Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I love the illustrations, the story, the characters, and everything else about it. It's a dreamy book built on the fairy tales of Victorian England, and creates a world that echos into modern story telling. At it's base Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a story about a young girl trying to make sense of an adult reality. Alice falls asleep and is thrust into Wonderland, a place that is like her awake world but is also absurd. She is a child trying to process adult concepts and adult conversations has no language or ability to put them in context. What Alice does is she uses her language, fairy tales, and attempts to process what she sees. What we get is a world that is familiar and also contains talking fish, rabbits, and a dysfunctional deck of cards. Alice's projections also force her to admit that she doesn't know who she is. She experiments by growing taller, smaller, her tears create problems, her reactions to things allow her to take control of situations. At the end of the story she's saddened that she's forced to go back to her reality, but she's wiser than when she started.

Alice's adventures are now part of modern story telling. Disney movies are full of talking animals that symbolize adult situations, and teach children how to deal with them. The pack of dogs from the Pixar movie Up come to mind. As funny as they were, they symbolized that dealing with a hostile group of people isn't easy. It  teaches kids that going against the grain and standing up for themselves is not only okay, but a requirement in adult life.

Walking away from this book, perhaps for the final time in my adult life, I'm reminded  that a fantasy world can teach us a lot about our reality. Alice's adventures are comparable to what's happening tonight if we look hard enough. Projecting her story on a modern backdrop does us all a world of good. We learn more about our past, and we are able to put our present into context. Carroll's story stays with us because of how true it is.

Next up, I'm reading Little Women. I'm going to try to encourage more men to read that book. And yes, I realize that may be a major challenge, but you'll just have to deal with it.

(Image brought to you by: stpaulgirlstakephotos)

Weekly Link Round Up!

Adam Goodheart wrote an amazing article on Harriet Beecher Stowe called The Strange Career of Uncle Tom.
I've never read Uncle Tom's Cabin, but this article has seemly challenged me to do so.

I was doing some research on libraries this weekend and stumbled upon this Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library. I didn't know that the NYC Library system had a library for the blind and visually impaired. I think I may have send them a donation.

The Daily Beast had a few people tell them their favorite Summer reads ever. It's a very sweet list.

A blog called Bookride did a collection of dull/strange book covers this week. Experience the The Joy of Dullness and it's riveting second installment called The Joy of Dullness 2.

For those who like paperbacks you are in luck, because of e-readers Paperback Publishers Quicken Their Pace.

For those who are unfamiliar every year the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest picks the worst fiction of the year. They've chosen a winner and here are their 2011 Results.

 World Book Night is looking for Sport novel recommendations. Please send entries here, Sports novels - a blog of two halves. I don't really have a submission, but I will chose some books off the list and read them. It's one of my three unexplored generas.

Finally, Portland's public library has a new art instillation called the basement stacks.

(Image brought to you by: we <3 it)

Banning Slaughterhouse Five

Read it before you ban it

A fury of outrage has hit the book blogging community in the last few days, and it's time that I weigh in. A school in Republic, MO has decided to remove Slaughterhouse Five from it's school library. Due to, and this is a direct quote, "crude language and adult themes that are more appropriate for college-age students."

So, I'd like to send out a big old slow clap congratulations to the Republic, MO school district. You've instantly created a new generation of Kurt Vonnegut fans. That sentence is catnip to a teenager. Let's walk though the thought process of the average American teen, shall we? 1. A whole bunch of adults think this book is bad for me. 2. What do they know? They haven't been teenagers for like, 20 years! (Stodgy old bastards!)  3. Who is this Kurt Vonnegut guy anyway, I be he sucks. 4. I'm going to read it just to upset people, because my black shirt and nail polish make me a rebel. 5. Hey, this wasn't that  bad at all. I didn't get all the bits about time travel, but I kind of grasp that he wasn't fond of the destruction of war. The aliens were cool though. 6. I wonder if he's written anything else....

See? Instant fans. Look, I understand the fear of books and their content. There are definitely books out there that an average teen should have supervision while reading. But full court press book yanking from libraries is a massive mistake. It popularizes the novel beyond expectations and doesn't allow a safe place for kids to process the information. A book like Slaughterhouse Five deserves to be discussed in a classroom. Vonnegut wrote the novel after he came back from World War 2 in an effort to explain the destruction of war, and the mental toll it causes. I bet, and I'm comfortable with this assumption, a few kids in that English class have parents coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan. Vonnegut's book could help that kid understand why their parents feel like they don't fit in any longer. It can bridge the gap between a wartime parent and a full time student.

Republic, MO school system, you just missed the amazing ability to have an actual conversation with some students. I mourn that loss. I celebrate the kid who's downloading the book on his Kindle, or buying a used copy from his local bookstore. You know, the kid who wears this button:

(Image brought to you by: Northern Sun)

A Prayer for Owen Meany

A Prayer for Owen Meany

This week I realized I was ahead on my reading list, so I was able to pickup this lovely novel and give it a go. It's a wonderful book. John Irving's story creates one of the most unique characters in literature. He's small in stature, the book cites him as being under five feet, he's described as creepy and cute, and speaks in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. I feel like Owen serves the book in the following ways, he's there to be the town oddity. Having grown up in a town roughly the size of Gravesend I'm familiar with this. It's the person that any other community wouldn't tolerate, but for some reason, is the missing puzzle piece that brings the town together. He also exists as a Christ like figure. Owen's father says that he believes that Owen was a virgin birth. Irving is able to create a modern Christ and show how he'd react to high school, dating, and friendships. However, as Christlike as Owen is he often manipulates people to get his way. As much as Irving wants us to believe that Owen is miraculous, he's also quite capable of deception by omission. Owen is a flawed Christ, not the perfect Son of Man that exists in the Bible. The way he's written walks a fine line between the profane and sacred. Then again, don't we all? Owen may be our mirror. He may reflect back to us what we want to be and what we despise. He gives us the best parts of humanity and, in some ways, the worst.

I can't write this post without commenting on Irving's writing style. As much as I was sung the praises of this book, I found the way it was written a bit jarring. Wisely, Irving uses large paragraph breaks to separate the two, but zooming back and forth between 1959 and 1987 was a bit rough. The tone shifts in these parts are marked, even though Irving pulls it all together in the end, it's still difficult for the first 250 pages. This is the main flaw of the book. However, wait it out. The payoff it worth adapting to the writing style. As the two time lines draw closer it makes more and more sense.

Walking away from this novel I get a deep sense of why it's beloved. The story is unique, touching, and thought provoking. I found myself setting the book aside and pondering Owen. I want to get to know him. I want to be transported into the book and ask him for advice. I want to sit down and smoke* a cigarette with him. When the book ended I shed a tear. It was very difficult to let him go.

Next up, I'm starting classics month a bit early. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass is first up. I have to say I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEEEEE this book. I've read it many times, so my write up will be less about it and more about how it fits into our zeitgeist.

(Image brought to you by: Nayaww)

* Yes I smoke. Yes I know I need to quit. Don't lecture me about it.

The Hugo Awards my thought process behind my imaginary vote.

As July comes to an end, I've read all the Hugo Award nominees for 2010. Just to review, here's the list.

Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis

Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Dervish House by Ian McDonald

Feed by Mira Grant (pen name for Seanan McGuire)

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin

Who should win? Well, isn't that an interesting question. Each book brings something to the table that's unique and worthy of it being on that list. Blackout/All Clear brings an emotional story of time travel. Think Dr. Who, but subtract out the TARDIS. Cryoburn brings classic SciFi, and a well established world. The Dervish House brings a topical story, thrusts it into the future, and makes it deal with modern technology. Feed takes the rules of a world created back in the 1960s and modernizes them. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms creates a world that is far away, but familiar at the same time.  

When looking for the winner of an award like the Hugo I've got a few basic rules.

1. It's got to be fresh and unique.

This subtracts out Cryoburn. Cryoburn is a book for people who've read the 19 that came before it. It's a well established world that is familiar to people. Nostalgia may sell books, but it's not enough to win an award.

2. It's got to be fun to read.

This kicks out The Dervish House. As much as McDonald is known for writing fantastic SciFi books, he's not my favorite author.

3. It can't be predictable.

And Blackout/All Clear is out. I found that I would have liked that book more had it been a TV miniseries. It seemed to plod along, but not give me any wowing moments.

So, that leaves me with The One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and Feed. Here's where it gets difficult. Both books are fantastic. I've recommended them to all of my friends. But, I believe that Feed is the real standout in the Hugo list. It's modern, it's topical, it made me laugh on one page and almost cry on the next. I connected more to the characters in Feed than I did to any other book.

There you have it dear readers, my imaginary vote goes to Feed. My biggest suggestion to everyone is to read all the books and tell me your thoughts. I'd be more than thrilled to post them.

(Image brought to you by: AshliGST)

The Dervish House

The Dervish House

I should have known better. Every single time I pick up an Ian McDonald book I walk away in frustration. The Dervish House is no exception. Sure, some may sing it's praises, but I just couldn't get into it. It seemed to linger in places that didn't make sense and rush past characters and settings that I wanted to know more about. I found myself wanting to give up halfway though, because I couldn't get comfortable with his pacing.
Look, I'm not meaning to treat this book or author harshly. McDonald is a wonderful author. He's skilled in creating worlds, characters, and emotions. I just don't like him. This isn't to say that The Dervish House is a bad book and not worth the paper it's printed on. I simply didn't care for it. The book, in the eyes of another reader, may be excellent. On the basis of Science Fiction alone, McDonald is successful. He creates a 2027 Istanbul with ease. I felt that his rendering of Islamic fundamentalism along with emerging technology to be refreshing. It's an area most authors avoid because they aren't able to weave a story and tie it all together. He adds elements of fantasy by having his characters imagine djinn, faeries, and other mythical creatures.  His ability to build relationships between the characters is also astonishingly good. I've praised lessor authors for attempting to do more with less in this department.

I guess I'm trying to say that this book is like Spumoni ice cream. You either love it or hate it. I happen to hate spumoni with a passion, but I can understand why it gets an honored place at the table. It's all about familiarity, taste, and preference. McDonald and I may be oil and water, but, dear readers, give him a shot anyway. He's one of my favorite authors that I don't like.

With that being said, I still have to rate this on the Hugo scale. The top three so far are this, Feed, and The One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. I believe this topic deserves it's own post, so that will be around some time tomorrow.

My next book is kind of special. It was suggested to me on Twitter by a wonderful friend. After I said I didn't read it my mentions blew up. People were down right appalled. Yes, I'm reading A Prayer for Owen Meany.

(Image brought to you by: barbasia.) 

Link Round Up

A bookshop going places. I absolutely love this.

The Secret Bookstore. It's slightly illegal. You hear about it by word of mouth. Also, I believe it's cash only. What a thrill to buy a book from a man like this.

Amazon Launches Kindle Textbook Rental Service, Allows Students To Store Notes In The Cloud. So helpful for students. When I go back to school I'm going to use this.

Against Godmode. A good critique of modern comics. If anything pushes people away from them, it's Godmode.

America's Drunkest Writer. A write up of F. Scott Fitzgerald's alcoholism. He was so talented and had such a tragic life.

Why Borders Failed While Barnes & Noble Survived. I'm writing a post on the failure of Borders. It will be up some time this weekend.

Students Get Up Close And Personal With Rare Books.

The War for Catch-22.

(Image brought to you by: notmybeautifulhome)

August Reading List

As July comes to an end, and a heat wave rolls over the the United States I thought I'd post my August reading list. In August I'm going to tackle some Classics. Wait. Stop. I caught that eye roll. Classics are the DNA of story telling. Reading them and comparing them to modern literature is a bold necessity. My last post about Jane Eyre shows that. I see echos of that book in modern film, books, and television. 

With that being said, here's the list. 

Little Women

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

The Wind in the Willows

Great Expectations*

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

The Pearl

* Great Expectations will be read over the entire month. Charles Dickens was never really meant to be read in one sitting as a novel. He wrote serials, and they were published with months in between chapters. One of the biggest mistakes that readers make with Dickens is thinking that they have to read it from start to finish with no pauses. So, the write up for that one will be at the end of the month. 

(Image of City Lights Books by Kanaka Menehune) 

On Marriage

 For a moment, dear readers, I'd like to concentrate on my marriage. On July 21st we celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. I love him more now than on the day we were married. My husband makes me a better person. He encourages me, he treats me as his full partner, and I've found we work best when we are a team.

On our wedding day I read him a poem. I felt that e.e. cummings summed up how I felt more than I could put into words. Here's what I read:

one's not half two. It's two are halves of one:
which halves reintegrating, shall occur
no death and any quantity; but than
all numerable mosts actual more
minds ignorant of stern miraculous
this every truth-beware of heartless them
(given the scalpel,they dissect a kiss;
or,sold the reason,they undream a dream)
one is the song which fiends and angels sing:
all murdering lies by mortals told make two
Let liars wilt,repaying life they're loaned;
we(by a gift called dying born)must grow
deep in dark least ourselves remembering
love only rides his year.
                                   All lose,whole find

That was my vow to him. All these years later I feel like I've lived up to some, but not all of this. We've grown together, laughed more than we've cried, held hands though the darkest days, and kissed one another every single morning. We've got more growing to do, more life to live together. As we've matured so has our marriage. Yet still, I love him more than words can say. Flaws and all, he's the best part of my life.

On Thursday I'll wake up and he'll growl at my alarm clock. He does this every morning, it's subconscious at this point. I'll look at his sleeping form and kiss the part that's exposed by the sheets. A small smile will creep across my face. We made it another year. In a world that seems to move faster than light and that's louder than a jet engine I've got someone's hand to hold. The two of us marvel at it. Somehow we found each other in this big place. I can't wait to see what the next 9 years will bring. Some of it will be difficult, some of it fun, some of it absurd. As crazy as it gets, we'll go though it together.

Thanks for reading this post. I just wanted to pour my heart out for a moment. I wanted to everyone how much  he means to me.

PS Nine years in, he still does his own laundry. The night we were married I vowed to never do it. My husband folds his own socks, and it's going to stay that way. Period. He also kills scary bugs. So, if you think about it, he may really be the modern version of my white knight when it comes to cockroaches.

(Image brought to you by: Photo Problem) 

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë created one of the first feminists in Jane Eyre. Jane was willful, made up her own mind, and didn't take crap from the other characters in the novel. It's very refreshing to read a character like Jane. She's all too absent in modern fiction, having been replaced by women like Candace Bushnell and Bridget Jones. Bronte's novel about an independent woman in Victorian England must have been shocking. It's got a woman going off on her own, finding employment, inheriting her own money, and deciding who and when she marries. Women in the US didn't find this sort of independence until the 1970s. Hell, I even have issues explaining why my husband and I have separate checking accounts, and it's 2011. Jane was a woman who was far before her time. I feel like I could teleport her out of the novel, plop her in modern day Austin, and she'd thrive.

As much as Bronte's novel is ahead of it's time it also reads like a Lifetime Movie. Now wait, don't get upset with me Bronte lovers. My wonderful husband asked me the plot of the novel so I started to tell him, right at the point where I said, "... and Mr.Rochester keeps his clinically insane wife tied to a chair in his attic."

He started laughing. I did too. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It means that the story resonates. As habitual readers, we will see echos of this novel in other places. Bronte understood that shock would sell, and in her time, tying clinically insane spouses to chairs in attics was rather shocking.* It's one of those out of the blue plot twits that is completely unpredictable.

This post is sort of begging the question of whether or not I'd recommend Jane Eyre for pleasure reading. I'll admit, the only reason I picked it up was because it's on the list for a book club. Had it not been, I more than likely would have kept passing it by in bookstores. After all is said and done, I would. Eyre, for most, would be a large undertaking. It's over 500 pages and contains well over 200 footnotes (mostly to translate the French spoken in the book, but also to fill the reader in on Biblical and Shakespearean allusions.). It's worth reading because as long and tedious as the book may seem from the outside, Bronte knows how to keep the story compelling. In a sense, it's why novels like Eyre have been around for so long. Take a chance on this one, it's worth it.

My next book is The Dervish House by Ian McDonald. The Dervish House will round out my Hugo Award nominee readings. I'll do a post on McDonald's book, and then do a summary of the books over all. Should be a fun writing week for me.

*Let's be honest here, it'd be shocking today. Headline News would get so excited it'd renew Nancy Grace's contract for the next six years.

(Image brought to you by: matej kren. The piece is called Idiom and is in the municipal library in Prague.)

Link round Up from 07/09/2011 to 07/16/2011

Anna North does a wonderful write up called On Acknowledgments.

Drawing from that, No Thanks: Why Your Acknowledgement Page Sucks 

Here are the The 5 Most Stolen Books. Love that one of them is On the Road. Jack Kerouac* must be proud.

Favorite Pseudonymous Books. Ten books by authors who wrote under pen names. Some of them you may never have known.

It has been 102 in Austin all week, so when I saw this list I knew I had to post it. Laugh Yourself Cool: 5 Funny Books To Beat The Heat.

With all the Harry Potter love this week, the new Winnie the Pooh movie has lost it's voice. NPR asks the question, Will Christopher Robin Ever Grow Up? God, I hope not.

For my LA readers, Carmageddon reading list: 19 books about the joys and terrors of transportation. Most of them can be downloaded on an eReader, so you won't have to use said automobile.

The Death of the Publishing IT Department? I highly doubt this, with the advent of eReaders the IT departments will grow, just not in the way that he's thinking.

How Harry Potter Changed My Life’ Essay Contest Counts 300 Submissions. The winner is adorable.

The New York Times Book Review did a lovely write up called, Remembering Stieg Larsson.

Just for laughs, Book Covers Crafted from Video Games.

(Not quite sure who to credit for this picture, but iO9 has a slide show. If the photographer would like additional credit, please leave a comment. I'll edit the post with no problems. That being said, this is a picture of Neil Gaiman’s personal library.) 

Blogging, journalism, ethics, and what I do.

If, dear readers, somehow you've missed the phone hacking scandal that's happening across the pond, you are missing out on one of the biggest news stories in the last 25 years. Here is some quick information about it. Google should help with the rest. It's going to turn journalism on it's ear.

This scandal got me thinking about ethics, specifically, my ethics as a blogger. Blogging has never had well established rules. Now, this isn't the point where I try to justify to the world that I've hacked the voicemail of a crime victim, I've not done that, nor will I. But this is the point where I feel like I need to be open about what I do and what journalism does.

Journalism has a well established code of ethics. Want to do an interview and remain anonymous? Well, that's possible. Deep Throat's identity wasn't revealed until 2005. Journalists have gone to jail for not revealing sources. Bloggers? Well, we are a tad different. If I interview a subject, you bet that I'm going to reveal who it is. Granted, as a tiny book blogger in Austin, Texas so I'm not going to be party to a lot of interviews relating to national security. However, the book world has it's secrets. An interview subject that comes to me has to realize there is no expiation of privacy. I will reveal his or her name, and I will publish the interview in an edited format.

Second, revenue sources are a huge issue among bloggers. As my readers, I feel like I have an absolute obligation to tell you if I obtain a free book, generate income though a program like Amazon Associates, or I'm offered payment for a blog post. This is simply nonnegotiable. Sure, I like free stuff and money, but hiding that makes me look bad. You have my absolute word that if that ever happens I will be open, honest, and you'll know exact figures. Journalists work under the ethical obligation to tell this to their readers as well, but it often flies under the radar. Check out the corrections section in most news papers, that's where the revenue sources are often revealed.

Third, I will tell you if I like or dislike something. Critics that work for papers like The New York Times work under an ethical obligation to keep their opinions out of a story or a review. I will never do this. Part of my criticism of professional critics is that they've put far too much distance between themselves and the subject. This is flat out impossible for me to do. If I'm going to spend a week of my life reading a book I better tell you if I liked it. It's only fair to you so time isn't wasted reading a book that's not worth the paper it's printed on.

Blogging, to me, is about being upfront about what I do. Whether it be how I'm paid, how I come across an interview subject, or simply letting you know if I like something. My goal is never to beg for forgiveness, it's to be open and honest about this space. I hope, in time, that I am able to entertain you as well as inform. Let me know if you've got objections to what I've written. I'd love to hear it.

(Image brought to you by: Lux Tenebra)

Why the NFL needs to get it's shit together

I realize I'm a bit late to this party, but apparently the NFL has been in a lockout since March. This simply will not do. Look, I'm not a sports person. Growing up I lived in Canton, Ohio so the only way I could rebel was to learn absolutely nothing about football, much to the dismay of my father. (I also dyed my hair purple, but that's a different story for a different day.) During football season I was allowed four glorious hours of uninterrupted reading time. I could sit in my room, open a book, and go somewhere else. This was my time. I looked forward to it every weekend in the fall. The only reason anyone ever called me on a Sunday in the fall is if someone has died, or they are in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire. So, if the lockout continues, and there's not football this year, that means my reading schedule is going to be interrupted.  No football means that  friends will call me wanting to do things on Sunday afternoons. I'll also get random phone calls from my father wanting to discuss golf.   My world will be upended. This does not make me happy.

I understand how important sports are to people. It's a collective experience that allows people to suspend parts of them self and be part of something larger. It's as important to participate in an experience like this as it's as important for me to have well established alone time. Mentally, if I don't get those four hours I get cranky. I'm sure a football fan feels the same way. So, together, as football fans and as someone who has zero interest in the sport, the lack of said sport is a problem.

So, NFL, get your collective shit together. End the lockout as soon as humanly possible. Give sports fans something to look froward to, and give this woman her four hours alone on Sunday. It shouldn't be that difficult.

(Image brought to you by: Merkz+Girod Architects)

Bidding Adieu to Harry Potter

This Sunday at 4:55pm lights will go down in a theater at the Alamo Drafthouse and I'll say goodbye to a very old friend. I was 20 years old, going to Kent State University, and I was a woman on a mission. See, my boyfriend had just broken up with me, I had shaved my head, and I needed a book. My on campus bookstore had a small stack of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I picked one up on a lark, and thought to myself, "Well I hope this J. K. Rowling person is good. He'd* better write one hell of a story."

And was it. I ate this book like a person eats Thanksgiving dinner. 18 hours later I was back in the bookstore and buying  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I needed to start this story from the beginning.

The Harry Potter series is not great literature. Don't get me wrong, it's written well, but it's not the end all be all of fantasy. But, and this is a big but, it did several very important things. First, it gave kids a reason to read and then talk about what was being read. I cannot tell you how important this is. Toss a kid a book and he or she will read it, get a kid to talk about it, and things change. It becomes an entirely different world. It also sets the stage for that to happen again and again. Suddenly, a life long reader is born.

Second, it gave parents and excuse to read with their kids. If a child starts singing the praises of a book parents tent want to get involved. This is excellent. Getting a family reading together is one of the best things that could ever happen. When Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out I went to a midnight release. It was a mob scene. Trust me when I say this, I've been to many punk rock concerts. I saw the band Ministry, and participated in the mosh pit. Nothing compares to the crowd at that book release. It was like a well controlled riot.  I was run over by strollers, pushed out of the way by little old ladies, and given a death curse by more than one 8 year old. I've also never been happier to see that many families in one place so excited about a book. Even though my foot was swelling up to the size of a balloon, and I my ribs were a tad bruised.

Third, it's one of the few series that grew with the reader. In the first book, Harry is 11 and attempts to find his footing in a new world. He's awkward, famous for reasons he doesn't understand, and isn't able to emotionally process the world around him. By the end of the series Harry is 17, an adult, and has matured. As Harry ages the books get progressively darker and the situations he faces get increasingly dire.  Rowling intended him to emotionally transform, and the slow way she reveals that is refreshing. It made reading the series easier knowing that Harry wasn't stagnate or one dimensional.

As the theater darkens on Sunday afternoon, I'll feel a tug in my chest. It's going to be slightly sad for me to say a final goodbye to this series. I've read every word, watched every movie, and enjoyed it immensely. I suppose all good things must come to an end.


* I quickly caught on that J. K. Rowling is a woman. At that point in my life, the club of women fantasy authors was very lonely. It was a table for one that sat Ursula K. Le Guin.  This year four out of the five Hugo nominees are women. Rowling's influence is tangible.

(Image brought to you by: LinaRaquelF.Photography)

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Sweet fancy Moses this book is good. Wow. I mean... wow. For a first time author N. K. Jemisin creates a world that is so amazingly rich and fantastic that I kept having to remind myself she'd never done this before. Jemisin's voice seems to come from an old place. Books like this have been written in the past, but few of them feel this alive. She, astonishingly so, creates a  multifaceted world of magic that feels comfortable and familiar. Her ability to create that world is going to rocket her into a space that most fantasy authors dream. My only concern is that this world burns her out. As an author, living with these characters has to carry a weight. I know she must dream about them, and these books feel like the only way she's able to safely part with them. Once the whole series is done, I think she's going to need to go to Paris, sit in a cafe, and drink a cup of coffee unburdened. She deserves it.

This book uses a literary device called the unreliable narrator. While reading, I never really knew if I could trust that the character Yeine was telling me the whole truth, or simply the truth that she wanted me to know. Using this device can be fought with danger. One minor character exchange that's not written well and the whole book can be tossed in the toilet. Jemisin not only pulls it off for 430 pages, but at the end of the book I still have absolutely no idea if I should trust Yeine's account at all. Usually, when using this literary device, authors will reveal how unreliable the narrator was in the end, it's part of the denouement. Jesisin decides to introduce a brand new character and pushes the rest of the story line further into the second book. At the end I was gasping. This. Doesn't. Happen. I will read the second book. It took everything in me to not download it at once and blow off the rest of my reading schedule. In fact, even as I type this I keep toggling over to the Amazon page.... it's hard to resist.

As most of my dear readers know, this is up for a Hugo Award. Between this and Feed I might as well flip a coin. Deciding what one I liked better is almost impossible. However, and this is a really really GOOD however, The Hugo Awards have been known to give out the top prize to more than one book. Last year ended in a tie between The City & The City and The Windup Girl, so it's safe to say that this year may have the same result.

I'm moving onto a book selection from the Required Reading Revisited Book Club. Jane Eyre, is on tap for August. I bought the Penguin Classics hard cover edition, because if I'm going to slog though a 1800's Gothic novel it might as well be pretty. I am decidedly NOT a Bronte person, but I'm going to give this doorstop of a novel a shot.

(Image brought to you by: Asen Todorov) 

Link Round Up From 07/03/2011 to 07/09/2011

Link round up time!

The Nation has a lovely summer reading list.

It's about time someone started criticizing the Best Seller List. Michael Dirda does a great job in Publishing's Wrong Numbers.

Amazon washes away The Book Depository. I don't know how I feel about this. Amazon, whom I love, is buying up most of the book distributors in the US and overseas. As much as I like the company a little competition never hurt anyone.

Over 3000 titles were suggested for the next World Book Night. Also, according to rumor, they are thinking of expanding it to the US. I really hope this happens. I'd be one of the first to sign up. You can read about the titles here: More than 3,000 titles suggested for WBN 2012

How E.B. White Spun 'Charlotte's Web'. Charlotte's Web was one of my favorite books growing up. I love that Michael Sims has written about the behind the scenes. Can't wait to read this.

After 50 Years, Remembering Hemingway's Farewell. Hemingway committed suicide 50 years ago last week. There wasn't a lot of press about this, but NPR did a nice story.

Storyboards from Michael Bay's The Great Gatsby. Just because you need a laugh.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the e-Book. A great take on e-books, physical books, and convenience.

George R.R. Martin’s A Dance With Dragons: Worth The Wait. As most of you know, I'm slowly making my way though this series. It's good to know the most recent book is worth it.

Because you've always wanted to know what Kim Kardashian is reading: What Our Favorite Engaged Celebs are Reading. (Love how two self help books are on that list)

A Rare Huanghuali Travelling Bookcase. It's only going to sell between $50,000 and $70,000. Perhaps I can encourage my husband to buy that for me as a 9th wedding anniversary gift. All sarcasm aside, this is positively lovely. I hope whomever buys it enjoys every moment of owning it.

A little background on the image below: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

(Image brought to you by: Lauren Manning)

Blackout

Blackout

Connie Willis's novel delves into Breaking Bad territory. Well written, excellent character development, an engaging plot line, a great concept, but it's just not my thing. Alternative histories and time travel don't really speak to me as a reader. To me, time travel is a medium best left to movies or television. Visually, the concept lends itself to the big or small screen. Willis has her characters travel though a time travel device called The Net, though this portal they are able to go back in time and witness historical events. The characters are there to be impartial observers of the major events in World War II. As much as the book did a great job of showing this I felt like I should have been watching it on HBO.

Willis is a talented author, her research for this novel was impeccable. She went as far as looking up the times for Blitz attacks, and the outfit most London shop girls wore during World War 2. This makes me smile. I absolutely love it when an author takes historical fact and weaves a fictional narrative. It makes the characters feel like people as opposed to toys the author has created. Her time spent researching England pays off. The story feels less science fiction and more adventure novel. Willis also adds in an element of slapstick humor that is completely endearing. There were moments where I laughed out loud, and that's too rare in sci fi.

Walking away from this, I understand why a book like Blackout is up for a Hugo. Willis is a beloved science fiction author, and her books are often discussed in sci fi circles. However, it just doesn't measure up. There were parts that felt rushed and clunky. So far, Feed is still the clear winner in my imaginary* Hugo vote.

(Image brought to you by: Sveta Dorosheva. That link takes you to a place where you can buy some of her art.)

*It seems as though I can actually get a Hugo vote if I sign up for Worldcon. I may do this just so I can get the books for free next year.

My next book is The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Can't wait for this one. 

Things a Writer Should and Shouldn't Do

In my link round up this week I included a list from Three Guys One Book of 50 Things a Writer Shouldn't Do. As inspiration I came up with my own list.

A list of Don'ts:

1. Don't spend 15 pages describing a room. I'm able to conceptualize that myself.

2. Don't pick up a thesaurus and find a synonym for a frequently used word, I'll notice.

3. Don't feel the need to write to cement intelligence. I know you are smart, talking to me like I'm in Kindergarten will get your book thrown across the room.

4. Don't treat your fans like they are pests.

5. Don't ignore your editor. Sometimes less really is more.

6. Don't get so wrapped up and in love with one of your characters that a series goes on too long. It's okay to let them go.

7. Don't treat a contractual obligation as a means of publishing complete crap. You signed a three book deal, most people do not get that opportunity, use it wisely.

8.  Don't try to rewrite Ulysses or Gravity's Rainbow. Books like that come along once a generation, and more than likely you aren't that talented.

9. Don't hide behind metaphors. It's a sign of a lazy artist.

10. Don't fight for a bad book. Sometimes authors publish, unknowingly, something terrible. Admit it and move on. The more open you are about it the more I will respect you.

A list of Dos:

1. Do cite your inspiration for the work. Whether it be a poem, painting, news article, or movie I wanna know.

2. Do have interactive areas for your fans.

3. Do book signings.

4. Do encourage other authors to write. The more that's published the better off we all are.

5. Do embrace new technology. E-readers aren't the death of publishing, it's a rebirth. The faster you grasp that the better off we all are.

6. Do interviews. Lots of interviews. From the smallest blogger to the NY Times talk to people about what you do. It's important that people realize writing is a skill that gets better over time.

(Image brought to you by: Wallis Kate)

Cryoburn

Cryoburn

Remember in my last post when I kvetched about Feed being the first in a trilogy, and that not being listed on the cover? Annoying, right? Well, this book tops that. It's the 20th (not a typo) in a series. When I found out I was furious. Nowhere is this noted on the cover. I had to go online to discover it once I had the realization that characters had a deeper understanding of one another than they should. I was able to fill in some of the blanks via Wikipedia and Amazon reviews, but I kept having the lagging notion that I was missing something.

Writing up this kind of book is unfair. On Twitter I've met people who absolutely love the Vorkosigan Saga. I can see why, Miles Vorkosigan is a fun character. He's part James Bond and part Malcolm Reynolds. It's easy to get attached to his sense of humor, his style, and his past. However, it takes time to do this, book 20 is not the place to start. This isn't to say that Lois McMaster Bujold is terrible author. She's got talent. The book whizzes by at a nice clip, she puts twists and turns in all the right places, and she makes her characters very likable. And yet, this book couldn't keep my interest. I didn't care for it, but that doesn't mean it's bad it just means that I can't commit to something this large and time consuming.

If this book wins best novel at the Hugo Awards it will be because McMaster Bujold has created a world that everyone loves. She's spent a huge amount of her life writing and living with Miles. However, my main criticism with this work is that it doesn't do anything new. Epic space operas have their time and place, but the content seems to always be the same. In comparison to Grant's Feed it falls far behind. Grant spends time creating a world out of firmly established rules. McMaster Bujold spends time filling in back story. To me, science fiction has always been about pushing boundaries. McMaster Bujold doesn't do that. She writes novels that exist with in a well worn template.

My next novel is Blackout. Apparently, and I know this walking in, this is half a novel. The second half is All Clear. Want to know how I knew that? It was on the cover. Like it should have been.

(Image brought to you by: tigershavefoundme)

Link Round Up from 06/25/2011 to 07/02/2011

It's link round up time!

Three Critics Pick The Best Books For Summer. NPR has some of the better book critics around, I use them as a guidepost for my reading. I used to use the New York Times, but seeing as that I only get 20 free articles a month from them, it makes it a tad difficult to use.

Three Guys One Book has come up with a list of 50 Things a Writer Shouldn't Do. I'm going to write up my own list over the weekend.

Amazon's editors have created a list of the Best of 2011... So Far. Remember, a lot of really good fiction comes out between September and December, so it's possible that the books on this list may not make the cut at the end of the year.

The New York  Times has started a debate around whether or not school librarians are still necessary. Here's a round up of the first few arguments. I'll be watching this and commenting along the way: The End Of Librarians? and The End Of Librarians? Ctd.

The New York Times has a reading contest for students. Here are the rules: Our Second Annual Summer Reading Contest for Students.

Want to be a part of The Reading Rainbow Flash Mob? Well,  click that link.

Do you want a XXX Jane Austen? Vote in our poll. The answer to that should be FUCK NO. Not just no.

Penguin kids' classic audiobook ads. I haven't really made my mind up about those ads. They are cute and creepy at the same time.

How To Make It As An Independent Bookseller. I think the key to this is, have a friendly staff, bring in authors, and run book clubs. BookPeople in Austin does a fantastic job of that.

Librarian Nancy Pearl Picks 'Under The Radar' Reads. I'm adding a few of these to my reading list.

Hooray For YA: Teen Novels For Readers Of All Ages. This gave me the idea for a project. More on that later.

Oxford Comma Dropped by a University of Oxford Style Guide You can pry my Oxford comma from my cold, dead, serialized hands. (See what I did there?)

Art carved out of books

And finally: judgmental bookseller ostrich

(Image brought to you by: Arancia Project)