Book Maven

Down and Dirty with Gorgeous Genius

2008-07-07T14:17:00.001-07:00

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....

The Poisonwood Bible and City Life

2008-07-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

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!

Lessons Learned

2008-06-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

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!

Vampires and Forests and Lust...oh my!

2008-06-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

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!

Its Tough Being On Top

2008-04-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

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.

This Is...

2008-04-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

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!

James Joyce and Mild Pretention

2008-03-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

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.

Give-Away Time!

2008-03-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

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!

The Jane Austen Book Club

2008-03-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

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!

Consider It Boy-Crazy

2008-03-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

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!

A Return of Joy

2008-02-12T22:05:00.000-08:00

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

Atonement

2007-12-17T12:28:00.000-08:00

I've just finished reading Atonement by Ian McEwan, and I'm not entirely sure how to feel about it at the moment. Perhaps I should be taking longer to do a little bit of reflecting, but I also feel like I just need to write it down, to sort out what I'm thinking. I'll do my best to avoid spoiling things.

The book was written in absolutely fabulous prose, full of sweeping descriptions as well as a kind of chracterization that his highly reminescent of Austen and Elliot. The younger Briony is melancholy in the best kind of sense; McEwan is able to put in to words the thoughts of a young child as they face the change from the innocence of childhood to the disillusionment and reality of adulthood. The scenes where Briony realizes that perhaps there is more to life than the black-and-white definitions she's so used to finding in her fairy tales are some of the saddest in the book. When she witnesses a moment between her older sister, Cecelia, and Robbie, the son of the woman that cleans their house, Briony is yet again forced to come to the realization that things might not be as simple as her childhood has led her to believe. The second half of the book, however, is where things begin to loose a little bit of steam, at least as far as I'm concerned. I can only read so many pages and pages of scenes of war. My biggest problem was that, after a while, the scenes of Robbie at war began to meld in to one another, forming pages and pages of endless description of war-torn villages, pain, death, destruction. There are certain touching moments - moments where Robbie talks about his love for Cecelia, when he talks about the life he wants them to build when the war is over. However, on the whole the middle of the book became, for me, the part to push through. The third part of the book puts the reader back with Briony as she becomes a nurse faced with realizing the horrors of war for herself. The book picked up a little bit more here, and the descriptions of the injuries Briony was made to deal with were disgustingly haunting, making me feel uncomfortable in possibly the best ways. The book wraps up the story line of Cecelia, Robbie, Briony, and the family memebers surrounding them, but there weren't quite as many moments of shock and surprise - something I was kind of hoping for.

All in all, I thing Atonement is a fabulous book, but not necessarily living up to the rave reviews that made me read it in the first place. I would reccommend it again, mostly because McEwan writes simply beautiful prose, prose that I could only wish to emulate. The love he portrays between Robbie and Cecelia is beautifully crafted, beautifully and hauntingly familiar. But the story itself, however, wouldn't stand as strong if someone else had written it.

Next on the list is Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind. This is a book reccommended to me by a good friend, and I've seen the movie, so I figured that this break would be as good as any to crack it open. The books is about a boy, born in France, who has a sense of smell so sharp that he is able to smell literally everything that makes up a person. He uses this sense of smell to apprentice and become a fantastic perfume maker. The best scent he has ever smelled, however, is that of a young woman, and the quest to repicate this scent is what makes the tale a tale of murder. Hopefully the book is as good as my friend as told me it is. I'm a little wary to follow a historically-based fiction novel with another historically-based fiction novel, but I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for the best. Thank God for break - uninterrupted reading time, at last!

BookMaven

Winnie the Pooh and Christmas, Too

2007-12-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

Yet again, it has been entirely too long since the last time I wrote. I sense that to be somewhat of a recurring theme. However, back I am, and back with a vengance.

Right now, at this very moment, I am sitting on my soon to be ex-roomates couch, surrounded by purses, boxes, and one very stuffed 60-gallon trashbag full of all the clothes I brought with me way back in August. My finals are over, my classes are completely out of my hands, and the ensuing feeling of relief fills me to the brim every time I think about it. Thats right, I am offically done with my first semester of college. It's an interesting feeling, mostly one of disbelief. There are some times that I wake up and still feel like I'm at a sleep away camp. It's a good feeling to be done, but I'm wondering if I truly lived it up to the extent that I could have. I went to my classes, I went to parties, I even fell in to deep crush and was brutally rebuked, Elizabeth-to-Darcy style, by the boy next door. And now I'm headed home for 31 days of dull, boring, familial bliss. And I couldn't be more excited.

Over break, I plan on reading nothing but all of those things that I've been wanting to read but haven't had time to between all of the afore-mentioned studying and partying. This inclues Atonement by Ian McEwan, the rest of The Other Boelyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. All of the above have been on the list for quite some time, and I'm finally ready to get around to them, seeing as how I'll have 31 uninterrupted, unemployed days for doing so. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about Atonement, and am really excited to crack it open. It's about time I finish The Other Boelyn Girl, seeing as how I've had it in my possession for over a month now and am still only about half way through it. The Garcia Marquez is because I've been interested in getting in to some Marquez since we talked about him in my Latin American Studies class, and the Tao of Pooh is because I've decided, yet again, to try and refocus myself back to myself. I want to make sure that, next semester, I've living the best life I can live for me.

I'm not going to lie, the whole encounter with the boy next door threw me for a loop I wasn't quite prepared for. It shook me, who I was as me and what I wanted. I've decided that its time to get back to me, back to what I really want and who I really want to me. Drew, my Army might-as-well-be-my-brother, bought me beautiful Mala beads for Christmas, and its about time I got back to meditation, back to thinking about who and what I am. I've made some goals for the next year, but I'm choosing to make them now as opposed to New Years, because New Years just seems like far to cliche a time to make new goals. So, consider these my new goals for the same-but-better-me:

* I want to learn to play guitar
* I want to get better at meditating and yoga
* I want to look in to the religions of the East, learning more about other spiritual paths
* I'm going to begin reading the Pulitzer prize winners, beginning with 2007 and working my way back
* I'm going begin to organize my reading/keeping better track of it, as well as to get back in to journaling
* I want to be happy. Which means I want to be around people and places, listening to the music, watching the movies, reading the books and experimenting with art forms that make me happy.

Most importantly, I want to do all of this for me. Because its Christmas, and at Christmas you tell the truth. Especially to yourself.

And now, a closing word of wisdom from The Tao of Pooh: "When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun."

BookMaven

Turkey Day and the Hidden Way

2007-11-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

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...

2007-11-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-05T16:19:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-03T23:34:00.000-07:00

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

It's The End of the World As We Know It

2007-08-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I may be being just a little bit melodramatic. The world itself is not coming to an end. But, in all complete honesty, life is about to change in a very permanent way. That's right, college is just around the corner. 5 days around the corner, as a matter of fact. Uh-huh. I move my entire life from Olathe to Lawrence (I know, I know, it's only a 20 minute drive if you follow all posted speed limits) in just 5 days. So, needless to say, I've been busy with packing and cleaning and saying good-bye. So,as is unfortunately natural in this given situation, the reading has fallen by the wayside. I haven't read a book since I finished Harry Potter (although I did read that one four times, so I guess you could say it took up a fair share of my time) although all of my class books have come in the mail and are now sitting in my sisters room, waiting to be read. I have recently decided that in the next 5 days, I will be re-reading The Great Gatsby by the great F. Scott and Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I was also hoping to pick up Fourth Comings by Megan Mcafferty before I left, as it is the fourth and last book in the fantastically teen angst Jessica Darling series (which, if you're ever in the need of a good yet easy book to swallow, I would most definately reccommend. Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings, Charmed Thirds. In that order). Alas, a SEVERE lack of funds (thank you, $600 credit card bill) has left that as not exactly an option. But, even considering all these things, the hardest part of the past few weeks has been the sorting through and boxing up of the books I wish to take and the books I have to leave. Don't mock me, but I cried.

There are books that I have been surrounded by my entire life. Little Women. Les Miserables. Pride and Prejudice. There are some books recently acquired, but that feel like old friends. They are beautifully written and strikingly haunting. Roomates. How to Breathe Underwater. Perks of Being a Wallflower. There are some books that I feel compelled to take, those given classic nature, books that I feel no shelf is complete without. Jane Eyre. Wuthering Heights. Oliver Twist. And then there are books that I just love, for no reason other than I love them. They have been my friends, my companions. More so than any other books have ever been. They have seen my laugh, they have seen my cry, they have seen me become frustrated with their endings or enthralled with their characters. Those are the books who's pages have been torn. Who's covers have fallen off. Who's margins have been scribble in. Those are the books I suffer most to leave behind. Harry Potter. This Lullaby. The Things They Carried. On the Road. But which of these to take? I feel like they have all earned the right to come with me. But I can't take them all. So do I mix them? Take ones I haven't read yet, hoping to start a new love affair? Ones I've read hundreds of times, knowing how much comfort they've provided me in the past? Those were the kind of thoughts running through my head as a packed up the books that will go, leaving the ones I was forced to deem unworthy (not to hurt their feelings, as they are all fabulous books.) Which ones made the cut, you ask?

*Little Women
*America: A Readers Guide to Democracy Inaction
*Roomates
*Pride and Prejudice
*Perks of Being a Wallflower
*The Bible

There were others, but that is just a small sampling. There are about 15 books I'm taking, if not fewer, so it was quite a task, seeing as how I have over 150 books as of my last count. What can I say, after collecting them for 13 years, I've managed to come up with quite the little library. And now, on to the book discussion.

Okay. Harry Potter. I have to talk about it. I can't not. Harry Potter came out when I was 8. Ten years later, as I'm about to leave home and make some major life changes, Harry has set out with his best friends to save the world, and he comes out victorious. It was a very melancholy experience. Having read all six books again before the release of the 7th, I was struck with just how much Jo's writing style had improved in the years between Sorcerer's Stone and Deathly Hallows. She truly is a writer of her own making. She has, in my mind, earned her place along side Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Though she writes modern-day novels for a modern-day audience, her style is strikingly beautiful, strikingly relative. And the novel itself was fantastically crafted. By the epilouge, there were no loose strings left to wrap up. Although I found the scene with Dumbledore and the crying baby to be a tad creepy and tedious, I was more than happy to see him make an appearance. I was wishing, however, that Sirius would have made another appearance (as more than just an apparition). I couldn't believe how touched I was at one of the final scenes, when Harry has realized what he must do and has slipped on his invisibility cloak, only to walk around and watch his friends, wishing he could tell them all goodbye. And I even liked the epilouge, which in any other novel I would have found entirely too sweet. I don't ususally don't like my novels to be wrapped up in nice little packages (with those little red bows) - it's too unlike life for my taste - I didn't mind it at all for this novel. A novel going on this long needed an ending with no loose ends, with no questions left. And the epilouge did that nicely. So, all in all, a perfect 10 all the way across the board, although it never could have been any different.

And now, lastly, why Fitzgerald and DuMarier, you ask? Two reasons, both of them drastically different. The Fitzgerald because, when I was required to read it in 11th grade, I didn't really like it (save your gasps, it happens, even to the best of us). Perhaps it was the teacher, perhaps it was because I didn't devote enough time to it, but I didn't see why it was the classic that so many people had proclaimed it to be. So I'm giving it this one last chance, one more final read, hoping that maybe this time I will see something that I missed the first time. The DuMarier, however, I am reading because I fell madly in love with it the first time I read it. I only had two weeks to read the book, analyze it, and write my final paper, so I know I didn't give the book the time it deserved. So that is what I intend to do now. The book was sweeplingly grandiose, hauntingly sad yet lovely at every turn. And the plot twist (which I won't ruin for those who haven't read it) was possibly the best I've ever seen. And so, in these last few days, I pursue both the loved and the lost.

In Which a Part of My Soul Dies

2007-07-21T18:32:00.001-07:00

Two words: Harry Potter.

I'll elaborate later, after I've stopped crying and had time to absorb. But until then, OH MY GOD.

The Valley of the Low

2007-07-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

So I finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, after leaving the last, like, ten pages unread for about two weeks. The book, as I have previously stated, was fantastic! It just had such an air about it, an air of sadness and melancholia. The way that the young boy as the narrator would phrase the things he was thinking, and the way he would deal with his fears, was fantastically worded. The only problems I had with the books was the boy's relationship with his mother - it just didn't really seem to be there, which didn't seem realistic. When this young boy starts trecking all over New York, his mother doesn't say anything, which really is just far from possible in any realm. But something that small was clearly overshadowed by the fantastic prose and just general vibe that surounded the book. I think it's safe to say that Jonathon Safron Foer just became one of my new favorite authors. And honestly, if he can do that with one book, then he's more than worthy.

Now that I've finished that book, however, and I had to return almost all the other books I got this summer or risk having my library account shut down, I'm kind of in-between books right now. So, because I feel it necessary to update this God-forsaken blog (I don't really mean that, because I love writing in this thing, even if no one reads it!) I'm going to take a quick second to write about a form of word-play and poetry that I don't feel truly gets the credit it deserves. I'm talking about sound writing and lyrics.

Last night, Rae came over, and her and I just sat around and talked music for two hours out on my deck. We talked about how touching music can be, about how much music meant to the both of us. And we just started talking about how the lyrics to a song can make or break the song, as a whole. If you take a classically good piece of music, say something from classic rock and roll or soul or bluegrass or funk - what have you - and take away it's lyrics, it looses something intrinsic to what made it what it was. Conversely, a song like "The Great Gig in the Sky" or "Ramblin' Man" (I'm sticking to classic rock here, but just know that what I believe applies to all eras and genres of music) - those are great songs. There's no doubt about it. But, for me, they would never make any kind of 'Best Song' list because the lyrics just aren't there for me. When I want good lyrics - when I want a good song - I'll turn to "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton or "American Pie" by Don McLean, or even something by Harry and the Potters or Draco and the Malfoys (along that line, it may seem dorky to love a Wizard Rock band, but if you want to hear smart, funny lyrics that are really poetic AND focus all on one certain topic or theme, then this is the place to go). And it's those certain artists who I love that never disappoint me when it comes to fantistic lyrics and music. Eric Clapton (just one of my favorites, hand down, never fail), Billy Joel, Elton John, Led Zepplin. More recentely there are fantastic bands who unfortunately get pigeon-holed in to a genre and are thus written off by a lot of people. Bands like Bright Eyes, My Chemical Romance, Deathcab For Cutie, Something Corporate.

Another thing that I just feel it necessary to say, thought it may not be technically fitting with the theme of this blog or what have you, is that I just love music. All music. I like rap, when it's done well and intelligently. I love bluegrass and funk and classic rock and blues and jazz and alternative and ska and even some emo music - again, when done well. I love country and pop music and opera and show tunes. The list could go one, but I won't. And so much of what I have as far as musical knowledge goes, and so many of the tastes I have for music, stems from my paretns, who used to sing me "Wonderful Tonight" as a lullaby, or would play "When the Levee Breaks" as we drove around town. Their musical tastes are wide and varied, and I thank them for passin the same thing on to me.

"Alright, alright. Here are my new final words: I DIG MUSIC... and I'm on drugs!" - Almost Famous

Life in the Way

2007-06-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

I hate it when life gets in the way.

that's all I'm saying! I've been trying to finish Extremely Loud for the past week or so, but I just can't seem to find time to get through those last 10 pages or so! Between my brother being here and Drew leaving (and having to work on his going-away memory book) and then meeting Rob and kind of having to deal with everything that came along with that, it's just been a busy time. And it makes me sad, because I'll lie in my bed and look at the pile of books on my floor, and I really do want to get through them all! Because I know they're fabulous books. I can feel it. They all just feel heavy with that weight of...literacy. I don't know. I'm probably not making any sense. But let me just say this about Extremely Loud - I don't think I've ever read a book that has so many beautifully, wonderfully, fully sad passages. And I'm not talking sad in the way of death or dismemberment. I'm talking sad in a crushing way. The kind of sad that you can just feel in your chest, way down in the pit of your stomach. The kind of sadness that is almost beautiful - the kind that crushes your heart and makes you want to gasp and sob and just stop breathing, if only for a split second. I hope you all know what I'm talking about, because I'm really not sure I know anymore.

Other than all of that, the only other interesting thing to have happened to me in the past week or so has been my college orientation, which took entirely too long and was filled with entirely too much pointless information. I did, however, end up with quite a cool schedule. Between my "Queen and Contemporary Culture", "Honors Introduction to Ethics" and "Language and Culture in Latin America" class, I'm actually really excited to start going to class! Among other appealing aspects of the college life, of course!

Reaching Mecca

2007-06-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

That's right, folks, I did it! I finally finished Special Topics, all 517 pages of it, including the final exam! And I have to say, I ended up having mixed feelings about it. Feel free to stop reading HERE if you want to avoid any type of spoilers:

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that whole "the main characters dad is actually a member of a mythical freedom-fighting cult" thing. And I also didn't really see how a lot of the things ended up piecing together, and felt that there were more than a few moments that seemed a bit of a stretch (i.e; a well placed phone call that just so happened to spell out the secrets of the mystery with two and a half chapters left to go). The book probably could have been cut down about a hundred pages without really loosing anything, and a few of the characters just kind of disappeared (after Milton called Blue a bad kisser in front of the whole group, the whole group just kind of disappears until graduation, where only their names are mentioned. And, along that note, I'm still not sure how to feel about the whole Milton/Blue relationship thing - I haven't decided if it was supposed to be a genuine hookup or just another Blueblood scheme to embarrass Blue, though I tend to lead toward the second option) END SPOILERS. But, even with all of that, there were still some pure moments of beautiful, heart-wrenching prose:

"Never try to change the narrative structure of someone else's story, although you will certainly be tempted to, as you watch those poor souls in school, in life, heading unwittingly down dangerous tangents, fatal digressions from which they will unlikely be able to emerge. Resist the temptation. Spend your energies on your story. Reworking it. Making it better. Increasing the scale, depth of content, the universal themes. Those around you can have their novellas, sweet, their short stories of cliche and coincidence, occasionally spiced up with tricks of the quirky, the achingly mundane, the grotesque. A few will even cook up a Greek tragedy, those born in to misery, destined to die in misery. But you, my bride of quietness, you will craft nothing less than epic with your life. Out of all of them, your story will be the one to last."

"You'd be surprised - Communism, Capitalism, Socialism, Totalitarianism - whatever '-ism' it happens to be doesn't matter all that much; there will always be the tricky balance between the human extremes. And so we live our lives, making informed choices about what we believe in, stand by them. That is all."

And, after all is said and done, I read the last page and just kind of sighed. It was one of those heavy sighs, the kind you utter after completing something of importance - that melancholy kind of sigh that means "now its over, and I'm not sure how to feel". For a first summer book, I will say that the entire thing was rather fantastic, although I'm ready to move on. And speaking of which, the next book, which I've already started, has proven to be even higher on the list than Special Topics. I'm about 50 pages in to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Johnathan Safran Foer (who, in case you were curious, also wrote Everything is Illuminated, which is a fantastic book!) I won't write about it quite yet, because I'm only a little bit in to it and want to give it some time to grow, but I will say that I have a feeling that, based on the first to books of the summer, it's going to be a great summer for reading!

PS: For those of you keeping score on the personal end of things, my brother and sister have both left, which makes the house a spooky kind of empty (and I really do miss them like crazy. It sucks having that whole "heavy heart" thing). Drew leaves a week from Monday, which scares me and already makes me panicky and sad, so I try not to think about it. Other than that, I don't work this week, so I'm sure I'll return shortly!

Full House

2007-06-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

That's right. I said it. Full House. Unfortunately, I didn't mean it in reference to the loveably sacchrin-sweet TV show once staring a pre-bulima Mary Kate Olsen. I am, in fact, referencing my own house, which is currently full of my brother, his wife, his 16-month old son Jackson, my sister, her signifigant other, and their 2 year old daughter Aubrey, as well as my mom and dad. That is a lot of people, and a lot of action, in a not-all-that large house. You may in fact be wondering why I have chosen to tell you this. The only reason I bring it up is that all of these people have drastically impeded my ability to read or focus on much more than "where are the babies", "will you grab me that baby spoon" and "I think someone just fell down the stairs. Uh-oh." I've been making so progress in Special Topics and have kept Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by my bed to squeeze in a few pages before passing out, but that hasn't been going to successfully, either.

I have, however, recently picked up another 8 books from the library, which I have no intention of returning on time, which brings my "To Be Read This Summer" list to about twenty books. If I do the math correctly, I have approximately 8 weeks, which means about 3 books a week, which means a book about every day and a half. And while this may intimidate some people (and I'm not going to lie, it intimidates me a little, too) I am pretty sure that this won't be an issue. A few of the books are re-reads (as in The Kite Runner and Kafka on the Shore, which I remember loving, but I'm a little shady on the details, hence the re-read) and a few of the others are truly just fluff reads (I'm not planning on taking long with, for example, Devil Wears Prada or a short story collection by the FABULOUS Megan Mcafferty). So hopefully I'll get through the list, as most of them are the kind of modern classics that I feel it necessary to read before I head out to the wide world that is college. I feel as though I've covered most of the classics, thanks to phases that took me through Shakespeare, all kinds of poetry, the Beats, Victorian Literature, and most of the NYU undergraduate reading list by the time I was 15 (yeah, I can hear you laughing. So?) So now I plan on focusing on modern stuff, and have been aided by the Three-For-Two tables at Borders.

The only thing I think I'm going to be missing this summer is a longer trip kind of thing. Something akin to a road trip or some other kind of vacation, mostly because this is where most of my heavy-duty reading gets done. I can't really read at work (I mean, I guess I could technically, but I'd get weird looks, and I work with most of my friends, thus lunch = social hour) and I don't really have a lot of time at home (and my parents thought I'd never develope a social life) and its just the kind of thing where it's not a huge bummer, but it would be nice....

.....on a side note, I recently saw the movie Match Point with one Mr. Johnathon Rhys Myers and one Ms. Scarlett Johanson, and it was fabulous. I have always been a fan of Woody Allen movies, but this one imparticular. I know that this is technically a book blog, but I just wanted to mention a recent affinity for this movie and Bright Eyes. If you haven't seen/heard either one, I suggest you give them both a try! And with that, I sign off.

Break On Through

2007-06-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

I got about half way through Special Topics in Calamity Physics before I hit the proverbial brick wall and got that soaring headache that accompanies too close a reading and forcing myself to pay attention. It's not that the book is bad - it really isn't at all! It's actually one of the best books that I've read in quite some time. But, at a soaring 515 pages, it's not one of those books you read all in one sitting, as I originally set out to make it. The parenthetical comments galore, the frequent annotations, and the voracious side notes make the book less of a walk in the park and more of a slog through the swamp of academia. But the charactes and PLOT(!!) keep me reading, page after page, and chapter after chapter. Another interesting aspect of the game is to read each chapter title and try to figure out what each title has to do with the contents of that chapter. I mean, it sounds dull, but sometimes the real relation can be a stretch!

But anyway... I have, possibly unexcusably, taken a small break from the loveable tome that is Special Topics for some lighter reading. I recently picked up a book from the library entitled Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto by one Mr. Chuck Klosterman. I'm only about half way through the first chapter, but I already believe this man to be somewhat of a comic genious. Within the first thity pages, he has attacked not only Coldplay, but John Cusak in Say Anything, Woody Allen, Sid and Nancy, and Teen Wolf. It's brilliant, and there are few parenthetical comments or annotations! And though I do feel bad about the fact that I am reading two books at the same time, I just can't put them down now!

How to Breathe Underwater

2007-06-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

How could I have forgotten to talk about perhaps one of the best books of short stories I've read in...well, perhaps ever. How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer is a collection of short stories that all seem to focus on so-called "coming of age" or "growing up". And while there are a few stories that I would just skip, such as "Stations of the Cross" or "Pilgrims", both of which strike a nerve in a not-so-good way, most of the stories are beautifully written and inspire the reader to just...think. Perhaps one of my favorite stories in the entire collection would be "Isabel Fish", which is about a young girls quest to become okay with the water - and her brother - after being involved in a car crash that kills her brothers girlfriend. The story is sad and beautiful and introspective and excellent (there goes that lack of critical insight, yet again).

While I'm usually not a huge fan of short stories - I don't really like the whole disjointed nature of compendiums or collections, and the time needed to individually reflect on each story isn't an investment I'm usually willing to make - these stories were all to absorbing not to love. Orringer crafted 9 stories, and perhaps the biggest complaint were that, towards the end, many of the stories began to run together. This may be due to the fact that I stopped taking so much time to reflect on the stories individually, but is more likely due to the fact that plot point and characteristics began to repeat. I also noticed that many of the characters or situations involved Judiasm or Jewish people. This is neither a good nor a bad thing, just something to notice.

Having finished these reflection-inducing books in such a short amount of time, I'm ready to move on to a new list of summer reading. Special Topics in Calamity Physics is currently on the front burner, but what with a fantastic trip to your local neighborhood library, and borrowing more than a few books from Anna, I now have a fairly impressive list of books to be read before August 11th (the day I leave for KU) including the Interpreter of Maladies, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and TWO supposedly-fantastic Johnathon Safron Foer books. I feel myself getting that familiar feeling of book-overwhelming-ness beginning to set in, but I'm pretty sure that as long as I take it one page, one chapter, one book at a time, I'll be more than just fine!

Begin the Begin

2007-06-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

Xanga is dead. Facebook provide little room for a daily posting without severe forms of mockery. And so, I have come to blogger to feed my insatiable want to write about the minute details of my daily life. I have, however, decided to dedicate this particular blog to a subject much more important than the un-necessary details of my life. I have decided to cemement a place for myself and my books in the eternal effervescence of the internet.

That is write. I intend to write here about the books I read, the books I desire to read, the books I have no desire to read for all the world, and all other topics so related to my almost diseased compulsion to buy, read, and talk about books. I have a best-books list on facebook. I have a Librarything account. I have every other available form of book-related internet site. Why not have one where I can write for myself about the books I read, and the books I want to read. And so, the adventure begins...

The book I have most recently finished would be Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This would be the second time I have read this book, and I find myself being as contemplative about it as the first time. This is the kind of book that requires a darker room, some Iron and Wine and perhaps a strong cup of coffee. The book, a psuedo-diary written to an anonymous friend by a young boy named Charlie, makes the reader realize just how hard core and indie their life is not. The characters in the book, although occasionally flat and one-dimensional, make you want to be friends with them. The prose is stark, yet strikingly beautiful:

"When we got out of the tunnel, Sam screamed this really fun scream, and there it was. Downtown. Lights on buildings and everything that makes you wonder. Sam sat down and started laughing. Patrick started laughing. I started laughing. And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."

Probably one of the few problems I would have with this book is just how young the narrator sounds. I mean, yes, he is only in ninth grade, but sometimes the way he speaks makes him sound as if he is much, much younger than that -think maybe sixth or seventh grade. But its a small problem to deal with for such an amazing book. Perhaps I really am not critical enough. There are few books that I have read that I dis-like. If I don't like a book, I usually stop reading it. But there are also few books that I have read that have made me want to change something about myself, my own writing. This book has done that.

-Chelsea.