Bibliography

Final Post

2011-12-27T19:11:00.000-08:00

Hi friends and visitors of Bibliography! This will be my final post on Blogger. I have moved my blog over to Wordpress. It's a significant improvement, and I highly recommend you take a look.

www.disorderedlibrarian.wordpress.com

While you're there, please subscribe! You'll be notified of new posts by email. Thanks friends :) Happy reading.

Week 47--The Red Queen

2011-11-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Here's another historical fiction novel by Philippa Gregory for you folks. Sorry if you're getting tired of reviews of these. She's one of my favorite authors, and I read a lot of her books. In fact, I may be reading another one in this series very soon, so you'll just have to bear with me!

The Red Queen tells the story of Lady Margaret Beaufort, a noble woman of the Lancaster line who lived at the beginning of the War of the Roses. Margaret believes that she is chosen by God to land her son Henry on the throne of England, and spends decades plotting the overthrow of the House of York to place him there. She is conniving and immensely frustrating in her hypocrisy. The novel details the same set of events that happen in The White Queen, but are told from the other side. The heroine of The White Queen becomes the villain in this novel, and the new perspective offered gives the reader the same feeling of bewilderment and anxiety that must have been felt by those caught in the middle of these true historical events. Of course, Gregory fills in gaps where history has lost details (like the two York princes locked in the Tower of London, whose fate remains unknown to this day), and embellishes facts to create interesting fiction. In doing so, she brings to life people who have been dead for centuries, and makes their lives interesting and significant again.

Margaret is a character the reader loves to hate. She is difficult to like, and the reading is much more enjoyable and challenging for that. She is stubborn, proud, infuriatingly hypocritical, and so convinced that she has been chosen by God that she is willing to risk the lives of others and essentially ruin her own life to enact what she believes to be His will. Her duplicity causes her to make and break promises in an unrepentant manner, believing herself to be correct in all things and above all others. The tragedy of the novel is that she sacrifices years of her own happiness and that of her child to reach this goal that she believes has been set out for her by God. Though she is wealthy and powerful and has a son that she loves, her eyes overlook these blessings and focus only on the throne of England.

Gregory does a fine job of drawing the reader into the cause. Although she is awful, and opposed to the heroine that the reader rooted for in the last book, one cannot help but hope that she will achieve her goal. It is difficult to witness, even in fiction, someone so single-mindedly and viciously tear their lives apart, as well as the lives of others. The closing scenes, which detail Henry's final battle for the throne, are especially tense and engaging. Gregory's fine and detailed narration of the conflicts showcase perfectly both her vast historical knowledge and skillful storytelling. I enjoyed this novel more than many of her others, and believe that any fan of the author or the genre will enjoy it as well.

Week 46, Part 2--The Martian Chronicles

2011-11-16T09:24:00.000-08:00

Despite being impressed by Ray Bradbury in the past, and the rave reviews I received from friends who loved this book, I really wasn't expecting much from it. I'm more of a fantasy girl than a sci-fi, but this book put me in my place. It floored me with its stunning beauty. I never expected to be so taken with it. Easily, one of the best books I've read this year.

It is the story of the colonization of Mars by Earth Men, told in a series of short stories. There is no main protagonist who is followed by the plot. It's biased against humankind, so an argument could be made that the settlers of Mars from Earth are the antagonists, and Mars herself the passive and tragic heroine. The destruction of Mars by mankind is not slow, as the destruction of our own planet has been, but rather happens in the space of a few decades. As Mars is destroyed, so too is Earth, and humanity suffers greatly for its self-inflicted loss of habitat.

Obviously, Ray Bradbury has something to say in this novel. Long before the craze of global warming and its threat to life on our planet, nuclear war was the looming fear for Earth's people. This plays prominently in The Martian Chronicles, and one cannot help but be disgusted at the selfishness of humankind. The destruction of Earth is our fault, and the consequences should be endured. Unfortunately for the Martians, mankind has made travel to and colonization of their planet as simple as flying between continents. Due to the delicate nature of this fictionalized Martian climate, and to the inability of the Martian people to withstand human disease, the demise of Mars is swift and unavoidable.

There is so much that surprised me about this novel. Each short story contains something completely new and unexpected. As the events unfold, one is convinced of Mars' beauty, and of humanity's ugliness. There is no end to the almost magical and uncanny events that take place on Mars--time-travel, shape-shifting, and telepathy included. The civilization on Mars is thousands of years old, sophisticated, advanced, and peaceful. Very few humans take the time to understand the beliefs, customs, and philosophy of the Martians, and those that do are wiped out along with the Martian race. The philosophy that Bradbury projects onto the Martians is beautiful, and I found myself stunned at his incredible portrayal of what a peaceful world would look like, and his expression of what it would take to get there. His language, also, is extremely moving, and his reprimands of humanity come in a harsh but eloquent manner.

Truly, this book is a thing of wonder. I highly recommend it to everyone. It is a book of philosophy, essentially, written in narrative form and structured around a science-fictional world. But it by no means brow-beats the reader with sci-fi, and it gives one perspective on our lifestyle and attitude about our home planet. Definitely a must-read for anyone.

Week 46--Room

2011-11-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

Room by Emma Donoghue is one book I won't forget any time soon. Recommended to me by a good friend whose taste I trust, it wasn't on my list but I decided to read/review it anyway. Though most of the reviews I've received from others are positive, I can't decide my own opinions about the book.

When I say that it's memorable, that's not necessarily praise. Much of the book was disturbing and, excuse my juvenile expression, really gross. The novel is narrated by five-year-old Jack. He lives in captivity with his mother, known only to him (and to his readers) as Ma. Seven years ago, Ma was kidnapped and locked in an 11' by 11' shed that had been converted into an armored, soundproof living space. Her captor has repeatedly raped her for all seven years (Jack hears the sounds but cannot see what is happening from his sleeping space, and does not understand what is going on), and Jack is the product of that rape. Despite this, he and his mother share a very special, loving bond that hovers between friendship and a parent-child relationship. One understands that without Jack, his mother would have long ago gone insane.

Jack's voice is unique in that it's innocent and sweet, and lacks adult cynicism and experience. As someone who is not particularly fond of children, I found his narration difficult to swallow. His language is understandably frustrating, his child's voice exacerbated by the fact that he has had no experience outside of Room. His ability to tell reality from unreality is flawed. They have a TV, but his mother has always taught him that anything outside of Room (other people, trees, malls, cars, the ocean, his grandparents, etc.) are not real--what he refers to as "in TV." It takes the reader a while to adjust to his style of speaking. He misuses words and struggles with sentence structure. All that said, one cannot help but admire the author for her persistence and consistency in the narrator's voice. It cannot have been easy to write.

The premise is an interesting one, and it was certainly fascinating the ways that Jack and his mother found to cope with their situation. They find creative ways to occupy their time, to store their things in such a small place, and keep themselves from going crazy. Jack's Ma raised a very smart and mostly well-behaved child without help from anyone. She didn't have pregnancy books, prenatal vitamins, doctor check-ups, or anyone to help her with delivery. She didn't have a mother to give her advice on raising a child. Those things aside, their details of their daily routine gets old. It's a relief in the middle when the great escape attempts begin and it gets a little more exciting. From that point on, Jack's world is shaken up and severely disturbed, and his attempts at adjustment lend a little more interest to the novel.

The disturbing part comes through seeing all of this through Jack's eyes. He thinks sleeping in a wardrobe, hearing creaking noises from his mother's bed at night, and sucking on a rotten tooth that fell out of his mother's mouth are all normal things. His acclimation to life outside of Room is slow and painful, and he is forced to deal with things like paparazzi and mental health patients at an unfortunately young age. Still, Donoghue is also adept at presenting the surprising adaptability of children, and Jack's journey of growth and discovery in the world we take for granted is quite touching and very emotional.

While I wouldn't call this novel "gripping," or however the reviews describe it, I would say it's a worthwhile read. After all, if disturbing were a reason to not read a book, then no one would ever read Lovecraft, or memoirs, or anything about history. It offers interesting perspective on life and the beautiful things we often overlook but should probably be grateful for. It's a worthwhile read, but I'd check it out from the library instead of buying it.

Week 45--Cleopatra: A Life

2011-11-06T17:55:00.000-08:00

Look! A book that's not fiction! I think it's been several months since I read/wrote about anything that's not fiction. That's just what I'm into. But after reading Cleopatra's Daughter, I was really curious about Cleopatra herself. She's a woman who has become a legend, immortalized on the stage by Shakespeare and the screen by Elizabeth Taylor. One thinks they know the facts about her life: her great love affair with Antony, her suicide by asp, etc. But this biography breaks down the legend and separates fact from fiction.

Cleopatra is a woman reputed for her sexuality and her beauty. What most don't realize is that she was not a tremendous beauty, and her success with both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony have more to do with her intellect and cunning than with her sexual allure. In fact, what Stacy Schiff emphasizes constantly through the book is that there are enormous holes in the facts researches have about Cleopatra's life. Much of this is due to the biased nature of her early biographers. Everyone in the ancient world had a very strong opinion about such a powerful woman monarch ruling alone, and many men portrayed her as a seductress and a tramp. Her sexual appetite is blown entirely into the unrealistic and improbable as a way to slur her memory. What these biographers didn't realize, however, was that this would only serve to increase the alluring mystery of the woman.

The truth: Cleopatra was a wily and crafty woman of state, fearless and bold in advancing her interests and the interests of her kingdom. The unfortunate fact for her is that she ruled as the Egyptian heyday was dying, and was the victim of an overly-ambitious Roman ruler. But she was the confident queen of a city rich in both culture and capital. Though her life has been fictionalized and exaggerated, she is nonetheless a fascinating and powerful woman.

Schiff is a fantastic biographer, both in her research and her writing. Being a biography, it naturally took me longer to get through. It is material that doesn't move quite as quickly or hold quite as much suspense, nor are there pages full of dialogue to make the reading go faster. In that regard, it dragged a bit. But it's still a fantastic book. Schiff's voice is professional and unbiased, and does honor to her subject by remaining neutral. She tells Cleopatra's story (to the best of her knowledge, though she admits to the gaps in even her research), in a confident and engaging way, making the reading of this biography almost as pleasant as reading fiction.

This book was highly recommended to me, and I'm going pass that recommendation on. Anyone interested in history or feminism or both should read it.

Week 43 and 44--Chaos Walking Series Books 2 and 3

2011-11-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

I decided to combine posts for these, since they're two books in the same trilogy. I normally don't read books in a series this close together because I like to provide my blog readers with a bit of variety. In this case, however, I couldn't help myself. It was a really stinking good series.

Unfortunately, if I attempt to provide a synopsis, I'll ruin surprises that happened in the first book, and I really don't want to do that. I'd suggest reading the first book before seeking out the synopsis on Amazon or elsewhere, simply because one of the most delightful things about this series is the way that the author slams you with things you'd never expect.

Alas, I have to make this post short even though it's about two books. Two things I will say: Ness does not lose his ability to surprise his readers as he goes, and never ceases to make his books interesting, both in plot and aesthetics. And his development of Todd as a character is astounding. As the novel progresses, Todd attitude and personality quite obviously make the shift from boy to man. Granted, the events that take place and center mostly around him require him to grow up very quickly. But Todd manages to do so in a mostly dignified manner, though his youth and inexperience trip him up occasionally. The interesting thing is that his nemesis, who manages at some point to worm his way a little bit into Todd's heart, is the one who recognizes Todd's potential for greatness.

I know it's annoying to read this because you have no idea what I'm referring to. I'll end this blurb by saying this: do yourself a humongous favor and read this series. You'll understand why I can't give much away, and you'll thank me for keeping things under wraps. It's a great series, impossible to put down (a friend of mine read the second book in 6 hours), and you'll enjoy it immensely.

Week 42--The Catcher in the Rye

2011-10-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

The Catcher in the Rye is a book I was supposed to have read in high school, but the year designated for American Literature I took a lower-level course because the honors teacher was terrifying. So I skipped this book. There is also no back-cover text to give a summary, so I went in to reading this with absolutely zero preconceptions. The only thing I knew is that it's about Holden Caulfield, who was mentioned in a Five Iron Frenzy song once upon a time.

The novel, narrated by Holden, is loosely autobiographical, being based on events early in Salinger's life when he bounced around between various schools before ultimately being shipped off to military school. Holden's voice is bitter and disillusioned, though he is only in high school. Apathetic about grades and going to class, he begins his story just after being kicked out of yet another school. It is just before the Christmas holiday, and he runs away from school three days before he's meant to go home. The following three days he spends roaming New York City, afraid to return to his family home and inform his parents that he's been booted yet again.

The novel's content has been consider controversial and the novel has been banned in many places, though by today's standards it's practically tame. Holden is a young man struggling to be an adult, but is constantly frustrated by the constraints of his society. He is convinced that being "tall for [his] age" will allow him to sit down in a bar and order his favorite drink, but this plan only succeeds less than half the time. He attempts to pick up older women in a bar. He has one brief but failed encounter with a hooker, which ends dangerously for him. Despite his best efforts to put on tough airs, the reader, being privy to his innermost thoughts, becomes aware of just how frightened, and therefore flighty, he is. At one point he despises everyone and is ready to run away and live in a cabin in the remotest possible location. The next he remembers how much he loves and misses his sister, and changes his mind.

It took a little time for this reader to adjust to Holden's voice. Some that I've spoken with say that they find him personable, real, or even adorable. But he is nasty. I found myself very resistant to him at first, and somewhat repulsed by his attitude towards humanity. Of course, at his age (late teens), who doesn't hate humanity? Holden exists in a state of almost constant depression (with scattered manic episodes), and does nothing to lift himself out of it. He hates movies, has few friends, and those friends he does have he seems to put up with unwillingly. He resents his parents. He cares nothing for school. He is a difficult character to care for. And yet, at one point near the end, I found a tender spot in my heart for the boy who seems to share a lot of the sentiments I feel sometimes, constrained by the expectations of a society that likes to see things done in the same way by everybody. Surprisingly, his frustration and confusion were at points relatable. Salinger, by relating events similar to his own experiences, manages to create a character that is believable to the degree that I'm certain there are hundreds of Holdens walking around in the world, trying to find their place.

It's a short novel, but I don't recommend surface reading. Holden is a complicated boy, and deserves a lot of time and attention. His voice requires some adjustment on the part of the reader, as it is vernacular and immature in tone. Grammar buffs will be irritated. Those things aside (or perhaps because of those things), the novel is definitely worth reading. The world may have changed a great deal since The Catcher in the Rye was written, but the angst felt by American teenagers has not really changed at all, and Salinger's novel is a good reminder that we young people don't all have to be satisfied with the status quo. Though we should perhaps do more to change it than Holden does :) If you haven't read it, please do so. It's still required reading, even if you've left high school far behind.

Week 41 Part 2--Cleopatra's Daughter

2011-10-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

This novel, happily, was an entirely different reading experience as that of my previous post. Cleopatra's Daughter by Megan Moran was a delightful novel full of intrigue, danger, comedy and tragedy. Moran is an exceptional writer, and I really enjoyed her work.

It's a fictional story which recounts the events of the life of Kleopatra Selene, daughter of the famous Kleopatra VII. At the beginning of the novel she is eleven years old and Egypt is falling to a Rome under the rule of Octavian, known later as Caesar Augustus. She and her twin brother Alexander, along with their younger brother Ptolemy, are taken as "guests" back to Rome after the suicides of their mother and father (Marc Antony). There they live with Octavia, the sister of Octavian, and are educated alongside the noble children of those closest to the Roman consul. The entire time they long for their home in Alexandria, and know that, though they become close friends with the daughter and nephew of Caesar, they remain a threat to Octavian's authority in Egypt and are therefore on dangerous ground. Selene struggles daily with both ordinary and extraordinary concerns. As she grows from a child of eleven to a woman of fifteen (marriageable age in Rome), she must cope with the loss of her family and the loss of her kingdom and birthright, but also with her period, her mischievous brother, and her jealousy of her best friend.

Lest you get the wrong impression, this novel is in no way written for kids. Though she is a young character, the novel is written for adults, and Selene must face very adult concerns. The target audience is women, so guys, I wouldn't recommend this one for you. Ladies, between the suspense and the emotional scenes that sometimes knock the wind out of you (and the sweet romance that comes as quite a surprise), there's no time for boredom. I didn't want to put the novel down, and got frustrated every time I had to. Moran is a wonderful writer, and skillfully plays with her readers' emotions, at one moment building one's hopes and crushing them on the next page. Selene is a delightful heroine, strong and brave yet distinctly feminine. She enjoys shopping with her friend Julia, but her true passion is for architecture, design, and drawing, and she becomes the apprentice to the premiere architect in Rome. She is sharp and intelligent, educated in the library of Alexandria, and because the novel is written in her voice, the reader gets an excellent feel for just how smart she is. Reading anything from the point of view of a strong, intelligent female protagonist is always a pleasure.

Being written about a period with which I'm not tremendously familiar, it's also encouraged me to educate myself more on the history of ancient Rome and the drama between Rome and Egypt especially. Be expecting a review on Cleopatra VII's biography in a few days. I've also been watching Rome, which, while obviously well-researched, is in no way adherent to truth. Still...I love that show :) And this book!

Week 41 Part 1--Wildwood

2011-10-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Wildwood is the first book in a series by Colin Meloy, the lead singer for the Decemberists. Now, anyone who knows me is aware that the Decemberists are my absolute favorite band of all time. When it was announced that Colin Meloy would be writing a novel, I was ecstatic. When I found out he would be doing a book signing at a local indie bookstore and I would get to meet him after idolizing him for 6 years, I just about died.

The book signing was incredible. He and his wife, the illustrator of Wildwood, gave a talk about the origins of the idea and about their collaboration. I sat in the front row, just in front of him, and was the third person in line to have my book signed. I had one of those "I'm obviously a bigger fan than anyone else here" moments. And for the whole night afterwards, I was a raving lunatic.

Naturally, as such a huge fan of his writing in music, I expected to be over the moon about his novel as well. Sadly, I was disappointed. I'm not sure why I didn't enjoy the novel as much. Perhaps I over-hyped it in my head so much that the actual reading of the book did not live up to my high expectations. The novel's voice was distinctly Colin's, and I could hear him reading it to me in my head, which was a fascinating experience (think about it: you don't often know what the author himself sounds like). Still, his writing doesn't seem to be able to endure for long stretches. It would seem that some people were just meant to write music.

That's not so say that the plot wasn't everything I expected from him. The novel tells the story of Prue, a twelve year old girl living in Portland with her parents and baby brother. One day, as she's watching her year-old brother Mac, he is abducted by a murder of crows and taken into the Impassable Wilderness, a swath of forest based on Portland's own Forest Park. In the novel, this park is protected by a magical ward, which keeps Portlanders on the outside and residents of the Wood inside. Everyone in Portland avoids the forest, for no one knows of anyone who has ever gone inside and come back out again. Prue must venture into the Impassable Wilderness to save her brother with her unlikely sidekick, the cowardly and clumsy Curtis. The cast of character they encounter upon entering the forest is varied and highly unusual--an evil, deposed queen, talking animals, militaristic coyotes in Napoleonic uniform, and distinctly Irish bandits who live a wild, Robin Hood-esque lifestyle in Wildwood. Prue and Curtis are separated for most of the novel, only to be reunited for the final battle in the last pages of the book.

I was surprised that the book was a little gory. For a book written for a younger audience, there were a lot of rather graphic scenes (relatively speaking, of course). And a great deal of Meloy's darkness crept into the writing. Curtis discovers the rather dastardly reason for Mac's abduction. It seems that every character who comes into contact with Prue meets a most unfortunate and painful fate. And everyone she meets (at least in South Wood) has a rather sinister feel to them. Honestly, it was a bit too heavy a mix of hopeless and frightening for the age group for which it was intended.

Sadly, I wouldn't recommend this novel to either kids or adults. Perhaps the distracting circumstances of my life are more to blame than the actual writing, but my reading of the book was sluggish and reluctant. Not as well written as I expected. Pass this one up.

Sorry Colin. I still love you.

Week 40--Paper Towns

2011-10-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Paper Towns is another phenomenal book by John Green--possibly my favorite. Honestly, I don't know if there's another author whose entire body of work keeps me absolutely enthralled. Perhaps not even Juliet Marillier (my favorite), since her most recent two works did not impress me overmuch.

Paper Towns tells the story of Quentin Jacobson, a high school senior who has loved the same girl since he was ten years old. Margo, his next-door neighbor and the object of his worship, is one of the most popular girls in school, but has a rebellious streak. Her popularity is attributed to her fascination-factor. Growing up, she disappeared multiple times, always to return with wild stories of grand adventures. Quentin always watches from the sidelines, idolizing a girl who (he comes to realize by the end of the novel) he thinks he knows but truly doesn't understand in the least.

One night a month before graduation, Margo sneaks into Q's window for the first time in years, and takes him on an all-night mission of revenge against anyone she believes has done her wrong. It is this night of renewed friendship, and the mystery that follows, which leads to Quentin's realization that the Margo he has loved for the past 8 years is not the real Margo at all.

John Green is a master of making his readers question everything that's happening, and his plots are never predictable. In most novels I usually have a guess about where the plot is going, even in novels that are supposed to surprise me, but John Green always finds away to shock me. In Paper Towns, I had a new theory about the solution to the puzzle of Margo just about every other chapter, all of which were wrong. It's this element of surprise and originality that makes Green's work such a pleasure to read.

Green also never fails to create characters that engage the reader on a level mostly unknown in today's selection of YA fiction. Quentin and his group of friends are a trio of misfits trying to find a place in their adolescent society, and facing the questions of the future that all high school seniors experience. They are also hilarious, as Green's characters usually are, and I found myself laughing out loud in public and then attempting to explain myself to the people around me. Part of me is actually grateful to authors who can cause this. If it's in the name of books, I enjoy embarrassing myself. Margo is an enigma; she's a beautiful girl with secrets she's buried deep for most of her adolescent life. Quentin's fascination with her is understandable, for the reader cannot help but be drawn to her as well. She's intelligent, sharp-tongued, rebellious, and vengeful--a character the reader cannot help but enjoy, despite her selfishness.

I'll only say one more thing about the novel, from the standpoint of someone who loves literature and believes in its power. One of the things I loved about Paper Towns is Green's heavy use of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Margo leaves clues for Quentin in her copy of Whitman's book, and Quentin spends the entire novel contemplating their meaning. In the course of the few hundred pages that comprise the novel, he considers several different interpretations of Whitman's words and what significance they may have to his search for the real Margo. Though I haven't read Leaves of Grass, I'm encouraged to do so, and I feel that some students reading this novel may also be compelled to seek out the poem. Any author that moves kids to read classics (and moves me to read poetry) is an author I can't help but admire.

Week 39--The Knife of Never Letting Go

2011-10-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

The Knife of Never Letting Go is a book written several years ago but is only now getting a lot of attention. Why it's taken this long, I cannot imagine. The book is absolutely brilliant--a YA fan's dream. Why books like Twilight are famous when books like this one by Patrick Ness exist, I will never comprehend.

I never would have heard of it or picked it up were it not for my YA-themed book club. The novel recounts the story of Todd Hewitt, a boy of fourteen who lives in a very strange place called Prentisstown. From the beginning the reader knows that something is not right, and that Prentisstown does not exist in any earthly realm. There are no women in Prentisstown. Todd has never seen one. He believes them to be completely extinct, wiped out in a war with the Spackle, the humanoid native race of the planet Prentisstown has been built upon. Also, there is Noise. Every man can hear what every other man (and animal) is thinking. Todd is constantly beset by the voices of his fellow townsfolk, and can keep no secrets of his own. Everything he thinks, feels, and sees is visible to every man around him. When he encounters something strange and unexpected in the swamps outside of town, he is immediately ejected from town by his two fathers in order to preserve his life. The rest of the book follows Todd on the run, as the entirety of Prentisstown gives chase.

It has been a while since the suspense and action in a novel has made me catch my breath and get emotional. Todd is an emergent hero in whom I really managed to get invested. The most frightening parts involve a man named Aaron, Prentisstown's maniacal preacher and a man who seemingly cannot be killed no matter how horrible a thing happens to him (including being attacked by a crocodile, mauled by a dog, and electrocuted). Todd lives like an animal on the run, with his faithful (if at first unwanted) and hilarious dog Manchee at his side. Every time Aaron or one of the other Prentisstown men appears (as the readers knows they will but vainly hopes they won't), it's like a punch in the gut. I haven't felt this much fear for a character in a long time.

There are so many things that set this novel apart from the average. First, and I love it when authors do this, Ness ignores the basic principles of typesetting in novels. His portrayal of noise is often messy and scary, with varying scrawled fonts overlapping each other and running crazily off the edge of a page. Also, being written in Todd's voice, a good many of the words are misspelled. This bothered me a great deal at first, but the reader discovers a short way into the novel the reason why, and it makes sense. I greatly admire Ness and his patience and dedication to the authenticity of his character's voice.

For some reason, I tend to enjoy novels with a relatively hopeless tone. All the while, as Todd runs from these frightening men, one gets the feeling that his planet is very very small, and he is going to run out of places to run and hide. Though the reader knows that he will eventually have to stand up and fight, perhaps alone, one cannot help but hope that he will not. And Ness does not give any succor to his character or to his readers. At the end of the novel, just when it seems that Todd has finally found some refuge and a solution to his problems, something happens to completely shatter his hopes, and the novel cuts off on a completely despairing note. I would say, "Fear not, fellow YA fans. This is a YA series, so it has to have a happy ending!" Well, I used to believe that, until a certain favorite series of mine (which shall remain nameless but can probably be guessed by those who either 1. know me or 2. have read the series as well) completely obliterated my faith in YA happy endings.

The single thing that I did not care for about this novel was the abrupt ending. Fortunately, the rest of the series is already out, and I can read them back to back, which I fully intend to do (I've already checked the second out from the library). Folks, this novel is a gem, and I highly recommend it to everyone, not just fans of the genre. Patrick Ness is a genius of a writer--one that I believe deserves a lot more recognition than he's been given so far.

Week 38--Border Crossing

2011-10-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

Border Crossing is another novel by a local author named Jessica Lee Anderson. I have previously and unfavorably reviewed her novel Trudy. Fortunately, Border Crossing is far and away the better of the two novels. Manz is a boy struggling with life in general: his father is dead, his mother is an alcoholic haunted by her stillborn second son, and he himself is hearing voices that do not belong to anyone real. He lives on the wrong side of the tracks in a small Texas border town, and as a half-white, half-Mexican US citizen, he is constantly tormented with the fear of being deported by mistake. As his mental health deteriorates and his friendships fall apart, Manz meets Vanessa, who (supposedly) can help him.

As with her other novel, the conclusion left something to be desired. Though the back of the novel leads one to believe in 1. hope and 2. a firm conclusion, neither are present. In fact, the description of the novel was very poorly written, and is quite misleading. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the novel. I was simply reading something completely different than what I was expecting.

Having met the author, I know that she is especially interested in mental illness, and it is evident in her writing. Manz's struggle with the voices in his mind is portrayed very well. In addition to the voices, he suffers from sever paranoia, and his faith in family and friends rapidly deteriorates as the novel progresses, making for very interesting and challenging reading. The reader cannot help but cringe as he lashes out at those people he previously loved and trusted.

The voice of Manz is less painful to read than that of Trudy, who narrates Anderson's first novel. Despite his fear and his dementia, Manz is a very mature character. His ability to cope with adversity goes far beyond what a young teen's should be, at least until his mental health (a hereditary issue, not a result of his situation) begins to decline. His thoughts are more proactive than Trudy's. Rather than being a doe-eyed, helpless protagonist, he makes his best effort to think through his conflicts and act in an intelligent manner. I liked Manz a great deal.

It's nothing to get excited about. I'd say only read it if you're the kind of person who likes to support "the little guy." Otherwise, there are numerous better books out there.

Week 37--Emma

2011-09-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I must begin by saying that this was my least favorite of all the Jane Austen novels I've read thus far. It was a little too long for my taste, with really a lack of events. Granted, a novel can be lovely without a wildly detailed plot. In fact, in the afterword of the novel, the editor describes Emma as Austen's "masterpiece." Imagine my surprise upon reading this, for I certainly did not think so, and most Austen fans I know do not list Emma as their favorite. I acknowledge the editor's reasoning as sound, however. Austen, in Emma, manages to create a vividly realistic world populated by people the reader can believe are actually living, breathing, and walking around somewhere in the world. Or were in the past, since this isn't the early 19th century anyway. As ever, she has painted a perfectly dainty and elegant world of hand-scribed notes, country balls, and breezy cotton dresses. By detailing these somewhat mundane things, Austen does indeed place the readers right in the middle of her characters' convincing, everyday lives.

It is the repetition in the novel that rubbed my nerves a bit raw. Emma's attempts at setting up her friend Harriet with various men go inevitably, wildly wrong. Poor Harriet has her heart dragged all over the county by Emma, gathering dirt and getting scraped and bruised. Emma even prevents her (at first) from marrying the man that Harriet is truly in love with from beginning to end. Mostly what irritated me about Emma's misadventures was the predictability of it all. I know that I will get a lot of flack for saying this, but I speculate that this is not simply a problem with Emma, but with Austen herself. That's not me saying I don't love Jane Austen. The idea of women actually getting the man they want and being settled securely for life is a nice thought, and makes me swoon just as much as the next girl. But even the attempts at conflict are so dreadfully dull, and due to the reader's ability to predict the outcome, inspire no suspense whatsoever.

Having said all that, most of the people I know who read Jane Austen (and are bigger fans of her than I am) really do enjoy the book. So I would read it anyway, simply because it's Austen, and a classic, and her "masterpiece."

Week 36--Seer of Sevenwaters

2011-09-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

I won't spend a lot of time with this one. Everyone should know by now how I feel about Sevenwaters. Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier is the fifth book in the series, and I feel about the same about it as Heir to Sevenwaters. Marillier's writing is still beautiful and her plots still engaging, but for some reason I cannot get into this second trilogy nearly as much as the first. Daughter of the Forest changed my life, inspired me, and has kept dragging me back for more ever since I read it my sophomore (freshman? can't remember) year of high school. I haven't read the other two books in that trilogy nearly as often, but I still am invested in the characters and care for their well-being. I love the plots and know them inside and out. As Marillier moves further away from Sorcha, Liadan, and the Sevenwaters clan, I grow less interested.

This novel takes place on Inis Eala, a secluded island where an elite band of warriors train for special missions. Sibeal, a child of Sevenwaters and a druid in training, is sent by her mentor and uncle Ciaran to the island to rest and to meditate on the pivotal decision of whether or not to become a druid, forsake hearth and home and husband, and spend a life dedicated to knowledge and faith. Sibeal is confident that she has heard the voice of the gods and is meant to follow this path, but it is evident from the first that Ciaran sees an event in her future which may change her mind. The day after she arrives on Inis Eala, a ship is wrecked just off shore. Most of the crew is lost. The only exceptions are a man, Knut, his strange wife Svala, and a man personally rescued by Sibeal, Felix. As Sibeal nurses Felix back to health, mysteries and secrets are exposed, and Sibeal learns that she and Felix have been singled out by the gods to fulfill a mission together. Obviously, Felix is the "event" that disrupts her path into the fold of the druids.

For some reason, the love story between Sibeal and Felix does not tug at my heart or make me believe it. Perhaps it is because the relationship between Sorcha and Red was so incredibly beautiful and moving that nothing can ever compare. But throughout the whole novel, I could not shake the feeling that this was just another cheesy romance, rather than the sweet and epic love found in her debut novel and the two that follow. In fact, the relationships I cared about more in this book were between Sibeal and her sisters. Marillier has always been particularly skilled at capturing just how beautiful a relationship between siblings can be. The affection between Sibeal and her sisters feels much more genuine to me than her relationship with Felix.

As far as plot goes, it's exciting and as creative as I would ever expect from Marillier. At the moment when the reader realizes what Sibeal's mission is to be, one remembers exactly why she's such a brilliant storyteller. While pieces of her plot may be predictable beyond belief (there's a love story in every plot, and nothing keeps the lovers apart), she certainly does always find ways of surprising her audience.

Overall, I'd recommend it to fans of Sevenwaters who have read the rest of the series first. As with Heir to Sevenwaters, I urge you to not start the series with this one. A) you won't have any idea about what Sibeal is talking about any time she discusses the past, and B) the earlier books in the series are way better.

Week 35--The Help

2011-09-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

I'm so behind and I apologize profusely! I was on vacation this past week and didn't get a chance to do any writing!

Several reasons for choosing to read this book now. I've been wanting to. The movie is out. And most importantly, because one of my readers asked me to write a blog after I'd seen the movie. Well, I saw the movie a couple of weekends ago, and now I've read the book as well.

In truth, I thought The Help by Kathryn Stockett, a book that's been on the bestseller list for years, was a little over-hyped. It's written in three separate voices which come together to tell the story of Miss Skeeter, a southern woman living in Jackson, Mississippi--one of the worst states in the 60s for racism, violence, and enforcement of Jim Crow laws. Skeeter, an aspiring writer looking for something that will impress a large publishing firm in New York, becomes more and more disillusioned with the way that black maids working in Jackson households are treated. She decides to make this the subject of her book, and conducts a series of interviews with previously-mentioned maids, wanting to give the world perspective on the way hard-working African American women are treated in white households. The project is dangerous for several reasons, and part of the suspense of the novel is due to their constant need for secrecy and their fear of getting caught. They know that their jobs and perhaps their lives are endangered should they be found out.

The two women that Skeeter finds to help her get started on the book, and who eventually recruit other maids--Aibileen and Minny--are hilarious but tragic characters. Aibileen is still suffering from grief at the loss of her son. Minny has a "sass-mouth" that gets her in trouble with her white employers, and a husband who makes a habit of beating her when he's drunk. Because Stockett chose to write the novel from their perspectives in addition to Skeeter's, the reader is allowed insight into what they experience and feel. Their personalities are tremendously opposite, but they have a beautiful friendship that they use as a haven from the heartbreak, disappointments, and myriad abuses they experience. One might have doubts about the ability of a white privileged woman from the South (Stockett) to be able to accurately portray the emotions of these women, but in reading the note from the author at the back of the novel, the reader discovers that Stockett was herself raised by a black maid, and feels remorse at her careless regard for the woman who raised her, and whom she loved.

It takes a while to accustom yourself to the internal dialogue of the characters. Each of the three narrators uses language in various states of decay--Skeeter's voice is one of a well-educated white woman, while Aibileen and Minny speak in a much more vernacular, and very much Southern, style. The first few chapters had me reading quite slowly, trying to pick up the feel of their various voices. But once you get the hang of it, it enhances the novel to a fantastic degree.

The villains in the novel are also brilliant. Miss Hilly, the ring-leader of Skeeter's group of old college friends, has drafted an initiative to require all white homes to have a separate bathroom for their "help." She is forceful and unkind, scheming and ruthless. With the exception of Skeeter, the entire group if white woman acts as one to keep their maids living in fear and submission. Minny at one point details how exactly a white woman is more dangerous that a white man. White men can kill you, but it's usually fast. A white woman can make her maid's life a living hell, prevent her from getting a job, and slowly etch away at the relative security of her family. Hilly is especially dangerous in this regard, but she is a character the reader loves to hate. She embodies everything that was wrong with the South (actually, what is still wrong with the South in some places...).

To be honest, I felt the plot dragged a bit. The movie did a better job of moving the story along, but didn't keep secrets as well as the novel. It's the mystery and suspense about the various characters that held my interest in the novel: What's wrong with Skeeter's mother? What is Miss Celia doing in the bathroom? How did Aibileen's son die? It's always engaging when the author holds information from the reader for a while. It piques my curiosity and keeps me involved. Stockett manages that very well. But I could have done with less introspection and more action.

I'd recommend the novel to those who love historical fiction. And even though the hype about the movie has died down a little bit, I would advise reading the book and seeing the film. Both of them are well-done and sweet. And I didn't hate the film for deviating from the novel a bit. Also, the portrayal of the characters and delivery of their witty commentary made me die laughing. It's definitely worth the cost of a book and the price of a ticket.

Week 34--A Game of Thrones

2011-08-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, I didn't actually finish this book in Week 34, but we're going to pretend like I did. Cut me some slack, I wrote you three reviews in Week 32.

From the moment I saw the first trailer for HBO's adaptation of Game of Thrones I'd wanted to watch the show and read the book. Being the scatterbrained bibliophile that I am, however, I often forget what books I want to buy as soon as I step into a bookstore. But when I realized that I risked running out of reading material in Canada and having nothing to do on the plane home, I resolved to go straight to A Game of Thrones and get it. I'm so proud of my self-control :)

Two things I must disclaim about the book before I go on to gush about how brilliant it is. The first is that it requires enormous amounts of perseverance to get through it. With its mass-market version being 800+ pages, it's a long read. Please disregard the intimidating size and read through to its fantastic and not-at-all conclusive conclusion.

The second is that, as I was warned, the book is dark and bloody. This appeals to me probably more than it should, but I understand that the tastes of others may vary from mine a great deal. Still, what good would epic fantasy be without little girls eating fresh, raw, bloody horse hearts? There seem to be no limits to the cruelty of some of the characters, and plenty of things happen that may cause the reader to hate the author. He has no qualms about treachery, murder of the innocent or other such delights.

Unfortunately, giving a synopsis would make this post entirely too long. There are multiple story lines twisting around each other to form one grand plot, but because the omniscient narrator follows a different character with each new chapter, it gets a little tangled at times. It is this, among other things, that divides the mind of the reader about who is good and who is evil. There is the obvious choice between the honorable Starks and the wicked, scheming Lannisters (a name that now makes me shudder every time I think, hear, or speak it). But there are other stories that are a little more challenging, such as Dany's exile among the Dothraki or Jon Snow's struggle to honor his oaths to the Night's Watch. With such an intricate plot, the book is inevitable drawn out past what some would consider acceptable, but Martin does not leave the reader bored. In fact, there is so much going on that it seems a little overwhelming at times.

Character is another thing that Martin does quite well. In a manner reminiscent of Tolkien, Martin has invented a great deal of history to back up his world and make his story more believable. Because of this, most of the characters and their family history are very well developed. In the back of the novel he includes an appendix detailing the history of the major houses of the Seven Kingdoms and the recent family trees for each. The extent to which he has gone to make his readers understand the roots of the struggle taking place in the novel is admirable, and I recommend reading the appendix first. It will make the novel itself a lot easier to understand.

It's difficult to explain what it is about the novel that captivated me. I can say that the plot is gripping, the characters vivid, the setting wild and dangerous and exciting, but it's not simply those elements that cause this novel to be so enthralling. What struck me most is the confident voice with which he tells the story. It is the voice of a novelist who knows every corner and cranny of his creation and who tells his story boldly. He does not shy away from the grotesque, the violent, the explicit. He gives every detail that he feels is necessary, and doesn't indicate a need to rush the story, despite its length. Because of this confidence with which he writes, the Seven Kingdoms and all the people therein and surrounding spring to life and drag the reader into the story with them.

There's a reason that everyone is falling in love with A Game of Thrones. It's full of suspense, splendor, intrigue, valor, betrayal, lust, imagination. At some point or another, it touches on everything with which the human heart can identify and inspires the reader with its beauty. Needless to say, I recommend it to all and sundry. And then go watch the show.

Week 33--Broken Soup

2011-08-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Holy crap! I just realized that I missed my anniversary! I could have sworn I started blogging in September, but apparently I wrote "Preliminary" on July 27, 2010. So...happy late anniversary to me! I thought about doing a give-away or something, but I'm not special enough for that yet :) Hopefully by next year!

Last week's book was called Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine. If you're anything like me, you have a negative reaction to the title/cover combination. My first expectation was another teeny-bopper novel about a girl who gets dumped by her boyfriend and has to find her way back from the brink of despair. Now, as someone who has been dumped more than my fair share of times, I understand this despairing feeling and am by no means knocking it. But I get tired of reading the same thing in novels.

Happily, this novel is about as far from that as you can get. The cover is ridiculously light and misleading, thereby proving that old adage which I will not repeat because we're all sick of hearing it. Rowan is a sixteen year old girl living in London. Her brother is dead, her mother is never-leaves-the-bed depressed, her father has left them, and she must be the parent to her little sister. A chance encounter and a case of mistaken identity introduce her to Harper, an older boy from New York who is spending his years after high school and before college roaming the globe. At the moment he is living in an old out-of-commission ambulance, parking in a new place every night and calling it home. When Harper gives Rowan the negative of a photo which she knows isn't hers, she is introduced to facts about her brother's past that she may never have realized otherwise. She also finds new friends and is able to reclaim some modicum of her childhood.

It was a book club book--not something I would normally pick up myself. I'd never even heard of it (and I worked in the teen section of Barnes & Noble...sad). The general consensus at our meeting on Sunday was that it was intensely depressing, which isn't untrue. Rowan has to deal with a lot of stuff that's way too above a sixteen year old's maturity level. But the novel isn't without hope. The end isn't flowers and rainbows and bunnies, but it's real. Rowan finally has something to look forward to. She regains some semblance of her normal family life back. There are many more improvements that need to be made beyond where the book cuts off, but it's true to life in that life's problems do not all resolve themselves at once. It's a good ending for a novel written for teens--a lesson in reality.

The characters are all intriguing in their own ways: Rowan is too strong and mature for her age. Harper has a wandering spirit and a sharp mind. Stroma is a sweet little girl with no real idea why so many drastic changes have happened to her family. Bee is a sensitive friend to Rowan with secrets buried deep, waiting to come out. Over all of these main players hovers the spirit of Jack, Rowan's old brother who died two years previous. Rowan idolizes him, and nearly everything in her life is a reminder of his absence. It is Jack who unites all of these characters in an ending that, I'll confess, I did not at all see coming.

For plot, character, setting, and emotion, it's a great novel. I'm happy I got to read a book that otherwise would have been overlooked.

ex libris
Courtney

Week 32, Part 3--Death on the Nile

2011-08-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, I read three books last week. I was on vacation, and I had lots of time on the plane. Thought that I had enough material with two books, but I had to buy A Game of Thrones in a Canadian bookshop since I finished Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie about three days before I was set to leave. Can't go three days without something to read. Perish the thought!

Death on the Nile was my least favorite Agatha Christie book that I've picked up so far (which is only three, so that's not saying much). Maybe I'm reading them too close together, because I just finished Murder on the Orient Express (awesome) a few months ago, and I don't really have much of an interest in mysteries. Still, she's the queen, so I make an exception for her.

To be short, because I have a lot of blogs to write, and there's not much new to say about Agatha, the novel rambles. A lot. The murder itself doesn't come until halfway through the novel, and all the set-up made me snore. If I'm reading a mystery, I need it to immediately grab my attention. Some background and build-up is acceptable, but her attempt at action before the crime takes place is a flop. That said, the events after the murder are non-stop and somewhat shocking. In other words, thoroughly enjoyable.

Christie always does an excellent job of hiding her culprits in a sea of faces, each one equally suspicious. I confess that I get well and truly tangled in her plots and in the reasonings of the mind of Hercule Poirot. He is adorable, and I love him, but his sharp mind far surpasses my own, and so instead of being able to put things together before he reveals them, I must wait for the final "ah-hah!" and allow the pieces to fall into place once I know the solution. He makes me feel dumb. But I adore him, and admire her skill with characters. They are exaggerated and somewhat ridiculously English, but her exploration of human psychology and the ability of virtually anyone to kill another human in the right circumstances never cease to impress me. Once again, the criminal in this novel is someone the reader would never think to suspect; the cold, calculating, and unfeeling nature of this person is well-hidden behind a sociable manner until the revelation at the end.

Certainly the book is better in its second half than its first. Still, if you enjoy a good mystery, this one will not fail to amuse you. Another blog coming soon, and then I'll be caught up!

ex libris
Courtney

PS--I left you a surprise somewhere in the text. Have fun!

Week 32, Part 2--Will Grayson, Will Grayson

2011-08-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

Reading a novel by John Green is always a pleasure. It is difficult to say which I admire more: his sharp wit or his intimate understanding of the teenage mind. I've never read anything by David Levithan so I didn't specifically recognize his voice. But Will Grayson, Will Grayson does a fantastic job with an extremely sensitive topic.

It's a novel in which all parts begin very wide apart and slowly come together, and the chapters are told in alternating voices. The first Will Grayson lives in Chicago proper, and is a straight boy with a flamboyantly gay best friend named Tiny. Tiny is a six-foot-six football-playing, musical writing giant who has a new boyfriend every week. Grayson is either teased mercilessly or shut out completely by his peers, especially after he writes and signs a letter to the editor of the school paper defending Tiny against discrimination.

The second Will Grayson is a miserable, clinically depressed, closeted homosexual teen whose only friend is a boy he met on the internet. Isaac, Will's online romance, is the only person he feels like he can really open up to. His relationship with his mother is tenuous at best, and he has another strange pseudo-friendship with a manipulative and needy girl named Maura.

On a cold night in downtown Chicago, these two Will Graysons meet in the strangest of places, and the story gets pretty wild from there. Being a novel by John Green, there's some shock value and a lot of surprises, so I won't give too much away. Both Will Graysons end up learning a lot about love and life and how to blaze a trail of happiness in the emotionally tumultuous world of teenager-dom.

Also, just a heads up: the novel is vulgar. Probably some of the filthiest language I've read in a book for young adults. It's a little off-putting and disappointing at first, because it is nice when authors can make a point about their characters' moods without using foul language. However, I think with the confusing and somewhat terrifying emotions going on in these kids' brains, it's probably acceptable. That said, the characters felt a little overdone. Tiny was overwhelming and sometimes obnoxious. It seemed to me like the authors stereotyped him a little bit. The second, moodier Will Grayson is a little too hateful and vehement in his loathing for the entire human race. I was a little disappointed in this fact. Normally I really enjoy the characters in Green's novels, but these were a little too much like caricatured exaggerations for my taste.

Still, I think it's an important novel for both teens and adults to read for a couple of reasons. The first is that, like other Green novels, it gives wonderful insight into the horrifyingly lonely and soul-crushing world of a teenager. The second is that it illustrates just how difficult it must be for a kid coming to grips with a sexual preference that is not generally accepted by society, and the need that every kid feels to be accepted by his or her peers. It emphasizes also the need for people to love people in all shapes, sizes, colors, orientations, etc. and how hurtful it can be when understanding between two individuals is not present. It was an entertaining and meaningful book, and I do highly recommend reading it.

ex libris
Courtney

Week 32--The Adoration of Jenna Fox

2011-08-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

This novel was recommended to me by my sweet friend Kacie as a book that I personally would really enjoy. She pitched it to me as a suspense novel, but didn't tell me what it was about because the mystery is part of the fun.

I will do the same favor for you. The novel is about a girl named Jenna Fox who has just woken up from a coma. She cannot remember anything about who she is: her name, her parents, her grandmother, her friends. All that she has are brief flashes of memory and the word of the person she's been told to call Mom. As the story progresses, however, the reader notices as Jenna does that there are some things that aren't quite right. The things she's being told and the things she's noticing for herself do not add up.

The novel took turns that I most definitely did not see. I enjoyed the suspense I felt, needing to know what actually happened to Jenna and why everyone seems to be hiding things from her. Also, the novel is written in very small subchapters, and each section is divided by a page written in verse. Jenna also occasionally begins a chapter with definitions from the dictionary, giving indication of what the chapter will be about. Though they are not major breaks from the usual pattern, these things serve to make the novel just that much more intriguing.

One of my favorite things about this book was the theme of identity, and the need for Jenna to be able to discover who she really is. Jenna has a strong will, and does not allow the people around her to manipulate her. Her parents would gladly keep her in the dark on what is actually going on, and repeatedly tell her only half-truths. But though they tell her that their secrets are for her own protection, Jenna insists on making decisions for herself and deciding what the path of her new life will be like. The fact that this teenage girl, at an age where so much of a person's identity is defined by the people around you, is willing to blaze a trail of her own is one of the things I loved most about the novel. She has no recollection of her past, and must to all of her personality development again. For a nerd like me, it only adds dimension to the novel.

I realize that this review doesn't tell you much, but I'm reluctant to give any of the plot away. You'll just have to read this great book for yourself and find out what it's all about!

ex libris
Courtney

Week 31, Part 2--Gregor the Overlander

2011-08-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

I must now write a series of three very quick blogs in order to catch up. I've read a lot of books in the last week. Gregor the Overlander I checked out with two others books from the library and quickly devoured it (in less than a day). After all, checking three books out from the library is a great way to pressure yourself into reading more and surfing social media less.

I've heard great things about Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins. In fact, due to the author who wrote it, I expected great things from it. But though the story was unique, I was not enthralled. Gregor lives in New York City in a run-down apartment with his mother, little sisters, and grandmother. His father mysteriously disappeared two years ago, and is presumed dead by everyone, including Gregor. One day, he is doing laundry down the hall when his baby sister, Boots, discovers an air vent that leads to an entire underground world. In this world, roaches, bats, rats, and other creatures of the darkness are massive--large enough to ride, and dangerous enough to kill. He is told by the Underlanders that he may be the prophesied "Warrior" who will rid Underland of the rat scourge and bring them light once more, and that he may be able to find and rescue his father as well.

It's a cute plot, to be sure. There are twists that I didn't see coming and dangerous adventures galore. But something that I can't put my finger on seemed to be missing. Maybe it's the fact that I adore Suzanne Collins' other series The Hunger Games, which was written for teens. I grudgingly admit that I had expectations for a book of the same caliber. But Gregor the Overlander was most definitely written for juveniles, and I accept that, for a book written for that age group, it was very good.

Boys would enjoy this book, I think. After all, the hero is a young boy much like any other late-elementary/early middle school boy. He wouldn't stand out from a crowd. Kids like reading about heroes that are similar to them. It's also about rats, bats, spiders, and cockroaches. I realize that there are some girls who would love this, but I am not one of them. But since it's an epic fantasy that doesn't involve fairies or unicorns, I figure that some boys are going to like this a lot.

I'd recommend it to kids or parents with 8-11 year olds. It might be a fun family reading book. But for adults who are just looking for a book for themselves, I'd skip it.

More to come soon.

ex libris
Courtney

Week 31--The Book Thief

2011-07-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

***I have by no means finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, but I feel I must at least leave a note about my first impression. I just read the first three pages and I am hooked. Completely blown away. This novel is going to be amazing.***

Though the novel took me a while to finish (by "a while" I mean a week and change), it was by no means boring or difficult to read. In fact it is one of my top-rated books at a perfect five stars. There is a combination of things that make this novel so compelling. Markus Zusak is a master of tone and style. I'm not sure I've read much writing that compares to his. While the books that are often my favorite mostly contain the bright colors and images of nature, Zusak's describe the darkness and dankness of humanity's cruelty towards its own. Rather than the greens, azures, violets and magentas that I often prefer, his novel is primarily red, black, white, and gray. To say the novel is beautiful is an understatement. It haunts the reader when the cover has been closed. It causes the heart to speed up and tears to well in the eyes. I challenge the most stoic of people to not be moved by this book.

It tells the story of a little German girl, Liesel Meminger, who at the beginning of the novel is ten years old. It is 1939, and the world is about to plunge into madness and war. As her small family is traveling to where Liesel and her brother will be staying with a foster family, her brother dies in his sleep. At his burial beside the train, Liesel finds a book dropped by one of the grave diggers, and her fascination with books is born. Though she is at first afraid to enter her foster home, she soon bonds with the man she comes to know as Papa, who comforts her every night when the nightmares of her dead brother come to call. It is during these nightly episodes, once she has been calmed, that Papa teaches Liesel to read her book. As she becomes a stronger reader, she acquires more books, through means both legitimate (being given books at Christmas) and illegal (climbing into the mayor's library through an open window and stealing). Later, her family takes in a Jew who is hiding from the Nazi's. Liesel and Max form a special bond, and in a way they each save the other.

Of course, there is much more action than this, but I refuse to give it away. I am also torn on whether or not to give away the novel's narrator. Knowing that, should you read the book, you won't have to wait long to figure it out, I'll keep it a secret. I want you, my readers, to have feel the same puzzlement at the start of the novel, and the same moment of clarity when you make the connection. I will say that he (I thought of him as a he, but maybe you'll feel a she) is an interesting narrator--introspective, darkly humorous, and poetically inclined. Perhaps one of my favorite voices in any novel I've ever read.

The plot is choppy, and the narrator often goes beyond foreshadowing, sometimes telling the reader exactly what happens in the future, so that instead of wondering what happens, the reader waits for the inevitable events to unfold. Of course, being about World War II, one can guess that it is not light and airy. But the novel is not without hope. With the exception of one truly dark moment, Liesel never ceases to find comfort in her books, and keeps a flame of hope burning despite the destruction, hatred, and decay happening around her.

I also offers a different perspective on those living in Nazi Germany at that time. As Americans, we tend to lump all Germans during this era of history into one big ball of evil. Yet Liesel and her family are German, and the reader comes to love them and hope for them, knowing that they are good, gentle people who fiercely oppose what is happening in their country, and operate covertly to undermine the Nazi cause. When the bombs inevitably come, my American mind is naturally opposed to the idea that they are Americans trying to kill these characters that I have come to care for. Yet Americans they are, and this draws attention to the fact that there are two sides to every war, and that the innocent tragically are bombed and killed alongside the guilty and the evil. I am glad this novel is on some schools' reading lists. Kids need to read this.

Everyone needs to read this. I cannot emphasize enough how stunningly beautiful the novel is. A word of warning though: it is very sad. I literally sobbed like a child at the end of the novel. Yet, as I said, it is not without hope, and the end of Liesel's story demonstrates the ability of mankind to move on, and admires the resilience of the human heart. I LOVE this book, and I think everyone else will too. Please, do yourself a favor and read this novel.

ex libris
Courtney

Week 30--Catch-22

2011-07-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Last week's book is a book that I've actually been reading for about a month. And I finally finished it. Actually, I'm quite proud for not giving up. Joseph Heller's Catch-22 is probably one of the most painful books I've ever forced myself to read. From the first to the last page, I could not stand it.

The book tells the story of Yossarian and his cohorts. They are a military outfit during World War II, stationed on the island of Pianosa in Italy. For the majority of the novel, the reader feels that there is not much of a coherent plot, but rather a choppy series of short stories about the same characters. Each chapter is named after one of the characters, and tells a ridiculous story about things that happen to or around the character named. Critics in favor of the novel call it "hilarious," but I beg to differ. The novel is dripping with satire and is full of buffoonery, but it's not amusing so much as irritating. The author's purpose in writing is to point out the absurdity and insanity of human "logic," and he uses the American military to do it.

First, I'll address the plot, or lack thereof. It is, as I said before, choppy and confusing. As in a great deal of 20th-Century American literature, both timeline and place are difficult to determine. The best word to describe it would be "cloudy." The action is delivered in such away that the narrative seems almost dreamlike and blurred. In these series of stories, the men must fly missions, bombing various Axis cities or bridges. There is very little transition from camp to airplane to Rome and back. The reader must infer where they are. In addition to this, various events are repeated multiple times throughout the book, but not in a clear way. For instance, one of the soldiers dies in a plane on one of the missions. The first time it is described, it seems as though it's an event in the past, but later on is presented as if it is happening in the present. Time is not a straight line in this book, but a confusing jumble of memories and reality. People that were dead in the first half of the novel are alive and the subject of later chapters.

His descriptions of women are atrocious and insulting. The only women who truly appear in the novel are slutty nurses or Italian prostitutes. Whether this is part of the satire or Heller's genuine expression of opinion on women I can't tell, but I'm pretty sensitive to how women are portrayed in literature, and I'm not a fan of Heller's.

The issue of absurdity needs to be addressed. I understand that he is pointing out human insanity, and the fact that there is a very fine line between crazy and sane, but some of his contradictions were irritating, unnecessary, and far too frequent. The officers are idiotic, and Yossarian's fellows are buffoons--each and every one. Yossarian himself is strange at times, but seems to be the most aware of what is going on. The rest of them have made the island of Pianosa and the surrounding areas (and the war itself) their whole world, and have no thoughts of escape. Everyone is corrupt, but are admired and praised for it. Cowardice is rewarded. People believe words on paper over the evidence of their own eyes.

Perhaps I should write at least one thing in praise of Catch-22, since it's a classic and many people enjoy it. The end really gripped me. Once things come together and form a somewhat linear timeline, and certain things that happened at earlier stages of the novel are explained, it wasn't quite as frustrating. Yossarian seems to have all the focus drawn back to him, and as a character he fluffs up and fills out a great deal in the last chapters. The action was more engaging than at any other point in the novel--by "more" engaging, I mean they were actually engaging at all, rather than boring and pointless as at all other parts of the book. The other characters are still idiots, but at least there are some real human emotions presented, and there are emotionally evocative things. The people presented in the novel become people, instead of elusive concepts formed by words on a page to be created or discarded at will.

The only reason I recommend reading this book is because it's a classic and you can add it to your list. Others have enjoyed it a lot, as I'm sure some of my readers will should they read it. But I didn't enjoy it, and if you have tastes similar to mine, you won't like it either.

ex libris
Courtney

Week 29--The Search for WondLa

2011-07-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

If your first thought, as mine was, is that this book is somehow related to Alice or her trip to Wonderland, you are mistaken. The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi is described as "a new fairy tale for the twenty-first century." I must disagree with the fairy tale part. It is definitely a great fantasy/sci-fi novel for young adults, but I don't see many elements of traditional fairy tales in it. Not to be nit-picky or anything.

Eva Nine is a girl who has spent her entire life in an underground facility known as The Sanctuary. She has been raised by a robot called Muthr, which stands for Multi-Utility Task Help Robot, and has been training for life in the world above ground by using holographic simulations of survival scenarios. Unfortunately, none of her training prepares her well enough, because when her Sanctuary is attacked and destroyed, she emerges into a world that is completely unlike Earth. Her Omnipod, a multipurpose device that can perform such tasks as identifying life forms, recommending medical procedures in emergencies, and provide holographic maps, is completely unable to identify any of the organisms that she finds in the world outside her Sanctuary. She is hunted relentlessly by the beast who destroyed her Sanctuary--a creature who works for the queen of this unknown world and who seeks to preserve her in a museum. Along the way, she meets an array of creatures who are unrecognizable as friend or foe.

The book is wickedly creative. Besides Eva herself, nothing is familiar to the reader. All the creatures are completely alien. The friends that she makes, Rovee and Otto, do not even speak her language. She must speak with them using the aid of a translation device. Her robot mother is quite unlike anything that we have in our present time. The trees can move about on cilia-like legs, and catch birds in much the same way that Venus fly traps catch flies. Birds have two sets of wings and heads that are upside down. Creatures have unusual ways of travel: gliding contraptions, giants on six or eight legs, or levitation. At times, one might argue that the book is too creative. I found myself rolling my eyes at the cheesiness of some of the inventions (such as that convenient translation device, or the splint in the tow of Eva's shoe), while others had me pretty impressed. Eva's clothing for instance. She has a tunic that monitors her vitals and tells her when her heart rate is accelerated, she is dehydrated, or she is injured. Her boots have a build-in odometer. Her Omnipod, which I've addressed before, is useful for just about everything.

At times I thought the plot dragged or was repetitive. There was a lot that happened in this book, but for some reason it felt like it rambled on a bit too much. At times I was completely enthralled, while at others I was quite bored and had no trouble putting the book down. However, the book is fantastic. Besides his imaginative world, the characters themselves absorb the reader. Trust and love take time to develop between Eva and her party of traveling companions, but their transformation is astounding. Rovee practically adopts Eva at the end of the novel. Otto and Eva have a psychic connection that is viable at huge distances. This allows Otto to help Eva out of several different dangerous situations. The relationship between Eva and Muthr is the only one I did not believe. Perhaps it is my bias against robots and their ability to experience human emotions. DiTerlizzi was attempting to create the deep emotional bond between mother and daughter, but it fell a little flat.

Throughout the novel there is a pervading sense of mystery that is the main motivation to keep reading. It begins with the question Why is Eva raised underground for twelve years? Once she emerges and finds that nothing is as she expected, the question becomes Why isn't she on Earth, and where are all the humans? In fact, that is Eva's main quest. She has never met another of her kind, and longs desperately to do so. Yet no matter where or how far she goes, she cannot find someone who looks anything like her. She has a picture that she carries with her, with the letters "Wond," L" and "A." She calls this WondLa, and even though she has no idea what it means, she goes in search of WondLa, hoping it will hold answers to her questions.

Of course, I won't give anything about the end away, in case you would like to read the novel. But I will say that there is a huge stunner in the last few chapters of the book, and from there on out is a series of unthinkable and unexpected discoveries that explain a great deal of the mysteries in the novel. It's the last 100 pages that clinched it for me. I loved the novel, especially the end, and anyone who has an appreciation for strong female protagonists, good juvie sci-fi, or both will also love it. A lovely read.

ex libris
Courtney

Week 28--Hood

2011-07-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

It's shameful how long it's taking me to read books these days. I blame Leo and all the time and attention I've been lavishing upon him. It's just so hard to put him aside and spend time with a book instead :)

Hood by Stephen Lawhead was an impressive work of fiction. First off, let me just say that I adore Robin Hood. I always have. He was my hero when I was little, and I wished I could run off with his band of merry men and live in the forest and shoot a bow and rob people. In fact, I still kind of wish that. This book is the first in the King Raven Trilogy, which tells the story of Bran, heir to the kingdom of Elfael in what is now known as Wales. When his father is killed and his kingdom overrun with Norman usurpers, he escapes death by fleeing into the primeval forests the border his kingdom. From there he wages guerrilla warfare on the Normans passing through his lands, first to earn enough gold to buy back his kingdom, and eventually for revenge.

The novel bounces around a lot between several different characters and settings, which gets confusing at times. But it keeps the reader attentive and involved. Of course, the parts that don't involve Bran and his antics in the forest aren't nearly as much fun as those that do. However, the development of Merian, Tuck, and Iwan as main players is vital to the story, and no part of the novel was painful to read. It's also a far cry from the most well-known versions of Robin Hood. At first, this bothered me a great deal. After all, Robin Hood is my hero. I don't like it when people mess with him. Why fix what's not broken? But this version is stuffed to the brim with mythology, so in my eyes, Lawhead more than made up for the amendments to the beloved story. In fact, his little historical blurb at the end clinched the entire novel for me. I guess I didn't realize that the Welsh were such badasses.

Allow me to address the mythology a bit more. I've heard and read references to Bran the raven before, but never investigated the story further. In this novel, Bran steps into the role of a legendary hero--another Bran who is cursed by a crone to remain in the shape of a raven until he fulfills his vow to marry her. Because they share a name, his path seems predestined. So our own protagonist assumes the guise of a giant bird, with the ability to appear and disappear at will, and a shriek that sends seasoned knights fleeing in the opposite direction. With the aid of ingenious stunts and pyrotechnics, Bran manages to create a reputation of his own as a phantom whose mention strikes fear into the heart of any local power-holders. At times, I forgot that this was Robin Hood I was reading about. The term "loosely based" definitely applies here. But that wasn't a bad thing.

As far as adventures go, it most definitely dragged in places. I felt that it mostly consisted of set-up with patches of action interspersed throughout. That said, I enjoyed reading it a great deal (especially since the other book I'm reading is Catch-22, which I hate), and would recommend it to several groups:

--Those who love historical fiction
--Those who love Robin Hood
--Those who love to see old stories revamped

Thanks for reading! Ex libris

Courtney