The Sunday Salon – What’s your favorite book? Let’s all play along edition.

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Over Labor Day weekend, we were at a friend’s house (It was a lovely afternoon if you’re curious.  You might not be but I’m putting it out there.) and we got on the topic of books.  I didn’t bring it up.  The book blogger stayed silent. 🙂 What an excellent title for a book!  Anyway, this person asked what books I’d recommend.  And here’s what happened in my head…

“Oh, what to pick?  What to pick?  No, seriously, what to pick?!  Don’t panic.  You read like, what, 100 books last year, just pick one.  Oh, crap.  I don’t remember any now.  How can that be!  Crap. Crap.  Just pick one!!!”

Yea, so, can you tell I don’t like that question.

You might be wondering how that can be since I have this little space of my own where I (OK, on the days I get out of bed early enough to post something.) talk about books.  What I like.  What I didn’t like.  And yet, when someone asks me a perfectly normal question about books, I can’t answer it.  My head goes all…

“What did I like last year?  Do I even remember the last few books I read?  Ah, nope.  I don’t.  Don’t remember what I wore yesterday either…  Ok…must make a list.  Put ginkgo on the list too.  Isn’t that stuff good for memory?”

I know what you’re actually thinking right now.  She’s slightly crazy.  No, really, I’m not.

You see, I’ve decided, the reason I’m not good at the above question is because I can’t pick one single book to say — “That was the best thing I read.”  Because that wouldn’t be true.  It’s not simply that I read so many wonderful books (OK, some books are better than others.) but I read so many *kinds* of books that to pick one seems wrong.  Let’s face it, we’re always seeing reviews for a book that another blogger loved and we go out and get it and find ourselves disappointed by it.  Sometimes so much so we don’t even finish and sometimes can’t wait to get the book out of the house because it was so disappointing you don’t want to look at it for fear it might ruin your reading karma.

What I need to do is ask the question, “What kind of books do you like to read?”  That way I can say wonderful things like, “Mysteries.  I read this fabulous book called Claire Dewitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran recently.  Takes place in New Orleans…” and sound so wonderful and sophisticated that even though this is going on in my head:

“Oh, I so hate this question…”

I won’t sound like an idiot.  Yes, it’s good to have a plan.  I should also make that list…is ginkgo good for memory?

P.S. – I’m feeling the need to file this under something like things I should keep to myself so people don’t think badly of me but hey, I’ll get over it.  Embarrassment only lasts a little while.  Right?

Moving on.  Tomorrow starts Book Blogger Appreciation Week.  I didn’t sign up for the interview swap which I wanted to do this year and didn’t register either.  Bad blogger I am.  Anyway, go here to find out more.  Wait, you probably already know all this but do it anyway.

Today’s Book – is not actually a book but don’t hold that against me

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Cuz it’s about a book!  Yes, I realize you’ll all be very tired soon of hearing about how wonderful George RR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series is but this I needed to share.  It’s an editorial that appeared in The New York Times on September 7, 2011 titled – Trapped in a Tapestry of Ice and Fire.

I love that this is an editorial about a book.  *Love it.* This makes me happy.  I would go on about the deeper meaning of this being an editorial about a fantasy book in the paper of record, or talk about the people who bemoan that we’ve stopped reading, blah, blah, blah.  But I seem to have met my match in a germ making the rounds so that’s all I have that’s coherent.  Go ahead and read.  And, if this doesn’t make sense, don’t hold it against me.  Blame the nasty germs.

Review – Mansfield Park

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Mansfield Park from The Complete Works of Jane Austen

By Jane Austen

Douglas Editions

ISBN: 2940000816981

3.5

I knew going in that Mansfield Park was not one of Austen’s most loved works but I had high hopes.  I’d yet to run into a story I didn’t like so why would this one be different?  Oh, what a question to be answered.  I struggled with Mansfield Park.  I never thought of quitting but when the general pattern I’m so happy to find in her books didn’t appear but a group of hateful characters did; it made me wonder what I was reading.  There was no one for me to become attached to.  No love story to speak of.  Scandal, debauchery, and laziness were in abundance though.

Fanny Price is all of 10 years-old when she’s packed off to live with her aunt, Lady Bertram, at Mansfield Park.  A timid creature, Fanny does her best to fade into the background.  Having been told since her arrival by her other aunt, Mrs. Norris, she knows she’s not much to look at, nor should she ever be ungrateful for all her aunt and uncle have done for her.  When the Crawford’s, a brother and sister duo of trouble, come to stay at the nearby parsonage, Fanny’s cultivated quiet life changes drastically.

There is a lot of Jane Austen here to like — it’s witty, humorous, there’s sharp dialogue, and societal mockery.  There’s also a boatload of dislikable characters.  For instance, Mrs. Norris.  She’s like the Mrs. Danvers of the Austen universe.  She’s mean, caustic, and cheap.  Oh so cheap.  While she never tries to get Fanny to off herself, she does all she can to make sure Fanny knows she’s no Bertram either and is certainly no help to her self-esteem.  I did find her amusing in a way though especially when she’s lifting things like jam and thread from others for her own personal use.  Lady Bertram is so lazy it’s a wonder she can breathe on her own.  She’s incapable of making any decisions and is forever asking her husband or sons if she likes something.  How can you not know if you like something?  Tom, Maria, and Julia Bertram are so self-centered they didn’t even register with me — even when scandal overtakes them.  Edmund is interesting, being the only one willing to speak his conscience, but he’s also annoying especially when he gets blind-sighted by Miss Crawford.  And now we come to the Crawford’s.  They do add life to the story and their scheming of course makes you love to hate them, but yes, there’s a but.  Because I saw it (I’m not going to tell you what it is.) coming I honestly wanted it to be over knowing good ol’ stout Fanny wouldn’t fall for it.

This has me wondering about another Austen book, Emma.  I never liked that character either and never finished the book.  I’m willing to give it a go but it might be a long minute before I get to it.  Lady Susan is next on my Austen tome list.  I enjoy epistolary novels so my hopes are once again high.

In time, I may go back to this one for a re-read.  I might feel differently about it a second time.

Teaser Tuesdays

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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.

Play along: Grab your current read; Open to a random page; Share two teaser sentences from that page; Share the title and author so other participants know what you’re reading.

Today’s teaser comes from The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.

“Hock Seng shelters in an alley as tanks and trucks rumble down Thanon Phosri.  He shudders at the thought of the fuel burning.”  (pg. 323)

The Sunday Salon – Do you listen when the universe tries to tell you something?

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One day last week I attempted to make coffee and the machine broke.  I decided it was the universe’s way of telling me to curtail my caffeine intake.  I had herbal tea instead.

I walk to work, and while I usually don’t notice anyone on the street, (I once walked past my own husband.  True story.) I keep seeing this person walking and reading.  This person has been reading George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.  It started a few months ago with A Game of Thrones, moved on to A Clash of Kings, then A Storm of Swords, and now A Feast for Crows.  At first I didn’t think much of it other than to marvel at this person’s ability to walk and read at the same time.  I could get so much more reading in if I was able to do this!  Sadly, I would probably end up covered in bruises and a regular in the emergency room for minor injuries from not watching where I’m going.  I’m the face of clumsy if you must know.  The reason I mention this is that I’m trying to hold off on finishing the last two books available to me.  Knowing it takes Martin years to finish a book, I don’t want to be left waiting longer than necessary for all seven books in the series.

Later that same day I go to pick up lunch and after ordering, I move off to the side to wait and what do I see but the same person sitting at a table once more reading A Feast for Crows.

I think this is the universe’s way of telling me A Feast for Crows should be my next book.  We’ll see how it goes.

Reading anything good this holiday weekend?

Happy Sunday.

Review – The Postmortal

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The Postmortal

By Drew Magary

Penguin Group

ISBN: 9780143119821

4.75 stars

In 2019, the cure for aging is discovered.  Three shots and you, barring cancer or mortal injury, can live forever.  Utopia has arrived.  Well, not so fast.  John Farrell all of 29 years-old gets the cure.  Always a bit of a self-doubter, but one with curiosity, he’s more interested in seeing if it works as opposed to thinking seriously about his actions and what the cure means for his city, state, country, or the world.

Told through John’s writings, blog posts, random thoughts, and news clips and feeds, readers are left with a unique, if sometimes, completely un-planned story and it’s fascinating.  It’s so fascinating in fact it’s almost believable — to a degree.  Scientific advances are made at astonishing rates and some of the scenarios in this book are not hard to buy-in to and I loved that.  Some of it is hard to read and sometimes John is infuriating but either way you want to see the total destruction you know is coming.  Magary ends the book in the only way possible and you want to thank him for it because you almost feel the world he created should be destroyed.  Over and over again.

John is an everyman who re-invests himself to stay alive — an estate lawyer turned divorce attorney turned globe-trotter turned end specialist.  Yes, he kills people for a living but not before offering them estate planning and tax advice.  It’s a sweet touch, really.  But John’s also a person stuck and even after his numerous years on the planet, still doesn’t know what he wants until the end.  Fortunately, it’s believable from him.

Magary has one freak of an imagination and I hope he keeps running with it.  The Postmortal is a true ride from start to finish but if you prefer less sociopathic behavior from characters, it might not be for you.  However, all that happens here could be attainable in a world with no death, at least not the naturally occurring kind.  That’s what I liked about it.  He goes radical, pulls it back, and goes after it again.

Do we know everything? No.  But neither does the main character so you go with it, sucked in hoping beyond hope he might find his way.  I highly recommend this one.

I requested this book from NetGalley.

Review – Tales of Terror and Mystery

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Tales of Terror and Mystery

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Penguin Books

ISBN: 0-14-004878-2

3.75 stars

I’ve been reading more short stories this year and have come to one conclusion — I prefer one author over several.  I enjoy the stories more if I become familiar with the author’s voice and I can then move along without feeling the need to stop and regain my footing at the end of each story.  In Tales of Terror and Mystery, this is exactly what happened.

There were 13 stories here; six tales of terror and seven tales of mystery.

Tales of Terror:

The Horror of the Heights follows a pilot who encounters giant jellyfish like aliens.  The Leather Funnel reminds us what a true nightmare can be.  The New Catacomb is a take on the value of friendship when a woman’s love is involved.  The Case of Lady Sannox is an affair gone wrong.  The Terror of Blue John Gap involves an imaginary monster made real.  The Brazilian Cat is a tale of family woe and backstabbing relatives.

Tales of Mystery:

The Lost Special is a recounting of a train kidnapping.  The Beetle-Hunter follows a young doctor and the horror he finds in answering an advertisement.  The Man with the Watches is about a train with missing persons.  The Japanned Box makes us wonder what a widower is doing alone in a room late at night.  The Black Doctor involves the disappearance and supposed murder of a well-liked town doctor.  The Jew’s Breastplate is a museum caper complete with a mummy.  The Nightmare Room is an odd scene with a séance to boot.

If you know anything about Sir Arthur Conon Doyle, these stories reflect many of his interests including his love of new technologies and preoccupation in the afterlife.  It’s endearing and somewhat uncomfortable at the same time as his prejudices also come through.  I’m not going into that here though.

I enjoyed the tales of terror more and there are a few gems among the mysteries as well but I did see a few endings coming which didn’t cause any disappointment.  With a short story, in some cases only pages, it’s going to happen.

If you’re a fan of Doyle, this one is worth a look.  It’s fast and the stories are entertaining.

 

Teaser Tuesdays

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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.

Play along: Grab your current read; Open to a random page; Share two teaser sentences from that page; Share the title and author so other participants know what you’re reading.

I’m starting The Last Days of Henry VIII: Conspiracies, Treason, and Heresy at the Court of the Dying Tyrant by Robert Hutchinson.

“Henry VIII – ‘by the grace of God, King of England, France and Lord of Ireland, Defender of the Faith and the Church of England … on earth the Supreme Head’ – finally departed his long, troubled life, friendless and lonely, at around two o’clock in the morning on Friday 28 January 1547.  The golden glory of his spry, gallant youth had years ago faded away and the radiant European prince of the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520 had decayed into a bloated, hideously obese, black-humoured old man, rarely seen in public during his last month.”  (pg. 13 of 273)