The Sword in the Stone

The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White
Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1963
288 pages
Fantasy
3/5 stars

Source: Own, purchased ages ago

I actually really love the Disney film of this story although it is vastly different. There are the same character names such as Arthur, known as the Wart, although not necessarily characterization as well as the famous wizard duel between Merlin and Madame Mim, which is pretty accurately represented in the film. The ending is also faithful as well as some scenes here and there. Both do deal with the childhood of the boy who would grow up to be the mythical King Arthur and end with the sword being pulled from the stone.

But the book is entirely different. The tone is free-wheeling with a narrator who sometimes directs asides to us the reader and is freely peppered with anachronisms. Arthur is called Wart throughout; although it is mentioned that he doesn't know his parents and this prevents him from becoming a knight, this inner turmoil is not dealt with. I feel like a modern YA interpretation of the Arthurian legend would treat that more.

Instead we get the Wart (and occasionally his foster brother Kay) having a series of adventures. He is transformed in to several animals (this is also portrayed in the Disney film but that interpretation has songs and is generally more humorous) and learns valuable leadership lessons from them. He also meets Robin Hood and his band of adventurers and battle a host of magical creatures.

I guess I wasn't expecting quite this lighthearted tone while following a very episodic format. It was actually very dull. I don't know if I would have enjoyed this more when I was younger but it did not appeal to me at all. The best part was thinking about the movie and how I have a soft spot for it!

Overall: The film adaptation already has my heart and the book did not offer enough to challenge its place.

Cranford

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
Barnes & Noble, Inc, 2005
Originally published 1853
176 pages
Classic; FITG
4/5 stars

Source: Mom's copy

I honestly don't have much to say about this book as I mostly read it for my Fill-in-the-Gaps challenge and to further my acquaintance with Elizabeth Gaskell (I've read and seen North and South and seen Wives and Daughters as well as the miniseries from this book). Usually I read YA books in part to be aware of the hyped books as well as lesser-known gems. Not much really happens in this book, which is set in approximately 1830s small-town England. While the world around seems to be modernizing and industrializing, Cranford seems to remain steadfastly the same: ruled over by ladies and filled with compassion and kindness.

Of course that is somewhat revolutionary in a book as most seem to focus on the masculine sphere or else have a love story. While there are elements of "manly" commerce as well as marriages, they are not the focus. There isn't much driving the story either; it kind of just meanders mostly centered on Miss Matty, an elderly spinster, and her closest circle. Miss Matty is just the sweetest person and all of the characters are pretty nice people. But there wasn't much excitement for me.

In fact, this book took me a rather long time to read considering the length. Just one chapter seemed to take me forever to read. And I guess that contributes to my lack of enthusiasm in reviewing. I would like to say that this is NOT a bad book by any means but it is not the book for me.

Recommended: For fans of Gaskell and if you've seen (or plan to see) the miniseries.

I Capture the Castle

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
St. Martin's Griffin, 1998
Originally published 1948
343 pages
3.5/5 stars

Source: Library

SPOILERS!

Recommended by my new blogger friend Allie at The Book Stalker because of my love of the Betsy-Tacy books and the Chronicles of Narnia. While there was a lot to love in this book, there ended up being a couple of elements that were very personally not to my taste. They ended up dragging the book down and making me take about a week to finish this book. If I had loved it, I would have finished much faster.

It starts out promisingly introducing Cassandra Mortmain and her eccentric family who live in a crumbling castle in genteel poverty during the 1930s. Her father wrote a literary novel that is successful in America but has been unable to produce a successor over the years. Her stepmother Topaz manages on very little and takes care of the family. Then there's Cassandra's older sister Rose, who wants more than anything to get out of their crushing poverty and has aspirations to marry money. The last child is young Thomas, although he doesn't play a very big role. The last resident of the place is Stephen, a servant with almost undying devotion to Cassandra.

Everything starts to change though when the new American landlords move into the hall across the way. There are two sons bearded Simon and cocky Neil. Immediately Rose sets her cap for Simon and she manages to snare him. The father is finally inspired to write again, Stephen becomes a model, and the family's general standard of living drastically improves.

Well, I didn't end up liking Cassandra. I ended up sympathizing more with Rose and hating Cassandra for her selfish concern for Simon. She didn't care that maybe Rose didn't love Simon until it affected her; once she realized that she loved Simon, Rose's deceit bothered her. Sadly I spent most of this book waiting that outcome because I read spoilers of the plot. I really should avoid that. Thus waiting for the reveal had me dreading the book.

The other part I didn't quite like was the family's existence in poverty and seeming inability to get a job. I think it's the Depression so it's not like there are that many jobs available but they didn't even seem to try. Honestly I'm not sure I understand the full socio-economic circumstances behind that aspect. Additionally I was sometimes confused by some of the writing, which referred to works beyond my ken.

As you can, it's my very weird self that just wasn't digging this book despite the many factors that would make it seem like something I love, historical, fun writing, a generally sympathetic main character.

Overall: I was confused by the unsaid background information that informed the decisions of the characters and unenthusiastic about the pending plot twists.

The Portrait of a Lady

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
The Modern Library, 2001
Originally Published 1881
565 pages
Classic
4/5 stars

Source: Library

I started this in order to add some more classics to my knowledge.  It was my first James and I chose it because it was one of his first masterpieces, according to canon.  I was thinking it would be something like Edith Wharton's writing.  That is somewhat true as the minutiae of upper-class people and the dictates of society are the focus. Let's start with a summary, which kind of has spoilers but this book is over 100 years old so I don't feel bad about that or anything.

Isabel is a young American who inherits wealth from her uncle.  She rejects proposals from the wealthy polite Lord Warburton and the energetic American businessman Caspar Goodwood.  Isabel eventually marries Count Osmond, a poor American in Italy, despite the objections from her cousin Ralph, her aunt Mrs. Touchett, and her friend Henrietta.  After several years of marriage, she finally realizes what they recognized from the start: Osmond is not a romantic exciting man.  He is narrow-minded and controlling; he raised his daughter to bend entirely to his will and he expected his wife to conform to his dictates as well, acting as an ornament to his pride rather than as an independent person.  He also wanted her money.  The first part of the novel covers her interactions with people and her decision to marry.  The pulls of her own spirit versus her perceived duty to her husband define the second part, ending with her decision to remain with her husband.

I chose this as the book considered one of James's earliest masterpieces.  I was hoping that it would be fairly accessible, which I found it to be and that the style wouldn't be too radical.  I think I've read that James went very extreme in later books but maybe not yet? I will need to read more of him before I can decide. Any recommendations?

I feel completely unable to embark on a full analysis of James's style but I can mention some things I noticed.  There were many instances where a single paragraph would take up a page or even two; there would just be pages and pages of lingering descriptions of Isabel and those around her.  As the story progressed though, there was more dialogue and less of a focus on Isabel.  Instead there were (seemingly) peripheral events described.  Important events are skipped over such as the actual marriage of Isabel and Osmond and the birth and death of their child while seemingly insignificant conversations are recorded.  The book is narrated by an omniscient narrator, who occasionally inserts himself into the book using "I."  While the narrator knows more than the reader, he doles out that bit of knowledge sparingly.

I am glad that I am already familiar with some of the old-fashioned mores and standards or I would have found them even more bewildering.  For example, Isabel is determined to not share her unhappiness in marriage with anyone.  She will not consider leaving her husband despite his brutality and the encouragement of friends. This could seem bizarre under current standards but this book is from the late nineteenth century with upper-class continental Europeans, a vastly different society.  Even so, there were some frustrating moments.

There were still several upsetting moments for me. First that Isabel threw away possible happiness with Goodwood in favor of her ill-advised attachment to Osmond.  She denied the idea that the slightly sinister Madame Merle influenced her marriage before finally realizing that it was so.  The other upsetting instant revolved around Pansy Osmond, the daughter of Osmond who he has trained to obey, kind of like a dog.  She represses her independent thoughts and gives up her love because it does not please her father's pride. While Isabel returns to her husband, it seems to stem partly from her promise to love and watch over Pansy.  However I fear that both women will continue to suffer under Osmond's thumb, leaving a tragic pall over the conclusion.

There's so much more to discuss but I'm going to stop now with my Overall: A surprisingly accessible example of Henry James's prose; I am eager to read more of his work.

Read for FITG Challenge

Cold Comfort Farm

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Longmans, Green & Co, 1932
307 pages
Classic; Satire
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Meg Cabot had recommended this book, which is how I first heard about it.  Additionally I really like this cover that I found, although my copy from the library was just a plain blue.  I wasn't sure what to expect other than hopefully a good time.

I really struggled at first to get into the story.  Flora was recently orphaned and she is looking around over her family relations to decide where she will live.  She ends up picking the family at Cold Comfort Farm, where she is sure to encounter problems that she can solve.  And she does.  She finds a bewildering assortment of relatives, surly and intent on their lives as they've always been.  However Flora wades in and sets their lives on a more modern path, arranging marriages for several and new career paths for others.

Apparently this book is somewhat parodying some rural life novels of the time such as DH Lawrence, Thomas Hardy, and the Brontë sisters.  I've only read the latter and references to them are explicit in the form of a character who argues that Branwell wrote his sisters' novels because certainly Wuthering Heights could not have been written by a woman!  I don't understand his rationale at all but I was fascinated.  Some of the characters also spoke in a "country dialect" akin to Joseph in Wuthering Heights albeit more comprehensible.  The other elements were probably lost on me as I am unfamiliar with those types of novels.

Another interesting element is that this book is technically set in the future (the late 40s) with video phones and a different historical path (I believe an Anglo-Nicaragua War is mentioned).  That was not a very important aspect though as most of the story is set on a very rural farm.

However I really liked the characters, especially Flora, the modern young lady who inserts herself into the lives of her relations and I would say makes them better.  She was a funny character and very likable.  The other characters were also enjoyable.

Overall: A funny story with likable characters.

FITG Challenge; British Books Challenge

Three Musketeers Wrap-Up Post

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Translated by Anonymous
Barnes and Noble, 2004
700 pages
Originally Published 1844
Classic; Adventure
3.5/5 stars

Source: Bought

Summary: The classic adventure story of D'Artagnan, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis as they fight for king and queen against cardinalist forces and negotiate the battlefields of war and love.

Please also see my first post.

This second part continues much the same as the first part with the 4 continuing their ways.  The focus this time is more on Milady, a mysterious lady who can switch between an English and French character, plots beyond the supposed capabilities of a woman, and is serving the cardinal in opposition to Queen Anne.  She was a fascinating character because of her ability to get men to do almost anything she wanted using anything that was at her disposal.  However she was morally unprincipled and was clearly a villain against D'Artagnan's heroism so she dies in a rather shocking way.

The 4 continue their spendthrift ways, acquiring and disposing of large sums of money fairly quickly, spending it on food, drink (especially drink), women, and gaming.  However Athos is deepened through his back-story, which is intimately connected with Milady's. I guess he would be my favorite although I still don't really like any of them.

The siege of La Rochelle, a Huguenot post in Catholic France,  forms most of the background and there were some clever scenes around that such as when the 4 hold a private discussion in a bastion and then manage to fight off a great horde of invaders through subterfuge and a bit of luck.

Overall I was disappointed because I did not find this book as good as The Count of Monte Cristo. I didn't like the writing as much, I thought it dragged more, and I didn't like the characters as much either.

Additionally the trailer for a film adaptation later this year has been released.  Matthew MacFayden (aka a Mr. Darcy) plays Athos (my fave) but he also makes me think of Alan Rickman in appearance so that's kind of weird.  I'm sure I will see the film at some point although not necessarily in theaters.

Read as part of FITG Challenge.

A Passage to India

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
Harcourt, Inc, 1952
Originally Published 1924
362 pages
Classic; FITG
3.5/5

Source: Bought and read for class

Summary: Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore are British citizens, excited to journey to India and see the scenery.  A new friend of Mrs. Moore's, Dr. Aziz invites them to see the Marabar Caves where a most unfortunate incident occurs leading to a court case and aggravating relations between the British colonizers and the colonized Indians.

I was really excited about this but I was left unsatisfied.  I was expecting a tale of the clash of cultures as Anglo/Indian relations were explored and gender roles were examined.  And to a degree, I got that.  But the prose was not to my liking at all.  Forster's descriptions of the scenery were so boring (almost Tolkien-esque-the only way I got through LOTR was by skimming the endless scenery descriptions and focusing on the actual plot) and it was very slow-moving.  The incident described on the book-flap is Aziz being falsely accused of sexually molesting Adela; do you know when that happens? Nearly halfway through the book! Before that, there is plenty of description and a lot of set-up to establish the personalities of the characters and the relationship between the British and the Indians.

I didn't particularly like any of the characters either.  The four main characters are Brits Adela, Mrs. Moore, and college principal Fielding in addition to Indian doctor Aziz.  My inability to feel completely connected to any of them soured my opinion of this book.  I'm not sure if that was part of Forster's intention.  However this is an useful book for study of the time period.  Rising nationalism makes an appearance and is a topic I find fascinating.

Overall: I was really disappointed; have I missed something huge with regards to Forster? I'd love to give him another try-any recommendations?

Read for personal FITG challenge.

Oliver Twist, Wrap-Up

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003
Originally published 1839
466 pages
Classic; FITG
4/5 stars

Source: Own

This ends the month readalong of Oliver Twist, hosted by Allie at A Literary Odyssey.  All of the threads introduced by Dickens are wrapped up and a very happy ending ensues.  Oliver discovers his family, Rose and Harry can marry, friendship abounds, bad is punished.  I do wonder if Oliver will get to meet children his own age; while the adults love him, it's not the same thing. Or is that idea a contemporary conception? I expect he'll be pretty happy just to be fed and loved rather than starved and driven through a life of crime.

Fagin, Sikes, and Dodger are all punished; the first two with death and the latter with transportation.  At least I think that's Dodger's fate.  It seems like that will be his ending but I didn't see it definitively stated (Did I skip over that part?)

The part I had been anticipating for the entire story was Nancy's death, the aftermath of which is particularly well-described.  Sikes sat all night in the same room as her dead body until the sun starts pouring in and he comes to with the realization of what he's done. I found the description fantastic and this was one part where I didn't mind that Dickens was so verbose.

In conclusion, I'm very glad for this push to read this classic novel.  I think it could definitely be recommended to Dickens newbies as it's very accessible, fairly fast-moving, and not filled with zillions of coincidences.

Post 1
Post 2

Read for FITG Challenge.

Oliver Twist, Post 1

Oliver Twist Readalong, hosted by Allie at A Literary Odyssey

I'm actually quite familiar with the basics of Oliver Twist thanks to the films Oliver!, Oliver and Company, Oliver Twist, and Oliver Twist. But obviously they truncate and change parts wholesale so it's always good to return to the text itself.

However I have found those adaptations to be fairly faithful to the text so far; while there were some changes, from what I can remember most plot points and characters remain the same. I only have a couple of immediate thoughts:

• The "Please sir I want some more" scene.  This seems to translate wholesale on screen.  Of course there's the irony of the fat wealthy men and their presumed "goodness" in maintaining Oliver and the orphans in such style.  I really like the confrontation scene between the men and Oliver on screen because the visual irony is fantastic.  These plump men surrounded by mountains of food and poor Oliver who only wants a bit more gruel.  The inequities are depressing.
• I'm also struck by Oliver's innocence and basic goodness; he wants to do right and would probably be content earning a simple honest day's wage if he could only have the opportunity.  Instead he's forced in with a band of criminals and away from good people who worried about him.
• I've always heard of this book as particularly anti-Semitic and Fagin is almost constantly mentioned as "the Jew" rather than by his name. I'm not entirely sure why that decision was made; this is something I'd like to know more about and to discuss later. 

The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Barnes and Noble, 1920
293 pages
Classic
4.5/5 stars
FITG Challenge

Source: Own

Thoughts: I put this on my list because I wanted to read the first Pulitzer winning-novel by a woman; after enjoying Old New York, a collection of four short stories, I had high hopes for this.  And they were mostly fulfilled.

I loved the pictures painted by Wharton; every detail seemed carefully chosen to convey the taste and wealth of the characters although I'm sure I didn't fully appreciate those details, given my 21st century sensibilities and understanding.  I loved being enmeshed in that world and slowly journeying through it toward completion.

The part I didn't like was the character Newland Archer.  He is torn between duty to his fiancee May Welland and passion for her cousin, the scandalous Countess Ellen Olenska who left her husband.  I was caught up in that and I supported his choice.  But I hated his musings on the innocence and conventionality of May-how was she to be different? I think that he is a stand-in for Wharton who was raised in that kind of environment but obviously had a sharp intellect of her own.  Over the course of the novel though, I grew annoyed with him.  I did not want to spend as much time with him as I did; I think I would have preferred this novel from a female point of view because Archer grated on me.

I would also like to see the movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer (j'adore her), and Winona Ryder.

Overall: Beautifully written; I definitely consider myself a fan of Wharton now.

Cover: Pretty gallery-I'm a big fan of the Barnes and Noble editions.

The Woman in White

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Oxford University Press, 1975
Originally published 1860
584 pages
Classic; FITG; Melodrama; Mystery
3.5/5 stars

Source: Library

Summary: A drawing master named Walter meets a mysterious woman in white; then he goes to a new assignment and falls in love with one of his pupils who looks like that woman. Told in epistolary form from multiple participants in the story, this is an early example of detective fiction and a superb instance of melodrama.

Thoughts: I remember a bunch of bloggers reading this last year and loving it so I put it on my list and I got around to reading it this year. Originally I was going to read it for Halloween and, well, that didn't happen. Instead I stopped about halfway through because I was overwhelmed with the villainy of the men in the book especially combined with some other things I was reading.  Then I picked it up and plowed through it.

I started out really enjoying it, finding it more character-driven than descriptive of scenery like Collins' contemporary Dickens.

Count Fosco scared me but I really enjoyed his admiration for Marian and how that affected his actions throughout the whole novel, in a really creepy way.  At least he got his reward.

Problems (Makes most sense if you've read the book already): The main plot-the fact that Laura married Sir Percival just because she promised her dad X number of years ago and despite the fact that she didn't know or like him pissed me off!  The attitude that Countess Fosco should be submissive to her husband and was better off married rather than having opinions of her own.  The way Laura is cosseted and treated like a child.  The fact that Sir Percival's worst crime would be considered forgery rather than his treatment of his wife!

Overall: Started out strong but not a favorite.

Cover: I think this picture is actually from the musical but I really like it although the woman looks more like a ghost than a woman dressed in white.

Bleak House

Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Barnes and Noble Classics 2005/Originally 1853
817 pages
Classic; FITG
3.5/5 stars

Source: Bought

Summary: A sprawling narrative touching on almost everything conceivable topic for 1850s London: love, death, religion, law, money, etc.  At the center is Miss Esther Summerson, a girl with mysterious origins.  Her guardian Mr Jarndyce is involved in a generations long law suit that seems like it will never be resolved.  Then there are Sir Leicester and Lady Dedlock, the latter with a secret she'd die to protect.  Additionally some of Dickens' famous comic characters occur here as does an instance of spontaneous combustion (seriously, I never get tired of that.)

Thoughts: I've been participating in a readalong of Bleak House where I posted more detailed thoughts but I wanted to do a proper review of the book as a whole. So if you're tired of BH, I'm sorry and feel free to skip.  I'm glad I did the readalong; with such a big (and often in the beginning boring) book, I probably would have given up.  I would love to read Little Dorrit, Oliver Twist, or David Copperfield like this in the spring.  I liked reading what other people thought (generally they liked Esther more than I did) and where we agreed (mass hatred for Skimpole).

I'm really glad that I read this, both because it now means I've read three Dickens novels (along with Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities) and because it means that I can check off another book in my FITG challenge.  But I did not love this book although I wanted to.  Dickens just writes such long sentences and stuffs so much unnecessary information in there; he really wrote for his time which had a different attention span and different expectations of their authors than this time.

Overall: A big, sprawling read but I'm not sure it's a must-read for anyone.

Links: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, and Week 10.

A Confederacy of Dunces

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Published 1981
338 pages
Classic; Pulitzer; Picaresque; FITG
4.5/5 stars

Source: Library

Summary: I've tried describing this before to my friends but I don't think I'm doing a very good job. Basically Ignatius J Reilly is a lazy eccentric who is forced to get a job leading to a series of adventures involving many Characters.

Thoughts: I was excited to read this because it's one of my dad's favorite books and he's recommended it to me before.  While I can appreciate its strong points, I don't think it's one of my favorites.  For one thing, I prefer a main character I love and would want to hang out with. Ignatius Reilly had many interesting characteristics but I would never want to meet him.  On the one hand, he's obsessed with the Middle Ages and thinks things would be better with an enlightened monarchy (I'm not saying he's wrong what with the way things are...)  He is very educated with a graduate degree and he speaks far beyond the comprehension of the people around, which is very funny to read.  On the other hand, he lies, he's selfish, and he's cruel to his mama among other offenses. So not someone I'd want to meet but someone who is a Character.

My favorite part of the book was how the disparate characters and earlier events tied together-I mean it's perfect.  It's not like crazy coincidences as Dickens does but instances that logically follow the previous events.  The part I didn't like was how intensely awkward some scenes were for me to read.  I could not have read this book all in one go because I had to take breaks and distance myself from what was happening.

It's been defined as a picaresque novel which I always associate with Don Quixote.  It's been a while since I've read that but I remember some of the occurrences escalating in a similar way so I can see it.  For example, Ignatius has a simple office job before he decides that he will organize the workers at a factory which almost leads to a riot.  It's amazing.

Overall: Intensely awkward at times, very funny at times with the perfect ending.

Cover: I found this cover weird at first but it actually makes perfect sense after reading the book.

The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Fawcett Crest, 1985
395 pages
Dystopian; Feminist; Classic
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Summary: Offred is a Handmaid in a dystopian nation formed out of the US.  As a Handmaid, her sole preoccupation is to become pregnant by the Commander; any child produced will then go to the Commander and his wife.  In this society, people are sharply divided in to different ranks, with little interaction.  Offred can remember some of the time before when she had a husband and a child but those memories are fading.

Thoughts: I had tried to read this once before but failed due to my workload and I think it also had something to do with the writing.  It's written in stream of consciousness style which works with the story but is not at all my preference.  It is also less plot driven and more about Offred thinking about her past, what the future might hold, and how she feels without her doing anything.  Not that she could do anything in the very hierarchical and patriarchal society in which she lives.  I think I just found it too depressing and terrifying.

Overall: I can see why this is such an acclaimed story and it is well-written but it's not quite my taste.

Cover: I find the cover very striking.  Long before I read this, I noticed it and thought it looked really weird.

Has anyone seen the movie? It seems like a hard book to adapt.

Read as part of my FITG challenge.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Alfred A. Knopf, 2005
550 pages
YA; Historical
3.5/5 stars

Source: My sister bought it and now I have borrowed it.

Summary: (from goodreads-usually I like to write my own summaries but I had a lot of trouble with this one.)

"It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.  This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul. "

Thoughts: I saw many rave reviews of this before I started reading it so I had high hopes.  Alas I must be an exception for while I can see the strengths of it, it didn't work for me.

I liked the idea of Death as narrator but Zusack's Death isn't as good as Terry Pratchett's Death.  I liked the idea of a young girl in Nazi Germany.  Despite the popularity of WWII in film and fiction, I still feel as if there isn't as much in YA (in general I feel like there isn't much historical fiction in YA at all).  Another problem was that despite the little moments in the book, the overwhelming feeling I got from it was depression especially as Hitler and the Holocaust are referenced frequently.  I know the Holocaust was an awful event and I do not want anything of that kind to ever happen again but I personally had trouble handling that aspect. I also didn't like the use of German, followed by a rough translation of what was said-I found it annoying, perhaps because I have studied German and didn't always need the translation so it was like having something repeated to me.

My favorite part was the descriptions of books and the joyful experience of reading.  Liesel certainly needed some good in her life and I think book bloggers will appreciate those passages.  The ending did make me cry.  The death all around was too much and practically everyone dies.

Overall: While I recognize this as a book that is kind of book that wins awards, I didn't particularly like it.

Cover: The dominoes are a good choice for the cover.

Also: I had forgotten that this was part of my FITG challenge (see tab at top)

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2003

Originally published 1847

258 pages

Classic; "Love" story

Summary: The classic tale of Cathy and Heathcliff on the wild moors.

Thoughts: I read this as part of the Brontë challenge and also because I had never read it before. It was a struggle to finish it but I am finally done (and just in time because it is due at the library soon!)

When I first tried to read this, I had difficulty with the framing device used. It starts with a tenant meeting Heathcliff and then is told from the perspective of a gossipy servant who watched all that happened. I suppose I prefer a more traditional method of telling a story.

The other big problem I have is that none of the characters are likeable. They are all awful people who seem to enjoy hurting others, being accommodating to spoiled brats, being spoiled brats, being selfish, etc. Why would anyone choose to write a story about people with basically no redeeming qualities? I've never met anybody that awful and fiction ought to have some basis in reality.

The biggest problem I have is with Heathcliff. Anybody who finds him romantic has either watched film versions too much or has some serious psychological problems because he is a character I find almost pure evil. His legitimate grudges (toward Earnshaw, Linton, and Cathy) are pursued needlessly against the second generation so that almost every page features the reverberations of a selfish, cruel person who cares naught for anyone or anything beyond himself. I cannot see any love in his heart even as he professes it for Cathy (And I do not like that everyone keeps having the same name.)

Also what's up with the moors? I'm not sure this covers everything I hated about this book but it will have to suffice.

Overall: 1 out of 5. Simply awful.

Also a cute cartoon about the Brontë sisters.

The Time Machine

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Scholastic, 1978

123 pages

Science Fiction; Classic

FITG Challenge

Summary: The classic story of a man who builds a time machine and travels into a horrifying future.

Why I Read: It was assigned for class but it also overlapped with a personal challenge.

My Thoughts: I didn't really know what to expect but the future that this man goes into is like a capitalist nightmare. The leisured class have degenerated into frolickers while the workers have become blind mole people who feast on them. It was weird. Then he goes even further into the future where pretty much everything is dead. It is certainly not the kind of future I would want to imagine and put down on paper although I am also not a brilliant writer and I'm not aspiring to that.

Overall: 4 out of 5. It's an important book; part of the founding of the genre of science fiction and very interesting in its forecasting of the future but it's not really my type of book. It is however blessedly short (and my copy had largeish font so it's actually even shorter.)

I do kind of want to see the 2002 film with Guy Pearce which is apparently quite altered but also features the very hot Guy Pearce. Has anybody seen it?

Goals for New Year

I've had these in my head for a while but I realized that I'd never written them down.

1. I want to finish all of my challenges. I didn't sign up for too many so I think that will be manageable. I also want to make progress on my personal challenges.

2. I want to update everything; post all of my reviews on amazon, cross-reference posts on this blog, keep my challenge posts up to date, and keep good records in my google docs.

3. I plan to read Dracula, Woman in White, The Color Purple, and Middlemarch during my school semester (in addition to whatever else I come across). They're part of my FITG challenge and the first three are epistolary novels which I am a sucker for.

4. I am setting a goal to read 200 books this year. I've never kept track of how many books I read so this will be interesting to see how close I can come. I think I can do it as long as I pick good books and prioritize better than I've done (I have a tendency to end up playing online sudoku and spacing out.)

5. I also want to make a nice dent in my 2000+ TBR list so I need to make sure that I pick books from it.

6. I hope to post at least two books a week since I don't know if I'll necessarily want to post about every book I read.

Nixonland

Nixonland by Rick Perlstein

Summary: This is a look at roughly 1965-1972 focusing primarily on Nixon but bringing in the other political figures of the time and the cultural revolution to examine the landscape of American politics that exists even today in what Perlstein calls Nixonland.

(Warning: partisan political thoughts ahead)

I don't think this is so much a review as it is me just talking about the random thoughts that ran through my mind while reading this.

First, a joke: How could you tell when Richard Nixon was lying?
His mouth was moving.

Now I actually somewhat like Nixon but, especially, as 1972 approaches that is just so true. He was resentful, paranoid, and IMO approaching crazy (he seems to have believed that America would end if he wasn't reelected). His team sabotages the various Democratic candidates and plays political games with American lives in Vietnam. He exploited and injected anger and resentments as his main tactic for elections.

I liked Nixon as someone who wasn't good-looking, didn't give the best speeches, wasn't privileged unlike some other presidents who I don't feel were particularly qualified (*coughKennedyReagancough*) but got the job anyway. He had to work hard and accept cruddy jobs as the attacker for Ike or a punching bag for the Republicans.

I don't like Nixon as someone who convinces middle-class whites that they are oppressed (um what?) and takes advantage of our worse selves. I, naive little me, prefer the uplifting candidate who makes me want to be better. I don't like that he surrounded himself with creeps; I was going to say crooks but I felt the former word worked better :-) I don't like how he seemed to think that Nixon=America or how his team put the message out that disagreeing with the president was hurtful to America (Hmm, familiar?) I don't like his shifting "principles" (not entirely sure he had any)

One quote that particularly struck me was on page 47 (of the hardback): "The DNC was right: an amazingly large segment of the population disliked and mistrusted Richard Nixon instinctively. What they did not acknowledge was that an amazingly large segment of the population also trusted him as their savior." Basically you can substitute Obama or Palin for Nixon and you've got 2008. Similarly the last page talks about how "Nixon left behind the very terms of our national self-image: a notion that there are two kinds of Americans." It's been 30/40 years and we still interact in the terms laid out by Nixon.

One thing I didn't like about this book was Perlstein's repeated use of the phrase "slow, soiling humiliation." You know how some people hate the word moist? That's what this phrase did me, especially because it was used so frequently about Nixon. This book also turned me on John Wayne; I've never been a big fan of westerns (there usually aren't any female characters) but I've tried to watch some since he was the biggest movie star in America but now I don't feel guilty that I don't like his stupid movies and I'm going to avoid watching any more.

I finished Nixonland (which I'm rating a 3.5 because it was awfully long and sometimes boring but it was on my FITG list so I wanted to finish it) and I am currently reading three other books. I hope to finish them shortly.

100 in 2010

Beginning January 1, 2010 and continuing through the year, the goal is to read 100 books. While I'm pretty sure that I've read over 100 books this year, I didn't keep track so this will be a personal challenge for me to keep track of everything I read, including new reads, rereads, challenge books, and any audio books.

To sign up, head on over to J. Kaye's Blog!

Also at J. Kaye is the 2010 support your library; I read books that are almost exclusively from the library so I'm going for the Super Size Me which is 100 books. If I can complete the first one, I should be able to finish this one too.

So because I'm kind of lazy, this is a dual post for reading 100 books from the library. Most of the books I would review for this blog are from the library; the other books I read, I bought for class and tend to be less interesting.

1. Nixonland by Rick Perlstein

2. Ex-Mas by Kate Brian (I love that I read this in January rather than December)

3. Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff

4. Signing Their Lives Away by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D'Agnese

5. Lord Peter Wimsey Stories by Dorothy L Sayers

6. Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner

7. Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen

8. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie (I fingered the murderer!)

9. Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

10. Polk by Walter Borneman

11. Liar by Justine Larbalestier

12. The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie

13. Nobody's Prize by Esther Friesner

14. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

15. Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

16. The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers by Thomas Fleming

17. The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie

18. Harry Potter's Bookshelf by John Granger

19. Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson

20. How Harry Cast His Spell by John Granger

21. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

22. Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

23. Harry Potter and Imagination by Travis Prinzi

24. The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

25. The Founding by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (Would love to continue this series but the library does not have the second book :-( Will keep looking)

26. Sea Glass by Maria V Snyder

27. Murder on Board by Agatha Christie (3 books in one)

28. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

29. Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier

30. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

31. Becoming Jane Eyre by Shelia Kohler.

32. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

33. A Truth Universally Acknowledged ed. Susannah Carson

34. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

35. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

36. And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

37. Fire by Kristin Cashore

38. Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

39. A Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

40. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris

41. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

42. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

43. Final Exam by Maggie Barbieri

44. George Lucas' Blockbusting ed. Alex Ben Block

45. Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman

46. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

47. The Last Illusion by Rhys Bowen

48. Stupid Cupid by Rhonda Stapleton

49. The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols

50. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

51. House Rules by Jodi Picoult

52. A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

53. Frankly My Dear, I'm Dead by Livia J. Washburn

54. The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L Sayers

55. Perfect Shot by Debbie Rigaud

56. The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren by Wendy Toliver

57. Love Off-Limits by Whitney Lyles

58. The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig

59. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

60. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

61. Huckleberry Finished by Livia J Washburn

62. A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander

63. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

64. Jane Austen and the War of Ideas by Marilyn Butler

65. This Book is Overdue by Marilyn Johnson

66. Flirting with Disaster by Rhonda Stapleton

67. Redeeming the Hero by Moira J. Moore

68. Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison

69. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

70. The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

71. Laughing Feminism by Audrey Bilger

72. The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

73. Heaven by Lisa Miller

74. Fat Cat by Robin Brande

75. The Ninth Daughter by Barbara Hamilton

76. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

77. Bible Babel by Kristin Swenson

78. Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount-White

79. Albatross by Josie Bloss

80. Wish by Alexandra Bullen

81. The Big Burn by Timothy Egan

82. Darklight by Lesley Livingston

83. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

84. Charlotte and Emily by Jude Morgan

85. The Real Real by

86. Impossible by Nancy Werlin

87. Extracurricular Activities by Maggie Barbieri

88. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

89. Quick Study by Maggie Barbieri

90. Just Jane by Nancy Moser

91. Daughter of Silk by Linda Lee Chaikin

92. Written on Silk by Linda Lee Chaikin

93. Thread of Silk by Linda Lee Chaikin

94. Jane's Fame by Claire Harman

95. Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

96. The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie

97. The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters

98. When Everything Changed by Gail Collins

99. Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
100. Aurelia by Anne Osterlund
101. Belief by Francis Collins
102. In the Land of Believers by Gina Welch
103. Heist Society by Ally Carter
104. Fifth Avenue, 5 AM by Sam Wasson
Updated September 5th