Feminine Mystique

Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan

The first installment for April's 2012 reading project is Friedan's seminal work. Credited for starting the second wave of feminism it is often sited as the book that all women must read before they leave college. It should be noted that I have read and watched many media figures cite Friedan's book either with bile or with glee when having discussions about women.

 Friedan's book is  product of the 1960.  She had me for the first few chapters. The problem with no name is something that everyone had felt. It is that chilling question we ask ourselves when we get up in the morning, "Is this all?"

Then she starts to harp on Freud. Look, I understand that the difference between Psychiatry in 1960 and 2012 is similar to comparing the original Super Mario Brothers to Skyrim, but it gets tedious. Also, her mother bashing and homophobia are off putting. Again, I realize I am looking at this book with a 2012 filter, but it is hard not to have the reaction.

Even with those criticisms of the book there are moments where Feminine Mystique is ground breaking. The criticism of media and advertising are still reverberating today. The way women view themselves is often shaped by what we see. So much so, it made me seek out more episodes of  Target Women With Sarah Haskins. Haskins has a modern satirical look at how women portrayed. It is hysterical, take some time and watch a few episodes.

All in all, I found this book lacking. It doesn't seem to call for the radical change that is attributed to it. I would recommend for people to pick it up and give it a go, but my concern is that most won't make it though. It is a really dense read. Walking away from it, I feel that it is a let down. It isn't the book that I thought it was. Friedan doesn't call for intense radical change, she is simply a critic of her environment.

Next up is Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky. I'll say this Alinsky's voice is commanding. I'm only 20 pages in, and he speaks with a great sense of authority.

Notice

I am going to be gradually abandoning the blogger platform and will be moving to Tumblr. You can follow me there at: http://apartmentfullofbooks.tumblr.com/

Uglies

Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Uglies is the kind of book that has all the makings of a good Young Adult novel, but then it never really delivers. Set up as a dystopia, Westerfield creates a world where everyone under the age of 16 is ugly. Then, after a surgical intervention, they are made pretty. The catch is being made pretty also comes along with minor (but reversible) brain damage that makes one docile. However, the catch to the minor yet reversible brain damage is that you get to live in a big city, party every night, and have as much sex as you want with little to no repercussions.  Did I mention that the brain damage was reversible? I guess my point is when making a dystopia make the mysterious evil government actually mysterious and evil. The fact that this dystopic society gives out free dental care is not something to be taken lightly. It makes me wonder, "Well, HOW much brain damage are we talking? Also, when you say it is reversible what is the time frame on that?"

Look, I understand that Westerfield is trying to make a point about body image, beauty, and how we think of ourselves. These are deep and meaningful questions that all young people should be asking. The book will open the door to change some minds. It is doing something important. However, I think it is a YA Book that truly is YA. It doesn't transfer up to an adult because we have either moved pasted it, or are too focused on getting plastic surgery that we would miss the point.

My next book is Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #1: Wolf Brother. I am thrilled to be reading it because two of my nephews will be in town next week. I hope to buy them some books as gifts. Also, after I am done wit this I am going to read a bunch of non-fiction.

Summer Reading List

Yes I realize it's March. Yes, I realize that the first day of Spring was a few days ago. Yes, I am still going to give my readers a Summer reading list. It is good to plan ahead.

1. The Night Circus A love story for people who hate love stories. This book makes a great beach read. I have a feeling that this book will be optioned for a movie, so buy it now before you have to put up with the movie tie in cover.

2. Gingerbread Girl A deceptively short comic that is not what it seems. It starts off a shy as an Archie Comic, and ends with.. well... just read it.

3. Old Man's War A great Science Fiction romp. Not enough people have read this, so I am out to champion it.

4. The Hobbit If you've never read it now is the time. If you read it a long time ago it's time to reread it.

5. The Great Gatsby A new movie version of this classic will be out in theaters this Christmas. You may want to get familiar with the  source material.

6. East of Eden One of the most beautiful American novels ever written. It is epic, sweeping, beautiful, and deserves the heaps of praise.

7. How to Be Black Part comedic novel part biography this book teaches though humor. It will end up being a time capsule book that is reflective of this period in history.

8. The Princess Bride Because you know every single word of the movie, and you've never read the book.

9. Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America Most non-fiction of this scope ends up being a slog, but Perlstein makes history alive. You'll email him with accusations of owning a TARDIS, and he'll write you back. He is an author that loves his fans.

10. Pulphead: Essays I want to stand on street corners and shout the praises of this book. My only complaint is that it is too short.

11. Let the Great World Spin I lost a Sunday to this book. Be careful reading it, you may end up cancelling plans.

12. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Yes really! Max Brooks was called "The Studs Terkel of zombie journalism" I can't believe how well written this book is. It will end up being a Science Fiction/Horror classic.

13. Kafka on the Shore Murakami is one of the best authors in the world. Kafka is a book that will seep into your day and suddenly become part of you.

14. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Diaz needs to write another damn book. This one was fantastic.

15. Going Bovine Bray rewrites Don Quixote. That's all you need to know.

Hunger Games/ Battle Royale

The Hunger Games and Battle Royale*

The country has caught Hunger Games fervor. Pre-sale tickets are though the roof, everyone is excited about Cinna’s gold eye liner, and I know more than one person who’s going to the first midnight showing. However, there’s been an issue dogging Collins’ work an argument that The Hunger Games is not authentically hers. Whispers that she had plagiarized a little known Japanese author named Koushun Takami who wrote an underground classic called Battle Royale. As a bookish person I decided to investigate this. It would involve rereading two books that I enjoyed and seeing two movies.


First things first, a summary. To move forward I need to summarize the subject material. Also, it’s important that everyone who reads this is on the same page. I will spoil both books, so if that kind of thing bothers you, skip this entry. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

Anyway, Battle Royale was originally published in 1999. Takami’s novel was kicked out of a literary competition due to its violent and sexual content. Once fully published it was a runaway best seller. Under the guise of a school trip 42 students are shipped to a small island, told they are to battle one another to the death, and then turned loose with weapons. All of this happens under the name The Program. The winner is announced on state television. The book also says that high level officials bet on the winner, but The Program itself is not televised.  It is run by a happy go lucky misfit named Sakamochi who is happily murdered at the end of the novel. The weapons given to the students range from a fork to a machine gun. There is nearly a murder a chapter. And, I love the author for doing this, the reader is able to keep track of all of this because he numbered the students. Each time one of the lucky (or unlucky) students is introduced it goes like this, Shuya Nanahara (Boy # 15). The students are also forced to wear collars that will explode if tampered with, and they are also told that if they are caught in a forbidden zone the collars will explode killing the poor dear immediately. Five hundred some odd pages later two students survive and are running away as fast as they can from the fictional Republic of Greater East Asia. The book is not traditional  Science Fiction as it lands firmly in the camp of Alternative History.

Next up, The Hunger Games was originally published in 2008. Suzanne Collins found herself with a surprising best seller on her hands seeing as the novel is a distopia where 24 children are forced to battle to the death in an arena. Under the directions of the Treaty of Treason two children are selected from 12 Districts by lottery. The first half of the book is staging for The Hunger Games. Tributes, as Collins calls them, are shuttled  from their poor districts to a wondrous  Capital. They are given food, drink, and beautiful costumes. They are interviewed in hopes of obtaining NASCAR like sponsors for when they enter the games. The second half of the book describes the game. Children are put into an arena and told to battle to the death. Let me be very clear about this,  it is violent and it is completely unnerving. The second half of the book plays as a sadistic mashup of reality television and a true blood sport. There are moments when the narrator states in simple terms that she knows that the cameras are on her, and she will act a specific way to please her sponsors. There is no hint of irony and no dry moment of sarcasm to redeem the moment.  The book gives the feel that absolutely everyone is forced to watch these games, and in some very strange ways they have become entertainment. Collin’s novel is pure Science Fiction. There are genetically modified animals, vastly superior medical science, and a hover car thrown in for good measure.

Is this a case of plagiarism? In the simplest terms, no. The two have similar moments and kill off characters in the same way, but these two books are criticising two very different things. Battle Royale is a dark comedy that is about living though high school. It took me reading the book twice and seeing the movie for me to realize this. Takami is showing the raw emotional years of high school. It is a wonder why this never took off in the post-Columbine post-9/11 America. It is more comparable to Mean Girls (2004) than The Hunger Games. Also, this book clearly criticizes authoritarian rule. I mean, when your neighbors are China and North Korea feeling a bit peeve about authoritarian rulers only makes sense.

Which leads me to The Hunger Games. It is obvious that Collins did not rip off her story. She tells a chilling tale of a dystopian society that entertains itself by watching children killing other children. Sure, there are minor elements of this in Battle Royale when highly placed party members place bets, but Collin’s way of having the games broadcast live into every home is far more insidious. In Battle Royale the characters openly discuss not playing the game. A few even commit suicide as an act of rebellion. In The Hunger Games every single character is resolute.  The shocking part of The Hunger Games is the characters awareness that what they are doing makes for good television and could possible save their lives.

The next part of this project is comparing both films. I saw Battle Royale last night, and I will see The Hunger Games on Friday. If you get a chance go see Battle Royale in the theater. I had seen in on DVD years ago, but the new release is very well done. Also, there are some sight gags that only play well on the big screen. The movie is rated R, so use judgement if you decide to take a young one. The write up of both films will be posted by the end of next weekend.


*Author’s Note: There are currently TWO versions of Battle Royale on the market. If you want to run out and buy yourself a copy (or get it from the library) please make sure you are getting the one that was published AFTER 2009. Apparently, a new translation was done. However, because I’ve read both versions it simply isn’t just a new translation, it is a lengthening  of the novel. Quite frankly, this pisses me off. I had no idea the first go around I was reading an edited work. Had I known that I would have fired off an angry email to the publisher and translator saying that I am an American, and we do not censor here. Can’t you picture it? I would have included an American Flag Gif and a Midi file that played the Star Spangled Banner.  

Link Round Up

Sorry for the delay in posting. I'm almost done with The Hunger Games, so that series of posts will start soon.

Is An Interactive Ebook Still A Book? I believe we will call it something else, simply because it will have to be categorized differently.

Slate to Begin a Monthly Review of Books A lovely development.

Reading Pathways: Margaret Atwood I adore Atwood. This is a fantastic reference.

The 10 Best Fictional Bookstores in Pop Culture A nice round up of them. If I could pick one to visit it would be Flourish & Blotts.

U.S. Warns Apple, Publishers Price fixing is very very illegal.

Encyclopaedia Britannica Dies Under Its Own Massive, Printed Weight Not all that shocking. It became too expensive and too large.

Recovering Lolita I love this project. The book is simply a masterpiece.

Dystopia Is The New Vampire I am going to address this more in the next series of posts.

Why Finish Books? If I get 100 pages into a novel and it doesn't grab me I set it aside. Any author that can't grab me in that time period needs a better editor.

The Last Unicorn

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

This book has been sitting on my TBR shelf since 1999. I've ignored it, shoved it to the end of the line, and given unread copies of it away. Now that I am done I realized I should have read it long ago. The Last Unicorn is a wonderful adventure. I feel like I can now count myself as a fan of fantasy literature. This book is a corner stone. Honestly, I feel like I should have read it with a book club, it lends itself toward conversation. Beagle knows how to develop a story and a character.

The absolute best part of this book was the self awareness of all of the characters that they were part of a fairy tale. Schmendrick, the magician, propels the story forward by knowing the structures of the myths. He has an understanding of how it is going to end. In a sense the end of the story isn't all that surprising. It is the journey that is the best part. It is also worth noting that Beagle creates intelligent female characters. They defy the stereotype in the classic fairy tale.

Walking away from this book, I highly recommend it. It would make a fantastic Spring Break read. The next week or two may be light on posting. I have created a mini-reading project around The Hunger Games premiere. I am going to reread Battle Royale and The Hunger Games. I also plan on watching both films*. My goal is to do a big compare and contrast of the books and the movies. Originally it was going to be one big post, but seeing that Battle Royale is over 500 pages I am going to separate the two.

* Cross your fingers I can get tickets to see Battle Royale on the big screen. The Alamo Draft House has several screenings, but the tickets have yet to go on sale. They tend to sell out quickly.

How to be Black

How to be Black  by Baratunde Thurston

After my last two books I needed some light and funny reading. I got funny, however the topic is anything but light. Thurston's book is part biography, part guide book, and part interview. It is an amalgamation that works, even though at the onset it seems a bit over done. I enjoyed Thurston hop scotching from one genera to another. He transitioned it with ease, and has an immense talent. The man needs to write more books, and he needs to do this sooner rather than later. A voice like his is absolutely needed.

The biography is about a young man who grows up in drug torn Washington DC. Crack is epidemic, young black children go from selling lemonade to  selling drugs, and violence is the norm. Thurston's mother does everything possible to get him away from it. She enrolls him at Sidwell Friends* and gets him involved with a Pan African  group on the weekends. One was meant to balance out the other. Sidwell Friends was nearly an all white institution the Pan African group was all black. Transitioning between the two groups Thurston develops a sense of who he is.

The guidebook portion of the book is interwoven with the biography pieces. Chapter titles like How to be the Black Friend and How to be the Angry Negro abound. It is a biting humor that follows. Many a truth is said in jest, and these chapters prove it.

The interviews, where Thurston convene a panel of Blackness. The conversation is fantastic I really wish he would expand the section, or write an entire book using the people he selected.

This was a great read. I laughed out loud more times than I could count. Pick it up and give it a go. You won't be sorry. My next book is The Last Unicorn somehow I have never read this book. It just never landed on my shelf until about a month ago.

The Diary of Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank

How to you write about a work that transcends each and every genera that it is thrust into? Can I be critical of a book like this? Is it even fair to try to compare it to other stories? All of these questions have crossed my mind when I was reading Anne's diary. The first rule of criticism is does the book reach out to its intended audience? Well, this is a diary. Anne never meant for anyone to read it. At that point the rest of conventional criticism evaporates. It is difficult to call this book dull because it is about how life goes on even in the middle of a hellish war. The glimpse of normalcy and beans for dinner is extraordinarily moving.

Part of the reason I selected this book is because it was never required reading when I was growing up. Somehow my English teachers never selected this work. Looking back that makes me sad. I wish I could have read Frank's diary. Her detailed anguish of not fitting in would have resonated with me. I would have discovered I was not alone. As much as this book is used to teach classes about the Holocaust, it can also be used as a way of showing young people that their emotions are not isolating. A young girl felt them in 1943, and you may feel the same in 2012. Asking people to read this book is almost a cliche, but I am going to do it anyway. Even if my readers have picked it up as young people, read this again. If Anne Frank reminds us of one thing it is that we are all wonderfully human. 

After a week of gulags and the Holocaust I am switching gears to a something funny. Baratunde Thurston's How to be Black should make me laugh out loud. Also, the inside cover said that if I didn't buy the book I was a racist, so I did.

Link Round Up

Bookish Wedding :: The Pictures, remember wedding season is almost here.

A new bookmark, it appears that someone really has reinvented the wheel.

March Book Pick: 'The Mysterious Benedict Society', I read the books and they were really fun. I hope people pick them up.

14 Movie Cameos by the Authors of the Original Books, I didn't know there were this many.

Movies That Should Be Books, I am in agreement with this.

Is An Interactive Ebook Still A Book?, we will keep having this debate forever, I'm sure.

Between Shades of Gray

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

The first installment of the 2012 Reading Project for March, Between Shades of Gray takes on a forgotten piece of history. It gives a face and a name to Stalin’s Gulags. Historical fiction gives a toehold into what happened to the Baltic States during World War II. It is Sepetys first novel and it is destined to become a classroom staple. With that being said, I enjoyed the book, but did not find it to be amazingly innovative. The characters didn't seem to grow, their voices stayed the same though out the whole novel. And Sepetys seemed to rely on stale YA genera archetypes. Meaning, if one is condemned to spend 25 years in a gulag having a love interest that is an asshole is a bit over the top. What's the point? The worst has already happened.

I want to be fair to this book. It 95% of the time it is very good. The mistakes made are something that will change once Sepetys grows as author. This novel is a stunning debut. I highly recommend picking it up and reading it.

My next novel for the 2012 Reading Project is The Diary of Anne Frank. I've actually never read it. What? It was never required reading in high school!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

I loved this book. I started it Sunday afternoon and finished it last night. (I worked 13 of those hours so it slowed me down.) It is the kind of book that you want to stand on the street corners and preach about. It needs to be on your future reading shelf. Go buy it. I won't mind if you take a break from reading this to toggle over to your favorite online book seller to do so.

Enough gushing, it's time to get into the meat and potatoes of this book. Arnold Spirit is a young boy that lives on an Indian reservation in Washington State. The deck is stacked against boys like Arnold. Expectations for boys like him are low. Diary lets the reader in to Arnold's truth. He wants to be a comic book illustrator, he's a good basket ball player, and he was born with an abnormal number of teeth. As it moves along Diary becomes laugh out loud funny and lip biting painful. Being 15 isn't easy. Being 15, poor, being the only brown kid in an all white school, and being labeled a traitor by all your old friends makes life almost impossible. Arnold handles it with grace and humor. 

Alexie's writing style is completely accessible to young readers. He knows how to speak to the heart of a disaffected young person. My greatest wish is a book like this gets put in the right hands. I can see buying this book over and over again, giving it to that special young person who is reaching out for it. 

My next book is going to kick off the 2012 Reading Project for March. March's theme is children affected by dictators. Between Shades of Gray talks about a young girl who was deported during Stalin's invasion of Lithuania.  Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is the second selection. I can not wait to do the write ups for these books. 

   

Link Round Up

Reading a Book More Than Once as Mental Health Benefits, this is good to know.

The Market For Romance, Romance is the most popular genera today. Here is a look inside. I am proud of these women  they've been doing this for 30 years. Bringing joy to people though reading is always a thrill.

The Roald Dahl Survival Guide For Kids, A funny look at Dahl's world. It's a lot more violent that you think.

Book Is Judged by the Name on Its Cover, How predictable.

2011 Nebula Award nominees announced, The Sci Fi award season is starting to heat up! I can't wait. 

Badass Hall of Fame: Judy Blume, Judy is a badass. Her books helped me through so much. 

Romance Novels, The Last Great Bastion Of Underground Writing, I disagree. Fan fiction is the last great bastion of underground writing. Don't believe me? Google search term: Harry Potter Fan Fiction. Told you so. 

Scifi author spoils his entire book series for terminally ill fan, You may need a box of tissues for this one. 

Shooting Kabul

Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai

An NPR Backseat Book Club selection for February. Senzai's book was published in 2010, and is going to be put in the post-9/11 literature genera. A boy and is family flee from Afghanistan to America in the first part of 2001. An accident happens a the youngest sister is left behind. Yadda yadda yadda the family is reunited at the end. Don't get mad at me. I know I just ruined the end, but it won't matter in a few moments.

Shooting Kabul is delivered with the emotional heft of a paper cut.  The book has a sprawling world Kabul and San Francisco are both beautiful places filled with unique quirks that should be a writers delight. Senzai makes them appear flat and dull. A young boy blaming himself for the abandonment of his sister should be a gut wrenching narrative. It falls so flat that there were moments half way though the book where I forgot the girl was missing. The only moment I felt truly captured the book was when the main character was taking pictures. The writing came alive and was full of rich texture and detail. It feels like this book was holding back. Every time I saw the author try to turn a phrase or have here characters emote she simply dulled it down. If a family loses a child in war torn Afghanistan it is absolutely permissible to have one of them say the word fuck. Also, if a child is about to be the victim of a hate crime and he utters the word crud it makes me think the book was purposely edited to stay on shelves in libraries in conservative school districts. Honestly, I feel like this book went though a painful editing process. The bones of an astonishing narrative exist. They peak out behind all the goshes and darns. The author knows how to write a compelling scene. I just wish we could read the story how it was intended. The whitewash is readily apparent. 

Moving on, I'm going to read Skin Hunger (Resurrection of Magic) the book was up for a National Book Award in 2007. I'm only a few pages in and it feels great.

Habibi and Gingerbread Girl

Habibi by Craig Thompson

Every now and again I end up reading a watershed book. The kind of story that when I read reviews 10 years from now young comic book authors will site it as an inspiration. Books like Watchmen, Maus, and Persepolis are already mentioned in hushed tones as being some of the best comics has to offer. The next book to join them will be Habibi. Thompson's work, that took him six years to create, is not an easy read. It's graphic, sexual, and in some places maddeningly stereotypical. However, the book rises above all of it. Thompson creates a story that is so beautiful it is worth every single moment he spent drawing it. I absolutely love that everything I touch in the novel Thompson created. From the cover to the chapter breaks everything feels handmade. It has a Shop Class as Soulcraft feel to it. Pick up the hard cover version of this. It is worth every dollar.

I have gone out and read some criticisms of Hababi. People have said they were waiting for Blankets 2. In a way it is. Hababi feels more like the spiritual journey of an artist. It starts out trying to excuse the inexcusable and by the end it shows two people who love one another because of the journey undertaken.

Gingerbread Girl by Colleen Coover and Paul Tobin

I'm wrapping up my stint of graphic novels on Gingerbread Girl. At 104 pages it seems like it would be a short and quick romp thought a fun story. Walking away from it, Gingerbread Girl does more in that space that some novels can't even attempt. It asks existential questions about existence and finding inner truth. It does it in a quirky self aware way that I was almost taken aback. Every character breaks the 4th wall. Animals step up and tell versions of events that humans miss. I have a feeling I will go back to Gingerbread Girl just so I can see how well it ages. It is very possible that it could be come a classic.

I'm moving onto Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai. It is part of NPR's Backseat Bookclub. Also, I must tell you about my new bookmark. Pink Tank has crafted this excellent NYC Landscape bookmark. It is beautiful, and I want all of you to order one when you get the chance. They make great gifts to the reader in your life.

  


  

Link Round Up

5 Myths About eBooks Debunked, I realize all of these are rather obvious, but it is still worth posting.

8 Unexpected Downsides of the Switch to E-books Cracked.com gives some unexpected downsides.

Deathless prose: the vampire novel of the century, I have had some really interesting discussions about this list. Salem's Lot is my absolute favorite. It's a classic vampire tale written by King in his early days.

“Losing My Religion” Memoirs, A really good list of books by people who have left the extreme branches of religion. Most come out of the experience still believing in a higher power.

There’s Never Been a Better Time to Be a Reader, this is absolutely correct. In the history of the printed page, 2012 will be the best time to be a reader. Readers have a several dozen ways of obtaining books, reading them, and then sharing their thoughts with others.

The Wonderful and Terrible Habit of Buying Too Many Books, *cough* I... *sigh* yeah.

Is Amazon Destroying or Democratizing Literature?, We need to keep having this discussion. There is no wrong answer to this question.

I Wish I Could Quit You: The Curse of a Chronic Book Finisher, If I get 100 pages into a book and it still doesn't have my attention I give up. It is not worth my time to struggle though a book I hate. Life is too short and there are always better books waiting for me.

Tomorrow I will have write ups for Habibi and Gingerbread Girl.

Troop 142 and The Stonekeeper

Troop 142 by Mike Dawson

I finished Troop 142 yesterday, and I have been attempting to write this post ever since I flipped the book shut. The words aren't coming to me. This graphic novel is so difficult to describe. It is a methodical exploration of boyhood and masculinity, but uses the guise of being a simple comic book. The closest literary comparison that I have  is The Body by Stephen King. Even that is a stretch because King makes it seem like boys go though an innocent period and then have a moment of corruption. Troop 142 shows a more realistic picture. Boys are complex emotional creatures. I encourage everyone to seek this comic out. It is worth the read, and the inevitable discussion that will take place.

I love that Dawson is using this medium to tell these stories. It's important works that reaches out to the right audience. Similar to comics like Blankets and Persepolis Dawson is taking readers to an emotional place that regular novels just can't go. I challenge authors like Dawson to keep creating. I need a lot more books like this in my collection.

The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi

My biggest complaint with The Stonekeeper is that it rushes the plot. It seems like a series that is eager to get to the meat of the story with minimal exposition. Usually, I'm a fan, back story in comics can be filled in by my imagination. However, I love how this was drawn, so I wanted to linger in the world a bit longer. Kibuishi's art style reminds me of early 90s animated series. It may feel like Duck Tales, but the story runs a bit darker than the Disney inspiration. This is a great rainy day book. I also ordered the sequel, so I plan on reading that sometime next week.

Next up is Habibi by Craig Thompson. It has been sitting on my shelf since early January, it has been nearly impossible to resist. I can't wait to dive in.

In the Time of Butterflies

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

Alvarez's novel is a fitting end for February's edition of the 2012 Reading Project. A wonderful author that is writing at the height of her craft. Butterflies is fiction, but reads like pure fact. It is hard not to imagine the Mirabal sisters any other way. That's the beauty of wonderfully written fiction. It leaves the reader with something. The world is slightly changed because of it.

Before I get too ahead of myself, I should really do a small plot breakdown of the book. Alvarez is writing from the perspective of the four Mirabal sisters. The book is broken into sections that clearly defines each sister, and is markedly different from one another. Where Alverez comes into her own is how she switches from one sister to the next. Each section can stand alone as its own book. Each section is rushing to the same doom. Penning a tragedy is full of perils. Penning a tragedy of female political dissidents can become overwrought and difficult to swallow. Alverez deftly misses all the traps and brings a sense of humanity and humor to the sisters that are so easily hero worshiped.

Butterflies is a must read. It will stand the test of time in any library. It opens the door to wanting to know more and more about the Dominican Republic. I want to discover more authors from that region. I want to read poetry and prose from their artists. I'm so glad I decided to focus on this subject, because I've really found an area of literature that I absolutely love.

Moving on, I have picked up Troop 142 by Mike Dawson. As many longtime readers will remember (yes, all four of you) I set aside February as Graphic Novel Month.  I will have fewer novels than last year, but I think I chose wisely.

Another housekeeping note, the books for March and April for the 2012 reading project.

March's theme is children of war. The selections are: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Between Shades of Gray.

April's theme is books I've been accused of reading but haven't. The selections are: Rules for Radicals and The Feminine Mystique.    

Link Round Up

GENRE KRYPTONITE: Ditzy, Bad-Ass “Bitches”, Book Riot discusses strong female characters. 

Pink Tank makes metal bookmarks. I bought one when it was on sale. They are wonderful. 

Would You Shop at an Amazon Bookstore? Good question, I have a feeling it would be more a competition for Best Buy than my local bookstore. 

The Whirling Sound of Planet Dickens, The New York Times looks at Dickens' legacy. I include The Wire as part of the Dickensian cannon. 

I'm still reading In the Time of Butterflies. So far it is fantastic. I may be able to get a write up done tonight. 

The Feast of the Goat: A Novel

The Feast of the Goat: A Novel by Mario Vargas Llosa

This was the first book in February's installment of the 2012 Reading Project. I chose this book because it was mentioned in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Also, though no fault of my own, I know next to nothing about the Dominican Republic. It wasn't something I chose to learn about in school and the history of the island nation was waiting to be discovered. The Feast of the Goat is dense and filled with postmodern structure. Llosa interlaces dialogue from one era to another, so keeping track of who is talking as well as when they are talking can be a challenge. It is an interesting way to have a novel keep a very dreamy sense of reality. Reading this book was like buying a pair of shoes where one is slightly taller than the other.  At the outside everything seems normal, examined closer everything is a disaster.

I feel it is important to note that this book compares the rape of a child to the rule of a country by a dictator. Rafael Trujillo was a terrible man. Human rights were nonexistent during his rule of the Dominican Republic. The country suffered deep and strict sanctions after Trujillo attempted to overthrow Rómulo Betancourt. The comparison between that and the rape of a child is apt. The country he claimed to love suffered greatly and for a long time. I realize at the outset that the comparison may be difficult to swallow. However, due to the amazing craftsmanship of Llosa it doesn't feel overwrought.  It is also important to note that this book is extraordinarily dense. It may give the impression that it is of average length, but it took me twice as long to read it.

Next, I'm moving onto the second book in February's installment of the 2012 Reading Project. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. I have been avoiding a discussion of the Mirabal sisters and how their death brought down Trujillo until I read this book. Butterflies is a specific examination of this topic by a master author. I have a feeling I'm going to really like this book. Also, this book is part of the NEA's Big Read project. I stumbled upon that website a few months ago and wanted to get it some attention. Big Read books are a great way to get introduced to some classics, and to some books that may have slipped past quietly in the night.

Link Round Up

Boing Boing is doing some great posts on fair use. I'm a huge fan of this article, Best practices for fair use in libraries

The best part of fairy tales is that they are constantly evolving. Folklore and stories constantly reflect the current fears. I have a big problem with people thinking they need to save them. We don't need to do that, we need to examine why the story changed. Are Fairy Tales Worth Saving For Teen Girls?

Libraries big and small, Little Free Library, Toronto

Barnes & Noble Won’t Sell Books From Amazon Publishing, this is going to get interesting.

The Bookstore’s Last Stand, it is nowhere near as bad as the title suggests, but expect to see more of this.

Rumors Resurface About Amazon Opening Physical Stores, didn't I tell you it was going to get interesting.

Ebooks vs Democracy? Again, I don't think things are this dire. Sullivan brings up good points about why he has switched almost totally to e-books.

The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World I thought I'd end on a beautiful note. 

Franny and Zooey

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

I should have trusted my gut when I started reading this book. Prior to this my exposure to Salinger was though Catcher in the Rye. I hate Holden Caulfield with the passionate intensity of a thousand suns. He described the entitled, whiny, overly privileged teenager that seems to exist in wealthy white upper middle class suburbs. I went to high school with a pack of Holdens, I went to college with even more of them. Each time I met one I laughed to myself. I realized that reality must be so dull that these boys must create their own pain. Now, I thought that Salinger would back off on his theme of alienation, but he doubled down. Franny and Zooey is just as maddening. I threw it across the room when I was done with it. It is a book with no moral value. Overly privileged white kids  pontificate about "phoney" people. It is an inner term oil that is completely fabricated out of nothing. Life is so good for the protagonists in this book that they have to create their own inner world of pain to have some sort of conflict. Most of their problems are easily solved, but going for the most direct answer is never pleasing. They seem to want the pain to linger just so it can be experienced. I don't have the time or patience to deal with that. This will be the last Salinger book I ever read. I'm glad he left the world with only three major works. Had he been prolific I fear that I may have been overrun in college.

I'm moving onto my February reading project. The first book up is The Feast of the Goat and the second is In the Time of the Butterflies the theme is the Dominican Republic and the rule of Rafael Trujillo. More specifically it was inspired by The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Wao was such a stunning novel that it made me want to read more Dominican authors.

I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four  by Pittacus Lore (nom de plume of James Frey and Jobie Hughes)

One of my guilty pleasures is a Michael Bay movie. In high summer, when it's 105 in the shade, there is nothing like going into a dark air conditioned theater watching things blow up. I picked this book primarily because it tapped into my love of that genera. I Am Number Four didn't disappoint. It may have felt a lot like Superman, but Frey and Hughes did enough tweaking to the plot to make the story seem fresh. However, the book clocks in at 430 pages. I honestly think with the help of an editor the book could have been clipped down to 250. The book kept repeating itself over and over. Plot points were impossible to miss because they were summarized in every third chapter. I Am Number Four is a book that doesn't trust it's audience, and for that I'm not going to by the rest of the series. It was a frustrating endeavor, whole chapters could have been cut out.

I feel for authors like Frey and Hughes. They must have work like this dictated to them via publishers. Reworking soulless exposition over and over again must have been maddening. Also, not putting your own name on a project has got to hurt! I mean, Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan writing The Strain series together has to burn. Look, I'm not trying to be a high and mighty reviewer here. What I am trying to do is get Frey to write a better book. Understanding that A Million Little Pieces had its controversies, but even though that, Frey is still really talented. He shouldn't be forced to write the book version of Michael Bay movies.

Moving on, for my Required Reading Revisited book club our March pick is Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger. I am really not a fan of Salinger's most famous book The Catcher in the Rye. We'll see if I throw this book across the room.

Galore and a guide to magical realism

Galore by Michael Crummey

Galore is a book steeped in magical realism and Biblical illusions. Set in Newfoundland, Canada it tells the story of a town. Crummey's novel felt like the Canadian version of One Hundred Years of Solitude. As complementary as that is, Galore is a challenging read. It is the type of book that can be an undertaking for a light reader. The pay off is enormous, the book is full of beautiful images and it is a story that can help see the beauty in the world.

Magical realism is a relativity new genera of literature. I feel that the approach of the book world towards this genera has been stodgy and intimidating. Regular readers avoid it because academics are making it seem so complex. I want to set up a reading guide, so that books like Galore are more accessible. First, Galore is not where anyone should start. It's a beautiful book, but will put readers off the genera because it is too challenging. Start with Life of Pi. Pi is a bridge book, meaning that it straddles the line between Young Adult and Fiction. It's imagery and illusions are accessible to both audiences. Then move onto  Love in the Time of Cholera. Cholera is  bit more challenging than Pi. Marquez weaves stories together using colorful threads of dialogue. Also, Cholera is more of a campfire story. It doesn't proceed from point A to point B. It ambles around, goes backwards and forwards. Next read One Hundred Years of Solitude. It's one of the best books ever written. I can't express the beauty of it in words. Just read it. Then, after all that, read Galore. Yes, I realize I've given out a project with my recommendations, but I don't want anyone to feel like Galore is too much of  challenge.

Moving on, I'm reading something much lighter. I Am Number Four is a book that has been chattered about for a few years, and I feel like it is time I read it.  Michael Bay has blurbed the book, so there had better be explosions or I am going to demand my money back.

Link Round Up

How to Say “I Do” to Shared Bookshelves Without Ruining Your Relationship This is an important article especially if the library contains duplicate books.

 Best-sellers lists: How they work and who they (mostly) work for Great article! It shows how people game the list. It is no longer the measure of a good book.

Publishers And Booksellers See A 'Predatory' Amazon I shop Amazon and I also shop local. The two sides are going to have to reach a truce.

The 5 Books That Inspire the Most Tattoos I'm looking for my next tattoo.

Is Your Learning Style Related to Your eBook vs. Print Book Preference? I'm begging higher education to look into this and do studies. E-books could be revolutionary for some students. We need data to back up some of the claims being made.

A Challenge! The Whitehouse Petition on School Libraries I singed it, will you?

Warning: This Is A Post About Disclaimers I'm in agreement with this, I feel like I need to give a disclaimer about The Book Thief.

Why the Most Literate Cities in America Aren't the Wealthiest Good round up article, and a fantastic discussion about what makes a literate city. 

The Martian Chronicles

The Martian Chronicles  by Ray Bradbury

The Martian Chronicles are a book of short stories that tells the tale of humans colonizing Mars. Written in the 1950s the post nuclear bomb pre-Moon landing country was crazy for stories about outer space. Bradbury obliged and was able to place his work in science fiction magazines. These now defunct publications would place Bradbury in the hands of many young and adventurous minds. Little did Bradbury know he was sowing the seeds of modern sci-fi.  One of the stories, it's less than a full page, feels like the outline for Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick. (AKA Bladerunner)

Another vitally important aspect of this book as much as it is a mirror of the past, it is also a reflection of the future. Bradbury wrote women differently, he also did for other minority groups. Keep in mind this was all in comic books in the 50s the Civil Rights and Women's Equality movements were a good decade to twenty years away. Good science fiction always does this. It imagines the world as it could be, and reflects the past back to the reader at the same time. When I was growing up I could never find myself in regular fiction. Girls like me simply didn't exist. However, I did find myself in Science Fiction. Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 was the first time I connected to a young woman in a book. Clarisse McClellan made me feel less alone in the world.

This is a great book to read as a family. It can be picked up, read, and passed around. Due to the nature of the material it is also helpful if one has a struggling. reader. Pick this one up, read it on a rainy day. I promise it is money well spent.

I'm moving onto my last book of January, Galore by Michael Crummey. I've had this on my TBR (to be read) shelf for ages. It's about time I get around to it.

   

Pulphead

Pulphead by John Jeremiah Sullivan

Long form journalism is often ignored in the US. Magazines are read, tossed aside, and recycled. The good articles may get ripped out and shared, but most of the time they are on a barge back to China to be recycled into a cereal box. It is a deep wish that Sullivan has a broader appeal. Pulphead is excellent. Sullivan is a master writer, he can suck a reader in for hours. I found myself reading this book in places where I shouldn't. I shot annoyed looks and people when I was interrupted. I stayed up late not wanting it to end.

Sullivan's first essay sets the tone for the rest of this book. Upon This Rock details his adventures with a 29 foot RV at a Christian rock festival called Creation. Godless heathens like myself usually look at large gatherings of religious folks with trepidation. Sullivan makes friends, and writes about Creation with such pathos that I found myself wanting go this year. I found his treatment of the subject to be fascinating.
Shifting gears, the book then delves into Axle Rose and Michael Jackson. Sullivan interjects himself into each essay with ease. He's not completely a journalist, he interjects too much of himself in each story, he is more of a observer. His critiques of pop culture are spot on, and they are really fun to read.

Moving on, I am going to read The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. It's novella length, so I should be doing the write up of it some time tomorrow.

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I don't know where to start with this book. Green has created a novel that is so real and so true that it is almost unimaginable. He created a world where the two main characters have cancer, but often, that is the least interesting thing about them. Hazel and Augustus feel so real that it hurt to set the book down. I cried more than once, and I feel a bit empty walking away from the story. I almost want to reread it just so I'm sure I didn't miss anything. It has been so long since I've read a love story like this one. Green has written one of the best YA books in the last ten years. This book will end up being made into a movie, it will end up becoming the template for many other ripoff novels, and it will the standard that high school girls use to measure relationships. Move over Bella and Edward you are now fighting Hazel Grace and Augustus.

The novel doesn't pull any punches, within the first ten pages it is established that it will be a tragedy. I knew death was part of it. I hunkered down and hoped that it would be worth the emotional involvement. Oh boy, was it ever.   Green also seemed determined to be so honest it hurts. Hazel's job is to show how fetishizing the world of cancer has set up people for disappointments. Often those afflicted don't live up to the heroic stereotype. It is worth noting that Hazel and Augustus give many moments of laugh out loud hilarity. It's not that cancer in and of itself is funny, it's that the world surrounding it often is. This is the absolute best part of this sad story, it's funny honest moments turn into self reflection. The reader learns the truth though laughter and through tears.

I absolutely recommend this novel with out any hesitation at all. It is fantastic, it will be discussed often, and it is worth paying the money to get a hard bound copy.* Cancel all appointments, set aside five or six hours, and enjoy. It is quite the ride. Walking away from this, I am so glad I gave Green a second chance. I read Looking for Alaska, and intensely disliked it. I was nearly beaten into submission and forced to read An Abundance of Katherines. I'm now a fan and hope to remain one.

My next book is Pulphead a collection of essays by John Jeremiah Sullivan. There have been numerous comparisons of this book to A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by  David Foster Wallace. If that is the case I will be very pleased.

Link Round Up

Online Shoppers Are Rooting for the Little Guy In regards to books, this is a great development.

The 50 books every child should read This is a fantastic resource for parents, or for anyone who buys books for children.

YA novel readers clash with publishing establishment This was bound to happen. Honestly, the publishing establishment needs to suck it up and realize the world has changed. Not everyone is going to give glowing reviews because they happen to get free stuff.

30 most-anticipated books of 2012 This list is a tad late. However, Toni Morrison? WHOOOOOOHOOOO!

A Case Against Reading the Classics In the interest of full disclosure, I have submitted an application to be a World Book Night giver. With that being said, teaching the love of reading is far more important than teaching the cannon. I've read plenty of books in the cannon, some were fantastic others were terrible. We have moved on from reading a set of books to determine if a person is well read.

The Pace Of The Publishing Industry Sully is having a great debate.

A Badass Guide to YA Books A wonderful guide.

Banning A Book Won't Stop Bigotry Lets stop blaming books for turning people into assholes. People chose to be assholes and then seek out literature to justify it.

Eat Your Books A search engine for cookbooks. I know people who have hundreds. This is a great tool for them.

(Brought to you by: The National Archives of the UK)

The Ruby in the Smoke

The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman

I am a huge fan of Pullman's His Dark Materials series. It is a complex young adult story that is almost addicting. So, when I picked up The Ruby in the Smoke I was really excited. The problem is, the story fell flat. I just couldn't bring myself to get lost in Sally Lockheart's story. I don't blame the author in this instance, the book was very well written. I blame myself. I've had a rough week and have been bouncing back and forth between obligations. Blaming an author for Pullman for my lack of focus isn't what I want to do.

I'm going to recommend this book as an entry way to Pullman's other series. As highly as I push the His Dark Materials series on people it's still a challenging read for a young person. The Lockheart books will get the reader familiar with how things work. Also, with the advent of Dr. Who, Harry Potter, and other authors young adult are falling in love with all things British. (Adults are too, I'm a huge Dr. Who fan and I am passionate about Downton Abbey)

I'm moving onto The Fault in our Stars by John Green. I ordered it from Amazon a few days after it was released. Somehow I am now in possession of a signed copy.  Don't ask me how, but I rather like it.

Prep

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

The book cover for Prep is in drastic need of a makeover. Its pink and green belt lead me to believe it was some sort of Chick Lit beach book with no heft whatsoever. The deception may be the reasons for the low ratings on Amazon and other bookstores. It is very much a work that needs to be read and discussed, but my fear is that it is driving the people who want to read it away because the cover is such a stereotype. Yes, I realize that I'm asking people to not judge a book by the cover, in this case it is very much true.

Lee Fiora may be the protagonist in Prep, but she's also a composite of almost every single high school girl I've ever known. Prep shows the teen years as they are, practice at being an adult and doing badly. Lee has excruciating moments where I yelled at her. Her passive way of relating to those around her is maddening. However, the book feels reflective. Lee is telling her story with ten years of distance. This disjointed and disconnected feel comes from a person who has already felt strongly and moved past it. Lee is telling her story without much emotion because she has already used it all.

Prep also dives into race, gender, and culture stereotypes. I felt like Sittenfeld was trying to show how the American class system works similar to the way the Up series does in the UK. I felt like it wasn't addressed enough. Every time she tried to show racism or sexism it fell flat. Lee's story is interesting in and of itself, but Lee explaining racism at her school were the characters weaker moments.

Lastly, Prep has been described as the Catcher in the Rye of its time. I strongly disagree. Lee isn't Holden, she's far more fleshed out than Holden ever was. Both books may have a similar setting, but Prep feels fresher and less heavy than Rye. In other words, if Catcher in the Rye was a bad experience, Prep may be a better read.

I'm moving onto The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman. I'm a big fan of Pullman, so I'm expecting good things.

Link Round Up

The Race to Nab Web Addresses It will be interesting to see who nabs .book, .novel, and .reading. This has the possibility to shake things up if it gets widely adopted.

Literary events in 2012 New books by Toni Morrison and Zadie Smith. That made me swoon.

Why Print Is Here To Stay (A Not Anti-eBook Op/Ed) A well written article, and a well fostered debate. I believe that ebooks will eventually become dominate, but paper books will still be printed. The publishing industry will be very different in 10 years. I can't wait to see what happens.

McDonald's: UK's biggest children's book seller. I'm usually not a fan of McDonalds, but I am happy to see them putting children's books in their Happy Meals. Now if we could just get them to do this in the US.

The Case for Giving J.K. Rowling a Nobel Prize; Whither Waterstone's Apostrophe I have LONG argued that Ray Bradbury should win a Nobel Prize for literature. The committee simply refuses to entertain any science fiction or fantasy. Once Bradbury passes away (and I hope that day is FAR FAR AWAY) I will then begin to lobby for Rowling. The complete snobbery behind the nomination process is distressing and maddening.

Wonderful Murakami Covers from All Over the World  I hope you enjoy these.