Category Archives: eBooks

May 3, 2013

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

EleanorPark
Some of my bookish besties were talking/discussing/raving about this book in an email the other day, right before the readathon, so on a whim, I bought it. I read it during the readathon, with barely stopping to eat, go to the bathroom, and even doing my hosting duties. Yes, it is that good. Thank you Chris and Ana.

Now, onto what it’s about. Besides being about awesomeness.

Gosh. Where do I start? I know! The summary!

”Bono met his wife in high school,” Park says.
“So did Jerry Lee Lewis,” Eleanor answers.
“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be,” she says, “we’re sixteen.”
“What about Romeo and Juliet?”
“Shallow, confused, then dead.”
”I love you,” Park says.
“Wherefore art thou,” Eleanor answers.
“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be.”

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Hmm…that doesn’t really say enough. Okay. The book starts on the school bus. Park, half-Korean fan of comics and punk and New Wave, is listening to music, pointedly ignoring the clueless bullies behind him, when on walks Eleanor. The New Girl. Eleanor immediately stands out for her red hair, her odd clothing, her size, and by the fact that she can’t seem to find a seat. Finally, out of impatient kindness, Park lets her sit beside him. Days of silence between the two stretch on until one day, Park notices something. Eleanor is reading the comics in his lap. Slowly, their relationship deepens to conversation, and then feelings. Oh, the feelings.

Eleanor’s home life is heartbreaking. She shares a room with her four siblings. They are forced to tiptoe around their violent step-father. Her mother turns a blind eye to the things happening right under her nose. Park, and the world he represents, becomes Eleanor’s haven. Things are not good for Eleanor, except for her relationship with Park. Told in alternating voices, it is impossible to not fall in love with Eleanor and Park, separately and together. They are, to be cliché (which they hate), quite adorable.

And I don’t want to say much more than that. I went into this book not knowing much more than the summary above and that my readerly friends loved this book. Hopefully you will trust me as much as I trusted them. Rainbow Rowell’s writing is exquisite. I loved every syllable of this novel. She pulled me in, she kept me there, and she made me reluctant to leave. She took what could be misconstrued as a typical young adult romance and made it into so. much. more. And she gave me Eleanor. So tough. So fragile. And Park. So kind. Two teens with so many awkward, typical teenager tropes, and made you fall in love with them. Hopelessly.

Favorite bits:

“I love you,” he said.

She looked up at him, her eyes shiny and black, then looked away. “I know,” she said.

He pulled one of his arms out from under her and traced her outline against the couch. He could spend all day like this, running his hand down her ribs, into her waist, out to her hips and back again…. If he had all day, he would. If she weren’t made of so many other miracles.

“You know?” he repeated. She smiled, so he kissed her. “You’re not the Han Solo in this relationship, you know.”

“I’m totally the Han Solo,” she whispered. It was good to hear her. It was good to remember it was Eleanor under all this new flesh.

“Well, I’m not the Princess Leia,” he said.

“Don’t get so hung up on gender roles,” Eleanor said.”

“You can be Han Solo,” he said, kissing her throat. “And I’ll be Boba Fett. I’ll cross the sky for you.”

“What do you want to show me?”

“Nothing, really. I just want to be alone with you for a minute.”

He pulled her to the back of the driveway, where they were almost completely hidden by a line of trees and the RV and the garage.

“Seriously?” she said. “That was so lame.”

“I know,” he said, turning to her. “Next time, I’ll just say, ‘Eleanor, follow me down this dark alley, I want to kiss you.’”

She didn’t roll her eyes. She took a breath, then closed her mouth. He was learning how to catch her off guard.

She pushed her hands deeper in her pockets, so he put his hands on her elbows. “Next time,” he said, “I’ll just say, ‘Eleanor, duck behind these bushes with me, I’m going to lose my mind if I don’t kiss you.’”

She didn’t move, so he thought it was probably okay to touch her face. Her skin was as soft as it looked, white and smooth as freckled porcelain.

“I’ll just say, ‘Eleanor, follow me down this rabbit hole…’”

He laid his thumb on her lips to see if she’d pull away. She didn’t. He leaned closer. He wanted to close his eyes, but he didn’t trust her not to leave him standing there.”

Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Published: 2/26/2013
ISBN: 9781250012579
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I got it from Barnes & Noble with my own monies.

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March 25, 2013

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

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I Hunt Killers
By Barry Lyga
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published 4/3/2012
Pages: 359
ebook
Gift from a friend (Thanks Andi!)

I have so many thoughts on this book that, even a couple months after I read it and cogitated on it, I still don’t quite know what to say. It is a conundrum.

Firstly, let me tell you what the book is about, if you haven’t heard of it already.

Since I can’t seem to think of a way to describe it without giving too much away, here is the description from the book:

It was a beautiful day. It was a beautiful field.
Except for the body.

Jazz is a likable teenager. A charmer, some might say.

But he’s also the son of the world’s most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, “Take Your Son to Work Day” was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could–from the criminals’ point of view.

And now, even though Dad has been in jail for years, bodies are piling up in the sleepy town of Lobo’s Nod. Again.

In an effort to prove murder doesn’t run in the family, Jazz joins the police in the hunt for this new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret–could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

From acclaimed author Barry Lyga comes a riveting thriller about a teenager trying to control his own destiny in the face of overwhelming odds.

Goodness me, but I am unforgivably conflicted over this book. Or was. I had a hard time coming to terms with my feelings about this story. I admit to having that tendency (one I’m working on, believe me) of seeing someone as just plain evil, these people who just love to kill people, and not seeing them as having a mental illness. This is unforgiveable of me, and like I said, something I’m working on. The dichotomy of Jazz and his father actually perfectly mirrors this. Jazz’s father just seems to glorify in his evilness -he loves it – while Jazz struggles with the mental illness of this compulsion to kill. Billy Dent loves his “profession.” Jazz wants to do everything he can NOT to end up like Dear Old Dad. And, while not many people have to fight a compulsion to kill exactly, they do have other compulsions to fight; lying, cheating, stealing, eating, greediness, laziness, etc., etc. So I can see where readers could identify with Jazz – if they can get over the distaste of a character who daydreams about knives, blood, and what it would be like to marry the two. I was able to get over that distaste simply because Jazz is such a great character. Brilliant, charming, and more than a little troubled; Jazz is the ultimate conflicted, unreliable character. We all have a capacity for violence, for temptation, for desire, for love, for hate, and we all have the capacity to fight it…or not. It’s our choices that make us what we are. Jazz is constantly fighting his compulsion, he chooses to be good, he chooses to fight by catching killers. There is something amazingly enthralling about that. I felt… all the feelings… for Jazz, mainly because he never quite believes he IS good. I can’t wait to read the next book to see how he’s doing.

Barry Lyga did some intricate plotting with this novel. All the little details like the reason Jazz dates Connie, his best friend Howie with his blood disorder, Jazz’s crazy grandmother,

Favorite bits:

Jazz hadn’t given her many details of exactly what life in the Dent house had been like, but he’d told her enough that she knew it wasn’t hearts and flowers. Well, except for the occasional heart cut from a chest. And the kind of flowers you send to funerals.

Jazz spent a chunk of the day fantasizing about ways to kill his grandmother, plotting them and planning them in the most excruciating, gruesome detail his imagination would allow. It turned out his imagination allowed quite a bit. He spent the rest of the day convincing himself–over and over–not to do it.

“This is why I forgive, but I don’t forget. When you forget someone, the forgiveness doesn’t mean anything anymore.”

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March 18, 2013

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones,

9781616201425_p0_v1_s260x420Vasilly hosted her 2nd African American Read-In last month. This year’s pick was Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones. I am tardy, as usual, in getting my thoughts up, but I loved this book so much, I didn’t want to forget until it was WAY TOO LATE. SO.

Silver Sparrow tells the story of Dana Lynn Yarboro and Buddy Chaurisse Witherspoon, sisters who don’t know each other. This is not a spoiler. The first line of the book is ““My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist.” Dana knows about Chaurisse, but Chaurisse has no idea. HER mother is the one legally wed to their father and he is desperate to keep Chaurisse’s mother from finding out.

Here are the discussion questions from Vasilly, and my answers.

1. There is so much talk these days about fatherhood—contrasting the deadbeat dad with the Bill Cosby-type father. How do you evaluate James Witherspoon, who is both?

It is probably somewhat heartless of me, but I have little sympathy for James. While he does struggle to be a good dad to both girls, he really only succeeded in giving both less than they deserved. And he also gave Laverne and Gwendolyn less than they deserved.

2. Is Laverne’s life better or worse for having married James? What about Gwen? Does James love Laverne or Gwen? Does he love either one of them?

Laverne. I got the impression she had a lot of potential, if her teacher in school is to be believed. However, I’m not sure she would have been so successful without James. Without his determinatiin to better himself, Raleigh, and her, I doubt she would have had her own business. However, in the love department, I was ne er convinced she loved James, just didn’t believe she could live without him.

As for Gwen, I think she would have been fine without him. She practically was anyway. Gwen is completely Laverne’s opposite. Strong, educated, beautiful…she doesn’t really need him. In fact, despite little evidence of how she fared after he picked Laverne, I’m sure she WAS fine.

I think, for a man like James, he enjoyed Laverne’s dependance on him and also having a woman like Gwen actually interested in him. I’m unsure that he actually loved either one.

3. Why do you think Raleigh is so loyal to James?

He loved him. He was his brother. Despite not agreeing with some of the things James did, itdidn’t change Raleigh’s blind affectionof him. He would not be Raleigh without James.

4. Should Gwen have married Raleigh when she had the chance?

I want to say yes, for Raleigh’s sake, but it would have never worked. I think if she had married Raleigh, it would have been just to get back at James, which is a poor reason to marry anyone. And it would have been so unfair to Raleigh (my favorite character.)

5. Where you surprised to read about Gwen confronting Laverne?

No. I figured it would come to that. I didn’t like the way she did it though.

6. Did you have a favorite character? Did you have a least favorite? Which characters would you like to know more about?

Raleigh. Throughout both sides of the story, he was a constant. They both saw him the same way. And he was definitely the most kind-hearted.

7. Were you surprised at the ending? Was it ever possible for this story to have a happy ending?

There was no way it was going to end well. And no, I wasn’t surprised. James consistently picked Laverne and Chaurisse over Dana and Gwen.

8. Overall, what did you think of the book?

I loved it! It was so well written and I continue to be impressed with how Jones made both sides of women equal parts…villanous and loveable.

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February 22, 2013

Pantomime by Laura Lam

15797050Pantomime
By Laura Lam
Osprey Publishing, February 2013
400 Pages
4/5
Got it from NetGalley! And that’s ALL I got!

As soon as I saw the title, and cover (I have serious feelings for this cover), for this book, I knew I had to read it. While looking around on NetGalley one day, it popped up and I immediately requested it. I was so tickled when I got the notice I was approved and immediately dug in.

And then, I couldn’t put it down.

This book has many of my necessary requirements for a great story. Mystery. Magic. Subterfuge. Feisty young girls looking to prove themselves. Feisty young people looking to prove themselves. And then, dang it, a blatant To Be Continued… at the end.

*sigh*

Iphigenia “Gene” Laurus is the daughter of a noble family from Ellada. Gene is something of a Tom Girl. No, make that a complete TOM GIRL. She hates crinolines. She hates corsets. She loves running and playing and climbing trees and just generally being one of The Boys. And Gene has a secret, one that she can never tell anyone, for it would be the downfall of her family.

Micah Grey is a runaway living on the streets. He can’t seem to catch a break in regard to finding food, living quarters, or a job. When he sees aerialists perform at R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic, Micah finally sees what he wants to do. He fights to join the circus and soon, is a rising star. Yet Micah has to be very careful, for he has a secret that could ruin it all for him.

I can’t tell you how much I wanted this to be an awesome book for me. We have a great cover, a great premise, a TOM GIRL, a self-made acrobat, and a circus. And mysteries and secrets and subterfuge. It sounds awesome, right? Yet, somehow, there is something keeping me from the butt-crazy love affair I was hoping for. After, well, weeks, eh, maybe months (when did I read this book???) after finishing, and taking the time to puzzle it out, my main problem comes down to the main characters; Gene and Micah. I had a hard time with them. I shouldn’t have any trouble identifying with Gene (to a certain extent, which I will not divulge here. I believe it’s intended to be a bit of surprise and I don’t want to ruin it inadvertently) being that she is a Tom Girl (I was a Tom Girl) who is not comfortable in her skin, let alone the awful constricting corsets and dresses she’s forced to wear (Dude, do I hate a dress? Yes.). Throughout the book, despite this characters’ honesty with the reader (again, not going completely into this…let’s just say she has a HUGE secret), it felt like Gene was holding back. Or maybe I was holding back, who knows. I just felt like I never got to really KNOW Gene like I was supposed to do. I never connected to her. Or Micah for that matter, although I feel like I know Micah better. OMG this is so confusing and if you have read the book, I expect you know what I mean.

And then, there is of course, that part of me that feels like this disconnection was part of the intent. On some level, I feel like this is the case. Obviously, I need to think on this some more. 

So, despite that problem, never connecting with the characters and all, I did enjoy the book enough to be curious about the next one in the series. The life of the circus was fascinating, and the love story (there is always a love story, yeah?) was actually well done. I liked Micah’s crush the most of all the characters. I enjoyed the fantasy and steampunk elements. And Lam did an amazing job building the world of the circus. As I said, I had trouble putting this book down. And I really admire what Lam was trying to do with Gene and Micah. I’m hoping this was first novel jitters and that the sophomore novel will she she’s worked out the kinks. There is tons of potential here.

Favorite bits:

“I’ll prove it to you, sir,” I said, and broke away from the clown and dashed toward the ladder to the tightrope. The circus folk jeered and catcalled. Their cries spurred me on. I clambered onto the small wooden platform and my head spun as I looked down, though I had climbed much higher than this in the past. I looked up at the trapeze and began to judge the distance.

—

People trickled in. Grubby little children grinned and pointed at the rings in the center of the stage. Courting and married pairs strolled, the men with their cravats and the ladies in the bonnets and bustles. Hawkers wasted no time and circled and weaved through the rows, calling out their wares.

—

The aerialist stepped onto the tightrope. The rope bend slightly under her weight and I held my breath, frightened she would fall.

But her feet were steady as she made her slow, steady crossing in midair. She looked so dainty and delicate as she walked, pointing her toes when she lifted a foot, holding the parasol aloft, as though she could bend her legs, propel herself upwards, and fly away. The light filtered through the lace, shadows dappling her skin. When she finally made it across, I let out the breath I had been holding and clapped as loudly as I could.

—

They also read it: Bookshelves of Doom, Book Briefs, Dark Faerie Tales, and more…. 

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February 12, 2013

Not Exactly a Love Story by Audrey Couloumbis

Title: Not Exactly a Love Story
Author: Audrey Couloumbis
Published: December 11, 2012 by Random House Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978-0375867835
Pages: 288
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Got it from NetGalley!

1977. A Not-Very-Good-Year for Vinnie Gold. The parents the thought perfectly happy surprise him by divorcing. Then his mom decides dating his GYM TEACHER is perfectly okay. Then it’s just fine to go and marry the guy, then force Vinnie to leave his beloved Queens for Long Island.

Things are definitely NOT perfectly okay.

Then, Vinnie meets the girl next door.

Patsy is everything you expect of a girl-next-door type. She’s beautiful, popular, smart, and completely oblivious to Vinnie’s existence. Vinnie is completely smitten. And his method of actually, well, talking to her is unusual. To say the least. By a complete stroke of luck, Vinnie gets Patsy’s number. And he calls her. At midnight. Without telling her his name. At first she thinks he’s a complete jerk. Well, he IS a complete jerk, but instantly regrets it and goes about setting things right. It takes time. And patience. And watching the girl of his dreams go out with the biggest jock/loser in the school. What Vinnie does to finally get Patsy to “see” him will take everything he’s got and will lead him to finally become the kind of guy who, well, maybe gets the girl.

I would imagine telling a story from the point of view of a guy, when you’re NOT a guy, can be kind of difaficult. Couloumbis didn’t have any problems. Vinnie felt completely believable to me. His feelings of inadequacy, coupled with his desire to overcome these feelings, were admirable, especially in a YA book. I liked the way Couloumbis handled the divorce and remarriage. Just the right amount of awkwardness and pain. Patsy, despite appearances, isn’t exactly “the girl next door.” Couloumbis spent a lot of time giving her nuance and personality. And Couloumbis’s writing was fresh and witty. My ONLY real problem was the whole calling at midnight plot felt slightly stalkerish. Okay, more than slightly. Despite that, I enjoyed this easy read quite a lot. This Cyrano retelling was fun.

Favorite bit:

I couldn’t seem to recover from one blow before another followed. No one tells you how things really are. Everything coming in waves, one rolling in after the other, and in case you’re thinking that doesn’t sound so bad, keep this in mind: that’s how huge rocks, boulders, become sand on the beach.

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February 8, 2013

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

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Anna and the French Kiss
By Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Publication date: 12/2/2010
Pages: 384
Acquired from the library

Y’all, Anna and the French Kiss is about as charming a book as they come and I fell head over heels for it. I couldn’t help it! It was out of my control! Completely!

Lemme ‘splain.

Anna’s father is a Nicholas Sparks wanna be and thinks his daughter (as daughter of such an author should, obvs) needs more CULTURE. As such, he has decided she needs to go to boarding school. In Paris. For senior year. Away from her best friend, her awesome job, and her crush-who-may-be-something-more-and-possibly-soon. Also, she doesn’t know French. So yeah, very UGH for Anna.

Anna is less than thrilled, but as is the case in such situations, she can’t do anything about it. She’s off to gay Pah-ree! Whether she wants to or not.

Once there, Anna meets Meredith, Josh, and Rashmi, and *dreamy sign* Etienne St. Clair, possessor of great hair, adorable Britishy-Frenchy accent, and…a girlfriend. Anna’s life is full of stereotypical teenager/high school type angst, but somehow, it didn’t annoy me like it usually does. The witty banter, the delights of France (Which are on full display! I wanted an éclair or a crepe every time I put the book down.), the lovely language, and the characters more than make up for the predictablicality. (Yes, I just made that word up, isn’t it great?) (I’m thinking this is an ellipses kind of day) ( which are the best kinds of days) (okay, I think I’m done). I couldn’t help but adore all the characters, especially Anna and St. Clair. Anna is so smart and sassy, my favorite kind of girl character, and St. Clair so witty and sweet. Meredith, Josh, and Rashmi could have been a little more fleshed out, but even as periphery characters, they were fun.

Anna and the French Kiss is a wonderful, feel good book, that you put down with a smile on your face. Great fun and a great diversion. I admit it, I hugged this one when I finished. Incidentally, I think this would be a great beach read.

Favorite bits:

“I wish friends held hands more often, like the children I see on the streets sometimes. I’m not sure why we have to grow up and get embarrassed about it.”

“I love you as certain dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul.”

“Boys turns girls into such idiots.”

“I mean, really. Who sends their kid to boarding school? It’s so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn’t have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons.”

“Girl scouts didn’t teach me what to do with emotionally unstable drunk boys.”

I moan with pleasure.
“Did you just have a foodgasm?” he asks, wiping ricotta from his lips.
“Where have you been all my life?” I ask the beautiful panini.

The only French word I know is oui, which means “yes,” and only recently did I learn it’s spelled o-u-i and not w-e-e.

They talked about it too: Write Meg!, Bart’s Bookshelf, Steph Su Reads, Proud Book Nerd, Galleysmith, and many, many more.

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November 6, 2012

Anna Dressed in Blood

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Published: Publish mm/yyyy
ISBN:
Rating: 4 out of 5 bloody stars
Acquired: from Barnes & Noble

Introduction:

Cas Lowood kills the dead. Like his father before him, he follows stories, urban legends, folk tales, to their source and deals with the ghost, the murderous dead, and sends them where they belong.

Plot:

Cas, and his kitchen-witch mother, have moved to a new town. They came after hearing the story of a terrible ghost called Anna Dressed in Blood. The story goes that any person who enters the house where she was killed is never seen again. Because she kills them!

Cas doesn’t expect to find anything unusual. He comes in like he usually does. He enrolls in the local high school and gets himself invited to party. What better place to find out the local ghost stories than at a high school kegger? He out what he wants. Anna was murdered in 1958. In the house she haunts, in a white dress, that now drips with her blood. Anyone who crosses her threshold is brutal murdered. No one has been there in years. Until now. The local jocks, jerks, take it upon themselves to give Cas a proper introduction. They knock him out and toss him in with Anna Dressed in Blood. Who is definitely NOT at all what he expected. And who does something completely unexpected.

She spares Cas.

Characters:

The characters are great. I can’t help but love Cas. Like any typical teenager, he’s struggling to find his place in life. He takes up the mantel discarded by his father (since he was murdered doing his work, which was also killing ghosts remember) and, while he’s good at it, you can tell he has an underlying need to prove himself plus he also has this slight confidence problem, which I found endearing and completely understandable. I mean, he’s taken over the “family business” at 17 and the family business is killing ghosts? That seems a hard thing to take over at any age! I thought Blake did a great job of portraying the bravado a 17 year old boy would have, you know, around others (like his mom!), but also giving him this vulnerability and confusion. It really made me fall for Cas quite a bit! Plus, watching Cas make friends for the first time in his life was just priceless.

Anna is, just, wow. What an awesome character. One I feel I can’t say much about, I don’t want to spoil the surprise of her. Cursed in death to kill whomever crosses her threshold; how many characters can you say that about? From her first step onto the pages, Anna is such a lovely conflicted character. She can’t help doing what she’s doing, she’s been doing it for around 50 years, and you can immediately tell what it’s doing to her soul. Of course Cas falls for her. I don’t really think that’s a spoiler either; this IS a YA book. It’s what happens after that event that keeps you reading. Cas is meant to kill her. Will he?

Strengths:

  • The plot was great, very original for the genre I thought
  • The writing was great, very gripping. This book was hard to put down!
  • Strong, well written, and well rounded characters
  • Highlights are/is the blood-thirsty ghost?

Weaknesses:

  • You may not like this if you don’t like gory violence.

Conclusion: 

I was so very surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I haven’t read much in the paranormal YA genre for awhile, because it felt like it was getting so formulaic and predictable. Anna Dressed in Blood was very much not what I was expecting. Engaging characters, excellent twist…I couldn’t help but immediately download the sequel as soon as I finish. (One thing never changes. Cliffhangers.) If you’ve been looking for something new, with excellent writing, interesting premise, and fantastic characters, look no further!

Favorite Bits:

I’ve seen most of what there is to be afraid of in this world, and to tell you the truth, the worst of them are the ones that make you afraid in the light. The things that your eyes see plainly and can’t forget are worse than huddled black figures left to the imagination. Imagination has a poor memory; it slinks away and goes blurry. Eyes remember for much longer.

I can feel that photo of Anna staring at me from sixty years ago, and I can’t help myself from wanting to protect her, wanting to save her from becoming what she already is.

Over the course of my life I’ve been to lots of places. Shadowed places where things have gone wrong. Sinister places where things still are. I always hate the sunlit towns, full of newly built developments with double-car garages in shades of pale eggshell, surrounded by green lawns and dotted with laughing children. Those towns aren’t any less haunted than the others. They’re just better liars.

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October 23, 2012

The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan

The Brides of Rollrock Island
by Margo Lanagan
Publication Date: 9/11/12
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Acquired from NetGalley

I have two things to admit. Firstly, I don’t quite know how to review this book! How many times have you heard me say that? But it’s true! There is SO MUCH going on here, not in a bad way, it’s a good way, but there is so much to discuss!

Secondly, I went into The Brides of Rollrock Island with trepidation. Sure, I read, and loved Tender Morsels, last year, but it took me three (THREE!) tries to get into that book. I was vigilant! Determined! Too many of my reading buddies loved Tender Morsels for me to NOT love it too! And so, I conquered! Finally! Hoorah for me!!! But, that small, irritating voice in the back of my head asked, would it be that hard to get into her new book?

Thankfully, no. I had absolutely nothing to worry about.

On Rollrock Island, the men make their living from the sea. They are fishermen. They have always been fishermen. And their wives, while unremarkable, plain, and dull, were also steadfast and loyal. Until the witch was born. Misskaella, ugly, hateful Misskaella, has the power to draw the human out of a seal, and the men pay handsomely for their beautiful sea-wives. Long, dark, mesmerizing hair. Night dark, liquid eyes. Easy, trusting, sweet demeanors. Perfect as perfect can be. The price is dear, but the men are willing to pay it. The wives live on the island and bear them sons and watch the sea. They watch the sea with their quiet, questing eyes.

One son, out of all the sons, recognizes the aching in his mother’s soul. This boy loves his mother more than anything else in the world and he worries. He worries and he watches. He watches her like she watches the sea. Will his love for her lead him to help her back to the sea, or his father in keeping her there with them?

It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Nothing with Margo Lanagan is simple. Her writing is beautiful. Her message hauntingly and lovingly rendered. And her characters. Oh, her characters. Misskaella. I loved Misskaella. She’s fascinating. From the beginning, she’s called fat, and ugly, and she takes it to heart. Once she discovers her talent with seals, she discovers her means for revenge. She takes a sort of malicious delight, but Lanagan’s skill is so great that, even as Misskaella is delighting in her exploits, you can also feel the pain under it all. She becomes the mean, ugly witch they take her for, but Lanagan left me wondering what Misskaella could have been, if she hadn’t been treated the way she was. As the stories unfold, telling the stories of different men and their seal wives and their sons, one comes to know Misskaella better as well. I’ll say it again, she’s fascinating. One of the most fascinating characters I’ve met in a long time.

Lanagan’s setting is like another character in the book. The island on which this all takes place is a barren place. I pictured rocky beaches, swollen, angry seas, overcast skies, yet starkly beautiful for all this. I was reminded of pictures of the Scottish coast. Using this setting to tell what is essentially a selkie story, a fairy tale where men steal the skins of seals to make them their wives, fitting.

Some of my favorite bits of writing:

We walked on, and everything was different, just as Jeannie had said-outlined in gold, things were, in the late sunshine, funnel- and mast-shadows crisply black on the sunlit storehouse walls. Every gull flew in a more purposeful arc, or arranged its folded wings more importantly; every stone and plank went toward making a different stage of life from the one that had passed on from us, moments before. “this is the day you tell your grandchildren about,” I said, and Kitty squeezed my hand.

During the time I lived in the sea, nothing happened in the sense that humans know happening. Seals do not sit about and tell, the way people do, and their lives are not eventful in the way that people’s are, lines of story combed out again and again, in the hope that they will yield more sense with every stroke. Seal life already makes perfect sense, and needs no explanation. At the approach of my man-mind, my seal life slips apart into glimpses and half memories: sunlight shafts into the green; the mirror roof crinkles above; the mams race ahead through the halls and cathedrals and along the high roads of the sea; boat bellies rock against the light, and men mumble and splash at their business above; the seal-men spin their big bodies by their delicate tails as lightly as land-lads spin wooden tops, shooting forward, upward, outward. Movement in the sea is very much like flying, through a green air flocking with tiny lives, and massier ones more slowly coasting by.

I felt freed to please myself, to find my way as I would, in a world that was much vaster than I had realized before, in which I was but one star-gleam, one wavelet, among multitudes. My happiness mattered not a whit more than the next person’s – or the next fish’s, or the next grass-blade’s! – and not a whit less.

Other thoughts: things mean a lot, The Readventurer, Reading Rants!, and more….

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September 21, 2012

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The Wizard of Oz
Book 1 in the Oz series
By L. Frank Baum
Illustrated by W. W. Denslow
Published May 1900
So. I read The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum for the very first time last month. By the end, I was all “What the heck were you waiting for? That was awesome!” Yes, I often talk to myself this way, don’t you? Thought so.

Reading The Wizard of Oz for the first time was a bit like culture shock. Like most Americans, I grew up on this story. The movie comes on practically every year! I can quote lines and of course, I know Somewhere Over the Rainbow by heart. Who doesn’t? Familiar elements were there in the book, but for the most part, everything looked so different! It was such a surprise! The gist of the story remains the same. Lonely MidWestern girl, along with her dog Toto(!), is swept up by a tornado leaving behind monochromatic Kansas and her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, and deposited in Technicolor Land of Oz. And the house lands on a witch. A Wicked One. Lots of munchkins gather around in awe. No, they do not sing. A Good Witch is there to take the shoes off the Wicked One’s feet and give them to Dorothy. They Are Not Red. They Are Silver. (Color me surprised!) The Good Witch tells Dorothy if she wants to get back home, she needs to go see the Wizard of Oz. And off down the Yellow Brick Road we go, with a kiss from the witch on our Dorothy’s forehead. And, of course, she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion along the way.

The adversary, the main one, the Wicked Witch of the West, didn’t seem all that scary to me. It seemed like she was barely in the book! The more frightening to me were the Kalidahs and the Hammer-Heads, and honestly, the Wizard himself. I may not be remembering correctly, but in the movie he seemed more of a bumbling fool. The Wizard in this book didn’t really have that quality for me. The lengths he would go to hide himself from the citizens of Oz, from Dorothy and the others, and perhaps even himself were extraordinary! The fact that he hopped on out of Oz at the first opportunity speaks volumes to me. He’s like a deadbeat dad, gives what little he can to get himself out of trouble, then hops on the next bus, or, rather, balloon in this case, out of there. This makes me look forward to the new Disney movie about the Wizard himself; I’m interested to see how they interpret this character and what led him to be the way he is.

Another thing that interested me was the difference in how Dorothy was treated in Oz and Kansas. In Kansas she was poor, often didn’t have enough to eat, and was lonely. In Oz, she was well cared for by everyone she met, they fed and bedded her on her travels, she was protected by the bad “things,” and had friends who loved her. Kansas was a bleak and dirty landscape. Oz was beautiful and bright and colorful. Kinda makes you wonder why she wanted to go home so badly! I also enjoyed how the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion already have what they are looking for (a brain, a heart, and courage) but need the validation of their journey and the Wizard’s gifts to realize it. Their self-doubts feel a lot like my own. And the main bad guys, the Kalidahs, were only bad guys because of the Wicked Witch. Once the Golden Cap was in Dorothy’s possession, they were most helpful. And then, once Glinda gives them the cap, and therefore their freedom, they go on their merry way leaving everyone alone and were not scary at all.

All in all, I’m genuinely surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. Like I said, I grew up on the movie and rather thought I knew it all. My only regret is that I read a cheap ebook version, when I have the Annotated edition I have pictured above. In writing this up, so poorly it feels like because I’ve forgotten so much, I want to go back and read the Annotated. Plus I missed out on all the illustrations! I read the Wikipedia entry on this book to refresh my memory and it left me wanting to know more. Highly recommended. And thanks Kristen from We Be Reading for leading us in this readalong over at The Estella Society!

 

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July 31, 2012

The Robber Bridgegroom by Eudora Welty

Oh Eudora, you rascally old broad. You were rewriting fairytales before it was cool, weren’t you. You savvy trendsetter!

I don’t know where to start. Do I tell you about the genius that was Eudora Welty? Do I explain to you the unfamiliar fairytale, The Robber Bridegroom? Or do I just drive right into telling you about this book and hope I intrigue you enough that you will go look up Welty and the fairytale on your own?

Decisions, decisions….

Okay, I figure at this point, you are well acquainted with my tendency to ramble, so I’m going to try to briefly (that made me giggle a bit) touch on Welty and the fairytale, then dive into the book. Is that okay? If not, skim folks.

So, Eudora Welty. Queen of Southern Literature, in my oh so humble opinion, was a downright brilliant author. And what I find the most fascinating about her, is how long she lived. She was born in 1909 and she died in 2001. I kid you not. Think of all the things she saw. She won the Pulitzer (for The Optimists Daughter). She lectured at Harvard. She sat on the New York Times Book Review. Received a Guggenheim Fellowship. And I’m pretty sure you cannot get out of school in the South without reading something written by her. For me, it was her short story A Worn Path and excerpts from her novel Delta Wedding. I don’t remember much about Delta Wedding, probably because we didn’t read the whole thing, but her story A Worn Path stays with me to this day. In reading about her, I’ve found she loved fairytales. A woman after my own heart! Why it took so long, somehow, despite always meaning to read more of her work, it took me 12 years out of college to finally read her again, I’ll never know. Let’s just say I was stupid. Let’s just ask the question, what took me so damn. long? I won’t take me that long again.

The Robber Bridegroom (the fairytale) has several incarnations. I’m going to give you a shortened Grimm version. There was this miller, once upon a time, who had a daughter. When she comes of age, of course he wants to get her married. At least he wants to get her a respectable husband. Wants to. He just doesn’t try very hard. The first man who pops up is by all appearances very rich and finding no fault with him (there is no mention as to how hard he tried, I’m betting not very hard) the father promises his daughter to him. Time passes, and the daughter never visits her intended (do you blame her??). You see, she didn’t like the look of him, didn’t trust him, and the very thought of him, “she felt within her heart a sense of horror.”

Take about gut instinct.

Her intended calls her out on it and she replies that she doesn’t know where he lives. He tells her it is in the dark woods and she returns basically with the reply that there is no way on God’s green Earth that she’s going out there. Undeterred, he tells her to come on Sunday, he’s already invited guests and he will leave a trail of ashes for her to find her way. Ashes. Invokes a wee be of unease, yes? She goes, leaving a trail for herself of peas and lentils and finds her way to his house. His empty house. Empty except for a black bird that tells her “Turn back, turn back, you young bride. You are in a murderer’s house.” Have I got your attention now?

Up to this point, Eudora follows the story mostly. She changes the father, his story is much more, well, more and the groom has a name and an occupation. He’s a handsome scoundrel. The daughter is an idiot, in my opinion, because she acts like a complete airhead. And she has a wicked stepmother now! After she finds the house, things change. In the fairytale, she finds an old woman who hides her from the men who would murder and eat her (yes, eat her) and helps her escape. In Eudora’s story, she does something completely different.

No, I’m not going to tell you what. Although, if you look at the cover verrrry closely, you may get an idea.

In the fairytale, the old woman and the young bride escape and expose the bridegroom at the wedding. He and all his cohorts are put to death for their crimes. In the book, well, again, it’s very different. Again, not going to tell you how. You have to read it people.

And read it you should. I love love love Welty’s way with words. The way she takes the South, the Deep South, and mythologizes just sends me to the moon with love for this book. She takes this fairytale and mixes it with the South and creates something new, something slightly crazy, something slightly manic, something completely fascinating. The only thing I didn’t like was the attitude towards blacks and Indians, which, knowing the time period the story is set… well, I know it’s the way it was, but it doesn’t make it easier. At least I know Phoenix from A Worn Path is out there in Welty’s canon. If you haven’t tried Welty’s work, what are you waiting on? I’m definitely going to be reading more, very soon.

I bought this from Barnes & Noble as an ebook. If I was you, I would avoid this ebook at all costs. It looks like a 3rd grader typed it.

This counts for the Classics Club challenge and also my personal challenge of reading more classics in July.

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