tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32181217193370963372024-02-19T03:43:13.271-08:00PeculiaritiesTalking about books and suchAubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218121719337096337.post-51786157911607710512011-01-17T15:19:00.000-08:002011-01-17T15:19:15.761-08:00The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://aidanmoher.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/the-way-of-kings-by-brandon-sanderson.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://aidanmoher.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/the-way-of-kings-by-brandon-sanderson.png" width="210" /></a>Man, I really wish I'd read this later, so that I could read the next books in the series. It doesn't end precisely with a cliffhanger, but it's definitely a “to be continued.” </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The setting is the part that strikes you first in <i>The Way of Kings</i>. The country in which it's mainly set stratifies society by hair and eye color (with “lighteyes” essentially being a synonym for “toffs.”). Literacy and scholarship are considered women's arts, and men are either illiterate or pretend to be to preserve their perceived masculinity. And that's just the land most of it takes place in. Each country has its own culture and traditions, without just being parallels to Earth countries. And despite the creativity of the setting, it never feels like a world-building exercise. It feels like a real place people live in.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The characters are what really did for me, though. I am a sucker for great characters, and Sanderson obliges. They always seem like real individuals, and they're still stuck with me, weeks after reading this book. Take, for instance Shallan, a scholar from a noble family who is trying to be accepeted as a pupil to a great lady, so she can steal her magic device and use it to pay off her family's debts. She is smart and brave and terrified and witty and desperate and moral. And that's only scratching the surface.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The plot is hard to summarize. There is the old fantasy trope of a coming storm/apocalypse, but everyone is so busy fighting and scheming that only a few people actually notice the various portents. By the end of the novel, though, things have definitly been set in motion. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I would recommend this for fans of epic fantasy (And it is <i>epic</i>, it clocks in at about 1,000 pages and there's more books to come!) but if you want to try Brandon Sanderson and not have to wait long years for the sequels, you could try his Mistborn trilogy, which I also loved. It's even odder, as it blends between epic fantasy, historical(ish) fantasy, and, in the first novel, a heist plot. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">5 stars</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Other Opinions: </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://theliteraryomnivore.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/review-the-way-of-kings/">The Literary Omnivore</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2010/08/24/book-review-the-way-of-kings-by-brandon-sanderson/">Grasping for the Wind</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">any others?</div>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218121719337096337.post-5532740372324601592011-01-11T18:17:00.000-08:002011-01-11T18:17:19.098-08:00The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://kimbofo.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451bcff69e20120a646f687970c-800wi" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://kimbofo.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451bcff69e20120a646f687970c-800wi" width="199" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Oh, Shirley Jackson. You are the best. I think this is even better than <i>We Have Always Lived in the Castle</i>, although it's a bit harder to do a creepy monotone voice with this title. I feel like everyone and their mother has read this book, but it does live up to the hype.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A professor of the supernatural invites three participants to stay in a house rumored to be haunted and observe what happens. (And by the way, WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS? Seriously, has that situation ever turned out well?) Nora is a shy woman whose invalid mother has just died, Theodora is an artsy bohemian type, and Luke is a playboy and the heir to Hill House. Complicated Relationships ensue.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The house is the real star of the show, though. It is indescribably, inescapably <i>wrong</i>. The angles are just slightly off, the doors shut by themselves, and the housekeeper keeps repeating a few phrases like a broken robot. The creepy things are suitably creepy, although not very dramatic. For instance, there is a scene where Nora is holding a hand in her dark, but nobody's there. It's an overdone story but Jackson makes it tense.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The main conflict comes from the psychological effects of Hill House. It's never clear if the house is haunted by actual ghosts, but I actually liked it that way. Explanations would have ruined the ambiguity. And as the book goes on, it becomes unclear how much of the problems with the house are real and how much of it is in the head of the lonely, increasingly unhinged Nora. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The surprising thing about this book is that it's <i>funny</i>. In between the weird stuff, the characters are joking around and having picnics and getting drunk and it's all really charming. But even with all the bonhomie, there is still something off and everyone know it.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Isn't that a cool cover? My cover was not nearly that creepy. Also, do not make the mistake of reading this all alone in a dark house like I did.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">5 stars</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Other Opinions:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://booksidoneread.blogspot.com/2009/10/haunting-of-hill-house-shirley-jackson.html">books i done read</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://astripedarmchair.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/the-haunting-of-hill-house-thoughts/">A Striped Armchair</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://www.thingsmeanalot.com/2008/10/haunting-of-hill-house-by-shirley.html">Things Mean a Lot</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://kimbofo.typepad.com/readingmatters/2009/10/the-haunting-of-hill-house-by-shirley-jackson.html">Reading Matters</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://jennysbooks.wordpress.com/2009/05/26/the-haunting-of-hill-house-shirley-jackson/">Jenny's Books</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">and like a billion <a href="http://www.google.com/cse?cx=017997935591651423304:5fpbgt6-tou&ie=UTF-8&q=haunting+of+hill+house&sa=Search&siteurl=www.google.com/cse/home%3Fcx%3D017997935591651423304%253A5fpbgt6-tou">more</a></div>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218121719337096337.post-17905784198147336772011-01-10T06:16:00.000-08:002011-01-10T06:16:04.327-08:00Still HereYou know how when you have a ton of stuff to do you can get a lot done but when you only have a few things to do, you end up doing nothing? Yeah, I spent the last week re-watching the entire series of <i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> instead of book blogging.<br />
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But school is starting and I'll be posting on more of a schedule. I'm going to try to post about 2 or 3 times a week from now on.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218121719337096337.post-9099204032740393032010-12-31T17:01:00.000-08:002011-01-17T15:25:00.056-08:00My Favorite Books of 2010I read 192 books this year and came up with 17 favorite books. Looking at my list, I noticed my biggest weakness: nonfiction. I didn't read a single nonfiction book this year! (Apart from school textbooks, which don't count.) Something definitely needs to be done about that.<br />
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Anyway, here they are, in roughly the order I read them in:<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://peculiaritiesbooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/way-of-kings-by-brandon-sanderson.html"><i><b>The Way of Kings</b></i><b> by Brandon Sanderson:</b></a> I just finished this the day before yesterday, and while I usually let a little time elapse before deciding if something's my favorite or not, this is a clear winner. Sanderson creates an incredibly imaginative world, then works through the consequences of that world. His characters always seem like flesh-and-blood human beings who are just trying to make sense of the world and how to act. A full review is upcoming.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://peculiaritiesbooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/haunting-of-hill-house-by-shirley.html"><i><b>The Haunting of Hill House</b></i><b> by Shirley Jackson:</b></a> Shirley Jackson is a master. Sometimes I would find myself re-reading passages just to look at the way she crafted her sentences. Brilliantly atmospheric and even warm and funny at times, this was a less of story of things that go bump in the night than of how people manipulate and use each other. I read this about a week ago and haven't gotten to the review yet; the holidays are really messing up my schedule.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://peculiaritiesbooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/bel-canto-by-ann-patchett.html">Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: </a>This book is so sweet and funny and tragic. If I were to pick one word to describe it, it would be “subtle.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>The Satanic Verses</b></i><b> by Salman Rushdie:</b> I read this book for a class and found myself unable to put it down. It is about the narratives we craft: narratives about mythology, about good vs. evil, and about identity; and how real life is so much messier. Also, it's narrated by the devil, which is just cool.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Meridian</b></i><b> by Alice Walker:</b> Another book from school. Meridian is such a complex character. Sometimes I loved her, sometimes I hated her, but I always enjoyed reading about her. This book is about race, gender, and the 1960's, but mostly it's about a very singular woman. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>The Likeness </b></i><b>by Tana French:</b> It was a toss-up between this and <i>In the Woods</i>. I liked the tone of <i>The Likeness </i>more. The casual banter-y way a group of friends interact is paired with the tension that one of them is a murderer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>I'd Know You Anywhere</b></i><b> by Laura Lippman:</b> This book, about the only living victim of a serial killer, was about surviving. It never settles for easy answers and never exploits the events for melodrama.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>White Teeth</b></i><b> by Zadie Smith: </b>A family saga that spans only two generations but still manages to feel sprawling, this novel is about family, identity, and what it means to be an immigrant. Zadie Smith tells you exactly what you need to know and no more.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Case Histories</b></i><b> by Kate Atkinson:</b> This mystery links three tragedies, all concerning women, to create a complex, philosophical novel about violence, victimization, and love. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>The Gone-Away World</b></i><b> by Nick Harkaway:</b> A story of what happens after reality collapses. It's a novel about war, corporation morality, and how human beings survive and adapt; and it's told by one of the most unreliable narrators I have come across. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers</b></i><b> by Thomas Mullen</b>: What do you do if you're an outlaw who just came back from the dead? Mullen captures the despair and resilience of America in the Great Depression while we follow the Firefly brothers through flashbacks and their many deaths.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms </b></i><b>by N. K. Jemison:</b> A fantasy about what happens if gods really walked amongst us, this book is also a romance and coming-of-age story about a young woman thrust into power. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Turn of the Screw</b></i><b> by Henry James: </b>A simple, eerie story about a woman who starts seeing ghosts. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">(Or does she?)</span></span><i><b> </b></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It brings up issues of hysteria, madness, and the maternal instinct. And it's a damn good ghost story.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Castle Waiting</b></i><b> by Linda Medley:</b> I found this graphic novel in my library almost by accident and fell in love. It's a fairy tale about a castle refuge for anyone in need, and it's the stories those residents tell to each other. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Anna Karenina</b></i><b> by Leo Tolstoy: </b>It's a classic for a reason. We follow the characters Anna and Levin as they try to determine what is right and how far they will go to be happy. I'm definitely reading more Tolstoy after this.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Monsters of Men</b></i><b> by Patrick Ness: </b>A wonderful end to an astounding series. Everyone else has pretty much said all there is to say—and said it better--so I'll just say I loved it. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>The Year of the Flood</b></i><b> by Margaret Atwood: </b>A companion to the wonderful <i>Oryx and Crake,</i> this book tells about two women who survive the catastrophic events in <i>Crake</i>. It's about the intersection of science and religion and the way women find a place in a new society.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Honorable Mentions: <i>Blackout</i> by Connie Willis (Only because I haven't read <i>All Clear</i> yet and don't feel like I can judge one without the other.), <i>The God of Small Things</i> by Anita Desai, <i>The Millstone</i> by Margaret Drabble, <i>The Big Sleep</i> by Raymond Chandler</div>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218121719337096337.post-49389840716751705572010-12-28T14:26:00.000-08:002010-12-30T13:44:14.810-08:00Changeless by Gail Carriger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/43/Changeless_by_Gail_Carriger_1st_edition_cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/43/Changeless_by_Gail_Carriger_1st_edition_cover.png" width="197" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The cover blurb says, “A Novel of Vampires, Werewolves, and Dirigibles” and <i>Changeless</i> does exactly what it says on the tin. This is the second book in the Parasol Protectorate series, so to recap: It is Victorian England but there are vampires and werewolves. They've integrated fairly well into Victorian society and werewolves serve in the queen's army. Alexia Tarabotti is a preternatural who negates powers, meaning that when supernatural creatures are touching her, they are human. I really enjoyed the first book,<span style="font-style: normal;"> but the problems I had with</span><i> Changeless </i><span style="font-style: normal;">also apply to the first book,</span><i> Soulless.</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This book isn't exactly a masterpiece. Carriger tries to ape Victorian prose, which is clever in some places but falls apart a lot and just sounds like bad writing in other places. My favorite things about Victorian books, like a subtle sense of humor and the ways the authors knit social issues into the text, are not really present in this book. It's mostly a fun action/romance with Victorian trappings.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Without getting into spoilers, I had some problems with the way the main love interest behaved. He kept Alexia in the dark, even though he should really trust her by now, and the two got into an argument that really bothered me. (Vague spoilers: He thinks she's been unfaithful and starts shouting and calling her names) Thankfully, in the book, Alexia was bothered by this as well, so I don't necessarily see it as being condoned by the author, but it's still pretty obnoxious behavior on the part of someone we're supposed to like.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Still, it was incredibly entertaining and made me laugh at a few points, and after the way it ended, I wanted to pick up the next book immediately.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I've been thinking about star ratings. I feel like ratings can become perfunctory, but they are a good way to express something that can't really be measured in any other way. I'm going to try them out for a while.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So, 3 stars for this for not really being anything more than entertaining. </div>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218121719337096337.post-3889050518377709122010-12-23T13:19:00.000-08:002010-12-23T13:19:35.610-08:00Merry Christmas!Or, if that is not your preferred holiday, then Happy Weekend!<br />
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Probably not going to post anything for the next few days. I will be spending time with family and attempting to make a jelly roll cake.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218121719337096337.post-5969320730360398592010-12-21T16:10:00.000-08:002010-12-30T13:47:29.631-08:00Challenges!I signed up for my very first challenges. I always wanted to join in other challenges previously, but didn't much see the point without a book blog. But there are some very exciting ones.<br />
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<a href="http://feministclassics.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/button.jpg?w=168&h=185" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://feministclassics.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/button.jpg?w=168&h=185" width="181" /></a>First of all is <a href="http://feministclassics.wordpress.com/">A Year of Feminist Classics</a>. We're reading a book a month from this list:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">January: </strong><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Vindication of the Rights of Women </em>by Mary Wollestonecraft AND <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So Long a Letter</em> by Mariama Ba<br />
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">February</strong>: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Subjection of Women</em> by John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor Mill<br />
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">March:</strong> <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Doll’s House</em> by Henrik Ibsen<br />
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">April:</strong> <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Herland</em> by Charlotte Perkins Gilman<br />
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">May:</strong> <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Room of One’s Own</em> by Virginia Woolf<br />
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">June:</strong> <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">God Dies by the Nile </em>by Nawal Saadawi<br />
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">July:</strong> <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Second Sex </em>by Simone de Beauvoir<br />
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">August:</strong> <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Woman Warrior</em> by Maxine Hong Kingston<br />
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">September:</strong> <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Beauty Myth </em>by Naomi Wolf<br />
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">October:</strong> <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ain’t I a Woman?</em> by bell hooks AND <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism Anthology</em><br />
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">November</strong>: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gender Trouble </em>by Judith Butler<br />
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">December:</strong> <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sister Outsider</em> by Audre Lorde</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w5/seo246/IMG_08672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w5/seo246/IMG_08672.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Second is the Back to the Classics Challenge hosted by Sarah at <a href="http://sarahreadstoomuch.blogspot.com/2010/11/back-to-classics-challenge-2011.html">Sarah Reads Too Much</a>. We have to read one book in each category before June 2011. Here's my choices:</span><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>A Banned Book</b>: <i>The Color Purple</i> by Alice Walker</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>A Book With a Wartime Setting</b>: <i>Birdsong</i> by Sebastian Faulks (WWI)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>A Pulitzer Prize Winner or Runner Up</b>: <i>The Optimist's Daughter</i> by Eudora Welty</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>A Children's/Young Adult Classic</b>: <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> by L. M. Montgomery</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>19th Century Classic</b>: Maybe now I will finally get around to reading <i>The</i> <i>Woman in White </i>by Wilkie Collins</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>20th Century Classic</b>: <i>The Bell Jar</i> by Sylvia Plath</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>A Book you think should be considered a 21st Century Classic</b>: <i>The Corrections</i> by Jonathan Franzen</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Re-read a book from your High School/College Classes</b>: If an assignment I never completed counts, I'm doing <i>Caleb Williams</i> by William Godwin</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a132/Kaiachautauqua/Ladyeading_Kennington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a132/Kaiachautauqua/Ladyeading_Kennington.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Finally, there's <a href="http://subtlemelodrama.blogspot.com/p/victorian-literature-challenge.html">The Victorian Literature Challenge</a>. I'm doing the Great Expectations challenge, so I have to read 5-9 books from the Victorian era. (Although I may have to change it to Sense and Sensibility--1-4 books--if I get too busy.) I hope I can get through these:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i> by Oscar Wilde</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Selected Poems</i> by Alfred, Lord Tennyson</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>The Woman in White</i> by Wilkie Collins</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Our Mutual Friend</i> by Charles Dickens</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Cranford</i> by Elizabeth Gaskell</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>The Eustace Diamonds</i> by Anthony Trollope</div><br />
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</span>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218121719337096337.post-86075920809792994412010-12-21T12:12:00.000-08:002010-12-30T13:42:58.473-08:00Maledicte by Lane Robins<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv12oBnir3fwWSfPjlm5Qok4dEwVvOJahFj5T6eMp5mfrTXf6_5BuHXgs1s27qe1xoMz88YSGsWm9vqkf-uoA6ce2niMz_Gi9sOZ7cCmqYgtVDuDVTk-VCJbwNrVmsiT0gh57pNcHM509Z/s320/Maledicte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv12oBnir3fwWSfPjlm5Qok4dEwVvOJahFj5T6eMp5mfrTXf6_5BuHXgs1s27qe1xoMz88YSGsWm9vqkf-uoA6ce2niMz_Gi9sOZ7cCmqYgtVDuDVTk-VCJbwNrVmsiT0gh57pNcHM509Z/s320/Maledicte.jpg" /></a>I don't quite know what to think about <i>Maledicte</i>. On the one hand, it has lots of court intrigue and balls and that sort of thing like Ellen Kushner's <i>The Privilege of the Sword</i>, one of my favorite books. But on the other hand, something about it just left me unsatisfied. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A shady lord steals his bastard son Janus from the slums because he needs an heir. Miranda, the son's lover/friend/partner in crime swears revenge and seeks out Black-Winged Ani, the goddess of love and vengeance. She dresses as a boy, changes her name to Maledicte, and become the ward of another lord who has his reasons to hurt the shady lord.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Maledicte, as interesting as the idea of him was, did not really do anything for me. His solution for, like, 90% of his problems is to kill the cause of them. There isn't really any motivation for what he does, except for the broad category of “revenge.” This may be because he's being ridden by a goddess of vengeance, or maybe because Robins is trying to make a point of the destructive power of revenge. Either way, Maledicte never really became a real person to me. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I've been using the pronoun “he” because that's consistently what Robins uses. It's made clear that Maledicte is much more comfortable performing as male instead of female. This was probably my favorite aspect of the book. We need more genderqueer characters who don't always fit into convenient labels because <i>people</i> often don't.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Actually, what this book reminded me of most was the movie <i>There Will Be Blood</i>. Like Daniel Plainview, Janus and Maledicte leave a trail of destruction in their wake . But, like the movie, I never saw any reason that they were using to justify their actions. It mostly seemed they did it because they could. And that leaves me a little uneasy with the way things ended in the book. I would recommend this book (I still found it very gripping), just maybe with some reservations. </div>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218121719337096337.post-2116681103524803382010-12-20T12:27:00.000-08:002010-12-30T13:42:03.723-08:00The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CJApOmNItrZ-Rkhv7LgdZmHoHYMFY0tYzFPmGkuCrz133YwHRxpWuzBdPpLH-dF7QuIatFixGmeue_gEUtCyDnLfmCjsQr9ZlA7-P7IrYoIXtFlutVKrRaLKe9GNNtL__bBVE6nXFT8/s1600/magicians+assistant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CJApOmNItrZ-Rkhv7LgdZmHoHYMFY0tYzFPmGkuCrz133YwHRxpWuzBdPpLH-dF7QuIatFixGmeue_gEUtCyDnLfmCjsQr9ZlA7-P7IrYoIXtFlutVKrRaLKe9GNNtL__bBVE6nXFT8/s320/magicians+assistant.JPG" width="212" /></a>I swear, I have read books that are not by Ann Patchett. Sometimes I just read books in binges. This is the end of my Ann Patchett binge. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Anyway, <i>The Magician's Assistan</i>t is about Sabine, assistant to her gay magician husband Parsifal, who has just died. And, yes, that relationship sounds somewhat ridiculous, but it is actually very sweet. They got married because Parsifal's lover (There has got to be a better word for that! Partner? Not much better.) had just died of AIDS and Parsifal had just been diagnosed. Parsifal and Sabine truly loved each other, just without a sexual component, so it was a marriage of companionship between two people who wanted to find comfort in each other.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So Parsifal has just died and Sabine finds out from the will that he left money to his mother and sisters in Nebraska. Who he had previously told her were dead. And from Connecticut. (Parsifal is obviously not his real name. But he had a fake real name, in addition to his <i>actual</i> real name, which is Guy Fetters.) So then his family flies out to Sabine's house in California and she later flies back to them in Nebraska, where she learns about Parsifal's past.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Part of <i>The Magician's Assistan</i>t is about how people you know and love can have huge secrets they never tell you and part of it is how Sabine connects with people who are very different from her on the surface. Again, the situation is all about personal connections for Patchett and not as much about drama, although there is plenty of family secrets to be had. It's also about family. Sabine, Parsifal, and Parsifal's lover were a family and now Sabine adds on to that with the Fetters. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It's a lovely book, although I think<i> Bel Canto</i> was just a <i>leetle</i> bit better. And also, this book contains what is the most touching description of shopping at Wal-Mart that I have ever seen. </div>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218121719337096337.post-86142281484428838332010-12-19T22:23:00.000-08:002010-12-30T13:41:06.649-08:00Bel Canto by Ann Patchett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://10thirty.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/bel-canto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://10thirty.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/bel-canto.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I had to read Ann Patchett's <i>The Patron Saint of Liar</i>s for school and I loved it so much, I immediately went to the library and got as many books of hers that I could find. And I have to say, I think <i>Bel Canto</i> is actually my favorite.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So, various fancy diplomats and businessman are attending the birthday party of a Japanese businessman that is being held at the house of the Vice-President of an unspecified South American country. Then terrorists storm in and try to capture the president of said country, except that he is at home watching his soaps. So then they just take everyone at the party hostage for what turns out to be about three months. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And where some books would have the confined hostages start sharing personal secrets and the worst of human nature coming out, <i>Bel Canto</i> just has people being awkward and then making friends and playing chess and practicing opera and having sex with fellow hostages and, sometimes, captors. It is all very polite and genteel. I don't know if that's very realistic, but then again I have never been a hostage in an unspecified South American country. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I don't make it sound very exciting but it's full of funny little moments and revelations and sweet characters moments and then it ENDS HORRIBLY. I don't want to give any spoilers but if it starts with terrorist taking hostages, then you know it's not going to end well. So there's that. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And Ann Patchett is such a good writer that she makes everything really quiet and subtle but imbued with lots of meaning. I wish I could describe it better. But it's a beautiful book and sometimes I like to read books that aren't all in your face with INTENSITY.</div>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218121719337096337.post-58835831687171145382010-12-19T16:50:00.000-08:002010-12-19T16:50:22.036-08:00Hello!Hi, I'm Aubrey.<br />
<br />
So I've finally taken the plunge and created a book blog. Will anyone read it? Will I eventually start posting entries very rarely? The answer to both is "maybe."<br />
<br />
About me: I'm an English major at a small liberal arts school in the Midwest and am trying to get into grad school to get a Master's in Library Science. I spend far too much time reading and swanning about on other book blogs. My first ever book post should go up in the next few days.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05806962442898587367noreply@blogger.com9