Hmmm... Have to admit, sometimes wanted to put this one down, but then something interesting would happen and I would keep reading. Ok, so a nurse after WWII is transported back to the 18th century Scotland. Other than that the scifi is non-existent. Shortly after she is thrown backwards in time she meets a highlander. Claire deals with her newfound relationship and tries to reconcile it with the fact that when she jumped back in time, she lef behind her husband. Oh, and there is an eviiiilll readcoat thrown into the mix.
My attention span went like this: historical fact. interesting. romance/sex. still good. angsting over lost husband. losing interest. pages and pages of Claire gardening/healing which serve no purpose. lost interest. something that endangers main characters happens. must keep reading. historical facts. sex. and repeat.
Overall, an enjoyable if mostly meandering read.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Drinking in the Harry Potter Films
I saw the sixth Harry Potter movie twice. Yeah, I'm a dork. I didn't notice how much drinking there was in the movie until one of the blogs I read directed me to this New York Times article. Context is everything. First of all, the books and movies are set in Britain, a culture which views drinking differently. Secondly, it's a fantasy, a world which doesn't exist. I tend to discount the argument that teens are more likely to smoke/drink if they watch movies with smoking and drinking because it's the same thing as questioning whether or not they can distinguish fantasy from reality.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Flash reviews
The Running Man by Stephen King
King wrote this one under another name, more than a pseudonym actually, more like an avatar with a wife a home and a death. For you see, King killed him off with a heart attack. Sounds twisted and it sort of is, but in a twisted awesome way.
I love King's thrillers, the ones that tread the line of horror, but stay firmly on the side of thriller. I read Running Man very quickly. Had no choice, really, there was so many near escapes, car chases, and betrayals that I had to keep on reading. It sped along so quickly. The only thing was that the main character was a "everyman" character. He seemed like a stock character with gallow's humor and an inexplicable knack with a firearm.
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
Talk about dysfunctional families. Phillips brings the Greek gods and goddesses to modern day London. Lightly amusing, but a bit forgettable.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Why haven't I read Pratchett before? Loved this book. Witty, funny, and memorable characters. Especially loved the con artist with the heart of gold (which, strangely enough, is my small quibble, he accepts his fate too quickly).
King wrote this one under another name, more than a pseudonym actually, more like an avatar with a wife a home and a death. For you see, King killed him off with a heart attack. Sounds twisted and it sort of is, but in a twisted awesome way.
I love King's thrillers, the ones that tread the line of horror, but stay firmly on the side of thriller. I read Running Man very quickly. Had no choice, really, there was so many near escapes, car chases, and betrayals that I had to keep on reading. It sped along so quickly. The only thing was that the main character was a "everyman" character. He seemed like a stock character with gallow's humor and an inexplicable knack with a firearm.
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
Talk about dysfunctional families. Phillips brings the Greek gods and goddesses to modern day London. Lightly amusing, but a bit forgettable.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Why haven't I read Pratchett before? Loved this book. Witty, funny, and memorable characters. Especially loved the con artist with the heart of gold (which, strangely enough, is my small quibble, he accepts his fate too quickly).
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Rawr.
Finished Tigerheart by Peter David. It's a re-imagining of the Peter Pan story. In the past couple years there's been so many attempts at retelling the story, I wonder why that is? Disney published a trilogy (Peter and the Starcatchers), there was an "official" sequel and now David has given it a shot. I was intrigued because the protagonist isn't Peter Pan or Wendy (or Wendy's relation), instead the main character is Paul, a boy who can talk to animals and fairies.
My first question is this: who is this book marketed towards? You would think young adult, no question, but it seems like this isn't the case. It's just a New York Times' bestseller and not shelved in the children's section. The book is dark in places, but so was the original tale. Yet, the narrator (the teller of the tale, perhaps the author) addresses the readers occassionally and the narrator seems to think that the readers are children or parents reading to children...
Which brings up another point of interest, the narrator addresses the readers frequently and brings up the fact that he is telling a story. Sometimes it seemed awkward, but most of the times it worked and lent a comforting style to the book.
Now I'm reading The Overnight by Ramsey Campbell. A little repetitive, it's all grubbiness and muffled voices and gray fog and dark shadows. But, in a bookshop. What's most interesting isn't the horror aspect of the story, but the workers' dynamics. American versus British, class differences, gender politics, sexual politics. I think the book would work a lot better if it focused on those conflicts than the horror. Whatever is lurking in the fog just makes the tale muddled, there's just too much going on. I'm nearing the end of the book, but I'm in a rut. It'll be an effort to finish.
My first question is this: who is this book marketed towards? You would think young adult, no question, but it seems like this isn't the case. It's just a New York Times' bestseller and not shelved in the children's section. The book is dark in places, but so was the original tale. Yet, the narrator (the teller of the tale, perhaps the author) addresses the readers occassionally and the narrator seems to think that the readers are children or parents reading to children...
Which brings up another point of interest, the narrator addresses the readers frequently and brings up the fact that he is telling a story. Sometimes it seemed awkward, but most of the times it worked and lent a comforting style to the book.
Now I'm reading The Overnight by Ramsey Campbell. A little repetitive, it's all grubbiness and muffled voices and gray fog and dark shadows. But, in a bookshop. What's most interesting isn't the horror aspect of the story, but the workers' dynamics. American versus British, class differences, gender politics, sexual politics. I think the book would work a lot better if it focused on those conflicts than the horror. Whatever is lurking in the fog just makes the tale muddled, there's just too much going on. I'm nearing the end of the book, but I'm in a rut. It'll be an effort to finish.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Notes from a Small Island
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson. For the most part entertaining, but I had a few minor quibbles. Bryson sounds like a cantankerous grouch. He complains about villages and people with a kind of joyful cruelty (though that may be too strong a world). His gibes are amusing, but I can't help wincing at some of them.
Also, after awhile the book became a little repetitive, Bryson seemed to fall into a routine and he spent only a short time in London (my main interest).
Yet, the book informed me and let me get a feel for the island (which is why I picked up a copy in the first place). I am going there in the fall and as a bookworm, I've been reading as much as I can on the island.
Also, after awhile the book became a little repetitive, Bryson seemed to fall into a routine and he spent only a short time in London (my main interest).
Yet, the book informed me and let me get a feel for the island (which is why I picked up a copy in the first place). I am going there in the fall and as a bookworm, I've been reading as much as I can on the island.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Nifty Lists/Maps
woah, the Boston Globe surprised me with their Book section. There's many entertaining interactive features, which I spent some time fiddling with.
100 New England Books list, which allows you to click "read" or "want to read" and keeps track of the total.
And top used book stores in Boston! One weekend I'm going to go on a treasure hunt and splurge at some of these stores.
100 New England Books list, which allows you to click "read" or "want to read" and keeps track of the total.
And top used book stores in Boston! One weekend I'm going to go on a treasure hunt and splurge at some of these stores.
Secret Society Girl
I had medium expectations for Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund. I read from a blogger whose opinion I trust that the Ivy League series is a witty, funny one, but I had my doubts. I judged the book by its cover. Girl with a green sweater tied around her shoulders? It is just too similar to the many other series about college life for the privileged. And the book's premise seemed to support this view. Amy Haskel is selected to join a powerful secret underground society at an elite university. Not only does this girl attend an Ivy highbrow school, she's also picked to be in a group that's seen as above the school's general populace. She's the elite of the elite. Yet, Peterfreund complicates this because as a member of the first group of girls to join the society, she has to defend her position.
What really drew me into the story, though, was the narrator's voice. She's smart, she's funny, and she makes convincing mistakes.
There's an interesting romantic sidestory that didn't go the way I thought it would as well.
I'll look out for more in this series.
What really drew me into the story, though, was the narrator's voice. She's smart, she's funny, and she makes convincing mistakes.
There's an interesting romantic sidestory that didn't go the way I thought it would as well.
I'll look out for more in this series.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Dust of 100 Dogs
Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King
The narrator's (and main character's) voice immediately captured me. What a strong and fierce heroine! She sort of reminds me of E. Lockhart's Frankie-Landau Banks, brilliant and sort of crazy. Saffron often has violent eye-plucking fantasies. At first the flashbacks to Saffron's past life as Emer naive (in love) Irish girl to feared swashbuckling pirate, annoyed me, but only because I didn't understand the point of them. Looking back, though, the flashbacks do a good job in laying the foundation of Emer's character. I enjoyed the 'Dog Tip' sections (Saffron recounts some of her past lives--of which there are 100--they were entertaining and imaginative. However, there was one brief moment I thought a bit off.
Here's the excerpt about the Civil War:
Besides that minor tiff, this book was a fantastic read. An angry read, but in the end hopeful. I recommend it to those who love adventure, pirates, and kickass girls.
The narrator's (and main character's) voice immediately captured me. What a strong and fierce heroine! She sort of reminds me of E. Lockhart's Frankie-Landau Banks, brilliant and sort of crazy. Saffron often has violent eye-plucking fantasies. At first the flashbacks to Saffron's past life as Emer naive (in love) Irish girl to feared swashbuckling pirate, annoyed me, but only because I didn't understand the point of them. Looking back, though, the flashbacks do a good job in laying the foundation of Emer's character. I enjoyed the 'Dog Tip' sections (Saffron recounts some of her past lives--of which there are 100--they were entertaining and imaginative. However, there was one brief moment I thought a bit off.
Here's the excerpt about the Civil War:
All of this for slavery. All of this for a white man's right to own a black man...Crazy right?OK, my government teacher in high school would have been upset at this. It oversimplifies the civil war. Yes, slavery was a large part of it, but not the whole part.
Besides that minor tiff, this book was a fantastic read. An angry read, but in the end hopeful. I recommend it to those who love adventure, pirates, and kickass girls.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Potato Peel Pie? Yes please!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is a treat. It's one of those books that you speed through while simultaneously wishing that you never reach the last page. An epistolary novel that works extremely well, even when the letter writers meet face-to-face. I fell in love with all of the characters. I'm definitely going to re-read the book to soak all the details in like the Jasper Fforde books.
One of the reasons I love the Guardian
It's just a small snippet, but how funny! Apparently Alison Uttley, writer who created the Little Grey Rabbit, fought off children with an umbrella.
Here's a quote:
Here's a quote:
As Uttley hadn't bothered to listen to a word I'd told her, she was completely unprepared for this. Dimly, she perceived an overwhelming mob running at her and with British pluck she unhesitatingly grabbed her duck-handled umbrella and waded into the attack, felling infants right and left. The kiddies paused, briefly regrouped, then broke up and ran off, screaming in terror. Uttley strode among them, lashing out freely.
Memoirs
Nowadays I'm sick of memoirs. Celebrity memoirs, president memoirs, fake memoirs, and part fiction part fact memoirs. In the fall I took a course called Modern fiction and this girl told the class that her senior thesis was on the explosion in number of memoirs in the 90s. The professor also commented that many writers today often begin by publishing a memoir (or a fictional piece, which is really a thinly disguised autobiography) and then move on to fictional works. Why!?
I feel like a lot of memoirs serve more of a therapeutic purpose for the author than actually presenting the reader with anything of real value.
Yet, from a distanced perspective, memoirs, in theory, are interesting. This La Times author discusses the ethics of memoir writing. What happens when you're telling someone else's story? What happens if you recall an event different than someone else?
Here's a quote:
What is interesting about memoirs is that they necessarily blend fact and fiction. They are derived from the 'real world.' The characters in memoirs are real people walking around and trying to go about their real lives. Fiction writers don't have this problem. None of their characters can call them up and say, "I'm nothing like that!" or "That didn't happen like you wrote it." In memoirs people can question the author's version of reality, while fiction writers freely create their own realities.
This article made me think about the Melvin Burgess kerfuffle. He's an author who's known for his controversial young adult fiction. Recently he wanted to publish a story which has strong ties to his real life growing up. His publisher decided not to publish it because of the 'invasion of privacy' clause.
Writing that invades a person's privacy...I guess this could be true, I wouldn't want thousands of people putting me under the microscope (which may distort things). Yet, no matter the story, doesn't it have the right to be told? Or is the answer that writers need to take up an ethical responsibility and inform the people that they wrote about them and give them a chance to challenge their version.
The La Times author suggests that people who have had their stories told for then take up a pen themselves. I tend to agree. Instead of laws limiting free speech, maybe people should be encouraged to speak for themselves.
I feel like a lot of memoirs serve more of a therapeutic purpose for the author than actually presenting the reader with anything of real value.
Yet, from a distanced perspective, memoirs, in theory, are interesting. This La Times author discusses the ethics of memoir writing. What happens when you're telling someone else's story? What happens if you recall an event different than someone else?
Here's a quote:
This was the beginning of my understanding of the most serious moral principle of memoir: The act of writing about another person occurs not just in the world of literature but in real life. It cannot help but change your relationship, and this should be the first thing you think about.
What is interesting about memoirs is that they necessarily blend fact and fiction. They are derived from the 'real world.' The characters in memoirs are real people walking around and trying to go about their real lives. Fiction writers don't have this problem. None of their characters can call them up and say, "I'm nothing like that!" or "That didn't happen like you wrote it." In memoirs people can question the author's version of reality, while fiction writers freely create their own realities.
This article made me think about the Melvin Burgess kerfuffle. He's an author who's known for his controversial young adult fiction. Recently he wanted to publish a story which has strong ties to his real life growing up. His publisher decided not to publish it because of the 'invasion of privacy' clause.
Writing that invades a person's privacy...I guess this could be true, I wouldn't want thousands of people putting me under the microscope (which may distort things). Yet, no matter the story, doesn't it have the right to be told? Or is the answer that writers need to take up an ethical responsibility and inform the people that they wrote about them and give them a chance to challenge their version.
The La Times author suggests that people who have had their stories told for then take up a pen themselves. I tend to agree. Instead of laws limiting free speech, maybe people should be encouraged to speak for themselves.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Guardian, Spy Kids and Summer Reads
I've recently been reading articles from The Guardian, a UK newspaper. I'm most interested in children's literature, so I was pleased to discover that the guardian has a really strong children's section, which The New York Times lacks. The Guardian also publishes short stories which tend to be excellent, though maybe a little on the depressing side. Also, I've spent a good while browsing their top tens lists. The quality of the list of course depends on its author, but there are quite a few fun quirky lists/titles that are fun to browse. My favorite is Benjamin Obler's top 10 fictional coffee scenes. Delicious.
Anyways, the children's section had a article on the recent spy kid phenomonen. Kids (both girls and boys) are just devouring spy novels with teen protagonists. The author theorizes that it's because it fulfills the "make me special" desire. I agree, but I think it's also about split identity. Many of the main characters like Anthony Horrowitz's Alex Rider, struggle with maintaining their spy life along with their everyday life. I think kids can relate especially the slightly older ones who are torn between childhood and adulthood.
Also, I was trolling the internet looking for summer book lists (even though my tbr list is quite frightening) and I came across The Washington Post's summer rec chat with their readers. I don't know if another paper has done this before, but what a cool idea. They had some recs I should check out, particularly if I'm feeling brave, like the gigantic Infinite Jest, but what was most useful was a link from one of their readers, Shelfari. It has a bunch of YA books that adults should read, over 700 recs. That's going to take me a happy amount of time to get through.
Anyways, the children's section had a article on the recent spy kid phenomonen. Kids (both girls and boys) are just devouring spy novels with teen protagonists. The author theorizes that it's because it fulfills the "make me special" desire. I agree, but I think it's also about split identity. Many of the main characters like Anthony Horrowitz's Alex Rider, struggle with maintaining their spy life along with their everyday life. I think kids can relate especially the slightly older ones who are torn between childhood and adulthood.
Also, I was trolling the internet looking for summer book lists (even though my tbr list is quite frightening) and I came across The Washington Post's summer rec chat with their readers. I don't know if another paper has done this before, but what a cool idea. They had some recs I should check out, particularly if I'm feeling brave, like the gigantic Infinite Jest, but what was most useful was a link from one of their readers, Shelfari. It has a bunch of YA books that adults should read, over 700 recs. That's going to take me a happy amount of time to get through.
Monday, June 22, 2009
What I'm Up To, Books/TV, Quick Update
Books:
Second book of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series, The Great Hunt.
Quick synopsis: Last book Rand decided to leave his friends so he won't hurt them when he inevitably goes mad from using the One power. At the start of the sequel he hasn't quite gotten around to leaving yet. The great horn, which can summon heroes from the dead to battle is stolen and Rand is conned by the Aes Sedai to return it.
Where I am: more than 3/4 of the way through it.
What I think thus far: Quicker pace than the first book. Everyone knows a little more. Rand knows he might be the Dragon Reborn and he struggles against his fate. Unfortunately, he's not the only one who knows which leads to adventure! and battles! and sword fights! So, I'm happy, though sometimes I want to smack Rand upside the head for trusting a mysterious stranger just because she has soft skin. He really is a wool-brain. My fave character is Nynaeve who is a badass Aes Sedai (sort of like a witch). She has a short temper and is very entertaining.
Watching:
Re-watching episodes of Supernatural in preparation for Season 4 dvd release. This show continues to surprise me by how good it is. The writers aren't afraid to torture their characters or to go there with all types of issues, including the battle between Heaven and Hell.
Catching up on Burn Notice. A great summer show. Spies, guns, witty banter, and Miami.
On deck: If I can get my hands on the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. I need to see what's the fuss is about.
Second book of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series, The Great Hunt.
Quick synopsis: Last book Rand decided to leave his friends so he won't hurt them when he inevitably goes mad from using the One power. At the start of the sequel he hasn't quite gotten around to leaving yet. The great horn, which can summon heroes from the dead to battle is stolen and Rand is conned by the Aes Sedai to return it.
Where I am: more than 3/4 of the way through it.
What I think thus far: Quicker pace than the first book. Everyone knows a little more. Rand knows he might be the Dragon Reborn and he struggles against his fate. Unfortunately, he's not the only one who knows which leads to adventure! and battles! and sword fights! So, I'm happy, though sometimes I want to smack Rand upside the head for trusting a mysterious stranger just because she has soft skin. He really is a wool-brain. My fave character is Nynaeve who is a badass Aes Sedai (sort of like a witch). She has a short temper and is very entertaining.
Watching:
Re-watching episodes of Supernatural in preparation for Season 4 dvd release. This show continues to surprise me by how good it is. The writers aren't afraid to torture their characters or to go there with all types of issues, including the battle between Heaven and Hell.
Catching up on Burn Notice. A great summer show. Spies, guns, witty banter, and Miami.
On deck: If I can get my hands on the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. I need to see what's the fuss is about.
Do you know where your child is? Picoult and Child-In-Peril LIt
The computers are really slow at work, so what I end up doing is reading while waiting for a page to load. (Tangent: I wonder if it's a personal tic or a generational one, to have zero patience when it comes to the internet). Since I check-in magazines and newspapers, this provides me with a lot of reading material.
Today I came across this interesting article in the New York Times about our society's obsession with children-in-danger stories, whether they be fact or fiction. However, this article centered on Jodi Picoult, whose novels primarily focus on children who are all victims in one way or another. I think it's true that this popular genre of media is a expression of our fear that no matter how a child is raised s/he can do something terrible or have something terrible happen to him/her.
Whenever the subject of children comes up, it's extremely polarized. Children are either complete innocents, the victims, or fledgling psychopaths who can be tried as adults for their crimes.
I don't think we have been able to reach a middle ground, partly because there's this murky confusion surrounding the transition between children and adults. When does a child become an adult? When should society view a person as an adult? If a child murders someone, in the eyes of society, should the child be considered an adult?
Picoult poses these questions in her books, but I'm not convinced they are much different from the news coverage of missing, victimized children. Both seem to derive from and feed fear. The article ended, "If Picoult’s fiction means to say anything, it is that parenting undoes us perhaps more than it fulfills, and it makes a thousand little promises it can never keep." So, is Picoult's fiction helping us find a solution by identifying the many perils that kids and their parents face? Or are her books making us more afraid?
Of course, is it even fair to ask these questions?
As for Picoult as an author, I have mixed feelings. Her books always deal with knotty moral problems, which are usually fascinating. But they tend to be formulaic and have a hollow "ripped from the headlines" feeling. Honestly, I don't think I ever forgave her for the ending of My Sister's Keeper.
Today I came across this interesting article in the New York Times about our society's obsession with children-in-danger stories, whether they be fact or fiction. However, this article centered on Jodi Picoult, whose novels primarily focus on children who are all victims in one way or another. I think it's true that this popular genre of media is a expression of our fear that no matter how a child is raised s/he can do something terrible or have something terrible happen to him/her.
Whenever the subject of children comes up, it's extremely polarized. Children are either complete innocents, the victims, or fledgling psychopaths who can be tried as adults for their crimes.
I don't think we have been able to reach a middle ground, partly because there's this murky confusion surrounding the transition between children and adults. When does a child become an adult? When should society view a person as an adult? If a child murders someone, in the eyes of society, should the child be considered an adult?
Picoult poses these questions in her books, but I'm not convinced they are much different from the news coverage of missing, victimized children. Both seem to derive from and feed fear. The article ended, "If Picoult’s fiction means to say anything, it is that parenting undoes us perhaps more than it fulfills, and it makes a thousand little promises it can never keep." So, is Picoult's fiction helping us find a solution by identifying the many perils that kids and their parents face? Or are her books making us more afraid?
Of course, is it even fair to ask these questions?
As for Picoult as an author, I have mixed feelings. Her books always deal with knotty moral problems, which are usually fascinating. But they tend to be formulaic and have a hollow "ripped from the headlines" feeling. Honestly, I don't think I ever forgave her for the ending of My Sister's Keeper.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Intro
I'm bored and I need to do something. Anything. My sister has her scrapbook, maybe blogging will be my thing. Something to let me be creative, to create, because all I feel like I'm doing nowadays is consuming. Consuming books. Consuming movies. Consuming tv. All of that is good fun, but I feel like I need to produce. I wonder where that particular anxiety comes from? Wherever it comes from I need this to occupy a bit of my extra time and my brain. I need to take what I've been digesting and turn it into inspiration to create.
What will this blog be?
Primarily a journal. My personal thoughts. I'll probably review the books I'm reading or the movies I see. I read a lot of books and am fascinated by the book industry, which is what I hope to be a part of one day. I predict that I'll be sleeping on a friend's couch when I graduate, with the way things look now. But it also seems so exciting. It's a time where everything is changing, radically, and I want to be a part of that change. A new world.
Maybe I'll write some creative pieces. If I don't do some writing I fear that I will get out of practice. I find that always after a break between semesters, my writing skills turn rusty. So, this is also an attempt to keep in practice. So my professors won't scratch their heads, hold up my paper, and ask what's this?
After a time, if I think I've created something worthwhile maybe I'll share this journal with other people. I'll cross my fingers. I have this bad habit of starting things (journals, blogs, stories) and never finishing them.
What will this blog be?
Primarily a journal. My personal thoughts. I'll probably review the books I'm reading or the movies I see. I read a lot of books and am fascinated by the book industry, which is what I hope to be a part of one day. I predict that I'll be sleeping on a friend's couch when I graduate, with the way things look now. But it also seems so exciting. It's a time where everything is changing, radically, and I want to be a part of that change. A new world.
Maybe I'll write some creative pieces. If I don't do some writing I fear that I will get out of practice. I find that always after a break between semesters, my writing skills turn rusty. So, this is also an attempt to keep in practice. So my professors won't scratch their heads, hold up my paper, and ask what's this?
After a time, if I think I've created something worthwhile maybe I'll share this journal with other people. I'll cross my fingers. I have this bad habit of starting things (journals, blogs, stories) and never finishing them.
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