Monday, December 31, 2012

I Can Drive 65

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“‘If there’s anyone I wish to stun at dinner, I’ll hit him in the face.’” Truth.

65.12 Graceling
I made it!  For the year I set a goal of reading 80 books, and while I ended up reading 67, I amended the original goal to really wanting to get 65 reviews on the blog.  And by the skin of my teeth…

This is a YA that I needed to read in order to read the sequel for a book meeting this month.  So I went into it knowing nothing and it seems to me that this is a great advantage when reading YA for me. 

Katsa is an awesome character and while she and her actions are a bit predictable, I loved that she felt unsure of things.  She was confident in what should could do but not always sure of why she was doing them.  I love the idea of the Graces, but won’t spoil it here.  The ending was a bit of a let down, but I certainly look forward to reading the next in the series. It was a nice fun way to bring the year to a close, let’s do it again in 2013!

2012 Reading Stats

67 Books Read – Goal was 80
28,996 Pages Read – Goal was 20,000
Average Pages Per Day 79 - Very happy with that!

% Female Writers – 44%
% New to Me Authors – 80% (Wow!)
20% YA books

I paid for 38% of the books I read.  Thank you friends and the Eugene Public Library!

And my favorite read of the year was: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-HourBookstore
Not a perfect book, but a perfect escape (which were in great need this year).

Saturday, December 22, 2012

A False Start?

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“If you can’t give anyone pain, then you can’t give them joy either.” Truth.

64. The False Prince
This was a pretty good YA, more for middle school readers but I would hesitate because it is kind of violent – and that feels odd right at the moment.  Why are we so squeamish about showing sex or swearing, but young men being killed…  Meh.  I guess that is a fight for another day.

I had heard really great things about this book and was expecting to be swept away by it and in some ways I was. I loved the character of Sage.  He truly seemed like a boy who had to survive on his wits and he seemed very in control.  Mott reminded me of every really great right hand man and I wish he had been used more in the story.  The female characters were used sparingly but they were also a breath of fresh air, fighting in every way they could the societal demands on who they should be and what they should do.

So the characters were great, but my issue was that the beginning of the book and the flow of the plot are so predictable that it overshadowed the real brilliance of the conclusion. The first half dragged, and the second half flew. There are a ton of reveals that are really well done, and many ends tied up, clearly leaving room for a sequel (just checked – and shock of all shocks – it will be a trilogy!). Half of me is dying to get my hands on it while the other half could care less, because it’s plot is predictable without even being written. 

So here is the rub, these are mostly new and interesting characters set in a plot that is far too familiar to be intriguing.  So what can be done about it?  No idea.

Ok, off to read like a mad woman, I must make it to 65 books for the year!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

The Mowing. My God, The Mowing.

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“‘My chief sin is doubt. I have doubts about everything and for the most part I am in doubt.’” Personal Truth.

63.12 Anna Karenina
Undoubtedly, the worst job in the world would be to run the notes of all these jerks back and forth waiting for any of them to actually do something.

This was my main thought as I sludged through the first 700-some pages of this book.  Honestly, I didn’t like anyone.  It is supposed to be a love story but we never see anything about Vronsky and Anna together.  Plus she says stuff like this: “Her complete ownership of him was a continual joy to her.” What the what???  The only things Anna seems to love are the things she believes someone is trying to take away from her.  Poor Karenin just seems lost in the world somewhere and then there is the cad Oblonsky – I think I liked him best, because at least he was having some fun.  And Levin.  My goodness, Levin.  A lot of sowing, mowing, and reaping for that man on his farm and off.

I dreaded picking the book up but forced myself to just so I could finish.  My mother and I decided to read it together for the sheer need of forcing one another along, and it worked.  Not sure I would have made it on my own…

But curses, just when I think I am out they pull me back in. The final scenes with Anna are the most compelling of the book. Finally there is some insight into how her entire life has been and how her air of confidence is just a screen. It was sad to read and yet exhilarating.  There are all the details about the position of women in society, making Russia in the 1800s feel like a very modern place indeed.  And there are some great comedic looks at what happens when people have specific expectations of how events in life are supposed to go.

The book is far too long and bloated, but looking back I am very glad to have read it and recognize the reasons it is so well respected.  Heavy emphasis on the "have read" part.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Beautiful Conclusion

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“Maybe there isn’t a meaning to life. Maybe there’s only a meaning to living.” Truth.

62.12 Beautiful Redemption
I wish the title of the post held true, but I just didn’t like this book as much as the others in the series. It didn’t feel as tightly written as the others, and one of the things that drew me to these books is how successful the team writing is, but parts here seemed mismanaged.  Some parts could have been taken out and I think maybe it needed to be longer to flush out the new characters; I hate to even say that though since it took four books to get here. The main issue is that it felt like more of the same instead of an extension of the story and I am not sure we got anywhere in the end.

This book focused on the main characters almost exclusively and over the course of the series the minor characters were much more impressive than the main and I missed them. The best parts of this book were the new characters as well, and they weren’t given enough attention.  I am glad that the series is over, since it really did start to wander no where, but I wish they had taken a bit more time to make this book a great ending instead of the weakest in the series.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

A True Hero's Quest

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“Well, actually, I love books because books are my best friends.” Truth.

61.12 Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
I loved this book.  Yes, it is a little sugary sweet, and yes, it is a whole lot nerdy (and there may be a royalty check for Google in the mail), but it is also full of wonderful people and places.  It is about the love of books, and words, and print.  It is about learning, and creating, and evolving.  It is a quest story with a hero who isn’t looking for the answer but for the solution, and he is looking not for himself but for his friends, and when he finds it it is poignant and simple and timely.  He counts on his friends, and they pay him back in kind, and we see that sometimes life and immortality are the same.  I will forever be hopeful that upon entering a bookstore, the man behind the counter might just ask, “What do you seek in these shelves?”

On a side note, I used the above picture instead of just the sole cover because this is the picture I used on my Twitter feed for the #Dailybookpic of weekend reading.  I was finishing the book on the left to start the book on the right.  And imagine my delight when just a few pages into Penumbra, Sloan wrote this:

“My Kindle is a hand-me-down from my dad, one of the original models, a slanted, asymmetrical plate with a tiny grey screen and a bed of angled keys.  It looks like a prop from 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are new Kindles with bigger screens and subtler industrial designs, but this one is like Penumbra’s postcards: so uncool it’s cool again.”

Now, my original Kindle is not a hand-me-down from my father, but his first Kindle was an original hand-me-down from my brother so that isn’t far off, and if there is anything I am a pro at it is being so uncool that I am sure that someday I just might be cool again.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Really, It’s Just a Scary Story…

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*The title will make sense by the end…

After my son was born I started using playing cards as bookmarks because they aren’t as easy for little fingers to pull out from inside the pages.  This lead to a new obsession of buying interesting decks when I find them. I found a deck of tarot cards and added them to the collection, but the first time I used one it struck me that maybe I was playing with something I shouldn’t be.  I am not a superstitious person, but I also like to leave well enough alone.  In the end, I decided to use the cards (I always blindly pick a card from any deck I use) and took note of which card I used with which book to see if anything funky came out of it.  Nothing of note physically happened but as I compared the cards descriptions to the stories they were used in I found some interesting connections (In bold), or possibly just coincidental ones. Casino Royale is my favorite.

All the Tarot card information comes from: http://www.paranormality.com/tarot_meanings.shtml
I have no idea about the upright or not business, so I will leave the information for both.

The Year of the Gadfly - Queen of Cups
Upright - A happy card which indicates balance and harmony, also symbolizes high achievements made possible by the use of imagination (Author Jennifer Miller).  A woman who is highly imaginative and artistically gifted, affectionate and romantic in outlook, and creates an other worldly atmosphere around herself.  A woman who lacks common sense, but is highly intuitive and sometimes psychic and dreamy (Iris).  Atmospheres, other people and events can easily influence her.
Ill Dignified or Reversed - Fecklessness.  A woman who cannot be trusted someone who is a dreamer, unreliable and cannot be depended upon.  She is swift to change her opinions without reason or good cause.  A woman who is perverse and can be given to hysteria.  She may even lead others to destruction in pursuit of some idle fantasy (Hazel).

Zone One - VII of Cups
Upright - A need to reflect upon choices (Everyone).  Sometimes too many choices and opportunities are presented, which need careful consideration if a grave error of judgement is to be avoided.  May refer to a variety of choices of people for example marriage and other partners. The inquirer is faced with several choices one of exceptional promise but great perception is needed for this to be seen.  This card may also indicate mystical experience of an inspiring kind (MS after).
Ill Dignified or Reversed - Reliance upon false hopes.  Inaction causing the loss of opportunity.  A fear of success (MS Before). Self-delusion and indecision.

A Casual Vacancy - VI of Swords
**All of it works!
Upright - Gradual change, movement or travel away form difficulty or imminent danger.  The solution of current problems.  Long journeys and passage from pain.  Obstacles that are overcome.
Ill Dignified or Reversed - Developments that are unexpected, temporary relief from difficulties, need for continuing effort and strength.  Once one obstacle is surmounted another presents itself.

Casino Royale - X of Wands
Upright - Conduct that is honourable (Bond).  Great good fortune that is now a burden due to it's demanding nature and demands on time.  Diseconomies of scale in business, a successful pastime that can no longer be administered by its creator.  Lack of social life due to the demands of a project, job or overtime (Bond).
Ill Dignified or Reversed - A concerted effort to spoil the pleasures and affairs of others because of jealousy.  Treachery (Not telling! – Read the book).  An inability to delegate in a job, leading to unnecessary stress.  Lies and deceit used to upset others.

House of Leaves - Queen of Swords
Upright - A complex, courageous, intelligent woman, who may well have suffered some deep sorrow or loss (Karen).  She is concerned with attention to accuracy and detail and can skillfully balance opposing factions to meet her own needs.  She has attained inner wisdom and a sense of truth.  The cards is one for women who have overcome adversity especially at the hands of men, to obtain a state of grace.  The ability of women.
Ill Dignified or Reversed - Sorrow for the sake of sorrow.  A card of wrongdoing as a reply to adverse circumstances.  A deceitful, sly, intolerant and narrow minded woman, expert in the use of half truths and quiet slander.  A formidable enemy due to her subtlety and sharp intellect.

Interesting, non?  Love that I picked two queens and no kings. Anyway, I also read a book:

“Ah, children, who want to know what poems mean. They don’t mean. They express.” Truth

60.12 The White Devil
In most ghost stories the ghost is more of a metaphor than anything else, but what we have here is an honest to goodness ghost. And he is pissed. And he brings rats. And it is creepy. That is all.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

The Tweet Zone

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“There were plenty of things in the world that deserved to stay dead, yet they walked.” Truth.

55.12 Zone One
I read this book along with the Twitter group #1book140, so while I finished reading it on October 10, 2012 I held off on posting until the group finished.

I discovered #1book140 over the summer and have just not had the time to commit to participating until this month, and since Zone One was in at the library I picked it up.  I liked interacting with the other readers on Twitter but it was pretty sparse.  The hard part for me is that I read things one at a time and Twitter is better for reactionary moments than for deeper analysis.  So I ended up reading the book much faster than the reading schedule and couldn’t remember specifics by the time the rest of the group was reacting.  Next time I will stick more to the schedule and try to bring up a point of discussion each day.  This month they are reading Wolf Hall, which I loved but have no desire to reread, so I won’t be participating but the great thing is you can do it or not as it works for you.

As far as the book goes, it is very well written if not particularly scary in the traditional way.  There are no big BOO! moments, even though I found the fortune teller near the end pretty creepy, and even the gross details are kept to a minimum.  The real scare here is how somewhat normal the zombies are.  There are two types: the skels who are violent and constantly in killing mode, and the stragglers who are not violent and trying to return to the place of their greatest glory and relive it for eternity – sound familiar? And then there are those humans left behind, still on the run and looking for safety.  But, as with all fear, is there ever a truly safe place to hide from the things trying to get you?  Do you retreat and hide or take it on, whatever the threat is? Sometimes you just have to sink or swim.
 

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