Month: April 2010

Teaser Tuesdays

/ justbookreading / 9 Comments

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. The idea is to give everyone a look inside the book you’re reading.

1.) Grab your current read

2.) Open to a random page

3.) Share two teaser sentences from that page

4.) Share the title and author so that other participants know what you’re reading.

“Louisa felt the skirts of her slim black dress swirl around her ankle boots, the pair she’d had for years, the pair she’d worn in Rome in the cathedrals, in Nice, in the parlor of the Paris inn where she’s shared wine with a Polish revolutionary as he described the death of all his friends. The boots were sturdy but the leather was cracked.”

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees, page 1.

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

Can’t wait to start this one today. So, what you are teasing us with this week?

Lord of the Rings Read-Along – The Return of the King Mid-Month Check-In

/ justbookreading / 1 Comment

The LOTR Read-Along is half way through the last book, The Return of the King. I finished the book but thought I’d take a few minutes to answer the questions. I tried to stay away from spoilers but, well…don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you’re still reading, skip the last two questions.

Maree at Just Add Books is hosting The Return of the King this month.

1) Where are you in your reading? Are you still with Bilbo and Smaug? Just starting out? Or have you finished already and are tapping your fingernails on the book cover, waiting for me to catch up?

I’m finished with the book but waiting patiently — no tapping of fingernails here.

2) If this is your first time reading LOTR, how are you finding it? Are you falling in love with Middle Earth? and Legolas?

See question 3.

3) If you’re a repeat offender reader, like me, how are you finding the return journey? Are you loving it just as much as ever? What little treasures have you found in ROTK that you never noticed before?

I’m a repeat offender reader. It’s been at least five years since I cracked the spines on these books and it was fun getting to know everyone again.

I didn’t remember as much of ROTK as the other books so it was really nice getting into this one. I’d happily be reading and then all of sudden realize that what I thought happened in this book actually took place in the movie. I’m glad I re-read this one because it brought all of the story back to me. It was like finding a long lost friend. I also reaffirmed just how much I like this book. Now, I love all of them but there was something about this one that was really fitting. After all the fighting and death it was nice to see some of my favorite characters find peace.

4) How do you feel, when you close the end of the last part; after Sam’s words on the last page? Are you sad it’s over, nostalgic? Looking for your next read already?

Nostalgic, definitely. I was happy to finally come to the end and see the hobbits home but sad that it was over.

I don’t know about everyone else, but I love that Sam has the last word — “Well, I’m back.” I don’t know why but it’s just perfect for me. While I have several soft spots for characters in the books — Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli to name a few — Sam is by far my favorite character. He’s a true friend and someone everyone can, and does, count on. He’s strong when needed and gentle when called for.

5) What’s your favourite scene in ROTK?

The Scouring of the Shire. I love how Frodo, Sam, Pippen, and Merry incite a riot and get all the hobbits to take back their homes. It’s so fitting. While it’s a bit sad that they did fight for all the men and none came to help them out, I like that they stand up and take what’s theirs. (OK, really my only complaint about the book. Can’t anyone be bothered to help out the hobbits that saved their butts?! Oh no, it’s the time of men, busy, busy, busy.)

The Sunday Salon

/ justbookreading / 4 Comments

Since I missed doing a Sunday Salon last week, I thought I’d include two weeks worth of reading round-up which still isn’t a whole lot since work has been incredibly busy and I haven’t found a lot of time to read the last few weeks.

The round up:

A Corpse at St. Andrews Chapel by Mel Starr

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

I’m currently finishing up The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick. I also gave up on Jane Smiley’s The Greenlanders. It’s not a total give up but a back on the TBR list for another time. I want to take another try at it but it’s due back at the library and I won’t get to it before it starts accumulating fines so back on the list it goes.

Last week I came across an article on Salon.com by Jeanette DeMain titled, “Amazon reviewers think this masterpiece sucks: From “The Grapes of Wrath” to “1984” — some amateur critics just can’t stand the classics.”

She goes on to talk about some of the more scathing reviews left on Amazon which had me laughing and cringing at the same time. Like the article’s author, I use Amazon to look up titles, find books, and see what some are saying about a particular tome. I’ve been amused by some of the reviews, piqued by others, and in some cases just downright flabbergasted by the cruel use of the thesaurus which was trotted out only to be used to inflict additional pain in finding words that mean hate. In general, I don’t post my reviews on Amazon but I do wonder at some of the mean-spirited reviews out there.

When reviewing a book, I never aim to be mean even when I didn’t enjoy a book. What good does that do? Just because I didn’t like a book doesn’t mean that others will not. My tastes are my own and I always try to remember that when writing a review. I’ve read books that have come highly recommended and found the books just all right and sometimes even boring. Hey, it happens. We can’t, and don’t, all love the same books. Isn’t that what makes this fun though?

Anyway, I thought the article would be of interest to a few out there and wanted to give it a brief mention since it got me thinking about my own writings and musing.

Happy Sunday.

Friday Finds – Conspiracies, the Dead, and Kraken

/ justbookreading / 8 Comments

I haven’t played along in a while and I have recently added a few more finds to my TBR and thought, well, it’s as good a time as any to share some books and spread the love.

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner. This is the fourth book in the series. I enjoyed the first, The Thief, and hope to make my way through the series this year. Luckily, my library has the first three in the series. The books are YA fantasy and I’m feelin’ like a little fantasy in the coming weeks.

The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn. Gothic romance set in 1858 Scotland and Transylvania. I don’t read much romance but there’s something intriguing about Scotland (OK, I’ll read almost anything that’s set in Scotland. Really, I will.) and Transylvania with a little bit of the paranormal thrown in the mix.

Kraken by China Mieville. An alternative London where magic and myth reside side by side. It’s the end of the world and everyone is fighting to either bring it about or stop it. I don’t need anymore than that, just please sign me up for this one!

A Conspiracy of Kings

The Dead Travel Fast

Kraken

Friday Finds is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Leave a comment here with a link to your own finds, or share your answers at Should Be Reading. Happy Friday.

Wolf Hall

/ justbookreading / 4 Comments

Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall

By Hilary Mantel

Henry Holt & Company

ISBN: 978-0-8050-8068-1

Henry VIII needs an heir. His twenty year marriage to his queen, Katherine, has only produced one child, a girl named Mary. More children aren’t forthcoming and he wants out of the crumbling marriage. He becomes obsessed with Lady Anne Boleyn. The king’s quest for an heir and a way out of his marriage lay waste to his trusted circle of advisors including a once close friend, Cardinal Wolsey. Henry believes the only way out of the marriage is to break with Rome, the pope, and Catholic Europe so he can make himself head of a new church, grant himself a divorce, and marry Anne.

Thomas Cromwell, a man of Wolsey’s who survived the Cardinal’s political downfall, steps into the fray. He’s a former soldier, an opportunist, and always seems to get his way. He’s exactly the man the king needs to break his stalemate with Rome, establish a new religion, and marry and, hopefully, produce an heir with Anne.

I’ve had Wolf Hall sitting on my shelf for several months and I was really excited to finally pick it up. Unfortunately, I was not in the mood for this book which really disappointed me. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the book because I did, very much actually. But I didn’t become attached to any of the characters and if I had put this book down at any point, I probably would not have picked it back up again. Thankfully, I was traveling with this book and stuck in four airports which provided not only the opportunity but the will to finish reading it.

Henry VIII is manic — one day he loves you, hates you the next. Anne Boleyn is phenomenally mean, driven, and crazy but it’s so pitch perfect that you love her for it and thank Mantel for making her such an interesting character. Cromwell is a bully, sometimes mean, but most of the time subtle. He has an uncanny ability to understand people and know what they want and use it to his own ends. His family situation is bad as a child but, once he escapes, things turn around for him. I, however, didn’t feel anything for him. I didn’t like or dislike him, just felt nothing.

One annoying thing about this book, and I read this in another review and was ready for it, Cromwell is constantly referred to as he. I was looking for it and maybe that’s why it stuck out so much. Once I got used to it, it was fine though. And, no, I’m not trying to cause you any undue annoyance here, just pointing out something that will be abundantly obvious as soon as you finish the first paragraph. You’ll most likely get over as I did.

I will say this — the writing is fabulous and the entire story so wonderfully told. I just wish I had picked this one up at another time. It wasn’t what I was looking to read but I do see myself re-reading this book at some point in the future.

Normally I include a 1 to 5 rating with my reviews. I’m bypassing that this time. I’m conflicted about this book (as you might have already noticed, you can thank me later for pointing that out now) and I didn’t want to let my odd reading preferences color my review too much. So, take from all this what you will.

Teaser Tuesdays – A Double

/ justbookreading / 12 Comments

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. The idea is to give everyone a look inside the book you’re reading.

1.) Grab your current read

2.) Open to a random page

3.) Share two teaser sentences from that page

4.) Share the title and author so that other participants know what you’re reading.

Today is a double Teaser Tuesday. I’m sharing from the book I’m reading and the book I’ll be starting.

“He came back at last to the stone door of the orc-passage, and still unable to discover the catch or bolt that held it, he scrambled over as before and dropped softly to the ground. Then he made his way stealthily to the outlet of Shelob’s tunnel, where the rags of her great web were still blowing and swaying in the cold airs.”

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien, page 877-878.

“In the dark hour before dawn, all the shutters in the great hall were closed against the evil vapours of the night. Under the heavy iron curfew, the fire was a quenched dragon’s eye.”

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick, page 1.

What you are teasing us with this week?

The Return of the King

The Greatest Knight

Lord of the Rings Read-Along: The Two-fer Edition

/ justbookreading / 4 Comments

I’m going to combine two Lord of the Rings Read-Along posts this week because I’m way behind on my posts and my reading and I want to catch up and this is the way I’m going to do it. 🙂

First, thanks to Teresa at Shelf Love for hosting The Two Towers discussion in March and to Maree at Just Add Books for hosting The Return of the King this month.

Here are the final questions for The Two Towers:

1)The last half of The Two Towers covers fewer characters than the first half. For some, this makes Book 4 slower than the rest of the book; others love the intense focus on Frodo, Gollum, and Sam. Where do you stand on this question?

I’m in between on this one. I understand why it was done (at least I think I do) but it’s odd when you’re reading. Yes, the fellowship is now on two separate quests and writing it as two stories only heightens that reality but it does sometimes make me wonder why they don’t seem to think about each other and how they’re doing.

2)If you’re a first-time reader (or even a rereader), what surprised you most about this half of the book?

I starting feeling very different about Frodo. I tend to think of him as sappy but I think that’s more a movie impression since Elijah Wood always looks like he’s going to cry in the movie (just my two cents and not meant to be mean-spirited). While reading, I started to remember that Frodo was a bit tougher than I really gave him credit for and I liked that.

3)Are there any specific moments that stand out as favorites or least favorites in this section?

I don’t think I have any least favorite moments but I really enjoyed meeting Faramir again.

4)What are some themes or ideas in this book (or the trilogy as a whole so far) that stand out to you?

Sam’s undying, unwavering friendship always stands out for me. He’s so loyal and true that I always want to hug him for just being who he is, not apologizing for it, and not feeling sorry for anything he does to help Frodo.

5)And the obligatory movie question: Many LOTR readers take the biggest issue with Jackson’s treatment of this part of the trilogy than with any other? Did the changes bother you? Are there any ways in which you think the movie was more effective?

I don’t think of the movies as more or less effective. It’s just a different medium and somethings that work so well in the book just don’t translate on screen. I like to think of them as separate but connected entities. So, no, I don’t think there was anything in the movies that was changed that bothered me intensely enough to mention here. I walk the middle line on this question. I like the books. I like the movies.

Here are the intro question for The Return of the King:

1) We’re coming to the end of the quest. Where are you in your reading?

I’m on chapter 4, The Siege of Gondor. Not all that far yet but I plan to catch up this week.

2) Have you read LOTR before? If so, what are you anticipating most re-reading in ROTK? (er … try to avoid spoilers, although I suppose that question makes that a bit tricky)

I have read the books before and I’m really looking forward to the refresher on ROTK since I don’t remember much from this book. Yep, that was a smooth avoidance wasn’t it. 😉

3) Who’s your favourite character in ROTK?

Aragorn. Just cuz he’s hot. 🙂

4) Favourite scene?

There is a speech that Aragorn gives to the gathered armies that starts, “Today is not the day…” I really am hoping that I’m not remembering something from the movie and not the book here but I have this very Julius Caesar/Marc Antony, Shakespearean like, speech vision in my head and I am starting to wonder where I remember it from…I hope it’s the book.

5) How do you feel about the overall series now that we’re getting near the end?

I’m feeling very nostalgic about the whole thing. I’ve read these books a few times and have very fond and different memories of all of them. Re-reading the books now has brought back some wonderful memories.

6) Have you seen the movies? Have they coloured your reading of ROTK?

Avoidance tactic two — yep, saw the movies. Yep, like the movies. Nope, not hurting my experience.

Man, this movie question just won’t walk on in to the sunset will it?

7) Does reading the books make you want to watch the movies, or run screaming in the other direction?

Uh, see 6. I’m planning to re-watch the movies when I’m done reading to see what was different. I’ve convinced the hubby to go along with me and he said, “What, so we’re planning to do nothing for the whole month of May but watch movies?” We only have the extended versions on DVD. So, if no on hears from me for a while…send popcorn.

Have any thoughts about the Lord of the Rings?

The Creation of Eve

/ justbookreading / 2 Comments

The Creation of Eve

The Creation of Eve

Lynn Cullen

G. P. Putnam’s Sons

ISBN: 978-0399156106

4.5 stars

In Rome 1559, Sofonisba Anguissola is training to be a painter. Under the tutelage of Michelangelo, she begins to stretch her talent to heights unheard of for a woman at the time. Her father places a lot of faith in her abilities and provides her with the best teachers, but her status as a woman means she cannot study, sketch, or paint the naked body. This leaves her with little understanding of the human form itself and she is told it adds an inhibited quality to her work that she struggles to overcome.

During her time in Rome, she meets and falls in love with another student of Michelangelo’s, Tiberio Calcagni. Their brief affair causes her shame and she leaves the city hoping that what happened between her and Tiberio will not be found out by her father who worked so hard to make sure she would have the chance to learn her craft.

Unaware of what will happen between her and Tiberio as there is no forthcoming proposal of marriage, she takes a position as a lady in waiting to Elisabeth of Valois, the young bride of Felipe II, the King of Spain. She is to teach the young Queen how to draw and paint. Unfortunately, her sad love life, or lack there of, weighs heavily on her. The love trials of the young Queen breaks Sofi’s heart while all this time she wonders silently about Tiberio.

Sofi’s heart suffers while she is at court and the growing attraction she sees between the Queen and the King’s brother, Don Juan, brings her even more heartbreak. Her choices are limited and she struggles with her heart, who she is, and what she must do for the Queen.

Very little action takes place in this novel but the affairs of the heart take center stage and the entire time you’re aware that the story is being told by an artist. The descriptions, colors, and experiences are filtered through an eye that is always looking for shape, texture, and depth.

Told through diary entries, each chapter begins with a painting hint or fact. I loved that the story was told through Sofi’s point of view as it allowed you to get close to the characters. Sofi’s descriptions of the court, the Queen’s dresses, the other ladies in waiting, and the palaces are wonderful and it’s as if you’re watching and hearing the conversations first hand.

Oddly enough this is a book about a painter but very little painting takes place. Somehow that’s a good thing as you come to know the artist behind the easel instead and it’s a good story. For anyone who loves historical fiction, this is a great read. You finish the last page wanting to know more about everyone in the story.

In addition to this blog, I also do reviews for The Book Reporter website. The above is a summary of my review, which can be read in full here. The book was provided to me by the publisher for The Book Reporter review.