1,000 Dog-Eared Pages

REVIEW: 'Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World' by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter

2011-11-06T14:55:00.003-05:00

Something to know before you buy:

The friendly, cuddly-looking feline on this book jacket heartbreakingly plays second fiddle in his own story. This book is definitely more of a memoir of Vicki Myron and the town of Spencer, Iowa than of Dewey the library cat. If you're looking for a charming pet-and-owner love story, this is not it. While Dewey is touted as the hero of the book, his owner's life experiences are what really take precedence in the storytelling. Myron and Witter also make Spencer's history, as well as library politics, a main focus for the book.

Things to know before you read:

While Vicki Myron's tale could still be appealing enough to draw sufficient reader interest (the reason, I'm guessing, for why they decided to feature these details so heavily), the stories in this book do not appear transparent enough for her to keep that interest. I imagined Bret Witter sitting for long hours with Vicki Myron trying to coax an entire book out of her.

Thus, the writing suffers. It is mediocre and stand-offish, and sounds like Witter and Myron never met. The voice is not one of any pet owner I've known. There are sentences about how much Dewey means to Vicki Myron, but the tone is so flat, you don't really believe them.

In this book, Dewey best functions as a common thread, a jumping-off point for Myron and Witter to write about Myron's troubled relationship with her teenage daughter; her medical history; and her messy divorce. Add to that Spencer's own history, and you end up with so many subjects to broach, there isn't room enough for Dewey. He became a transition and nothing else, which I don't feel was an appropriate memorial to his life, nor what the authors were looking to accomplish with their book.

I don't know for what occasion or to what audience I would suggest this book, although the publicity it's received and the fame it's earned cause me to think there are plenty of people out there who would readily have those answers. For me, though, it's once again that age-old adage: "Never judge a book by its cover." Dewey's sweet face is enchanting, but the story between these covers is anything but.

NEXT UP: Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger (author of The Devil Wears Prada).

REVIEW: 'The Red Wyvern' by Katharine Kerr

2011-10-30T17:26:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't know, wyvern (or wyrm) means dragon.

This is the 9th book in Kerr's Deverry series of novels, and the first book of her third "act," The Dragon Mage.

I've been obsessed with this fantasy novel series ever since high school, when my friend introduced me to them. She told me it was Celtic-inspired fantasy, and included a lot of magic and reincarnation...oh yeah, and watch out for the incest. But honestly, she had me at reincarnation. At the time, I was developing my interest in the idea (of reincarnation, not incest! I know you're still stuck on that word), so I picked up my own copy (or maybe I borrowed hers) and dove right in.

I became obsessed.

The overarching storyline of the first two acts follows a particular soul that is destined for greatness. However, before said soul can achieve said greatness at the predetermined moment, the body it's inhabiting dies, the death caused by a foolish young lord. When the lord realizes what strands of fate he's broken, he vows he will never rest until the wrong is righted. The vow is accepted by the "higher powers," we'll say, and he is granted the ability to follow the soul through many subsequent lives -- aging, but never dying. Each book details a life or two of this soul, and the subtle efforts of the lord, now called Nevyn, to steer the soul back to greatness. It takes many lives, because Nevyn can't just come out and explain the situation. For one, most human beings don't believe in reincarnation, or have ever heard of it; and two, the soul has to find its path willingly. However, it's not just a lot of day-to-day medieval chores you're reading about, waiting around for this soul to become enlightened. There's love, war, and in the meantime, Nevyn himself becomes quite the talented sorcerer (or whatever you call those in Celtic fantasy). There's the essential plot-moving fight against Darkness/Evil...in which enter the other planes of existence, which I won't go into because I still have a hard time explaining them to myself.

However much I've loved this series, though, in The Red Wyvern, first book of the third act, I'm not quite sure where Kerr is going, and I can't really tell you why (too many spoiler alerts). However, her writing still hooks me, even after nine years of reading. She works hard to maintain realistic diction (I'm pretty sure "Oh, by the black hairy ass of the Lord of Hell" is the one expression I'll always remember), and even includes a pronunciation guide in the back of the books. Also included is a table of reincarnations, so it's easier to follow which character comes back in what form...because obviously, it's not just the one soul that reincarnates -- it's everyone, and they all tend to stick together through their various lives.

I will say this latest bored me just the slightest. I'm not sure if it has to do with the fact that I'm older, or that I'm not as emotionally attached to the emerging storyline. The book is called The Red Wyvern, but the dragon I was expecting never showed up. I suppose I'll have to continue reading...which is ok by me. Kerr has never really steered me wrong before, and I have no real reason to doubt she would now.

NEXT UP: Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. Who doesn't love libraries that turn out famed cats?

REVIEW: 'Breaking Dawn' by Stephenie Meyer

2010-10-13T21:23:00.002-04:00

After four books full of romantic sighing, teenage angst, and trick-or-treat-type thrills, I still have no idea why I became so addicted to the Twilight saga. The only thing I can think of is the dialogue: Meyer has somewhat of a gift for keeping her story moving. There's always a conversation happening, whether it's between Bella and the vampires, Bella and her own thoughts, Jacob and Edward, Jacob and the other werewolves... The events of the book, particularly the day to day activities (example: much of Breaking Dawn involves Bella and the Cullens waiting for Alice's visions to come true), don't do much to keep the writing interesting. It's the internal monologues, and the dialogues (both internal and external) that help drive the plot forward. However, I did notice that when the events in the book falter, the dialogue seems to struggle too, becoming like filler -- just something to get you through that scene until the more important things take place.

I must say, though, Breaking Dawn was my favorite of the four Twilight books next to New Moon because the characters could finally break down their walls and resolve their differences. This brought out their true, honorable personalities. All the distractions of the drama and fighting were gone. Bella's transformation also allowed Edward to stop fawning over her like a mother still attached to her child's umbilical cord. He felt like a real boyfriend for her, not just a...well, I envisioned him as an ironclad cage around her, stripping her of her freedoms, until this book. In this book, he and Bella had a real relationship, which I appreciated.

I don't want to say much of anything else in this review because there are just so many spoilers and I feel like I've already given some things away. And being the fourth and final book in the series...well, it's hard to review just one piece of a puzzle.

The Twilight books are either books you can't get into, or books you can't put down. I am glad I gave them a chance, because I ended up in the category of Can't Put Down. They may be targeted towards young adults, but you read them and (this is going to sound NUTS, but if you're a fan, you'll know what I mean) you realize that you were there, too, once, even if your boyfriend wasn't a vampire and your best friend wasn't a werewolf. You were there, too, with those same (un-amplified) problems. So maybe that's why Meyer is such a success. Her books make you feel lucky and successful yourself. Happy reading, vamps.

(And for reviews I've written for Twilight and New Moon, visit my Shelfari page. )

UP NEXT: The Red Wyvern by Katharine Kerr. This book is number...ten? in Kerr's Deverry series. I've been reading them since high school. If you're a fantasy fan, this next review's for you!

Book It

2010-10-13T01:17:00.000-04:00

So, I've wanted to join a book club FOREVER, but my being out of school for so long, paired with the large amount of books I already have sitting on my shelf (some of them still waiting to be opened after 5+ years), has prevented me from doing so.

Are any of you in a book club? What would you recommend for the someone like me who is craving bookish socialization, but who also likes to follow her own reading agenda?

If this one has like a "beginner level," I think I could get into it -- I think I've even brought it up before...

http://www.lkwdpl.org/bookclubs/knitlit.htm

Anybody out there in Lakewood who wants to do this with me (pending, of course, that my work schedule can be rearranged on Tuesdays)?

Lemme know! :)

REVIEW: 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' by Gregory Maguire

2010-10-12T22:32:00.003-04:00

I bought this book to read for three reasons:

I love the story of Cinderella (so much so that when I was young I wrote my own version of the fairy tale, entitled Cinderella...in the 90s).
My best friend, who knows how much I love Cinderella, and who also knows that I'd enjoyed Wicked when I read it, recommended it to me.
My best friend enjoyed this book herself. I know she has very particular taste when it comes to books. When she makes a recommendation, I know it's for real.

So, was Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire for real?

Yes and no, I guess. It was an extremely non-traditional telling of the Cinderella story, and I don't just mean the fact that it was told from Iris's (the ugly stepsister's) point of view. You know how when you see movie previews, the film is always touted as "either based on the true story" or "inspired by the true story"? I understand "based on" to mean the story is closely linked to actual events. "Inspired by," therefore, suggests to me that the story is more loosely formed from certain parts of the actual events. And this Cinderella story was definitely inspired by.

Which doesn't make it dull. It wasn't a book that I couldn't tear myself away from, but it had its strong points. There were some great motifs running through the whole thing -- painting, colors, tulips, and senses -- which all served as nice foils to the continued reminders of Iris's ugliness.

The historical references made for interesting reading, too. Maguire's research of 17th century Holland forms a great backdrop for the tale of the cinder girl.

The cinder girl herself, though (Clara)? The character seemed awkward and incomplete, and maybe it was because she was out of her classic element. Her involuntarily-forced-into-servitude element, that is. Clara's willingness to sweep the hearth and live in solitude was a bit jarring for a long-time Cinderella lover like me. I'm sure this is what makes this particular version of Cinderella so revolutionary, maybe even sort of feminist -- but I guess I'm more traditional that way. This may be literary blasphemy, but I prefer strong, sarcastic Cinderellas who turn lemons into lemonade -- like the character of Danielle de Barbarac in the movie Ever After. In Confessions, Maguire creates a Cinderella who is somewhat of a temperamental hermit. Her good deeds of caring for the family are based in selfishness, though she struggles to do what is right for herself and her father. This contrasts more common versions, where Cinderella is justified in running off with her handsome prince and leaving her step-family to suffer; it's a different kind of selfish. Also in Maguire's version, there is a mystical, mythological element to Clara, but it's never completely explained...which bothers me.

And was the ball supposed to be the climax of this book like it is in other versions? To me it seemed like a misplaced setting, a mandatory scene that didn't quite fit with the rest...which led to an even more out of place ending.

If you're looking for something different and dark to read, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister may be for you. But if you're rooted in comparisons to the more watered-down, Disney-esque versions of this fairy tale (as I found out I am), just be aware that you might feel indifferent by the end. I don't regret reading this book, and I'll never say a book was better left on the shelf. I'll merely say that -- unlike Cinderella and her prince -- Confessions and I will only be living passably ever after.

UP NEXT: Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer. The last Twilight Saga book, y'all!

Read It Again!

2010-09-01T21:39:00.001-04:00

The most reliable demand of my childhood. "Read it again, Mom!...Again, Dad!" Whenever I picked up a book, you could bet that I'd be reading it again in an hour...a day...a week...and so on as I grew.

One of my best girlfriends from gradeschool once asked me why I was rereading something. She hardly ever reread books. But the books I read were The Animorphs. She read Jane Eyre, and The Lord of the Rings, and who knows what other giant novels. And let's face it, giant novels are daunting. The thought of rereading them, even your favorites, can be discouraging. I remember reading in one of the Baby-sitters Club books that Kristy's grandmother rereads Gone with the Wind once every year. I read Gone with the Wind and it took me a year to get through. But ever since I read that Baby-sitters Club book (damn you, Ann M. Martin for writing so well for an audience like me), I wanted to have a book like that. One I loved so much that I could reread it once a year and never be sick of it.

Sure, I have Charlotte's Web and The Outsiders...but not since I became an adult have I found a rereadable book that fits the once-a-year must-read criteria. And in truth, my thirst for new reads surpassed my yearning for old favorites around the time I turned 15.

So what do you do when you dream of the perfect book? I need recommendations stat. What are your rereadables? How do I get back in the swing of it? Halp!

Teaser Tuesday!

2010-08-31T22:20:00.002-04:00

Have any of you ever read Gregory Maguire? He's one-of-a-kind, and so I figured I should probably dedicate one of my Teaser Tuesdays to him. Here's how I play -- and how you can, too:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
Share the title and author of the book, so we can investigate on our own if we like the teaser you've given.
Please avoid spoilers!

This one comes from Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, the book that's up for my next review:

"'And what makes you think beauty should go in and out of fashion like -- like a rage of eating with forks, or an obsession with the music of the virginal -- or a madness to adore tulips, for that matter? Will future generations look at this child and not be stunned by her perfection?'"

Still waiting for Cinderella to show, but perhaps the above quotation is foreshadowing?! Eh? Eh?

REVIEW: 'American Wife' by Curtis Sittenfeld

2010-08-30T23:21:00.003-04:00

Don't let my activity level on this blog fool you. I tore this book up. I finished it quite some time ago, actually, and I'm now about halfway through Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. So other than pure laziness, why did it take me so long to get this review up? I guess there was a lot to think about.

I loved the book. It was one of the first novels I've read in awhile that I couldn't put down. I literally couldn't get it out of my hands. I even had to keep it hidden in my purse at work, so I wouldn't try to sneak a few pages in during downtime. I didn't learn until I was a few chapters in that Sittenfeld very, very loosely based this novel on the life of First Lady Laura Bush. (So loosely in fact, that my "Conversation with the Author" includes this quote from Sittenfeld: "The book has four sections, and in each section there's a major plot twist that has a strong resemblance to an event in the real life of Laura Bush. But then everything else is made up.")

Sittenfeld's tone reminded me a lot of Joyce Carol Oates'. For lack of a better word, it was very...literaturey. That's what I think of whenever I read Oates. Symbolism and metaphor and allegory and theme and motif and whatnot. And calm. Even the tense parts of the book (excluding a few scenes of dialogue) were written with very little passion. However, the first-person narration made the writing accessible. It was very easy to get to know the character of Alice Lindgren -- she is very quiet, very honest, very matter-of-fact. Even with these qualities, though, I was acutely aware I would never really be able to relate to Alice. I could only love listening to her. And that I did. Her backstory was so extraordinary (obscure, even), that the contrast it gave to her completely demure personality was just stark enough to make it totally believable.

As my earlier quote from Sittenfeld describes, the book is divided into four parts, each part entitled with Alice's current address. Each residence demonstrated a part of Alice's life that either propelled her forward, or held her back, depending on how you look at the story. Also, I feel that sectioning the book this way gives a subtle indication that each residence is what most defines Alice at that point in her life: an innocent, sweet, small-town girl; an assured grown woman, living her ideal, learning the give and take of being a lover and partner; a responsible, determined wife and mother, weighing her options, striving to make it all work; and the dedicated, loyal, loving First Lady, who is finally breathing again after years of letting her non-confrontational personality suppress her identity. Heavy stuff, but engaging, too.

The parts I didn't like, surprisingly, were Alice's prologue, as well as the last section, Part IV: her time at the White House. The prologue created this exaggerated sense of foreboding that didn't fit well with the meandering quality of the storyline. After Part III, Alice is more or less catapulted to the White House, much of the justification and background left out. That caused me to feel uncomfortable reading about her life there. The book loses some of its realism. Her character didn't belong there, and neither did her husband's. But perhaps that is the point of the entire novel. Part IV: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, is 124 pages (the third-longest section of the book), and contains the climax. But instead of feeling fulfilled, Alice's story just feels jammed, the epilogue unfinished. Nothing is resolved by the end. (Again, a symbolic, Oates-ish finger jab in the face, or just poor planning?)

I can see why this book was listed as a New York Times bestseller. It's fresh, conscientious, and the writing is genuine and sharp. With American Wife, Sittenfeld masterfully creates fleshed-out characters and an unmatched piece of fiction that will be hard-pressed to displease.

NEXT UP: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. My college roommate read this shortly after I finished Wicked, and recommended it to me since I so love the story of Cinderella. Maguire's fanciful/historical/twisted take on the classic fairy tale should be interesting to say the least.

Share Stuff...Monday?!

2010-07-26T21:43:00.002-04:00

(Title links to A Journey Journal of Sorts' most recent post on romantic beach reads -- I found the entry quite charming, so I'm sharing it with you today!)

Speaking of love affairs, I spent the majority of my weekend reading, and it was FABULOUS. It was so stickily hot and stormy outside...the perfect weather for curling up in a camping chair on the porch with a great book, letting the warm, dry breezes sweep over you. Too hot to do anything but relax and delve into a good story. A date with words.

And really, just like a whiff of someone's cologne can cause a fond tug on your heartstrings, there are certain times of day, or there is certain weather, or certain lighting, that bring to the surface a real craving for time with a good book. Then, just like you'd be completely wrapped up in a relationship, those times of day, or that weather, or that lighting can prompt you to get just as lost between the pages of your latest summer fling -- I mean, read.

For me, my nostalgic rendezvous with reading is usually inspired by two scenarios, the first being very specific: Mid- to late-afternoon on a day that's been hot and sunny, but that's also had the building anticipation of a huge downpour. The sky is a clear, deep blue, but the white puffy clouds that have been gathering all day have increasingly violet underbellies. You can just feel the moisture in the air, and there's nothing better than looking up from your book to watch the storm roll in, release the rain, and roll back out.

The second is on first waking up to the light outside your window -- a bright, sunny morning. It can be early morning or late morning. And you know that all you want to do right then, before you shower or anything, is to pick up your book right where you left off the night before. To open the blinds a little, maybe even the window if it's a sweet, breezy day, let the sunlight be your lamp and just get lost for an hour or two. It's like being able to choose a great dream. Snuggling under the covers and smelling the air blowing through your window screen. Now that is pure romance.

What turns you on?

REVIEW: 'Lady Gaga: Behind the Fame' by Emily Herbert

2010-07-22T23:33:00.003-04:00

OHHHH OHHHH OHHHHHHH OHH OHHHHH OHHHHH OHHHH OHHH OHHH!

That's right. I'm caught in a bad romance with Lady Gaga. Finding true lahve, lahve, lahve (love) with this biography by Emily Herbert, however...eh. It's hard to relate my feelings about it. On the one hand, it was SO GREAT having all those Lady Gaga quotes together in one place, and the professional photos placed throughout are always a bonus. On the other hand, the writing was amateur, more of a framework for the quotes than true storytelling or journalism. Think of your 9th grade paper on the person who most inspires you. I came up with that analogy when I realized Herbert tries too hard to transition between her paragraphs; the work doesn't flow. Many of her paragraphs don't even need transition, but there they are, and always at the beginning. Much too often, her thoughts repeat. And speaking of repetition -- just as with J. Randy Taraborrelli's The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, I again find myself wondering where Herbert's citations are, what source material she used. I really doubt the 2-album discography she lists on the last page got her all this insight into the Lady's present life, not to mention background. Not even an About the Author blurb lines the cover to give her credibility. You may be wondering by the end how much of this book isn't made up. I was wondering by the end what happened to my dream of being a book editor. It's probable that only die-hard Gaga fans will enjoy this book, but it's also probable that's how it was meant to be published. In spite of all my negativity, I am in fact a die-hard Gaga fan. The book was marketed to me perfectly.

There were several themes giving this book its backbone. I have self-titled them and included a short analysis of each, in order of the prevalence I perceived.

Gush, Gush, Gush
As well she should. While objectivity would have been a plus in a biography, it is fairly well known that Gaga is becoming more and more respected in her industry and by her consumers -- all for good reason. I recently saw her in concert, and she is one of the most honest and eager performers I've watched. She gets so into her music, and you can tell she's extremely educated in her field. As Herbert puts it, rather innocently, "Many pop stars can sing and dance, but few can play an instrument and almost none of them compose their own material. Lady Gaga can do all those things..."
Gaga is also hailed as being one of the most down-to-earth pop stars around. As evidence of this, I can tell you she took the time to actually hold a "conversation" with her audience in the middle of her show, sincerely acknowledging them and thanking them for their support. She doesn't really put on airs. She has a way speaking that makes you feel like you've been friends forever -- so much so, that I could have sworn I was meeting her for drinks after the performance. Emily Herbert has obviously become as swept up as I have by Gaga's inner fame, which is completely, absolutely infectious.

Who Cares? It's Lady Gaga!
Herbert explained many of Lady Gaga's more eye-catching public appearances and fashions with this proclamation (if in more indirect language than I've worded it here). To her credit, she did include the many criticisms of Gaga's fashion sense, and also of what Herbert believes to be publicity stunts (like the infamous teacup). But she counteracted every criticism with this argument. At the end of the day, who cares? It was Lady Gaga, and she can do whatever she damn well pleases. Herbert makes the claim that everything Gaga does is for her career (a claim Gaga herself has also made, but I wonder if that goes right down to boarding a plane, as Herbert might tend to believe). The sense of justification gets a little obnoxious, but I think it was supposed to remind us more of the empowering "I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR" type of credo. Herbert was trying to point out that Lady Gaga is a strong, unique individual, who made her success on her own terms. Great concept, just bad execution.

Anything for Publicity
Several times, Herbert mentions Gaga's entertainment industry savvy, but especially draws attention to the idea that Gaga would go just about anywhere as long as it kept her name in the papers. It was a nice parallel to the Who Cares theme. It makes you question, however, if Herbert has actually ever interviewed Lady Gaga herself. From what I've read, and maybe I just don't want to believe, it doesn't seem to me like Gaga is in it for the publicity. In fact, she's admitted that she hates the paparazzi side of fame. Herbert does not address this admission in her book, and in fact seems to want you to think the opposite. I am not arguing that Gaga is naive to her industry; I'm sure she very well knows what will keep her famous. I'm arguing that Gaga seems more honest in that if she's staying famous, it's because of her art, her interviews, and her fans -- not because of a cheap stunt. Herbert's hinting at the latter makes me uncomfortable as a Gaga fan, but who knows? She did write the book, not me.

Undercover Catholic Girl
Despite all the hype, good or bad, Herbert also sticks to the idea that underneath all the makeup and all the fame, Gaga is still the good Catholic school-girl she was back when she was still known as Stefani Germanotta. She reminds us that Gaga's music and performances are heavily influenced by her background, which is very true. However, she also brings to the forefront a thought that "Gaga" may be just a facade -- something that is contradicted by Lady Gaga's quotes throughout the book. From these quotes, we are led to believe that Stefani is Gaga, Gaga is Stefani -- there is no line in between. Herbert seems to have a bit of trouble wrapping her mind around this, though. She views Gaga's experience and rise to fame as more of a transformation, like Superman. Stefani turned herself into Gaga, but she occasionally melts back again during any interview that makes her feel particularly vulnerable. In my view, Stefani and Gaga were always one being (now whose Catholic background is proving an influence?). It's an interesting point of debate.

Trying To Find a Balance
A parallel to the transformation theme, last but not least are the subtle hints of Gaga's desire for domesticity, and her attempts to balance that with her desire for success. Herbert believes Lady Gaga gets these cravings because of her Italian-American background and the strong sense of family instilled in her while growing up. I think Herbert is twisting Gaga's words here. After reading all the quotes in the book, in addition to listening to countless other interviews of hers, I don't think Gaga is quite as upset by her biological clock as Herbert makes it appear. She has admitted to wanting love, but who doesn't when they're 24 years old and single? Or for that matter, who doesn't when they're single? I believe Gaga when she says she's married to her work. She may want a family someday, but Herbert somehow contradicts all the empowering parts of Gaga by trying to untangle the mystery. By trying to decipher the reasons why Lady Gaga may not be disclosing the details of her love life, Herbert creates a negative focus that sheds an unflattering, angsty (and most likely untrue) light on her instead. It was like I Love Lucy up in there, all the meddling.

Overall, Lady Gaga: Behind the Fame was exactly what I expected it to be: a quick read, interesting to me because of the subject matter, but with writing that wasn't so interesting at all. If you're a fan, I think this is the first biography, and therefore a nice addition to your collection. If you're not a fan, but curious at all, do a good deed instead of spending your money, honey: visit your local library to pick up this read.

NEXT UP: American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld. A New York Times bestseller, and one of my purchases from the Buy Books 4 Small Fries Book Fair. It's been on my shelf a long time. It deserves to come out and play.

REVIEW: 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen; and 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

2010-07-11T19:56:00.006-04:00

When I was reading Pride and Prejudice, I thought about what I might say to spark the conversation in my review. I even read some Spark Notes afterward so I could be SMRT, but what I realized is -- Pride and Prejudice is a beloved, beloved classic. It's probably one of the most analyzed books out there. I don't know what I could say about it that other people have not already said.

I enjoyed it thoroughly. I thought I liked Jane Eyre. Turns out no. Jane Eyre has nothing on Pride and Prejudice. Two different stories, yes. Two different messages. But as far as romances go, and as far as readability goes, Pride and Prejudice outdid Jane Eyre by as far as you could possibly go. Pride and Prejudice even outdid Little Women. The motifs were easier to read, the dialogue made it quite engaging. And it was real. I could relate more to Pride and Prejudice. The characters were genuine. The class system was completely characteristic of Regency England. The characters had faults, and then acknowledged those faults rather than completely rid themselves of them (whereas, in Jane Eyre, Jane seemed pretty much perfect, and in Little Women, the girls' acknowledgment of faults too easily led to their problems' resolutions).

So anyway. Seeing as how I had nothing completely groundbreaking to say about Pride and Prejudice, I thought I'd go ahead and double up. As soon as I was finished reading Pride and Prejudice, I started Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. I thought a comparison might make a more interesting blog post. So here goes nothing.

I was worried about reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies because I'm not really a zombie fan. I don't read Max Brooks. I thought Shaun of the Dead was funny, but a little sickening. I have no desire to see Night of the Living Dead. However, I would say if you liked the movie Zombieland, you'd probably enjoy Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, in terms of zombie quantity. I was glad Grahame-Smith kept the bulk of the book as Pride and Prejudice. It wasn't overrun with zombies and gore like I pictured. The romance of Darcy and Elizabeth remained untainted. There were a few good fight scenes that really gave the novel character, and only one change I wasn't sure I appreciated. There were lots of ball jokes. Overall, I found it to be a creative new twist on a novel some people might think stuffy (although I have to say those people are wrong).

Austen surprised me, too. Pride and Prejudice kept me on my toes. The twist with Lydia towards the end made my heart skip a beat. I was glad to find Elizabeth so well defined, and both her and Darcy so true to their characters, even after all had been discovered and both pride and prejudice set aside. Their personalities didn't do a complete 180 once they realized their flaws and their misgivings. The novel was full of entertaining characters that moved as great vehicles for Darcy and Elizabeth's romance -- Mr. Collins, Charlotte, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Wickham, Lydia, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner...even Georgiana Darcy. The only character I don't really get is Mary. I think I'll have to do more reading on her.

I guess what I enjoyed most about reading the two novels back to back was that I almost felt like I was reading the same novel twice. And funnily enough, I think I caught things while reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies that I missed while reading Pride and Prejudice. It really does always help to read things multiple times -- and I was happy that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies allowed me to re-enjoy Austen's masterpiece, but also give me a fun and quirky new way to do it.

So for both novels? Obviously, I rate Pride and Prejudice higher than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. But both were my epitome of summer fun.

NEXT UP: Lady Gaga: Behind the Fame by Emily Herbert. I am totally going to this Lady's concert on Wednesday -- what a mood booster!

REVIEW: 'The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe' by J. Randy Taraborrelli

2010-05-30T15:51:00.003-04:00

Well. If you're looking for an unbiased account of the life of Marilyn, don't look to this book.

This is not to say there isn't a whole lot of new and noteworthy information in this book, especially in the beginning chapters, which covered Marilyn's childhood. But, I say "noteworthy" with a grain of salt, and here's why: after reading this book, it has become clear to me that we will never have a definitive answer to who Marilyn Monroe was, why she has become so special to our culture, or what her life was really like. She will remain a mystery.

Taraborrelli loses a little credibility for me in two respects. Firstly, he does not list all of his source material in his appendices. He says it is because there is too much of it, and it is his observation that the common reader does not even look at the notes in the back of a book after finishing it. I say, WTF? A common reader may not (and honestly, I often don't), but one who wants to make sure you're legit will, especially if your book is on the subject of Marilyn Monroe. There have been so many stories about her, many of them fabricated, it seems ridiculous not to list every single material used for the creation of your own storytelling. That said, Taraborrelli does list his primary sources, some of which are pretty impressive...or sketchy, depending on how cynical you are. How on earth he was able to find Della Monroe's (Marilyn's grandmother) death certificate in the hands of a former neighbor was beyond me. Many of the interviews he conducted for the first few sections of the book were with friends of neighbors, or family of neighbors, of the foster parents, orphanage management, and guardians Norma Jeane lived with in her early years. The excerpts from these interviews are detailed, and for the most part, the stories seem to correspond with one another. However, many of them focus not on Norma Jeane necessarily, but on her mother and grandmother. I'm not sure if their lives were better documented, but the beginning chapters seemed to have more clout than those in the middle and end of the book, which detailed Marilyn's film career, her bout with prescription drugs, and her time with the Kennedys. At times I wondered if he was basing whole chapters on Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates. There were also a few minor unexplained discrepancies in the gathered information that were either missed during editing or thought too small to bother with...but that sort of thing causes me to start viewing the author as unreliable.

The second aspect of the book that made my belief in it waver had to do with Taraborrelli's thesis, if you will. The book was billed as an account that could link Marilyn's decline with her mother's (and father's, as it turned out) mental illness. There were many suggestions of Marilyn's "hearing voices," but no credible evidence is given to prove that, excepting one or two stories saying she hallucinated a man who was following her. I am not discounting the possibility that Marilyn also suffered from poor mental health, but this book did better providing evidence of her drug addiction. The end of the book doesn't make any clear-cut assertions as to the cause of her death except to rule out conspiracy theory. Floating between accidental overdose (or more correctly, intentional overdose with the underlying aim to call for rescue at the last minute) and suicide, Taraborrelli tries to tie both theories back to Marilyn's alleged mental illness, but only succeeds in keeping her as elusive as when the story, and possibly the research, began.

All of this said, I was not at all unhappy with the book. It was easy to follow, and the fresh angle on Marilyn's personal life and family history was appealing to me, as most of what I've read so far has been about her career, death, and love interests. Though the absolute truth about Marilyn's life is once again far from attained, there are a lot of good nuggets in here that are at least worth comparing to the other gems in your collection.

UP NEXT: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Another classic I have, until now, only seen on Wishbone! And, it's the perfect prerequisite to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, which is on my list for the month of July.

Peter Pan Me, Please

2010-05-21T21:29:00.000-04:00

Oy vey. I must say, I've been much more focused on new summer clothes, fashion, fragrance, fine food, and finally, FINALLY having enough money to pay off my credit card (yay!) to think much about the world of books this month. I have still been reading up a storm, though, and that Secret Life review will be coming up quicker than you think (or than I planned). I've actually already finished the book. However, I'm making a point this time to read the appendices, as they diverge from the usual list format and are actually giving me more information about the author's sources, and consequently, about Marilyn.

Reading about a woman who is portrayed as never having truly grown up, and with summer fast approaching, I'm in the mood for light, dependable kids' books. The B/F and I often have rather emphatic debates about age-appropriate reading material: when is it time to bite the bullet and stop reading books written for a younger audience?

The B/F will tell you that as you grow up, it's time to move on to more and more grown-up subject matter. Like in phases, I guess. What bothers me is when he tells me you can't go back.

What are you talking about? Of course you can go back. I know the way well. Right back through all the bestsellers, chick lit, fiction, non-fiction, romance novels, fantasy/sci-fi, cookbooks, history, social science, and self-help, to land smack in the middle of the young adult section. Or maybe even the children's section. And sometimes even the infants' section! (Don't deny it. That bunny tail will always be so nice and soft to touch.)

Sure, depending on how far back you go, you might look just slightly ridiculous. But, when I browse those sections, I usually find that people think I'm there looking for a gift. No need to feel embarrassed. Sometimes you need simplicity in your head. I can't think of a better way to get there than to read a children's book. It's not like no one else is doing it.

So, obviously, my unshakable answer to The B/F's protests? Never. You are never too old for a kids' book. Look at the success of Twilight among adults -- or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Heck, are you going to tell me you wouldn't sit down to read the first Captain Underpants from cover to cover if you had the chance?

Kids' books are great because they don't hide anything. You know exactly what you're getting. There is not much guessing, not much reading between the lines. This might sound backwards, or incredibly lazy, but every once in awhile, it's just so refreshing to have everything spelled out for you. It's like therapy.

The feeling of nostalgia I get when I re-read a FAVORITE kids' book is the BEST. Oh, there are so many. The Rough-Faced Girl. Ramona the Pest. The Pinballs. Henry and Mudge. Clifford the Big Red Dog. Clifford the Small Red Puppy. Charlotte's Web. The Stupids Die. Strega Nona. The Store-Bought Doll. Thundercake. The Baby-sitters Club. Spider Saves Easter. The Sweet Smell of Christmas. Oh, The Sweet Smell of Christmas. That book was amazing.

Last fall when we took a trip with my family down to our favorite beach vacation spot, The B.F. and I ventured into the local bookstore (I still have no idea what it's called, even though I've been inside it at least once during every trip of the 9+ years my family has vacationed there), and THERE IT WAS. An entire display of children's books, stacked with literally most of my favorites. I wanted to ask how much for the whole five shelves. The B.F. just stood, shuffling his feet, watching me melt, prodding me to leave them. But how could I? How could I leave Hats for Sale? And Frog and Toad? And Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus? And Babe the Gallant Pig (way better than the movie, btw)? And Stone Soup? Seriously, you want me to put down Stone Soup? With the same cover I remember from my childhood? I honest-to-goodness got teary-eyed when I could see that The B/F didn't understand my feelings for those books, when they didn't touch him in the way they touched me.

Sometimes I think I want to have children just so I can buy books for them, then steal them and read them for myself. Under the covers. With a flashlight. We'll put the hall light on and turn the TV up in the other room just for effect. When books can bring you to that special place, the one that makes you feel so good and safe, the one you thought was nearly gone, that's when you know they are worth reading. That's what kids' books do for me.

And that's not so bad, is it?

REVIEW: 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott

2010-04-21T23:44:00.003-04:00

I must say, the second time around, I was much more involved. Lots of spoilers here, so look out!

Maybe it's because Mother's Day commercials are popping up more and more frequently, but I want to start by saying the copy of Little Women I read was given to me by my mother. I cherished reading it even more now that we've got a better relationship than we did when I was a teenager. My mom is not exactly comparable to Marmee (because she's a MODERN WOMAN!), but she is pretty freakin' great, and only now that I'm grown up can I see that clearly. *tear* (I know, sorry for the sappiness.)

In all sincerity, reading this book again was like looking back on my relationship with my mom. Now that I'm an adult, and I've gone through my own transformation, I can definitely appreciate the book that much more. I'll still say Part I was my favorite: the girls' innocent friendship with Laurie, and the vastness of their imaginations, kept a sweet smile on my face the whole way through. I didn't feel nostalgia, but again, there was appreciation there for the naivete of childhood dreams and growing life experiences. I never noticed before all the morals embedded into each chapter: I value more the morals in Part I, because they are the lessons we must learn to thrive as good human beings. In Part II, the lessons become more targeted -- they are the lessons 19th century America encouraged its women to learn. I'll admit that living in the 21st century caused the feminist in me to ruffle a little at some of the notions about being a "good woman." The title even brings out the wryness in me. But that's another story.

My affinities for the March sisters changed for me during this second, full reading, too. When I first read the book, I was about eleven years old, and my favorite character was Jo. At the time, I identified most with scrappy young girls who were pretty on the inside, whose best friends often became their lovers. I think that's part of the reason I became so disenchanted with the second half of the book -- I wanted nothing more than for Jo and Laurie to be married, like a Disney movie. As I read on this time, I became less and less enamored with her...her independence forced her into a lonely, spinster-like individual. It bothered me that she completely gave up her writing, and that by marrying, she redeems herself as a woman. Jo is an enigma, for she finds her calling as a caregiver (that shouldn't have surprised me, as we saw all the passion she put into looking after Beth), but to me, her generosity always seemed rather uncharacteristic, even sometimes self-serving (I imagined her saying, "What shall I do without...?"). Mostly I was disappointed. I so wanted her to move to New York, have a writing career and a family, too. And somehow, her Professor seemed all wrong...quite convenient, if you ask me.

This time around, I more identified with Amy. I can reflect back on myself as a little girl, and realize that she is the one I was probably most like: a desire for popularity and beauty, a wish to be good and unselfish, and a drive to be educated and rich. Amy is also the one I most admire in the book now, for she overcomes her childhood trivialities and grows into a charming, collected, rational woman. She also gets to marry Laurie, and I do approve of the match there...although I believe that if Jo had only loved Laurie from the beginning, she would not have been so hard for me to identify with...although I don't believe that Laurie would have turned out as well as he did if that had happened. What a pickle.

Beth I will never identify with. Only the good die young, I guess. Still trying to figure that one out. Thoughts?

Oh, there is so much about this book I could ramble on and on about...but I think I'll leave the rest of the discussion for the comments. I did thoroughly enjoy the story, and this copy is getting a very privileged place on my shelf.

How's a tagline for a closer? "Little Women. Better than the Vampire Diaries by a million."

NEXT UP: The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, by J. Randy Taraborrelli. I hope to have this hefty hardcover biography finished by June 1...Ms. Monroe's 84th birthday.

Influential

2010-04-05T22:11:00.001-04:00

not undecided recently shared a list of the top ten books that have influenced her view of the world. I thought I'd try my own hand at the exercise, although I tend to read more for pleasure than anything else. I hope you'll try it, too. Consequently, if you're looking for more intellectual answers, not undecided's post has many many links that will take you to some indirect recommendations. This one was really hard for me, because I first had to ask myself: What is my view of the world? Of course I still don't have a concrete answer. I apologize, my answers start to get a little lax towards the end. I'm pretty sleepy. But here they are, in a possibly particular order:

The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway. This was one of the first books assigned during my Lost Generation course in college. I'm not sure if the book so much as the class opened up my eyes to the expatriates and their carpe diem world view, but the book actually turned out to be the first vehicle for my feminist leanings. I'll never forget the gender-neutral namesake of Brett Ashley, or her subtle, masculine mannerisms and actions. The book also introduced me to Hemingway's more radical writing style -- using dialogue more often than narrative to tell a story. It was cool to see his style adopted by the more modern writers I'd been used to reading. There is even a third influence in this book for me. It brought history much closer for me. I felt like I could have been there myself while I read this book, in the salons on the Left Bank, having tea with Sylvia Beach and Gertrude Stein. And with the war in Iraq being reported on more and more at the time, the sentiment of Hemingway's novel definitely transcended the decades, still making relevant points after all that time.
The Vagina Monlogues, Ensler. This play showed me womanhood. Period. I'd never fully understood the beauty of women, the power of women, the multifaceted-ness of women, until I saw this performed, and then read it shortly afterward. I can't even describe the cultural importance this play has for me. It's so empowering, and changed my view to help me believe in myself even more.
The Lost, Mendelsohn. This book showed me a much darker side of history, and of human nature. It also showed me the perseverance we are capable of as human beings, and taught me to appreciate the present. It taught me that there is no such thing as no legacy.
The Bible. It's corny, it's overdone, it's cliche, but how could I not? I grew up in a Catholic household, I went to church every Sunday until I was seventeen (by choice or by force), and the only non-Catholic school I've ever attended was my kindergarten. This book has had an enormous impact on me, whether or not I was resisting it at any point in my life. As a child, I viewed it as a place for answers...sometimes even magical ones, if I played the game correctly. (Did you ever do that, where you ask a burning question to God, flip open the Bible, and whatever verse your eyes land on, that's your answer?) These stories pervaded my education every single year of my life. I've drawn on them for symbolism in my own writing, I've rejected them as the absolute truth, I've accepted most as myth, I've relied upon them for morals, I've debated their immorality, I've let them act as a comfort, I've kept their more uncomfortable teachings at bay, I've proclaimed the work unfinished, and I've even found through them a pathway to education and even feminism. How. Could. I. Not.
Blonde, Oates. My obsession with Marilyn Monroe began with this book. How could I understand what I do about pop culture without learning a thing or two about this icon? Although this book is a novel, I eventually learned from Marilyn (and Oates, who writes beautifully) the value of art, compassion, gentility, and identity in places even like the silver screen. So much changed after Marilyn. Maybe even because of her. She's certainly made an impression on me.
Dead Man Walking, Prejan; Forgiving the Dead Man Walking, Morris. I'm combining these two books because they both taught me to love social justice, even though Prejan's book wasn't what I was expecting (lots of legal jargon), and Morris' account seemed to go on a bit too long. However, both addressed the U.S. court system and its flaws, and made me a more firm proponent of civil and human rights. It was hard to think of a failing system up until I'd read these books.
The Sense of Structure, Gopen. Where do I begin with this masterpiece? Almost a textbook, this guide to language and writing is my literary bible. After reading it, I had gained such a focused perspective on my own writing style. It taught me how I could better hone my craft to make my readers understand the feelings behind my words. There is so much good stuff in this book. Who could have fathomed writing from the reader's perspective?
A Light in the Attic, Silverstein. This book introduced me to poetry, and kept the lighthearted side of me alive while I was growing up. It showed me that poetry is not always dark and sinister and depressing, like it was rumored to be around my classrooms. Poetry shaped a lot of who I am as a person, symbolic poetry especially. I think it was good for me to keep the rhythm to my life, and to find it in my subject matter.
The Bhagavad Gita. Another religious text that expanded my cultural view. I loved how it connected to so many things I'd already been taught, and made me feel so close to the rest of humankind. In studying the Gita, I ended up studying so many other wonderful philosophers. It truly expanded my reach into so many other areas.
The Outsiders, Hinton. Classic themes of the search for identity, gallantry, and social divisiveness. It's got it all. "Nothing gold can stay."

A New Month, a New Look

2010-04-04T23:07:00.002-04:00

Hello!

Hope you like the new layout. I'm pretty pleased with the new templates and advanced design capabilities from Blogger in Draft.

I chose the new loose leaf look before I even realized April is National Card and Letter Writing Month. I was just thinking how appropriate it looks: If I'd been writing reviews of books back when I was a kid, I would have done it in a notebook or journal. I've always been very comfortable writing on ruled paper. But, since it is National Card and Letter Writing Month, I'll take the design in that direction tonight and make this post a letter to you, my lovely readers.

Little Women is going well; I have only 300 pages left. I'm hoping to be finished with it by mid-April, but depending on my work schedule, it may take me until the end of the month. I don't want to give too much away for my review, but so far it's been very pleasant reading. I'm fast approaching the part where I quit reading the first time, though, and I'm hoping that won't happen to me again on the second go-around. I suppose we'll see soon enough.

Right now I'm sort of organizing more post ideas. The spring and summer are my favorite times of the year for reading, I think, as they probably are for most people. Something about being outside in the sun with a good book is just so relaxing for me. It gets me out of the bathroom, anyway. ;) I like that I can fully appreciate the laziness of summer while educating myself and keeping my mind busy at the same time. That is called two birds with one stone. Consider me a proponent.

Anyway, hope your April has been going as well as mine so far. I just wanted to check in with you and see how y'all are doing. Come back soon!

Love,
Amelia

REVIEW: 'The Vampire Diaries: 'The Fury' and 'Dark Reunion' by L.J. Smith

2010-03-21T21:31:00.003-04:00

Let's jump right into it.

I did not move through the next two books in Smith's series as quickly. The torrid teenage love junk was pretty much over, and in came the creepiness.

Well. As creepy as you can get for a young adult vampire series. Still, the books didn't land my dreams in fields of roses.

The fourth book was especially unique in that it was told from a different perspective -- a refreshing break from Elena's bratty narration. Even though Elena's Ice Princess personality begins to melt by the end of the third book, she didn't make a large enough transformation for me to completely redeem her. Stefan's personality also changed, as he went from mysteriously brooding in the second book to downright lovesick and self-deprecating in the third and fourth.

And can someone tell me where the heck Damon was in all this? I never found him to be much of a threat, as he only made occasional appearances throughout all four books. The love triangle described in the plot summary was absent from most of the story.

The next book in the series (The Return: Nightfall, published years after the first four), supposedly plucks this fading love game back from the edge...but, as always, once I begin a series in paperback, I must finish it in paperback. As much as I'd like to be done with this series, and revert back to the more thrilling, less obvious TV show, there was one GIANT question Smith left unanswered at the end of Dark Reunion. Sigh. At least she's guaranteed the sales.

NEXT UP: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I read most of this book when I was in gradeschool, but towards the end got bored and put it down. This time, I intend to finish it!

Share Stuff Saturday: Texas Textbooks

2010-03-13T12:11:00.000-05:00

(Title links to a NYT article about the new standards of education in Texas. I am opening this one up for discussion. I am appalled, but what say you?)

REVIEW: 'The Vampire Diaries: 'The Awakening' and 'The Struggle' by L.J. Smith

2010-03-11T00:33:00.006-05:00

Boo!

I completely blew through the first two books in this series. Couldn't put them down. Can't really explain why, as you'll see below. I am happy to report these books are absolutely nothing like the TV series. Although I'm not so sure I haven't ruined the show for myself anyway, now knowing what I do about the original story.

The Elena of the Vampire Diaries series is queen bee, self-centered, and totally caught up in her own feelings for her vampire boyfriend, and for herself. I never thought I'd say Twilight's Bella would contrast as a stronger female character. The books are kind of like The Babysitter's Club meets The Historian meets Dracula meets Twilight meets Goosebumps. They are...childlike. The movement of the plot has just enough excitement, the conflict resolutions are simplistic and at times a bit impractical, and so far the largest problem the characters have encountered has not been completely vampire-related (in the sense that if they were unable to correct the issue, Stefan's true identity probably would not have been revealed). I'll say they're a bit predictable, as most teen romances are...and wow, did the romance part happen fast. But it's not near as heavy as in Twilight. And Stefan doesn't piss me off like Edward does, mostly because he's not all, "Oh, you poor fragile human girl, you're so simple-minded and clumsy, I must protect you every moment of your life!" I think I'd trust Bella over Elena with most of my problems. Bella is more mature, if you can believe it.

Okay. Sorry to keep comparing to Twilight, but that's all I could think of while I was reading this. (Especially the part where Stefan demonstrates to Elena his superhuman-ness. That was just like Twilight, I am not even kidding. I am pretty sure Stephenie Meyer read these books before she started writing her own.)

Oh yeah, and also, watch out for the typos. I found several.

So far, I'm obviously intrigued. And it's really good to rest my mind after a book like No Turning Back. I'd like to see how this ends up, considering the storyline is almost nothing like the TV show. Two down, two to go. See, it's not so bad, now, is it?

NEXT UP: The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, by none other than L. J. Smith. Look out! I am on a roll.

REVIEW: 'No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women' by Estelle B. Freedman

2010-03-04T22:32:00.003-05:00

Where to begin?

I'll first say I'm using the word history instead of herstory throughout this post, for two reasons: 1) because that is the word Estelle Freedman uses in the book I'm reviewing; and 2) because that is just the word, and history wasn't really derived from the words "his story." Fake etymologies bug me. (Yes, I understand the social importance inherent in the statement of herstory, but to use it over and over again as if it were a word instead of a statement sounds silly to me. So I'm sorry if I turned off any radical feminists out there, but I hope you'll read my review anyway because it was a really good book. And sorry I got stuck on this tangent, of course we can argue about herstory later. I'd like to hear your opinions.)

I'll start the actual review by saying this book is a great general resource to have on hand, whether you're just getting to know the intricacies of women's studies, or whether you're a seasoned scholar. Freedman's writing is clear, and easy to follow. There are no involved explanations of theory or feminist philosophy. Everything is pretty blunt, actually. There are feminist undertones, of course, but there is no sense of urgency or adamancy to make you feel uncomfortable with the subject matter. Her tone is authoritative, but her voice definitely gives away her profession (she is a professor at Stanford). She writes just as though she were giving an important lecture. Her style is informative, but not invasive. And even though I now believe this was meant to be used as a text book rather than...well, I don't really know what I expected...it was actually pleasant for me to read. I can honestly say I was not bored.

However: this book is not formatted in a chronological sequence of events. I assume this is because Freedman covers most of the globe in her work, and if she'd attempted to put everything in order, she would have wound up with way more than 397 pages (paperback), plus she'd really risk boring everyone. The book is instead divided into sections that are all cornerstones of feminist(s) philosophy -- even though, I'll reiterate, it doesn't expound on very much of the theories themselves. These are sections like: The Politics of Work and Family (including separate spheres, the rise of capitalism and industrialization, wage labor, and motherhood); The Politics of Health and Sexuality (including reproduction, gender and identity, and violence); and Feminist Visions and Strategies (including modern-day politics and the realm of creativity). There are notes of the politics here, but I feel the book is written so that even a woman who is uncomfortable referring to herself as a feminist could be interested. Freedman did a much better job making this work inclusive than say, Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks.

The one negative I'll discuss is the absence of personal histories. Because Freedman covers so much global history, I felt like she didn't have enough space for individual perspective, something I know is growing in importance for the U.S. movement. Much of the book was statement/fact (reminiscent of my gradeschool textbooks), although she did not often directly cite her sources. Similarly, the rare quotations were often only attributed to their speakers rather than their speakers and their contexts. In some instances endnotes or appendices were included, but every so often I would wonder where she got her info. Several times I found myself curious about where I could find more information on certain topics, wishing she'd disclosed her resources in a particular paragraph rather than at the end of the book. Sometimes the personal stories she did include were vague. I think if she'd focused on only U.S. history, she might have been able to go more in-depth. But of course, the very definition of feminism, not to mention its history, should include a global perspective, so I think her approach was the correct one to take; and Freedman did make it easy to see how progress in one country could affect the progress in another. I think the interdependence of the movement in different countries has made it hard to write such a comprehensive history. Ms. Freedman's is the only one of its kind I could find. I do applaud her for taking on such an in-depth project -- and for pulling through well enough to give us such an excellent resource of feminist history.

NEXT UP: The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, by L. J. Smith. (I decided to go two at a time...I think it will be easier on all you anti-vamps out there. ;) )

Teaser Tuesday!

2010-03-02T21:45:00.002-05:00

This week's Teaser Tuesday comes from the book(s?) -- (I'll explain in a minute) -- I plan on reading next. I have 27 pages left in No Turning Back, so I hope to get a review up for you by tomorrow night. Not quite "early week," but midweek is still pretty good, right? Right.

Anyhow, on to my next teaser, and then I'll go into the whole s-question-mark-in-parentheses thing.

Grab your current read.*
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2)** "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
Share the title and author of the book, so we can investigate on our own if we like the teaser you've given!
Please avoid spoilers!

"'What?' said Elena.
'Badly bitten, I mean. It must have bled a lot, and it hurts her to talk now.'"

Spooky, right?!?!? RIGHT.

Now. What I meant by that whole book or books? confusion was that when I bought my copies in The Vampire Diaries series, they did not come as four separate books. Kind of like a poor man's Lord of the Rings thing, they came with the first two books in one volume, and the second two books in a second volume. So. I don't know yet if I'm going to review each book separately (I probably should, seeing as how that's how she wrote them, and I think they will all have individual elements, even if they are all in the same series...though if it does turn out to be like Lord of the Rings, maybe I'll review them all at once), or if I should review them two at a time, counting a volume as one book. I guess it will depend on how quickly I get through them. They are teen romance novels about vampires, though, so I can't imagine them taking me as long as Jane Eyre, or The Forever War, or even Free Food for Millionaires. I would probably check myself into a hospital if that happened. For VAMPIRE POISON. Oh, I have so much to learn.

Anyway, I hope you don't mind this whole vampire kick of mine. I'll admit I'm sort of into Twilight, but that's more to keep up with the trends than anything. My desire to read The Vampire Diaries actually stems from the fact that I love (like, LOVE) the new CW show based on these books...but I didn't realize it was based on books when I started watching it. Of course, when I found out it was based on books, I ran right out and bought the books. I am really hoping they don't ruin the show for me. Separate mediums, separate mediums.

Honestly, I haven't been this psyched about a CW show since Roswell. Back when the CW was the WB. I think. And Roswell? ALSO based on books. But I heard those books were no good.

Teaser Tuesday!

2010-02-23T22:05:00.002-05:00

To get you ready for my upcoming review on No Turning Back (by the beginning of next week, I promise), I chose to do this week's Teaser Tuesday on one of my favorite works of literature. Ready for the teasing? Begin!

Grab your current read.*
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2)** "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
Share the title and author of the book, so we can investigate on our own if we like the teaser you've given!
Please avoid spoilers!

"The Bug was sitting up screaming about men with no faces when Commandant stalked in in her God-Almighty way and ordered her to stop this nonsense immediately, with the result that The Bug wrenched herself free, flew outside, started up her bus, and was off like a rocket before one could say knife."

Shivers.

Books in the Bathroom: An Exercise in Sociology (Or Psychology. Some kind of -ology.)

2010-02-19T00:56:00.003-05:00

*WARNING: A more delicate reader may feel slightly nauseated by the end of this post.*

We all remember the Seinfeld episode "The Bookstore." Jerry, George and Kramer are browsing in Brentano's when George announces, "I'm gonna hit the head." While Kramer and Jerry continue their conversation about rickshaws, the camera lights on George: he selects a large book of French Impressionist paintings from a shelf, and carries it with him into the men's room. In a subsequent scene, George emerges from the restroom and begins to place the book back on the shelf, but before he can do so, he is confronted by a Brentano's employee: "Did you take that book with you into the bathroom?" George blinks a few times before responding, "What do you want to hear?" He ends up having to purchase the book, which costs him $100...and that, we find out later in the show, Brentano's has permanently "flagged" so it can't be returned or donated. "How dare they?" George asks Jerry later at Monk's. "I got news for you. If it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books."

I find this storyline hilarious and intriguing at the same time. Why are people so polarized when it comes to books in the bathroom? Being a bathroom-reader myself (I decided I am finally over the stigma -- and oh yes, there is a stigma), of course I don't see the problem. So in this respect, I am like George. At the same time, I know there are people out there who do have a problem with books in the bathroom. Refer back to "The Bookstore." In the middle of the episode, we see George trying to sell his flagged book of paintings to Elaine (at a $25 profit). Jerry walks in, sees the book, and exclaims, "What is that doing on the table?...I'm not eating anything in the vicinity of that book...That book has been on a wild ride. George took it into the bathroom..." Upon hearing this, Elaine loses it. "All right! Everyone clear!" she shouts as she stands up to exit, raising her arms. "Biohazard, coming through! Clear, clear!" This display brings George to ask Jerry, "May I ask, what do you read in the bathroom?" Jerry answers, "I don't read in the bathroom." George retorts, "Well, aren't you something."

So it's clear that people's opinions differ drastically on the subject. And while the Seinfeld episode is an excellent reflection of the feelings we see surrounding this issue, I decided to to see if I couldn't figure out first-hand what really drives the emotions behind the situation. Of course, I am not so over the stigma that I surveyed complete strangers, so these results are probably overwhelmingly biased. However, they are all anonymous, and so that should be good enough, right? I'm about as good at social science as I am at math. And speaking of math, this sentence is going to serve as my disclaimer on percentages.

Bear with me. Here come the results.

There are more people who read in the bathroom than don't.
Those who read in the bathroom do so: to pass the time; to continue reading something interesting; because it goes well with a bubble bath; because it is one of the few places/times where they can feel peaceful and secluded; because it is easier to concentrate on reading; because they do it out of habit; and to distract themselves from what they're really doing in the bathroom.
Those who do not read in the bathroom do so: because it is not comfortable; because they have pets who follow them in that are better at entertaining them; because they are not in the bathroom long enough to read; and because the reading material they find in the bathroom usually does not interest them.
Those who read books in the bathroom also like to read other materials in the bathroom, ranging from magazines and comics to toothpaste tubes and lotions.
50% of those polled who do not read books in the bathroom will read other materials if they are available in their own bathrooms -- every person included in that 50% mentioned bath & body products as "preferred" reading materials.
100% of those polled who read books in the bathroom like to read in general.
90% of those polled who do not read books in the bathroom like to read in general.
Of those that read books in the bathroom, most are more comfortable reading indoors (on a couch or a bed, and in a bus station, car, or airport were the most popular answers).
Of those that do not read books in the bathroom, most are more comfortable reading outdoors (on a blanket, at the beach or pool, in the sun, on a balcony, at a park). The second most popular reading location for those who do not read books in the bathroom was in bed.
I found that the size of a person's bathroom is not a factor in their tendency to read books in the bathroom. Most everyone surveyed described their bathroom as "tiny," "small," or "not big."
I found that approximate daily bathroom time (used for activities like showering, readying for work, etc.) is less for those who do read books in the bathroom -- between 15-30 minutes.
I found that approximate daily bathroom time (used for activities like showering, readying for work, etc.) is more for those who do not read books in the bathroom -- between 30 minutes - 2 hours.
I found that most of the people who do read books in the bathroom are either indifferent or do not care for the way their bathroom is decorated.
I found that most of the people who do not read books in the bathroom are either indifferent or are happy with the way their bathroom is decorated.
Of the people who do read books in the bathroom, 70% consider their bathroom a sanctuary. 30% consider it a place to get things done.
Of the people who do not read books in the bathroom, 10% consider their bathroom a sanctuary. 90% consider it a place to get things done.
Of the people who do read books in the bathroom, 70% currently do not take baths. 90% would read in the bath if (or when) they bathed.
Of the people who do not read books in the bathroom, 80% do not take baths. 0% read in the bath. [COMMENTARY: there were a few respondents who said they listened to their iPod in the bath because they were afraid of getting a book's pages wet. But aren't iPods harder to replace if they get wet? Books dry out. Electronics just get ruined.]
Of the people who read books in the bathroom, 90% prefer to meander through life when it's possible (excluding work). 10% prefer to keep schedules.
Of the people who do not read books in the bathroom, 80% prefer to work with schedules, even for the occasional weekend plans. However, for free time (or "me-time"), 40% prefer to meander.
I found that favorite colors/colors people are more attracted to do not have any bearing on the tendency to read in the bathroom. Most everyone surveyed listed blue, green, red, and purple as their favorite colors.
I found that lighting in the bathroom has no bearing on whether or not people read in the bathroom. Even those with poor lighting read in the bathroom. 90% of people who do not read in the bathroom have good lighting.
80% of those who do read books in the bathroom would not choose to watch movies or watch TV in the bathroom over reading.
40% of those who do not read books in the bathroom would choose to watch movies or TV in the bathroom over reading. 33% prefer movies/TV over books, 33% do not prefer movies/TV over books, and 33% are on the fence. I still don't exactly understand what happened to the remaining 1%, even after the B/F explained it to me.
Of those who read books in the bathroom, 100% will read while they eat.
Of those who do not read books in the bathroom, 50% will read while they eat.
Of those who read books in the bathroom, 100% are likely to read materials in other people's bathrooms.
Of those who do not read books in the bathroom, 10% are likely to read materials in other people's bathrooms.
The people who do not read books in the bathroom say about those who read in the bathroom: don't take too long if I need to use the space; it's acceptable to read in the bathroom; don't leave books in the bathroom; reading on the toilet is gross; reading in the bath is acceptable.
The people who read books in the bathroom say about themselves: it doesn't come up in conversation; close family know I do it; I hide my bathroom reading from non-family members; I do not hide my bathroom reading from non-family members.
Everyone surveyed has a friend or friends that read books in the bathroom.
50% of people who do not read books in the bathroom buy their own books rather than borrow from the library.
50% of people who do read books in the bathroom prefer to buy their own books rather than borrow from the library.
50% of people who do read books in the bathroom read their library books in the bathroom.
50% of people who do read books in the bathroom have been late for things because they were reading in the bathroom.
0% of people who do not read books in the bathroom have been late for things because they were reading. 50% of people who do not read books in the bathroom have been late for things because of other bathroom activities (fixing hair was the number one reason mentioned).
0% of those who do not read books in the bathroom think they will ever start reading books in the bathroom.
100% of those who do read books in the bathroom believe they started reading in the bathroom at an early age (7-8 years old; as long as I can remember; 10 years old).

Lots of results. Lots of miscalculated percentages, but they are probably close enough. So if you can take it, here is what I learned:

I thought it was interesting that favorite colors weren't more reflective of personal decision/action regarding this issue. That was my most psychological question. I was more pleased with the results of the timetables question. It seems that those who do not read in the bathroom were quicker to say that though they like to meander during their free time, they do prefer some planning, even when out with friends. I was thinking the results would actually work out that way.

The most surprising result by far was that people who like to read in the bathroom seem to prefer to read indoors in general; and that those who do not read in the bathroom prefer to read outdoors. That was a stark contrast I was not expecting.

Another surprising result for me was the amount of time people spend in the bathroom for other reasons. It seems like those who read in the bathroom get their "bathroom time" in that way. Those who do not read in the bathroom utilize their "bathroom time" in other ways (such as getting ready for work). I am making an educated guess that both exercises are relaxing, but in different ways. For those who read in the bathroom, the reading is what relaxes them. For those who don't, they spend more time fixing their hair, doing makeup, showering...things that are necessary to their daily routine (schedules), but things that are also relaxing in their own way. Brushing teeth and hair can feel nice. Showering can definitely be relaxing. Putting on makeup can become an escape because of the concentration you have to put into it. Verrrry interesting, folks.

And I bet you'll all think twice now before borrowing a library book. Although I will say 50% is less than I expected for that category.

So what do you think? Are you a Jerry or a George? Were there any results that surprised you? Where will all this new-found knowledge take you next?

I don't know about you, but I'm headed to the bathroom.

Global Literacy -- I'll Drink to That

2010-02-09T22:41:00.001-05:00

Ah, February! Valentine's Day, Library Lovers' Month, Black History Month, Condom Week???, Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, Presidents' Day, Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday, Daytona 500...there is a lot to celebrate this month. Today I wanted to celebrate something else: my literacy.

I was lucky enough as a kid to have educated parents who cared enough about my education to teach me to read. It seems so standard now in 2010. It's bizarre to even imagine kids out there who don't recognize D-O-G. Or L-O-V-E.

I love language, and I loved reading even before I could muster enough brainpower to sound out the words on the pages. I don't know where I would be without words, and the power of literacy.

I do really cherish it as power. And I believe it is a human right. We all deserve to know what thoughts are being communicated in our societies and in our cultures, and we deserve a chance to enter the conversation ourselves. Reading and writing get us there. When I was younger, I was always so enthralled by the stories of Southern whites teaching Black slaves to read -- the fictional account of Bethlehem and Susannah in Jennifer Armstrong's Steal Away particularly made an impression on me. It shook me to realize someone could actually (in my child's mind) get in trouble for teaching someone how to spell cat. And that someone else could get in trouble for learning. My parents always put such a high value on education. Knowing what some people went through just to learn how to read kept me from taking my own literacy for granted. Those stories helped me understand the importance of literacy, and they fully expanded my idea of true freedom. Freedom really was knowledge. Power, and empowerment, really could be found in education.

This is why I wanted to share with you a new initiative to expand literacy for children across the world. Room to Read, Crushpad, and Twitter have all joined up to create The Fledgling Initiative, a campaign for positive change in the lives of children all over the globe. Room to Read, a global nonprofit, is an organization that has to date "established more than 700 schools and over 7,000 bilingual libraries with five million books, and supports the education of nearly 7,000 girls. Room to Read’s programs have already reached more than three million children..."

Twitter, of course, is one of the Web's leaders in social networking/microblogging. By teaming up with Crushpad, a DIY winery in San Fran, Twitter has created and branded its own label (Fledgling wines), which will be sold to benefit Room to Read. And, because it's Twitter, The Fledgling Initiative now has one of the best venues in communication to help spread the word. Follow @Fledgling to stay up to date on Twitter's wine-making. There will even be times where you can participate in the creation.

Crushpad, based in San Francisco, is a winery that specializes in consumer customization. For The Fledgling Initiative, they've helped Twitter come up with two limited edition wines (a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay). For every bottle sold, $5 will be donated to Room to Read. Buying a whole case is equal to providing 60 local-language books to the children who need them most.

For more information on this amazing effort, check out this article and video at ServiceNation.org. Or, head straight to the source: visit http://www.twitter.com/fledgling, http://www.fledglingwine.com, or http://www.roomtoread.org.

I'm not really a wine-o, but this kind of thing I can get behind. I can't wait to get my wine. Finally, drinking to help the kids.

Teaser Tuesday!

2010-02-09T21:23:00.002-05:00

I realized last week that I've been reading the same book for almost a month and I still haven't teased you with it. So here it is, dangling in front of you, for this month's first Teaser Tuesday!

Grab your current read.*
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2)** "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
Share the title and author of the book, so we can investigate on our own if we like the teaser you've given!
Please avoid spoilers!

"Once again, African American women struggled on several fronts for suffrage, to improve conditions for their race, and to achieve equality with white women. Black women wanted the vote not only for themselves but also as a way to represent their race in those northern states where blacks could exercise the franchise."

Curious yet? Happy teasing!

Library Lovers' Month Has Officially Begun!

2010-02-01T22:33:00.000-05:00

I really wanted to write a good post for today, all about libraries and how much I value them and what they bring to our communities. I was even going to entertain you all with the story of whomever invented the first library, but it turns out that no one on the Internet definitively knows who that was. You type in "Who invented the library?" on Google, and you know what turns up? Who invented the toothbrush, who invented radio, and who invented the automobile. Type in "Who invented the library system" and you get two results on cell phones and about 5 on the Dewey Decimal system, which is closer, but not what I was looking for.

Honestly, I am not really feeling the writing vibe today anyway. Even what I'm writing now is frustrating me to no end.

What I should point out is that libraries always have a lot of cool activities going on, so you should look up your local branch and see what you can do to appropriately celebrate Library Lovers' Month. Most libraries' web sites will have a calendar of events, and then it's all fair game from there. Here is Lakewood's:

http://www.lkwdpl.org/calendar/

Like on February 16th apparently there is a meeting of the Knit and Lit Book Club. How do I join that club? And do I have to know how to knit anything besides a scarf? These are things I should research during Library Lovers' Month.

And since I cannot think of a way to end this post either, or even find a relevant library video on YouTube, tell me...what do you love about libraries? How do you plan on celebrating this month?

Share Stuff Saturday: They Banned the Dictionary

2010-01-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

(And I thought California was the "liberal" state. This Share Stuff Saturday is in part thanks to Five Star Friday! Title links to a meaningful blog post by Great Big Nerd, which was featured in this week's edition.)

Twilight: The Graphic Novel

2010-01-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

This article on my Google Reader was jumping up and down to get my attention this afternoon:

"Yen Press to Release 'Twilight: The Graphic Novel' in March"

The first printing will yield 350,000 copies, and will be available on March 16 of this year. The graphic novel, being graphic, will include only selected prose from the first book of Stephenie Meyer's series. The illustrations are done by Young Kim.

The article says the book will be released in two volumes (the release date for the second is TBA).

I've only finished 3 out of 4 of the books in the Twilight saga (I was late to the party, so to keep myself in suspense, I have a rule that I will only read the paperback versions), but I think I am going to have to add this graphic novel to my ever-growing list of Books to Purchase. It will be interesting to see images put to Meyer's writing. Yes, there are the movies, but I think we can all agree that film is an entirely different art form. In addition, it seems Ms. Meyer has inserted herself very closely into the review process for the graphic novel. This leads me to believe that the end product will feel very organic.

Share Stuff Saturday: National Book Critics Circle Finalists Announced

2010-01-23T21:19:00.002-05:00

(Title links to the New York Times article listing the 2009 nominees for the book awards)

Book Guilt

2010-01-23T15:30:00.004-05:00

"I love paperback too, except when I borrow it from a friend. Seems it always comes to me in pristine condition, especially from one fastidious friend, and I just KNOW it's going to be looking dogeared and disheveled when I give it back! Book guilt. Perhaps the best kind."

Does anyone else suffer from the seemingly incurable Book Guilt? The above quote is actually a comment from not undecided, left on my very first blog post here at the 1kDEP. I've been meaning to write about this for some time, because I feel it is a fairly universal experience.

I've mentioned before my history of book sabotage. Stains, wrinkles, tears, even corners nibbled away by my guinea pig. A book that falls into my lap is doomed from the beginning. No matter how careful I am, a book I read will never remain in the same condition in which it starts. (This applies even to hardcovers. I don't know how many book jackets I've lost.)

My college roommate, who is self-diagnosed with the same condition, softens the reality of the situation by saying she "makes love" to her books. I am less subtle. If she makes love to them, then I fuck them hardcore. She got me this journal for Christmas a few years back, attractively titled Wreck This Journal. I think it was meant for readers like me to take all their rage out on this one book, and quit bullying the others in their collection. Great idea -- that book is a mess. But I still can't stop ruining everything else I read.

Now, my own books I have no problem screwing up. I carry them everywhere because I love them. They become like my security blanket. They are mine, I bought them, I adore them, and if I ever read them again, I can look at those stains or those pig nibbles and remember how great it was to read the book the first time through. The wounds to the pages are like badges of honor.

However. As a consequence of my habitual display of affection, I become that much more terrified to even touch the books belonging to other people. It really is like being in a relationship. A sick sick relationship. Imagine I'd dated the B/F for so long, it gave me a weird feeling to even shake the hand of some other guy. That's how I am with books. I know how to treat my own, I know what they can take, and what their limits are. But other people's books are so foreign. I don't know how to handle them, so I avoid handling them at all. Plus what if I came across some of their book stains? It's like walking in on them. It's weird. And so whenever someone asks me if I'd like to borrow their copy of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, or Ariel, or Beaches, I immediately shy away, waving my hand, saying, "Oh, no, that's ok. I'll just ruin it." What makes it worse is that they never believe me. People who own books love to let other people borrow them. But they have no idea what I'm capable of.

Thus, Book Guilt. Months ago, I finally built up some courage and borrowed a book from not undecided, which she'd recommended to me via Shelfari -- The Secret Life of Bees. Turns out she'd actually borrowed it from her sister. Double whammy. The book was already pretty well worn, but I handled it with my kiddiest of kid gloves anyway, and made sure to worry the entire time I was reading it. Don't forget this isn't yours. You have to give this back to somebody. This has to look good. I don't think I ever put my whole palm on that book the entire time I was reading it. Fingertips only. But you know what? I got it back to her sister in relatively the same condition in which it'd been lent to me. That was the first time that ever happened to me.

So maybe you can overcome the book guilt after all. I smell a New Year's resolution.

Twitterature

2010-01-14T23:43:00.000-05:00

My mind has been on Twitter a lot lately. One hundred and forty characters (INCLUDING SPACES!!!). Retweeting. SMS. Hashtags. Trending topics. Followers. For all the simplicity of Twitter, it's sometimes exhausting to think about. I don't 'tweet' as often as some. I don't always like being bombarded with status updates, and I don't like bombarding other people. If I want to receive a constant stream of information, I will call someone, or make plans to meet in person. I like to think I'm old-fashioned.

This is not to say I don't appreciate Twitter. I love hearing what my SIL is up to all the way down in Dayton at 3 pm on a Tuesday, and I love the @FakeAPStylebook guidelines my good friend from college retweets on occasion. I even enjoy following (haha) the latest headlines -- that's when I really appreciate the 140-character limit.

More and more, I am understanding the doors Twitter has opened for the lines of communication, and the standards it is setting for the future. Major companies all over the U. S. (if not the world) are using Twitter for networking purposes. Friends and family are using it to keep in touch. Remember when email got big? We were all overwhelmed by the idea of a delivery system that was so fast-paced and impersonal. But here is why I believe that Twitter is so revolutionary: not only is it breaking new ground in the way we communicate, it's keeping us comfortable at the same time.

Unlike some other social media sites, Twitter's technology is simple -- each user gets a profile and their own page to fill up with tweets. On this page you can also see tweets from those you want to stay in touch with, or follow. You can choose your own level of involvement: you can send and receive tweets on your cell phone, BlackBerry, or just stick to the web if that's what makes you happy. And Twitter is faster than even sending an email; businesses, and regular people like me, value that. I may be old-fashioned, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I'd prefer writing a 2-sentence update every day, rather than wracking my memory to churn out an extensive letter every month. The best part is, Twitter has that personal feel to it. The people you follow are familiar to you -- from your closest relatives to your coworkers. Or they are companies or organizations of major interest to you. And because the beauty of Twitter updates is in their brevity, it's easy to want to stay connected. There's no doubt about it, I do feel a special bond with all of my other Tweeters. It's like we're in our own little club, even though I know millions of people all have members only jackets just like mine. But I'll admit it. I do love Twitter.

But then I worry.

Have you seen this book called Twitterature? Written by two college students, Alexander Aciman and Emmett Rensin, the premise of this book is "The World's Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets or Less." When I first heard this concept, I thought it was genius. The approach sounds hilarious, in that "Oh, man, I've got to see what this is about" sort of way. I mean, that is some love of literature, to have learned it so well that you could condense it that much...And then I see the Editorial Reviews on Amazon:

"Do you hear that? It's the sound of Shakespeare, rolling over in his grave."
--The Wall Street Journal

"Twitterature makes me want to punch someone, preferably the 'authors'. They're in Chicago. I'm gonna take a road trip..."
--@damig, Twitter

"JUst f*#%&ng shoot me now..."
--Mike C, grouchyconservativepundits.com

Yeah. And after seeing a fellow Shelfari user point out that "unfortunately the writers have chosen to poke fun at the novels they're condensing, in addition to...well, condensing them. Most of the jokes fall embarrassingly flat..." I guess I'm not so convinced anymore that the explosion of inspiration I imagined Twitter providing will actually transfer seamlessly to a physical paper page.

I find it curious how people need to take a communication tool and inject it into every other related mechanism that's been out there previously. Twitter is a useful tool, but I don't believe it can be molded to the expectations we have set for books. That's not what it was intended for. I can argue that Twitter is an expansion of literature, which I thought was where Aciman and Rensin were heading with Twitterature. Literature was formed, I assume, for communication -- to present ideas. I just think we should be careful when thinking about using new technology to enhance the tried and true. I must admit, it was fun to imagine the marriage of Twitter and a book. But now that I've had a chance to ponder, I realize it's like incest. You can't marry the son to the mother anymore. You end up with a child who can't even read, and then I won't have anything to blog about. Do people push books and Twitter together because deep down they fear the change? Or are they trying too hard to make the new technology even more accessible? It's a whole new world out there, and that is scary. But you know what's nice about it? It's the only one where we'll still able to stand in two places at once.

REVIEW: 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte

2010-01-11T16:39:00.004-05:00

Well, hello! It really has been too long. I apologize to everyone out there who may have been waiting for a blog post. I should have mentioned in my welcome statement that I have a horrible tendency to take lengthy recesses with no apparent warning or reason.

But now that I'm back (for now), I can finally discuss my relationship with Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. This book took me a month or so to finish. This does not mean I did not enjoy it.

I will say it was hard to read Jane Eyre properly without the environment of a classroom. I always get more from classics like this where there can be a group discussion after every few chapters or so. I considered checking SparkNotes, but somehow that felt like cheating. Halfway through, I decided to skip the literary aspect of it entirely and began reading for enjoyment only.

I say I had a relationship with Jane Eyre because this book drew me so closely into Jane's mind I felt we were in fact friends, or at the very least acquaintances. I found Jane's narrative engaging, and Bronte's writing style attractive. My problem with literary classics has always been that I would get lost in backstory -- I felt an author would take too much time explaining something (a gesture, a bit of dialogue, the scenery), when it was just as easy to skip a few sentences and get on with the narration. Not so with Jane Eyre. There were only a few instances where I would put the book down and wonder when I was ever going to finish it. My biggest issue this time around was picking the book back up after I had put it down for the night. It's not a book that you can use to take a few minutes out of your busy day, read a few lines and put it back down until the next time you have a free moment. The writing is not pithy by any means, so I would have to make time out of my day to fully absorb myself, if I was going to pick up the book at all. Once I read a few paragraphs, though, it was hard to stop.

I wouldn't say love stories are normally at the top of my list when I'm deciding on a book to read (although now that I think about it, most of my favorite books do involve some sort of love story), but this one felt near perfect. And I think I feel that way because I could see Jane's strength of character, and I knew she wasn't in love with Mr. Rochester because he wanted her, or because it would be beneficial for her financially, or even because it was her first real crush. The love was authentic because Jane is authentic. I felt Jane's love for Mr. Rochester as deeply and as truly as if it were my own. This is sort of embarrassing to admit, because who wants to marry a guy who kept his first wife in a closet? But all the talk of being fit for each other, and complementing each other so perfectly...well, it made me feel all wishy-washy. And I loved it.

I think I will read Wide Sargasso Sea again so I can fully appreciate the other side, and maybe gain some more insight into Jane Eyre as well.

But UP NEXT: No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women, by Estelle B. Freedman (finally, I am in the mood for it!)

Share Stuff Saturday: Math is Important

2009-12-12T21:05:00.006-05:00

I was just reading through yesterday's edition of Five Star Friday, and happened across this blog post from Centre of the Universe - The Dreaming. It breaks down the cost of publishing a book (in Canada). Just in case any of you (and by "any of you" I mean "me") forgot what it takes to make it in this industry, here's some interesting reading that should jog your memory. I am definitely never going to complain about retail prices ever again...at least, not in Canada. I also learned that publishers are pushing more and more for their printers to use "greener" paper stock -- but of course, this insistence to do the world good is still coming at its explosively high price, since a lot of printers don't keep this stock on the floor. How Catch-22 of everything. Anyway. Enjoy.

http://www.cenobyte.ca/words/2009/12/math-lesson-about-books.html

Teaser Tuesday!

2009-12-08T20:58:00.000-05:00

We had our first snow this week! Perfect weather for curling up with a good book. Or, for doing a teaser!

Grab your current read.*
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2)** "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
Share the title and author of the book, so we can investigate on our own if we like the teaser you've given!
Please avoid spoilers!

*To keep this feature periodic, I will be using both teasers from current reads, and from books I've read before, but haven't discussed on this blog.

**Quantity of sentences may vary, depending on how long it takes to finish the thought within those line parameters. Teasers should still make sense!

I'm feeling Christmasy all of a sudden (Haul out the holly!), and I'm pretty disappointed I'm not going to be able to afford a Christmas tree this year after all. So, to cheer me up, this week's teaser comes from my most favorite Christmas book of all time. My grandma bought it for me at a garage sale one summer, and for Christmas two years later she made me a rag doll just like the one on the cover. The book is called The Christmas Dolls: A Butterfield Square Story, and it's by Carol Beach York. I lurve it.

Snowflakes flew in their faces, and melted on Florabelle's green glass-button eyes. Everything looked wet to her after that, as if she were looking at the world under water.

Thanks once again, MizB, for your wonderful meme! I'm off to decorate the rest of the house!

REVIEW: 'The Dread Crew: Pirates of the Backwoods' by Kate Inglis

2009-12-05T21:30:00.006-05:00

Sorry I'm late, everyone.

Charming. Fresh. Enticing. Original. Slug-smackin' good time.

When my copy of The Dread Crew: Pirates of the Backwoods by Kate Inglis finally arrived, I put down Jane Eyre and delved into this new treat immediately. I have to say: this is a marvelous first novel. I have commenced picketing for the movie.

She really did a phenomenal job setting the tone of the book with the diction, and from the very first line of the prologue. I loved how each character, from Missy to Joe to Willie to Hector, all had their own spin on the quaint language of New Germany. So entertaining, just how you'd want pirates to talk -- not expect them to -- want them to talk.

In fact, what I did expect was more elusiveness on the part of the pirates. The back of the book hints at Eric's story, tracking them through the woods, using clues they've dropped from their Barrow along the way. But in fact, you get to know the pirates (and Grandpa Joe) much more intimately than you ever do Eric. And these pirates, elusive? Getting the Stewarts' peacocks and goats to get along would be an easier task. But that is what makes this book a pleasure. "Honey lessons." So perfect.

What I loved most about this book was its accessibility. It was so hard to pin down an age group for it, which in the end, who cares? That means it's great for any age, and I think that's going to lend to its success. Children, adults, and tweens can all enjoy it. I imagined my mom reading it to me when I was little. The excitment in the storyline, plus the well-developed plot, plus its length (not too short, not too long!) will also make it a great re-read for me as an adult -- something I can read while I eat a bowl of soup, or vacation, or just plain need a break from real life.

I hope there will be a sequel, but this book stands on its own. Congratulations, Kate, and thanks again for sharing the launch of your tremendous accomplishment with me.

Next Up: Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte (for real this time)

There Are Two Sides...

2009-11-18T22:50:00.003-05:00

From what I'm reading, everyone loves their Kindle. From the first DX model to the second-generation Kindle 2, the e-book reader by Amazon appears sleeker, lighter, more user-friendly, and more versatile than the competing brands by Sony or Barnes & Noble. You can even use it internationally now. My personal favorite function of the Kindle 2 (if I had one) would be the built-in dictionary. I think I would use that for every "page."

The Kindle has been hailed as the "future of reading." By whom, I'm not sure. I can't find the exact quote anywhere online. I'm sure the Amazon marketing people could.

The Kindle is supposed to be the beginning of a brand new culture of book-lovers. One where we do all of our reading on computerized screens...but we're no longer limited to cords and outlets and CPUs. We can take our electronic reading devices anywhere, and buy books whenever we want. I'm not necessarily for that type of culture, exactly, but if that's where the world is headed, I don't know if I'd be unmovable. I like new ideas, and I've been kind of interested in this whole green technology thing lately. I mean, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, would it? To have books stored in an electronic device rather than on our bookshelves?

Ok, maybe it would be. Thinking of my house without actual books in it makes me a little shaky and my heart rate goes up. I also don't think I'd want to take any kind of e-reader to a beach, even though the girl in the Amazon ad portrays that as a completely normal Kindle 2 activity. What do you do when you get sand in the minuscule cracks where it's put together? I can't even get sand out of my bathing suit, let alone a Kindle. And then there's this:

I was sitting in the cafeteria at work today, eating lunch with friends, when one of them brought up something I had never even thought to consider. Amazon's e-book reader is called the Kindle. The Kindle. "Yeah," I said. "You know...it, like, sparks your imagination. Ignites education and creativity! [And sales.]"

Wrong.

The Kindle.

According to my friend, it turns out the hottest tech toy of 2009 is actually some well-laid subliminal plot to get all us consumers to ditch paper books forever. FOREVER. The Kindle. Kindling. Book burning. The figurative book burning of a culture of readers, to be exact. My culture. And it will probably go down in history as the biggest, most successful book burning of all. Why? Because I can't even see the Kindle for its own name. We're so enthralled with the concept, we're missing the consequences. And its name.

As I stated in a past post, book burning is viewed as a form of violence against a culture; it serves a demonstrative purpose, as a way for an oppressive power to force its influence onto a group of people. I just bought three CDs from Amazon today. Am I feeding the fire? Should Amazon be viewed as a brutal regime, out to quash my appreciation for "real" books?

Or is Amazon a friend to the forests, and the Kindle just a vehicle for expression? Is their purpose simply to keep us all up-to-date, current with not only the trends in reading and technology, but in business, and with communication tools, too?

And on top of all of this, to properly sort things out, you then have to ask the question: "What makes a book?" Is it really the paper and binding? Or is it the words? Is it the message? Or a combination of all of it? When did reading get this complicated?

So do you have a Kindle, or another e-book reader? Whose side are you on? Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

And where are we going now?

Teaser Tuesday!

2009-11-18T00:22:00.002-05:00

Props to MizB at Should Be Reading for giving us readers this fun meme. Too bad I forgot to post this earlier and we're now officially twenty-two minutes into Wednesday. But here goes...I give you: "Whodunit Wednesday" (what? It was the only "w" synonym for teaser on Thesaurus.com):

Grab your current read.*
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2)** "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
Share the title and author of the book, so we can investigate on our own if we like the teaser you've given!
Please avoid spoilers!

*To keep this feature periodic, I will be using both teasers from current reads, and from books I've read before, but haven't discussed on this blog.

**Quantity of sentences may vary, depending on how long it takes to finish the thought within those line parameters. Teasers should still make sense!

This week's teaser showcases... ::drum roll! buhduhduhduhduhduhduh::

The Dread Crew: Pirates of the Backwoods by Kate Inglis! I was fortunate enough to win this book through a giveaway on Kate's web site, Kate...Tells Stories (and for those looking for more of her writing, she also runs the blog sweet|salty). It finally arrived on my doorstep yesterday, and I just started reading it, but we're off to a good start! I didn't even open the book at random for the teaser this time because I wanted to share how much I absolutely love the first sentence of Chapter 1. (Sorry, rule-sticklers, but I think if you've already made peace with Whodunit Wednesday, you'll also be ok with me not following Normal Teaser Procedure -- or NTP, as we in the biz like to say):

"The boy was never seen without his backpack, although naturally, no one knew what it was for, because a pirate tracker is only a pirate tracker if that pirate tracker is so in secret."

If you're into YA (or pirates), you should pick this one up! I'm so excited I could squeal.

Books for the Holidays

2009-11-17T01:02:00.001-05:00

I started doing my Christmas shopping last weekend, but it was nearly impossible because I don't have anyone's list yet (yes, the family goes by lists, we take all the fun out of everything, blah, blah, blah. I tend to end my list with "And lots of surprises!"...just to mix it up a little).

Anyway, I stumbled across this web site called Buy Books for the Holidays a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share it with you, as we'll all soon be struggling to claw ourselves out from the hellish pit more popularly known as the holiday shopping season. I think the concept of buying people books for the holidays is pretty cool, for two reasons: A) it will relieve me from the humdrum, mindless shopping fueled by THE CHRISTMAS LIST; and B) who doesn't like "lots of surprises"? Everyone's list should end with lots of surprises. The web site is really cool, giving new gift ideas every week, which are often organized by age group or trend. The site also features some great bookish charities, reminding us that giving, the biggest hallmark of the season, extends beyond the close circle of family and friends.

I think what I like most about this idea is that it actually forces you to really think about the person you're buying for. Books are very personal, very intimate items. It's very hard for one person to comprehend another's taste. I feel like even if the person you're buying for has been your best friend since you were three years old, you still have a pretty good chance of f*ing it up. That's why I always asked for gift cards to Borders or Barnes & Noble. Not even Santa Claus knew what I liked to read...and he knew it all.

I'll bet it's because books are our great escape. We read when we want to get away from the world we're in...or to draw us closer to a part we don't yet know much about. Even when we read a book for the familiarity of its topic we're escaping, in a sense, because we're withdrawing deeper into a part of ourselves. To make things more complicated, our fantasy destination is always changing. For instance: sometimes I'll be in the mood for a lighthearted YA novel, sometimes I'll be in the mood for symbolic literature, sometimes I'll be in the mood for girly chick lit...sometimes I'll just feel like learning something. And sometimes -- not often -- I'll even feel like reading nothing but the funnies. Hell, yesterday all I felt like doing was finishing a crossword puzzle. That's the kind of book I needed. That's the kind of escape I was craving.

So how do you buy books for someone, when your theories on what they will and will not enjoy have a 96.8% chance of blowing up in your astonished but good-intentioned face?

Here's how I plan to do it:

Don't think too much. Let the ideas come naturally; let them spark in your mind. (I'm convincing myself this provision is necessary, despite how worrisome it makes me...the Dec. 25th deadline and all.)
Take a lot of time to browse. Plan a day if you have to. You won't know what to buy if you don't know what's out there.
Don't set limits, especially on things like "year published." Some of the best books I've ever read were at least 5 years off the presses. This does not mean throw all caution to the wind. For example, if you're going to buy a history book or a book about science, pay attention. Some genres will be best read if the information is up-to-date.
Know what you like to read, but don't use your preferences as a defense for buying the same book for someone else. You and your friends or family may have similar interests when it comes to reading, but you may not enjoy the same authors. I feel that the holidays are not a time to be making recommendations, because I often get the impression that recommendations are just another way of saying, "Hey, I love this book. Everyone else should also love this book. Here, read this book, because I love it."
Look through old journals or old photo albums, watch old videos. It may jog your memory and give you an idea by reminding you about the person you love...and what they love.
Pay attention. Take a real interest in your conversations with the giftee and see if you can't transform it into a book. If your Secret Santa loves knitting, there's a sweet-looking murder mystery series out that has knitting as a central theme. Could be by Maggie Sefton? I can't remember. Anyway, get creative. Just because she likes knitting doesn't mean you have to buy her a how-to book.

And that's all I got! I know the list makes it look like I've done this a million times and really have my shit together, but I am just as lost as you.

But it's fun to get lost among books, isn't it?

Teaser Tuesday!

2009-11-10T22:04:00.005-05:00

This novel-writing thing is a bitch and a half. I am so far behind I think I might puke. Again. Because I was home sick for three days last week, and my queasiness followed me into the weekend, too, so needless to say...writing was not the number one thing on my mind. Finding the toilet at the right time took some precedence there. And what the hell am I going to do about the rest of November? November = Thanksgiving. November = scrambling to start Christmas shopping. November = decorating the house. I am thinking about taking another night off from writing in order to put together a scathing petition to the NaNoWriMo bosses. Can't we change the month to May? To February? To some other month that doesn't occupy my time so completely already? How do real writers do it? I'm already bored with my storyline.

You'll have to excuse my bitching. I'm ~~being really juvenile~~ just trying to get into character. Writers are moody, right? With glasses and berets? (That's another thing. I HAVE NO BERET. How can I even hope to succeed? I must be a giant fool, because I'm still not giving up.)

This is pathetic.

Anyway, it's Teaser Tuesday again! Live it up:

Grab your current read.*
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2)** "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
Share the title and author of the book, so we can investigate on our own if we like the teaser you've given!
Please avoid spoilers!

"And in a while," the master went on, "she'll die to that other world and be born again to this one. I can't know if your paths will ever cross again."

Thanks to MizB at Should Be Reading for providing the meme. Until next time, everybody! ::Reading Rainbow theme song::

Ohio for Libraries!

2009-11-04T23:19:00.003-05:00

I have not been feeling well recently, and so did not get out to vote this week...but seeing this article has revived my spirit, if not my physical health:

Library Levy Landslides Make History in Ohio

I'm especially excited for Hamilton County in Cincinnati, which is where I'm originally from. I hope the favorite "Don't Trash the 'Nati" slogan was appropriately expanded to apply to this campaign. Whatever they did, it worked.

Let's also keep our hopes up for Paulding County Carnegie Library, who is going through a recount. Power of bookworms, unite!

My Own Little Pep Talk

2009-11-03T22:43:00.000-05:00

I have finished writing my required 1,667 words for the night. After uploading my current word count to the NaNoWriMo web site, I discovered that Cleveland, OH has collectively written over 384,000 words in the past three days. That is amazing.

I'm all aflush and proud to be part of this. And I'm actually not hating my work so far. Bonus!

Teaser Tuesday!

2009-11-03T20:16:00.002-05:00

Brought to you by MizB at Should Be Reading.

And we're off!

Grab your current read.*
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2)** "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
Share the title and author of the book, so we can investigate on our own if we like the teaser you've given!
Please avoid spoilers!

"She shut her book and slowly looked up; her hat-brim partially shaded her face, yet I could see, as she raised it, that it was a strange one. It looked all brown and black: elf-locks bristled out from beneath a white band which passed under her chin, and came half over her cheeks, or rather jaws; her eye confronted me at once, with a bold and direct gaze."

Shivers. I'm definitely not that far into the book, but I am pretty excited about getting there!

Happy Tuesday.

(Got your own teaser? Post this meme on your own blog and leave a link in the comments here...or just add your teaser to a comment by itself.)

REVIEW: 'Free Food for Millionaires' by Min Jin Lee

2009-11-02T23:50:00.005-05:00

This book definitely surprised me. In a good way.

Let me paint the story for you in the nuttiest of nutshells: Casey Han, a young Korean-American woman, has just graduated from Princeton. So begins her journey to identity.

About a fourth of the way through the book, I started calling it my "Sex and the City with Ethnicity." The lives of the characters were certainly drawn to this angle -- the rich, enviable Wall Street brokers, and Casey's taste for high fashion were certainly reminiscent of the popular collection of essays. But there was a humbleness and familiarity to Lee's writing, where Sex and the City left me feeling cold and distant when I read it. The only part of Lee's book I truly struggled with was the dialogue. At times, she seemed to be writing too "fairy tale" -- some of the dialogue didn't seem genuine to me. On the other hand: I couldn't get over how well-rounded Lee is, how well she did her research. Everything she wrote about Wall Street, about golf, about music, about the hierarchies of business and dare I say life...it all made sense. I couldn't count how many subjects she broached and how believable she made it all. Lee truly has a gift.

The novel was definitely a unique read; for me, it was especially different in its narrator's 3rd-person omniscience. I don't know about you, but I think the last time I read a book written from that perspective was in the 6th grade. It was a bit uncomfortable in the beginning, getting used to being in every character's head at some point, no matter their role, major or minor. But I loved it in the end because it created a better sense of the world they lived in. It made them all real, and no one was completely evil or completely good (except maybe Ella, whose character proved a good foil to many of the others). It was an especially helpful aid in the theme of assimilation I found throughout the novel. You could see each character working to be something, attaching a certain importance to their goals...and you learned what took precedence, where their lines were. And then there was Casey, without goals, without lines, floating in the middle of it all. It was a very interesting way to read. I was amazed at how much having no mystery in terms of the characters' thoughts actually lent itself to the overall mystery of the plot. What was going to happen next? Where is she going with this? I often found myself asking.

Just now, while writing this review, I learned that Middlemarch is also written in the 3rd person omniscient point of view. I don't want to give too much away, but I find that very interesting because Casey Han's character is always re-reading Middlemarch. It makes me respect Lee a great deal more, the way she incorporated that sort of subtle detail into her storytelling. And really, I'll bet a lot more of the book is the same way -- meticulously planned, but effortlessly executed.

Above all, I liked the book because you were on the journey with the characters. The scenes were well-drawn, and each action cleanly and realistically led to an appropriate, if socially unacceptable, reaction. I will admit I was a bit baffled by the ending. But, c'est la vie. It's not the ending that matters. It's what happens along the way.

Next up: Not sure yet. Most likely: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

NaNoWriMo

2009-11-01T17:08:00.000-05:00

The acronym for this event reminds me of the Nano Babies that were popular in gradeschool. Actually, the Tamagotchis were the popular toy, Nano Babies were for those of us who couldn't afford the more stylish electronic pet. Anyway.

November is National Novel Writing Month. Fifty thousand words in 30 days. As you may have already guessed, I signed up to participate last week.

I am not in any shape to begin writing a novel today (who came up with Halloween, anyway?), but I must. I signed up to participate and I like to think of myself as a non-welsher. I have to complete 1,667 words per day to stay on track for the assignment. For me, the hardest part of the whole exercise will be rule #2:

Do not edit as you go. Editing is for December. Think of November as an experiment in pure output. Even if it's hard at first, leave ugly prose and poorly written passages on the page to be cleaned up later. Your inner editor will be very grumpy about this, but your inner editor is a nitpicky jerk who foolishly believes that it is possible to write a brilliant first draft if you write it slowly enough. It isn't. Every book you've ever loved started out as a beautifully flawed first draft. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.

At least I have an idea for my story this time. It's so hard for me to come up with ideas for my writing. This one I actually thought I'd use for a short story, but since I do have such an awful time thinking up plots, I am going to see if I can't expand it into a novel. Don't worry, I'm not cheating -- I have not started writing this story yet, I only have the idea.

So what say you? Will you be joining me in this quest for authorship? I've always wanted to write a novel, but never felt it was the right time. But I've come to realize it's like having a Nano Baby: it's never the right time. So I'm starting now.

Sorry, Guys

2009-10-30T20:42:00.007-04:00

I know, it's been what, 4 days? Five days? I know I missed at least one Teaser in there. Who's counting anymore. I feel like ass.

I've been up late and running around all week, hand-sewing stripes on an over-sized orange sweatshirt, so my boyfriend and I can be completely without-a-doubt secured to win the prize for the greatest Halloween costume of 2009: none other than Calvin and Hobbes. A boy and his tiger. Of course, since I know how to thread a needle, I am going as Hobbes.

(And I just wrote "sewing" as "sweing" three times in a row.)

So now all the pressure is getting to me and I have come down with some variation of swine flu, or maybe it's just the common cold. I am taking Zicam and drinking tea. I bought some soup. I will not miss Halloween. However, I still need to sew (count 4 for "swe") all the stripes onto the back of my costume. I have till 6pm EDT tomorrow, right? Right. Stickin' to it.

Anyhow, I decided to catch up on my blog reading while I sip ginseng tea from this gigantic mug, and found a link at Turtlehead leading me back to a link at Kate...Tells Stories with a pretty sweet bookish meme all about "stories that stick." You see, Kate is an author, who just finished a book called The Dread Crew, and you even have a chance to win a copy of her new book if you fill out the meme! Of course I totally filled out the meme.

Holy crap, and I just hit Publish Post without even being ready to Publish Post. Ok, one meme and I am going to bed.

Without further ado..."Stories That Stick":

1) You are facing an epic journey. You may choose one companion, one tool and one vehicle from any book or film to accompany you. Or just one of the three. It's up to you. What do you choose?

Companion: I would pick Charlotte from Charlotte's Web, because she is sensible, smart, has lots of common sense, and is kind and encouraging. However, she is a spider, and will probably not live for more than a year. So I choose Jill from Katharine Kerr's Deverry Series...she is all those things, plus she is human. And she has magic.

Tool: Probably Harry Potter's wand. (Turtlehead: How about I filled out my own answers before I read yours...we are so in sync. ;) )

Vehicle: Elphaba's broom. Why not Harry Potter's broom? Who can say. Or maybe I would borrow Rhodry Maelwaedd's dragon for awhile.

2) You can escape to the insides of any book. Where do you go, and why?

I'm pretty much a wimp, so I don't think I'd go anywhere too ridiculous or dangerous. In fact, I think I'd like to hang out near Elizabeth Gilbert's stomping grounds in Eat, Pray, Love. Italy, India, Indonesia. Sounds like a vacation to me! Oh man, or in Ramona Quimby's house. I always wondered what her parents said when she wasn't around.

3) You can bring one literary character into your current life. Who do you choose, and why?

Tough. I'd choose Brett Ashley from The Sun Also Rises. She's strong, and I think I'd love listening to her stories.

4) __The Outsiders__ is my go-to book. I could read that book fifty-seven times in a row without a break for food or a pee and not be remotely bored. In fact I've already done that but it wasn't fifty-seven times. It was sixty-four.

5) Of all the literary or film characters that made an impression on you as a kid, who was the most enviable?

Enviable, huh? I have to say I did envy Claudia Kishi from The Baby-sitter's Club series. She was beautiful, smart (although she did have trouble in school), cool, had some great fashion taste, and she was artsy. Everything I wanted to be growing up. My favorite book in the series was Claudia and the Clue in the Photograph. It was such a great plot, and that's where I learned the word "facade."

6) Of all the literary or film characters that made an impression on you as a kid, who was the most frightening?

Who was scary? I don't know if any character in a book or movie ever really frightened me as a kid. Everything always worked out in the end, like I could predict it would. If it didn't work out, it would at least resolve. Certain scenes were scary, maybe. What happened was that I got a lot of nightmares as I got older and started reading more sophisticated, real stuff...like D.M. Thomas's The White Hotel. That book gave me the worst case of the creeps.

7) Every time I read _America's Women_, I see something in it that I haven't seen before.

8) It is imperative that ____The BFG_____ be made into a movie. Now. I am already picketing Hollywood for this-but if they cast ____Robin Williams_____ as __the BFG___, I will not be happy. I will, however, be appeased if they cast __James Cromwell___.

9) __The Devil Wears Prada__ is a book that should never be made (or should have never been made) into a film.

Ok, this is only half true. I thought the book was spectacular, and I was so excited to see the movie after I finished it. The visuals were so good, it seemed perfect for the big screen. But the movie just...sucked. The book was worlds away. So much was left out of the film...and it was the first book I read that actually seemed like it was also MADE for film. I realize they were shooting for 90 minutes, but it could have been executed so differently...and better.

10) After all these years, the __refugee boat__ scene in the book/movie ___Children of the River__ still manages to give me the queebs.

11) After all these years, the ___last sentence where you finally see the frame story___ scene in the book/movie ___The Outsiders___ still manages to give me a thrill. (sorry to use this book twice, but I LOVE it.)

12) If I could corner the author ___K.A. Applegate___, here's what I'd say to them one minute or less about their book, __the Animorphs Series__:

"Your books got me so interested in fantasy and science fiction writing. I laughed, I cried, so thank you so much for introducing me to a genre I never knew I could love."

13) The coolest non-fiction book I've ever read is __To Full Term__. Every time I flip through it, it makes me want to __either jump up and down (seriously) or just sit down and read it cover to cover. It makes me want to recommend it___.

And there you have it! My version of the Stories That Stick meme. Have fun filling in your own!

Shout Out

2009-10-25T23:47:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to send a quick note of congrats to my friend at Fickle Words, who successfully completed Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon this evening. Way to go, girl! I doubt I'd be able to avoid falling asleep, even for books. Could be a nice goal for next time, though, thanks for sharing! I'll be sure to mark the web page.

Nice job!

Classically Challenged

2009-10-25T22:52:00.000-04:00

It has recently been preying on my mind that I am not very familiar with "the classics," especially the ones written by popular female writers. You know -- the books that are categorized as the novels "Every Girl Should Read." They seem to be popping up everywhere, in the most peculiar forms. From Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to the movie I just rented, The Jane Austen Book Club (cute, in that chick-flick, straight to TBS sort of way), "the classics" are pervading my every thought lately when it comes to books. I tried reading Sense and Sensibility and Wuthering Heights when I was in gradeschool, but couldn't wade my way through. Now that almost a decade has passed since then, I've decided it's high time I get around to reading these beautiful works by their beautiful authors. In high school, our substitute AP English teacher told us we'd never make it through college without reading Jane Eyre. Well, I made it. Or did I? No wonder Wide Sargasso Sea never made any sense.

Anyway, that's what I'd like to find out. Did I really make it, having skipped these so-called "life-changers"?

Next on my list of books to read: A Classic.

Get Ready

2009-10-23T22:55:00.000-04:00

November is going to be a wild ride for all of us. I have one week to get over myself and suck it up.

(Why am I being so mysterioso? Because it's fun! But if you're really impatient for surprises, like I am -- I couldn't even wait 9 days to turn this post into something more transparent and sensical -- click around a little. There's a big clue somewhere close-ish.)

These People are Serious

2009-10-22T23:19:00.002-04:00

Browsing Google Reader today turned up a post at myliblog, which happened to mention nothing other than a good ol' fashioned, annual Halloween book burning. Annual.

The North Carolina Baptist church, Amazing Grace, will be hosting a book burning/barbeque (who knew that spiritual cleansing could double as the social event of the season?) on October 31 to destrroy what the congregation believes to be the works of Satan and the perversions of God's Word. That allows for any religious books or works that are not the old version of the King James Bible...meaning the new version of the King James Bible is gonna be choking on smoke. The believers will also burn samples of most genres of music, including contemporary Christian and Southern gospel.

Now, I am not writing this post to criticize these people's beliefs (although I really do have to openly and respectfully disagree with their position. I don't believe burning the offensive material is really accomplishing anything, especially in 2009, when probably 3,000,000 more copies of the "perversions" have already been distributed by the time you've dug the fire pit. But, I guess it's the principle of the thing). I was really just sort of surprised that people are still out there burning books. Like really, truly, burning them. I mean, who does that? I've never been to any kind of burning, not even a bra burning. Should I have met people like this by this point in my life? So I'm more intrigued by the idea of book burnings and the history behind them. It's very Farhenheit 451. Time to consult my dear friend Wikipedia. And Google, too. There's always room for you, Google.

Amazing Grace claims their tradition is just that -- a Christian tradition. They quote Acts 19:18-20 as their basis. Wikipedia says:

Book burning (a category of biblioclasm, or book destruction) is the practice of destroying, often ceremoniously, one or more copies of a book or other written material. In modern times, other forms of media, such as phonograph records, video tapes, and CDs have also been ceremoniously burned, torched, or shredded. The practice, usually carried out in public, is generally motivated by moral, religious, or political objections to the material.

(Really, I can't stand it with the hyper-hyperlinking. Why did we ever give up on books? I long for a simpler time.)

Apparently there have been a great many traumatic book burnings throughout history. Wikipedia cites several major book burnings that have happened over the course of centuries, the most famous probably being the Nazi book burnings (these were carried out by chapters of the German Student Association, which I did not realize). All citations refer to book burnings as horrific acts of war, as forms of violence against a people and culture, and "emblematic of a harsh and oppressive regime." They are efforts to suppress a viewpoint that challenges the prevailing order.

The earliest reference Wikipedia has to a book burning is from 367 AD, commissioned by the bishop of Alexandria. How many years ago was that? And we're still lighting matches.

Anthony Comstock founded The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice in 1873, and boasted the destruction of "15 tons of books, 284,000 pounds of plates for printing such 'objectionable' books, and nearly 4,000,000 pictures." His reasoning? They were lewd.

In 1842, early books coded with braille were burned in Paris, France. At the city's school for the blind.

In 2001, a church in New Mexico invited its congregation to a book burning party. The guest of honor? Harry Potter. And God. The pastor hadn't read even one of J.K. Rowling's books.

What is it that gives books such power that we are so motivated to destroy them? They have to have power, because power is what makes us feel threatened. And what makes us so eager to blame the books? Why are the books the first thing we seek out when we're looking to quash ideas? I personally think it's because they are the physical manifestation of a person's opinions, theories, and maybe sometimes facts. Pieces of knowledge we don't agree with. And a book burning has got to be the easiest way to hurt and humiliate an author. Even today, it's not enough for people to just speak their minds. Humans are a species of action. We have to get as close as we can to destroying our perversions at their source.

But I guess author burning would be illegal.

Teaser Tuesday!

2009-10-20T21:36:00.009-04:00

Thanks again to MizB at Should Be Reading for coming up with this meme. And thanks to ShabbyBlogs.com for providing me with the sweet new background!

Ready? Go!

Grab your current read.*
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2)** "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
Share the title and author of the book, so we can investigate on our own if we like the teaser you've given!
Please avoid spoilers!

*To keep this feature periodic, I will be using both teasers from current reads, and from books I've read before, but haven't discussed on this blog.

**Quantity of sentences may vary, depending on how long it takes to finish the thought within those line parameters. Teasers should still make sense!

This week's Teaser Tuesday showcases Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (a book I started, but never finished...and hope to someday pick up again):

Mrs. O'Dowd said that her 'Glorvina was not afraid of any man alive, let alone a Frenchman,' and tossed off a glass of beer with a wink which expressed her liking for the beverage.

And how cool is this? As I was flipping through my copy of this book, I came across two pictures of me with each of my parents. I love these pictures because we are all cracking up in them. I thought they'd been lost for 2 years. Literary classics to the rescue!

You'll have to excuse the poor positioning...these pictures were taken long before the digital age...and time is still standing in B.S. at my house (Before Scanners).

EmbarrASSed

2009-10-18T20:07:00.004-04:00

I was watching an episode of Sex & the City today -- "Cover Girl." The girls are in a bookstore, helping Carrie research ideas for her new book cover while they browse for their own purchases. Charlotte is looking for a copy of Starting Over Yet Again, while Miranda searches for a book with a title like "How to Lose That Baby Fat While Sitting on Your Ass." Miranda settles on From Fat to Fit, but then decides against buying it when the sales clerk advises her to start Weight Watchers instead. Charlotte, nervous about being seen in the Self-Help section, decides to order her book online.

The episode got me thinking: we've all read something to make us feel uncomfortable. What books have I been embarrassed about reading in public? And why?

In college, my roommate and I took an LGBT-awareness class. Our first assignment was to buy Brian McNaught's Now That I'm Out, What Do I Do? somewhere other than the campus bookstore. The purpose was to put us in a place outside of our comfort zone, so we could understand what the LGBT community, their parents, and their friends go through when they go to buy the same books. My roommate shared with me that she did in fact feel a little embarrassed walking around the bookstore with it. She felt like she was being looked at differently. I remember being proud of myself for getting through the assignment with little to no feelings of shame. Now that I look back, I know I should have tried harder to put myself in others' shoes.

For me, the most recent book I can think of makes me ashamed to even bring up the story. Not because of the book itself, but because of the very fact that I was embarrassed to be seen with it. I am embarrassed for my embarrassment. Woman of Valor: Margaret Sanger and the Birth Control Movement in America, by Ellen Chesler, should not have caused these feelings to bubble up in me. I usually have no problem admitting to anyone, even strangers, that I consider myself a feminist. Yet there I was, keeping the book huddled against my chest every morning as I made the walk from the parking garage to my workplace.

It's amazing how once you're out of the safety of a college campus, all your ideals have to become...private. Inoffensive. The issue with me this time had to do with exactly that -- offensiveness. It was the abortion topic...or at least, that's how I was perceiving people perceiving me.

Honestly, my thinking was in line with Margaret's. I believe women should have a choice when it comes to their bodies, which is why I was so excited to find this book on the shelf. I was enthralled with Margaret Sanger and her story when I learned about her in my Philosophy of Women class. Her movement spoke to me. Her struggle to make birth control accessible and normalized for all women was something I could really look up to. Reading her biography, which promised to be just as accessible, would be like icing on the cake.

But reading the book about Margaret soon became my own struggle. The book was not as "readable" as the cover proclaimed. But not only that, I was finding out a lot about Ms. Sanger that was spoiling my idea of her. Who knew that role models could be human?

Anyway, it wasn't so much Margaret's personality that made me duck the book under my armpit as I walked the streets of Cleveland. I may be a feminist, but I know Margaret Sanger is an obscure enough name that no one would be offended by that alone. No, it was the rest of the title that I was hiding: The Birth Control Movement in America.

But why? Why did I care? I still can't explain it. Maybe it was the stereotypes. Maybe it was my own self-righteous opinion of myself. I did not want people to see me as a baby killer. Because I know that's not what pro-choice means. But the simple people on the street, they didn't. I am such an ass! I can't believe myself.

I stopped reading Woman of Valor. Not because of the embarrassment. It truly was just too hard to get through. The writing was too elevated. But the shame I feel now when realizing how embarrassed I was for reading that book is still going on.

I sort of meant to make this post more light-hearted. You know, talk about the trashy romance novels I also take care to hide in my purse when making the commute to the office. Or the fantasy fiction novels I enjoy with the dragons on the cover. But I think it was more important to make this other, more serious point to myself.

They say that if you assume something, you make an ass out of you and me. I found that it's true...and to be embarrassed about my reading choices just makes an ass out of, em, me.

BookCrossing.com: Releasing Your Books into the Wild...or, The Blogger Who Loved Parentheses

2009-10-15T22:05:00.001-04:00

I stumbled upon this online "book club" today at Should Be Reading. The idea of the site, BookCrossing.com, intrigued me, although I'm not quite sure how comfortable I am with the idea of following through. But then I said screw it, and I signed up. Can't hurt, right? (Right. I was made even more uncomfortable by the fact that I was forced to enter my home address to fully register. Now these potential book-loving Internet stalkers know where I live. No. I must get over my paranoia. For the love of books.)

The basis of the club is "releasing your books into the wild." It's organic, and promotes such a wonderful, communal sentiment. You register a book you own (aka, do not use library books) into your "shelf," at which point the site generates for it its own unique BCID (BookCrossing ID) number. You write the BCID number in ink on the inside cover of your book, and make a corresponding journal entry on BookCrossing.com. If you'd prefer to make labeling more official, the BookCrossing online store offers a selection of merchandise, including labels with the BookCrossing logo. Then, you quite literally set the book free. It's for good karma or something.

The site advocates leaving the book almost anywhere to be discovered, never to be seen by you again...but, thanks to the BCID number, the book can now be used as a roadmap back to the BookCrossing web site. Finders with your BCID can post their own journal entries about the books that are traveling the world. The cornerstone of this site is the "journey."

Being myself, I am full of both apprehension and delightful anticipation. Fueling my anticipation: How cool would it be to actually find a book like this on the side of the road one day? And then it's yours. For keeps. And how cool would it be to see a book you released be discovered by another book lover? Who loved your book? Warm, gushy feelings.

But fueling my apprehension: here's what I don't get. The site advertises itself as earth friendly, what with all the recycling and sharing of books that goes on. Supposedly. MizB from Should Be Reading admitted her books were not being found --or found and written about -- as often as she'd hoped would happen.

As I think more about this, if I did see a random book lying somewhere, like a coffee house or in a restaurant booth (hey, these are good ideas -- chalk 2 more up to delightful anticipation, I guess)...anyway, would I really be morally able to pick them up and claim them as my own? I was raised not to touch things that aren't mine, and definitely thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt turn in lost items at the Lost & Found. Thou shalt leave that alone, that's not yours. Shrug. Maybe I've got the world all wrong. Maybe everyone is just a thieving, greedy bibliophile.

But back to earth friendly. Granted, books are made out of paper, and paper is biodegradable...but ew, what if it rains? No one is going to pick up an abandoned, wet book. Except -- in this scenario only -- maybe me. Abandoned, rained-on books would probably evoke much sympathy on my part, and I would lovingly pick it up, dust it off, and tell it how lucky we both were for me to have found it.

BookCrossing does defend its convictions on its FAQ page:

Q(11): Hey, wait just a minute... aren't you promoting littering here, by suggesting that everyone just leave books lying around all over the place? You should be ashamed!

A: Aw, come on. Books promote literacy, enable the transfer of knowledge and can bring inspiration, hope and joy. Is that bad?
Hopefully, nobody considers books "litter". And BookCrossing provides all that by just giving away books to someone who is lucky enough to find one in the wild. Consider it a gift that can change your life for the better.
Also, it's nearly impossible to throw a book away; it's just one of those objects with some special kind of intrinsic value that tells you it's to be saved, to be treasured.

So lighten up! What's the worst that could happen... you might see a few books on park benches, or bus seats, or diner tables? Make the world one big library! Or take the safer, more conventional route, and give your books to friends, or to charities, or trade them in at a used book store, or whatever... just pass them on so they can touch more lives.

I am not sure how to handle that response. I have bad feelings associated with the "lighten up" jab...of course, I've never before heard it used when referring to a worldwide book sharing program. Also, I wouldn't be so quick to agree with the argument that the probability of people throwing books away is "nearly impossible." Just ask Half Price Books about that. Then you've got books waiting in a landfill. Biodegrading. Wishing they were home. ::Sob!::

All skepticism aside, I've decided to give this a whirl. The biggest problem will be finding a book to give up. It's like Sophie's Choice up in here. I really do get some sick sort of joy out of seeing all my paperbacks lined up neatly on their shelves.

I'll let you know how it goes...and if you're feeling adventurous yourself, be sure to let me know how it goes for you, too.

Leaving books behind on purpose. So deliciously(?) taboo!

Celebrity Book Sighting

2009-10-13T22:42:00.001-04:00

So I'm sitting and watching the Parks and Recreation episode I missed two weeks ago while I began the first long drive of my vacation. It's Episode # 203, entitled "Beauty Pageant." The plot in brief: Leslie Knope, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation, serves as a judge for the local Pawnee beauty pageant. The subplot thickens as she discovers the police officer who is interested in dating her is not quite familiar with her real-life female role models -- specifically, Madeleine Albright.

It's the last scene of the episode, and I almost closed my full screen view so I could push on to view The Office episode I also missed, when...could it really be? Yes! It is! What do I spy in the background but a copy of Gail Collins's America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines! My favorite history book of all time!

America's Women on Leslie Knope's bookshelf:

America's Women on my own bookshelf:

I love this book with all my heart. It was the first book I ever read, at the ripe old age of 22, to really get me interested in, and sometimes fascinated with, history. From the era of the very first colonists up to the 21st century, Gail Collins, an editor at the New York Times, explores the common life, struggles, victories, failures, political activism, and overall history of American women. She includes many races, backgrounds, and classes in one of the largest compilations of diary entries, articles, books, and journals I've ever seen. According to Amazon, "...some of these women -- from the justly famous, like Clara Barton and Harriet Tubman, to the undeservedly obscure, like Elizabeth Eckford and Senator Margaret Chase Smith -- will not only make any woman proud to be a woman, they will make any American proud to be American."

I am absolutely smitten with this book. Admittedly, it took me a whole summer and then some to get through it...the amount of content is just so vast, and I'll confess that not all of the stories held my attention equally. At first, it's even a little befuddling. I thought I'd try to take notes in the margins, but there are so many stories about so many women, I'd already lost track by the 3rd chapter. I had to learn to let some 'characters' go, because they rarely turned up again later. You kind of have to let what stands out to you really stand alone, and let the rest fall where it may. Let me clarify. It's all so interesting; so many of the stories felt...inherent...to me. But I think it qualifies as a great re-read because I'd bet you'd learn something new every time. Really, you have no idea how much she fit into this little 608-page book (yes, 608 pages will seem ridiculously minuscule when you think about how much she probably didn't include).

The book was such an important discovery for me. It really did make me feel closer to my heritage as an American, and as an American woman. When I saw it in the background of last week's Parks and Recreation, I was so ecstatic. I feel driven to share how much I love this book every time I think about it. I'm surprised this whole blog hasn't had at least one mention of it by now. Well, I'm finally saying something. Go pick up a copy of America's Women by Gail Collins, and learn. Endorsed by Leslie Knope.* It's what it was written for.

*Not an actual endorsement.

Teaser Tuesday!

2009-10-13T20:15:00.000-04:00

Time to play!

Here's how:

Grab your current read.*
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2)** "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
Share the title and author of the book, so we can investigate on our own if we like the teaser you've given!
Please avoid spoilers!

REVIEW: 'The Forever War,' by Dexter Filkins

2009-10-11T19:56:00.000-04:00

When my good friend left for the war in Iraq, I hadn’t really done any reading about the situation over there. I did not know what to expect when he left, what the climate was across the sea, or even how to approach him without making a joke. Dexter Filkins’s book, The Forever War, has finally given me some small perspective on the war…and especially on the people who live through it every day. As Filkins mentions at the end of his book, I now know enough to realize I will never be able to truly understand the war unless I have been to Iraq or Afghanistan. But Filkins’ writing has at least paved the way for a tiny beam of essential illumination.

It is still hard for me to believe that some of these things are going on in 2009. I feel like the American government has done a tremendous job of keeping the war distant from us civilians at home. Filkins’s narrative changes all of that. His reporting is honest and for the most part unbiased. Most of the narrative is taken from his published articles, but is rewritten in a different form for the book. The most enlightening realization for me seems to be that the war isn't between just American and Iraqi anymore. It's American vs. Iraqi vs. Iraqi vs. Palestinian vs...everyone. There are a thousand smaller wars, civil wars, going on over there. We just umbrella them under "The Iraq War."

Filkins is a correspondent for The New York Times, and his reports of the people are what impacted me most. The divisiveness of everyone, American and Iraqi, Iraqi and Iraqi, American and American, was astounding. In a kind of Tim O'Brien-turned-reporter style, Filkins excellently documents the sentiment of everyone he interviews. And everyone’s sentiment is so different. From the American corporal who refuses to throw Iraqis in the Tigris river; to the woman who spits at Filkins, “I voted in order to prevent my country from being destroyed by its enemies...you”; to the woman who cried, “I love you, I love you,” as she fled Baghdad; to the American soldiers who make decisions between letting women and children live, or killing the insurgents who attack them every day; to the officers who will do anything you could think of to protect their fellow soldiers from the media; to the soldiers who die playing a part in helping the media tell their story; this book is one large contradiction. But it’s not supposed to make sense. My professor, the Hemingway scholar, would say (as I believe did another soldier from the book): “It’s war.” What are you supposed to do?

Filkins made me realize that nothing is black and white, no matter how much you think it should be, or could be if we tried to make it that way. Nothing is black and white. Especially in wartime. I appreciated his recording both the stories of the American soldiers, and the Iraqi civilians, soldiers, and government officials. It certainly helped highlight the theme.

I got to see my soldier friend and his wife today before I came home. He is home for 10 days before he goes back overseas. We got to eat at Skyline, and ride in a Volkswagen. I thought about this book while I was talking to him, and whether I should bring it up or not. Maybe I’ll mention it in my next letter to him. I’m sure that any spare time he gets for reading he likes to dedicate to the letters from his family and friends anyway. He doesn’t need the book, he’s living The Forever War. But we do. We need it to remind us. And maybe to teach us something, too.

Next up: Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee

October is a Busy Month

2009-10-04T21:53:00.001-04:00

Just a short post here, as I need to get back to my book!! and the Internet connection in this beach house is sketchy.

President Obama named October 2009 National Information Literacy Awareness Month. I could dedicate this whole post to covering why I'm going to add "Holiday/Month Namer" to my list of dream jobs (following Street Namer and Menu Writer), but I'll focus on the positive here instead.

The long title really did help me break down what the month will be all about, however. This is no ordinary war on illiteracy. Drawing awareness to the issue of illiteracy in the United States is a great step forward, and one we can all support. There is no downside. But extending support for information literacy (and for now I'll just umbrella that under "evaluating Internet technology," because even I need to bone up on my information) really knocked into me how much the world is changing.

When I was in first grade, we had the Book-It! program. What do kids today have? How are they learning to succeed, and what tools are going to be more useful to them? The ALA is encouraging Americans (and I'm encouraging everyone) to visit their local libraries and really reap the benefits of the information services provided there. I have always been one to live in the past, but it is so important that we all know how to navigate through the jargon. With the growth of the Information Age, we need to adapt our literacy skills, no matter what our age. Please read the President's statement, linked above, and let's commit ourselves to learning...no matter the shape, form, or variety.

Teaser Tuesday!

2009-09-29T20:50:00.001-04:00

I got this idea from my good friend, who writes a blog called Fickle Words; she got the idea from MizB at Should Be Reading. The premise is cute, kind of like a meme, and definitely an interesting way to make book recommendations -- so I hope to make this my own Dog-Eared regular.

Here's how to play:

Grab your current read.*
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2)** "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your teaser from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!
Please avoid spoilers!

*To keep this feature periodic, I will be using both teasers from current reads, and from books I've read before, but haven't discussed on this blog.

**I will probably cheat sometimes, depending on how long it takes to finish the thought within those line parameters. Teasers should still make sense!

Here's a teaser from my current read, The Forever War, by Dexter Filkins:

"In an odd but real way, my five-mile runs up Abu Nawas Street made me wonder what the war in Iraq was about. All day long reporting in the country I encountered hostility and chaos, which was intense and growing and real. And yet at night when I hit the streets, in the fall of 2003, I could not find a trace of it."

Wow, I don't know about you, but if I wasn't already reading it, I'd be totally roped in.

Do this on your own blog, and leave a link in the comments here...or just leave a comment with your own teasers and titles! Interactive and educational. Ta da!

Patience is a Virtue, Unless You're Waiting Around for a Blog Post

2009-09-28T23:02:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to prepare you:

1) I'm going on vacation starting Thursday night, so the posts here will become scarce, if they pop up at all, until Oct. 12 or 13 when I drag myself back from the beach.

2) I'll be honest. Now that it's Monday night, and the weekend was much busier than I realized it could be, and taking into consideration the fact that I'm still sitting here writing/reading blog posts, doing laundry, making dinner and cleaning house instead of reading my book, I'm going to make an educated guess and say that I won't be finished with The Forever War by tomorrow or Wednesday, as originally scheduled. The good news is our vacation spot should have free wireless Internet access, so when I do finish it, I'll be able update you right away instead of keeping you waiting...Then again, I don't want to make any promises, because we all know vacations are vacations and sometimes it's just so nice not to have to deal with a computer screen.

Wow, I turned out to be a pretty disappointing blog host. Never fear. I shall return relaxed, refreshed, rested, and ready to write! I have lots of ideas piling up on my desktop, and I can't wait to finally take some time to develop them. Don't forget to pick up a banned book this week! Keep on truckin'.

More on Banned Books Week

2009-09-27T12:11:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to draw a little more attention to the response letter I linked to in my previous post. It's from July of 2008, but still very relevant. After giving it a thorough read, I think it's important to give the letter its due, as it neutrally addresses several key points about this week's purpose. The library director from Douglas County, CO really did a fantastic job putting together his argument. It reads logically and professionally. I am also very grateful he addressed every issue the parent brought up. It shows he really does care about his work, and the concerns of his library's patrons.

These two passages especially resonated with me; I think they sort of reiterate what I was trying to say in my previous post:

"How then, can we claim that the founders would support the restriction of access to a book that really is just about an idea, to be accepted or rejected as you choose? What harm has this book done to anyone? Your seven year old told you, 'Boys are not supposed to marry.' In other words, you have taught her your values, and those values have taken hold. That's what parents are supposed to do, and clearly, exposure to this book, or several, doesn't just overthrow that parental influence. It does, of course, provide evidence that not everybody agrees with each other; but that's true, isn't it?...

"Finally, then, I conclude that 'Uncle Bobby's Wedding' is a children's book, appropriately categorized and shelved in our children's picture book area. I fully appreciate that you, and some of your friends, strongly disagree with its viewpoint. But if the library is doing its job, there are lots of books in our collection that people won't agree with; there are certainly many that I object to. Library collections don't imply endorsement; they imply access to the many different ideas of our culture, which is precisely our purpose in public life."

Happy Banned Books Week, everyone!

Banned Books Week

2009-09-26T21:05:00.000-04:00

Today marked the first day of Banned Books Week, a national celebration of the freedom to read. Every year, books are challenged by individuals or groups in an attempt to secure a ban on the material. According to the ALA (American Library Association), a challenge is "an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group"; a banning is "the removal of those materials." It is important to understand that challenges are not just expressions of different points of view. They are courses of action taken against teaching the reading material, and a conscious effort to remove the material from libraries and schools. It is my personal belief that this is a direct encroachment on our freedom of speech as Americans, and on our choice as readers.

Banned Books Week, held every year during the last week of September, is dedicated to raising awareness about the benefits of free access, as well as the harms of censorship. The efforts of teachers, librarians, booksellers, and communities have all come together each year to help prevent bannings, no matter what the material. The cornerstone of BBW is the freedom to express and allow access to ideas (especially ideas in print), no matter how "unorthodox" or "unpopular" those ideas are.

From ALA's web site:

Over the past eight years, American libraries were faced with 3,736 challenges.

1,225 challenges due to “sexually explicit” material;
1,008 challenges due to “offensive language”;
720 challenges due to material deemed “unsuited to age group”;
458 challenges due to “violence”
269 challenges due to “homosexuality”; and

Further, 103 materials were challenged because they were “anti-family,” and an additional 233 were challenged because of their “religious viewpoints.”

1,176 of these challenges (approximately 31%) were in classrooms; 37% were in school libraries; 24% (or 909) took place in public libraries. There were less than 75 challenges to college classes; and only 36 to academic libraries. There are isolated cases of challenges to materials made available in or by prisons, special libraries, community groups, and student groups. The majority of challenges were initiated by parents (almost exactly 51%), while patrons and administrators followed behind (10% and 8% respectively).

I just can't fathom any reason why anyone would go to such lengths to keep books away from the public. The public. People they don't know. My mom wouldn't let me read books with boys and girls on the cover when I was a kid (this amounted to at least half of The Babysitters Club series), but she never told other people's children what was or wasn't good for them. She never once, in front of us, told our teachers how to do their jobs (granted, I guess we were enrolled in Catholic school for the majority of our lives -- essentially, an extenion of our home belief system). Still, she knew she couldn't control every aspect of our lives. I think she definitely wanted to know, and had a right to know, what we were being taught in school, but she knew it wasn't ultimately up to her to decide what information came to us and what was rejected. Instead, it was her role to teach us how to deal with our own perception of that information, and to help us understand our choices. This is not to say she didn't try her darnedest to instill her own values in us. She fought us pretty hard on a lot of things. But she was always so proud of me for loving books, and loving to read, loving to learn, loving to weigh different ideas. She was confident enough in her parenting that she trusted me to make the right decision about my beliefs. She had to be. And she loved books. She wanted my brother and me to become our own person, and she knew that what we read wasn't going to be the one deciding factor in how we turned out.

In fact, I think I turned out pretty good. And I read all the smut I can get my hands on. Like Harry Potter. Loved me some Harry Potter. Or The Golden Compass. Because I always look to the fantasy genre as a solid substitute for church. Or Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Because I learn some good words in books, and once I learn a word, there's no stopping my mouth from repeating it. Or Captain Underpants. ...Really? Captain Underpants??? COME ON.

For more information on Banned Books Week, including events, please visit www.bannedbooksweek.org, or contact the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4220, or bbw@ala.org.

(Upon reviewing the most recent lists, I've decided I absolutely HAVE TO HAVE this challenged book. Same-sex guinea pigs? It's like a dream come true! Read the Douglas County, Colorado library director's response here.)

I Did It!

2009-09-26T19:41:00.001-04:00

Proof! I did it. I signed up for my very own library card. Luckily, I remembered to bring my utility bill. Cleveland librarians are steadfast bitches. Good reason, I suppose. At least now they know I am responsible enough to rent a place with electricity.

The good news (yes, more good news!): I was able to unload all the books I've been hoarding in my car. The maintenance man there assured me they do not throw away books. If they can't use them, they find a place to donate them. I was so relieved. And I told him I'd be back with more. He looked pretty astounded.

The bad news: I waited until a half hour before my hair appointment to drive to the library, so I did not get a chance to look around and browse and check out books as I'd originally planned. What I did see I was impressed with. The inside is bright and clean, and the walls are painted in nice, crisp colors. I am going to go back tomorrow to see more. (They can't stop me now! I'm a member!) And the smell was so good. I love books.

I wish I had a more exciting story, maybe about all the death-defying feats I had to accomplish in order to get my library card. But aside from the whole prove-where-you-live thing, it was remarkably easy. People should know that. We card holders should make it our duty to spread the power. "Why don't you have a library card, June? It's so easy to get one." Hell, it's easier than walking into Blockbuster and signing up for an account there. Talk about a hassle. And millions of people have Blockbuster accounts. Hey, Blockbuster Accounters -- you can get DVDs at the library, too! AND IT'S FREE. IT'S FREE, DUMBASSES. So why don't you get a library card? I used to be a dumbass like you. But now I have a library card. I have access to books, movies, magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias...you name it! And I PAY NOTHING!!! I AM LIBERATED!!! LIBRARIES RULE!!!

Just an FYI

2009-09-25T21:48:00.000-04:00

Fidel Castro's sister, Juanita, is coming out with a book about her brothers. This is of special interest to me because my French teacher in high school was a very proud Cuban woman (can you imagine the effect a Spanish accent has on the French language? Pretty cool. It's like an uber romantic language).

My teacher would always talk about how special her homeland was to her, and how much she hated hated hated Castro for how he chose to run the country. My memory is a bit foggy, but I believe his government was ultimately the reason behind her move to America, and away from her family. Despite everything, though, she loved Cuba so much; and it will be interesting to see the perspective of another Cuban woman, also exiled from her country, regarding the long-time rule of Fidel. I would love to compare the feelings and memories of Juanita to the stories told to us by my proud, Cuban French teacher. I wonder if she would pick up a copy.

Where are All Those Reviews??

2009-09-22T21:01:00.000-04:00

I know, I promised haughty opinions and pretentious analyses. Don't worry, I'm about halfway through The Forever War, so it shouldn't be too much longer before you see all that goodness posted all up in here. I need to finish reading it by September 29 or 30, because I want to start a new book before my beach vacation in October. Something a little less...heavy.

To tide you over, here is a story about my favorite literary term:

le mot juste: the right word.

I became fascinated with this expression my sophomore year of college, in a class called "The Lost Generation." We studied the expatriates: people like Sylvia Beach, who helped make salons famous, but we also looked at the authors who were writing from the Left Bank of Paris -- Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald...and most importantly, Ernest Hemingway.

My professor, a Hemingway scholar, would use the term le mot juste at least once a class. "Hemingway was always searching for le mot juste," he'd say.

"He was never satisfied until he found le mot juste."
"Without le mot juste, you can completely miss the meaning, wrong the tone, or smother the attitude of a sentence!"
"Did you know Hemingway wouldn't touch a drop of alcohol while he was writing, because he knew it would distract him from finding le mot juste?"

The guy had an (admirable) obsession.

I took all of his stories to heart. Even if it seemed the Hemingway anecdotes were more tall tale than truth, that class really taught me something about writing. "Advanced Composition" and The Sense of Structure only nurtured the seed that was planted during my hours spent in "The Lost Generation."

Now, whenever I write, I painstakingly read back every sentence, edit them one at a time, to make sure my meaning is clear and accurate. (See, accurate. I went back and forth for 3 minutes on that. I almost used genuine there, but I wanted le mot juste -- the right word. And the meaning does change, doesn't it? Even if it's just in what you feel when you see it.) That is why I'm so passionate about the written word. In my own search for le mot juste, I am finding out so much more about me.

Sidebar: Here's something else kind of fun. I found this URL while looking up things to include in this mot juste post: http://www.etymonline.com

Blogs are Reading, Too!

2009-09-21T22:15:00.001-04:00

...and they give you cool stuff sometimes!

My last post mentioned a good old-fashioned Schmutzie contest, and you're in luck, because another giveaway is here! This time we're vying for an 18x24" rolled poster print from DigitalRoom.com. I totally encourage your entering, because not only does Digital Room make their prints using vegetable-based inks, they also recycle all their paper scraps...which we in the book world absolutely love. (Since I do not yet own a Kindle, I'm constantly purchasing its dear paper product counterparts for my own amusement; I try to balance that out by recycling whatever else I can...and definitely by supporting others, like Digital Room, who do the same.)

So sign up! Win! Hurry! She's drawing the champion on September 26!

Having Fun Isn't Hard When You've Got a Library Card

2009-09-21T21:20:00.001-04:00

I must admit I'm more of a bookstore geek than a library-goer. (No, it's not because of the coffee.) Lakewood's library has a very beautiful facade, though, so I think this weekend I'll have to finally go exploring and see if the inside is as pretty as the outside. Pretty with good books. How perfect, considering September is National Library Card Sign-up Month. The last time I tried to get a library card in Strongsville, they needed a form of ID with my current address on it. Unfortunately, my driver's license said Cincy, my checks said Dayton, and my gas bills did say Strongsville, but they had the wrong apartment number. It's sad to think I let that stop me. Of course my boyfriend walks in, says he just moved here (liar) and gets a card no problem. I say I just moved here and they want my life story and probably a credit check.

My main dig with libraries has always really been a dig with myself. I am selfish, and I hate returning the books. Especially if they're good books. I also have this awful condition called irresponsibility...usually by the time I've finished a good book, it's in shambles. There is soup splashed on page 149, every 10 pages have dog-ears, and the cover is dingy if not torn or bent. So libraries will be a new thing to get used to.

My mom used to take me to the library all the time as a kid, where I could sit for hours, reading all the picture books; and then we'd take them all home to read again. Sometimes my mom had to put a limit on what we checked out. I wanted them all. Now that I'm all grown up, I still love the children's section best. And I still love the sound of a librarian moving a plastic-jacketed book from one pile to another as she scans the card inside each cover. Swfft...beep!...puhp...Swfft...beep!...puhp. (This may have planted the seeds of my awe for STOMP!) I love studying all the different handwritings on the checkout card. It's like a story inside a story.

Why did I stop going to the library again?

Never fear. September is almost over, but I still have time to take advantage. To solidify the deal, I'll make a pledge -- if I don't come out in October with a new library card, I won't be able to buy another book for 6 months. If you know me, you know how hard that's going to be. I wish I could say I had some legitimate backers, so I could have a contest like Schmutzie here, and give something away as incentive for actually going the distance. But I don't have backers, and I'm pretty sure I don't have readers yet. So I'll have to settle for the next best thing: deprivation.

Anyway, please, join me (and I do mean in spirit if you do not happen to live near me) in getting to know your local library, and the awesomeness that is getting books for free.

And speaking of libraries...props to Arthur throwbacks.

You Knew It Was Coming...

2009-09-16T22:34:00.000-04:00

What's a book blog without a list of the author's favorites? In a completely non-exhaustive and unparticular order:

Charlotte's Web
Children of the River
The Outsiders
Blonde
Gone with the Wind
To Full Term: A Mother's Triumph Over Miscarriage
The Sense of Structure: Writing From a Reader's Perspective
Katharine Kerr's Deverry series
Drop City
America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines
The Vagina Monologues
Ramona the Pest
Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
Le Petit Prince
Exiles: The Ruins of Ambrai
The Things They Carried
If I Die in a Combat Zone
Not So Quiet...
The Sun Also Rises

And what determines a favorite, you ask?

I'm sort of biased in this area. Sometimes I feel like I've fallen in love with almost every book I've ever finished. The feeling is especially powerful if I did a really good job picking a book to suit my mood. I adore the feeling I get when I've matched up my mood with the mood of the book. It's what I imagine marriage will be like. Here's another list I'm currently using as a scale. Feel free to rate your own books using it. Again, non-exhaustive:

A favorite book should wrench your heart, in any direction, if only for 30 seconds.
A favorite book should make you laugh out loud.
A favorite book should cause you (at times) to take pause in your reading and regroup, because you realize you've been audibly mumbling the most exciting parts to yourself.
A favorite book is literally impossible to put down because it's figuratively glued to your hand.
A favorite book leaves you feeling satisfied, no matter what the ending.
A favorite book is meaningful enough, and surprising enough, for rereads.
A favorite book excites you.
A favorite book invites you.
A favorite book allows you time to breathe.
A favorite book leaves you with a new thought.
A favorite book earns your respect, it never commands it.
Last but not least, a favorite book just makes you feel happy.

I suggest we all take some time to pull out the ol' favorites, leaf through them, tell them you love them. Ahem, well. Happy reading, everyone!

You Couldn't Give Those Away If You Tried

2009-09-15T22:08:00.000-04:00

Just returned from a rather disheartening visit to Half Price Books. Here's the story.

Back in May, my company put together a book fair to benefit a reputable Cleveland-area charity. We had everyone in the building donate their gently used books, which we then collected, sorted, and set up for sale in the lobby. Everyone could then browse the donations and make new purchases. Every dollar we earned went to the charity, and we planned on donating all of the leftover books to their library and end-of-year yard sale.

I was so proud to say we collected over 1,358 books at the end of two weeks, and by the end of the sale, we'd made over $651 for the charity.

Unfortunately, we ran into a small problem none of us had really counted on -- but was probably, quite honestly, something we should have spent more time researching. After delivering many of the leftover books to the charity's library, they finally got overwhelmed. I was told a few weeks ago by our company liaison that the charity just couldn't accept any more. Perfectly understandable, as many of the leftovers were novels written for adults, and this is very much a child-friendly organization. Please take note, I am in no way blaming the charity for this mishap. I am just so grateful they took everything they could fit.

But what to do?

I loaded at least 100 books into my car this evening (and left an equal amount in the office), thinking Half Price would be able to turn over some quick cash for at least some of them; I could then send the money as a sort of extended donation. A quick ride and two dolly trips later, I walked out with $23. But that was only for two boxes' worth.

"What do you do with the rest?" I asked the helpful Half Price employees.

"We throw them out."

Whaaaaaat?!?!

Throw them out? No! Nonononononono! The lady at Half Price said that oh yes, they get a full Dumpster pickup every other day. It breaks her heart. It breaks mine, too. Especially since the people in my building donated those books expecting to see them either sold or, well, donated. I told Half Price there was no way I was leaving those books with them, and mournfully re-loaded the boxes into my Camry.

So now I have four large stacks of books just hanging out in my backseat. It doesn't bother me that I'm going to have to find another charity to take them. I am just wondering if there is one out there that will take them. The lady at Half Price told me she couldn't accept most of the books because of 1) their condition, and 2) their popularity. Apparently, they get large influxes of popular books because so many people buy them new, then sell them when they're finished; but then those books pile up because for whatever reason no one wants to buy them used -- already outdated, I guess. I didn't think charities were supposed to be picky about that sort of thing, but now I'm not so sure. While I was making various, pleading calls today, I got the same song and dance from a lady at a hospice resale shop. She told me the books had to be in good condition, and sellable. (Well, of course they're sellable. I sold them during the book fair. Screw it, I'll just have my own yard sale and fork the money over to the original charity.)

So that's it. That's the end of my long, disheartening story. But maybe you locals can help me out: Where do I send my beloved books now? (I'm trying the public library tomorrow.)

I'd Like to Check Out These Articles I Saw on My eReader, Please

2009-09-14T22:19:00.000-04:00

Ok, 2 pints of Hefeweizen is not the way to start off this blog; but no one ever said I'm not dedicated.

Have any of you seen this? Cushing Academy is indeed ushering in a brave new world. I never thought there could ever, ever be a library without books. A library without books? Isn't that an oxymoron?

Granted, when I was in college, I never really did the whole Dewey Decimal thing. I didn't much care for browsing through the shelves; deciphering the numbered codes posted in the aisles; scanning for an author; hoping the book I'd written down based on its title alone had at least a little something to do with my research prompt...and also hoping I was lucky enough to find a book that hadn't already been checked out, or completely removed due to its lack of relevance. I second-guessed myself quite often. Someone already has my topic. Someone will be using the quotes I was going to use. I'm so unoriginal! So uninspired! I've got to pick a new theme!

I was a huge fan of JSTOR. The biggest. If anyone ever asked me where I'd gotten my research -- yeah, it was JSTOR. All online. All the time. Easy. Convenient. Printable. (Get this -- because even though I preferred researching online, I absolutely hated reading anything via computer. The screen makes my eyes uncomfortable. Sort of ironic for a blogger, right?)

So how do I feel about a library -- I mean a learning center -- without books? It's hard to say. On the one hand, it's pretty cool that the library will be able to provide their students with millions of books and materials, instead of the 20,000 or so they'd originally had physically stocked for use.

On the other hand...

Where's the smell? Where's the palpability? Where's the clear indication that you did read those pages, you did mark them up (because you're a rebel), and you did take the time to actually dedicate yourself and check something out, rather than just download and skim? (Oh, don't think you won't be skimming with that new Sony eReader, or that fancy new PC. I see those instant messaging sessions. I see you check your email while you halfheartedly scrawl a note about a sentence you only halfway understand.) Will a laptop-friendly studdy carrel really keep you isolated enough to write a research paper? I don't think so. I thought that was the point of the Internet: connectivity to everything, everyone, everywhere. There is no solitude, and no room for independent research. You may be sitting alone, but sitting alone with a book, one author, is much, much different than sitting alone with the Internet, with millions of people's opinions at your fingertips. Beneficiary or disadvantageous? I suppose it's all dependent on the student. Personally, I don't think I'd know where to go in a library without books. I'd get lost. What, do I just sit down? Then what? Just start?

The thing that twisted me the most on this issue is the fact that Cushing Academy is replacing their reference desk with a $50,000 coffee shop, which includes a $12,000 cappuccino machine.

...Really?

You're replacing (I assume) good, hard-working, helpful librarians with coffee? Coffee?? Oh, I get it. I get it. Because coffee is helpful, too. Right. Where was coffee when I needed to find Martin Buber's I and Thou? Who do I ask when I'm having trouble figuring out how to run the technology that's supposedly changing my research for the better? Man, that pumpkin latte sure had some great insight into Romantic poetry. I got an 'A' in that class, thanks to coffee.

Growing up around books, it's all sort of hard to stomach (the transition, not the caffeine...or can it be both?). I suppose the generations born after me will find it easier to utilize this sort of drastic change; they'll feel more comfortable in this surrounding. But it is drastic, right? I can't be alone in feeling this way. Are we in desperate times, needing desperate measures? And are we so enamored with the future, we're forgetting the best of the past?

Page 1: Welcome!

2009-09-13T16:32:00.002-04:00

Welcome to my book blog! In this space, I plan on writing reviews (mostly my own, but possibly putting up others' as well); posting links to awesome bookish things around the city of Cleveland, where I currently reside; making lists; catching up on the roller coaster that is paperless technology; and just taking the time to celebrate the wonders of reading. I'll warn you right off the bat, my reviews will most likely not stay with current trends, because the books I tend to pick up are usually a few years dated and in paperback already. I love paperback.

About me:

I've been in love with reading for as long as I can remember. Before I was very good at it, I would memorize the books my mom read to me and act out every character's part. Once I began reading on my own, it was hard to stop. I always carried a book with me, a habit that has followed me to the present. I graduated high school thinking I should become a a novel editor. That dream stayed with me during my time at the University of Dayton, where I majored in English. The most useful information I ever learned about writing was at UD, where we read The Sense of Structure by George Gopen. From then on, I vowed to always remember my reader, and that writing is first and foremost a form of communication. Three months after I graduated college, I began work with a newswire service*, formatting and proofreading news releases before they get sent out to the media. While it's not exactly the editing I had in mind, I am very happy in my work and love the business I'm in. It's oftentimes demanding work, and I'll admit sometimes I just want to come home and veg in front of the TV rather than delve deep into some good writing. But it's pretty cool to see how the news comes to the world, starting from scratch.

So now I've created this blog! I hope it will help me to stay enamored with the written word, and I hope to spread my adoration of reading to the masses. Ok, well, I guess what I'm seriously hoping for is that the books and info on this blog will help spark some great communication and discussion. Thanks for reading!

(Speaking of reading, I've recently started The Forever War by Dexter Filkins; when you're looking for the first review, that will be it.)

*Needless to say, any comments, opinions, or statements expressed in this blog are solely those of the author, and are in no way affiliated with the author's employer or its parent company.