Weekend’s Bookends: July 26 & 27

F U E L I N G | W E E K E N D

Took a week-long break from scheduled reviewing, which wasn’t exactly planned but was actually welcome. I’ve been able to catch up on reading as well as complete my academic assignments thus far, so I’d say everything’s still on the right track. [I'm avoiding the thought of the take-home midterm that's currently resting next to me. I think people have a term for it: denial.]

Books I was able to read this week are:

the wind-up bird chronicle by haruki murakami | the jane austen book club by karen joy fowler | animorphs (books 43-52) by k. a. applegate | the shadow spinner by susan fletcher | outcast: the un-magician by christopher golden & thomas e. sniegoski

The Jane Austen Book Club was the most surprising book out of this batch. While I love Pride & Prejudice, the rest of Austen’s books just terrified me – I thoroughly disliked Emma the few times I read it, but Fowler makes me want to go back and have another go. I think I might even like Fowler’s book so much that I’m going to watch the movie version. [And what I didn't notice from my cover of the book (different from the version here) was that Emily Blunt is in the movie. Huh. She plays Prudie, which would be very interesting to see. Prudie's parallel book was Mansfield Park, if that gives you any hints about what her character's like.] Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones, commented, “If I could eat this book, I would.” My sentiments exactly.

OutCast: The Un-Magician was a soothing read, welcome between some of the harsher, more realistic novels of the week. Timothy was actually an interesting, likeable character, though I suppose a bit more character development could have been welcome. I’ve ordered the second in this series, so it’ll be interesting to see whether Timothy grows along with the books and whether things continue to be as uniquely grasping as the first installment turned out to be.

Unfortunately, I had to abandon Hush, Little Baby by Katharine Davies because I just felt like it’s not the right time for me to try reading it. There’s some very good praise for it, though, if anyone else is interested – apparently it’s a really sly take on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. My copy will be returning to the library until I’m ready for it. And after I’ve actually read Twelfth Night instead of just hearing about it or watching reincarnations of it (such as the movie She’s the Man).

I’ve recieved a few more books in the mail,

arena by karen hancock | up high in the trees by kiara brinkman

which is exciting! I think I might have one or both of them up for next month’s giveaways, but it’ll depend on how I feel after reading & reviewing them myself.

Speaking of giveaways, there were a good number of entries this month and I’m glad there was almost equal interest in both books. I have here the lucky winners of July’s giveaway:

Cheryl W. has won Conviction by Skylar Burris!

Linda L. has won One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus!

Congratulations, you two! You’ll receive e-mails tonight on how to send me your info so that I can give you your books!

Thanks to everyone who entered – on the first of August, there’ll be another giveaway and another chance to win some free books.

Cheers all around!

& ElizabethC

Weekend’s Bookends: July 19 & 20

H E A R T Y | W E E K E N D

First book arrived in the mail today, from BM! Outcast: The Un-Magician (Book 1) by Christopher Golden & Thomas E. Sniegoski. I’m such a sucker for young adult fantasy books, if you couldn’t tell. Anyway, the actual receiving of the book in the mail was exciting! I seriously suggest everyone to join BM or PBS. I’m having a ball giving and receiving books here.

And the books I was able to read this week:

the no. 1 ladies’ detective agency by alexander mccall smith | animorphs (books 1-42) by k. a. applegate | the book of the city of ladies by christine de pizan | no clock in the forest by paul j. willis | sarah by marek halter | mrs. pollifax and the golden triangle

Most interesting of the books was The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, which pleasantly turned out to be much more than I expected. Most surprising of them was The Book of the City of Ladies because of its awesome subject matter – praise for women in light of men’s historical abuse of them in their writings. I seriously haven’t read anything like it before and it’s so very inspiring to read these all the stories of heroic, intelligent, amazing historical women. And most comforting was, of course, Animorphs, because I really, really, really loved the books as a kid. And I loved Tobias. And Rachel. It’s seriously the best trip down memory lane, and I’m discovering all over again why it was such a memorable series for me. I obviously haven’t been able to keep that commitment of just 5 of the books per week, but…they are so addicting.

LAST CALL for July’s book giveaways. Winners will be randomly selected on Friday! So get to it if you haven’t yet but still wanted a chance at one of the books.

I’m off to help bake a cake – dear God, save us and don’t let anyone be poisoned – for my father’s birthday. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

& ElizabethC

Weekend’s Bookends: July 12 & 13

T W I S T E D | W E E K E N D

I’ve begun taking an evening class this week which has left very little time between commutes for reading (or listening, since my headphones were still broken but have finally been replaced, yay!). That Kindle is looking extremely good now…

So really, instead of actually reading, I’ve only been able to listen (using the laptop) to:

ukridge by p. g. woodhouse | the stupidest angel by christopher moore | mrs. pollifax and the golden triangle

Luckily, I made a trip to the library this morning. Whenever I go, I first visit the 50¢ “Friends” section to see if there are any books I’d like to read or give away. Then I head over to the “Oversize” bookcases because I always discover a few gems that grab my eye. I really hate going out and searching for books among the masses because it feels way too much like shopping. And I hate shopping. This week, the books I brought home were

no clock in the forest by paul j. willis | the probable future by alice hoffman | stones from the river by ursula hegi | the file on devlin by catherine gaskin | the jane austen book club by karen joy fowler | hush, little baby by katharine davies

all of which will provide a really eclectic reading experience. I’m especially excited about The Probable Future, because I’ve read a few good reviews about it, Hush, Little Baby, because it just looks so interesting and The Jane Austen Book Club, because – whoa – there’s a guy included on that cover.

But hey, exciting news! I’ve joined PaperbackSwap (thanks to Kate) and I have two books I’ll be mailing, but also two books headed my way! Up High in the Trees by Kiara Brinkman and Arena by Karen Hancock! So if you like getting presents in the mail – and sending them yourself – sign up for PaperbackSwap! Let them know extensivereading referred you. Which reminds me, BookCrossing is also a really fun way to exchange books (and you don’t need credits to do it, either) and it’s always amazing to find a BookCrossing book out in the wild.

In case you haven’t signed up for the July book giveaway and wanted to, click HERE.

I’ve got a summer midterm later this week, so until that’s over, the reviews will be posted without me.

I was tagged by Nicole with this classics meme. Thanks! So here goes:

What is the best classic you were “forced” to read in school (and why)?
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The first time I read it, I hated Jane, I hated Rochester, I hated every single person in the book. The second time I was forced to read it, I hated it even more. The third time, I finally relented that Jane was stronger than I assumed, Rochester needed trials to counter his personality, that everything was done in metaphors and scenic imagery.

What was the worst classic you were forced to endure (and why)?
Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I can only handle so much agony in one story before I feel like burning the book to save my soul from complete misery.

Which classic should every student be required to read (and why)?
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley & Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. While the subject matter can be a bit crude, I think it’s important that students be able to have a bit of skepticism to understand that not everything being taught should be immediately trusted. Also, it can give a bit of a dampening perspective on the “leisures” of life and help some students see the bigger picture.

Which classic should be put to rest immediately (and why)?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. No. Just no. None of the characters are the least bit admirable, the passion isn’t really passion but more obsession, and for God’s sake, why do so many female singers need to have some sort of version of “Wuthering Heights” in horrifying octaves out there?

**Bonus** Why do you think certain books become “classics”?
Because they’re old. Seriously. Some of these books wouldn’t have been considered “classic” in their own time, simply because so many other books out there were like them. There are a few considered classics now that challenged the status quo of writing, but for the rest of them, they’re just slosh that had to be dredged up. So many literary critics hailed them, praised them, that things went a bit out of hand and certain books were dubbed groundbreaking when really…they aren’t. Least, that’s just my cynical view – I’m feeling hungry and my cynicism tends to leak out at such times.

I think I’m supposed to tag five people for this, but since I’ve only recently begun this site and don’t know very many bloggers, I’ll just open this to anyone who’d like to do it. Consider yourself tagged!

Have a lovely weekend!

& ElizabethC

Weekend’s Bookends: July 5 & 6

F A N T A S Y | W E E K E N D

I love holidays – especially when they come up so unexpectedly. I’d completely forgotten Friday would be a day off, and it’s awesome. Not that I work on Fridays, or even have classes on Fridays, but just knowing it’s free is lovely to think about.

Read a surprising amount of books this week. Considering my drought of reading before beginning this site, it’s interesting.

one thousand white women | the shipping news | poison study | magic study | fire study | mrs. pollifax on the china station | mrs. pollifax and the golden triangle

I think of those, The Shipping News was the best read of the week. The least memorable was Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station, because I can’t really remember what exactly happened. And the most surprising was Poison Study, by how enjoyable it was and how very satisfying.

After visiting the library and Barnes & Nobles, that “Reading Wishlist” on the side of this site has grown and put me into a bit of a depression – how on earth am I ever going to attain all those books and find the time to read them?

Ah, and I forgot to mention that I uploaded June’s extensive|article, and if you’d like to download the .pdf publication, follow this link. And just to note, the box preview doesn’t take into account the effects made into the design, so it will look much better just by downloading rather than previewing.

Announced the giveaway this week, as most visitors to this site are well aware. If you wanted to enter, click HERE. The drawing closes in a few weeks, so there’s still plenty of time.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, whether you had a holiday or not!

& ElizabethC