Light Holiday Reading
Rebel Angels: Part II in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray
Delightful, though predictable, Bray’s second novel in her magical realms series was an exciting and fanciful Christmas adventure. The sequel is much more intriguing than the original piece. I found myself more drawn in to the lives of the girls of Spence while on their Holiday Vacation than I was with their previous escapades at school. Over all, well done and I look forward to Part Three in the trilogy.
The Act of Reviewing
I was reading a blog earlier this evening (http://anthropologist.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/limits-gardening-up-in-the-air/) about “Up in the Air” a story recently made into a movie by Walter Kirn. It caught my eye because I work at a bookstore and I was shelving a few books by Kirn the other day and thought, “Didn’t they just make that a movie? Splendid, someone will be looking for this soon.”
Anyhow, while reading this blog, I kept thinking how clever the author was to pull little quirks of her daily life into her reviews. It seems personable and fun.
I do no such thing. My book reviews are a few lines about the book and anything I was reminded of by that book.
Then I realized that I do no such thing, because I don’t exactly have a life to mention. I read at home, make lists of what I shall read, clean my house, love my husband, pet and feed the dogs, read some more. I go to work and shelve books all day thinking about what I will read when I get home, I even read for an hour on my lunch break. When I get home I clean the house, pet the dogs, love my husband, and read some more. When I’m done reading, I write. I write books that will probably never be published, but I am so engrossed in my own storylines I don’t care; and I write reviews for a blog no one reads.
Then, I put my laptop down and read some more.
I am not complaining. I think I lead a very adventurous life… In my head. But my lack of interaction, excitement, and deviation from routine causes a lack in my writing.
Now, I have much to ponder.
Except, I’ll probably post this, close my laptop, finish my book, journal, and write a review of said book. Because, for me, the act of reviewing is my only act… until a new whim hits me.
Unexpected Gem
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
The Reader is a touching coming of age novel that reads like a memoir. Reminiscent of McEwan’s Atonement in its themes of shame and intense raw humanity, Schlink constantly begs the question from his characters and his readers: “What would you have done?” The humility of illiteracy, ignorance, and confinement brought tears to my eyes. I found The Reader to be an unexpected gem.
Unclean Spirits by M.L.N. Hanover
Book One of the Black Sun’s Daughter Series
Unclean Spirits is a fun adventure filled fantasy to veg out with your favorite snack and a comfy pillow. Hanover did a good job of taking an overused theme (vampires and metaphysical ghosties verses the good guys fighting evil) and turning it into something fresh and fun and not too plot heavy with romance. Jayne Heller makes for a great escape fiction heroine and I’ll be interested to see how the rest of the trilogy turns out.
Lady Susan by Jane Austen
Lady Susan is by far my least favorite of Austen’s work, to no fault of Austen herself but rather to my own reading preferences. I am not a fan of reading stories by way of letters between characters, I find it difficult for characters to really have their own unique voice. The only books I have read in which the viewpoint is in constant flux and was done exceedingly well have been Barbara Kingsolver’s Poisonwood Bible and Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife. I appreciate Austen’s change from her typical storytelling routines, but I much prefer the titles I have re-read since I was a kid. We’ll see how I feel about Lady Susan in ten years when I have re-read her a few times, as of now, I don’t much care for her.
Have You Read Goodell’s Zenith Rising?
As most people know, I am a shelfari.com addict. It makes sense, as shelfari is a book site for book people and I am quite certainly a book person. In my shelfari hunting and pecking for great reads and cool recommendations, I ran across an author named Michael Goodell who has since been a fun shelfari friend to engage in the banter of book talk. One day, a group of us decided to read his book Zenith Rising (available for purchase on amazon) and discovered quite a treat.
I found Zenith Rising to be an interesting read and great first novel for Goodell. It was slightly reminiscent of an old classic with a mix of John Grisham’s The Rainmaker, but unique and very much an original piece full of life and art and the raw thoughts of humanity. I also believe that its a good shelf companion to Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead.
Goodell has said about his work,
[…] one message I want people to walk away with after reading Zenith Rising, it would be the transformative effect that the pride of accomplishment and the sense of ownership can have on people who have never accomplished anything, (nor been told that they could or should), and never owned anything that wasn’t given to them. On that last point, when I was working with a nonprofit housing group, I was struck by the similarities between the lives of trust fund babies, and those of welfare babies. They both are born into lives with no demands and no expectations, and both engage in self-destructive behaviors, often culminating in wasted lives. I tried to point out that connection through some of the characters and their antics.
I think Goodell has succeeded in his goal, as most people I have talked to about the book feel a twinge of nostalgia towards the work as a whole. I cried like a baby through chapter nine, the way I cried in Wall-E. People should read this book before finishing school, high school or college, I don’t think it really matters which, just before they go out into the world. Inspire them to not let money go to their head, and not let their cities become pieces of crap. We’re always taught about the problems in other countries. Growing up, I always heard the glories of mission trips. Did we ever do activities in our own cities that were helpful? Not really. The closest we came was a yearly trip to Dallas four hours away. We got a lot done and it was amazing, but anything that can be done in Dallas could have certainly been done in Houston.
I truly believe that Goodell’s book has a bit of simple brilliance about it and cannot wait to read his second book which will also be set in the city of Zenith.
An excerpt from the book (pg.82-83):
One of the men stood with back to the viewer, in the lower center of the painting, where the mountain sloped down to a ridge, gazing out across a valley or vast plain stretching to the horizon. Often painted at dusk, with mist rising from the ground, or the sunset colors reflecting in the myriad streams snaking their way across the valley floor, the paintings gave the attorney an aching desire to step into that long lost world. He stood beside the adventurer at the edge of a precipice. The world unfolded at his feet, waiting for a man courageous enough to carve a life from its untamed wilds.
Information from the Zenith Rising Website:
From its stunning opening scene of a police raid gone tragically awry, to its heart-breaking conclusion, “Zenith Rising” tells the story of a dying city. Yet once that city was a world leader in manufacturing and technological innovation.
Once Zenith’s future was limited only by the size of its dreams.
Though the years stripped away its promise, the people of Zenith didn’t share equally in its decline. For some, the wealth garnered during the glory years insulated them from the city’s struggles. Others sought to suck the last bit of life, and profit, from the dying city, while a few, a lonely few, saw things as they were and vowed to change them.
Michael Goodell has given us a compelling tale ripped from today’s headlines. By means of a riveting plot and vivid characters, he presents a challenge every American must confront.
You can learn more about itat http://www.zenithrising.webs.com
The list price is $24.95.
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
“The Communist Manifesto
For that reason, I think everyone should read this book and grasp a greater understanding of the world around them. At the risk of ‘igniting violent debate’ I’ll let it be known that I disagree with the concept. I am especially opposed to the idea of the abolition of a right to inheritance, as I would love to pass my library down to the future generations of my family. Perhaps some things should be a little more equal, but I like the individuality we have in being able to select what we purchase and accumulate. I enjoy the right to educate our own children, having the privilege to opt out of public education in order to give our children more – more knowledge, more quality time, more love.
The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly
The first of the Haunted Bookshop Mystery Series is adorable. I want to shop Buy the Book (a small bookstore that reminds me of Houston’s Murder By the Book), hug Penelope McClure, and exchange witty dialogue with her resident ghost P.I. Jack Shepard. Like her Coffee House Mystery Series (written under the name Cleo Coyle), Alice Kimberly’s bookshop murders are fun, endearing, and most importantly, cozy.
The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason
The Piano Tuner
“‘It doesn’t matter. It is just a story, I suppose.’ ‘Yes, Mr. Drake […] They are all just stories.'”
Anakalian Whims 
Fantasy vs. Reality, Bella Swan Meet Emma Bovary
December 14, 2009 at 1:28 am (Reviews, The Whim) (austen, Bella Swan, book, cervantes, coming of age, edward, emma bovary, fantasy, fiction, flaubert, Kristen Stewart, love, review, romance, social commentary, twilight, twilight movie image)
Kristen Stewart, actress, as Bella Swan in the Twilight Saga movies
While reading Madame Bovary and coming to these conclusions, I couldn’t help but compare this theme to the realities of today – to the fad that is known as the Twilight Saga. Since I first read Stephenie Meyer’s books I have told people the story-line of the Twilight Saga is terribly frustrating because it sets unrealistic and pitiful standards on the beautiful thing that is love. Not to say the books are inherently bad, they were entertaining and held my attention until the end, but there are so many things young men and women should understand when sitting down to read these novels. Well, one thing specifically: Edward is not real. Jacob is not real. These boys do not exist, they will never exist. And truth be told, they don’t act like real men, and in the end, even if they did exist, you would be unsatisfied. Beware of expecting the wrong things and becoming the next Madame Bovary, wench of all wenches.
Below is a review of Twilight my sister Nikki Dawn Bratton wrote:
In short, read Twilight and New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn to your hearts content. Inwardly swoon all you want, but please, please, please, read Flaubert’s Madame Bovary as soon as you do. Get acquainted with Emma Bovary and understand her weakness for all affairs and selfishness, and remember that is not a road you want to take. Real love, real passionate and blissful love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not rude or self-seeking, is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrong. It’s also a daily choice and a lot of hard work. Do it right and you will see the fruits of your labors. Do not expect butterflies and tingles every time you look at the object of your affection, but don’t be so certain that they ever completely desist either.
I love my fantasies, but I know I cannot be so involved in them to find reality boring. Books are awesome, but real life is the ultimate treat.
Buy Madame Bovary from Amazon.com
(And for fun, because I love this guy… http://musingsofahighschoolvampire.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/musings-of-a-high-school-vampire-cursing/)
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