Are you a hater?

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OK, first off, I’m not going to use the word hate because I think it’s just too strong a word and there are very few things I can apply that type of energy to. How about intense dislike? Yes, let’s go with that. It makes a bad title though so I’m leaving that alone.

If you stuck with me (I’m writing this while battling some nasty cold germs.), you probably now want to know what I’m getting at. Fair enough. Here it is — is there a literary character you intensely dislike? One that will make you stop reading? Toss a book across a room? One that makes you explain, in detail, to random people on elevators, how awful this fake person is?

Mine — Emma Woodhouse of Jane Austen’s Emma.

Here’s why.  In easy to read bullet points.

  • She’s annoying
  • She’s spoiled
  • She’s frivolous
  • She gets up in everyone’s business
  • She doesn’t know when to shut it
  • She’s inconsiderate
  • She’s manipulative
  • She thinks she knows what’s best for others
  • She needs to focus on herself but she can’t
  • She’s self-centered (Yep, that goes against my last bullet — my point: she thinks she’s helping others when really all she’s doing is mucking up everything for everyone else. She sees herself as a savior of sorts but is a elephant barreling over everything and everyone.)

I’m going to stop there.

PLEASE, PLEASE don’t start with the hateful comments. I’m being hard on Emma but she’s not real people. NOT REAL! *deep breath* * prepares for comments*

I’ve read all of Austen’s novels (I think I’m missing a few short stories — Sanditon and one other.) and I love almost every one; my degrees of love vary but every book has something I have come to adore. I’ve read many several times. My favorite is one that doesn’t get much love and I’m good with that because we all like different things — I still ❤ you Sense & Sensibility! And I know there are many people out there that love and adore Emma, the book and the character. I just don’t. The character doesn’t offer me anything I can like and I want to like her. In fact, I’ve given her several chances, but she never comes around for me. I’ve tried to read the book numerous times but I never get through it. Last year, my most recent attempt, I made it further than I ever have but still didn’t see the end. And the movie with Gwyneth Paltrow, I couldn’t even finish that. My intense dislike of all things Emma is all pervasive.

Funny thing, my mom thinks Emma is hysterical. I don’t see it. She also thinks Sense & Sensibility is boring. On some things, we agree to disagree. My mom also intensely dislikes carrots. I don’t know how but she does. And no, that bit about carrots doesn’t matter at all but I’m just pointing out that it’s OK to disagree about things. It happens.

So, tell me your least favorite, most annoying, intensely disliked character. I know you have one. OR, convince me why I should give Emma one more try? I only have so many attempts left in me…

PS — If you tell me you intensely dislike Gandalf, I will find you and explain to you, in a detailed conversation, possibly in an elevator, why that cannot be. Kidding! Possibly.

PPS — That PS won’t happen. I don’t talk to people in elevators.

PPPS — I should not write blog posts after taking cold medicine. That is all.

Long Books

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We all have them on our shelf, and in some cases, we avoid these books because of their size. We don’t want to carry them around (Let’s face it, my shoulder would be in much better shape if I didn’t lug 1,000 page books with me everywhere.), we don’t want to spend weeks reading them when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read, or whatever your reasons are.

For the past 10 days +, I’ve been reading The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. I finished it last night and now feel bereft but I’m going to leave that for the review. In terms of size, it’s 1,000 pages, exactly. It’s a very large book, a very heavy book, but an incredible book. I sometimes wonder how editors let books like this one through the editorial process, but after having read all 1,000 pages of this one, I know why. Rothfuss is a talented writer and the way he tells this story cannot be told any other way. Well, I imagine it could but the impact wouldn’t be the same. Epic. Yes, it is. Meandering. Yes, that too. Engrossing. Most definitely yes.

I bought this book months ago after finishing the first book, The Name of the Wind. I had plans to start it but the size put me off for a bit. I needed time to read this one and it never seemed to be the right time to start it. I decided that the New Year was the time. Clean slate and all that.

It’s not the only humongous book waiting for me either —- A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin has been on hold for over a year now. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami is another.

One thing I know, I will be picking up a much smaller book after I finish this one. I love being so engrossed in a story that it seems no other book can exist beyond the world of this one, but when that last page passes, it will be time for something that I can walk away from in a day and feel lighter for it. My shoulder will thank me.

What say you, thoughts on long books? What appeals? Keeps you away?

A Note About a Small Press

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Back in December, Elizabeth from Darkcargo asked if anyone would be interested in helping out a small press with a little bloggy love. I googled and liked what I saw. Mercury Retrograde Press publishes the types of books I read, so naturally, I agreed. I thought of several ways to help out — maybe a read along, a post about the press, maybe interviews with the authors, reviews, etc. But first, I wanted to read the books.

In thinking of ways to help get the word out, I was planning to ask for a few review copies. Then I decided not to. No, I would buy these books. If I’m going to help out, buying books seems the most logical. The Shadow of the Sun by Barbara Friend Ish and Secret of the Sands by Leona Wisoker are now officially part of my to read list. I plan to pick up There Was a Crooked Man by Edward Morris soon too. Since there is a self-imposed book buying ban in place at my house (we have no more room) these are ebooks but I’m considering a hardcopy of There Was a Crooked Man which was the only reason this book wasn’t purchased along with the others.

I plan to start The Shadow of the Sun in the next few weeks, and if you’re looking for a new book to read, why not join me? I’m not looking to do a formal read along but I think it would be great to discuss this book with a few like-minded readers. And in the process, you’ll be helping out a small press. Think on it.

Info you need:

UPDATE:

A few things are going to happen including a read along of The Shadow of the Sun which is tentatively planned for April. More info about the read along will be available at Dab of Darkness. You can also find more info at Darkcargo who will be keeping track of things. I’m going to be doing something as well but I’m keeping that a secret for now, at least till we confirm everything. More to come…

Thoughts on H.G. Wells

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You know when you’re reading a book and it references another book you’ve read and you want to go back and re-read the referenced book? That happened to me while reading Felix J. Palma’s The Map of Time and The Map of the Sky; based on H. G. Wells’ books, The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds respectively. Having enjoyed both of Palma’s books, I wanted to catch up with the classics. The last time I remember reading Wells’s books was high school, so naturally I was curious to see what I would think of the stories now. As it turns out, as an adult, I’m not a fan of Wells. I have fond memories of these stories, of being fascinated by the books, but no longer. What didn’t I like? Nothing specific about the stories themselves — the premises are wonderful — but it was the inconsiderate, uncaring, and obnoxious actions of the male characters. And, whenever (infrequently too) a woman shows up in the story, she’s relegated to being a slight character with no real value to the plot or the male characters. I know, that’s not a new revelation, but I was surprised by my immediate and intense reaction to it.

Before I turn what is supposed to be two short reviews into a rant, let’s get to the reviews themselves. I give you, The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds.

The Time MachineThe Time Machine

After settling in with The Time Machine, I soon realized I didn’t really remember much about this book. Or, at least my memories were fuzzy. I decided about half way through that I had a very big dislike of the Time Traveller. He was arrogant, uncaring, and prejudice. I get the arrogance, he wouldn’t have invented time travel without it, but the rest I could have done without.

We begin with a lecture of sorts where the Time Traveller shows his guests a small device that he claims can travel in time. He also claims to have built a larger functioning device that he plans to use to travel in time. Which he apparently does, meeting with two vastly different groups of humans — the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are a group of people so simple that he can’t believe this is what has become of the human race. In this same time, he also comes in contact with the Morlocks; a species that lives underground in dark tunnels. He does his best to categorize the humans he’s met but is disgusted when he figures out the relationship between the Eloi and Morlocks. When he’s able to escape and travels to his own place in time, he regales his contemporaries with stories of his travels.

There are so many fascinating aspects to this story. Time travel! But, Wells drove me crazy with his ideas of the human race. The pervasive idea that the Time Traveller was so much smarter, better shall we say, than the people he encountered was repulsive. It ruined this book for me. I can dislike a character and still enjoy a book but not in this case. I tried to become fascinated by the time travel but I was too far gone to get any enjoyment out of it.

The War of the WorldsThe War of the Worlds

When an unidentified object lands just south of London, residents are left dumbfounded. Could it really be aliens from Mars? When actual aliens emerge from the pods, all of London is left  running for its collective life as the aliens begin a methodical destruction of the planet. We follow the narrator as he makes his way back to his wife, suffering under the trampling of the Martians and witnessing horrors he never imagined possible.

The War of the Worlds is written as if it were a factual account of the narrator’s experiences. I liked that. It takes what could be a basic story and makes it feel very visceral. It did annoy me that I knew absolutely nothing about the narrator beside the fact that he was a scientist and was married. He does recount one part of the story as a second hand account from his brother but that’s all you get to know about him. I found that frustrating.

I did find this story much more interesting than The Time Machine and I think that had to do with the fact that there was a lot more action. In parts of The Time Machine, it felt as if little was happening but in The War of the Worlds, it was all action all the time. I do wish, and this goes for both books, that Wells had taken a few minutes to name his narrators; a pet peeve of mine. The intense dislike I had for The Time Machine didn’t appear when reading The War of the Worlds, in fact, I liked it better but if I had put this book down at any point, the possibly that I wouldn’t have picked it back up was there.

So, this brings me back to the start again. I’m not a Wells fan. Should I be? Anything I should consider?

The Time Machine
H.G. Wells
Atria Books
eISBN: 978145165886

The War of the Worlds
By H.G. Wells
Atria Books
eISBN: 9781451687989

So, I went to see The Hobbit

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We finally got around to seeing The Hobbit this weekend, in 3D. I can’t say the 3D was worth it but a few scenes were cool. Overall, it was good but I think stretching it to three movies is, well, a stretch. What I remember is that hour and a half cartoon from childhood that managed to get everything important in there which made me wonder why Peter Jackson can’t make one two and a half hour movie that gets all the major story arcs in there with some cool effects. Many great sites have reviewed the movie so if you’re interested, google. My reason for relaying this information is entirely unrelated to the actual movie.

If you saw the movie, you probably saw the preview for The Wizard of Oz. I’m not a huge fan, mostly because of the singing. I’m not sure if there’s going to be singing in the new one but the flying monkeys are still there. I don’t get flying monkeys. Just don’t. Anyway, this happened after the preview.

Me to husband: “I don’t get flying monkeys.”

Husband: “Well, I don’t get blue police boxes.”

*sigh* He’s never going to get Doctor Who.

Now, a weekly reading round up of sorts — I finished Ashenden by Elizabeth Wilhide which was very interesting in the way it was told. I’ll have more on it soon as I plan to write a review today. Yes, today. The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon was also good. I’ll have a review of that soon also because I plan to write a review of that tonight too. I’m planning to be busy later.

I bought three books the other morning: The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, The Last Page by Anthony Huso, and Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht. I read a sample of The Last Page and I can’t wait to read more but first, The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. I started this shortly before heading out of town for the holidays and will pick it back up today. A few pages in and it’s as good as The Name of the Wind.

My question for you today, and getting back to the first topic of this post, did you see The Hobbit? In 3D? What did you think?

Firsts

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I was hoping to have reviews to post this first week of the year but I’m so far behind it’s just not possible. Looking at my list of books I’ve yet to review:

  • 5 reviews are written and need editing attention
  • 3 reviews are handwritten and waiting to be typed
  • 8 reviews are still in my head and getting slightly foggy

So, what comes first? A list of what you’ll be seeing in the next few weeks instead of a review.

The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon

The History of Us by Leah Stewart

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Likeness by Tana French

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

In My Dreams by Sarah Addison Allen

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Loch by Steve Alten

The Year of the Big Thaw by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Courtier’s Secret by Donna Russo Morin

A Crystal Time by WH Hudson

The Time Machine by HG Wells

The War of the Worlds by HG Wells

Can anyone guess what I’ll be working on this weekend? 2013, the year I make an attempt at organizing…

Best of 2012

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It’s that time of year when I begin to panic. Yes, panic and it has nothing to do with the holidays. What worries me, causes lack of sleep, and makes me ponder endlessly over a glass of wine (or two)? It’s best of lists. That’s stupid, I know, but here’s the thing — I always look back over the year and think about what happened, good and bad, vacations, time with family and friends, and of course, the books I read. So, to alleviate some anxiety, I’m going to share a best of list with you. Whether you like it or not.

Last year I had this genius idea (I thought it was genius and I’m not taking any feedback on that!:)). Instead of picking a list of say 10 books (how could I pick a number one), I would go month by month and pick the books I liked that month. Now, you may see a book on this list and then look at my review and notice I didn’t rate the book high at the time. The reason I picked it? All gut feeling. I’m telling you which books resonate with me, even months later in some cases, so I can say, ‘You know what, try it.’

January
The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson
The Secret Diary of a Princess: A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Melanie Clegg
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

February
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Technologists by Matthew Pearl

March
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate #1) by Gail Carriger
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (read along, no review)
Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate #2) by Gail Carriger

April
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson

May
Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate #3) by Gail Carriger
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch (read along, no review)
Railsea by China Mieville

June
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate #4) by Gail Carriger
Timeless (The Parasol Protectorate #5) by Gail Carriger

July
Among Others by Jo Walton
Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier
Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton
In The Woods by Tana French

August
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

September
The Map of the Sky by Felix J. Palma

October
Death in the Floating City by Tasha Alexander
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Island of Bones by Imogen Robertson

November
The Likeness by Tana French

December
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

I read more fantasy and less historical fiction than in earlier years. And, as always, I have a few series going — not something that I see changing in the New Year. A good series is this reader’s downfall. It’s interesting how my reading habits change, even over the course of a year. One of the reasons I like to keep lists is to see my progress over a year’s worth of reading, that, and I really do like a good list.

OK, the big question — what did you read this year? Anything memorable, wonderful, something you wish you hadn’t read? Share, share. It’s not as if my to read list is getting any shorter anyway.