Bell Literary Reflections

Booking Through Thursday - TBR

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:27:00 +0000

Do you keep all your unread books together, like books in a waiting room? Or are they scattered throughout your shelves, mingling like party-goers waiting for the host to come along?

I try to keep them somewhat together and this year I tried to separate them by challenge. The rest are here and there but I have an idea where they are. But even if I lose track, I figure there is enough to keep busy and it is always a pleasure to find one unexpectedly.

I am almost finished with my summer class. My goodness have I been busy! The first couple of speeches went easily, but then it got harder to think up a new topic, writing that incredibly detailed outline, rehearse, and then actually present it. Once a week! Happily all the writing I do here has helped out and my instructor made a copy of my expository speech outline to use as a model for the rest of her classes.

So I should be back here soon on a more regular basis. I hope everyone is having a good summer; the weather has been very mild around here for the most part. Loving it!

Booking Through Thursday - Celebrity Memoirs

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:25:00 +0000

Suggested by Callista83:
Do you read celebrity memoirs? Which ones have you read or do you want to read? Which nonexistent celebrity memoirs would you like to see?

Not many, but I read one last year by Sandra Lee who does the Semi-Homemade show on Food Network. I loved her tablescapes and easy, realistic way to cook and thought it might be a fun read. Unfortunately it was more of a vehicle to slam her parents, especially her mom. It kind of ruined the show for me.

I read a biography on Cary Grant and a couple others but they always seem slanted with the author simultaneously idealizing and putting down the subject. I would love to read a good balanced memoir and/or biography so if someone has any suggestions let me know.

Booking Through Thursday - Fantasy and Sci-Fi

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:47:00 +0000

So! In my Official Capacity as a writer of science fiction and fantasy, I hereby proclaim June 23 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Day! A day of celebration and wonder! A day for all of us readers of science fiction and fantasy to reach out and say thank you to our favorite writers. A day, perhaps, to blog about our favorite sf/f writers. A day to reflect upon how written science fiction and fantasy has changed your life.
So … what might you do on the 23rd to celebrate? Do you even read fantasy/sci-fi? Why? Why not?

I don't read alot of sci-fi and fantasy and am trying to remedy this. I have several new books on my TBR shelf and will look through them to have a post ready on the 23rd.

I started school this week and boy, oh boy I am out of practice! My counselor suggested I take Communications 1A as my summer class just to get my feet wet again. I took Debate over at San Jose State but the nursing program requires this specific class. I thought it would be a cakewalk because public speaking doesn't really bother me.

But oh my goodness the workload! In four days I had to write, practice, and deliver a 3 minute speech and take a test on the first two chapters in the book. Right after that we started on a strict expository speech for next week. Then a test on 3 chapters next Thursday! This is going on for 6 weeks! I'm so glad to only have one class.

Thank You!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:19:00 +0000

A big thank you to Danielle over at A Work in Progress for this lovely bookmark. She was giving it away in a giveaway. She is such a nice person and does reviews on some really great books.

I have some more new books in my ever-growing TBR bookshelf. It used to be a single shelf, then a whole bookshelf, and now it has expanded to yet another bookshelf! Here they are:

Silent on the Moor - The third installment to the Lady Julia Grey series. A Victorian crime mystery, Lady Julia is a sassy young widow who seems to get in the middle of everything.

Afternoon of a Good Woman - The musings of a magistrate who is leaving her husband. I am trying to collect more Virago Modern Classics but they are a challenge to locate. This one was on Amazon but I may have to go straight to the publishing house for the rest.

The Sound of Butterflies - Rachael King's debut novel is about an amateur naturalist that goes to Brazil to find a type of butterfly and returns to his wife as a shell of his former self.

The House at Riverton - Another debut novel , this one by Kate Morton. It is about Grace, a serving girl to the crumbling estate of the Asbury family in the years of WWI.

Winter in Madrid - Danielle did a splendid review on this book which made me eager to read it. Called an atmospheric historical novel, it takes place just after the civil war in Spain.

In the Woods - another debut novel, this time a procedural crime drama about child murders, both past and present.

Right now I am reading Afternoon of a Good Woman and enjoying it immensely. It is suprisingly candid on some subjects. I'll be finished with it soon but I have not decided what to read next.

Booking Through Thursday - Niche

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:16:00 +0000

There are certain types of books that I more or less assume all readers read. (Novels, for example.)
But then there are books that only YOU read. Instructional manuals for fly-fishing. How-to books for spinning yarn. How to cook the perfect souffle. Rebuilding car engines in three easy steps. Dog training for dummies. Rewiring your house without electrocuting yourself. Tips on how to build a NASCAR course in your backyard. Stuff like that.
What niche books do YOU read?

I have alot of this sort of book in my house and for a while they rivaled my fiction books in number. A whole bookshelf in my kitchen is filled with cookbooks and the one in the living room has home decorating books. My craft room/library/exercise room has cross stitch, quilting, scrapbook, and sewing books.

I love science and have many books on space and astrophysics, all branches of the life sciences, and especially anatomy. I also just counted five math books on the shelf above my desk where I am sitting. My daughter is a pagan so in order to understand I have books on that, especially the tarot which is a specific interest of hers.

The Four Last Things

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:29:00 +0000

Andrew Taylor

Hyperion

4 stars

I have been reading alot of good books lately! This has been a great reading year and very different from last where I couldn't seem to find a good one to save my life. The Four Last Things is no exception. I usually steer clear of child kidnapping stories because they are just too disturbing for me but this one is very, very good and worth a read.

Sally and Michael Appleyard are going through a tough patch in their marriage. For police officer Michael, firm beliefs in a two-career marriage disintegrate once daughter Lucy is born while Sally, an ordained deacon, is having enough problems trying to get people to accept her unusual role. Both love little Lucy and the nightmare begins when she is snatched from the babysitters.

Eddie the kidnapper has an unusual story and it was fascinating in a sick sort of way to discover what kind of background creates a pedophile. Taylor skillfully uses both nature and nurture theories. We find that Eddie is non-violent and just a pawn in a much more terrifying game. The ending reveals a twist that leads to the second book of this Roth trilogy.

Taylor writes realistic, multi-layered characters and even our bad guy Eddie is not a one dimensional villain. Sally's character rang true to me and in the face of devastating loss her feelings of emptiness and loss of faith were genuine. The story bounces back and forth between past and present and mostly from Eddie to Sally. It builds to a very satisfying ending, leaving me excited to read the next two of the trilogy.

Green Darkness

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:04:00 +0000

Anya Seton

Chicago Review Press

4 1/2 stars

Celia and Richard Marsdon are having serious marital troubles. Richard is withdrawing into religion while Celia is having strange visions of an earlier period in history. It all comes to a head one weekend when friends join the couple on their estate. Amongst this cast of characters is the fascinating Dr. Akananda, a guru-like doctor who believes in reincarnation. He watches Celia with great interest and when a savage act of domestic violence threatens both marriage and Celia's life, he steps in. Convinced she must relive tragic outcomes of a former life, he guides her on a voyage of discovery and healing. We go back in time to just after Henry VIII dies and several relatives are fighting for the throne and control of England.

Seton is an amazing historian and is able to recount stories in great detail and from different angles. Reincarnation historical romances remind us that there is nothing new under the sun as there is heartbreak, betrayal, and just plain bad timing in every age. In Green Darkness, religious intolerance was the catalyst for most political intrigues and both Protestant and Catholic used their "one true faith" to gain control and power over the masses. A person's religion saturated everything in their lives for good or ill.

The love story of Celia and Brother Stephen was an interesting way to show the contrast between the sacred and the secular. As with religion in that time, there was ultimately no way to bring the two together in any meaningful way and it ended up destroying them both.

This story holds a warm place in my heart although Katherine is my favorite of Anya Seton's works. Both are highly recommended.

Sunday Salon

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:15:00 +0000

I'm writing a post very quickly before the internet goes down again. It was shut down for four days in our area for upgrades, worked for a couple hours Friday and went down again. Everytime this happens you have to wait for the little light to go on in the moden, then call Verizon, and they help you to reconnect. Oh the disadvantages of living in a small town.

I am doing quite a bit of reading and having a ball with it. Next week I start school and am so ready to begin this new adventure. I remember a couple years ago after a string of bad jobs and one sensational layoff, my husband said to stay home, relax, and enjoy myself. Read, do cross stitch, whatever I want. It was great for a while I have to admit. Then it wasn't. Not at all.

I just started A Breach of Promise and am not very far in. I still need to write reviews on Green Darkness and The Four Last Things but am waiting to see if the internet connection holds or if they need to do more tests and upgrades. Suffice it to say for now that I enjoyed both books very much.

Last Rituals

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Harper

3 Stars

Lawyer Thora Gudmundsdottir is surprised when she is contacted to investigate the murder of Harald Guntlieb, a German student who was the victim in a brutal slaying and postmortem mutilation. His well-to-do family is not convinced that the man in custody committed the crime and want her to check things out and act as translator for family associate Matthew Reich who is in Iceland to investigate.

As a student of medieval witchcraft, Harald the pair do not know if this is a personal attack or has something to do with his studies. The disappearance of a valuable document points the case in a certain direction, but nothing is as it seems as the two trudge through the freezing Icelandic weather to check out every clue.

Well crafted and creepy, this mystery is full of twists, turns, and red herrings before coming to a surprising ending. Sigurdardottir has certainly done her homework with Medieval Icelandic and Norse manuscript history. Woven into the story it was very interesting and educational. This is a great first book in a series and I already have plans to get her next one, My Soul To Take.

New Books!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:24:00 +0000

I have been buying books left and right these past couple of months. My TBR shelf is groaning but I am happy. Historical fiction, mysteries, and a light but sweet romp through Austenland is the fare for today.

I found Austenland on the bargain table for a few dollars. I laughed out loud when I read the inside cover.

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is ruining her life. No real man can compare.

I actually know women who say this truthfully!

I talked about Green Darkness on my Sunday Salon post. I have started reading it and am being transported back to not only Celia's reincarnated life, but my own young adulthood. I am having a ball with it.

I am looking forward to Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen who is a new author for me. It is set in 18Th century Paris and according to the back has the extravagance and scandal of a grand and glorious era.

American Gods

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Neil Gaiman

Harper Perennial

Classics Challenge

5 Stars

Dark and atmospheric, this highly ambitious work brings the reader on an odyssey strewn with old myths and discarded gods. This odd journey through the backroads of America resonates on many levels as different cultures are cleverly revealed through ancient belief systems and how they morphed into the gods of today. The search for identity, both personal and cultural is mirrored in castoff belief systems and throwaway human beings.

Prison inmate Shadow is scheduled to be released on parole but is released early at the devastating news that his wife has been killed in a car crash. Strangely unemotional he meets Mr. Wednesday who seems to know everything about Shadow and wants to hire him as a sort of bodyguard/errand boy. With nowhere else to go he reluctantly accepts and is plunged into the strange world of gods first brought to America by immigrants and now live forgotton on the edges of society. Lacking believers and devotion they languish in purposelessness until Mr. Wednesday tells them of the great final battle prepared between them and the newer gods of today.

There is so much going on I don't want to give anything away. Suffice it to say that it is an amazing work. I looked through the discussion questions at the end and one in particular caught my eye. "Gaiman, who now lives in the U.S. is originally from England. How might his perspective as a relative outsider affect his view of America?"

I am actually quite impressed with his view of America which is arguably better than alot of ours. We as Americans often find ourselves at odds for our "melting pot" status. The entire spectrum runs between embracing our differences to shocking forms of bigotry and hatred. Gaiman understands the simple truth: everyone here came from somewhere else. Our entire culture has been created by differences in religions and traditions from countries around the world. Americans often forget just how unique we are.

It was interesting to try to guess which god Shadow was interacting with while being reminded again and again of the voracious appetite for blood in most ancient religions. American Gods is very dark at times as stories of poor immigrants, bond servants, and slaves are told in stark detail. The story of the twin slave children is particularly disturbing. Gaiman avoids all the appallingly familiar forms of American denial in his storytelling.

We have almost all of Gaiman's books in our home but for some reason this is the first one I have read. There are treasures sitting untouched on my bookshelves. Neverwhere is next on my Gaiman list.

Sunday Salon - Comfort Reads

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:36:00 +0000

Danielle over at A Work in Progress was talking about comfort reads the other day. It was still going through my mind when I hit the bookstore (I've been doing this too much lately) and found mine. Back in the seventies I read a couple books by Anya Seton that swept me away to another world. I still remember lying on my bed on stormy afternoons and once on the living room couch with ELO on 8-track in the background. Wow that dates me!

Since my old copies are long gone I decided to splurge. The titles are Katherine and Green Darkness. Katherine is a wonderful historical romance of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt. It is enthralling. Green Darkness is a reincarnation love story where a married couple with troubles were actually star-crossed lovers in another life. The books themselves are now a much nicer trade paperback with lovely covers, but I checked out the old ones on Librarything. That took me back.

Speaking of Librarything I did manage to get an Early Reviewers copy of The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy by Maya Slater. I'm looking forward to receiving that in the mail.

Choke

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Chuck Palahniuk

Anchor

4 stars

This is not a book for everyone. Victor is a medical school dropout who is a sexual addict not trying too hard to overcome his problems. For extra money he pretends to choke on food in restaurants and then scams those who "save" him. Victor works at a low paying job of bond servant in a late 1700's colonial town, teaching children about life in that time between dalliances on the clock. Flashbacks to childhood reveal a dysfunctional relationship between him and his wacky criminal mother. He is a seriously damaged human being.

But humanity in all its forms is the unexpected surprise in this novel. Denial is not one of Victor's flaws and he not openly admits what he does, in often embarrassing detail, and its outcome. There is also another side to Victor that is inadvertently revealed. He dropped out of medical school because his mother was now in a nursing home that ate up all his expenses. He used the "choke" money to pay for her care. Most of the other residents suffered from dementia and he willingly took the blame for their most painful memories to give them some closure and peace. He took in his recovering sex addict friend when he lost his home. Not a bad guy.

The humor in this book is outstanding and the kind where things that should not be funny are hysterical. I found myself laughing out loud when he was caught masturbating at the hospital by the front desk girl and during the sexual encounter with Gwen who had very specific rules regarding her fantasy.

When a shocking secret is finally revealed it was quite poignant. The humanity of all the characters, both good and bad is very touching and sweet in a twisted kind of way. If you can take all the graphic sex, I heartily recommend it.

Booking Through Thursday - Unread

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:09:00 +0000

In the perfect follow-up to last week’s question, as suggested by C in DC:
Is there a book that you wish you could “unread”? One that you disliked so thoroughly you wish you could just forget that you ever read it?

For me, no. I read a wide variety of things and am very hard to offend. Reading conflicting opinions does not freak me out nor does bad language or sexual situations.

That said I do have some limits. I will never read anything by the Marquis de Sade, for instance. Once I did some research on him and went to Amazon reviews to see what others thought of his writing. Alot of people read him to be "cool" and said they will regret it for the rest of their lives. The sadism he writes of is not the funny "Domineering Deborah" and safe words of today. It is sick and scary.

The reason I don't get involved in censorship arguments is because I find myself on the fence. As a lifelong reader I well know some kinds of books that are out there. I'm not talking about the Barnes and Noble banned book list table that everyone snickers over. I'm talking about books that they will not sell: those that teach people better ways to kill and hate, glorifying child pornography, and those that deny the existence of the holocaust. Although everyone draws their own, the lines between free speech and mind poisoning seem pretty clear here.

Wow, that is a little dark. But to change the subject we had a wonderful time at the wedding in San Diego. You can see pictures of the beach wedding here and the reception on the roof of the Natural History Museum here. We came back to a broken TV and other messes so that is why I haven't been posting. But things have finally settled down so I'm back!

Revolutionary Road

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Richard Yates

5 stars

Classics Challenge

Assuming this was just another book about pretentious middle class snobs, I was unprepared for this profound, extraordinary novel. Revolutionary Road is a hauntingly realistic portrayal of how one can have everything and nothing at the same time and is superbly depicted by Yates in what is no doubt a classic for our time.

Despite having a lovely home in the Connecticut suburbs, two lovely children, and a good income, Frank and April are desperately unhappy. They feel that they have sold out for the "American Dream" which had stifled all their creative spirit. They decide to chuck it all and start over in Paris but problems with this plan soon arise. When some half-hearted work of Franks gets unexpected attention from above and is offered a promotion. Proud of his accomplishment and excited for the future, he takes advantage of an unexpected event to postpone their move.

April is devastated with the change in plans and only as the story moves to it's unsettling conclusion did I see her deep and incurable inner damage. It gives a fuller side to the picture that conformity might not kill, but rather bring to fruition inner pain that leads to it.

Like all the other characters in the story April and Frank are well drawn and multi-layered. Frank, despite his infidelity is a likeable and outgoing guy who tries in vain to please his chilly, narcissistic wife. April reminds me almost of a tragic Shakespearean character in that many paths could save her, but she can not or will not act on any except a murky pie-in-the-sky future in Paris. At first I didn't think the Paris idea was a terrible one but admired the gumption it would take to pull it off. Sure, it sounded pretty superficial and silly but most ideas do on the drawing board. It began to fall flat as no realistic plans were made to ensure its success because April refused to allow the mundane realities of life to intrude on her fantasy.

Unlike many reviewers, I did not feel April and Frank wore masks but were unaccountably self-aware. It was neighbors and friends who saw what they chose. Although never hiding the fact they were unhappy it was only spoken of it in pretentious monologues sounding more like calls for social reform then in discussing solutions to real problems. Powerful emotions were greatly feared and meant to be avoided or denied. Seeing a therapist was out of the question for April because it was tantamount to admitting mentally illness, which apparently was the worst thing imaginable.

Neighbor Mrs Givings possessed the best coping strategies in spite of the fact she was the most repressed individual in the book. I loved the way she freaked out when her son John made the slightest comment outside of the box.

Themes of this book revolve around suffocating conformity, which was indeed pretty bad in the '50's. As much as it seems to be about abortion I believe it was just a manifestation of April's contempt for her empty existence and self-hatred. Discussed without using any moral reasoning whatsoever it presented a fascinating angle. Watching April circle the cosmic drain was disturbing, thought provoking, and stayed with me for days after I finished reading it.

I highly recommend this American Literature classic.

Sunday Salon - Anthologies

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Sun, 17 May 2009 13:00:00 +0000

I have a real weakness for anthologies. There are many, many in my house and are just the thing to pick up when I am in between books, for reading in bed, or just a quick and easy sitdown. My husband and I started collecting them when we were first married and had no money. We would go to Barnes and Noble, you know, the cheap section where one can find an array of anthologies in crime, science fiction, thriller, horror, and ghost stories.

One of the nice things about reading an anthology is that one doesn't have to start from the beginning of the book. Instead I peruse the table of contents for a snappy title and start from there. I find that short stories are deliciously gratifying.

One book that I picked up years ago still has the power to freak me out. It is called Haunted Heartland, sells for a few dollars, and was still there last time I looked. I don't know why but those supposedly true stories are scary!

The book I picked up recently is by Anton Chekhov called A Night in the Cemetery: and Other Stories of Crime and Suspense. I love those Russian writers with their fatalistic and wry sense of humor. The first story, which is entitled A Night in the Cemetery, has this line: "My story begins, as do most traditional well-written Russian stories, with the phrase, 'I was drunk that day.' " Priceless! And the story turns out to be hilarious as did "A Night of Horror."

Not that I want to give too much away but suffice it to say, I won't be putting down this book soon. It is the perfect before going to sleep read.

Going to a Wedding!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Fri, 15 May 2009 04:13:00 +0000

Jim's brother is getting married so we are traveling down to San Diego for the big event. It sounds like it will be lovely. They are getting married on Coronado Beach and the weather is supposed to be perfect. I'll take lots of pictures and see you when I get back!

Booking Through Thursday - Gluttony

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:36:00 +0000

Mariel suggested this week’s question
Book Gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or are you a controlled buyer, only purchasing books when you have run out of things to read?

I'm a book glutton. There, I said it. They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step on the road to recovery. But God help me, I don't want to get better! Not yet anyway. I can stop on my own, really I can.
Just one more book, I promise.

I do try to control myself and this last weekend of shopping was the first in a long time. The problem is when I get started, it's hard to stop. Already I'm thinking, I should have bought this one or that one. Or I see yet another sweet recommendation from another blogger and add it to my growing wishlist. I justify by saying that there are worst habits than this.

Here is my latest new stash, part two. Part one is a couple posts below. I had to get Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The picture on the front cover alone is worth the price of the book. It looks hilarious.

Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis, who also wrote American Psycho was my next choice. I know almost nothing about Last Rituals but the author is from Iceland and if she writes half as well as Arnaldur Indridason, then I am in for a treat.

The Skull Mantra is an Edgar Award winner and I will be reading it for the Awards Challenge lll.

Some books hook you by the title and my last choice definitely is one of those. It is called Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. It got mixed reviews but my husband and I are both short story lovers so we will see.

Book Awards Challenge lll

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:41:00 +0000

Thanks to Lezlie over at Books and Border Collies I decided to take up this challenge. You can find rules and signups over here:

5 months. 5 awards.

Thanks to all those who participated in either or both of the first two challenges!! Are you up for a third? The challenge for Book Awards 3 will be slightly different. First of all, it will only last for 5 months, from July 1 through December 1, 2009. That is because Book Awards 4 will be from February 1 through December 1, 2010.

Rules:
Read 5 books from 5 different awards during July 1, 2009 through December 1, 2009.
Overlaps with other challenges are permitted.
Choices don't have to be posted right away, and lists may be changed at any time.
'Award winners' is loosely defined; make the challenge fit your needs.
Have fun reading!

I haven't picked out all my books yet but so far I'm thinking of:

The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison (Edgar Award)

The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon (Hugo Award, Nebula Award)

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (Man Booker Prize)

Those are for sure. I am still deciding on:

Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay (World Fantasy Award)

The Road Home by Rose Tremain (Orange Award)

The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard (Agatha)

The Missing by Sarah Langon (Bram Stoker)

I may overlap American Gods to it since I am reading it for the Classics Challenge.

Join in if you can. There is still plenty of time and there are lots of good books to choose from.

Some New Stash! Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:25:00 +0000

This past weekend was really fun. We went to lunch, Barnes and Noble twice, and saw Star Trek which was awesome! We wandered around B&N for quite a while picking up and putting back books. Jim loves non-fiction so he was delighted to see a buy two, get the third free table. Breathers, a zombie love story, which is definitley fiction was tagged so he got that one along with The Third Chimpanzee by Jered Diamond. Diamond is becoming one of his favorite non-fiction authors. He was especially impressed with Collapse and it now sits as one of my Non-Fiction Five Reading Challenge choices.

He also got Black Mass which is about the FBI and Irish mob. I should read this one. During the time of Al Capone, my great uncle used to run whiskey from Canada down to Chicago, where my father was later born and raised. He was killed by the Shelton Gang, aka, the good guys. We refer to my family as having in-laws and out-laws!

I collect classics written by women so when I saw this nice new version of The Circular Staircase, I added it to the pile. There is a new book out by Chuck Palahniak called Pygmy so the store did an endcap for all his books. We picked up Rant and Choke. I have been dying to get Revolutionary Road and just started reading it. I have also been looking at the Roth Trilogy with great interest and got the The Last Four Things. Lastly we too a tour through the lower priced section and found Ancestors of Avalon. This is a genre I definitely want to read more of.

The Shack

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Fri, 08 May 2009 23:05:00 +0000

I really dreaded doing this review. Some things are just hard to talk about, not because they are wrong or uncomfortable, just difficult to put into words. You see, I have a loss of my own that will never fully heal. How can it? Those of you who read the book will understand why it initially hit me between the eyes like a two by four. The name of my loss is also Melissa Anne, my daughter.

How can a person find their way back after a devastating loss? Why is there such dreadful suffering in this world? This book takes the reader on a journey to explore many paths such as forgiveness, justice, and letting go. I found many aspects of this book quite moving, some condescending, and others just plain silly. But presented were some interesting ideas that showed the author can think outside the box. I found the chapter on justice quite interesting, the trinity not so much, and the last part with the garden made me cry. But I can see how others might roll their eyes. For every ten people who read this, there will be ten different interpretations. Personally I like when a book can provoke such startlingly different reactions.

Thinking of my own loss I understand Mr. Young is trying to help and I appreciate it. He seems to have a real desire to bring comfort to those who suffer and who can fault that? But the sentimentality can get pretty tiresome and if read at an earlier time I might be offended or angry. Real suffering is the farthest thing from sentimental as you can get.

If you have not read this book yet I say give it a try. It's a pretty fast read and guaranteed to give a powerful response. Just what that response is might be interesting to find out.

Good Behavior

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:52:00 +0000

Molly Keane

4 stars

I am trying to catch up on all the reviews for books read in the last couple of months and this one gives me great pleasure to do. Good Behavior is excellent and I highly recommend it. I'm not sure if I gave it the right rating because it continues to tug at me long long after being placed back on my bookshelf. I would be very interested to hear the opinions of my fellow book bloggers.

The story starts out with a death. Aroon St. Charles feeds her invalid mother rabbit, a dish she loathes, and her mother takes one whiff, keels over, and dies. Was it a murder, an accident, a horrible prank gone wrong? Rose the maid is convinced of the former and hurls accusations at her mistress. Aroon stays eerily calm and wonders how Rose could be so wrong. So we go back to the beginning.

Aroon and her brother Hubert grow up in the roaring twenties, the dying days of Anglo-Irish aristocracy. Unlike times of old, money is tight, the mansion is crumbling, and no one mentions that anything is wrong. This is because the St.Charles like many others in their clan practice "good behavior" in a manner worthy of any religious devotion. It includes impeccable manners at all times, not causing scenes, calm and fortitude no matter what.

Beneath their unruffled exterior is overt womanizing within the home, a homosexual relationship, two terrible tragedies, and terminal illness. I won't spoil any surprises, but there is one point after a funeral where the good behavior is particularly disturbing. Aroon grows to be a tall, large woman which is not the fashion for the times and she suffers many indignities for this. They are always very subtle but become less so as time goes on. She is in love with Richard, Hubert's lover, and hangs on to the belief he loves her because it is her only lifeline. But somehow this story remains light and even funny sometimes. The ending delivers a one-two punch that ties in to the beginning of the story.

If it's ok, I'll get personal for a moment. My husband, in an effort to read more women's books, picked this one up before me. It really disturbed him because Aroon's mother reminded him of his own. Not in the sinister way because she really is a lovely woman, but in the "good behavior" way. My MIL is friendly, a wonderful hostess, and someone you could bring anywhere to meet anyone, but absolutely refuses to get upset or discuss anything unpleasant or controversial even amongst family members. For me who was raised in a loud Irish-Catholic household this was and continues to be amazing, baffling, intriguing. How can you not say what is on your mind? Year after blessed year?

The truth is that she was raised like this. And in Good Behavior Aroon becomes exactly like her mother and father. Years and years of family training gives her that weird calm at her mother's death. The introduction by Marian Keyes in the Virago Classic edition is excellent and enhanced my understanding of the characters. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

The Solitary Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:08:00 +0000

Elizabeth Von Armin

3 1/2 Stars

The Solitary Summer by Elizabeth Von Armin is the perfect book to read on a lazy afternoon. This lovely biographical work is short and quite light, though it touches on important themes throughout pages given almost entirely over to descriptions of her beautiful garden. It is written in a loose journal style going month by month, but her thinking meanders through the long and lovely summer.

Elizabeth decides in early May that she would like a summer of no commitments and no visitors so she could be alone to think her own thoughts and expand her soul. Her husband, whon she refers to as "Man of Wrath" agrees but is sure she would make herself dull (get bored) quickly. This of course does not happen, though the actual solitariness is questionable as the book progresses.

In May she talks mostly of her beautiful flowers and where she favorite spots are to sit during the day. Elizabeth reads constantly but picks up a different author for each particular spot. She explores her love for books and garden and how she feels blessed to have these two passions. No one else besides a passin reference to her husband are mentioned during this chapter.

In June she casually brings up the existence of three young children, referring to each for the month of their birth, April, May, and June. She briefly describes their tutor and manner of education before going back to her garden.

In July Elizabeth visits the people who work for her husband on the estate. She is bafflled and angry at their stubborn ignorance and is dismayed at the high infant and child mortality rate brought on their staunch refusal to accept the doctor's advice or take the medicine he prescibes."There is a great wall of ignorance and prejudice dividing us from the people on our place, and in every effort to help them we knock against it and cannot move it any more then if it were a stone." This was a very interesting chapter. Later on the soldiers come to town and a few of them spend a couple weeks in her home to watch the family when the husband goes away on business. It was an awful experience and he recieved a warm welcome when returning home earlier then expected.

As in Enchanted April, Von Armin explores the healing power of time, rest, and solitude for women who do too much, which is all of us. Unlike that delightful story however, The Solitary Summer shows all too plainly the reality of that fantasy as that fanciful dream unravels; first with obligations to family, then to her husband's employees, and finally the community at large.

No wonder we're all tired.

Lady Susan

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:13:00 +0000

4 Stars
Jane Austen
Penguin Classics

If anyone thinks Jane Austen only knew about the lighter side of life with dances, parties, and happy endings they should read Lady Susan. Written in letter form and only a novelette in length, this story discusses infidelity and breaks open some taboo subjects. Lady Susan openly hates her daughter Frederica and slanders her to everyone she meets. Even more disturbing, she tries to marry her off to one of her own lovers, a younger man that she spirited away from another woman.

The beautiful and treacherous Lady Susan has burned her bridges for the time being in London and needs safe harbor. Newly widowed, she writes her brother-in-law to invite herself to his estate for a long visit with him and his wife, Catherine. Years ago she did everything in her power to prevent that marriage, so Catherine is not fooled by her cunning manipulations. In fact, most of the story is letters between Catherine and her mother, discussing Lady Susan's behavior and their growing horror as Catherine's brother Reginald is seduced with what they suspect is her eye toward marriage and title.

It must be stated right off that the period Austen lived in was by no means a puritanical one and flirting was a chief means of entertainment in many circles. But Lady Susan was no harmless flirt. She was a home wrecker of the most ghastly sort, completely selfish, with no feelings of remorse for the families she leaves in tatters. As Catherine's father states "she does not confine herself to that sort of honest flirtation which satisfies most people, but aspires to the more delicious gratification of making a whole family miserable."

Her most shocking deeds are aimed at her sixteen year old daughter and the lengths she was willing to go to ensure a miserable life for Frederica really gave me pause. This is not a subject people find comfortable and is often described as Bad Mommy Taboo.. This is where many in society refuse to accept that a mother can be destructive to her children because they prefer to see all moms as warm, loving, "America and apple pie" types. Revealing the truth is often sharply criticized, ignored, or suppressed by both acquaintances and the family and Bad Mommy on a cultural level gets special protection.

Of course there is the other side to that story. Margaret Drabble who does the introduction for the Penguin Classics version quite admires Lady Susan. She speaks highly of her worldliness, vitality, even her selfishness. Drabble feels it is an "exotic pleasure" that Lady Susan lies to Catherine, who is both family and hostess while also manipulating young Reginald, whom Frederica loves, to fall in love with her. Drabble also seems to despise Frederica for being quiet and spending her whole time "weeping and playing the pianoforte." Admittedly, Lady Susan is very witty when around men or speaking to her friend Mrs. Johnson. But I suspect that those close to a Lady Susan are more apt to describe her as their worst nightmare come true.

Personally, Jane Austen writing on this subject raises her even more in my regard. She is no lightweight but tackles the hard stuff openly and without bitterness. Funny, poignant, or sordid, she tells it like it is.

The Painted Veil - 4 1/2 Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimie) — Sat, 02 May 2009 18:33:00 +0000

4 1/2 Stars

W.Somerset Maugham

Vintage International (my copy)

246 pgs.

After seeing this movie on Netflix, it was so beautiful that I had to rush out immediately and buy the book. The author, W.Somerset Maugham has also written Razor's Edge and Of Human Bondage, a story about obsessive love. Maugham is particularly interesting to me because he seems to understand women so well, which is rare amongst male authors of any age.

And not just one kind, but good women, the cold-hearted, narcissistic, and those who are just plain nit wits. He shows that both genders contain these species and explores what giving your heart to the wrong person could do.

Kitty is the elder daughter to a domineering, ambitious mother and a submissive father who is slowly slipping in rank and social standing. A brilliant marriage is necessary to keep their social standing and the beautiful Kitty seems the more likely to pull it off than her plain younger sister. Yet after years of unacceptable suiters, she remains unmarried. When the plain Doris comes out and immediately becomes engaged to a man who will one day be a baronet, she quickly marries shy bacteriologist, Walter Fane and they move immediately to China.Walter is very much in love and treats Kitty with unaccustomed politeness and consideration. Though shy he is quite passionate.

Kitty's heart remains untouched by her husband's love for her and she quickly falls for Charlie Townsend, the Assistant Colonel Secretary and rising star in Hong Kong. As the affair progresses Kitty imagines her new life once both divorce their spouses; the way in which she disposes of them in her mind mirrors her lack of compassion and self centeredness. When Walter finds out about the affair he reacts in a way that shows how much he has been underestimated. He tells Kitty that she will accompany him to Mie-tan-fu, a community in the throes of a cholera epidemic. If she does not, he will file for divorce and create a scandal. In those days marriage had a much greater legal bond than today and to break it was very serious.Kitty scoffs because of course her lover Charlie will now come to her rescue and marry her. Walter, knowing that Charlie has affairs for his own amusment, tells Kitty that he will allow her to divorce him quietly if Charlie promises to divorce his wife and marry her. Kitty happily trips over to tell him the good news and a heartbreaking scene follows. There is no choice but to leave with Walter for an uncertain future.

In Mei-tan-fu, she meets Customs Officer Waddington, Mother Superior and the other nuns, and Chinese orphans. These wonderful characters amid the horrifying backdrop of disease and death help Kitty to grow and finally experience compassion in all its forms.The movie version has a satisfying all-is-well conclusion while the book is more tragic and messy, and therefore more realistic. Some reviewers complained that she did not grow very much but this is often the case in extremely selfish and shallow people.

I was touched when Kitty who really does grow in compassion and moral strength, albeit slowly, reaches out to an unexpected person. Admittedly I wanted the love story ending but upon reflection realized that Kitty had traveled full circle. Perhaps the beginning of a newly forming conscience was an appropriate ending to the story ofter all. This book is a quick read and deeper than one might imagine. I highly recommend it.