Blog Archives

It’s Monday, what are you reading?

Posted on February 19, 2012
by

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

How is it the start of a new week already?  I’ve been buried beneath thinking up various theses for papers due this week and next, reading like crazy, pledging a sorority, playing for recital + rehearsals… life has been CRAZY!

Books I’ve read this past week (Links to reviews):

  1. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
  2. The Dressmaker by Posie Graeme-Evans
  3. The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
  4. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Books reviewed this past week:
  1. The Fault in our Stars by John Green
  2. Ragnarok by A.S. Byatt
  3. Gillespie and I by Jane Harris
  4. Delicacy by David Foenkinos

Books to read this week:

Same Sun Here by Silas House

The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley

Allegiance by Cayla Kluver

Pure by  Julianna Baggott

The Darlings by Cristina Alger


[ 21 Replies ]

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Posted on February 18, 2012
by
Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • I have had this book pre-ordered for months.  I was SO happy to see it the day it arrived.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs… for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

My Review:

If perfection can be achieved in a book, then The Fault in Our Stars has achieved it.

I am overwhelmed by how much this story affected me. Even more so now that I’m studying many of the techniques used by John Green in writing this book.

I’m not sure why I would ever feel compelled to pick up a story about a teenager who is struggling with terminal cancer, but John Green’s name has carrying power, and so I did. What I did not expect was the bittersweet humor that was injected into every. single. page.

Seriously, for a book that (you would think) has a foregone conclusion (this is exactly what I thought when I picked it up – no spoiler here), would you expect to be laughing while wiping away tears? I expected the tears, but not the laughter.

Hazel’s voice is so genuine that it gives me this pleasant pain in my heart to remember it. I get the pain because I miss her. She is someone I want to know, and I somewhat resent the fact that she is merely a figment of Green’s imagination. It isn’t fair.

What else isn’t fair about this book is the brilliant method in which Green puts a book into the book, and the idea.. well, read the book. I was astonished. My jaw literally dropped. So, so brilliant.

Filled with twists and turns – you cannot take any moment for granted in this beautiful book. I highly recommend you check it out as soon as possible.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

A Literary Odyssey

Bookhooked Blog

[ 7 Replies ]

Ranarok by A.S. Byatt

Posted on February 16, 2012
by
Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • I keep wanting to get through one of A.S. Byatt’s books – so I decided to give this one a go since I love Norse mythology

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

As the bombs of the Blitz rain down on Britain, one young girl is evacuated to the countryside. She is struggling to make sense of her new life, whose dark, war-ravaged days feel very removed from the peace and love being preached in church and at school. Then she is given a copy of Asgard and the Gods ? a book of ancient Norse myths ? and her inner and outer worlds are transformed. She feels an instant kinship with these vivid, beautiful, terrifying tales of the end of the gods ? they seem far more real, far more familiar during these precarious days. How could this child know that fifty years on, many of the birds and flowers she took for granted on her walks to school would become extinct? War, natural disaster, reckless gods, and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that Byatt weaves into this most timely of books.

My Review:

I am so torn on this book.

I desperately wanted to love it. Why? Because A.S. Byatt has a grasp of the English language that I lust for – it’s sensuous and beautiful and haunting and every amazing word you can come up with to describe words … but it’s so dang difficult to read.

The tiniest little thing would distract me as I read this one. I love learning about Norse mythology, so there wasn’t a lot new in that respect for me – but the story of this girl in wartime, and her favorite book – I wanted it to drag me into the story and make it come alive for me. But it didn’t.

Instead, I felt as if I was reading something beautifully written, but very clinical (? I think that’s the word I want to use). Instead of feeling like the pages were letting me indulge in chocolate, I felt like maybe I was eating fat-free candy instead. It’s hard to describe, because I really, really admire Byatt’s writing skills, but I think the storytelling was a bit lacking. However – I also don’t know if this was intended to actually BE a storytelling book, or if it was instead a frame for education on the mythology.

Anyways – if you are a fan of Byatt, I’m sure you will love this one. If you have lots of time and enjoy the feeling of rolling beautifully crafted sentences around in your mouth, then do what I did and just enjoy this one for that sensation.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Red Breasted Bird

Cities of Flight


[ 1 Reply ]

Gillespie and I by Jane Harris

Posted on February 15, 2012
by
Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • The reviews got me on this one – as well as the description.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

As she sits in her Bloomsbury home, with her two birds for company, elderly Harriet Baxter sets out to relate the story of her acquaintance, nearly four decades previously, with Ned Gillespie, a talented artist who never achieved the fame that she maintains he deserved.

It would appear that I am to be the first to write a book on Gillespie. Who, if not me, was dealt that hand?

Back in 1888, the young, art-loving Harriet arrives in Glasgow at the time of the International Exhibition. After a chance encounter, she befriends the Gillespie family and soon becomes a fixture in all of their lives. But when tragedy strikes – leading to a notorious criminal trial – the promise and certainties of this world all too rapidly disintegrate into mystery and deception.

My Review:

Gillespie and I is one of those rare books where all those raving reviews? They are spot on.

There are so many things I want to praise about this book. So let’s start with the title – it’s perfect. It’s eye-catching, it inspires curiosity, and it’s quirky enough to be completely unique.

Then there’s the cover – perfectly fitting the story, and – frankly, it’s gorgeous. The color palette, the arrangement of symbols, it’s all just plain perfect.

Now.. the insides of this beautiful book..

So many twists and turns, y’all. I loved, loved, loved where this story took me. Instead of a cliche love story, I got a fascinating mystery that involved absolutely no love story at all and it was so incredibly perfect. The style of narration kept me on the edge of my seat, and the twists – I’m not even joking I shivered right now because they are so delicious.

I’m not much of a mystery lover, but I’ll tell you right now – this is a book that would have me converting to reading the mystery genre full-time if more were like it.

About the Author

For more reviews on Gillespie and I by Jane Harris, please follow the book tour.

 

 

[ 4 Replies ]

Delicacy by David Foenkinos

Posted on February 14, 2012
by
Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • The cover has Audrey Tautou on it.  That’s a big hook for me.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Reminiscent of novels by Nick Hornby, Muriel Barbery, and Jonathan Tropper, internationally acclaimed novelist David Foenkinos delivers a heartfelt and deftly comedic tale of new love brightening the dark aftermath of loss–and of wounded hearts finding refuge in the strangest of places. After her husband’s unexpected death, Natalie has erected a fortress around her emotions–and Markus, clumsy and unassuming, will never be her knight in shining armor. Yet slowly but surely, an offbeat romance begins between these two mismatched, complex souls, and contrary to everything Natalie knows of affection, her perfect suitor may turn out to be love’s most unlikely candidate–the fool, not the hero, who is finally able to reach her heart.

My Review:

This is a beautiful, touching, whimsical, heartbreaking, and oh so very French story.

What do I mean by that last? It’s hard to describe – but I think it’s the combination of refined/whimsical/slightly stuck-up mixed with not-so-neatly wrapped endings.

Delicacy was all that. And, much like it’s title suggests, it’s a delicate story.

I loved so much about this book – I loved the way the relationships are wrote about, and the breaks in the story to feed the reader random facts about what is happening. I found it utterly charming, and laughed and cried my way through it all.

For such a thin little book, this one packs a punch, and I hope you give it a chance – now.. I need to get my hands on the film!

About the Author

  • Information regarding David Foenkinos:
David Foenkinos (born 1974) is a French author and screenwriter. He studied literature and music in Paris. His novel La délicatesse is a bestseller in France. A film based on the book was released in December 2011, with Audrey Tautou as the main character. (From Wikipedia)

For more reviews on Delicacy by David Foenkinos, please follow the book tour.

 

 

[ 1 Reply ]

It’s Monday, what are you reading?

Posted on February 12, 2012
by

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Oh my goodness – I am so tired, and I have so many reviews to write, and I’m in the middle of reading seven, yes SEVEN novels! School is catching up to me – but there is good news too!  My recital is all memorized, so the next several weeks will just be polish. This is the perfect position to be in right now!  Last week I linked a sample of some of what I’m working on, and I’m going to do the same this week - here’s a piece I recorded just a few days ago (forgive the errors, it’s newly memorized!).

While you are here, be sure to check out the information on my 2012 Western Genre Challenge - have some great prizes happening there!  Spread the news, I’d be so grateful!

Books I’ve read this past week (Links to reviews):

  1. Romantic Fairy Tales by Goethe, Tieck, Fouque, and Brentano
  2. Delicacy by David Foenkinos
  3. Gillespie and I by Jane Harris
  4. The Last Storyteller by Frank Delaney
  5. Daughter of the Centaurs by Kate Klimo
Books reviewed this past week:
  1. The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak
  2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
  3. The Shining by Stephen King

Books to read this week:

Same Sun Here by Silas House

The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley

The Dressmaker by Posie Graeme-Evans

Pure by  Julianna Baggott

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris


[ 10 Replies ]

The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak

Posted on February 10, 2012
by
Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • One of THE most beautiful covers I’ve seen in a long time.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Her name is Barbara—in Russian, Varvara. Nimble-witted and attentive, she’s allowed into the employ of the Empress Elizabeth, amid the glitter and cruelty of the world’s most eminent court. Under the tutelage of Count Bestuzhev, Chancellor and spymaster, Varvara will be educated in skills from lock picking to lovemaking, learning above all else to listen—and to wait for opportunity. That opportunity arrives in a slender young princess from Zerbst named Sophie, a playful teenager destined to become the indomitable Catherine the Great. Sophie’s destiny at court is to marry the Empress’s nephew, but she has other, loftier, more dangerous ambitions, and she proves to be more guileful than she first appears.

What Sophie needs is an insider at court, a loyal pair of eyes and ears who knows the traps, the conspiracies, and the treacheries that surround her. Varvara will become Sophie’s confidante—and together the two young women will rise to the pinnacle of absolute power.

My Review:

This is quite the story.

I’m always a big fan of books about royals which are told from the point of view of someone who’s been placed near them. While it’s interesting if the author can capture the actual royal voice, more often than not I find that the technique used by Stachniak in The Winter Palace is a better one to use.

So I knew little to nothing about Catherine the Great before picking up this book – as most of my reading about Kings and Queens has been focused on England – but holy cow, I think now I’ll be checking more into Russian history. I was thoroughly charmed by this book and caught up in so much drama – because it had it in abundance!

Stachniak’s writing is strong, and she really creates the scene well. I felt as if I was being whisked away, and along with Sophia, felt so much sympathy for Varvara – while also SO much respect for Elizabeth, because that Queen, I’m tellin’ ya, she’s got a story as well.

Highly recommend for historical fiction fans.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Simple Pleasures Book Blog

Jenn’s Bookshelves


[ 1 Reply ]

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Posted on February 9, 2012
by
Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • This was required reading for my American Lit class.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Of all the contenders for the title of The Great American Novel, none has a better claim than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Intended at first as a simple story of a boy’s adventures in the Mississippi Valley-a sequel to Tom Sawyer-the book grew and matured under Twain’s hand into a work of immeasurable richness and complexity. More than a century after its publication, the critical debate over the symbolic significance of Huck’s and Jim’s voyage is still fresh, and it remains a major work that can be enjoyed at many levels: as an incomparable adventure story and as a classic of American humor.

My Review:

It’s always daunting, isn’t it, to review a classic that so many people have read?

We discussed Huck Finn in my American Lit class this semester, and overall there really was quite a bit to discuss, despite the story being a very well-known one (at least to me). There is more to this book than than a simple story of a boy and a man floating down the river in a raft.

What I loved about this reading of Huck Finn is that we were also to read Toni Morrison’s Introduction to it. It was through this Introduction that I was able to see the story in a completely new light – and to understand just what was so “wonderfully troubling” about it.

Morrison talks a lot about silence in the book – the silence in those moments of floating down the river, the silence with regard to learning much of anything about Jim’s family, the silence with which Huck treats his friendship with Tom. Then there’s the silence of Jim toward Huck – why did he fail to disclose who that man was under the cloth?

This is an extraordinarily troubling book, but yes.. a wonderful one as well. It’s enlightening – it shows how hard the struggle was to accept the idea that a human is a human, no matter his or her skin color. It’s educational, it reminds us of where we’ve come from in an effort to remind us of where we should not return. It’s captured history through the dialect of Jim. It’s a look at two individuals escaping slavery – Jim the actual slavery, and Huck, escaping abuse at the hand of his father.

I always recommend these books. Tom Sawyer is more suited to younger audiences (although I personally find Tom to be a scoundrel), but Huck Finn is a must read for teenagers and adults.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Blatant Biblioholic

Good Books and Good Wine


[ 4 Replies ]

The Shining by Stephen King

Posted on February 8, 2012
by
Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • A friend of mine is a HUGE Stephen King fan and I wanted to explore horror this year – so .. here we go!

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Danny is only five years old, but he is a ‘shiner’, aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of an old hotel, his visions grow out of control. Cut off by blizzards, the hotel seems to develop an evil force, and who are the mysterious guests in the supposedly empty hotel?

My Review:

Here’s the thing about Stephen King.

… He scares the bejeezus out of me.

Seriously. So, I’m going to tell you a story about picking this book up. No joke at all. This is what happened.

I picked up The Shining around 9pm at night. I wanted to read, it was there, it needed to be read. But I’d heard horrors about Anthony Hopkins and that hotel in Colorado and.. I wanted to be able to sleep. So I told myself – I’ll read ’til it gets scary.

150 pages later, I thought.. huh, this isn’t that bad. I’ll keep reading…

Then my mind began to process everything coming through it and OH MY GOSH I COULD NOT CLOSE MY EYES.

I fully expected lots of gore, lots of slashing madness, but what I didn’t expect was the psychological impact something like a shaking elevator, or locking someone in a walk-in fridge would do to me. My hands were SHAKING as I read the book, but.. to be honest, it was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to muster the courage to dive into my next Stephen King adventure – “It”.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

The Librarian Reads


[ 2 Replies ]

The Last Storyteller by Frank Delaney

Posted on February 7, 2012
by
Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • Frank Delaney is one of my all-time favorite authors.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Brimming with fascinating Irish history, daring intrigue, and the drama of legendary love, The Last Storyteller is an unforgettable novel as richly textured and inspiring as Ireland itself.

My Review:

Here’s the thing about Frank Delaney – when that blurb on sites like GoodReads and Amazon refer to him as “unparalleled” when it comes to Irish History, they aren’t exaggerating.

Delaney is the real deal.

I’ve loved this series ever since reading the first page about Ben and Venetia in Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show. I was drawn in by the whimsical, perfectly illustrated cover of that book, and since then I have been wooed and won over by the lyricism of Delany’s storytelling ability.

There are times when a writing is so powerful you can hear the accent, or the coloring of the speech, and it is that way with this book. When Delaney talks about the old storytellers, when he describes the way the voice sounds, the rising and falling of the rhythms, I feel transported, and am enchanted right along with the characters who, enviably, get to hear more than I do.

That’s right, I said enviably. It’s not often I envy a character, but man.. This book made me do so.

While I loved the continuation of Venetia and Ben’s story, I have to say the diverging into the old tales (there was one story in particular that had me gasping – think banshee) is what made this book a treasure to me. I felt as if I were part of that privileged circle that gets to experience what it must have been like to listen to the Bard’s of old.

Mr. Delaney, thank you. You do those Bards credit – and personally, I think you should sign your name “Frank Delaney, Bard” from now on.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

CelticLady’s Reviews


[ 1 Reply ]