Book Talk

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Top Ten Books of 2015 (So Far)

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Whoa.  How is 2015 half over?  Seriously, it seems like every year gets faster and this one is going by in the blink of an eye.  Although I started the year slow and in a major reading rut, I’ve read lots since starting my maternity leave, thanks to the joys of the lap nap (see above).  Seriously, there is nothing better than losing yourself in a good book while a cuddly, warm baby snuggles in your arms.  It’s the best.

And speaking of the best, here – in no particular order – are the best books I’ve read in the first half (seriously, how?) of 2015:

 Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, by Erik Larson – This was only my second Erik Larson book (I read In the Garden of Beasts back in 2011 and thought it was wonderful as well).  Larson combines meticulous research with masterful storytelling.  Dead Wake told the story of the Lusitania’s final voyage from a number of different perspectives – the passengers and crew on board, the crew of the submarine that fired the fateful torpedo, and the politicians and intelligence officers in both the U.S. and Great Britain.  I couldn’t stop turning the pages, and I learned a ton.  (Note that I read Dead Wake during the extremely sleep-deprived first days after Nugget’s arrival, and it still held my attention.  That says a lot.)

all the light we cannot see All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr – This was a lyrical, haunting, sad novel featuring the stories of a German youth and a French girl during World War II.  The language was stunning, the characters real.  Although it started off rather slowly, it built to a gripping, powerful and stirring conclusion.  Apologies for all of the adjectives, but trust me, this book deserves them.

the romanov sisters The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra, by Helen Rappaport – I’ve always been fascinated by the Romanovs, their gilded lives, and their tragic end.  This biography of the four Grand Duchesses, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, was beautifully written and was quite unique.  Most chronicles of the family focus on the Imperial couple themselves, the Tsarevich Alexei, and of course Rasputin – the sisters are rarely given much ink between the four of them.  Rappaport changes that in this lovely book about four very special princesses.

station eleven Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel – This dystopia held me in thrall from the very first page.  I loved the tale of the triumph of the human spirit and of the power of art after a flu all but wipes out the human race.  I’ve been recommending it all over the place.

as chimney sweepers come to dust As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (Flavia de Luce #7), by Alan Bradley – There were mixed opinions about the latest installment in the Flavia de Luce series; I know several readers who were disappointed that the mystery took place entirely away from Bishop’s Lacey and beloved side characters such as Dogger.  While I did miss the Bishop’s Lacey folk, I find myself getting more and more drawn into the larger plot arc with each addition to the series.

a dangerous place A Dangerous Place (Maisie Dobbs #11), by Jacqueline Winspear – Another new mystery release makes my list!  I really enjoyed reading about Maisie’s continuing journey.  Without giving anything away, I will just say that Maisie has enjoyed great happiness and endured great tragedy since the tenth volume ended, and that both have changed her.  I love Maisie’s character growth.

overwhelmedOverwhelmed: Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time, by Brigid Schulte – This nonfiction study of current time use in American culture and around the world was fascinating.  I found myself nodding my head in agreement quite a few times.  While I did fit squarely within the target demographic (busy professional mom here) I think there was a lot of good information for anyone.  I was so interested in these concepts that I wrote two blog posts about the book: see here, and here.

yes please Yes Please, by Amy Poehler – I’m a huge Amy Poehler fan (Knope We Can!) and I loved her memoir.  Amy sprinkles in memories of her childhood and career, general life wisdom, and lots of laughs.  I normally don’t purchase non-fiction, but my mom got this for me as a Christmas gift and I’m glad it’s on my shelf, because I think I’ll be returning to it again and again.

the royal we The Royal We, by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan – This romance is pure Will and Kate fan-fiction, doesn’t even try to hide that fact, and I love that.  The story opens on the eve of the wedding between “Nick” and “Bex” – so there’s no question about whether they’re going to get together or not.  It’s just straight-up fun while we watch their relationship unfold.  I was glued to this one, turning pages feverishly every chance I had.

in the unlikely event In the Unlikely Event, by Judy Blume – The first Judy Blume novel for adults in some seventeen years was a major media event, but luckily, the book lives up to the hype.  Based on real events from Blume’s childhood, when three planes plummeted from the sky over Blume’s hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, within the span of 58 days, the book focuses on fifteen-year-old Miri Ammerman, her family and friends, as they attempt to make sense of the string of catastrophes.  There were many characters to keep track of, which made things confusing at first, but I soon had everyone straight as the story grabbed hold of me and pulled me in.  Riveting, horrifying, and a total page-turner.

What have been the best books of 2015, so far, for you?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 6, 2015)

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Yawwwwwwwwwn.  I’m stumbling out of the holiday weekend haze and am kind of in disbelief that a new week is upon us – anyone else with a bit of a holiday hangover?  We had a good one; it was the perfect mix of on-the-go family fun and relaxation (thanks to Nugget’s need for daily lap naps, about which I am not complaining at all).  More about our activities on Wednesday, but for now, do you see the ridiculousness stacked up there on my foyer table?

The library stack has taken on a life of its own.  I mean, really.  I swear that when I was walking by it the other night I heard it say “FEED ME, SEYMOUR.”  Never mind that my name isn’t Seymour.  I’m officially scared of it.  Although it is, thankfully, a couple of books shorter now than it was when I snapped this picture.  On Thursday afternoon I finished up Orchard House, which I liked but didn’t love.  (The garden descriptions were luscious, and I enjoyed reading about life in Seattle, but I found the author a bit petulant at times.  From the Goodreads reviews, it seems I’m the only one who felt that way.  But who picks a fight with a 73-year-old woman over how to properly hang toilet paper?  Come on!  In 73 years, she hasn’t earned the right to hang the toilet paper however she darn well pleases?  SMH.)  Then on Friday and Saturday, I read The Book of Speculation, which again, I liked but didn’t love.  I’ve moved on to The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings, which I can tell is going to be fascinating but slow going.  I’m trying to figure out whether it should be a priority or whether I’ll be able to renew it.  If I think I can renew it I may move on to American Ghost, which I believe has a waiting list.

How was your weekend?  Did you celebrate the Fourth of July?  Get any good reading done?

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Summer of #BlumeAlong, Part I: ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET

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Ahhhhhh, Judy Blume.  Probably one of the most prolific – and beloved – middle grade and young adult authors, well, ever.  She’s been all over the bookish news lately, as she just released her first adult novel in seventeen years (In the Unlikely Event, which I also read and loved this month).  In honor of Blume’s new novel, Kerry of Entomology of a Bookworm proposed a readalong featuring two of Blume’s all-time greats: Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and Summer Sisters.  As I mentioned in my responses to Kerry’s kickoff questions, Blume was a big part of my reading childhood.  I believe – although my mom can correct me if I’m wrong – that my first forays into the Blume canon were the Fudge books, starting with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.  (I haven’t thought about those books in years, but I do still have a soft spot for that trouble-making Fudge.  Hope my kids love the Fudge books as much as I did.)  I eventually moved on to the young adult novels, and my favorite was Just as Long as We’re Together.  (Apparently there’s a sequel, Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson.  How did I not know that?)  But one I missed, somehow, was Blume’s all-time classic, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.  So when Kerry suggested a readalong, naturally, I jumped on the chance to remedy that omission.

The Plot…

When the novel opens, Margaret Simon and her family are preparing for a move from New York City to New Jersey.  Although Margaret’s parents justify the move with reasons like fresh air – more space – better schools, Margaret suspects that they might also be trying to get her away from her grandmother.  Grandma is a devout Jew who would love for Margaret to join the religion – which makes Margaret’s agnostic parents uncomfortable.  Still, Grandma is a darn sight better than the grandparents on the other side.  Margaret’s mom was raised Christian, and her father was Jewish, and when they decided to marry, Mom’s parents cut them out of the family.  (The reader does well to remember that this book takes place in the 1970s; I don’t know that the story line would be as realistic if written today.  At least, I hope it wouldn’t.)

As Margaret settles into life in the suburbs, she finds herself swept into new friendships.  The gregarious Nancy Wheeler takes Margaret under her wing and invites her to join a secret club, the Pre-Teen Sensations, in which all members must wear bras and alert the others when they get their first periods.  And thus begins a year of growth in which Margaret convinces her mother to buy her a training bra and anxiously awaits her first period.  (Reading this book as an adult, all I wanted to say to Margaret was, “Oh, honey.  Trust me, bras and periods are not nearly as exciting as you think.  Don’t rush it!”)  Margaret immerses herself in junior high, with all its worries about friends and boys and reputations.  Meanwhile, she continues to spend time with Grandma and deals with more family drama as her other grandparents suddenly seem to want to be in her life.

It’s a lot for a Pre-Teen Sensation to handle, but Margaret has a confidante: God.  Although Margaret is “no religion,” she still keeps up a steady stream of conversation with God, pouring out all her hopes, dreams, and questions.  Why would Mom keep secret from Dad the fact that she sent Margaret’s grandparents a Christmas card?  And please, come on God, help a girl out in the bra department!  Also, while we’re at it, when is Margaret going to get that elusive period?  The other girls are shocked at Margaret’s non-religious family; how will she know whether she’s supposed to go to the YMCA or the JCC?  For a class assignment, Margaret spends the year attending various religious services, trying to figure out what religion would be her best fit – but none of the churches or temples seem right.  Margaret feels uninspired at best, and at worst, like a fish on the minister’s hook.  (She spends a lot of time counting hats.)  In the end (spoiler alert!) Margaret realizes that her relationship with God – personable, friendly and intimate – is exactly what she needs.  Especially when he finally obliges on that whole period thing.

My Thoughts…

Like I said, I loved Judy Blume’s novels as a kid.  So I’d bet that, had I read this at age 13 instead of 33, it would have really spoken to me.  (Except, maybe, the period stuff.  I don’t remember ever being so excited over that particular milestone.  More nervous that it would arrive at an inopportune time.)  Even now, I really enjoyed it, and I think my adult perspective shed light on certain aspects of the book that would have been completely lost on me as a pre-teen or young teenager.  (For example, I cringed at the casual cruelty the girls displayed toward Laura Danker, but I also recognized that their behavior was rooted in jealousy, which I think I would have missed twenty years ago.)

The best part of the book, for me, was watching Margaret’s evolving relationship with God.  When the book begins, God is a sounding board, a place to lob worries about friends and boys and seriously, God, when is Margaret going to get her period, I mean COME ON already.  (I particularly enjoyed one scene in which Margaret, getting ready for a party, decides to stuff her new bra with cotton balls and then says, in effect, see, God, I just need a little help here.)  Yet as Margaret attends different religious services, she comes to recognize that her personal relationship with God is more fulfilling than the rote recitation of lines she doesn’t even understand.  And that she doesn’t need to know whether she’ll go to the YMCA or the JCC, because what she has is deeper than the external trappings of religion.  While it’s true that, at the end of the book, God is still a sounding board for friend and boy troubles (although at least Margaret has her period now, thanks, God!) Margaret is much more comfortable with the idea of charting her own religious path.

All things considered, I really did enjoy this book.  There was an awful lot of bra-and-period talk, but it’s Judy Blume, so that’s pretty much a given.  There was also a lot of wisdom sprinkled in.  So – better late than never – I’m very glad I’ve finally gotten to know Margaret Simon.

Have you ever read Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret?  What did you think?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (June 22, 2015)

CentralLibrary3 Monday again.  Did everyone have a nice Father’s Day weekend?  I hope you enjoyed celebrating with the dads in your lives.  Around here, we kept things low-key at hubby’s request: just a quiet day hanging out at home.  We had my father-in-law over for dinner, which was wonderful.  Peanut was so excited that Grandpa was in the house!  Of course, he got some snuggles in with Nugget, too – whenever Peanut permitted him to, that is. I roasted a chicken and some new potatoes using my current favorite combination of seasonings (smoked Spanish paprika and Penzey’s Northwoods seasoning) and on the side we had a salad of mixed greens and herbs plucked straight from the garden.  (I owe you a garden update, by the way – coming on Wednesday.)  It was a good meal, with good company.  Just right.

On the book front, I had a bit of a reading setback this week.  I’ve been making my way through the library stack and have been almost staying on top of it.  At the end of the week I (through hubby) returned four books and checked out five more, including two new books that must be returned in seven days.  So I turned my attention to one of those – In the Unlikely Event, the new Judy Blume – and so far I’m about halfway through it.  It’s distressing, but riveting at the same time; I’m having difficulty in putting it down.  Unfortunately, that meant that the book I had just started – Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis – would need to wait.  But when I went to renew Doomsday Book (it was one day overdue – oops) it turned out there’s a waiting list and I couldn’t renew it.  Who knew?  So Doomsday Book is on its way back to the library today, and I’ll jump back into the holds queue on that one.  Disappointing, but it is what it is. I’ll probably finish In the Unlikely Event within the next couple of days, and then turn my attention to my other seven-day book: Disclaimer, by Renee Knight.  After that, who knows?  I have a few other books out with “waiting pool” stickers on them, so they’ll have to take priority.  I’m thinking of picking up the new Gretchen Rubin (Better than Before) next, since I know I won’t be able to renew that.  But we’ll see.

On the blog this week, look for the aforementioned garden update on Wednesday, and a BlumeAlong post on Friday.  Have a good week, my friends!

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? … And, #BlumeAlong Kickoff (June 15, 2015)

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Monday again!  It’s a rainy one after a mostly grey weekend.  Despite the stay-inside weather, I didn’t get much reading done this weekend.  Between a six mile training run on Saturday, and a day spent mostly at my inlaws’ place on Sunday (both of my sisters-in-law were in town on the same weekend, which never happens, so we took advantage of the chance to get the kids some quality auntie time) I didn’t have much spare time to curl up with a book.  But that’s fine – some weekends are bookish and some aren’t.

On to the books – I did manage to finish The Inner Circle this morning (I had about twenty pages left) and while no one would argue that it’s great literature, I thought it was pretty fun.  Now it’s on to The Jesus Cow, a new release that’s due back on Wednesday and can’t be renewed – hope I can knock it out in time.  And then I’ll be picking up Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, for the Judy Blume readalong that’s kicking off today courtesy of Kerry from Entomology of a Bookworm.  (Posts on Margaret will be up by June 26th, and then we’re turning our attention to Summer Sisters for July 17th.)  In honor of the kickoff, Kerry posed a few questions; here are my answers.

1. Is this your first time reading Blume, or did you grow up on her books?

The latter, for me – Judy Blume was a big part of my childhood reading.  The Fudge books – Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge were my first forays into the Blume canon.  I’ve read and enjoyed Summer Sisters, although somehow I missed Margaret, so I’m excited to finally read it.

2. If you grew up on her books, what’s your favorite?

Just As Long As We’re Together was my favorite Judy Blume.  I identified with perfectionist Rachel – don’t judge.

3. Are you reading one or the other or both of the books?

Both!

4. Where will you be reading in the coming weeks?

I’m in a small town just outside of Buffalo, New York and will be doing most of my reading here…

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In the nursery, while my little guy snoozes peacefully on my lap.  It’s a tough life.  😉

5. Where will you be sharing your #BlumeAlong thoughts along the way?

You can expect posts here on June 26th and July 17th, and in the meantime you can find me on Twitter and Instagram, where I’ll be participating in the discussion using the hashtag #BlumeAlong.

What are you reading this week?  Will you be participating in #BlumeAlong?  There’s still time to sign up!

 

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (June 8, 2015)

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Happy Monday, everyone!  How were your weekends?  Ours was fun and busier than usual.  On Saturday we celebrated National Trails Day with our June hike – more on that coming on Wednesday.  In the afternoon, while Peanut napped and hubby relaxed, I took Nugget for a stroll around East Aurora, which is becoming one of our favorite places to walk.  We spent Sunday running around getting errands and cleaning done before my parents arrived for a quick visit with the littles.

So, then.  I’ve seen these “What are you reading?” posts on so many book blogs and I love the concept of giving brief updates on what the blogger is in the midst of reading, what he or she has just wrapped up and what’s next on deck.  They’re always some of my favorite posts to read each week.  And now I’m jumping on board.  At least, I’m going to test out the concept and see how it works for my blog.  I’m happy striking a balance between bookish posts and posts about our family activities, but the key there is balance, and I do feel that I’ve been skewing a little more toward the family side of things recently.  I want to get back to more frequent bookish content.  So that’s a goal of mine, and I think doing posts like these will fit well in my life and schedule right now, and give me a built-in way to discuss books at least once a week.  (Ideally, I’d like my three weekly posts to mix two bookish posts, or one bookish and one more general post, with one family or home post, so that’s what I’ll work towards.)

Anyway!  With our busy weekend I didn’t get much reading done.  I mentioned in my last reading round-up post that I’ve had another library mishap.  Each time I think I’m making some progress on the stack, I end up taking one step forward and two steps back.  I’ve whittled the current library pile down to eight (!) books checked out, one of which I’ve finished and am ready to return, but I now have another four books on the holds shelf ready to check out.  D’oh!  Over the weekend I finished up The Five Love Languages of Children, which was decent, albeit a bit repetitive of the content in the original The Five Love Languages, which hubby and I read years ago.  I’ve just started Brad Meltzer’s The Inner Circle, which is the first of his series of political thrillers featuring fictional Archives employee Beecher White.  Political thrillers aren’t usually my thing, and the Beecher White novels seem to be getting panned on Goodreads, but I heard about them through Book Riot which makes me inclined to at least give the first one a chance.  Plus I’m craving some D.C. in my life right now, and a good inside-the-Beltway page turner seems like just the thing to tide me over until I visit this summer (for the first time since I moved away!).

What are you reading this week?

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DNFing and Other Book Abandonment

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Recently I did something extremely out-of-character: I DNFed a book.  To DNF (did not finish) is a policy encouraged by many in the reading community, and it makes a good deal of sense.  After all, life is short and there are only so many books even the speediest reader will be able to finish in his or her lifetime.  Especially when you have other commitments, as we all do.  (Oh, those pesky jobs, taking up eight or more hours per day of prime reading time!)  If you’re not enjoying a book, it’s only logical to set it aside and move on to something that will bring you more pleasure, joy, education or a combination thereof in your limited reading hours.  It’s what smart readers do.

Still… for all I know that DNFing occasionally is a wise policy, I usually can’t bring myself to do it.  In the past I’ve declared that my policy is to give a book 50 pages, and if I’m still not enjoying it, to abandon the book.  By 50 pages I should be able to tell if I’m going to like something, and I’ve given the author a chance to work out any kinks in the opening chapters.  Yet I find this an almost impossible policy to keep.  I’ve been known to stubbornly insist on finishing a book that I truly hated – The Sunshine When She’s Gone being the primary example.  I detested that book from the very beginning.  I found the writing trite, the plot unbelievable (not in a good way) and the characters loathsome.  Yet I persisted and darnit, I finished that book.  (It was only a little over 200 pages long.  By the time I got to page 50 I was a quarter of the way through the book.  Had it been a longer book, I believe I would have abandoned it.)

So I was surprised at myself for the ease with which I abandoned Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Dr. Marc Weissbluth.  I was still in the first chapter; I hadn’t even reached page 50.  All it took was one sentence: “Later, I will explain how these fatigued, fussy brats are also more likely to become fat kids.”  Oh, you will, will you?  Not to me, thanks.  No pediatrician who uses the terms “fussy brats” or “fat kids” is going to get a moment more of my time, no matter how good his advice.  I shut the book (a bit violently, I’ll admit) and promptly placed the book on my stack of library returns.  I didn’t glance at it again until several days later when I put the stack on the kitchen counter for hubby to return – he works a block from the library, which also has a cafe he likes to frequent, so he nicely runs my checkout-and-return errands.  I was a bit amazed, and more than a bit impressed, that I didn’t feel the slightest twinge of guilt or the merest prickle of curiosity about the rest of the book.  I guess that gratuitously unkind language about children can go on my list of things that will prompt me to abandon a book immediately, and with zero guilt.  That list is now… one item.

On top of DNFing Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, I also sort of abandoned another book last week: another sleep training manual, Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems, by Dr. Richard Ferber.  As I mentioned in this post, we’ve been working on sleep training Peanut, and I reserved both books at the library in order to explore different methods.  (We actually used the Ferber method to sleep train Peanut when she was about six months old, although we didn’t know it – we were just following the routine our then-pediatrician suggested.  I do not, however, plan to “Ferberize” Nugget – but that’s a subject for another blog altogether.)  But sleep training has been going well.  We saw progress very quickly – only a few nights after we started gently but firmly communicating to Peanut that she must go to bed at bedtime and stay in bed all night.  In fact, we’d already cleared the hurdle before my book reserves even came into my pickup library.  Still, I thought, I’d read Ferber’s book anyway.  It couldn’t hurt to have more information, and I’d be armed with knowledge if Peanut regressed again.  The book sat on my kitchen counter for three weeks while Peanut angelically went to bed as directed and stayed there.  And I found that I didn’t really want to read the Ferber book at the moment.  It wasn’t capturing my attention – already – and I hadn’t even opened it yet.  I told hubby, half-jokingly, that I was nevertheless afraid to return it to the library, because the second I did, Peanut would start throwing tantrums at bedtime again.  (The past three weeks have been so peaceful.)  I honestly contemplated renewing the book just as insurance.  In the end, I decided not to live in fear of my toddler and reminded myself that I could always check the book out again if necessary.  And I sent it back to the library with hubby.

All this book abandonment feels strange.  I’d like to say it’s freeing – maybe it is, in a way.  It was nice, albeit a bit foreign-feeling, to admit to myself that I wasn’t interested in reading the Ferber book at the moment and release myself from the obligation I felt to read it just because it happened to be sitting on my kitchen counter.  And I felt strangely powerful when I abandoned Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child because I disapproved of the author’s language choices.  I don’t see myself becoming an inveterate book-abandoner anytime soon.  But it is nice to know that I have the wherewithal to draw a line and stick with it, and that I can toss aside a book that doesn’t interest me with only a little bit of guilt.

Do you abandon books, or do you feel compelled to finish a book once you start?

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Your Annual Dose of e.e. cummings

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Well, there are two days left in April, so I haven’t missed National Poetry Month in its entirety!  I usually do a big challenge for the month, reading a poet whose work is new to me (last year it was Emily Bronte; the year before that, Anna Akhmatova). But this year, with a newborn in the house, my challenge has been to get enough sleep so that I’m not completely dysfunctional, and National Poetry Month ended up getting back-burnered. But I hate to let the month go by without even a nod to my favorite poet, e.e. cummings.  So, better late than never, here’s a springy offering to close out your National Poetry Month:

Spring is like a perhaps hand

Spring is like a perhaps hand
(which comes carefully
out of Nowhere)arranging
a window,into which people look(while
people stare
arranging and changing placing
carefully there a strange
thing and a known thing here)and

changing everything carefully

spring is like a perhaps
Hand in a window
(carefully to
and fro moving New and
Old things,while
people stare carefully
moving a perhaps
fraction of flower here placing
and inch of air there)and

without breaking anything.

(That’s been our spring in upstate New York – tentative and cautious, but maybe finally here, I hope.)

One more time: happy National Poetry Month!

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Unpacking My #BKR05 Quarterly Box (Better Late Than Never)

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So, the #BKR06 Quarterly boxes are shipping soon, and most of the bookish internet already knows what was in #BKR05, but I’ve shown you the last two boxes I received and shared my impressions, so might as well keep the streak going (and hopefully I get this post up before the next box is on my doorstep!).  #BRK05 was all about the anti-heroine, which is a pretty neat premise.  Here’s what I received:

  • Helen Oyemi’s novel Mr. Fox.
  • Original essay by Oyemi.
  • Ms. Marvel comic with a note from G. Willow Wilson.
  • Shakespeare candy.
  • Litographs temporary tattoos.
  • Unpictured “BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS” ski hat, which is currently living in my mudroom because I am wearing the bejeezes out of it.

So, thoughts about this one… meh.  I really like the hat (which I forgot to put in the picture, d’oh) and it’s been nice to have in this frigid cold we’ve been experiencing.  The Shakespeare candy isn’t bad, and I will probably wear the temporary tattoos, maybe while I’m on maternity leave and don’t have to worry about office dress codes.  (I like Litographs and am looking forward to getting one of their cool literary t-shirts when I lose the Nugget cushioning.)  I hadn’t had Mr. Fox on my to-read list, but I’ve heard it’s wonderful and I’ll definitely read it (someday, eventually).  The comic does nothing for me.  The Book Riot editors – and the bookish internet in general, it seems – have all fallen head-over-heels for comics and graphic novels recently, but I have to say I’m just not interested.  I skip the Book Riot Twitter posts about new comics finds and my eyes glaze over when a book blogger starts sharing their newfound love of comics.  I’m sure someone will think I’m close-minded as a result, but the fact is, I have very limited free time (something I’ve been whining about ad nauseum over here, so I’m sure you’re all tired of hearing it) and reading comics is not how I choose to spend the couple of minutes I get to myself each day (if I’m lucky).  Usually I’m willing to trust Book Riot and at least give their recommendations a chance, but I have to be completely honest and say I have no intention of reading “Ms. Marvel.”  I’m sure that it’s a great comic if you’re into comics, but I’m not into them and not going to be into them and there it is.

#BKR05 was the third Quarterly box in my subscription of four, and after giving it some thought I’ve concluded that, unless #BRK06 knocks my socks off in a BIG way, I’m probably not going to renew my subscription.  I still think the concept is really cool, but each box costs $50 and I just haven’t gotten $50 worth of enjoyment out of any of the boxes, with the possible exception of #BKR04 (although the water bottle ended up kind of flimsy and Peanut broke it).  Right now, I’m thinking that if I’m going to spend $50 on books and bookish goodies (easy to do) I’d rather choose them myself.  Of course, I could change my mind if #BKR06 ends up being the most amazing thing I’ve ever received, but as of this moment I suspect it will be my last Book Riot box.  I really enjoy the site, but I the Quarterly boxes have been a mixed bag for me.

Did you get the #BKR05 Quarterly box?  Did you like it?  Are you a comics fan?

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Classics Club Challenge Update

CentralLibrary3

As I mentioned last week, I am trying to recommit myself to the Classics Club challenge.  I signed up for the challenge back in August of 2013.  The challenge is to read and blog about at least 50 classic books in five years.  Full of bravado and ambition, I declared that if I was smart about my reading priorities, I could get to way more than that – so I challenged myself to 100.  That would only work out to twenty classic books in a year, and as I had read 100 or more books per year for several of the previous years, I figured that should be no problem at all.  The best laid plans…  Toddlerhood, library mishaps, and rejoining the workforce all took their toll, as did pregnancy, a difficult housing hunt and move, and a fall season in which everything seemed to go wrong at once.  I’ve been in a reading slump for many months now, and getting to any book is a challenge, let alone some of the classics I’ve targeted, which require time and attention – neither of which I have to spare at the moment.

So it’s a year and a half into the challenge.  I should have knocked off at least thirty of the books on my list by now.  Instead I’ve done… twelve.  Wow.  So classics.  Very reader.  Much intellectual.

Here’s my list.  Items with asterisks indicate re-reads.  Completed items are struck through and the reviews are linked.

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte*
Middlemarch, by George Eliot
Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
Daisy Miller, by Henry James
The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton
The Custom of the Country, by Edith Wharton
Eugene Onegin, by Alexander Pushkin
Doctor Zhivago, by Boris Pasternak
Swann’s Way, by Marcel Proust
Silas Marner, by George Eliot
The House of Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Fathers and Sons, by Ivan Turgenev*
The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas
Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes
Litte Dorrit, by Charles Dickens
Bleak House, by Charles Dickens
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
Confessions, by Saint Augustine of Hippo
What Maisie Knew, by Henry James
The Optimist’s Daughter, by Eudora Welty*
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen*
Emma, by Jane Austen*
Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen*
Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen*
Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen*
Persuasion, by Jane Austen*
A Room with a View, by E.M. Forster
Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf
My Antonia, by Willa Cather*
Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Crome Yellow, by Aldous Huxley
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee*
Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo*
The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins*
Everything that Rises Must Converge, by Flannery O’Connor
Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys
The Garden Party, by Katherine Mansfield
Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson
Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell
Tortilla Flat, by John Steinbeck
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger*
Babbitt, by Sinclair Lewis
Rabbit, Run, by John Updike
Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte
The Professor, by Charlotte Bronte
Agnes Grey, by Anne Bronte*
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Bronte*
The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James
The Iliad, by Homer
The Odyssey, by Homer
Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift*
The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Dead Souls, by Nikolai Gogol*
The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov*
The Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens
The Awakening, by Kate Chopin*
A Passage to India, by E.M. Forster
Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier*
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier
Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Finnegan’s Wake, by James Joyce
Henry IV, Part I, by William Shakespeare
Henry IV, Part II, by William Shakespeare
Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens
Richard II, by William Shakespeare
Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville
Howards End, by E.M. Forster
Where Angels Fear to Tread, by E.M. Forster
The Forsyte Saga, by John Galsworthy
The Ambassadors, by Henry James
The Wings of the Dove, by Henry James
Washington Square, by Henry James
The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
A Study in Scarlet, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells
Excellent Women, by Barbara Pym
Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne
Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott*
Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery*
Anne of Avonlea, by L.M. Montgomery*
Anne of the Island, by L.M. Montgomery*
Anne of Windy Poplars, by L.M. Montgomery*
Anne’s House of Dreams, by L.M. Montgomery*
Anne of Ingleside, by L.M. Montgomery*
Rainbow Valley, by L.M. Montgomery*
Rilla of Ingleside, by L.M. Montgomery*
The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett*
The Purloined Letter, by Edgar Allen Poe
Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray
Castle Richmond, by Anthony Trollope

Yeah, I really need to do a better job at this.  I did at least knock out Middlemarch, thanks to a read-along (and I loved it – I can easily see myself re-reading it many times over… once this challenge is a little further along, at any rate).  But there are plenty of other options on the list that shouldn’t be at all difficult to make time for.  Re-reads that I know I love.  New classics I’ve been itching to try.  A few plays.  What has been taking me so long?  Life, I know.  In any event, I’ve said I want to recommit, and I meant it.  Expect to see more “reviews” and more Classics Club participation around here in the coming months.  I’ve got three-and-a-half years to read the rest of this list, and every single book on here is a book I really want to read.  Time to hop to it!

Have you ever bombed out of a reading challenge?