Lots of decent books this month, but nothing super-spectacular. I need Tana French to finish her next book or get my hands on an advance of The Angel's Game...
Days spent reading: 23
Books read: 8
...in fiction: 7
...in non-fiction: 1
...in science fiction: 2
...in fantasy: 1
...in classics: 1
...in humor: 1
...in young adult: 2
...in children's: 1
...in graphic novels: 1
Series reads: Uglies, Mistborn
Favorite book: An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green (Review) 8/10
Challenges
Countdown Challenge: +1 books for 38/45
Chunkster Challenge: +1 books for 4/6
The Baker Street Challenge: +0 books for 0/3
My Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge: +1 for 1/12
Support Your Local Library Challenge: +7 for 38/50
Orbis Terrarum Challenge: +1 for 4/10
30 April 2009
28 April 2009
An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green (27 April)
Obviously, after the slow but interesting Murder, as I think I will call it from now on, I needed to go back to the YA brain candy. So I did. And it was good.
An Abundance of Katherines, as the title suggests, is about a kid called Colin with a lot of Katherines in his life... as of his high-school graduation, he's been dumped by 19 of them. Nineteen! Of course, some of these are third-grade (third-grade!) relationships, but they still count because every single one of them has been named K-a-t-h-e-r-i-n-e. Not Kate or Katie or Catherine. Katherine. Yes.
This last Katherine having been his girlfriend for 11 months and eight days, Colin is understandably upset about this breakup. So, in the grand tradition of all high-schoolers everywhere, Colin and his best friend Hassan go on a road trip. From Chicago to middle Tennessee. Where they go on a tour of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand's grave and then make friends with the also high-school-aged tour guide, whose mother gives the boys jobs and invites them to stay in her house. Right.
So then adventures occur and all the kids discover new things about themselves and, you know, come of age, as you do. Also Colin tries to develop a Theory of Underlying Katherine Predictability which will tell him how long a relationship will last. And there is math and footnotes and it's all kind of ridiculous but you go along with it because why the hell not, we're adventuring!
Seriously, it's good stuff. I continue my *heart*ing of John Green in happiness.
Rating: 8/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)
An Abundance of Katherines, as the title suggests, is about a kid called Colin with a lot of Katherines in his life... as of his high-school graduation, he's been dumped by 19 of them. Nineteen! Of course, some of these are third-grade (third-grade!) relationships, but they still count because every single one of them has been named K-a-t-h-e-r-i-n-e. Not Kate or Katie or Catherine. Katherine. Yes.
This last Katherine having been his girlfriend for 11 months and eight days, Colin is understandably upset about this breakup. So, in the grand tradition of all high-schoolers everywhere, Colin and his best friend Hassan go on a road trip. From Chicago to middle Tennessee. Where they go on a tour of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand's grave and then make friends with the also high-school-aged tour guide, whose mother gives the boys jobs and invites them to stay in her house. Right.
So then adventures occur and all the kids discover new things about themselves and, you know, come of age, as you do. Also Colin tries to develop a Theory of Underlying Katherine Predictability which will tell him how long a relationship will last. And there is math and footnotes and it's all kind of ridiculous but you go along with it because why the hell not, we're adventuring!
Seriously, it's good stuff. I continue my *heart*ing of John Green in happiness.
Rating: 8/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)
26 April 2009
La Bête Humaine, by Émile Zola (17 April — 26 April)
So, after what seems like forever to me, I have finally finished La Bête Humaine. Hooray!
This book is all about the human beast, which is either the man who murders or the intangible thing which drives him to murder, or both, I'm not sure. But I agree with the quote in the introduction, from The Athenaeum, which says that the book should have been titled Murder. Because oh my goodness.
At first there is no murder to speak of; the book seems like a dry cataloguing of the events in the life of M. and Mme. Roubaud, he an assistant train station-master, she his young and pretty wife. But then a secret of her past is revealed and he decides that murder is the best way to make himself feel better about the whole thing. As one does, I guess. Meanwhile, we meet a young man called Jacques whose aunt is possibly being poisoned by her husband and who himself has a gnawing urge to kill women, though he has not yet. He just wants to, like, any time he sees a woman looking all sexy. Oh dear.
So the first murder happens, and we follow along as the authorities sort of try to figure out what has happened and the killer tries to hide his deed. And it works! Sort of. Except that other things happen and lives start falling apart and then suddenly everyone and his sister wants to kill someone else. Because everyone has a bit of the murderer in himself, whether by cold calculation or a fit of passion.
Although I nearly gave up the book within the first hundred pages, I'm glad I stuck around, as all of the plotting and planning of people all trying to kill each other left me very curious as to who would end up dead in the end. And I kept being surprised! Definitely a good book, but not for light reading at all.
Rating: 7/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge, Orbis Terrarum Challenge: France)
This book is all about the human beast, which is either the man who murders or the intangible thing which drives him to murder, or both, I'm not sure. But I agree with the quote in the introduction, from The Athenaeum, which says that the book should have been titled Murder. Because oh my goodness.
At first there is no murder to speak of; the book seems like a dry cataloguing of the events in the life of M. and Mme. Roubaud, he an assistant train station-master, she his young and pretty wife. But then a secret of her past is revealed and he decides that murder is the best way to make himself feel better about the whole thing. As one does, I guess. Meanwhile, we meet a young man called Jacques whose aunt is possibly being poisoned by her husband and who himself has a gnawing urge to kill women, though he has not yet. He just wants to, like, any time he sees a woman looking all sexy. Oh dear.
So the first murder happens, and we follow along as the authorities sort of try to figure out what has happened and the killer tries to hide his deed. And it works! Sort of. Except that other things happen and lives start falling apart and then suddenly everyone and his sister wants to kill someone else. Because everyone has a bit of the murderer in himself, whether by cold calculation or a fit of passion.
Although I nearly gave up the book within the first hundred pages, I'm glad I stuck around, as all of the plotting and planning of people all trying to kill each other left me very curious as to who would end up dead in the end. And I kept being surprised! Definitely a good book, but not for light reading at all.
Rating: 7/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge, Orbis Terrarum Challenge: France)
24 April 2009
The Reading Meme
I'm still alive, I promise! But a slow book coupled with some awesome weather means I am playing tennis more and reading and interneting less. I will eventually finish this book, and then you will hear about it! Until then, a meme:
1. What author do you own the most books by?
J.K. Rowling, with seven Harry Potter books.
2. What book do you own the most copies of?
I don't personally have any book doubles, but if you count Scott's collection as well I think we have some extra Hitchhiker's Guide books lying around.
3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
Nope. If it sounds better, do it!
4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
I don't think I have any pure book-crushes, but I do certainly have a thing for Sean Biggerstaff as Oliver Wood in the Harry Potter movies. (Also, teehee.)
5. What book have you read the most times in your life?
The Phantom Tollbooth. But don't jump to any conclusions about that.
6. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
The Secret Garden. I had three copies of that book, actually, but they all seem to have disappeared over time.
7. What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
Afterlife. It was bad.
8. What is the best book you've read in the past year?
I would say the duo of In the Woods and The Likeness, both by Tana French. The second one is the best, but you really have to read the first one first, as these things go.
9. If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
In the Woods. Go read it now.
10. Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?
I have no idea how such prizes are awarded, so the Nobel committee can go ahead and decide for me. :)
11. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Eh. I'm almost always disappointed by movie adaptations (with the exception of the third Harry Potter and Stardust), so I say let the books stay books.
12. What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
See above.
13. Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
I... don't remember having any such thing. My spoon (er, best friend, not literal spoon) and I did once invent a story about traversing Scotland on cows to track down Oliver Wood, but that was sadly not a dream.
14. What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
I don't think I've read anything truly lowbrow. If you beg to differ, let me know.
15. What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Catch 22. I started it about five or six times before finally getting through the whole thing, but it was totally worth it. You just need to be in a really weird state of mind before sitting down with it.
16. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
The French. I still twitch thinking about Crime and Punishment.
17. Roth or Updike?
I've not read either.
18. David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Sedaris. He makes me happy in my heart.
19. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare. Milton can go die in a hole.
20. Austen or Eliot?
Again, not read either.
21. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
See previous comments on not having read authors.
22. What is your favorite novel?
The Likeness.
23. Play?
Straight play, You Can't Take it With You. Musical, Avenue Q. Rock opera, Rent.
24. Short story?
"Interpreter of Maladies," by Jhumpa Lahiri.
25. Epic Poem?
The Divine Comedy by Dante.
26. Short(er) poem?
I'm not really a poetry person.
27. Work of non-fiction?
I'm also not really a non-fiction person, but I do like grammar books.
28. Who is your favorite writer?
Douglas Adams.
29. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
Right now, probably Stephenie Meyer with those silly Twilight books. I did not like them at all.
30. What is your desert island book?
The omnibus version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Hilarious.
31. And ... what are you reading right now?
La Bête Humaine, by Émile Zola. It's really interesting but not terribly engaging, which is why I'm not done with it yet. I'll get there!
1. What author do you own the most books by?
J.K. Rowling, with seven Harry Potter books.
2. What book do you own the most copies of?
I don't personally have any book doubles, but if you count Scott's collection as well I think we have some extra Hitchhiker's Guide books lying around.
3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
Nope. If it sounds better, do it!
4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
I don't think I have any pure book-crushes, but I do certainly have a thing for Sean Biggerstaff as Oliver Wood in the Harry Potter movies. (Also, teehee.)
5. What book have you read the most times in your life?
The Phantom Tollbooth. But don't jump to any conclusions about that.
6. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
The Secret Garden. I had three copies of that book, actually, but they all seem to have disappeared over time.
7. What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
Afterlife. It was bad.
8. What is the best book you've read in the past year?
I would say the duo of In the Woods and The Likeness, both by Tana French. The second one is the best, but you really have to read the first one first, as these things go.
9. If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
In the Woods. Go read it now.
10. Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?
I have no idea how such prizes are awarded, so the Nobel committee can go ahead and decide for me. :)
11. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Eh. I'm almost always disappointed by movie adaptations (with the exception of the third Harry Potter and Stardust), so I say let the books stay books.
12. What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
See above.
13. Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
I... don't remember having any such thing. My spoon (er, best friend, not literal spoon) and I did once invent a story about traversing Scotland on cows to track down Oliver Wood, but that was sadly not a dream.
14. What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
I don't think I've read anything truly lowbrow. If you beg to differ, let me know.
15. What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Catch 22. I started it about five or six times before finally getting through the whole thing, but it was totally worth it. You just need to be in a really weird state of mind before sitting down with it.
16. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
The French. I still twitch thinking about Crime and Punishment.
17. Roth or Updike?
I've not read either.
18. David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Sedaris. He makes me happy in my heart.
19. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare. Milton can go die in a hole.
20. Austen or Eliot?
Again, not read either.
21. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
See previous comments on not having read authors.
22. What is your favorite novel?
The Likeness.
23. Play?
Straight play, You Can't Take it With You. Musical, Avenue Q. Rock opera, Rent.
24. Short story?
"Interpreter of Maladies," by Jhumpa Lahiri.
25. Epic Poem?
The Divine Comedy by Dante.
26. Short(er) poem?
I'm not really a poetry person.
27. Work of non-fiction?
I'm also not really a non-fiction person, but I do like grammar books.
28. Who is your favorite writer?
Douglas Adams.
29. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
Right now, probably Stephenie Meyer with those silly Twilight books. I did not like them at all.
30. What is your desert island book?
The omnibus version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Hilarious.
31. And ... what are you reading right now?
La Bête Humaine, by Émile Zola. It's really interesting but not terribly engaging, which is why I'm not done with it yet. I'll get there!
17 April 2009
Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld (15 April — 17 April)
Oh, YA brain candy. Fun!
Uglies is a dystopian novel about a world where everyone surgically becomes pretty (or at least, conforms to specific ideals of beauty) at the age of 16 so as to eliminate silly things like not liking people 'cause they look funny. Of course, up until that age the kids are known as Uglies and have the aforementioned ideals beaten into their heads. Lovely. Who wouldn't want to become Pretty after all that?
Well, some people. Like Tally's new friend Shay, who, even after Tally espouses to her the wonders of Pretty-ness, runs off to find an enclave of people who have avoided the surgery. Shay leaves behind a note in case Tally wants to follow, but that note ends up in the wrong hands and Tally is forced to go after Shay if looking Pretty is to be in Tally's future.
And then, of course, there's adventure and commentary on society and it's all really fun! I read most of this book in one sitting because I just had to know what happened next, and even predictability and the giant cliffhanger ending didn't peeve me like such things usually do; I'll just go grab the next book and devour it, too! Excellent.
Rating: 8/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)
Uglies is a dystopian novel about a world where everyone surgically becomes pretty (or at least, conforms to specific ideals of beauty) at the age of 16 so as to eliminate silly things like not liking people 'cause they look funny. Of course, up until that age the kids are known as Uglies and have the aforementioned ideals beaten into their heads. Lovely. Who wouldn't want to become Pretty after all that?
Well, some people. Like Tally's new friend Shay, who, even after Tally espouses to her the wonders of Pretty-ness, runs off to find an enclave of people who have avoided the surgery. Shay leaves behind a note in case Tally wants to follow, but that note ends up in the wrong hands and Tally is forced to go after Shay if looking Pretty is to be in Tally's future.
And then, of course, there's adventure and commentary on society and it's all really fun! I read most of this book in one sitting because I just had to know what happened next, and even predictability and the giant cliffhanger ending didn't peeve me like such things usually do; I'll just go grab the next book and devour it, too! Excellent.
Rating: 8/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)
14 April 2009
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury (11 April — 14 April)
This is one of those books that I tried to read years ago but never got around to finishing, and picking it up again definitely reminded me why that happened. There are just too many words in this book! I mean, not really, because it's only 170-ish pages long, but really really, because Bradbury writes sentences in which silent trains run soundlessly along their tracks. So that's what silent means.
That's not to say that the book isn't good... it just takes a disproportionate amount of time to the length of the book to figure out what the heck Bradbury's saying.
So anyway. If you don't know, Fahrenheit 451 is about a world in which firemen are employed to start fires that burn up book collections, because books are bad and rooms made of four wall-sized TVs are good. One fireman, Montag, meets a girl who doesn't pay attention to the propaganda, and her influence helps push him on a path to try to overthrow the system.
I wish I had read this book during an English class, because it needs a lot of discussion. Bradbury makes some interesting points about how people perceive books and how outmoded they are in this day and age (the book is set sometime around now, from what I can tell) which are almost true, 50 years after he wrote them. We may not have flying cars, but we do certainly have apathy toward books.
Rating: 6/10
(My Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge)
That's not to say that the book isn't good... it just takes a disproportionate amount of time to the length of the book to figure out what the heck Bradbury's saying.
So anyway. If you don't know, Fahrenheit 451 is about a world in which firemen are employed to start fires that burn up book collections, because books are bad and rooms made of four wall-sized TVs are good. One fireman, Montag, meets a girl who doesn't pay attention to the propaganda, and her influence helps push him on a path to try to overthrow the system.
I wish I had read this book during an English class, because it needs a lot of discussion. Bradbury makes some interesting points about how people perceive books and how outmoded they are in this day and age (the book is set sometime around now, from what I can tell) which are almost true, 50 years after he wrote them. We may not have flying cars, but we do certainly have apathy toward books.
Rating: 6/10
(My Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge)
12 April 2009
Good Work, Amazon
Apparently Amazon.com hates the gays. UPDATE: It's possible that it's just people who hate the gays hating on gays some more... let's hope that's true.
I heard about this through my library school's listserv; part of the e-mail is below. There is also a list of books that are affected here.
Now, I noticed that if you search specifically in books for "dictionary of homophobia," the book shows up, while searching the whole site gives you just a bunch of dictionaries. So... that's really weird. Has anyone else heard anything about this?
I heard about this through my library school's listserv; part of the e-mail is below. There is also a list of books that are affected here.
This brings up a serious potential issue of access, because in some cases the titles will not even show up when you search specifically for them on the site. For example, searching via Amazon for the complete title The Dictionary of Homophobia: A Global History of Gay & Lesbian Experience, for example, gives you a page that says:
"Your search "The Dictionary of Homophobia: A Global History of Gay & Lesbian Experience" did not match any products."
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Dictionary+of+Homophobia%3A+A+Global+History+of+Gay+%26+Lesbian+Experience&x=0&y=0
If you search for "dictionary homophobia," all you get is the French edition of the book.
Meanwhile, if you Google the title "+ amazon.com," you can find that they do in fact sell it (under the exact title that "did not match any products"):
http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Homophobia-History-Lesbian-Experience/dp/1551522292
Now, I noticed that if you search specifically in books for "dictionary of homophobia," the book shows up, while searching the whole site gives you just a bunch of dictionaries. So... that's really weird. Has anyone else heard anything about this?
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