Book Reviews/Recaps!

/ austinfey / 2 Comments

Book pages

Since I’m going for the 2015 TBR Pile Challenge this year, and also because I think it will help me remember books I’ve read in general (and I have friends who do similar things), I want to start posting about books I’ve read. I don’t know if I’ll put every book I read here, but I at least want to document my thoughts on them, and invite conversation about books.

Tell me why you disliked a book I liked, or why I should give a book I didn’t like a second chance.

Also, tell me if you prefer Austen or Bronte. I hear usually people fall into one of those categories. Personally, I love both. It’s weird, actually. I have read numerous blog posts/ articles by someone who loved Jane Austen and couldn’t get into Jane Eyre, or people who pledge undying devotion to Jane Eyre and think Pride and Prejudice is just meh. It seems many people prefer one or the other.

I understand that they have very different tones, but I love them both. I would happily pick up Pride & Prejudice or Jane Eyre any day and read them again. Just tell me you want to do a re-read of either and I will leap at the excuse.

…But I digress. Someday I’ll try to analyze why people fall so hard along these lines (and why I don’t want to pick sides). Without further ado, the real point of this post!

Here’s the tentative format (all subject to change at the whim of management):

  • Title & Author (and year of publication)
  • Brief Summary (hopefully spoiler-free or spoiler-light. I’ll warn you if I want to say something spoiler-y)
  • Other thoughts I had on the book
  • Goodreads/Netflix style, I’m also going to try incorporating a star rating for how much I liked the book (I might change my mind tomorrow and think a star rating is a terrible idea. I’m going with it for now).

Maybe I’ll do that with some movies too. Who knows.

Photo by Send me adrift. used under Flickr Creative Commons License.

“To Be Read” Pile Reading Challange

/ austinfey / 3 Comments

Last year I started the “Back to the Classics” reading challenge. It seemed like a great idea, but then I got bogged down in “The Brothers Karamazov,” and after that I read some but never really recovered from being over-ambitious in January and then not moving on from that quickly enough to keep going. So I didn’t post any updates. Fail.

Also, in the fall we bought a house, so that kind of ate up my free time. Guys, buying a house is like having a part-time job. My head was too full to do much serious reading.

This year, instead of trying that challenge, I’m going to try one called the “TBR Challenge,” which is basically an attempt to read those books you’ve bought or otherwise had on your list of books to read, but for whatever reason, haven’t gotten around to yet.

I’m picking one per month, so 12 books, but I realize some longer books might take a while. We’ll see how I do.

Here’s a link to the post in case you want to sign up or check out the rules.

man-who-was-thursday

And here are my 12 books (not necessarily in the order I want to read them in):

  1. The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde (1891)
  2. The Man Who Was Thursday – G.K. Chesterton (1908)
  3. North & South – Elizabeth Gaskell (1855)
  4. Special Topics in Calamity Physics – Marisha Pessl (2006)
  5. Awakenings – Oliver Sacks (1973)
  6. Gilead -Marilynne Robinson (2004)
  7. The Secret Adversary -Agatha Christie (1922)
  8. Crooked House – Agatha Christie (1949)
  9. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot (2010)
  10. The Ocean at the End of the Lane -Neil Gaiman (2013)
  11. A Wizard of Earthsea -Ursula K. Le Guin (1968)
  12. Ender’s Shadow – Orson Scott Card (1999)

And 2 alternates, in case I get in too deep and am not going to make it with one of the others (such a kind rule!):

  1. Nathan Coulter – Wendell Berry (1960)
  2. Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott (1995)

I’ll also try to remember to link back to this post with updates throughout the year. Here’s to hoping I’m steadier in my reading plan in 2015 (apologies in advance if I’m not).

 

Photo by C.J. Kershner used under Flickr Creative Commons license.

Disney and Brave

/ austinfey / Leave a comment

On a recent plane ride, I was bumped up to the Economy Comfort section, which meant a little extra cushion on the head rest, a little more of the coveted leg room, and free movies or tv.

Knowing that sound on planes leaves something to be desired, I opted for a lighter movie: Disney’s Brave.

Princess Merida - Disney's Brave

I would give it a solid “meh.” There we’re aspects of it I liked, and aspects that either didn’t work and some things that frustrated me.

Things I liked:

  • the movie wasn’t just about a Princess growing up and automatically falling in love. I appreciate that. Girls can do other things.
  • both parents were alive. Unusual for Disney princesses.
  • the central relationship was the mother-daughter relationship. Since the mother is usually not alive for the story, this was a pleasant change.

Things I didn’t like:

  • the pacing was sometimes a little labored. Maybe it’s that I’m not 8, but I got tired of watching them race around the castle after a few minutes.
  • the 3 little brothers. I think they were supposed to be funny, but again, I’m not 8, so it wasn’t as effective for me.

The main I didn’t like:

  • the portrayal of men

And now, the soapbox:

What really bothered me was thinking the reason Princess Merida didn’t want to get married was that all her options were oafish males who were more interested in hitting each other over the head than…pretty much anything else. I think it’s great to see a story about a girl who isn’t just interested in finding true love, but it would have been more interesting to me to hear her saying, “these guys are nice, but I’m just not interested in them.” In this movie, the guys gave her no reason to be interested in them. In fact, you’re relieved she isn’t settling for the stupid one or the vain one or…the third one. I forget why he was objectionable, but clearly, he didn’t have much going for him.

Even Merida’s father, who loves and cares for his daughter, is a little slow and clueless–all the thinking is done by his wife. He is a giant fighter who is easily distracted by weapons and ready to pick a fight at a moment’s notice. His wife does all the planning and I think the only reason he was made king is that every other male is equally interested in fighting, so his prowess made him a good choice. And his wife probably convinced all the other wives that it would be a good idea.

I know the story was trying to tell girls that other interests matter, and that you should listen to your mother occasionally, but what does this tell boys who sit through this movie with their sisters? I know many men who are intelligent, kind, and not easily provoked into hitting each other over the head (well, maybe if they’re age 3 they might be more prone to hitting; but I’m talking about adults here). By all means, tell us about princesses who find other things to do with their time (and the princesses who get married need to do something once they’ve found a prince), but we do not have to tell those stories at the expense of men.

Back to the Classics Challenge – 2014

/ austinfey / 4 Comments

A couple years ago I tried to participate in a “Back to the Classics” challenge, and I sort of…fizzled out somewhere in the middle of the year. I might have gotten engaged (slightly distracting in the best way), which cut down on plans to plow through classic works of literature. I think that is a pretty good reason to set aside a challenge. In any case, I’m married now, and not planning anything big, so I’m going to try again.

If you’re interested in participating, go here to see the details from the host, “Books and Chocolate.” Here are a few of the guidelines:

I am defining a classic as a book that was published at least 50 years ago.  Therefore, any book published after 1964 is ineligible. 

 Here are the rest of the guidelines:

  • All books must be read in 2014.  Books started prior to January 1, 2014 are not eligible.  Reviews must be linked by December 31, 2014.
  • E-books and audiobooks are eligible!  Books can count for other challenges you may be working on.  However, books may NOT crossover categories within this challenge.  You may NOT count the same book twice for different categories in this challenge.  
  • If you do not have a blog, you may link your review from Goodreads or other publicly accessible online format.
  • Please sign up for the challenge using the linky below BEFORE MARCH 1, 2014.  Please link to your sign-up announcement post (if possible/applicable).
  • You do not have to list your books prior to starting the challenge, but it is more fun that way :).  You can always change your list at any time.  You can read the books in any order (including mixing in the optional categories at any time).
  • You can decide to attempt the optional categories at any point (you can also bow out of the optional categories at any point as well).
  • Please identify the categories you’ve read in your wrap-up post so that I can easily add up your entries for the prize drawing!

And to clarify, you have to read different books for each category — you can repeat authors or genres, but no fair using the same book multiple times within this challenge! The only book that you can repeat is in the movie/TV adaptation review.

Ok, so here are my picks (which are subject to change, and probably will not be read in order):

Required:

  1. A 20th Century Classic – My Antonia – Willa Cather
    [I read this in school and was, I must admit, bored. Too much description! Not enough action! My mother tells me I should give it another chance.]
  2. A 19th Century Classic – The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
  3. A Classic by a Woman Author – something by Jane Austen for a book club–we haven’t picked one yet, so I’ll update when I know what we’re reading
    ***we’re reading Emma!***
  4. A Classic in Translation – The Brothers Karamazov – Fyodor Dostoevsky (Pevear/Volokhonsky translation).
    [I have tried to read this twice, and got bogged down, last time during the life story of the monk whose name I forget — I’m going to start with this book in January because A) I think Russian novels ought to be read in the winter and B) I want to start while I’m still enthusiastic about this challenge.]
  5. A Wartime Classic – War of the Worlds – H.G. Wells
  6. A Classic by an Author Who Is New To You – Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
    [I missed this one in school, somehow. Guess you can’t read everything.]
Optional Categories:
  1. An American Classic – Still thinking about this one. Suggestions welcome.
  2. A Classic Mystery, Suspense or Thriller – The Man Who Was Thursday – G.K. Chesterton
    [I got this for Christmas 2 years ago and it’s been sitting on my nightstand. It is time.]
  3. A Historical Fiction Classic –  A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens??
    Suggestions welcome here too. I’m having a hard time thinking of a classic that’s historical fiction.
  4. A Classic That’s Been Adapted Into a Movie or TV Series –  North & South – Elizabeth Gaskell??
    Also subject to change.
  5. Extra Fun Category:  Write a Review of the Movie or TV Series adapted from Optional Category #4 –North & South, or whatever I end up choosing.
    [The 2004 version of North & South reminds me that Richard Armitage is actually pretty tall in real life, unlike his recent role.]

Anyone want to join me in the challenge?

Malapropisms

/ austinfey / Leave a comment

Yesterday while driving to work I turned on the radio and a woman was being interviewed about herbal remedies for winter ailments. She first said that there was a new herb shop about to open and they were going to interview the proprietor in a moment, but first she mentioned the name of the establishment: The Elderberry.

“Speaking of elderberry,” she said, “it is the Magna Carta of cold remedies.”

Wait a moment. The Magna Carta?

I think that’s probably only for British colds. And I have no idea why an herbal remedy would be reading an ailment its rights. I mean, I think that’s probably something the white blood cells do–right before they attack a virus. So maybe herbal remedies deliver it to the white blood cells?

Ok, there’s no need to anthropomorphize blood cells and herbs. I think she probably meant to say “it’s the Holy Grail of herbal cold remedies,” but Magna Carta is pretty funny.

I have no idea what else happened in the conversation, and I hope the store owner is slightly more knowledgeable, but that snippet of conversation make me laugh the rest of the way to work, and I decided the humor needed to be shared with the world. I hope you enjoy.