Monday, July 7, 2008

Down and Dirty with Gorgeous Genius


So, I was in the mood for some alliteration, hence the title of this post. In addition, I've also recently finished Ian McEwan's In Between the Sheets. Now, let me just say before I get in to the review, that this book IS NOT for everyone. Theres no way it can be. But it was for me. I loved it, absolutely, despite, or perhaps because, of the few minor flaws I had with it.

This book is kind of gross. Thats probably the first thing to know. Its not what I, nor probably others, were expecting when I picked it up. There really is very little romance, very few love stories. At least, not in the way those things are commonly thought of. But this book is inventive, short, and absolutely beautifully written. A book of short stories about the sexually grotesque doesn't usually make the top of anyones list, but this one should. The stories (I believe there are 5 or 6 in all) are all strikingly different, yet, because of McEwan's prose style, fit together unbelievably well. The stories I found most touching were the ones about the man who, after two nurses discover that he's sleeping with both of them simultaneously, decide they're going to fix that problem - for good, and the one about the man who falls desperately in love with a store manequin, takes her home, and then leads himself to believe that she is cheating on him with his limo driver. Is that normal? Absolutely not. It is the kind of thing you'd think first to write a short story about? Absolutely not. And THAT is why this book is as good as it is - because its one of the few book I've read in a long time where I've gone "I would never even think to write that." And, as a budding writer, I know how hard that is do to, so its immediately something I admire. Also, I love Ian McEwan. Like, kind of an unhealthy amount. So, all in all...I wouldn't suggest this book is kind of creepy, kind of sadistic things don't intrigue you. However, if you're looking for stories that you probably won't read anywhere else, go ahead and give this one a try. Who knows...maybe theres a darker side just waiting to be found!


In other news, roomate assignments have been sent, and there is oh-so-much preparation to do for move in, which will, of course, be in just a few weeks. Add to that the fact that I have the United Students Against Sweatshops conference in Boulder, Colorado from the 10th - 12th, and then I move in early on the 13th to help clean house/set up for the executive board, and things between now and then are busy busy busy busy busy! So up next on the nightstand: This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen, a book I've read countless times but still love a little more with each turn of the page! Until then....

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

The Poisonwood Bible and City Life


I finished The Poisonwood Bible last night in a frenzied fit of reading, and even after having enough time to reflect and come to terms, I'm still a little muddled and disappointed about the whole thing.

Perhaps the hard part is that I really, really WANTED to like the book. My mother loves it, my friends who've read it like it, and it was an Oprah's Book Club Book (something I usually would have ran from but, for some reason, decided to trust this time). Or perhaps its that there were parts of the book that I did like. I loved certain scenes (the tribe-wide hunting scene or the Adah monologues) and a lot of the prose really got me thinking about my own writing style, something I really love in the books I read. But, even with all that, I still didn't really like the book as a whole. There was all of this buildup to the pivotal tragedy, and then it occurs and then....things just continue. I know that this is how life is, and there is a bit of admiration to be had for books that attempt to echo life. But, after tragedy and the sisters and mother leave the village, there really isn't any more impetus to keep reading. It becomes reading for readings sake, something I hate to do. The stories became so dull that, I admit, I left the last two chapters unread. It was just that I mentally couldn't do it - each page felt like it weighed a ton! But, the book had a few meritorious points, so I wouldn't completely trash it. Just make sure that you're in ready for a looooooonnnnngggg book that feels like a lllloooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg book.

Since then, I've moved on to Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire. I don't know. I guess that because I liked the Twilight series so much, I thought I'd go back and read the pinnacle of all vampire novels. Its a step out of my usual genre, but I'm hoping it pays off. I'm a dozen or so pages in, and there is some of that intensity missing that I loved so much about Twilight, but I just keep reminding myself not to compare the books to one another - they're completely different canonical works!

Other than the reading (which I LOVE having plenty of time to do!) the vacation to Chicago is going well! Lots of swimming and the hotel, lots of talking on my sisters balcony, and lots of play time with my niece, the most adorable girl in the world who, at this moment, is laying next to me asleep, one of her hands curled around my toes. Its adorable. Tomorrow is off to the city for some sight seeing (hello, Sears Tower! Hello, Theater District! Hello, Navy Pier!) and some much deserved adult time (hello, Second City Improv!) And, of course, some much deserved time with Anne Rice!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Lessons Learned

Here are the things I've learned since coming to Chicago (we're here, visiting my sister for the week, in her tiny apartment in Des Plaines, Illinois, about a ten minute train ride from downtown):

1.) I love cities, but couldn't handle that kind of traffic. It may have to be small-town life for me, after all.

2.) I have a serious, SERIOUS case of library envy. The Chicago Public Library is four stories and in an old brick building that looks like something straight out of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the Olathe (or Lawrence) public library just doesn't hold up in comparison.

3.) Books are heavy. And when you only get one suitcase total, its possible to wear the same shirt more than one day in a row if it means packing The Fountainhead.

4.) Never underestimate the love you have for tea until it's suddenly not available every morning.

5.) Insurance actuarial science is really, REALLY boring. My sisters boyfriend is giving a presentation tomorrow, and has picked me to practice on. Sweet God.

6.) Family is priceless. In the way of a diamond, or an old garbage dump.

7.) I love, love, LOVE Vitamin Water. It gets me through those long, sickening car rides (I would reccommend XXX or Strawberry Kiwi)

8.) I love reading on the porch in the early morning. I do wish we had a porch.

And, mostly, the two things I realized the most are

9.) I LOVE VACATION!!!

10.) My niece is THE CUTEST little girl I've ever seen. EVER. EVER EVER!!!!!

And now, back to the last few pages of The Poisonwood Bible with a review to follow! Yay for Chicago!

Monday, June 23, 2008

Vampires and Forests and Lust...oh my!


EDIT (Again with the spoilers. Don't come crying to me if you ignore it!) :: I finished reading Eclipse, the final (so far) book in the Stephanie Meyer saga of Bella and Edward. The next book is due out in August with the last book due out after that. Hopefully I'll have the whole series by Christmas. Anyway, I was a much bigger fan of this book than of New Moon, mostly because Edward was finally back in this book. He was back to being devestatingly sweet, overwhelmingly neurotic, and just a tad too overprotective for my taste (thats right, I said it, I found a flaw with Edward. A small one, but still - its a flaw). Jacob was just as sweet as ever, making it even harder to choose between the two. Unfortunately, some pretty underhanded manipulation in the later half of the book made it just a little bit easier to cheer for Team Edward (not that I wasn't already there, anyway). All in all, I loved all three (obviously) but I also kind of wish that I would have spaced them out a bit. Not only would I then have had time to really absorb all the books, but all three got to be a bit much back to back. That immediate satisfaction was awesome when reading the books, but I kind of like the suspense being built up by not having the fourth one quite yet. Anyway...its off to Chicago with The Poisonwood Bible and about a dozen other books from the local library!


EDIT (Possible spoilers. You have been warned.) :: So, I finished New Moon as of yesterday, and I feel a little slighted. I mean, the book was, again, excellent, but I wish that there had been more Edward. I know, I know, Stephanie had to do what she had to do for plot purposes, but still. I missed the fact that he was gone for probably a good 3/4 of the book. Every time Bella heard his voice, I heard it too and felt almost as bad as she did when the voice went away. I guess thats just a testament to the fabulous characters Stephanie has created. I'm just saying that as much as I liked Jacob (and believe me, I do like Jacob) I'm just so glad that Edward is back and ready for action. I just can't believe that after ALL they've been through, when Edward proposed she actually said no. Crazy bitch. Anyway...so far so good on Eclipse, but I'm going to be pissed if Bella isn't turned in to a vampire by the end and we have to listen to her whine...more.

***



So, I just finished Stephanie Meyer's must-read Twilight and am, like, 100 pages in to the sequel New Moon. Let me just say that I originally had NO intention of reading this book. My mom brought it to me, set it down on my desk and said, "Read it. You'll like it." The following conversation ensued:





"Read it. You'll like it."


"What's it about?"


"A teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire and has to fight between the two worlds."


"..."


"Just read it."


"Its about vampires."


"It's hard to put down. You'll love it, and it's really well written."


"It's about vampires."





Yep. It is indeed about vampires. But, after realizing that I had NO intention of doing any of my summer class reading (who wants to read Socrates and Virgil at the pool?) I was left with few options (being flat broke and all) other than the vampire-romance book. Now, I haven't always been against vampire books. I used to love them. And now I remember why.






This book was FABULOUS! Like, at a loss for words kind of fabulous. Not only did I blast through its 500-some pages in about a day, but its just a good book. Although not a mythical character, I too have had times when my head tells me one thing and my heart tells me another. Its logic versus passion, essentially. And the main characters, Bella (I love that name!) and Edward (I love that name now) deal with that general argument every day. Bella longs to be with Edward (who, despite the list below, has immediately become the number 3 guy on my list of most attractive fictional male characters. He has the hotness of Marcus Flutie, and the brooding quality of the pre-confession of love Darcy with the tortured soul of Cassandra Claire's Draco trilogy and Heathcliff). Its just a beautifully written story of love and passion and TRULY star-crossed lovers. It's brilliant, and I just wish that there were more books!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Its Tough Being On Top

Well, things have been absolutely crazy since the Jayhawks took National Champs against Memphis (and what a crazy time it really has been - 45,000 people in less than 10 city blocks all at once, streakers, over-turned cars, people scaling buildings, and all in less than 24 hours!) and, because of the impending madness (and plethora of pep rallies) the school work definiately suffered, as did the general reading. Things, hopefully, look as though they're finally getting back on track, however, as my term papers for both Spanish and English have been turned in (at least, their rough drafts have) and my sociology project is beginning to shape up.

Another recently large development is my tentative decision to enlist in the Peace Corps after graduation (which, at this point, is still a long way away). I've become so involved recently with the campus efforts of Amnesty International, UNICEF, as well as United Students Against Sweatshops and the Lawrence Fair Trade Coalition, that I just don't see myself going to grad school without really sitting down and getting in to the world, attempting with the power that I have to make it a better place. As of now, with only a little research put in to it, I'd love to go to Sudan or southern Darfur to help with AIDS programs, or eastern Chile and Argentina to help with community building. Then, there is a lot more time to decide that kind of stuff.

Because of this desire to do good, and on kind loan from a friend, I'm reading The Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe, Aisha Bain, and Adam Shapiro, a team of three young humanitarian workers who also produced a documentary of the same name. The book is the telling of the three as they travel to Dafur at the beginning of the Darfur genocide, as they cross border lines and talk to some of the most powerful leaders of the SLA (Sudanese Liberation Army, the prinicipal rebel movement) about the Janjaweed and influence of the Sudanese govenrnment. In addition, they go in to quite a bit of description about the refugee camps they visit: their need for schools and educational materials, their complete lack of time to build a steady infrastructure, and their disagreements with their Chadian neighboors, who see the refugees as a drain on their economy. I could go on, but I'm not done with the book yet, and I'm not entirely sure anyone would want me to, anyway!

As they say, being on top (both as Champions and as Americans) can be tough. But its not nearly as tough as being on the bottom.

Monday, April 7, 2008

This Is...

I only have two things to say, so be prepared for a short update:

1.) I am head-over-heels-in-love-obsessed-so-nervous-I-might-puke-but-still-can't-wait-for-tonight-excited for the NCAA championship tonight. On it's 20th anniversary, the only thing I can hope, pray, wish, and wait for is a KU victory over Memphis. ROCK CHALK!!!

2.) Fuck you, Samuel Beckett. Fuck you.

Have a good day, and if you're a prayer, send a big please for victory to whatever higher power you talk to!

Monday, March 31, 2008

James Joyce and Mild Pretention

I've concluded that pretty much everyone in my British literature class is more than mildly pretentious. I don't know if its because we're reading some more-advanced stuff, or because their very natures as English majors cause them to put themselves above those who are less literary in lifestyle, but there are times when I feel like I'd be strung up for my ankles if I ever admitted that I have, indeed, read The Devil Wears Prada.

Other than dealing with that particular group of people, I will say that I am thoroughly enjoying James Joyce's Dubliners, which I'm reading for my term-paper. Although I'm not usually a fan of reading "day-in-the-life" kind of books (as a daily liver of life, I find it rather pointless to do such), this seems to be a different case. Perhaps its because it is a day in the life so different than mine. Perhaps it is because Joyce writes with such a vivid passion. Who knows. Here are some of my favorite passages:

"The journey laid a magical finger on the genuine pulse of life and gallantly the macheinery of human nerves strove to answer the bounding courses of the swift blue animal."

"He knew he would regret in the morning but at present he was glad of the rest, glad of the dar stupor that would cover up his folly."

"Experience has embittered his heart against the world. But all hope had not left him."

"He remembered the books of poetry upon his shelves at home. He had bought them in his bachelor days and man and evening, as he sat in the little room off the hall, he had been tempted to take one down from the bookshelf and read out something to his wife. But shyness had always held him back, and so the books had remained on their shelves. At times he repeated lines to himself and this consoled him."

Even in the mundane, there is a way that Joyce is able to craft and twist to create a story that I find myself falling more empassioned for with each turned page.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Give-Away Time!

Care, of Care's Online Book Club is offering a pretty sweet prize package, including a copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being and St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves as well as a color compact from the unbeatable Mary Kay. Sounds pretty good to me!

Friday, March 28, 2008

The Jane Austen Book Club


Title: The Jane Austen Book Club
Author: Karen Joy Fowler
Country: USA
Pages: 304
Year: 2004
Rating: 4 out of 5

There is something remarkably special about a group of women who gather to talk about books and literature, and maybe even the occasional men who join them. And when the women of the Jane Austen book club get together, it easy, as a reader, to see the magic thats created. Each one of these women have something remarkably dfining about them, and it is interesting to see the ways in which each of them parlay the book-of-the month in to a kind of personal connection. My favorite characters were inevitably Grigg (the lone male, a science fiction reader who was raised by an eccentric father and three sisters) and Allegra, the lesibian daughter of two of the central characters (whose final confrontation between her and the girlfriend is heartbreakingly unexpected and, as a reader, it is more than easy to feel the betrayal).

As someone who used to be part of a book club, and is now longer able to be part of a book club (damn you, 19-hour course load!) it was nice to have a little flashback to the times when I was able to gather and talk about what was read, really trying to figure things out. The characters that Fowler creates are, in their essence, simply human, living their lives and dealing with their own issues. Whether it be divorce, un-natural feelings towards students, a lack of love, or dealing with impending old age, there is something to be said, and something to be learned, from each of these characters, as well as from the unspoken character - Austen herself. Fowler includes a brief synopsis of each of the Austen books she mentions in the back, as well as including the opinions of other famous authors about Austen. Perhaps the most memorable instance is the very opening page, in which each of the main characters describes their "personal Austen." Everyone who has read Austen has read her in a different way, has created for themselves a kind of confidant, hero, role-model. To each their own, there is no "one" Austen.

It was a quick read, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was able to read most of it out loud to my mother during our car trip to Oklahoma this past weekend over my spring break, and finished the rest of it within hours of returning to school. If you're looking for a quick read, a small glimpse in to the lives of women who are altered by Austen, or if you just want a quick synopsis of all those books you were "supposed to read" in high school, consider this your one-stop-shop.

Up next - finally getting to the comments on my blogroll, and perhaps a little F. Scott to keep my company! I wish you all peaceful days!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Consider It Boy-Crazy

So, in my British Literature class we were talking about the makings of a hero. And it go me thinking. I was recently recommended Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (which I really can't believe that I haven't read before) and I'm basically in love with Zooey, as a male protagonist. So I decided that now, for all to see, I'm going to pay homage to those other strikingly beautiful, elegant, drool-worthy and completely fictional men that I've come to love.

1.) Marcus Flutie, The Jessica Darling Series: If you have not read these books, I more than suggest it. I command it. It's an imperitive that you have them read. They will cause you to laugh, cause you to cry, and cause you to remember why you're glad you're not in high school anymore. And they WILL make you fall in love with Marcus Flutie. Whether its his red dread-locks, his snarky attitude, or the fact that he gets over his drug-doing ways and goes to a Buddhist school in the desert, there is something utterly delicious about this man. It could be the way he's in love with Jessica, the slightly-annoying-and-self-indulgent female lead. It could be the way that, for their first "kiss", all he does is bite her lower lip and then walk away. Or it could be the fact that he really it, under all the attitude, a sensitive guy. Either way, I'd jump his bones in a second.

2.) Mark Darcy, Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Obviously. No top-five list will be complete without THE man of men. Whether its the reserved, capricous gentleman we meet in Austen's original canon, or the sex-craving lothario protrayed in Takes a Wife, there really is no greater lover out there. Add to the mix the embodiment of Colin Firth, and you may have the measuring stick for all future boyfriends!

3.) Laurie Lawrence, Little Women: If you haven't read the book, you're missing out on some of Laurie's greatest charm - his utter adoration for all of the March sisters. Having read the book once a year (religiously) from the ages of 8 to 18, I've spent quite a bit of time with the shy boy next door. He's always up for a romp (ice-skating, anyone), provides endless amounts of shoulder to cry on (even when he is secretly in love with you) and, in the end, provides a much needed masculinity to the all-feminine Alcott tale. And, honestly, if you can get through the on-paper rejection by Jo without tears, I'm not sure you have a heart at all. If you haven't read the book, well... you've still got Christian Bale to work with.

4.) Dexter, This Lullably: Yes. It's by Sarah Dessen. Yes, its teen chick-lit if ever there was such a things. But he plays the guitar. He sings in a band whos hit song it "The Potatoe Opus". He comes from a family with a long line of divorces and remarriages. He has a shaggy dog named Mutt, and he's totally willing to put his heart on his sleave. He has black hair. He drives a white "maybe I'm a rapist" van. And his name is Dexter. And all of this and simmer with a girl who refuses to fall in love, and you have the makings of the best teen-chick-lit book I've ever read. And believe me, I've read it many a time.

5.) Henry, The Time-Travellers Wife: Well, to being with, he time travels. Thats got to earn you some immediate street cred. Secondly, he's so willing to love that he does it over generations at a time, always coming back to Claire. And, thirdly, he's made his life out of academia. He is not only full of sex appeal (I always pictured him as a mix between the Sean Connery and George Clooney...mmmm....), he's also a bit of a role-model (he works in the rare books section of the library, for God's sake). True, his story may get a bit long-winded, with the book tapping in at over 600 pages, but its 600 pages of brilliant dialouge, and quite a bit of naked Henry!

And there you have it. I'm sure I've left off some wondeful leading men. But, for me, these guys really do take the cake!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

A Return of Joy

It has, yet again, been far, far, FAR too long since I've visited the lovely realm of my cyber book lovers. There has been, not surprisingly, very little reading going on now that the semester has started up again, a fact that I am hoping to change remarkably soon. So as to not get too bogged down in the past, I say we just keep on moving to the present.

I don't know when the last time you were sick was. For it, it has been quite a while. When one is healthy for a long period of time, it is easy to remember being sick as a time of rest, relaxation, and movies. This, however, is not the case, as I've been reminded of with this wicked case of the flu that I've come down with (when living in a hall with upwards of 50 girls, 35 or more of which have the flu, its just a matter of time until sickness comes knocking on your door). Being sick is a time of coughing, sneezing, aching, and general ugliness that really feels like it will never go away. The only thing that is looking up about now is the fact that my roomates and I, as well as most of the hall, has been on a Jane Austen kick lately, more specifically Pride and Prejudice. I blame the release of Becoming Jane, a fabulous movie semi-based on the life of the famous aforementioned author. My room just skipped all of their classes today in order to watch the infamously long 6+ hour A&E version of the book, starring none other than Mr. Darcy himself, Colin Firth. Yesterday the room across the hall and I watched the most recent version of the film, the one with Kiera Knightly. And, as today was the release of Becoming Jane, we've watched that as well. We've even got chapters from the book printed out and hanging in our bathroom stalls. Pride and Prejudice fever has hit, and hit with a vengence. Blame the sickness, blame the miserably cold weather, blame the fabulous tale itself, either way - it's back. Big time.

Having read my current copy of said book until the cover is about to fall off, I've decided to give Emma a try, having heard that this is also a remarkable book. Hopefully this isn't false. I also plan on earnestly beginning at least a few of my reading challenges, though not too many, as becoming overwhelmed is a huge possibility. We'll just have to see how it goes. I also plan on returning within the week, with some kind of an update. Or maybe I'll just waste more of your time. Either way, it's all a return to joy.

BookMaven

About Me

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I'm a 24 year old newlywed, getting my library science degree all while working in a bookstore and trying to find some of the big answers in the big books - and the small books, while I'm at it. I'm interested in all types of fiction and personal non-fiction, all procedural cop dramas, and a fair portion of the TV that airs on the BBC3! I care about sustainability, agricultural ethics, independent documentaries, and admitting freely that I don't have all the answers - and may never - but I'm trying to have fun while I figure it out!