Turkey Day and the Hidden Way

I've decided that Thanksgiving is, perhaps, the best holiday out there. When you think about it, there are no tricky religious connotations that go along with it, and almost everyone is given time off to eat delicious food and hang out with family. In all honesty, I can't think of a better way to spend my time - unless, of course, I'm reading. Which I haven't been able to do much of recently, despite my best efforts. I continue to have to do research for my Latin American studies class, and between that and just general homework and life maintenance, there has been little time for pleasure reading (I'm sure I'm starting to sound like a broken record when it comes to that subject, though!).

I've made fairly decent progress on The Other Boelyn Girl, but I'm afraid that I'm coming to that point in most Philippa Gregory novels where I just loose general interest. The back and forth between Mary and Anne, up to this point, has been relatively interesting, but I'm unsure as to how much longer it can carry on before there just has to be one that is picked. I'm also rather intrigued by the character George, especially now that there has been allusions to his being gay and pursuing another male courtier. It's interesting to read how some of the other characters react to this, especially in relation to the highly Catholic and courtly England at the time. Other than that, I can't really seem to find much to praise about the book as of yet. It's got a simple story-telling format, but I find Anne to be immensely annoying and, in all rights and aspects, just kind of a bitch. I think that Henry is just a spoiled brat who can't ever be appeased, no matter what he has or is missing. I suppose that the case could be made that, because this is historical fiction, that the characters are all based on real people, and this is most likely the case. But that doesn't mean I have to like them.

In addition to The Other Boelyn Girl, I've also cracked open Lolita, which has been on my list of books to read since earlier this summer. (I feel it necessary to mention here that Kavalier and Clay has fallen by the wayside, as it just wasn't a good enough book to keep my attention amongst all the other books that I want to read) So far, I'm absolutely in love with it! Nabokov writes with such an interesting style, with such passion for words and their power. It's to be admired, although the subject matter might not be of the most prurient nature. I'm not one for books where characters obsess over other characters, and when its a situation of an older man obsessed with a MUCH younger girl, I find myself even more wary. But Nabokov's words are almost enough to make all of that go away! His phrases and word choice are so flowering that I find myself sinking deeper and deeper with each page. I love it!

Other than that, Thanksgiving is right around the corner (as in, like, two days from now) which means that I turn 19 in three days! Yay for me! And I have to say that, all things considered, its been a pretty awesome year. There have been some friend problems, and now theres the little issue of being deeply in like with the guy next door and him having no idea, but other than that, I've found what I believe to be the hidden way to getting by, to having a good time and enjoying life - slow down. There is no reason to be going a thousand miles an hour all the time. Maybe, if something doesn't get done because you don't slow down, it wasn't supposed to be done in the first place. I don't mean this to be the secret to life (I think saying I had the secret to life at 19 would be a little presumptuous!) but it seems to work for me! If I can say that I woke up in the morning, did all the things I was supposed to do that day, and have a little time for reading or chatting with friends at the end of the day, then that was the best kind of day I can hope for. So, lets hope for many more good days, many more good books, and maybe even a good cup of coffee or two!

BookMaven

Change Is Inevitable...

Change may be inevitable, but that does not mean that I have to support it, especially when it comes to my favorite book store!

I have never been much of a religious person, and the closest thing I've ever had to a religious experience would be reading a really fantastic book. Becuase of this, I have often considered Borders to be somewhat of a church, a religious place containing all of the things I love in this world - good coffee, good books, and a generally signifigant amount of intelligent people. Yes, Borders is a corporation, much like Starbucks, but hey - when it comes to a book store with big chairs and the ability to read all day if you'd like, I have to go with what I have!

So today, I made a trip to my lovely neighborhood Borders to find that NOTHING WAS IN THE RIGHT PLACE! I had ventured forth from the enclave of my house (where I've been cooped up all day doing research on the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo for my Latin American Studies class) in the efforts to buy a book I've been dreaming about buying since I heard it hit the shelves. I made my way to where the music books used to be, so that I could pick up Out of Sync, the new Lance Bass autobiography, and hustle to the cashier, not looking him to the eye as I buy my less-than-literary selection. However, half way to where the music section was, I found myself knee-deep in manga! Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against manga, it just wasn't what I was looking for. So, as I began to wander around the store in search of my beloved selection, I realized that fiction had taken the location of travel books, that poetry and plays had been replaced by magazines, and that the craft book section seems to have disappeard to some alternate universe, accessable only by someone with a laminated Borders lanyard. Damn them! And, to add salt to the wound, by the time I found the book I had been searching for, it was offered only in hardback and rang in at over $25. Now, I love books, and I love *Nsync, but even my love for the two of these combined was not enough for me to sacrifice what was basically left of my bank account. In order to console myself, I headed over to Half-Price Books (where the enviornment and selection is decidedly subpar, but the prices are much more up my alley) and puchased a book of function and a book of desire. I was able to find the Oxford Complete Spanish Dictionary (although an edition or two old) for six dollars, and copy of The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory.

The first book, of course, is merely to serve me well in my upcoming Spanish classes. The Other Boleyn Girl, however, is being made in to a movie sometime fairly soon, and having read a few other Philippa Gregory novels (The Constant Princess, The Queen's Fool) I decided to give this one a try. When I was younger, I went through a phase where I could have sworn that I should have been born in the Renaissance. Forget the lauge, the unfair treament of women, or my hatered of being dirty, all I wanted was a royal court, a pretty gown, and a pony to ride. And all of this, I figured, could have been given to me in that time. Gregory's novels have given me the chance to go back to that time and to, in fact, live there, even if it is for only 600 pages or so. The only complaint I ususally have about Gregory is that her stories, being so long, tend to lag a little in the middle. So, honestly, consider this buy to have been based merely on the fact that there is a movie coming out, starring none other that Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, and Jim Sturgess (who stole my heart in Across the Universe and has yet to give it back!). We'll just have to hope that it works out for the best.

Because I have been suffering from a severe lack of funds as of late (I blame the whole not having a job thing, but who knows!) I've been making much better use of the library as of late. On my desk right now, just waiting to be read, are Girl, Interrupted, Lake of Dead Languages, Tristram Shandy, Lolita, and Like Water for Chocolate. Please don't ask when I'm going to have time to read them, because honeslty, I have no idea either, but I promise that they will be read sooner or later!

And now, because I'm techincally obliged to do so, as a self-described goer to the Church of Books, I'm going to go stew in my anger towards Borders while enjoying The Other Boleyn Girl.

BookMaven

Concerning the Hours in the Day

There just aren't enough of them. Hours, of course. We only get 24-alloted hours, which between sleeping, eating, going to class (a necessary, albeit unfortunate, activity) and reading for school-associated reasons, doesn't leave much time for enjoyable things - like reading.

As you can see, I spent a large portion of my Sunday coming up with my challenge lists for 2008, most of which are rather extensive. I have the hardiest of intentions to compete in the 888 (8 books in 8 categories in 2008) challenge, the Year of Reading Dangerously, and the Decades challenge for 2008. I'm excited, and a little wary. I go back and forth between having a list of books I can choose from (as opposed to having to pick one blindly from the library shelves) and feeling constrained by such a list. We will have to see how it goes!

Up next on the nightstand is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. I'm already about 50 pages in to it (thank God for reading through English 205) and so far I'm not entirely sure how to feel about. I'm really interested in the characters, specifically how the backstory is crafted for each one. Sammy, as of yet, has yet to be developed (that would be Clay) where Josef has been given quite the backstory so far (that would be Kavalier). The empahsis placed on disappearing acts a la Houdini and the like is very interesting - I don't think I've ever read a book where so much lock-picking is done within the first 100 pages. The only thing that really remains to put me off is the length of the book. Most books, I've found, don't necessarily need to be as long as they are, making for a sometimes boring read. This book, at about 630 pages, might be one of those books. Then again, it did win the Pulitzer prize, so perhaps its best not to judge it too quickly...

I've given The Time-Travelers Wife to my friend across the hall, sending it off with nothing but the highest of accolades, and I hope she enjoys it as much as I (and anyone else thats read it) did. She likes fantasy books, so I know that part will appeal to her, but I hope that she finds the love story just as touching as I did. I always feel it necessary to offer a sort of disclaimer whenever I reccommend the book to people, because it IS about time travel, which I feel might cause it to be discounted by those who really don't know. Hell, it almost kept me from reading it the first time! I just keep telling people that if they can get past the time traveling/fantasy aspect, then they will find one of the most touching love stories to date.

And with that rather trivial post completed, I'm off to waste some more of those precious 24 hours.

BookMaven

A Good Dusting Off

So, yes. It's been a while. I don't want to hear it! Just kidding! But, seriously, I know its been forever. First, there was that whole moving to college thing. Then, there was the whole trying to get adjusted to college life thing. Then there was the whole falling in a very love-esque type thing the guy next door, confessing my love to him drunkenly, and then being rebuked. All in all, its been a rough...however many weeks its been since I wrote last. On the book front, however, things have remained largely stagnant.

There have been a few reads for my English 205 class, which is entitled Home: Your Place or Mine and has focused largely so far on experimental literature and Australian literature, all of which deals largely with the idea of home as a transitory state of mind, less of a place. It's a very interesting idea, however, the professor doesn't necessarily handle it in the best way. Most of the books we've read have been...lacking in quality. Here follows a brief description. Bare with me...

Snow Geese by William Fiennes: The book is about a man who hates his home. He leaves, follows geese, realizes he loves his home, and goes back. The end.

Eucalyptus by Murray Bail: Its a book about trees. Enough said.

Home by Larissa Beherendt: This book was, shockingly enough, surprisingly well written and a very striking story line. Almost a frame tale, the story follows the main characters Candice's family history, beginning with her grandmother Garibooli, who is an Aboriginal child removed from the Aboriginal tribe and placed in to “English” society, made to work as a maid in an English home. The story then goes through must be two or three generations of failed marriages, happy births, botched careers and maybe even an adultery or two. It's an interesting look at, specifically, the history of Australia, particularly in the context of the darker side of things. The Aboriginal relocation movement really does closely mirror what was done to the American Indians, as far as the move to the reservation and the “civilizing” of the nation. As far as the class goes, its going to get my greatest review thus far.

Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexi: This is another one that I'm going to have to give the so-so. The story itself wasn't necessarily bad, it was actually a rather interesting story. The problem I had with it was when Sherman Alexi began to blur the lines between fantasy and reality to the extent of sacrificing comprehension of the plot. I was totally on board when it came to the Devil-possessed guitar. I was totally down when it came to Big Mom and her magical healing powers, her past of mentoring both Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. I began to loose help for the book when the lines between Victors dreams and Junior's reality became almost non-existent. It was, however, another interesting look at a more reservation-oriented literature, especially because this book dealt with more modern issues within reservation life – alcoholism, gambling, unemployment, love between tribes. Really, all things considered, its going to have to go second on the in-class list.

Of course, even in college, I haven't been reading just for class. I'm not quite THAT lame. Yet. Then again, thats not to say that I'm reading books of the highest quality, either! Lets recount the all-too-short list, shall we?

Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty: Alright, alright. I admit it – it really isn't anything but semi-frivolous, overly verbose teen angst literature. But, in all honesty, I couldn't care less. It was the fourth book (although I've learned now, not the final! Eek!) in the McCafferty series, and really wasn't at the caliber I was hoping it would be at! Perhaps its because it didn't end the way I wanted it to end. Perhaps its because there wasn't nearly enough of Marcus in it, which, to be honest, is really one of the main reasons I love that series so much. Maybe its because I really am feeling as though the books really are beginning to drag on for much too long. I don't know. In all honestly, I say that I love it because I love the rest of the series. However, I'm not sure how long the book could stand on its own.

The Darfur Diaries by Jen Marlowe, Aisha Bain, and Adam Shapiro: This book is actually back to more of the autobiography/memoir genre that I got so in to in the spring of last year. Three mid-twenties kids decide, at the break of the Darfur genocide, to sneak over the border from Chad in to Darfur to investigate the effects of the genocide on the people living there. It's a very powerful story, told in a very powerful story. The book apparently goes with some kind of documentary movie of the same name. I never saw the movie, and probably never will. It was a short read, and really fantastic, considering the horror and atrocity of the subject. I won't say, however, that it'll become a top favorite of mine.

The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenger: Alright, let me clarify! I've read this book before. I promise! I wouldn't have gone this long without reading this fantastic book! And, truth of truths, I was completely out of things to read when I saw this one of my bookshelf and remember just how much I loved it! And, of course, I was right in remembering such. I really, really do enjoy almost every part of this book. Having gone through a rather unfortunate (and hard to admit to) phase of reading romance novels (in all fairness, you try to put them down when you're a hormonal twelve year old and fascinated with the half-embracing naked couple on the front!) this is the best romance in any book I may have ever read. Not only do Henry and Clare interact like a normal couple, but there is always a certain sense of underlying humor, a kind of sarcasm and wit that just gives the whole book a certain...air. This, more than any book I've read recently, has been the kind of laying-in-the-sun-on-a-grassy-hill-with-warm-coffee-and-good-music book that I love more than all the others.

That, unfortunately, recaps the reading list up to date. It is far less impressive than I wish it to be! Which brings me to the next subject – reading lists and reading challenges for the rest of 2007/2008. The list of reading challenges I plan on at least attempting to participate can be found to the left. I'm most nervous about the 888 challenge (8 books in 8 categories in 2008). Thats 56 books – a lofty goal by any means. I'm hoping to do more than just a little bit of cross-over work between challenges, of course. Also to the left you will notice a list of books I'm currently reading, a list of books I want to read shortly, and a list of classic books that I've yet to read (shocking, I know, for a reader like myself) that I wish to read for the rest of the year. There is also a list of book blogs that I've fallen in love with since the last update. I encourage you to go and pay them a visit – they really are fantastic! In short, there really has been quite and update/overhaul of the site, and I couldn't be more happy about it!

Consider your lovely book-maven signing off!
BM