Top Ten Books On My Fall 2013 TBR List
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My reading goals for this fall are a lot more sedate than my plans were for the summer. I'm hoping to finish up the majority of the books that I've started this year and have yet to finish as well as check off a few more books on my 2013 TBR list. Of those, these are the books I'm most looking forward to reading (plus a few extra).
* Top Ten Tuesdays is run by The Broke and the Bookish.
Top Ten Books I Would Love To See As A Movie/TV Show
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I've tried to step a bit outside the box on this one, so I've left off a lot of my usual favorites, in order to focus more on the visual aspect of film making (instead of focusing solely on great stories).
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
I didn't even blink when I saw the title for this week's list. I absolutely adore this book and think it would make an amazing film, particularly if the cinematography held true to Cather's stark descriptions of the landscape.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
I would love to see the bookstore come to life, but even more than that I would love to see the tech, and watch the interplay between the two.
Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking Trilogy
Yes, I have a not so secret need to see Amanda Tapping play Mistress Coyle, but I would also love to see this as a series of films or as a miniseries because there's such a sensory feel to the books with the typography and the presence of noise, that I would love to see how that translated onto the screen.
The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Banks
I really should write a review for this book because it's definitely one of my favorites from this year. It's by turns sarcastic and poignant and while there is an element of love to the story, it lacks the usual YA drama, holding more carefully to the overall story arc which I adore.
Houses of Stone by Barbara Michaels
I think this book would make a great film. It may be more of a cliche than the films I normally watch but I think there's enough mystery, intrigue, and romance in there for almost anyone, plus I'm not going to lie I wouldn't mind seeing Cameron on my screen.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The geek cred in this book is really enough of an excuse to turn it into a flim, but I would also love to see the interplay between the real and digital worlds. I think there's an opportunity there to do some really interesting or innovative things.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I blame the cover and Morgenstern's beautiful descriptions of the circus for this one, but I think it would make an incredibly breathtaking film both visually and in terms of the story development. This book has such beautiful character development, the locations have a real visceral feel to them, and the plot would definitely leave the audience hanging on until the very end.
The Felicity Books by Valerie Tripp
I know that some of the American Girl books have been made into films, but I would love to see more, particularly ones focusing on Felicity since she was always my favorite as a kid and she's since been discontinued.
Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
I know a lot of what I love about Benjamin's writing wouldn't transfer to the screen, but even so, this book is so intriguing and refreshing. I think the progression across time would make for a really interesting film narrative, and I would never say no to another film with period costumes.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
I don't know how you would ever condense such a long book into a film and honestly I wouldn't want anyone to, so this one would have to be a done in a single season or miniseries much the way the BBC produces many of its projects. There's so much here to work with in terms of characters and settings but also a lot that can be done with the themes and various narrative points of view.
* Top Ten Tuesdays is hosted by the always lovely The Broke and the Bookish.
Top 10 Contemporary Books That Would Be Great Paired With A Required Reading Book
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This week's Top Ten Tuesday (run by The Broke and the Bookish) is all about books in school and required reading. A lot of these are going to be historical fiction. I can tell you that right now before I even start my list because history is where my book!nerd and academic love collide. I am stretching the idea of "contemporary"a bit on a few of these, but I have tried to stick with pairs of books where the books themselves are separated quite distinctly in time.
The Heretic's Daughter by Katheleen Kent and The Crucible by Arthur Miller
I love both of these to pieces, plus I like that they present the same series of events from two distinct points of view, the former focusing on a POV we don't often see, while the latter focuses on the more typical story line, but in a lesser used format (i.e. a stage play).
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Both of these novels present a wealth of discussion opportunities on their own, but paired together there's an opportunity to introduce students to comparative criticism. Literary tradition can also be discussed as well as some of the flaws and pitfalls of Jane Eyre and other classics, which I think is something that's missing in a lot of English classes.
The Boy and the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne and The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank
I think these two books balance each other out quite well. Once again, they present similar stories from differing points of view. They also have varying degrees of emotional impact and different narrative style and come from two separate genres, the latter being nonfiction and a firsthand account. Another option would be to include The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Both of these books address the prevalence of science in society, particularly cloning and its implications, as well as ideas of love and remorse. Their writing styles as well as the narratives vary greatly, however, which I think adds to the enjoyment of reading these two together.
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather and Dog Days: Dispatches from Bedlam Farm by Jon Katz
I think a lot of schools do a good job of introducing students to the Classics, at least to some extent, but I think more could be done to introduce students to other forms and genres of literature. Teaching students to think critically and exposing them to good literature is important, but I also think exposing them to new genres and formats is also important as is trying to foster a love of reading. This pair, covers all of those things for me: it opens up a discussion about humanity's relationship to the land (cue discussion about environmental issues if so desired) as well as introduces students to nonfiction and autobiographical text.
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Both of these books cover the same period in history, both feature children stumbling into new worlds through doorways, but the worlds they enter and the things they learn are vastly different.
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and the Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Neffenegger
Because time travel. In all seriousness though I love Neffenegger's writing and narrative style and it never hurts to introduce students to good contemporary writing. Also, I think I would have enjoyed The Time Machine more if I had had something a bit more accessible with which to break it up. The mode and scope of travel varies vastly between the two books, opening up discussions about both science and history.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling
There's something that's always interested me about people in survival situations and both these books have that in spades. There's chaos, order, and some hard earned truths all of which can be compared and contrasted to your heart's content.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
These two are clear opposites or companions, but the things the latter has in common with the former opens up a discussion of Romeo and Juliet to a wider range of students. I know the first time I read Romeo and Juliet I had a hard time relating to it despite having seen the play a couple of times. Discussing the two texts brings up conversations about loyalty, fate and destiny, and feuds or long standing ideological disagreements as well as love and sacrifice.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
Both books raise questions about some serious social issues and address ideas such as justice, loyalty and the meaning of family. Plus these are potentially my two favorite books from school which means I couldn't resist recommending them again.
Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters
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Daniel from Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi
He's the perfect big brother and I admire his political conviction, not to mention his Tory friend.
Mikey from Laurie Halse Anderson's Catalyst
He's such a cute kid and I love how he really draws attention to Terri and allows for some great character development.
The Rooster in Cold Mountain (Charles Frazier)
Yes, I'm counting the rooster as a character. He's part of one of my favorite scenes in the book, terrifying Ida to the point where she hides in a bush. He's also the reason I loved Ruby when she was first introduced.
George from the Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce
George is the kind of love interest I like to see in YA books. He's steadfast and patient and he's supportive of Alanna living her life the way she wants to, regardless of what that means for the two of them. He's a great contrast for Jonathan as well.
Mary in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series
In a lot of the books, Mary comes across as being perfect, or at least as a person whom Laura respects and I loved that about her as a kid. I loved that Mary was unassumingly awesome, but still got into trouble with Laura on occasion.
Ophelia in Hamlet
I love the use of flower symbolism in her dialogue. I love how tragically beautiful she is, and how strongly she feels both her love and despair. I also love watching quiet obedient characters come undone, and Ophelia definitely delivers in that department.
Mae Mobley from The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Cutest child possibly ever.
Ruth in Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones
I've always loved Ruth and her connection to Susie. I can't put my finger on why exactly but I love her nonetheless.
Geilie Duncan from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Flawed characters are my favorite, particularly if you're not quite sure what they're up to. I would get into specifics but I don't want to spoil anyone who hasn't read the book or continued on with the series.
Miriam in A Discovery of Witches (Deborah Harkness)
I love her snark. I love how loyal she is to Mathew even when she has her own interests to contend with.
Top Ten Things That Make My Life As A Reader/Book Blogger Easier
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I can't say that I've been doing a whole lot of book blogging lately but I have been thinking about it a lot and doing an astronomical amount of reading so here it goes, then things that make my life as a blogger/reader easier:
- Goodreads: They track the books I read, keep basic stats and allow me to stay organized, quickly in between the times I update my reading spreadsheet. I also store notes on books or brief summaries to remind myself what I liked (or didn't) about a book. The summaries, book covers, and author information provided by the site are also really helpful when posting book reviews.
- Excel: I track all of my reading in one big spreadsheet. In years past I only had a list, but this year as I've joined more bookclubs I've switched over to a spreadsheet as it makes it easier to sort by any number of factors including dates and genres.
- My local library: Free books both in print and as ebooks and audiobooks. Access to more books in various formats mean more reading, particularly on new topics or in new genres.
- Youtube: This doesn't seem directly related to reading I know, but there's a great community of readers on Youtube that inspire me to keep reading and keep me up to date on current bookish news.
- My Friends: Even my friends who aren't so bookishly inclined will talk to me about my/their reading. It keeps me interested. I love discussing character development, plot structure, and themes as much as I love squealing with delight over how something is written or how geeky a character is.
- Bookclubs and Readathons: Most of my bookclubs and readathons take place either on Youtube or Goodreads, but I'm looking to expand this a bit for next year. Both of these are great ways to meet new book nerds and have great discussions.
- Charity Book Sales: Cheap books being sold for a good cause = buying lots of books without going broke or feeling guilty. Much like the library charity sales introduce me to a wide range of new books and often prompt me to try something new.
- My Phone: I don't have an e-reader, so having books on my phone allows me to squeeze reading in one page at a time, particularly in locations where reading a hard copy book would be difficult i.e. standing up with only one free hand.
- Blogger: I use the app to save notes on books and drafts of posts I would like to make. This saves me a lot of time hunting for the notes I left on the receipt I was using as a bookmark meaning that whenever I stop blabbing about my summer vacation I can go back to posting (lots of) reviews.
- My Books: There's something about owning books that makes me want to
ownread more books.
What about you, is there something that makes your life as a reader or book blogger easier that I'm missing out on? Please let me know.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Broke and the Bookish. Click the link to join the discussion or check out future questions.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Broke and the Bookish. Click the link to join the discussion or check out future questions.
Classics Retold Runners Up
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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn
While I haven't seen any strict adaptions of the text, I have seen other more liberal interpretations, my favorite of which is Easy A, one of my favorite movies. While having an excuse to rewatch the movie and reread the book, which is also one of my all time favorites, as I said in my intro post, I was looking for a new experience, and so I had to set the book aside and hope someone else would pick it up so I can excitedly spam them come September.
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
Ultimately O Pioneers! didn't make the cut for Classics Retold because there's not a whole lot out there that I could find in terms of adaptions. There's a stage adaption, and several other works by Cather that contain similar themes, but not the varied mediums I was looking for.
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett
Like the other books on this list, there's a lot of great commentary and discussion on the text, but there isn't a lot that was new to me, at least not in terms of the adaptions themselves.
Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier
I haven't read Rebecca despite it being on my TBR list for years (possibly since 2004/5 *twiddles thumbs*). It's not a book I know that much about. In fact what I know about the book can be summarized in a thirty second clip from an episode of JAG. Here's the thing about me though, I have a serious geekout every time a fictional (particularly tv) character mentions a piece of literature (or media), particularly if it ties into the story line or their personal development.
In this particular case, it's the first line of the novel that's quoted, the first line and then nothing. There's no further reference to the book, at least not that I can discern, and this drives me a bit nuts every time I watch the episode because I know there's more to it than that, I just don't know what. While this might seem like a good reason to pick up a book and read it, for this project I was looking for something I was a bit more familiar with. I wanted to pick something I had some understanding of, a framework with which to work and Rebecca doesn't fit that bill.
Classics Retold
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reading challenges
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Sign ups are open through the 25th of May *wink wink nudge nudge*
I'm planning on doing a post covering a couple of the books I didn't pick because there's too many amazing books on the list not to mention at least a few of them. This post though, it's all about The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
I picked Jekyll and Hyde for a couple of reasons, primarily because it's on my TBR list for this year, but also because while I'm somewhat familiar with it and its adaptions, there's a lot I don't know anything about it, like for instance, the original plot. Along with this, I also wanted to pick something that had impacted or influenced by life in some way, or at the very least something that stood out to me in a significant way. Again, Jekyll and Hyde fit the bill. It sticks out most to me in conjunction with the poem If by Rudyard Kipling, not because the poem has any special significance but because it showed up in my favorite show to be spouted off by my favorite bad guy (possibly of all time), who in essence is Jekyll and Hyde.
Give my love for that particular episode, and for the character himself, I'll be rewatching quite a few Sanctuary episodes along with reading the Stevenson text for the first time. Aside from that, what I'll be reading/watching will depend on what I can get my hands on while I'm travelling this summer, so instead of picking out set list of items, I'm leaving it more open ended.
ExcellentLibrary has been posting lists of some of the adaptions for books on the challenge list. I used her Jekyll and Hyde post as a jumping off point, then consulted wikipedia and google (one, two) and came up with the following list of items. This is by no means a complete list of what I found, just some of the more interesting ones.
- The original text
- Articles about Robert Lewis Stevenson, the time period, and his work
- Jekyll and Hyde: The True Story (2004)
- The Beast Within: Interpreting Jekyll and Hyde (Guardian article)
- Short films, single episodes, and short stories, poems, children's books and songs
- "Schizophrenia Blues" by The Beat Caroline (song) [2012]
- Wishbone - Dr Jekyll and Mr Dog (1998)
- Goosebumps - Jekyll and Heidi (1999) -OR- Goosebumps: Jekyll and Heidi by RL Stein
- Into the Labyrinth - Dr Jekyll and Mrs Hyde (1982) - UK children's show
- The Untold Story of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Francis Little [1890]
- ‘Mr Hyde Visits the Home of Dr Jekyll’ by John Kessel (Poem) [1989]
- Handle Carefully - short film
- Episodes from the Life of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (2001) - short film
- Adaptions with both novel and film adaptions
- Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin [1990]* -OR- Mary Reilly (2006)
- Jacqueline Hyde by Robert Swindells [1996] -OR- Jacqueline Hyde (2005)*
- Films
- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1913)
- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931)
- Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971)
- Le Cas etrange du Dr Jekyll et Miss Osbourne (1981)
- Jekyll and Hyde- The Musical (2001)
- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (2003) - Phillips
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
- Jekyll & Hyde (2006)
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (2008) - Barzman
- TV series/miniseries, radio series, and book series (multiple parts)
- The Strange Case of Dr. Hyde - BBC Radio Scotland
- Julia Jekyll and Harriet Hyde (1995)
- My Own Worst Enemy (2008)
- Do No Harm (2012) - NBC aired 2 eps, CTV possibly picked it up
- Hyde (Hyde #1) by Lauren Stewart [2012] (see also: Jekyll, an Urban Fantasy; Strange Case)
- Books
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes by Loren D. Estleman [1980]
- Two Women of London. The Strange Case of Ms Jekyll and Mrs Hyde. by Emma Tennant [1989]
- Jekel loves Hyde, author Beth Fantaskey [2010]
- Adaptions that may be difficult to find
- Pussy Jekyll and Cat Hyde by Joyce Dunbar and Jill Barton - children's book
- Thomas Russell Sullivan's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - stage adaption
- Jekyll and Hyde [1997] - stage adaption
- The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde [2012] - graphic novel
- Le crime étrange de Mr Hyde by Jean-Pierre Naugrette [1998] - English translation
- Extras
- Ruffus the Dog- Dr Ruffus and Mr Snide (1998) -children's show
- Dr Jekyll and Mr Duck (1987) - Disney film
- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1999)
- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (2002) - Redfield
- Hulk (2003)
- Van Helsing (2004)
- Van Helsing: The London Assignment (2004)
- Igor (2008)
- The Nutty Professor: The Animated Movie (2008)
- The Nutty Professor (1996) - rewatch
- Another Jekyll, Another Hyde (Another #3) by Daniel and Dina Nayeri [2012]
- Rewatches...?
- Sanctuary (misc eps Breach - Chimera)
- Jekyll (2007)
- Fight Club (1999)
Review: The Office of Mercy
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My rating: 3 of 5 stars
My original review for The Office of Mercy by Ariel Djanikian followed along with this norm, emphasizing the elements of the novel that bothered me and skipped over the elements I enjoyed quite a lot. As such, I would like to preface that review by including the following. The moral code established by Djanikain in this book was fascinating. I love the intricacies, the interplay between a character's thoughts and their reality, the way it highlights how subtle shifts in perspective can drastically change the meanings of words such as mercy and peace. The world Natasha, the main character, lives in is bland and uniform; in a way her lifestyle matches the plain and austere nature of the code, yet at the same time there's a real sense of history and meaning there, a technicolor whirlwind the book only begins to explore.
This book* has a lot of potential, the premise is interesting and the plot is compelling, but the execution is subpar. For me, the biggest issue was the transition between internal dialogue and external actions or dialogue. Djanikian does both well in sections of the book where each stands alone, but when switching between the two, particularly in scenes were a lot was going on, the writing becomes inconsistent and jarring, a list of actions or emotions, instead of a well narrated story. Alone, perhaps this wouldn't be so much of an issue, but with a lot of the world building and most of the action occurring in the back half of the book it detracts from the reading experience.
This, coupled with my annoyance with Natasha's ethical back and forth, left me feeling as if the novel would have been better off as an action/adventure tale, something with a flashy setting and interesting moral premise but without much character development. Unfortunately this is a sad thought given the promise the book has had it been structured somewhat differently.
** This books was given to me as part of the GoodRead's First Reads program. This in no way influenced my review.
Dog Days
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"She did have one regular visitor, though, Maria later reported. Mother [the cat], delighted to have company at night, often dropped by, knocked a bit of yarn about, and napped in the old leather chair before resuming her lethal prowl."
I feel as if I had heard about Jon Katz a couple of years ago in reference to (semi)local authors, or farm owners, but that may be wishful thinking. I'm always saying I like supporting local artists, local farms and businesses, but when it comes to writers, it's more of a theory than a practice.
The disparity between the two states, however, has eased a bit in recent years due to Cold Antler Farm a blog run by Jenna Woginrich. I started reading Jenna's blog when she lived in Tennessee, and followed her move to Eastern New York with delight. In the beginning, I read mainly for the stories of her struggles and triumphs, the details of life on a farm, but as she put down roots and began connecting with neighbors and other local folks, my attachment to the area and her friends grew; Jon Katz was one of those people.
Despite the fact I follow his book releases and devour his occasional guest post, until I read Dog Days I was familiar with Jon only through Jenna's eyes. It wasn't that I wasn't interested in what he had to say or the stories he had to tell, quite the opposite in fact, but I made the mistake every reader makes, I stuck his books on my TBR pile. This may not seem like such a big deal, but if we compare my list of movies to watch (16) to books to read (274), I most certainly have a problem: too many books and not enough time.
There have been books on that list for over five years now (*whimpers*), which is why stumbling across this book was such a treat. Finding it at the library meant I had to read it, and read it now, before I had to return it.
Dog Days is a book about Jon's life on Bedlam Farm, the farm he owned (until recently) outside of Saratoga Springs (which is north of Albany, which is north of New York City...). It's a quiet, unassuming, and green part of the state for any of you who may have driven through. It's the kind of place you would expect to find farms tucked into the hills, even if one of those farms has an overly affectionate cow, multiple overprotective donkeys, sheep, a rooster with a rather hysterical harem of hens, the cutest cat ever, and some really awesome dogs.
I know some of you will be surprised that I didn't spend this entire post rambling on about the cat in the book (my favorite quote is about the cat. I feel that's far compensation), but there's so much more to this book than any one animal, than all the animals. Jon's writing is honest in a way that's both heartfelt and breathtakingly refreshing. Jon acknowledges his own fallibility as well as that of others, he admits his mistakes and relishes in his triumphs over them. He talks about his struggles: with himself and with other people. He expresses his point of view but acknowledges that of others.
Jon's stories aren't sugarcoated or moralized, they're warm and personable but straightforward and matter of fact. I love this about his writing. The way he can weave a story out of words that evokes both a deep understanding of the situation and a feeling- sadness, joy, frustration- whatever it may be, in such a seamless fashion. I'm not one to cry over books. I'll get misty eyed, sure, but never has the phrase "raining on my face" applied to a book until now. This certainly wasn't something I expected when I picked up the book, but in the end it's one of my favorite things about this book. There's such a sense of joy and love in this book.
That's not to say the book doesn't touch on serious, less straightforward issues, because it does that too. There's a strong sense of dichotomy in the book: modern life opposite farm life, nature opposite urban areas, flatlanders (outsiders) opposite local farmers. Jon doesn't provide answers to all the questions that result from the differences between these lifestyles and values, but he does a great job of teasing out the nuances of each.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in homesteading or life on a farm and to any animal lover (particularly dog lovers) who enjoy quirky stories about working animals. Also, anyone who enjoys reading Jenna's blog would appreciate this book. Jon's writing is a bit softer, and the stories he tells are quite different from hers, but the underlying humor and philosophy are quite similar.
The Knife of Never Letting Go
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The Knife of Never Letting Go is a future dystopian set on a planet named New World. At it's heart it's about people's relationships with themselves, with other people, with the world as a whole, but one of the things that I loved about this book is that it's an adventure story. Ness builds this beautiful world and then weaves together an adventure and all the feels without seeming either over the top or unrealistic. There's some obvious moral messages in the book like there are in most dystopians, but they're not forced upon the reader or directly touched on in a way that draws away from the story.
The main character Todd, is allowed his journey of self-discover in the traditional sense, while he flees some very real dangers from his hometown. Here's a quick rundown for those of you not familiar with the book. Todd Hewett's just a boy, soon to be a man according to town custom, which doesn't seem like that much of an unusual thing except for he's the last boy in a town of 146 men. Prentisstown, where he lives, has no women, just 146 men and one boy. Prentisstown also has "Noise" which is what it sounds like, lots and lots of noise all coming from inside other people's heads. In Prentisstown, everyone can hear what everyone else is thinking and, perhaps my favorite part, animals can talk. So what does a boy do with all this Noise? He finds a spot of silence in the swamp. Silence is supposed to be impossible, but it's not and as it turns out, knowing this is dangerous. Todd, the last boy in Prentisstown, finds silence and gets himself in a bit of trouble, and by a bit I mean a lot.
The adventure Todd undertakes in this book takes up the majority of story, but perhaps my favorite part is the beginning. Ness does a wonderful job of describing the world that Todd lives in: the town, the talking sheep, the farm. Yes I loved the talking sheep and the farm, is anyone really surprised? In the rest of the narrative, my favorite bit was the relationship between Todd and the concept of silence, this overwhelming unreadable thing, or absence of a thing in Todd's case. It really opens up a new way of looking at human relationships that I liked.
I also really enjoyed the pacing of the book. It's been a really long time since I've read anything that's done such a good job of scattering such heartfelt emotional moments in with the danger and other adventurous things. There was never a dull moment, but there also wasn't a moment where I wasn't feeling for or intrigued by one of the characters. Part of latter is due to the personable style in which Ness' narration spills forth from Todd. It's a boy/almost man's perspective full of conflict and fumbled spellings. The spelling particularly in the beginning grated a bit on me. My brain kept insisting that 'attenshun' wasn't a word even if Todd insisted it was. After awhile though, the spelling melted into the rest of the story and became another of Todd's quirks, another way of him expressing himself.
As for things I didn't like about the book, would it ending too soon count? I did like the ending though. I like that the journey, as it started at the beginning of the book, was completed- those lose ends were tied up, but the story continues, quite compellingly, into the second book. There's enough mystery there that I'm itching to get my hands on the second book without it being overdone.
Showtime
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At it's core, Showtime is a book about a girl named Laila, who runs away to join the circus. There's a bit of mystery and some romance mix in, but for the most part the novel centers around this well known circus troupe.
I wouldn't consider myself a circus aficionado or a circus lover. In fact if you asked me, I would reflexively say that I don't like circus books, despite the fact that I have liked every one I've ever read, starting with The Wish Giver in grade school. Partly because of this and partly because I have problems avoiding my friends' obsessions, I've been on somewhat of a circus kick lately and when I read the summary for this book I knew I had to read it. Good compelling summaries feel a bit like a lost art these days, finding one the piqued my interest was reason enough to pick up the book.
Given how compelling the summary was, I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I wouldn't go as far as to say I was disappointed, but I was expecting something a bit more engrossing. That being said, the performances definitely had me hooked. I found myself caught up in the narrative, anxiously waiting to see which parts of the show would be highlighted each time. Along with this, I absolutely love the circus life that Kayne created. There's a great attention to detail (and vocabulary) that really brings the circus, the costumes, and the performances to life. There are some places, however, where the descriptive nature of the narrative becomes a bit excessive. While it happens less frequently in the midsection of the book, this was one of the things that prevented me from being able to fully immerse myself in the story, particularly in the beginning of the novel when Laila is first introduced. Instead of setting the scene for the entire novel, copious amounts of attention is paid to the scuffle Laila finds herself in. Not only does this slow the pace of the fight, it also leads to a sense of ambiguity within sections of the narrative. There were quite a few times I had to stop and remind myself that the book was set at the turn of the century and not in an amorphic steampunk alternate universe or in some version of the near past. Being a history lover, this was quite unsettling.
The excessive description also lead to a sense of emotional detachment particularly between Laila and her boyfriend. The reader is continually shown the actions that steam from Laila's emotions instead of being able to delve into the emotions themselves. While this helps avoid many of the pitfalls of the typical modern YA young love paradox, this degrades any sense of chemistry between these two main characters.
Along with this, the mystery, while woven wonderfully into the main story line was ultimately disappointing and unsettling in the end. It felt almost as if the last section of the book was tacked on to act as a segue for the second book. While I'm not generally against this, I wouldn't mind if the book was left with more cheer, and more questions, in the end. Having the book with such brutality, particularly given the unprecedented nature of the violence, was quite frustrating.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It's not bad for a first book, particularly one that's been self-published. And, while I'm not as enamored as I was at the start, I am looking forward to the second book in the series, which should be out some time next year.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes young adult romances, particularly those that are similar to what's found in Divergent. Circus lovers would also enjoy Showtime, although people who prefer more succinct prose, or who prefer adult fiction to YA, may be better off with The Night Circus.
The Poisonwood Bible
Labels:
addicted to goodreads,
book love
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Usually when I finish a book, particularly a good book, it clings to me like whispers or fading memories as I fall asleep. I'm left with streams of words and disjointed thoughts, praise and criticism. I fall asleep dreaming of the world I’ve just left. With this book, I had an entirely different experience. I was left with a hushed sense of silence. It was an eerie experience; in some ways it was disquieting, but at the same time it was comforting. Life lately has been hectic and this sudden silence, this lack of racing thoughts was something that left me more in awe of this book than anything else could have. There was a calm in the silence. It felt in a way like the humidity before a summer storm: omnipresent if not entirely welcome.
I sat with the Prince family in Africa for quite awhile after I had finished the Poisonwood Bible. That in itself wasn’t unexpected. There was a lot that went on, a lot that I had to sit with and process, to feel and think through. There’s a great sense of hindsight in Orleanna’s part of the narrative, this thread that runs throughout the book. While reading, I admired how well it bound the story together, teasing the reader with bits of foreshadowing while also grounding the story of this journey in Africa to a sense of something finite, to an ending point, and to a single voice. After finishing the book, turning the last page, and setting the book aside, I marvel at how closely that voice mirrors my experience as a reader- as someone who has in some sense lived through this journey and is now faced with the task of describing it, quantifying it in some way.
Much like the moments that Orleanna chooses to highlight, it’s the overarching themes- the big events, and the small surprises- that stick out most in my memory along with her silence. While Orleanna’s thoughts were present throughout the book, they fade away in the latter sections, until only her silence remains. As a character, she is still present, but her narrative, her experiences are told through the voices of the others. It’s as if she sits in silent contemplation of her life, these moments of introspection I had assumed were fleeting now seem less indistinguishable from one another.
Africa is the reason for her silence as it is for mine, but unlike her I’m beginning to find the words to express my experience post Africa. While my thoughts on the book are far from complete, I know eventually I’ll have something more to say than ‘Wow.’ For right now though, I’ll stick with that and add that green has never been a more ambivalent color than it is now:
Green
Jungle green
Mint green
Lime green
Bangala.
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