Book Talk

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In Which I Step Out Of My Literary Comfort Zone

Ask me what kind of books I prefer to read, and I’ll tell you in no uncertain terms: I prefer historical classics, especially English literature, new literary fiction and travel memoirs.  Ask me what books I have no interest in, and I’ll be equally emphatic: bodice-ripping romances and graphic novels hold zero appeal for me.  Ask me about other genres and I might waffle a bit more.

There are two genres in particular that I’m equivocal about: dystopia and fantasy.  Sure, I’ll tell you that I don’t particularly care for them, and that’s true.  I’ll tell you that they won’t be my first choice, and that’s also true.  But I’d be stretching the truth if I said there was nothing in either genre that I have read and liked.

Take dystopia, for instance.  The plots always intrigue me, but then when I finish the books I often feel disappointed for some unidentifiable reason.  Perhaps I’m just not at home in a post-apocalyptic world?  Still, I have read and liked certain dystopic novels.  For instance, The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, was disturbing but engaging at the same time.  When I closed the book, I wished I had checked it out of the library because I never wanted to look at it again, but lately I’ve been contemplating a re-read.  It’s not topping the list at the moment – too many things that I haven’t yet read and want to get to first – but I think I may like it more on a second go-round.  And that’s not to say I didn’t like it the first time; it was very good and I was glued to the book.  But giving it time to settle definitely improved my outlook on the book and made me more willing to re-read it in the future.

Oh, and then there’s The Hunger Games trilogy.  Young adult… and dystopia… two things that I generally don’t go for.  But I absolutely couldn’t put the books down.  I was obsessed, obsessed to a degree I haven’t experienced since the end of the Age of Potter.  I talked my bestie R into reading them because I needed someone to screech at when the first movie trailer came out, and I wanted a foil for “Gale vs. Peeta” debates.  (She was Team Gale, I was Team Peeta.)  Despite not being a dystopia kind of girl, I literally cannot get enough Hunger Games.  (Nor can R, now – she might be more obsessed than me.  I created a monster.)  I could talk all day about the many fascinating messages crammed into these insanely exciting books… but I’ll let you read and discover for yourself.

Then there’s fantasy.  Again, not something I’m typically attracted to.  Oh, I read The Mists of Avalon in high school, sure.  But it’s generally just not something I “go for.”  I haven’t even read The Lord of the Rings and its progeny.  (I plan to, but they never seem to cycle to the top of my list.  I’ll get to them, though, I swear.)  But there are some fantasy books that I’ve read that made me stop and think, maybe I should give this genre a fair shake.  For instance, I recently discovered Lev Grossman’s Magicians trilogy.  I liked the first book, The Magicians – I wasn’t completely sold, but I did find it amusing, particularly when the characters made fun of Harry Potter.  But the second book, The Magician King, absolutely blew me away and I’m now anxiously awaiting the final installment.  The Magicians trilogy spoofs on The Chronicles of Narnia, which I’ve read many, many times and loved – but I find it hard to consider Narnia fantasy.  To me, Narnia is a classic and a stand-alone masterpiece.

And I guess I can’t claim to be “not a fantasy reader” given my boundless levels of Harry Potter dorkdom.  My Pottermania affliction is widely known.  I’ve dressed up as a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team (Alicia Spinnet, to be exact – and now you know just what a nerd I am) for a midnight release party.  I just can’t help it.  The Harry Potter books have everything I look for – great characters, humor, an exciting and engaging plot, and good writing (okay, I realize opinions differ on that last point, but I think Rowling’s writing is very good, especially later on in the series).  I can’t help it.  I just love to dive into the world of Hogwarts.  Now, imagine if I never pushed myself outside of my comedy-of-manners comfort zone!  I’d never have found Harry, Ron and Hermione.  And I shudder to think just how boring life would be without those three.

What is your literary comfort zone, and have you ever read and loved a book that pushed you outside of it?  Any dystopia or fantasy novels you’d recommend to me?

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I Might Have Overdone It

…Just a little bit.  Sometimes I don’t know when to stop.  It’s a particular character flaw of mine: I get carried away in libraries.  I don’t think there’s a cure.  It happens in tea shops too, but usually not to this extent.  (That involves spending money, which tempers me a little bit.  Darn free public library.)  The seeds for this particular binge were sown a few weeks ago.  I had two books on the Holds shelf at the library, which is a blessing and a curse at the same time.  On the one hand, I’m excited to read the books I get from the Holds shelf.  That’s why I put them on hold.  But I can’t just go in there and get a couple of books and then leave.  I have to make a loop through the stacks.  So I did.  Mistake 1.  Then, while I was wandering the stacks, I whipped out my Blackberry and checked my Goodreads app to see if there was anything calling my name from my to-read list.  Why yes, there was.  Mistake 2.  45 minutes later, I was struggling through the back door of the house, juggling a stack of five books – including two chunksters – while hubby stared at me in abject horror.

“What…” he gaped, “did you DO?”  He gently took the books out of my arms, steered me to the couch, and sat me down.  “I’m going to make you some tea,” he said.  “You’ve got a lot of reading to do.  Which book do you want first?”

Love that guy.

But that was weeks ago.  Why am I telling you this?  Well, I really thought I had hit rock bottom with this little book-borrowing problem of mine.  I knew I wouldn’t finish all of the books before I had to return them.  I had to prioritize – read the new releases first and make my peace with the fact that I would have to… gasp… renew a book.  And I did.  East of Eden has been sitting on my kitchen counter for three weeks now.

Fast-forward to this weekend.  Saturday, January 7, 2012.  The books were due back, and I had more books waiting on the holds shelf – five more, to be exact.  And even though I knew I should return East of Eden, I renewed it online, then loaded the rest of the books into my Strand bookbag and headed for the  mothership  library.

I won’t take anything out except what’s on the Holds shelf, I promised myself.  Counting East of Eden, that’s still six books.  That’s a lot.  So just the books on hold.  But it can’t hurt to take a little spin through the mystery section.  I just want to see if Maisie Dobbs is there.  For another time.  Another, less busy time when I don’t have books on the Holds shelf.  Really.

Do I need to tell you that Maisie Dobbs came home with me too?  Plus everything I had on hold?  I didn’t need to tell you that.  I know I didn’t.

Now every time I walk through my kitchen, there they are – staring at me.  Read me, they beg.  You addict, you.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories, by Salman Rushdie
Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear
The Weird Sisters, by Eleanor Brown
The Coffins of Little Hope, by Timothy Schaffert
We, the Drowned, by Carston Jensen
The Dean’s December, by Saul Bellow
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

Due back January 28, 2012.  Game ON.

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Reading Round-Up: December 2011

Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby.  I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book.  Here are my reads for December, 2011…

Night and Day, by Virginia Woolf – Started in London, and I finally finished it this month!  I hoped to enjoy this “classic English comedy of manners” more than I actually did.  It was well-written, but a bit dreary and I didn’t find any characters to love.

Tears of the Giraffe, by Alexander McCall Smith – Loved the second installment of the adventures of Precious Ramotswe and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency!  It was a fun, light read and I’m already looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Shakespeare’s Kitchen, by Lore Segal – I liked this collection of interrelated short stories, especially toward the middle.  It got a bit heavy-handed with the insights into human nature by the end, but there were some really great passages throughout.

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens – I’d been meaning to read this forever and finally got to it this holiday season.  It’s a fast read, unexpectedly funny in parts, and I can see it becoming a Christmas tradition for me!  Really enjoyed it.

The Buddha in the Attic, by Julie Otsuka – This new release, like Otsuka’s last novel (When the Emperor Was Divine), was almost more like poetry than prose.  An account of the stories of Japanese picture brides in the early 1900s, told in the first person collective – a really interesting choice that worked extremely well – it packed a powerful punch.  Highly recommended.

The Postmistress, by Sarah Blake – This one had been on my to-read list for awhile and I enjoyed it.  It’s the story of an American “radio gal” in London during the Blitz, and the way her life intersects with the residents of small-town Franklin, Massachusetts.  An interesting, engaging story, but the word choices were a bit weird at times (as the New York Times review pointed out).  Still, a good read.

Possession, by A.S. Byatt – Another one from the to-read list, I really loved this story of two literary scholars unearthing a hidden affair between a pair of Victorian poets.  It was a smart and exciting book and if you can tolerate some sexy scenes, well worth checking out.  I’m definitely planning to rent the movie, too.

Another good reading month!  I sprinkled a few new releases and a bit of lighter reading in amongst the classics and enjoyed myself thoroughly.  As always, to see full reviews of all the books I read, feel free to follow me on Goodreads!

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2011 Book Superlatives

It seems as though there’s always a blog trend.  Every year, it’s something new.  This year, I can’t help but notice the hilarious monthly “Superlatives” posts that have been floating around, started by the brilliant John and Sherry of Young House Love.  I like to follow the crowd while simultaneously marching to the beat of my own drummer, so I’m doing a “Superlatives” post too but I’m putting my own spin on it.  And now, without further adieu, I shall proceed to give high school yearbook-style awards to some of the books I read in 2011.

Brainiest: War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy

It has to be War and Peace!  This is the ultimate “intellectual snob” book around, if you ask me.  Want to come across as smart?  Be reading War and Peace.  Preferably while wearing a pair of librarian specs and a cardigan with elbow patches.  But don’t overlook this book just because it’s smart.  War and Peace was one of the most epic and moving books I have ever read.

Brainiest (Runner-Up): Beowulf, by Anonymous

If we’re crowning a valedictorian, we need a salutatorian too, right?  Beowulf is another one of those books that people think only smartie-pants types read.  But it’s definitely worth a look!  Beowulf is exciting (there’s monster-slaying, y’all) and fast-moving.  And since it’s an epic poem, it’s pretty short.  So if you want to up your library cred over a weekend, pick up Beowulf.

Best Looking: The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, by Caroline Preston

This gorgeous book is the prom queen of my 2011 book list.  A novel almost entirely made up of pictures, in the form of a 1920s scrapbook, it’s just visually stunning.  With page upon page of colorful vintage memorabilia and a charming, spunky heroine, no one can begrudge this lovely lady her tiara.

Most Creative: The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern

In every high school, there’s bound to be an artsy type who just astonishes you with the depths of her creativity.  In the high school of my bookshelf, that’s definitely The Night Circus.  The descriptions of the magical Cirque des Reves and the incredible characters who populate it were lush and vivid, and the writing was magnificent.  It was probably my favorite book read in 2011.

Most Likely to Give You Nightmares: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

I know from experience, because The Hunger Games did give me nightmares.  But wow, I was so sucked into the world of Suzanne Collins’ novels that I just couldn’t put them down, bad dreams or not.  I usually don’t read dystopia and I’m not big into young adult fiction, but that mattered not one iota – The Hunger Games is just that good.

Class Clown: Notes From a Small Island, by Bill Bryson

A little levity should help us recover from dystopia-induced nightmares, and there’s no one better for that than Bill Bryson.  In Notes From a Small Island, Bryson skewers England, the English and Scottish people, his wife, his kids, and especially himself with his trademark wit.  While he comes across as a bit curmudgeonly at times, there’s no one better for a laugh.

Biggest Flirt: Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy’s killing it on these superlatives, huh?  Anna Karenina, the story of a woman who enters into an extra-marital affair, definitely takes the award for biggest flirt.  No one knows better how to rock a ball gown than Madame Karenina.

Most Likely to End Up In Jail: All the King’s Men, by Robert Penn Warren

This story of a politician tumbling from a pedestal of honesty into the swamp of corruption is beautifully written, and the characters draw you in even as they make terrible choice after terrible choice.

Most Popular: The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

Is there a book club in America that hasn’t read The Help?  I’m guessing not.  But The Help is definitely worthy of its popularity.  The story of a daring group of women, who decide to tell it like it really is in the segregated South at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, is intelligent, thought-provoking, and moving.

Most Likely to End Up In Hollywood: A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness

I could have given this one to The Hunger Games, but since that one has already wrapped filming, it wouldn’t be much of a prediction, would it?  But A Discovery of Witches is destined to be pure movie gold if you ask me.  A fragile blonde witch and a brooding, brilliant vampire falling in love and starting an inter-species war?  Come ON, that’s got movie script written all over it!  And you betcha I’ll be at the theater on opening night, cranky husband in tow.  Oh, hey, the book was pretty good too.

Most Opinionated: The Wordy Shipmates, by Sarah Vowell

A little history, a little current events, a little – okay, a LOT of – opinion.  Mix them together and you get an explosive concoction by Sarah Vowell, heroine of history booknerds everywhere.  The Wordy Shipmates is that girl who always has her hand in the air in American History class, ready to regale the group with obscure trivia and tirades against the government.  But don’t tune her out – listen to her.  She’s got a lot to say, and she’s well worth hearing (or reading).

Most Athletic: Believe It, Be It, by Ali Vincent

I don’t normally read “inspiration lit” – not my cup of tea – but I’m a fan of the Biggest Loser show and Ali Vincent is one of my all-time favorite past players.  I downloaded Believe It, Be It, mainly because I wanted to read some inside dirt on what life is really like on the Biggest Loser Ranch, and Ali definitely delivered.  She dished out a VIP tour of the ins and outs of her season of the show, gossiped about the trainers, told you what a day of filming a reality show is really like, and finished with a heaping helping of inspiration (which, fortunately, is calorie free).  Ali is truly an inspiring person and I loved reading about her journey.

Most Likely to Succeed: As Always, Julia, by Julia Child and Avis de Voto

When the letters start, Julia is an unknown wife of a relatively unknown diplomat, living in Paris and developing an interest in cooking and food.  By the last page, she has written the masterpiece cookbook of the century, lived in several different countries, and made a friend for life in Avis, her correspondent and literary champion.  There aren’t many success stories bigger than Julia’s, but Avis is just as interesting of a woman and the reader gets to know both of them through this wonderful collection of their letters.

So there you have it – my 2011 reading highlights!  What were your favorite books this year?

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On Being There

I’m a reader, and a traveler – of both the “armchair” and reality persuasions.  The turning of pages transports me to other places and times and introduces me to new people who, sometimes, become almost as real as the people I meet in my day-to-day life.  Reading has also enhanced my travel experiences tremendously; for instance, I told you about books I’ve loved that are set in the regions I visited on my recent road trip around southern England.

But it was on that road trip that I made an important discovery: it works both ways.  Reading enhances travel, of course, but travel can also enhance reading.

Obvious?  Probably.  It wasn’t the first time I’ve tried to match my book choices to my travel – I carried A Year In Provence and The Phantom of the Opera to France with me last year.  But for some reason, it was in Bath that I really understood that walking in characters’ literal footsteps can enrich a reading experience as much as it enriches a travel experience.

It was the first morning of the trip.  Hubby and I were still in a bit of a jet-lagged haze, but we trooped on out of our B&B, determined to experience the best that Bath has to offer.  We started with the wonderful – and FREE! – walking tour that Bath residents put on several times each day.  As we hiked all over Bath, our guide regaled us with stories from the city’s history.  We walked in the footsteps of Romans, early Christians, queens who have visited for the curative waters and celebrities who have made their homes in Bath’s exclusive Georgian buildings.

It was on a serene gravel walk behind one row of those exclusive buildings that I got the first hit of a reader’s revelation.  Our guide mentioned that Jane Austen had set two books in Bath – Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.  I’ve read Northanger Abbey many times but had never picked up Persuasion until I started it on the plane ride to London – choosing it precisely because it was set in Bath.  Our guide explained that the two main characters’ “heart to heart” (you know, that quintessential Jane Austen conversation where the characters confess their love for one another) happened on the very gravel walk on which we were standing.

As it happened, I didn’t get to that scene in the book until several days after we had already left Bath.  But when I did, when “dear Aunt Jane” sent her characters down the gravel walk and let them pour out their hearts to one another, I felt a special thrill from having JUST been there.  And even more than that, I could picture the spot exactly in my mind.  I set the characters down in the place where I had stood and imagined them into a setting I knew from having just seen it with my own eyes.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the imaginative part of reading.  I like conjuring up the characters and their settings in my mind.  And with a good descriptive writer like Jane Austen, you don’t really need a personal experience to bring her books to life.  But it certainly did help.

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Reading Round-Up: November 2011

Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby.  I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book.  Here are my reads for November, 2011…

The Lantern, by Deborah Lawrenson – This Daphne du Maurier-inspired tale of two “hauntings” in a Provencal farmhouse was a light, quick, and reasonably fun read.  I would have preferred it if the narrators didn’t switch off constantly – made it hard to follow either narrative – and I didn’t enjoy being repeatedly banged over the head with references to du Maurier (I’m smart enough to pick up on them without being told, thanks).  But I really liked the lush descriptions of the Provencal landscape and the depiction of the farming life in the 1940s.

As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto – I’d been wanting to read this one for a long time and it did not disappoint.  I loved getting this sneak peak into a truly remarkable friendship.  Would recommend this to anyone!

The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton – What took me so long to read this book?  I’d been meaning to for years without quite getting around to it and was I ever missing out!  It was wonderful from the first page to the last.

The Girl in the Garden, by Kamala Nair – Another really enjoyable read.  The story was exciting, though sad, and the writing was vivid and evocative.  Really liked it.

The Magician King, by Lev Grossman – This was the second book in the Magicians trilogy, and while I liked the first book (The Magicians) just fine, I loved this one.  Quentin Coldwater grows up and learns what it really means to be a hero.  Great read.

The Wordy Shipmates, by Sarah Vowell – Picked this out for Thanksgiving and I wasn’t disappointed!  Who knew that reading the history of the Puritan settlement in Boston in 1630 could be so much fun?

The Sweet Life in Paris, by David Lebovitz – I love Paris, and so does David Lebovitz.  His memoir of adjusting to life as an expat in the most delicious city on Earth was absorbing, witty and hilarious.  And it made me want to buy a plane ticket back to Paris.  Yum.

Baker Towers, by Jennifer Haigh – I loved Faith, which I read over the summer, and my second Jennifer Haigh book lived right up to the promise of its sibling.  I really enjoyed this story of a family struggling and growing together in a Pennsylvania mining community in the years following World War II.  My labor relations background certainly helped deepen my understanding of some of the references to the union activity in town, but it wasn’t necessary to enjoy the book.  Anyone with a taste for family sagas and great writing would love this!  Jennifer Haigh, you are just. plain. awesome.

The Heroine’s Bookshelf, by Erin Blakemore – I really enjoyed this quick, fun tour of a group of strong, spunky literary heroines and the equally strong female authors behind them.  The book was a good mix of heroines from children’s lit (Anne Shirley, Laura Ingalls, Mary Lennox) and more adult books (Lizzy Bennet, Jane Eyre).  I’d read most of the books that were featured, so the heroines were familiar to me, but I learned a great deal about the authors even of the books I have read many times and loved.  Great, empowering read.

Great November in books!  I started out a little bit slow, but hit my stride mid-month and had a wonderful weekend of reading over Thanksgiving.  And now I have a new stack of library books to carry me into December.  I’m especially looking forward to curling up on my inlaws’ couch with a book and a cup of tea later in the month.  There’s nothing like the promise of a weekend full of reading time amongst people I love… I’m smiling just thinking about it.  Happy December, friends!

(As always, to see all of my book reviews, feel free to follow me on Goodreads!)

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Armchair Traveler

Yesterday at work we got to talking about what we’d do if we won the lottery or somehow came into oodles of cash.  And that conversation turned into a discussion of what we are most inclined to drop large chunks of change on.  One co-worker loves shoes, another jewelry.  For my part, I confessed that I’d most likely spend my money on experiences – especially travel experiences.  No one was really surprised – after all, I did just hop a plane to England a month ago.  And to France the year before that.  Yes, travel – especially European travel – is definitely my weakness and what I like to daydream about.  In fact, I think that if I suddenly came into wealth, I’d live pretty much as I do now – which is to say, well within my means – but I’d travel a lot more.

Sadly, however, I am not loaded.  I can afford one spectacular vacation and a few shorter weekend getaways a year – both in terms of dollars and in terms of time away from work.  But that doesn’t mean my mind is always in NoVA.  Far from it.  In between trips, I tide myself over by reading travel books… and I have a few favorites, which I am now going to tell you about.  I’m wordy that way.

A Year In Provence, by Peter Mayle – This has to be my favorite travel book of all time.  I read it for the first time when I was actually in Provence, and I laughed my head off at the antics of the locals (that goat race? sublime) and at Mayle’s struggles to renovate his house.  I read it whenever I want to feel the warm Provencal sun on my face – even in the depths of winter.

Encore Provence, by Peter Mayle – Can you tell I like Peter Mayle?  (I would also recommend Toujours Provence, by guess who, but that might be overkill.)  In this volume, Mayle and his wife return to the south of France after several years away and hijinks ensue.  And after reading about the intrigue-riddled truffle trade, you’ll really cherish that bottle of truffle oil we all know you’re hiding in your pantry.

My Life in France, by Julia Child – I think my journey to France began when I read Julia’s memoir of her time there, a year before I actually went.  Julia chats about Paris, Marseille, food, and her social circle in post-war France.  It is magnificent and so much better than Julie and Julia.  If the movie had just been based on My Life in France, I’d have been thrilled.

My Love Affair with England, by Susan Allen Toth – You knew England would turn up sooner or later in this list, didn’t you?  I’ve loved this book since high school, when I read it to escape before I’d ever been to England.  It’s warm, funny, personable, but honest.

A Year in the World, by Frances Mayes – The author of Under the Tuscan Sun explores the concept of home as she trots around the globe.  Her chapter on Andalusia is marvelous and her description of a Scottish garden planted the seed of going to Scotland long before I’d ever been.

Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson – Hilarious depiction of England and its people from the perspective of a long-time resident outsider, this book is part memoir, part travel guide, part goof.  No one is safe around Bryson – he skewers everyone, including himself, with his trademark wit.  My favorite part?  When Bryson goes shopping with his English wife, spends two hours wandering around lost, and then miraculously ends up right where she told him to meet her, at the proper time, too – and then acts offended when the Mrs. is surprised.

That’s just a selection of my own personal favorites.  What about you – any favorite travel books?

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My Second Home

I love libraries.  Having access to a good library is a huge quality-of-life thing for me.  Let’s face it, without the library I’d probably be flat broke and chewing on book pages instead of organic vegetables.  I grew up going regularly to my town’s library, which was satisfyingly stocked with Agatha Christie mysteries and Pearl S. Buck novels.  (Note to self: re-read The Good Earth, preferably soon.)  And I think I might have been the only kid to actually borrow from my junior high and high school libraries.  I was weird that way.  College and law school were an embarrassment of riches on the school library front, and when I got married and moved out to Arlington, Virginia, I had the pleasure of belonging to a really world class public library.  In fact, when hubby and I left Arlington to move into our forever house, one of the few things I was sad about was leaving the Arlington library.  But I’ve found a new home in Sherwood Regional Library, one of the outer branches of the Fairfax County library system… a small branch, yes, but with a great collection and the ability to get me pretty much any book I might want from another Fairfax County library if it’s not at my home branch (which has only happened once – I can almost always find whatever book I want right in the stacks).  I find I have grown to feel really at home at Sherwood – it’s cozy, and they keep me in books.  What more could a girl want?  And since I’m there on pretty much a weekly basis, I’m shocked I haven’t shown you guys around yet.  Let’s have a look, shall we?

This sign stands right outside the main doors to welcome you.  It makes me grin every time I see it, because I am truly proud and happy to call Fairfax County my home.  I love the beautiful natural surroundings, the friendly people, and all the great community resources – and it’s getting better all the time.  I particularly love Fairfax County because hubby and I chose to make our home here.  I love being an adult and being able to live wherever I want, and this is definitely where I want to live.  But I digress.  Let’s go inside…

First view upon walking in the doors – the information desk and a central well with desks and computers, and the shelves extending out in a U shape.  (Sorry for the not-great picture quality.  I had my camera on the wrong setting and didn’t realize it at first.  I figured I’d already made myself obtrusive enough with my gigantic dSLR so I didn’t want to re-shoot.)

Is there anything better than the sight of full bookshelves?  Especially when they’re library bookshelves?  Hello, library books.  I’m Jaclyn.  You probably know me as That Girl Who Hangs Out Here Every Saturday.  Don’t worry, I’ll take you all home in turn.  All in good time, my wordy little friends.

I can usually be found here, in the fiction section (or a few shelves over, in the mystery section, rifling through the Alexander McCall books).

And I almost always stop off here, too – at the Holds shelf.  This is where all those shiny, sought-after new releases wait for the lucky, patient people who have been inching their way up the waiting lists.  I’m on the waiting list for at least seven books at all times, so I almost always have something fun on this shelf.  For example, after I snapped this picture I went ahead and snatched up the copy of The Magician King that was waiting for me.  Oh happy day!

Goodbye, lovely lovely Sherwood Libe.  See you next weekend.

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Four Shame

I’m almost ashamed to tell you guys this, but if I can’t come clean to my three blog readers, then to whom can I come clean?  (Grammar.  Embrace it.  Fear it.)

I’ve been a bad reader.  I’ve been flighty and flaky.  I’ve become… a bookslut.  (Ahem, Mom, that just means I have lots of books on the go, not that I’ve been reading D.H. Lawrence or flirting with male librarians.  I swear I haven’t flirted with a librarian since college.)  After an incredibly focused month of book monogamy in October, I currently have FOUR… count ’em, 1, 2, 3, FOUR… books on the go.  And I’m beginning to despair of ever finishing any of them.

Here’s what I’m reading now…

As Always, Julia – Loving this collection of letters between Julia Child and Avis DeVoto.  I started it before England and have been enjoying every minute.  If only I could stop getting distracted by new shiny books.

Night and Day, by Virginia Woolf – Started in London, still plodding along.  Would really love it if I didn’t keep wandering away.

The Lantern, by Deborah Lawrenson – Waited several months for my turn to take this new release out of the library.  It’s one of the new shiny books that’s distracted me from the above.  Bad Jac.  Like I said, flakey.

The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton – Chalk this one up to my apparent A.D.D.  I was reading Night and Day in London and thought, “When I get back to the Colonies and finish this up, I think I’ll be in the mood for some Edith Wharton.”  (Yes, I really think these thoughts.  Yes, I am super cool and have tons of friends.  Thank you for asking.)  So I got back to the Colonies all right, but I couldn’t wait until I finished Night and Day to dive into The Age of Innocence.  I was just too excited.  This despite the fact that I’ve had The Age of Innocence on my bookshelf for, literally, YEARS, and never even blinked at it before.  I guess I needed to be deep into a book about London in order to care about Old New York.  This is the twisted way my mind works, people.

What to do, what to do?  I know one thing’s for sure: I cannot, repeat, cannot, start any new books or I might not actually finish anything this month.  Hold me to this, people.  No.  New.  Books.  Until I finish all four of these.  Or until my other current library book (The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair) is due back.  I got that one off the waiting list too and can’t return it.  I like to live on the edge.  But seriously, guys, I need you to hold me accountable.  If you see me with a book in my hand, and it’s NOT one of the above, please take it gently out of my hands and then punch me in the face.  Thanks.  I’m counting on you.

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Reading Round-Up: October 2011

Reading is my longest-standing, and also my favorite, hobby.  I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book.  Here are my reads for October, 2011…

The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern – A. Ma. Zing.  The Night Circus was easily the best book I read all year.  Perfectly drawn characters, an epic challenge, a magical circus, all bound together by a love story for the ages.  I can’t even think of how best to describe the book.  All I can say is, I was entranced from the first page to the last, and I’ll read it again and again for the rest of my life.  And recommend it to absolutely everyone.

State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett – Readable, exciting and thought-provoking story of a research pharmacologist who journeys into the heart of the Amazon to find out the truth about what happened to her dead colleague, and on the journey discovers truths about her own past.  I’m a fan of Ann Patchett’s work and while this wasn’t my favorite book of hers (that’d be Bel Canto, which I loved), her newest release was a very enjoyable read.

Wildwood, by Colin Meloy – Harry Potter aside, I don’t normally go for kids’ adventure fantasy.  But when I heard that Colin Meloy wrote a book, I had to check it out.  I love his music and I figured anything that came out of his brain would be kooky, weird and darn entertaining.  This story about a 12-year-old girl who goes on an adventure and finds a secret world outside Portland, Oregon – where her baby brother is being held captive by a murder of crows and an evil Dowager Governess – is too cute.  (Yes, the villain is a Dowager Governess.  This is Colin Meloy.  Of course there would be a Dowager involved.)  Wildwood was a fun read and I can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy!  Bonus: while I wait, I will have my Decemberists CDs to entertain myself.  Thanks, Colin.

Persuasion, by Jane Austen – I downloaded the last Jane Austen novel I had yet to read for my trip to England and started it on the way to Bath, because it’s set in large part in Bath.  This is Austen’s final novel and it was a little more somber than her earlier works.  The heroine is unhappy for long stretches of the book and doesn’t really have sisters to fall back on (she has sisters, but they are jerks).  But it’s still Jane Austen, so it still all comes out right in the end!  I enjoyed it very much.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare – I chose this to read in Cornwall after visiting the Minack Theatre, a theatre built into the side of a Cornish cliff.  (Sadly, there were no plays being performed at the time – it was the off-season.)  The setting was amazing and the “master builder” of the theatre, Rowena Cade, chose to create a theatre after becoming involved in local productions, starting with… you guessed it… A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  It’s always been my favorite Shakespeare play – pure fun from start to finish.  I loved reading it through this time and imagining it being performed at the Minack Theatre.  Maybe someday I’ll get there for a performance.

The Code of the Woosters, by P.G. Wodehouse – My favorite Bertie and Jeeves novel was my choice for the days I spent in the Cotswolds.  In it, Bertie’s Aunt Dahlia demands that he visit the town of Totleigh-in-the-Wold (almost certainly in the Cotswolds) to steal a cow-creamer from the intimidating Sir Watkyn Bassett.  While there, Bertie inadvertently finds himself engaged to Sir Watkyn’s soppy daughter, Madeline.  Uh-oh!  Much hilarity ensues and, as always, Jeeves saves the day.

Joy in the Morning, by P.G. Wodehouse – One Wodehouse novel is never enough and when I get started, it’s hard to stop.  On the plane home I re-read the story of Bertie’s journey to the sinister town of Steeple Bumpleigh… a town which contains the terrifying figures of Aunt Agatha, Uncle Percy, Lady Florence Craye (molder of male minds and occasional fiancee of Bertie), Edwin (Boy Scout and plague upon the human race) and Stilton Cheesewright (Bertie’s Oxford pal who has become a policeman and is now itching to arrest Bertie for something).  Yikes!  Good thing Bertie has Jeeves.

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, by Caroline Preston – Saw this on a book blog and immediately ordered it.  A novel in the form of a scrapbook filled with vintage photos, menus, maps, tickets and other memorabilia from the 1920s?  Sign. Me. Up.  It was a charming story and an absolutely gorgeous book.  Loved.  Loved loved loved.

I don’t know if I’ve ever had a better month of reading.  Ever.  I started out with The Night Circus and finished with The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt – two of the most creative, imaginative books I’ve read in the course of my entire reading life.  Oh and in between those?  Some Colin Meloy, some Jane Austen, some Shakespeare, some P.G. Wodehouse.  Part of me wants to throw in the towel because I’ll never top October, 2011 in terms of reading fun.  Ever.  Wait, what am I saying – quit reading?  Never.