Now Time to Detox
The other night I finished City of Glass
Sigh. I feel as though I can rest and breathe now. The series isn’t over, but the ending of City of Glass serves for a solid intermission. Well done, Cassandra Clare, well done. If you have been following my blog this last week, there is not much more I can share regarding my feelings about this series. Pure cotton candy for the intelligent teen, it is lovely and exciting. However, I need a little detox after all that sugar before I dive back in with books 4, 5 and the 2nd of The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Prince.
So, my intentional break until the weekend (when I plan to whole-heartedly go on another bender) is a steady diet of meat. I’ve been leisurely reading through Merchant Kings
The Naked Olympics
Who else is down for a mind and body detox? Grab a good book, mix yourself some vitamin water (http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-vitamin-water-479989) and don’t shower until you’ve done 50 jumping jacks, 30 crunches, 20 pushups, all your stances for at least 30 seconds each (if you’re in martial arts), and had a good long stretch!
Here’s another earn your shower workout routine, and may I note that its been a good long while since I looked anything like this lady – man, she’s awesome. http://www.bodyrock.tv/2010/02/12/earn-your-shower-workout/
Review: Suite Francaise
I don’t think anyone can truly appreciate this book until they know the following: When Nemirovsky was writing the book she originally meant it to be five parts, but she only finished two: Storm in June and Dolce, these two parts are what makes up Suite Francaise. These five parts though, were each individually fashioned (in writing style) after the five parts of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Storm in June’s chapters are short and sweet, choppy, slightly repetitious in nature. Dolce is a little more long-winded and flowing. Imagine the beauty of the completed work, if she had lived to finish it. Without this critical information I was irritated by her repetition. I thought perhaps it hadn’t been through the proper editing because she died before the novel was completed. But listening to Beethoven and knowing what she was fashioning this all after, putting the war in terms of music, within a novel. Its beautifully fascinating. What made her think of it? How wonderful would the entire book have been had she lived to complete it? The story was interesting and the writing good, but for some reason I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I think I should have. I expected this to be a four or five-star book for me, easily, based on reviews and whatnot. Instead, I just liked it, and was far more fascinated by the appendices at the end. I loved her notes and journal entries, it was so amazing to be inside her head for those brief moments.
Book Title:Suite Francaise
Author: Irene Nemirovsky
Original Publication Date: 2004 (written in 1942)
Edition Read: 2006 Knopf
Total Pages: 395
Genre: Classic Historical Fiction
Reason Read: Found on Amazon as a gift for my mother; she gave thumbs up as did Sandy, neither of whom steer me wrong
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
“He wanted to write a story about these charming little horses, a story that would evoke this day in July, this land, this farm, these people, the war – and himself.
“He wrote with a chewed-up pencil stub, in a little notebook which he hid against his heart. He felt he had to hurry: something inside him was making him anxious, was knocking on an invisible door.” – Page 179
If you love lyrical prose and character development, I highly recommend this enjoyable book. I really loved this book the farther along I went…
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Indulging My Latest Addiction
*Spoilers!*
Title: City of Ashes
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: McElderry Books
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Length: 453 pages
My obsession for these books goes against every fiber of my being, but I love them. I blew through City of Ashes in just a few hours and am pausing to write this review against the deep urge to blow it off and just start the next book. But the kiddo is napping and my blog is being neglected, so I have no excuse, and will sit and spout off a few thoughts before I move onto City of Glass.
First of all, the Jace and Clary business hasn’t been resolved yet and my impatient self likes to get past the angst and the romance and on with the war. It’s that deep inner girly desire to lunge head on into adventure *with* the love of my life, rather than struggling with all the defining the relationship business. I was never good at that, I married my best friend and soul mate after years of waiting for him. The angsty waiting should be reserved for books like Persuasion, for me, not warrior demon-slaying sagas. That’s probably what hooks me with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander Series, Jamie and Clare are married. I get why that’s not applicable for a young adult series though.
Second, and mostly notable because its fresh on my mind (being in the epilogue), I love the Harry Potter reference. It is fantastic. Although, the subject matter puts this series in the sub-genre of Meyer’s Twilight Series, I find it more comparable to Harry Potter or the wonderful works of Robin McKinley. There’s a fine line, but it makes a huge difference. For those who read McKinley’s Sunshine as an adult, and perhaps read the Hero and the Crown, these books will suck you in.
Third… well, actually, I’m done here, I have more reading to do!
And She Went There – A City of Bones Review
*Spoilers!*
Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: McElderry Books (http://imprints.simonandschuster.biz/margaret-k-mcelderry-books)
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Length: 485 pages
Oh my… geeze Louise. What the heck! I totally saw the insinuation of the plot developing, and I completely anticipate that this particular plot development will prove to be false… But Clare totally STAR WARSed us! Except with Luke and Leah there was relief that came with the knowledge of their familial ties (after the ewww moment), because at least then we felt ok about hoping that whiny Luke didn’t get the girl and that Leah and Han Solo were meant for each other. Clary and Jace! Really? Did Cassandra Clare have to go there? Yes, yes, I fear she did. Although I’m not buying the story line, it worked hook, line, and sinker and I’m itching to find out what happens next.
Of course, now, perfectly livid and irritated at my fascination for this series, I’m both addicted and torn.
What am I torn about? And why am I still addicted?
1. I was not a Twilight fan. Meyer captured her target audience, and it was a fun little fairy tale – so in that aspect I can respect it. But Bella is useless and I pretty much hate her character, Edward is ridiculous and I pretty much hate his character, and their whole relationship, I think, is absurd and sends the wrong message. Cassandra Clare’s work definitely goes in the same genre, so in that sense I don’t want to like these books. Still, Clare is just so much better with her character development, her story telling, and her writing. Granted, I could do without all the teenage melodrama romance, but the adventure and the world she has created is wonderfully fascinating. (Read my Twilight review here: https://anakalianwhims.wordpress.com/tag/flaubert/)
2. These books are complete fluff. In general, I am particular about my fluff. I am very judgy, and frankly, a bit of a book snob. Apparently, though, I’m in the mood for some complete and utter fluff, and a girl needs a healthy dose of dessert in her life in order to truly enjoy the non-dessert. Clare makes up for the feeling of reading a crap ton of mind numbing cotton candy equivalent books with a healthy dose of literature references, so instead of cotton candy, I feel as though I’m reading a lemon meringue pie (with extra cool whip).
3. I absolutely protest having half naked boys on the front cover. It’s a huge turn off when it comes to my book buying tendencies. I was duped by Infernal Devices and the gentleman in the top hat. Happily duped.
4. Then, which to read next? City of Ashes? (Book 2 of Mortal Instruments) or Clockwork Prince? (Book 2 of Infernal Devices). Infernal Devices is the better series so far in my book, mostly because its Victorian and steampunk and all that delicious goodness, but I’m in a little more distress over the Mortal Instruments story line in this moment. Does Clare pull a few more twists and rectify this ridiculous love story into the something morally acceptable I feel she is alluding to – or am I going to writhe my way through an incestuous romance? And if this situation is resolved as I suspect (and hope) it will be, how does she do it?
Side note: Contrary to recent and probably most frequent posts, this is not a blog dedicated to childrens or young adult titles. I read them a lot, therefore review them a lot, mostly because I have a child and partly because I enjoy reading what has been published since I was a child myself. In the coming month(s), my readers/ followers can (fingers crossed) expect to find reviews and commentary for Book 3 of Les Miserables, Coming of Age in the Milky Way by Ferris, Merchant Kings by Brown, a surprise title sent to me to review by an author, and the latest discoveries in my Astrology research project.
The Part Where I Admit I’m a Sucker…
…for any book cover featuring a gentleman in a top hat.
Title: Clockwork Angel
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: McElderry Books
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Steampunk
Length: 478 pages
I am very skeptical when it comes to current popular young adult titles. Anything published in the aftermath of the Twilight Saga makes me pretty inclined to doubt that the story will be anything but unequivocal crap. In fact, when I first saw the covers of Cassandra Clare’s original series The Mortal Instruments (City of Ashes, City of Bones, etc.), I had no interest whatsoever in the nearly naked teens displayed on the front cover in all their thin, muscled perfection. Clockwork Angel, on the other hand, the first in the prequel series The Infernal Devices taunted me for months. This front cover is still shimmery and radiates young adult paranormal pop culture crap, but the teen isn’t naked, he’s in full on Victorian era attire, coat, top hat, the whole shebang. I was torn. How did they know they would suck me in like this? How did Cassandra Clare know that this book was basically screaming at me: YOU, You pompous, self-righteous, book snob, YOU, try to NOT read THIS one!
I rebelled. I refused. It continuously called my name. And if it hadn’t been for 1) S. Smith renewing my faith in *new* young adult fiction with Seed Savers and 2) Felix J. Palma enchanting me with a love hate relationship with The Map of Time (that a. ended in love and b. also featured a somewhat shiny top hatted man on the front cover), my rebellion would have won out and in turn I would have lost out.
Cassandra Clare, if you are reading this, I loved Clockwork Angel. I didn’t want to, because I’m a book snob, but you won me over, with – of all things – book love.
Clockwork Angel is a little bit paranormal, a little bit steam punk, a whole lot of adventure, and even more book worship. Clare’s characters are well read in all my Victorian and pre-Victorian favorites. No matter how predictable or typical they behave, they win me over every time with their references to Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, A Tale of Two Cities, countless poets, and more. The feelings are that of typical teens without over exaggerating the melodrama. And the adventure and fight scenes are just down right fun. How do you pass up automatons, vampires, warlocks, and gadgets? You can’t, especially when its been so long since the vampires have actually been bad guys, not sparkling, cheesy love interests. Thank you Clare, for putting those vamps in their place. In Clockwork Angel we know they are bad guys, dangerous, but they don’t over run the story… it’s not entirely about them, they’re just part of the landscape… Thank God.
Now, of course, I have the entire Mortal Instruments series sitting on my end table to be read, despite their front covers. I’m suckered, I’m hooked, I have to know the whole story.
End Note: I’d put Clare’s writing at about a 6th-7th grade level, content probably for a 14+ but I’d have no problem letting anyone younger read it because there’s nothing inappropriate or anything, it just might take a slightly older child to catch all the literature references.
The Ravenous Beast
Title: The Ravenous Beast
Author: Niamh Sharkey
Publisher: Walker Books
Genre: Board Book
I originally bought The Ravenous Beast for the color scheme (its cover is purple, turquoise, and an orangy- yellow) and illustrations. And the fact that Ayla fell in love with it in the bookstore. That was a while back, and now our once new board book is chaffed, worn, and has a cracked spine. Sharkey’s book has become one of her favorites. It gets read at the table during lunch (my favorite time to read it), at night before bed from time to time, and every once in a while I read it at Half Price Books’ story time while the kids chow down on crackers.
If you make sure to do all the different voices and include the exclamation marks while reading, the book is always well received by children, despite the slightly disturbing end where The Ravenous Beast eats ALL the other characters. I suppose the disturbing factor is lost on kids anyway because they all think its the funniest thing ever. Truth be told, it is rather funny. The whale is my personal favorite, but Ayla prefers the cat and the crocodile.
Sharkey is a well-known and accomplished children’s illustrator, not only does she write and illustrate popular children’s books like The Ravenous Beast, she is the Children’s Laureate of Ireland and is now collaborating with Brown Bag Films and Disney to create a show based on her book I’m A Happy Hugglewug. Learn more about her and all her ventures on her blog: http://niamhsharkey.blogspot.com
Weekly Low Down on Kids Books 6/26/12
One Watermelon Seed
One Watermelon Seed reminded me of another recent favorite:Seed Savers: Treasure
A Weekend With Murderers
Its been an interesting, though depressing weekend of books, while I was away from the computer. Since my modem had burned up and we were patiently waiting for a new one, I decided to sit down and have as much as a reading marathon as possible with a toddler in my midst. So between a whole lot of picture and board books, I was on a mission to tick some loitering TBRs off my end table…
…Starting with Native Son
So I set it aside, but moved onto to the worst choice ever: Albert Camus’ The Stranger
All these “helpless” humans killing other humans. I got really irritated, more than a little sad, and switched over to some nonfiction where I polished the weekend off with a whole lot of Astrology and Astronomy books for a little research project. As someone who personally knows someone in prison for two accounts of attempted murder, I just have a hard time buying into the helpless unintentional killings, unless we’re talking self defense or the mentally disabled (like in Of Mice and Men).
What have you been reading?
The Planets
Title: The Planets
Author: Dava Sobel
I’m impressed with how accessible Dava Sobel has made Astronomy. As a New York Times journalist, she brings all the important information to the table. As a writer, she’s a story teller of the highest degree. Beautiful, fluid, and full of all the ancient romance of the stars, The Planets is full of history, poetry, and all the most relevant of scientific discoveries. Sobel’s work is not only a pleasurable read, but the dream-find for a homeschooling mom intent on classically educating her child.
With Sobel’s newspaper background, the book is very readable; a proficient sixth grader shouldn’t have a problem with it. I plan to use this for my child’s eleven year old Astronomy lessons, along with a middle grade level study of Ancient History, as Sobel has filled the book with quotes from or about many of the Greats. “Pythagoras believed the cosmic order obeyed the same mathematical rules and proportions as the tones on the musical scale,” (pg. 163.) introduces an entire chapter dedicated to man’s fascination with the planets and how that has been celebrated through the centuries through the art of music.
Always presented to me in school as a pitiable underdog, small and petite, Pluto was my favorite planet. Even more so when it was first threatened by the idea of being stripped of its planetary status, I became indignant, an uneducated supporter of allowing it keep its rank in the sky and in our textbooks. Like an older sibling protecting a small child, I felt like it was a personal attack to say Pluto wasn’t really a planet. I was angered that someone had decided to take back all I had been taught and strip this little planet of a description I thought it had earned. After reading Sobel’s explanation of Pluto’s discovery, history and status and then a chapter on Uranus, I think I may be sold on the reasons why Pluto title as the 9th planet is threatened and that Uranus is actually my new favorite. So heavily tied to the literary works of Shakespeare in name and attitude with such a unique history, my new knowledge of Uranus now pales my previous love for Pluto – a childish emotion of elementary proportions, tied to an association with the Disney dog.
I have other books by Sobel lurking around in my library, and I can’t wait to dive into those when I’ve exhausted this particular topic. I look forward to reading Longitude and see if she attacks the subject of geography with the same fervor as she did Astronomy.
Agatha, Eggs, and Book Hounds
In my pursuit to read all things Agatha Christie, I have been reading through her entire Crime Collection. It’s a 23 month program that I set up for myself. I love reading things in lists this way, but the only draw back is in getting an awful lot of Christie at once. In doing that, I found one I didn’t care for a lot faster than I would otherwise. Three Act Tragedy just didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t as exciting, it wasn’t a page-turner. I’m not sure if its my mood, if this one just isn’t my style, or if its Egg. Yes, I have a problem with Egg, and in a bit of stream of consciousness, I will tell you why.
I’m not sure if I don’t like her character or if I’m just hung up on her name. I just know for certain that I can’t go along with the idea of naming a character Egg. It really bothers me. The only remotely forgivable occasion is in True Blood, where there is a rather tall gentleman by the name of Eggs. 1. He’s a dude. 2. There’s an ‘S’ which gives me the impression that maybe its supposed to be his last name. 3. You can call anyone almost anything in the South, but Europeans should be a little more respectable in my opinion. I can say that, I’m from Texas.
I read “Egg” and am immediately filled with images and smells:
* green lights, The Great Gatsby, and eggs for neighborhoods
* lots of colors, Easter egg hunts, odors from the yard due to un-found treasures (yuck)
* yummy smells, too…. breakfast. omelette. Hobo omelette are the best.
* the feel of a cold egg cracking under my fingertips, I like the sound of the crack too
Good or bad, none of these sounds, smells, and recollections should be brought to mind from a charismatic female character in a murder mystery. How funny, too, that she even says “That is a bit catastrophic. To go through life as a Mugg -” in reference to another’s name. Whereas I think, more catastrophic than to be called “Egg”? While pondering this, Sir Charles interrupts my thoughts with some chatter about the murder and then says, “Oh, damn, why do I beat around the bush?” At that, my middle school humor kicks in and I begin to giggle as Egg is being spoken to by a man who used the word ‘beat.’ I immediately feel the need to make a Quiche, or a cheesecake, rather than solve a murder. Although Poirot is the best sleuth around and it is said that he has an egg-shaped head.
Oh Hercule Poirot! “That man! Is he back in England?” “Yes.” “Why has he come back?” “Why does a dog go hunting?” – 3rd Act, Part 10
Although, naming a character Sir Bartholemew Strange nearly makes up for this little irritation about the Egg. In fact, it would be a great name for a dog. I would call him Bartie for short, and I think perhaps he should be a hound of some kind. I have a beagle named Geoffrey Chaucer, perhaps Bartie could be the Walker Hound of my future. I’d love to have a Jack Russell named Agatha. Mmmm, no, not a Jack Russell. I’d like Agatha to be a Fox Hound…
Anakalian Whims 