the plot revolves around a crime: Truman Capote/ In Cold Blood

8. The "Why the hell am I doing this to myself?" book: Fyodor Dostoyevsky/ Crime and Punishment

If you are interested in a challenge that may help you diversify your reading diet, head over to Dead End Follies to read the rules and sign up.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

2011-11-29T15:28:00.002-06:00

I had my eye on this one every since Nymth reviewed it earlier this summer. Then I saw the trailer for the movie and knew I wanted to read it before the movie was released. The book itself is quite unique; it combines the novel with a picture book and scenes from old French movies. Even though it's over 500 pages, it's actually a fast read because pages alternate from traditional text to illustrations. Each do their part to tell the story of Hugo Cabret, an orphaned boy who lives in the walls of a Parisian train station, winding the station's clocks every night and working to fix a broken automaton, which he believes holds a message from his deceased father.

What interested me most about this book was not Hugo himself, but the way it paid homage to early 20th century French film. I went abroad to study French film in college, so I found the references to the films and filmmakers most captivating. The novel really captures the magic and excitement that early film evoked. Further, Selznick's illustrations are placed carefully within the book so that when the reader turns the pages, they almost read like a black and white movie. The arrangement of pages and the act of turning them are significant to the telling of the narrative. While I wasn't completely blown away by the overall plot, the medium of the book is so innovative, I think this one is worth checking out.

In a related note, Martin Scorsese directed the film "Hugo", based on this novel. It looks like it has the potential to be awesome. You can watch the trailer here.

Publisher: Scholastic, 2007

Books at the top of my TBR for winter

2011-11-29T09:15:00.002-06:00

Winter is my favorite season for reading. I live in the Midwest and it gets pretty cold, so it's easy to cuddle up in a blanket with a book and read for hours without feeling guilty. Like a lot of people, I tend to gravitate toward larger tomes around this time of year. Below is a list of books that are on the top of my TBR for winter.

1. How To Read The Air/ Dinaw Mengestu: I've had my eye on this one for awhile and I found it a couple of weeks ago at Half Price Books. It follows two generations of Ethiopians living in America.

2. The Art of Feilding/ Chad Harbach: This was among one of the many books I received for my birthday. Everyone seems to love it, and I plan on picking it up this winter.

3. Alias Grace/ Margaret Atwood: This has been dubbed the most satisfying of Atwood's work since The Handmaid's Tale. I'm pretty pumped for this one.

4. A Man Without a Country/ Kurt Vonnegut: A collection of essays, A Man Without a Country is Vonnegut's last published work.

5. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin/ Erik Larson: Another book that I received for my birthday, it chronicles the life of William Dodd. It's already rumored that Tom Hanks plans to turn it into a movie.

6. Native Son/ Richard Wright: I've had this on my TBR for about a year - it's one of those classics I've always wanted to read but haven't yet.

7. Love in the Time of Cholera/ Gabriel Garcia Marquez: I read Memories of My Melancholy Whores awhile back and liked it a lot. Cholera is the next one I'd like to tackle since I read this Reading Pathways via BookRiot.

8. A Garden of Earthly Delights/ Joyce Carol Oates: I picked this one up at Half Price Books last week, when I was smack in the middle of them and loving it. A Garden of Earthly Delights is the first book in the Oates' Wonderland Quartet.

9. 11/22/63/ Stephen King: So I don't actually own this one yet, but I would like to soon. At nearly 1,000 pages it's a pretty fat one, but the premise is just so tempting.

10. The Remains of the Day/ Kzauo Ishiguro: I've been saving this one for a time when I want to read something a little slower. I've heard it's amazing, and I don't want to pick it up until I'm ready to savor it.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
image via weheartit

The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris

2011-11-22T09:53:00.001-06:00

I read and adored Joshua Ferris' debut novel Then We Came To An End last year. Upon finishing it, I couldn't wait to pick up his latest The Unnamed. The two books are very different, which is great. There is nothing worse than an author who writes a different version of the same book. However, I'm sorry to report that in the end, The Unnamed was a disappointment. I enjoyed the first hundred or so pages of the novel, but then it became so dragged out. The same thing kept happening again and again, without much purpose, and the novel as a whole began to feel underdeveloped.

The protagonist of the novel, Tim, is a successful lawyer living in a suburb of New York City. His family, like most, is not without their problems. But, one day Tim walks out of his office and is unable to stop. Doctors can not discern why Tim can't stop walking; his condition is unnamed. What unfolds is the story of a man whose life falls apart one day at a time. I should say the book wasn't all bad. There were certain passages and notions conveyed that were notable, though somewhat clichéd; the importance of appreciating the little things in life and the idea that one shouldn't take their family and loved ones for granted. But these moments were too far and few between to make this a worthwhile read.

Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books, 2010

On 1001 Books

2011-11-18T11:38:00.002-06:00

Last Christmas my wonderful sister gifted me one of my favorite books I own; 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. The book lists and reviews the best 1001 books ever written - which of course is never set in stone and in this case, the list is determined by the authors of this book. Then I signed up for the 1001 Books Challenge hosted by Pub Writes, in which I set a goal to read at least 16 more books from the books listed on the 1001 books list.

Well, I managed to knock out 20 (21 after I finish them) out of the 54 books I have read so far this year. I was on a roll at the start of the year and then waned a little, mostly because I started to read more new releases. Prior to January 2011, I had read 60 books total on the list. Ben from Dead End Follies encouraged me to bring that number up to 100 by the end of 2011 and clearly, that won't be happening. But, I'm happy to have completed my goal of 16 and then some.

The list of completed books for this challenge:

Paul Auster/ The New York Trilogy
D.H. Lawrence/ Lady Chatterley's Lover
Maya Angelou/ I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
Jhumpa Lariri/ The Namesake
Edith Wharton/ The Age of Innocence
Jonathon Safran Foer/ Everything is Illuminated
Joyce Carol Oates/ Black Water
Ernest Hemingway/ The Old Man and The Sea
Don DeLillo/ Falling Man
Kurt Vonnegut/ Slaughterhouse-Five
Emile Zola/ Therese Raquin
Margaret Atwood/ Cat's Eye
Jeffrey Eugenides/ Middlesex
Moshin Hamid/ The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Louisa May Alcott/ Little Women
Sylvia Plath/ The Bell Jar
E.M. Forster/ Howards End
Zadie Smith/ On Beauty
John Fowles/ The Collector
Jim Thompson/ The Killer Inside Me
Joyce Carol Oates/ them

Total books read from the list is now 81. (Sorry, Ben.) I'll continue to read titles from 1001 books. If I can average 20 a year, it will take me another 46 years to complete the list. So, if I'm lucky, I'll finish the whole list by the time I'm 72. (I don't actually plan on reading them all - there are a few on the list I have no interest in reading.)

So there you have it. I'll check back in next year!

The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer

2011-11-14T18:06:00.003-06:00

"Writing a book can be a profoundly optimistic act; expecting someone to read, buy and publish it is always a phenomenally presumptuous one."

I didn't know much about this book before I started to read it, except that after I reviewed How I Became a Famous Novelist, Greg from The New Dork Review of Books suggested I read The Thieves of Manhattan. Well, I'm happy I listened to Greg once again, because this book was awesome. However, most of the fun that came along with reading this book was that I didn't know where it would take me, so I'm not going to give too much away.

The Thieves of Manhattan is essentially a riff on the publishing industry's literary fakes and hoaxers (James Frey, anyone?). It follows a down-and-out aspiring short story writer and the web of lies in which he becomes tangled. It's equal parts funny, thrilling and snarky. Aside from the exceedingly suspenseful story line (I read this book in one day), I especially enjoyed the plethora of literary slang Langer threw into the novel. A handy glossary in the back of the book clarified each and every one. For example:

kowalski n. A sleeveless white T-shirt of the sort favored by the character Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire, in which he is depicted by the playwrite in one instance as wearing "an undershirt and grease-stained seersucker pants."
daisies n. Dollars, from Daisy Buchanan, a character in F. scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, about whom Jay Gatsby remarks, "Her voice is full of money."
salinger v. To live in seclusion, after the reclusive author J. D. Salinger

This is a book for book lovers. Although this novel explores the lives of those who lie to get ahead, it is a testament to the modern human condition and just how far we will go to achieve success. Truly a page-turner, The Thieves of Manhattan is fun, smart, and I can't recommend it enough.

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau, 2010

The Classics Challenge is Back!

2011-11-09T16:10:00.002-06:00

I usually participate one or two challenges a year and one of my favorite challenges that debuted last year, The Back to the Classics Challenge, is back again for it's second year! Hosted by Sarah at Sarah Reads Too Much, the Classics Challenge 2012 will be a little different than it was this year. It will run January 1st through December 31st.

Last year I read eight classics in six months for the Classics Challenge, and next year it will be 9 classics over a year. Below are the categories and my tentative selections for each:

Any 19th Century Classic: Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White (1859)*

Any 20th Century Classic: Richard Wright, Native Son (1940)*

Reread a classic of your choice: Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale (1985)*

A Classic Play: Arthur Miller, The Crucible (1953)

Classic Mystery/Horror/Crime Fiction: Daphne du Maurier/ Rebecca (1938)

Classic Romance: E. M. Forster, Maurice (written 1913, published 1971)

Classic Literature in Translation: Elie Wiesel, Night (1960)*

Classic Award Winner: Eudora Welty, The Optimist's Daughter (1973)*

Read a Classic set in a Country that you will not visit during your lifetime: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)*

I'll probably end up switching on or two titles, but I do own a good handful of these and have been meaning to read them for awhile. I tried my best to work in books that I already own. If you are interested in joining the challenge, you can sign up over at Sarah Reads Too Much.

*I already own these titles

Surfacing by Margaret Atwood

2011-11-07T16:12:00.001-06:00

I'll admit that while Surfacing was slow going and a tad mundane by Atwood standards, this is one of those books that I appreciated more after I finished it and gave it some thought. Surfacing is Atwood's second novel, a mystery and physiological thriller of sorts, one that examines the paranoia, displacement and weaknesses that result from isolation and fear. Our unnamed narrator ventures back to her birthplace, a remote island near Quebec, with her boyfriend and a married couple to search for her missing father whom everyone believes to be dead. What ensues is a story of one woman's regression into a fragmented self and her struggle to uncover her true identity.

Descriptions of rural Canada and it's industrialization and commercialization parallel the decline of our unnamed narrator's sanity in a way that makes the setting seem like a character in itself. Per usual Atwood, the book is occupied with feminist themes; how our bodies and our gender confine us and create boundaries. Surfacing also explores how our past continually permeates our present and how our memory of the past can dilute and corrupt over time, allowing our subconscious to create alternate memories and emotions.

I have to be more careful about my memories. I have to be sure they’re my own and not the memories of other people telling me what I felt, how I acted, what I said: if the events are wrong the feelings I remember about them will be wrong too, I’ll start inventing them

I'm making it a personal goal to read all of Atwood's published fiction, and this marks my seventh (of thirteen). I'm not rushing myself, because I don't want it to be over. If you are interested in reading Atwood, I wouldn't suggest starting with this one. I'd recommend Cat's Eye, The Handmaids Tale or Oryx and Crake over Surfacing. The thing that bothered me most about the book is that even there was a lot going on, the majority of the time I was reading it I felt like nothing ever happened. Again, this is one of those instances when I enjoyed the book more after thinking about it than I did when I was actually reading it.

Publisher: Anchor, 1972

Cover Art Match-Up: US vs. UK

2011-11-03T11:03:00.004-05:00

Judge a book by its cover: we all do it. After Ben from Dead End Follies posted about the French edition of 1Q84 and how it's "one of the ugliest pieces of lazy design" we started to discuss cover design on Twitter and the differences between, what Ben called, the "eccentric" US covers and what I believed to the the more "artistic" UK covers. It got me thinking whether or not UK covers were actually more aesthetically pleasing than the US covers, or if we just want what we don't have.

I decided to do a little comparison of US and UK cover art, choosing five new releases that each had a distinctly different cover design and were selected from the article in which the The Millions detailed their most anticipated books for the second half of the year, with a focus of those released in September and October, to help me decide if the UK are really better or if I just want what I can't have. The US editions will be pictured on the left, UK editions on the right.

This little experiment is just for fun and is by no means something I consider to be a grand comparison of book covers. It's only five books, people. With that being said, let's get to it.

First: Murakami's 1Q84

Verdict: I typically veer away from cover art that features photographs of sorts. There is something about it that makes it feel mass-market. I've always preferred more artistic cover art; that of the painting and drawing variety. So, for my sheer prejudice against covers with photographs, I learn more toward the UK cover art. I also identify more with the feeling the UK edition evokes with its errie full moon and dark tree branches, than I do with a young girl staring at me through a set of numbers and letters.

One point to the UK

Second: Chad Harbach's The Art of Fielding

Verdict: I should confess that I own the US edition of this book, so I may be partial, but I prefer the UK edition (thereby perhaps proving we want what we don't have). I like that the UK edition is three dimentional and it focuses more on the school aspect of the book rather than the subject of baseball. Of course, this makes sense becuse the UK doesn't have baseball, so there is no reason to market toward baseball fans, but as a woman who doesn't follow much baseball much, I do prefer the emphasis of the chalk board, portraying a university feel. With that being said, I do know this book was mainly marketed toward men, so I may be the odd woman out on this one.

One point to the UK.

Third: The Forgotten Waltz by

Verdict: At first glance, I am more drawn to the US edition pictured on the left than I am with the landscape the UK edition features, which reminds me of a trade paperback from the 80's. The US edition makes me wonder why those two chairs are empty and what exactly this woman is looking at through the window. Overall, it interests me more.

One point to the US.

Fourth: Cango's Beads and Two-Tone Shoes by William Kennedy

Verdict: First I'd like to mention what an interesting title this one has. If I just saw the spine of this book shelved somewhere and read the title, I'd pick it up to read more. With that said, I prefer the UK cover art to the US. The US cover art doesn't really catch my eye and if it did, I would pass it by for something else. The UK edition is a little more upbeat and draws me in more than the first.

One point to the UK.

Fifth: I Married You for Happiness by Lily Tuck

Verdict: Not suprisingly at this point, I've got to lean toward the UK edition. I like the block letters that are centered on the cover and the image of a man in a button down cardigan holding someones hand. Though the US cover is intriguing, I would opt for the UK edition if I had the choice.

One point to the UK.

Final Tally:

UK - 4, US - 1

Those Brits can rock a cover design.

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Speigelman

2011-11-02T09:08:00.005-05:00

I'm sure you've heard of it. Maus is the story of a Jewish survivor, Vladek, in Hitler's Poland as told by Vladek's son, Art, a cartoonist. The complete Maus won the Pulitzer Prize Special Award in 1992. The structure of the novel weaves together two storylines: that of the modern day life that Vladek and Art experience and that of Jews living in WWII Nazi regime. This narrative framework is remarkable, as it places the reader inside of a unique story line; we learn of the narrator's father's tale of survival as he recounts it to his son, who takes notes for the book he is writing. The product is a heartbreaking and captivating graphic memoir in which the Jews are portrayed as mice, and the Nazis as cats.

I read this book in one sitting, which isn't a feat considering it's a 160 page graphic novel. Regardless, I didn't want to put it down and I'm upset I didn't just go ahead and buy Maus II along with the first. Those tricky publishers should have released them as one novel in the first place. But I digress, what makes this such a memorable novel that it's not only about WWII, it's also about history itself; how it's told, how it's remembered and how it effects generations to come. It also examines the complicated nature of families and the uniqueness of father/son relationships; the generational differences that ultimately cause tension and the difficulties of understanding one another.

Maus has been critiqued for portraying such a horrific and monstrous period in history in a unsympathetic medium, therefore downplaying the enormity of the Nazi regeme. However, I would argue that instead of belittling the subject matter, it actually portrays it in a haunting manner, expressing ideas and emotions that sometimes only pictures and illustrations can evoke.

Since Maus I ends quite abruptly, I plan on reading Maus II very soon.

Publisher: Pantheon Books, 1986

RIP Challenge: Complete

2011-11-01T09:48:00.002-05:00

Halloween has come and gone and with that, I read some fantastically dark and suspenseful book for the R.I.P Challenge VI. I particpated in Peril the First: Read four books, any length, that you feel fits my very broad definition of scary. It could be Stephen King or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Fleming or Edgar Allan Poe…or anyone in between. I read five, because I especially love dark books this time of the year:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2008): Set in a delightfully macabre atmosphere we follow Nobody Owens, Bod for short, a human boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard. Bod is taught all of the things that the dead know and learns how to move around the graveyard just as a ghost does. He is granted freedom of the graveyard, visits the world of the ghouls, and befriends a dead witch who lives on unconsecrated ground.

The Collector by John Fowles (1963): The Collector explores the darkest of human behavior and obsessive love in a unique and compelling psychological thriller. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a novel that examines love, human nature and obsession at it's darkest.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (2011): I've heard people say that if you chose to read one book this year, you should read The Night Circus. Well, I wouldn't go that far, but I will say this is a highly entertaining literary work of magical realism. Morgenstern's descriptions of the night circus go beyond imaginative; they are beautiful portrayals of a mesmerizing world.

The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson (1952): The Killer Inside Me falls under the roman noir genre, translated as "black novel". Functioning sociopath: check. Cheap woman: check. Unassuming victims: check. The Killer Inside Me is the first person account of a man conflicted between the person he thinks he should be and the killer he actually is. This book is not for the faint of heart.

Surfacing by Margaret Atwood (1972, review coming soon): "Part detective novel, part psychological thriller, Surfacing is the story of a young woman who returns to northern Quebec, to the remote island of her childhood, with her lover and two friends, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her father." Synopsis from the back of the book.

There it is. I'd have to say my two favorites were The Collector and The Night Circus.

Did you participate in the R.I.P. challenge? What did you read?

The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson

2011-10-26T14:51:00.002-05:00

"You see why I had to killer her, I recon. Or do you? It went like this..."

This is the first book I have read that is classified as "noir" and I didn't know what to expect. The Killer Inside Me falls under the roman noir genre, translated as "black novel". Functioning sociopath: check. Cheap woman: check. Unassuming victims: check. The Killer Inside Me is the first person account of a man conflicted between the person he thinks he should be and the killer he actually is. On the surface Lou Ford is a good-natured sherrif in small-town Texas. He speaks in cliches and says things like "gee wiz" and "oh gholly". He is a little dull and overall, quite forgettable. But underneath this facade he is an intelligent, cunning man who his hiding a dark past and doing his best to suppress his malicious tenancies. When we meet Deputy Lou Ford he seems as normal as any other small-town cop, but as his inner psyche slowly unfolds it becomes apparent that there is something very off. What ensues is a raw and somewhat obscene account of a string of murders where the innocent are repeatedly pegged as the perpetrator.

Hell you’ve probably seen me if you’ve ever been out this way – I’ve stood like that, looking nice and friendly and stupid, like I wouldn’t piss if my pants were on fire. And all the time I’m laughing myself sick inside. Just watching the people.

As far as narrators go, Lou Ford is a memorable one. He is well-crafted; we follow Lou as he struggles with his sickness until he eventually gives in to it completely. The reader isn't aware of the extent of his sickness until about half-way through the novel, when we realize he is only murdering people for the simple pleasure of it, fueling the killer inside of him. Upon it's publication in 1952, I can only imagine what a stir this book caused. Even though it has probably lost some of it's original shock value, I still consider it to be a sharply lurid account of the inside of a killer's mind, exposing the concerning oddities of humanity itself.

How can a man ever really know anything? We’re living in a funny world, kid, a peculiar civilization. The police are playing crooks in it, and the crooks are doing police duty. The politicians are preachers, and the preachers are politicians. The tax collectors collect for themselves. The Bad People want us to have more dough, and the Good People are fighting to keep it from us. It’s not good for us, know what I mean? If we all had all we wanted to eat, we’d crap too much. We’d have inflation in the toilet paper industry. That’s the way I understand it.

The unraveling of Lou's sickness was for me, the most interesting aspect of the novel. Overall I enjoyed the book, but there were parts that fell a little flat for me. With simple prose, I felt it was too straight-forward at times, as if the author didn't trust his readers to read between the lines. Of course this one isn't for the faint of heart, but the descriptions of the killings were among my favorite parts of the novel. They were suspenseful and interesting, without being overdone. Now that I have a better idea of what to expect from noir fiction, I hope to discover more new-to-me authors that can deliver.

Publisher: Orion, 1952

A Reading with Jeffrey Eugenides

2011-10-24T13:47:00.011-05:00

Photo from the Boswell Books Blog*

I enjoyed a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Boswell Books yesterday for a reading with Jeffrey Eugenides. You guys all know that I'm a big fan of his work and when I heard he was coming to Milwaukee to do a reading I immediately marked my calendar and made sure to keep the entire day open. The reading was scheduled at noon, so the night before the reading I took it easy and went to bed early, knowing I would want to get there early and get a good seat. (I sat just behind the tan leather couch pictured to the right, above.)

I couldn't have been more pleased with the reading. Eugenides chose two passages to read, one that lasted about 15 minutes, and another that lasted about three. The first detailed Madeline's less-than-ideal love life in college, and the other discussed the idea of the ever-evolving art student. It was truly wonderful to hear Eugenides read his own work; his clever wit is even more amplified when he reads his passages himself. After the reading he took questions from the audience. It's no surprise that Eugenides humor transcends his writing, as even his responses to most questions had the audience laughing. A few things I learned about Jeffrey Eugenides yesterday:

He teaches a creative writing class at Princeton every Wednesday. His wife swears he comes back home with more energy on Wednesday evenings after his "brush with youth."
Eugenides has been working on a short story collection that is almost finished. He confirmed that we will not have to wait another nine years for it to come out. Yay!
When asked if it was intentional that the theme of pollution, both metaphorically and symbolically, permeated his works, he stated, "Well, I grew up in Detroit." Enough said. (He actually expanded on this response to mention that when he was seven and eight he was quite disillusioned with the state of the world and why. He doesn't purposefully include these descriptions of pollution, but he isn't surprised they are there.)
Noting he had never been to a reading so early (noon) Eugenides mentioned that "writers are temperamentally nocturnal."
Eugenides admitted that his writing process is quite disjointed. He didn't get the idea for writing The Marriage Plot until until he wrote a couple hundred pages of a different novel involving Madeline's parents. He didn't like the tone or the direction of the novel, and it wasn't until he decided to explore his character's daughter, Madeline, that he felt he had something. He also joked that he often leaves one demanding novel behind unfinished in favor of a newer, younger novel, only to discover that it too proves to be just as demanding.
In Middlesex, the translation of Cal's brother's nickname Chapter 11 proved to be a problem when translating the book. The name refers to the US tax law Chapter 11 and since this law is specific to the US alone, those in Europe and Asia were a bit confused.
When asked if he liked to write, Eugenides admitted that he does, but there is also something masochistic about it.

Following the Q&A was the book signing, where I waited in line to get my copy of The Marriage Plot personalized and even sneak in a picture. While waiting I met a girl about my age who drove eight hours from someplace in Michigan to attend the reading. Now that is dedication! She even offered to take a photo for me when she saw me eagerly clutching my camera as I inched forward in line.

Can I just tell you how nervous I was to meet Jeffrey Eugenides? I was so scared I would say something stupid, and I was literally shaking as I stood next to him for the photo above. But, all in all, I was so happy I had the opportunity to attend this event. If you get a chance to do the same, I highly encourage it! You won't be disappointed.

*I was too chicken to take a picture while Eugenides was reading, for fear of distracting him with my flash and getting dirty looks.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

2011-10-19T15:08:00.005-05:00

The Night Circus is one of those books that got so much hype before it was released that I wasn't sure I should read it right away. All that hype makes me reluctant (cf. Freedom). But then it was released on my birthday, and I thought why not add it to my birthday wishlist of books. The premise sounded oh-so unique; "The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts or billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not... Within hours everyone in town has heard about it... It's impressive and unusual news, the sudden appearance of a mystery circus."

I've heard people say that if you chose to read one book this year, you should read The Night Circus. Well, I wouldn't go that far, but I will say this is a highly entertaining literary work of magical realism. (I'll also say you should read more than one book this year, loser.) I don't want to give too much away because part of the fun of this novel is not knowing exactly where it will take you. It's meandering and enchanting, suspenseful and dark. The non-linear structure and precise language work to build anticipation toward a complex and wonderfully imaginative ending. Not only is this a fun and unique read, but it also speaks to something greater about mankind; the circus "rêveurs" represent our proclivity to dream as a way to escape the monotony of daily life in exchange for adventure and enchantment. It also examines our fears and hesitations with the unfamiliar, our tendencies to take for granted the magic that exists in the world around us and dismiss the things we don't understand.

This is not magic. This is the way the world is, only very few people take the time to stop and note it. Look around you, he says, waving a hand at the surrounding tables. Not a one of them even has an inkling of the things that are possible in this world, and what's worse is that none of them would listen if you attempted to enlighten them. They want to believe that magic is nothing but clever deception, because to think it real would keep them up at night, afraid of their own existence.

Morgenstern's descriptions of the night circus go beyond imaginative; they are beautiful portrayals of a mesmerizing world. From the ice garden to the wishing tree, the cloud maze and the pool of tears, Morgenstren truly paints a memorable picture with her prose. If you are looking for something unique that offers a balance of enchantment, romance and mystery, you've got to read The Night Circus.

Publisher: Doubleday, 2011

Judging A Book by Its Cover

2011-10-18T10:24:00.004-05:00

We've all done it. I book cover or title catches our eye, we don't know anything about it, and we shell out the money. More often than not these titles turn out mediocre, but sometimes judging a book by its cover can pay off.

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: I bought this one shortly after it was released, pre-blogging, and didn't know much about it. What I did know is that I liked the cover and the title intrigued me. Lucky for me, it turned out to be one of my all-time favorite read.

2. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery: I think Europa is really good at crafting book covers that I want to buy. Again, I was lucky this one turned out to be a smart and unique read.

3. Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin: This one turned out to be an over-the-top argument for veganism, but I still learned a lot and haven't drank milk since.

4. Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salmon Rushdie: This was a fantastic book and I'm glad the cover and title reflect that.

5. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: I enjoyed this one when I was younger, but I'm not sure how I would feel about it today.

6. Driving With Dead People by Monica Holloway: This one was a so-so memoir, but the title was cool.

7. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly: Awesome cover. Awesome story.

8. The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano: This was interesting enough, but I think I liked the cover more than the story it contained.

9. Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik: Loved this title: I bought this just before going to Paris, hoping I could learn something about an American in Paris.

10. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: Again, my 16-year-old self loved this one. Not sure how I would feel about it now.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

Eugenides is coming to Boswell!

2011-10-17T13:44:00.002-05:00

I'm super pumped about this one! Jeffrey Eugenides is coming to Boswell Books on Sunday, October 23rd for a reading of The Marriage Plot! You know, that book everyone is talking about that I absolutely adored. From the Boswell Books website:

What more praise do you need than Boswell bookseller Stacie’s enthusiastic recommendation: “Eugenides deftly delivers a novel of great thought and romance, using the languages of philosophy, literature and theology to astutely explore the labyrinthine pathways of the heart. The warmth, intellect and beauty that glows from its eloquent pages and immersive characters had me in tears by the end. It's been years since a novel touched my soul so effectively: I LOVED THIS BOOK!”

I am definitely planning on attending this event. I'd put Eugenides in my top five authors I'd love to meet, so I feel really lucky that he is coming to Milwaukee and I am available to attend. Since I received an ARC of this one, it's a perfect opportunity to buy a hardback copy and get it signed.

Boswell Book Company is located at 2559 N. Downer Avenue, Milwaukee WI 53211.

In a somewhat related note, you know that vest that Eugenides was photographed in for a billboard in Times Square (pictured above). The one that is basically the wardrobe equivalent to Franzen's glasses? Well, you can follow it on Twitter now @EugenidesVest.

Fall Favorites

2011-10-14T10:19:00.002-05:00

We are well into the Fall season and I couldn't be happier. Besides the pumpkin patches, caramel apples, scarves, and crunchy leaves, I enjoy my Fall reads. You know the ones; somewhat sinister, rather bleak, lamenting the loss of summer or celebrating the complexities and nuanced darkness that exists in us all. (Some more than others, of course.) Below is a list of some of my favorite Fall reads. If you're like me and enjoy getting into the Fall spirit with your reading as well, I recommend the titles below.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (2009): Her latest novel isn’t exactly a departure from the themes that filled TTW – namely love that transcends time and place - but Her Fearful Symmetry is most definitely darker and is read as a Gothic Romance. Page by page this novel becomes more eerie and bizarre, but still contains descriptions of romance and love that only Niffengger can employ.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (1868): Hailed as one of the first detective novels, The Moonstone unravels the theft of a very valuable diamond, told through a myriad of unreliable narrators.

Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury (2006): During an Indian summer in the Midwest a group of boys organize a small civil war against the older adults in their community to "keep living" and resist growing old. Soon the boys realize it's not their elders who are the enemy; it's time itself. What ensues is an understanding of life and time, aging and dying, and how our outlook of it makes all the difference.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (2006): This is a great book to read when you want a captivating story. It's a true modern fairy tale about transitions and the loss of innocence. It's a fun suspense for the book lover, exploring how books shape the world around us and our imagination. It captures the trills, the fears and the triumphs that are held in books.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898): The question of whether or not The Turn of the Screw is an actual ghost story or the story of a woman going mad is open to interpretation, as there is no concrete answer. However, it's a wonderfully creepy novel and well worth the read.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886): One of my very favorite fall reads, "Stevenson's famous exploration of humanity's basest capacity for evil,The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, has become synonymous with the idea of a split personality. More than a morality tale, this dark psychological fantasy is also a product of its time, drawing on contemporary theories of class, evolution, criminality, and secret lives." -Goodreads

The Collector by John Fowles (1963): I finished this one a week ago and I am still thinking about it. The Collector explores the darkest of human behavior and obsessive love in a unique and compelling psychological thriller.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly (1818): I always found this one more sad than scary, but it's still a novel I think everyone should read, at the very least to understand who the true Frankenstein really was.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2008): Another that I recently finished that is still with me; set in a delightfully macabre atmosphere we follow Nobody Owens, Bod for short, a human boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard. Bod is taught all of the things that the dead know and learns how to move around the graveyard just as a ghost does. He is granted freedom of the graveyard, visits the world of the ghouls, and befriends a dead witch who lives on unconsecrated ground.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899): Dark allegory describes the narrator’s journey up the Congo River and his meeting with, and fascination by, Mr. Kurtz, a mysterious personage who dominates the unruly inhabitants of the region. Masterly blend of adventure, character development, psychological penetration. Considered by many Conrad’s finest, most enigmatic story. -Goodreads

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (2011): To be fair I am only half-way through this book, but I am enjoying it so much I had to include it on this list. Really, all the hype is justified. It's a wonderfully magical book for adults: "Opens at Nightfall; Closes at Dawn." The Le Cirque des Rêves is a circus unlike any other.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

2011-10-11T09:45:00.008-05:00

I read Middlesex earlier this year and it quickly became one of my favorite books. It's no surprise that Eugenides won the Pulitzer in 2003 for this grand narrative that weaves together the story of three generations Greek-Americans and explores, among other things, the idea of splits and divides within our identity, our desires, our families and our place in the world. Middlesex was so amazing that it took Eugenides nine years to finalize his follow-up, the much anticipated The Marriage Plot. I couldn't wait until October 11th to buy Eugenides latest, and I also couldn't shut up about it. Then the lovely and generous librarian Melissa Rochelle from Life:Merging came to my rescue and offered to mail me her ARC, which basically made my week.

The Marriage Plot has been dubbed a "romance," but I wouldn't let that classification deter you from this book if it's not your thing, because it really is so much more than that. On the surface it is a love triangle, but it also examines the confusion and angst of early 20-something college graduates; the uncovering of identities and the difficulties of deciding what direction your life will take, when you don't even know exactly what you want to get out of it. This novel, among other things, explores exactly how we get where we do, even when we aren't planning on it. As Eugenides explains, "People don't understand their lives or what happened to them; they only think they do." One of my all-time favorite bands, The Talking Heads, has a popular song that Eugenides quotes in his epigraph: And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?/And you may tell yourself,/This is not my beautiful house./And you may tell yourself,/This is not my beautiful wife. I think that epigraph really captures the ideas Eugenides takes on in The Marriage Plot.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be done with it? To be done with sex and longing? Mitchell could almost imagine pulling it off, sitting on a bridge at night with the Seine flowing by. He looked up at all the lighted windows along the river’s arc. He thought of all the people going to sleep or reading or listening to music, all the lives contained by a great city like this, and, floating up in his mind, rising just about the rooftops, he tried to feel, to vibrate among, all those million tremulous souls. He was sick of craving, of wanting, of hoping, of losing.

I should also mention the plethora of bookish details and our lead character, Madeleine, an English major who is writing her dissertation on the marriage plot; the plot device that characterized the Victorian novel, whether or not the hero and heroine would get married. Eugenides takes 19th century notions of love and compares them to our modern day counterparts. Can we have a modern-day love story that is just as romantic and unforgettable as Wuthering Heights or Daniel Deronda despite the complications of prenups, gender equality, sexual liberation, and divorce?

The novel had reached is apogee with the marriage plot and had never recovered from its disappearance. In the days when success in life had depended on marriage, and marriage had depended on money, novelists had a subject to write about. The great epics sang of war, the novel of marriage. Sexual equality, good for women, had been bad for the novel. And divorce had undone it completely.

Well, in my opinion, I don't want a retelling of the marriage plot. I want a reinvention of it, something equally as satisfying, but post-modern, which is exactly what Eugenides delivered. I adored this book. Eugenides prose is just as beautiful and detailed as it was in Middlesex, and his characters just as memorable. The plot maintains a steady pace, even as the characters develop and change. Upon finishing the book, I gave it a big hug, because it has one of those endings that you can't help not to hug it. As I mentioned in some post-reading thoughts, this book had the most satisfying ending of any other book I've read this year. I'm so tempted to share a passage from the ending (if you've read it I'll bet you know the one!), but I'm worried it would be a spoiler. So instead, I'll tell you this one is well-worth the read. You can buy The Marriage Plot at bookstores everywhere today. A big thanks to Melissa for lending me her ARC.

If you're interested in learning more, I'd like to direct you to Nymeth's review of The Marriage Plot.

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011

The Collector by John Fowels

2011-10-10T14:40:00.001-05:00

"He's not human; he's an empty space disguised as a human."

I picked this one up for the RIP challenge and it turned out to be just what I was looking for - disturbing, sinister and haunting; a book that I won't soon forget. The Collector explores the darkest of human behavior and obsessive love in a unique and compelling psychological thriller.

Ferdinand Cleff, a long-time butterfly collector and curator, is a reclusive clerk who comes into a large sum of money. After paying off relatives as a way to push them out of his life, he buys a secluded home two hours outside of London. After securing the home and fending off curious neighbors, Cleff seeks to collect his ultimate prey, a young, blonde art student who he has been watching and obsessing over for years.

There were even times I thought I would forget her. But forgetting's not something you do, it happens to you. Only it didn't happen to me.

I struggled to put this book down. Fowles structures the novel in a way that grabbed me from the start. The first half of the book is told from Cleff's point of view and when I thought I would find out what would happen to his prisoner, the second half of the novel continues from Miranda's own point of view, starting with the evening she was abducted. (Yes Ferdinand and Miranda; an allusion to The Tempest.) Fowles managed to give these characters two distinct and unique voices. One of my favorite things about this novel is how Fowles made both Cleff and Miranda so unlikable that by the end, I had hoped they would just kill each other. I was always invested in the story, but as it unfolded I decided the dual characters were perfect for each other in their own messed up way. Cleff is a severely disturbed super creep and Miranda is so narcissistic and self-involved I can't help but think she deserves her misery. Each character deceives the other repeatedly, ultimately feeding their own agony.

It's despair at the lack of feeling, of love, of reason in the world. It's despair that anyone can even contemplate the idea of dropping a bomb or ordering that it should be dropped. It's despair that so few of us care. It's despair that there's so much brutality and callousness in the world. It's despair that perfectly normal young men can be made vicious and evil because they've won a lot of money. And then do what you've done to me.

As far as psychological thrillers go, the ending did not disappoint. It wasn't over-the-top gruesome, but I was disturbed and intrigued all at once. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a novel that examines love, human nature and obsession at it's darkest.

This is John Fowles first novel.

Publisher: Back Bay Books, 1963

The Happiness of English Majors (and Readers Everywhere)

2011-10-04T13:23:00.001-05:00

Via Post Secret.

The Submission by Amy Waldman

2011-10-03T19:31:00.008-05:00

"There were in life rarely, if ever, "right" decisions, never perfect ones, only the best to be made under the circumstances."

A jury gathers in Manhattan to select a memorial for the victims of a devastating terrorist attack. Their fraught deliberations complete, the jurors open the envelope containing the anonymous winners name - and discover he is an American Muslim. Instantly they are cast into rolling debate about the claims of grief, the ambiguities of art, and the meaning of Islam. Their conflicted response is only a preamble to the country's.

In short, a jury unknowingly chooses a Muslim American architect to design a 9/11 memorial. However, this is not a 9/11 novel. Waldman never cites the date of the attacks, and doesn't mention The World Trade Center, referring to the attack site simply as "the towers". Of course it's no secret Waldman is referencing 9/11, but she avoids the specifics as a way of emphasizing that instead of focusing on the day itself, the novel explores the extreme tensions and complicated race relations of the post-9/11 world. It should be noted that the premise and later conflict that ensues echos that of the Park51 debate; while similar disputes are explored in The Submision, Waldman gives her novel it's own unique voice and memorable cast of characters that makes it stand out from any other non-fictionalized story it may resemble.

Waldman examines every side of the table through a diverse array of characters: those who are in support of the Muslim American architect, those who are not, those who change their mind and, of course, Kahn's own frustrations with the contest. With every point of view introduced, the subtext of the novel becomes more complicated, but never confusing. Ultimately Waldman doesn't tell us who is right or wrong, though she does make clear the blind closed-mindedness of many individuals. Rather, the novel encourages the reader to question how many of our post-9/11 fears are sensible and to what extent they are hurting the Muslim Americans in our country.

The propaganda's coming from the people who want to make you a bogeyman. They are creating a climate where dangerous things can happen. The rhetoric is the first step; it coarsens attitudes. Look at the history of Nazi Germany. The Jews thought they were German, until they werne't. Here they're already talking about us as less American. Then they'll say we need containment, and next thing you know we'll be interned.

As the title implies, Waldman weaves the the theme of submission throughout, working on a number of levels, the most obvious being Muhamed Kahn's submission into the contest to design a memorial - the submission that sets the entire book in motion. But the theme of submission goes deeper: the submission that exists between sexes and the submission that exists between cultures. Waldman also explores the refusal of submission, namely the non-apologetic attitude that is characteristic of modern-day America.

Waldman's fiction has appeared in The Atlantic, Boston Review, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2010. This is her first novel. If you are looking for a book that will challenge your notions of post 9/11 America, I ask you to let The Submission be it.

A big thanks to my mom for gifting this book to me, it's a favorite of the books I've read so far this year.

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011

Let the Rioting Begin!

2011-10-03T13:36:00.001-05:00

I'm sure by now you've heard the buzz about BookRiot - a new website dedicated to books news and reviews with a focus on variety: "sometimes we are serious and sometimes silly. Some of our writers are pros. Many of them aren’t. We like a good list just as much as we like a good review. We think you can like both J.K. Rowling and J.M Coetzee and that there are smart, funny, and informative things to say about both and that you shouldn't have to choose."

I'm really excited to be a part of the movement. I'll be posting a Book Fetish feature over there about once a week, highlighting bookish things for voracious readers everywhere. If you haven't already, I encourage you to check it out and sign yourself up. If you've got a passion for books, you're going to fit right in.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: The Trailer

2011-09-30T10:07:00.001-05:00

Jonathan Safran Foer is really good at writing books people want to turn into movies. I didn't ever see Everything is Illuminated, but I did read it and liked it well enough. This next one though, I'm going to see for sure. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is in my top three of all-time favorite books and while I know the movie can't live up to the book's magic, I do hope it comes close.

Banned Books Week and Some of My Favorite Banned Books

2011-09-26T13:25:00.004-05:00

This week is Banned Books Week; a week that celebrates our freedom to read and began in 1982 in response to an increase in challenges to books across America's libraries, schools and bookstores. Everything from contemporary literature to the classics have been challenged, namely for exploring controversial topics.

In honor of banned books week, I have created a list of my favorite books that were banned or challenged in 2010/2011. Click here to see the full list of books banned in 2010/2011.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close/ Jonathan Safran Foer: This was my favorite read of 2010. It's a book about making sense of the world around you, coping with loss, and learning how to live. Banned because of it's "profanity, sex and descriptions of violence."

The Diary of a Young Girl/Anne Frank: I've read this one twice, once when I was a young girl and again in college. This is probably the most important diary to ever be published and was challenged because of "sexual material and homosexual themes."

Water for Elephants/Sarah Gruen: Gruen's story emphasizes the importance of empathy and understanding, toward both people and animals. It was banned because of "the novel's sexual content."

The Awakening/Kate Chopin: It's actually really sad to see this one banned this year. Published in 1899, this book emphasizes a departure from the typical 1890's family structure and celebrates a woman's desire for independence. Banned because the cover shows a picture of "a woman's bare chest."

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time/Mark Haddon: This is another one of my very favorite books, told from the pov of an autistic child, I think the novel promotes tolerance and understand of those with disabilities. Banned because of "foul language."

The best way to celebrate Banned Books Week is to read a banned book!

Other banned books I have reviewed:

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings/Maya Angelou

Slaughterhouse-Five/Kurt Vonnegut

Lady Chatterley's Lover/D.H. Lawrence

A few more birthday presents

2011-09-22T06:21:00.000-05:00

I had my last of three parties last weekend for my birthday and lo and behold, I got two more books! Two more books that I am really excited about:

The Night Circus/Erin Morgenstern

The Art of Fielding/Chad Harbach

Thank you to my wonderful sister and her generous family. While we are on the subject of my sister, I have to show you the AMAZING birthday cake she made for me. A birthday cake to top all birthday cakes... the RAINBOW CAKE.

Butter cream frosting and six colorful layers, this is by far the best birthday cake I've ever had. Not only did it look awesome, but it was quite tasty. I'm thinking my sister is proooobably way cooler than your sister.

Anyway, the birthday is officially over and I've received so many good books to read I really don't need any new ones for quite awhile. Really.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2011-09-21T15:18:00.001-05:00

"Can you imagine how fine a drink the black ichor that collects in leaden coffins can be?"

As far books go, this one was a gem. I've had my eye on it since this time last year, when many bloggers were reading it for RIP. Then I received it as a birthday gift from my generous friend Ben and couldn't wait to read it. The Graveyard Book sucked me in immediately; set in a delightfully macabre atmosphere we follow Nobody Owens, Bod for short, a human boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard. Bod is taught all of the things that the dead know and learns how to move around the graveyard just as a ghost does. He is granted freedom of the graveyard, visits the world of the ghouls, and befriends a dead witch who lives on unconsecrated ground.

The story is a coming of age novel related in a unique and compelling way. Though the book incorporates the fantastical; ghouls and ghosts, mist walkers and high hunters, it also works didactically, highlighting the importance of seeing the world and living a fulfilled life. All in all, it turned out to be a really fun read, especially for this time of year. It was straightforward without feeling simple; fanciful without feeling contrived.

In Gaiman's acknowledgments that follow the novel, I found a particularly interesting tidbit: "Artist and author Audrey Niffenegger is also a graveyard guide, and she showed me around the ivy-colored marvel that is Highgate Cemetery West. A lot of what she told me crept into Chapters Seven and Eight." If you have read Her Fearful Symmetry, you know how vast and intriguing Niffenegger's descriptions of cemeteries can be. Even though the two novels are very different, I couldn't help but smile after learning each were influenced by the famed Highgate Cemetery.

Publisher: Harper Collins, 2008

Books I Feel Like Everyone Has Read Besides Me

2011-09-20T09:30:00.001-05:00

Let's be honest, there are more than ten books I feel like almost everyone has read besides me. Those I-never-had-to-read-that-in-school so I never got around to picking it up, and the hyped books that I typically don't succumb to. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

1. The Help/Katheryn Stockett: Since the movie has come out, I feel like the last person who hasn't read this.

2. The Lord of the Rings/JRR Tolkien: The movie ruined me from ever wanting to read the book.

3. One Hundred Years of Solitude/Gabriel Garcia Marquez: I've had this one sitting on my TBR for over two years, I just haven't picked it up yet. After I finish it, someday, I'm sure I will kick myself for waiting so long to read it.

4. The Kite Runner/Khaled Hosseini: I actually am interested to read this one, just haven't ever picked it up at a bookstore.

5. The Hunger Games/Suzanne Collins: I've heard really good things about this series and I'm hoping to read it sooner than later.

6.Atlas Shrugged/ Ayn Rand: Honestly I simply have no interest for this book, no matter how many people tell me I have to read it.

7. Freedom/Jonathan Franzen: This one got a ton of hype last year, but I didn't succumb. Maybe someday.

8. Tinkers/Paul Harding: Everyone scrambled for this one after it won the Pulitzer in 2010.

9. Little Bee/Chris Cleave: Another one that I'm interested it but never picked up.

10. Never Let Me Go/Kazou Ishiguro: I have The Remains of the Day sitting on my TBR and I want to read that before I pick up any of his later works.
photo via Book Lover

Thoughts on The Marriage Plot

2011-09-16T14:45:00.007-05:00

I was pretty excited about this one. I don't think I have been this excited about a book since I was 13 and the second Harry Potter book was published and I know that many of you share my enthusiasm for this one.

In lieu of a traditional review that will be posted the week of October 11th, I wanted to share a few non-spoiler thoughts on Eugenides' latest novel, The Marriage Plot.

This novel was everything I hoped it would be and reminded me why I love reading so much.
Whenever I read Eudenides I have an urge to cancel all plans so I can stay at home and read all day; he has got a serious gift for sucking me into his plots.
There are many passages throughout the novel that I underlined thinking to myself, "exactly!"
I hope it doesn't take another 10 years for Eugenides to write another book.
It would be interesting if Cal Stephanides met Leonard Bankhead.
The ending of this book is probably the most satisfying ending I've read all year.

A big thanks to Melissa Rochelle from Life:Merging who sent me her ARC. You can preorder The Marriage Plot, or go buy it October 11th.

Birthday Books!

2011-09-15T11:53:00.004-05:00

Remember last week when I created this list of books I would like for my birthday? Well, the big day has came and went and I'm happy to say I received a few of them! A big thanks to my mom and my friend Ben, for their generosity. You guys are the best!

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Windows on the World by Frederic Beigbeder

The Submission by Amy Waldman

In The Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

I'm so excited about all the great new books on my TBR pile. I'm thinking it will be awhile before I have the need to buy more books. Seriously.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris: Audiobook

2011-09-13T10:51:00.003-05:00

I won this audiobook in a giveaway over at The Avid Reader's Musings a month or so ago. I normally don't buy myself audiobooks unless I am going on a long, solo road trip, so this was a treat for me and it certainly made my drive to and from work more enjoyable.

Classified as a collection of "fables," Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk features absurd and clever short stories that include an array of animals that each offers a moral of sorts, emphasis on "of sorts". He highlights the amoral behavior of the animals to allow the reader to consider their own morality, or lack there of. I've heard that David Sedaris is a fantastic narrator to his audio books, and this held true throughout Suqirrel Seeks Chipmunk. However, to my disappointment there were only a handful of stories that were narrated by Sedaris. Of course some stories are more obscene and more entertaining than others, but I especially enjoyed the chapters that Sedaris narrates himself.

This is my second Sedaris, and I have to say I enjoyed Me Talk Pretty One Day over this one, though it's hard to compare the two because they are so different. But, if you do get a chance to listen to this one on audio I wouldn't pass it up. It's definitely one-of-a-kind. I enjoyed this one more on audio than I think I would have had if I read the print version, simply because Sedaris' narration adds a lot to the stories.

Publisher: Little, Brown, 2010

New Goods

2011-09-08T16:21:00.001-05:00

I swung by the Half Price Books Labor Day Sale on Monday and picked up a few titles that will help satisfy some fall reading.

The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson (1952): "An underground classic since its publication, The Killer Inside Me is the book that made Jim Thompson's name synonymous with the roman noir."

We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families by Philip Gourevitch(1998): "Philip Gourevitch's haunting work is an anatomy of the war in Rwanda, a vivid history of the tragedy's background, and an unforgettable account of its aftermath. One of the most acclaimed books of the year, this account will endure as a chilling document of our time."

The Collector by John Fowles (1963): "Hailed as the first modern psychological thriller. The Collector is the internationally bestselling novel that captured John Fowles into the front rank of contemporary novelist. This tale of obsessive love- the story of a lonely clerk who collects butterflies and of the beautiful young art student who is his ultimate quarry- remains unparalleled in it's power to startle and mesmerize."

Total: $12.99

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

2011-09-07T16:48:00.003-05:00

Sisters can be great. I've got one and she's one of my favorite people; generous, understanding and exceedingly caring. One of the reasons I picked up The Weird Sisters is because I'm always interested in further understanding the special relationship that exists between sisters. Then I read about all the Shakespeare references the novel included and I didn't think I would be disappointed. Unfortunately, I was wrong. This book didn't do it for me, for a few reasons. Most importantly, I wasn't invested or engaged. Almost every time I picked up the book, it was with the intention to finish it, not to enjoy it. I felt disconnected from the characters and their struggles. I thought there would be more Shakespearean allusions, but it seemed Brown just threw in quotes that worked within the story line, but didn't add anything to it. I suppose the plot was decent enough since I finished the book instead of abandoning it completely, but, to be honest I wasn't even happy I finished it because the ending wrapped up much too neatly for my taste.

Secondly, the first person plural point of view just did not work. I'm not against it if done correctly (ie Then We Came to the End) but there were too many instances where Brown's sentences made me cringe. It's hard to join the collective "we" with an individual third person who also belongs in the first person plural in a way that works. There were many instances when the voice felt odd and it threw off the consistency and overall flow of the novel. Overall, a disappointing read. I'd skip it.

Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books, 2011

Fah La La La La, La La La La

2011-09-06T14:02:00.003-05:00

Christmas came early, you guys. All thanks to the lovely librarian Melissa Rochelle over at Life:Merging. I could not be more excited. I'll be finishing up The Weird Sisters today and moving right into this.

Books I Would Like for My Birthday

2011-09-06T12:06:00.002-05:00

My birthday is one week from today and I created a small wishlist of books that I'd love to get for my birthday. Even if it's just one or two, I'd still be happy :)

1. The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier: This novel has been praised for it's use of artistry and imagination and I've wanted to read it since March.

2. Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine: A look at the "delusions" concerning gender differences.

3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimen: I've had this one on my TBR since last year and I still haven't found it. I think it would be great for the RIP challenge.

4. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: This one actually comes out on my birthday so most likely I'll end up buying it afterwards, but I can't help but put it on this list.

5. In The Garden of Beasts by Eric Larson: Narrative non-fiction that takes place during WWII - I've heard many great things about this book.

6. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach: Everyone is talking about this debut novel and I'm interested to check it out.

7. The Submission by Amy Waldman: "Ten years after 9/11, a dazzling, kaleidoscopic novel reimagines it's aftermath ."

8. I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive by Steve Earle: I've heard this isn't for the faint of heart, but if you can pull through it, it's worth it.

9. Windows on the World by Frederic Beigbeder: I've had this book on my radar for awhile and I think it would be an eye-opening read in light of the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

10. His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman: I have heard marvelous things about this trilogy from many book bloggers so I'm thinking it's a must-read.

Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi

2011-09-02T13:46:00.001-05:00

"I wanted to write a book that would help correct Western stereotypes of Islam, especially the image of Muslim women as docile, forlorn creatures."

I've long been interested in Middle Eastern perspectives on the West, Western perspectives on the Middle East and the Muslim experience. I think it started with Persepolis and grew from there. In any case, I think it's important to learn about, or at least expose oneself to the ideas of Middle Eastern culture, history - modern and otherwise - and religion. With that in mind I picked up Shirin Ebadi's Iran Awakening; One Women's Journey to Reclaim Her Life and Country.

Ebadi won the Nobel Prize in 2003 "for her efforts for democracy and human rights. She has focused especially on the struggle for the rights of women and children." Iran Awakening is Ebadi's memoir, with a focus on her struggles with political prosecution during the Iranian Revolution. Ebadi's persepctive is a unique one; she grew up in Tehran and prior to the Islamic Revolution, became the first female judge in Iran. Four years later, as a result of the 1979 Isalmic Revolution, Iran's view of women changed and Ebadi was demoted to a clerk and eventually "retired" early. Ebadi stayed in Iran as she watched her many of her friends flee. She managed to eventually earn herself a professional and political role in the emerging theocracy and worked to promote equality and human rights, going above and beyond to help and defend those in need.

Iran Awakening is less a political or historical memoir and more an account of one women's struggles and ability to overcome persecution. Ebadi's prose is smart and fluid, welcoming and eloquent. Her story is one of brutality and triumph, of faith and hardship.

When the gravity of death first touched me, I'd found preoccupation with the minutiae of daily life meaningless. If we ultimately die, and turn to dust in the ground, should it ever truly upset us if the floor hasn't been swept quite recently enough?

Edabi's story speaks to the power of one voice to make a difference. While Ebadi hopes for a free and democratic future for Iran, she still speaks of her country with loyalty and admiration. If you are interested to learn more about Iran's modern history and its struggle for democracy and equality from a unique and relevant perspective, I urge you to read this book.

Publisher: Random House, 2006

Tom Sawyer is a nice kid... Huckleberry Finn is a dirty little homeless white trash creep.

2011-09-02T06:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, kids. Because of the holiday weekend, I thought I would share something mildly book-related that I find hilarious. Enter Louis CK. Enjoy.

R.I.P Challenge VI

2011-08-31T15:29:00.004-05:00

Woohoo! The R.I.P challenge has arrived! This is my favorite challenge of the whole year, probably because autumn is my favorite season and Halloween is my favorite holiday. Anyhow, it begins September 1st and ends October 31st. To participate, you can read books that fall in the genre of: mystery, suspense, thriller, dark fantasy, Gothic, horror and supernatural. As always, there are multiple perils. I am going to participate in Peril the First:

Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (my very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be Stephen King or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Fleming or Edgar Allan Poe…or anyone in between.

If you are interested in checking out what I read for the challenge last year, you can find that here. Tentative titles for this year include:

Untouchable by Scott O'Connor
The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
In the Woods by Tana French
Pussy, King of the Pirates by Kathy Acker
I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammaniti
Night Waking by Sarah Moss
The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
The Prince of the Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Stranger by Albert Camus
The Collector by John Fowles
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimen

Books at the top of my Fall TBR

2011-08-30T10:22:00.001-05:00

1. The Marriage Plot by Jeffery Eugenides: I would kill for a ARC of this one, but since I'm not that cool I am counting down the days until October 11th when Eugenides latest is released.

2. Untouchable by Scott O'Connor: This was a gift from a friend and since I read this review I've been waiting until Fall to pick it up. It sounds like it will be a good fit for the RIP challenge - my favorite challenge of the year.

3. 11/2/63: A Novel by Stephen King: I will admit, I have never read any Stephen King. I've been told The Dark Tower series is one of his best and I hope to get to it someday, but in the meantime I've got my eye on his new release. But I'll have to wait until November 8th.

4. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: I don't think it's a coincidence that this one will be released on my birthday, September 13th - ok it's very much a coincidence. But either way, I can't help but be excited about this one; circuses, magicians, greed and love sounds promising to me.

5. Them by Joyce Carol Oates: I bought this one in July and it's still sitting on my TBR. I'm thinking Fall will be the season to read it.

6. Night by Elie Weisel: Another dark and horrific book, only this one isn't fiction. Night is about a teenager who struggles to survive in a Nazi death camp.

7. The Wife by Meg Wolitzer: I can't remember where I read this review for this one, but it sounded amazing and I bought it a few weeks ago. A tale of "witty disillusionment," this one also sounds quite promising.

8. Surfacing by Margaret Atwood: I've only read one Atwood so far this year, which is somewhat out of character for me. This was has been looking at my from my TBR for a few months now and I can't wait to tackle it.

9. Packing for Mars by Mary Roach: I enjoyed Stiff very much, and I've heard Roach's latest is just as interesting.

10. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris: This is another that has been hanging out on my nightstand waiting to be read. I enjoyed Then We Came To An End and this one sounds even more interesting.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Bookstore Blues

2011-08-26T03:34:00.000-05:00

from this week's postsecret.

Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury

2011-08-24T14:43:00.001-05:00

"Because growing old isn't all that bad. None of it is bad if you have one thing. If you have the one thing that makes it alright."

I picked this up at Half Price Books at the beginning of the summer after I noticed it on the staff recommendations shelf. The last time I did that at B&N, it ended badly. However, I figured (a) I can always trust Ray Bradbury and (b) I trust the people over at HPB over Tom and my local B&N. I wanted to save this book until the end of summer was nearing - for obvious reasons - and I'm happy I did. It turned out to be a beautifully written, unique meditation on time and aging.

During an Indian summer in the Midwest a group of boys organize a small civil war against the older adults in their community to "keep living" and resist growing old. Soon the boys realize it's not their elders who are the enemy; it's time itself. In an effort to stop time, the boys plan to destroy the clock at the heart of the city, convinced this will keep time at a standstill. What ensues is an understanding of life and time, aging and dying, and how our outlook of it makes all the difference.

The clock moved silently. And now he knew that it had never ticked. No one in the town had ever actually heard it counting to itself; they had only listened so hard that they had heard their own hearts and the time of their lives moving in their wrists and their hearts and their heads.

Bradbury conveys the point of view of the young boys with accuracy and whimsy. It didn't feel contrived or overwrought, but unique and nostalgic. Farewell Summer examines our reluctance to grow up and let go of our childhood, regardless of the fact that we don't really have a choice. The novel also suggests that while it's meaningful to remember your past, it's important to understand the future holds just as much promise.

'It's all how you look at it,' said Tom. 'My gosh, think of all the things you haven't even started yet. There's a million ice cream cones up ahead and ten billion apple pies and hundreds of summer vacations. Billions of things waitin' to be bit or swallowed or jumped in.'

This is why you can never go wrong with Bradbury. I enjoyed this novel to pieces. As it turns out, this book is part of a trilogy, which I didn't discover until I was 50 pages into the book and didn't want to stop. So I've got to track down Dandelion Wine (1957) and Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962). Also, thank you to the HPB staff member who brought this book to my attention, and I'm sorry I didn't catch your name.

Publisher: Harper Voyager, 2006

Books I Loved That I Never Reviewed

2011-08-23T10:51:00.004-05:00

Compared to a lot of other book bloggers, I haven't been reviewing books for very long. I started this blog a year after I graduated from college, so that leaves many books that have gone unmentioned here. Below are some of my favorites that I read pre-blogging:

1. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (1868): This is for sure my all-time favorite detective novel (not that I have read very many) that was so much fun to read. A very well-written page-turner full of colorful characters that you shouldn't pass up.

2. White Noise by Don DeLillo (1985): Still my favorite DeLillo, if you are going to read one book about the 20th century, I think this one should be it.

3. Disgrace by JM Coetzee (1993): This one is pretty dark but if you can make your way through, it's worth it. At it's core, it examines race relations in post-apartheid South Africa.

4. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (2004): Confession: I have read this book three times and I love it even more with each read. It is a romance novel with a dose a sci-fi, but still smart and and I love it. It will always be a book that I won't hesitate to pick up and reread when I need a good love story in my life.

5. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of A Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah (2007): This is a truly heart-breaking read that examines a subject I feel is important for those removed from it to learn about: child soldiers in Sierra Leone.

6. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (1860): This is my all-time favorite bildungsroman (yes I like it more than Jane Eyre) and if you are interested in Eliot I think this is a great place to state.

7. The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window Into Human Nature by Steven Pinker (2007): I think this is the most interesting of Pinker's books I have read. He combines his vast knowledge of language and human behavior to examine what the words we use say about ourselves.

8. Alphabet Juice by Roy Blount Jr (2009): This is a hysterical and intelligent look into specific words in our ever-changing vocabulary. It reads like an amusing dictionary. If you are a nerd about words, this is for you.

9. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1884): A children's classic that I read as an adult, this novel is about the nature of freedom and the meaning of human connections.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish
photo via Pretty Books

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

2011-08-22T18:48:00.001-05:00

I bought this novel at the end of spring without knowing much about Zadie Smith or her novels. I knew On Beauty had been shortlisted for the Booker and won the Orange Prize, but aside from that I didn't know what to expect. After I posted about my book purchase back in April, Greg from The New Dork Review of Books commented that "On Beauty is very good, but it's even better if you have a working knowledge of Howards End by E. M. Forster." Well, I don't typically ignore that sort of advice, especially when it comes from someone whose literary taste I trust. So I went out and bought Howards End and then I read it aaaand while I won't go down in my top ten list of classics, I could not be happier that I listened to Greg because my understanding of Howards End contributed quite a bit to my understanding of On Beauty. Not only that, but Smith's reworking of the classic novel left me in awe.

So the first thing I will tell you is if you want to read this book you should really take Greg's advice as well and read Howards End. The two books are similar in themes and structure, but then again they are really very different. Forster's novel examines two interconnected families who exist in the Edwardian era; a time when the class system in England was so disordered that social upheaval ensued. Smith's work examines a different pair of conflicting and interconnected modern families who hold opposing values but exist under the same community, that of the fictional Wellington college. While the reworked implications of Smith's novel are anything but subtle, they function in a unique and contemporary way that leaves much to think about.

Stop worrying about your identity and concern yourself with the people you care about, ideas that matter to you, beliefs you can stand by, tickets you can run on. Intelligent humans make those choices with their brain and hearts and they make them alone. The world does not deliver meaning to you. You have to make it meaningful...and decide what you want and need and must do. It’s a tough, unimaginably lonely and complicated way to be in the world. But that’s the deal: you have to live; you can’t live by slogans, dead ideas, clichés, or national flags. Finding an identity is easy. It’s the easy way out.

At its heart, On Beauty examines the cultural implications of modern-day diversity as well as the heavy complications that result from human emotions. Smith identifies and explores contemporary feminist anxieties and while she doesn't offer any concrete solutions, she does imply its future is hopeful. We are introduced to vivid characters, each with a distinct voice that Smith conveys in a humorous and compassionate tone. Above all, Smith explores our ever dynamic and diverse ideologies in regards to politics, family life and our connections with others. Highly recommended.

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton ,2005

My summer so far, according to my iPhone

2011-08-11T15:48:00.000-05:00

deep fried butter at the Wisconsin State Fair

running through a sprinkler with my neice

dairy cow at the Wisconsin State Fair

Batch 19 at the historic Pabst Brewery

pool party at the bf's house

Milwaukee sunset

big bang fireworks at Summerfest

flabongos

30-team beer pong tournament

skydiving in Chicago

reading at the lake house

bloody mary at The Nick

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

2011-08-10T10:59:00.002-05:00

Nominations for Book Blogger Appreciation Week end August 13th, so if you are interested in nominating some of your favorite blogs, make sure to scoot in before Saturday! Categories include:

Best Written Book Blog
Best Author Interviews
Best New Book Blog
Best Book Blog Meme
Best Book Blogging Event
Best Book Blog Feature or Series of Posts
Best Eclectic Book Blog
Best Kidlit Book Blog
Best YA Book Blog
Best Nonfiction Book Blog
Best Speculative Fiction Book Blog
Best Literary Fiction Book Blog
Best Classics Book Blog
Best Romance Book Blog
Best Historical Fiction Book Blog
Best Mystery/Suspense/Crime Book Blog
Best Horror/Thriller Book Blog
Best GLBT Lit Book Blog
Best Cultural Book Blog
Best Graphic Novel Book Blog
Best Publishing/Industry Blog
Best Published Author Blog
Best Spiritual, Inspirational, or Religious Book Blog
Best Audiobook Blog
Best Poetry Blog
Best Bookstore Blog
Best Bookish Miscellaneous Blog

Of course you don't have to nominate one blog for each category, just fit the ones you like in a selected category. Winners will be announced during book blogger appreciation week, September 12-16. Check out the 2011 Awards Process to learn how to nominate a blog.