tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634275175988343052024-03-05T07:06:42.030-08:00Bookish TendenciesFinding my way through literature and whatever else strikes my fancyECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-2384501547147814892015-08-23T23:02:00.003-07:002015-08-23T23:05:24.403-07:00"The Interestings" by Meg Wolitzer<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">So, I just graduated college. While I’m employed and in a job I actually like, I’m not about to miss a perfectly good opportunity to wallow in the post-college blues. So, like any good English major, I decided to find a book to reaffirm these feelings. One google search and trip to the library later, "The Interestings" by Meg Wolitzer found it’s place on my night stand.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">And there it sat for almost two months.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8Lek-RCiw_Dvn7a0pJlYJy610CoiidVQtZEBBB9Xnonc4KQeLEA6qFna7x7VFsAMY91PAlbA6yzbvfUXqpw89FmR2_nbCGrjgsufVeEGEfSe36g3tLUnDOgEEXQJepFkSuXd-eYtFBl-/s1600/513mpUd%252B3gL._SX319_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8Lek-RCiw_Dvn7a0pJlYJy610CoiidVQtZEBBB9Xnonc4KQeLEA6qFna7x7VFsAMY91PAlbA6yzbvfUXqpw89FmR2_nbCGrjgsufVeEGEfSe36g3tLUnDOgEEXQJepFkSuXd-eYtFBl-/s320/513mpUd%252B3gL._SX319_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">While my own summer unfolded, I slowly waded through the intertwining stories of six friends who met at summer camp. The book jumps between the narratives of four different characters and takes place over the span of almost 40 years. As time passes people get sick, people get married, people wallow in post-college blues, but they don’t really change — at least not in any surprising way.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Each character has one or two defining experiences or traits that act as motivators for almost all of their actions. These are labels they can’t seem to shake </span>— and some characters don’t even try to. There’s the ugly but talented boy. The wealthy but kind girl. The troubled but handsome teen. The depressed but big — a baffling trait to place at the center of a character — man. The list goes on. These handful of details form the core of each character in broad, almost rudimentary strokes, defining the course of their lives as they change over the next 40 years. While some go through more extreme changes than others, their future is always foreshadowed long before the reader gets the details of the plot twist. Maybe it’s a rhetorical strategy to keep the reader plodding away, but it also seems to hint at the idea of a type of predestination. The book seems interested in the idea that some people are bound for fame while others for mundane 9 to 5 jobs. The order of this inflexible world is determined by the almost mythical force: “talent.”</div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Talent, a central part of the art camp that brought the six friends together, is treated differently by each character — sometimes worshiped, sometimes cultivated, sometimes shyly brushed aside. But ultimately, Woltizer seems very cynical about “talent,” especially considering she wrote her first published book as an undergrad. None of the characters find happiness in talent or at least not complete happiness. The characters who find any satisfaction are the ones who are willing to settle for less and compromise on the dreams of their 15-year-old selves. In another words, they discover they are not special, despite what they’ve been told, and nor are they exempt from the disappointments of life.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The book takes a long meandering path to get to this point, however. Along the way, Woltizer asks the reader to spend time with characters that sometimes feel less than dynamic, as if each character is made out of a couple connect-the-dots points but no one actually bothered draw the line between them. The same descriptions of the characters pop up again and again adding little additional information or flesh to the skeletal sketch. I think it would be a safe bet that the reader would remember Cathy’s apparently key traits after the third time she was described as “needy” and large breasted. And after the seventh time, the reader probably has begun to wonder if Cathy is really anything more than a disembodied pair of very demanding boobs.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Mammary glands aside, the book builds an in-depth look into the lives of people who think they’re interesting. Maybe the two-dimensionality of these “interesting” people is a way of damning their own self-importance, but nevertheless it’s hard to spend hours with characters that don’t feel like fully rendered humans. The writing style is clean and plot picks up some of the character’s slack, but, as the title suggests, this is a character driven book and the characters, well, just aren’t that interesting.</span></div>
ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-28944383455585028842012-05-30T00:37:00.001-07:002012-05-30T00:40:37.255-07:00WWW Wednesdays (May 30)So I don't seem to space out the timing of my posts very well. Whatever... Time for WWW Wednesdays! (Hosted by Should be Reading)<br />
<br />
What are you currently reading?<br />
Right now I'm reading "House of Leaves" by Mark Danielewski I'm only about 50 pages in and though I have some issues with the frame narrator (Does every book written in the 90s have to have a slacker protagonist?) it's one of the most engaging books I've read for a while and I have a feeling it could take a twist at any point so I'm crossing my fingers that the frame narrator will turn out more interesting than he first appears.<br />
<br />
What did you recently finish reading?<br />
"Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino. The review will be shortly forthcoming but the book was as brilliant as I hoped it would be.<br />
<br />
What do you think you'll read next?<br />
Probably "The Crying of Lot 49" by Thomas Pychon. I've been wanting to read a Pychon book for a while and "The Crying of Lot 49" seems like the most sensible place to get a taste. After that, I think I'll take a break from the post modern but I haven't decided on a book yet.ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-42235479637725608872012-05-30T00:09:00.001-07:002012-05-30T00:09:49.203-07:00"The Setting Sun" by Osamu Dazai<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
like the fantastic, I like the surreal, and lately I’ve found myself drawn
towards reading a lot of this type of fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to continue enjoying the weird, however, I find I
need to occasionally take a break and read something realistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing is magical if everything is
magical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where “The
Setting Sun” by Osamu Dazai comes in.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let’s
look at some facts surrounding this book:</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Dazai_Osamu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Dazai_Osamu.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Osamu Dazai: a cheerful bloke</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Written
in Japan</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">In
1947</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Two
years after the end of WWII</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">By an
author who, to this day, is very popular in his home country</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">He
also successfully committed suicide</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">In
1948</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">This
was at least his fourth suicide attempt</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unsurprisingly,
this was not a cheerful book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was a fascinating look into the decline of individuals, a family, an era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s much more than a simple family
drama, however.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a crisis,
sometimes subtle lurking just beneath the characters’ words and sometimes overt
and existential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Society is
breaking and those who have based their whole lives around its existence are
also fracturing. It’s a deeply emotional work yet it fortunately never crosses
the boundary into melodramatic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
cultural barriers this book poses to a western audience, myself included,
cannot go unnoted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from the
first 200 pages of “Battle Royale,” this is the first Japanese novel I’ve read
though, even with my limited experience in the world of Japanese literature, it
was actually quite accessible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was at times rather bothered by the naivety and helplessness the female
characters displayed throughout the book, but to make the claim of misogyny
would be unfair since the male characters, though in very different ways, were
equally as flawed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for the
translation, I was reading Donald Keene’s version which I believe is the only
English translation available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
found it to be very crisp and clear though there were occasionally some word
choices, such as some outdated colloquial phrases, that felt out of place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though I imagine the prose was likely
better in Japanese, the translation is more than serviceable</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dazai
has written a stunning book that, 60 years later and an ocean and a language
away, is still powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
building desperation of the characters is captivating and the novel’s latter
half is especially brilliant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
my knowledge, “The Setting Sun” has never achieved widespread popularity in the
English-speaking world which is a shame since it’s truly a great work.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-1632152401472085672012-05-27T00:57:00.001-07:002012-05-30T00:16:44.059-07:00"The Bloody Chamber" by Angela Carter<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
When
I posted on my Goodreads account that I was reading the short story collection
“The Bloody Chamber” by Angela Carter, one of my friends commented, and I
quote, “<span style="color: #131313;">lol you would read something like this (if
the title gives any clue).” I find
this comment disturbing. Very
disturbing. It is, however, with
relief tinged regret that I must say she was wrong. “The Bloody Chamber” wasn’t really for me.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/42/BloodyChamber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/42/BloodyChamber.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #131313;"> Don’t
think this conclusion is some sort of knee jerk reaction against her comment
either. Truth be told, I really
wanted to like this book. A
professor for a class in magical realism I took compiled a massive list at the
end of the semester of recommended reading. I picked up “The Bloody Chamber,” among other books, off of
his re</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #131313;">commendation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #131313;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #131313;"> And
I can see why he recommended it.
The book in many ways is excellent. It’s an assortment of re-imagined fairy tales from “Beauty
and the Beast” to “Little Red Riding Hood.” These aren’t the Disney, child friendly adaptations
e</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #131313;">ither.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #131313;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #131313;">It’s graphic, both violently
and sexually, though it never feels gratuitous.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #131313;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #131313;">Instead, these aspects serve to make these tales more
relevant to modern life and values in addition to being an integral part to
some of the feminist undertones that pervade the book.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #131313;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #131313;">Feminism often gets a bad wrap, but I
feel in this collection it’s handled tastefully in the sense that men are not
demonized but rather women are empowered.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #131313;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #131313;"> The
most notable aspect of the book is the breathtaking prose. At many points I felt like I was
reading a raunchier Edgar Allan Poe.
Though it was written in the 1970s the prose feels much older and richer
than many books written during that era.
Here’s a sentence taken at random:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The
lucidity, the clarity of the light that afternoon was sufficient to itself; perfect
transparency must be impenetrable, these vertical bars of a brass-coloured
distillation of light coming down from sulphur-yellow interstices in
a sky hunkered with grey clouds that bulge with more rain.”</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #131313;">The whole book flows with that
type of vivid complexity of description.
Each sentence is beautifully crafted and is very effective in creating a
tangle of atmosphere and tension.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #131313;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/Angela_Carter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/Angela_Carter.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /></a><span style="color: #131313;"> The
problem comes in, however, when that tension breaks. It feels wrong to criticize a book of re-imagined fairy
tales for their plot, but the mastery with which Carter handles the build up
and climaxes of these stories is absent from most of the resolutions. Often ending abruptly or with a broad
overview of the future for the characters that is jarring after the slow pace
of the rest of the story, it left me unsatisfied after an otherwise wonderful
story telling experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #131313;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #131313;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #131313;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"></span> Otherwise,
this collection has everything going for it, which is why it puzzles me that,
all in all, I didn’t love this book.
I didn’t hate it either. I
appreciated Carter’s story telling ability but I found myself many times
flipping to the back of the book to see how many pages I had left. Perhaps I wasn’t in the mood for a
primarily plot driven book.
Perhaps reading a short story collection on a plane ride isn’t a good
idea. Perhaps just coming off the
stress of finals I should have picked up a lighter read. But despite my only mild enjoyment of
this collection, I really don’t think it’s deserving of a negative review. In fact I wholeheartedly recommend it
to anyone who wants engaging stories woven with fantastic prose. As for my personal favorite story in
this collection, I’ll have to go with “Puss-in-Boots” which, largely due to
being told from the point of view of the cat Puss himself, is hilarious.</span><o:p></o:p></div>ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-81161122360421241772012-05-22T12:41:00.000-07:002012-05-22T17:51:49.076-07:00Teaser Tuesdays "The Bloody Chamber"<br />
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.385; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/tte.jpg" style="color: #4265a7; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" height="94" src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/tte.jpg?w=150&h=94&h=94" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial;" title="TTe" width="150" /></a><span style="color: #003366;"><strong>Teaser Tuesdays</strong> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <em>Should Be Reading</em>. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.385; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
• <span style="color: #3366ff;">Grab your current read</span><br />
• <span style="color: #3366ff;">Open to a random page</span><br />
• <span style="color: #3366ff;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</span><br />
• <span style="color: red;"><strong>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</strong> (<em>make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!</em>)</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">• <span style="color: #3366ff;">Share the <strong>title & author</strong>, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</span></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<a href="webkit-fake-url://6FEFE91C-AFEB-4C19-AEDB-E95DD1344EC0/180px-BloodyChamber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="180px-BloodyChamber.jpg" border="0" src="webkit-fake-url://6FEFE91C-AFEB-4C19-AEDB-E95DD1344EC0/180px-BloodyChamber.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #3366ff;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I've been away for a while but now that summer is here I'll be updating regularly once again. We'll start out with a Teaser Tuesday. Technically I finished this book, "The Bloody Chamber" by Angela Carter, last night but the prose is so rich it would be a shame to let technicalities prevent me from sharing a quote from it. I'll be posting a full review within the next few days but suffice to say it's the prose that really carries this slim collection of creepy, re-imagined fairy tales. Regarding wolves:</span></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"></span>"They will be like shadows, they will be like wraiths, grey members of a congregation of nightmare; hark! his long, wavering howl . . . an aria of fear made audible.</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The wolfsong is the sound of the rending you will suffer, in itself a murdering." ("The Bloody Chamber," 110)</span></span></div>ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-6201831969920359562012-04-04T20:25:00.001-07:002012-04-04T20:32:21.926-07:00It's April and You Know What that Means...<div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;">A 2011 books read recap! Am I ridiculously behind? Yes. Is this something I have have time to dwell on? Nope. So without further ado or explanation I'm going to jump into my top ten favorite books read last year. In no particular order:</span></div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"Survivor"</span> by Chuck Palahnuik</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Funny, insightful, horribly crass: this book won my heart for it's shear strangeness and over the top nature. After having recently read "Fight Club" and really disliking it I wonder if this novel was really as great as I remember but I'm going to go with my gut and say yes. If you're looking for a weird, interesting, easy read go no further.</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"Brave New World"</span> by Aldous Huxley</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A classic in both science fiction and the broader world of literature, a lot can be taken from Huxley's dystopian vision. For those who haven't seen it yet, <a href="http://www.acceleratingfuture.com/michael/blog/2010/07/amusing-ourselves-to-death/">this comic</a> does a nice job relating this book to our current world. Social messages aside it's an engaging, well written novel that will leave you thinking.</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"Light Boxes"</span> by Shane Jones</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Rarely do you encounter a novel that is simultaneously as unambitious in scope and as engagingly written as this slim volume. It's a pretty straightforward allegory for Seasonal Affective Disorder that due to Jones' mastery of language becomes a beautiful little treat even if you've never heard of SAD before (I read it in March cowering inside trying to escape the 90 degree heat.)</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"One Hundred Years of Solitude"</span> by Gabriel Garcia Marquez</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"One Hundred Years of Solitude" is a sprawling masterpiece filled with enough magic to make you feel like a child again even as you read through Marquez's complex and entangling sentences. The cast of characters, both strong and weak, spiteful and noble, genius and ignorant, are some of the best to ever appear in fiction. I could go on praising it for quite awhile so I'm going to cut myself off and say if you have any interest in literature this is a must read.</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"White Noise"</span> by Don DeLillo</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Darkly funny social satire, when done right, is probably my favorite type of writing so it's no wonder I liked this book so much. Of the four DeLillo books I've read this is definitely the best. It's cynical, humorous, often a bit ridiculous, and definitely not for everyone, but those who'll enjoy it at all will really love it.</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"Point Omega"</span> by Don DeLillo</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Drastically different than "White Noise" it's often hard to tell this is written by the same person. "Point Omega" is more than a little pretentious but the core part of the novel, set in the desert and full of musings on the nature of time, had more of an effect of me than 99 percent of the books I read. Its magic is not something I can really explain but I was completely lost within its scant 100 some pages.</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"Ficciones"</span> by Jorge Luis Borges</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Borges will bend your mind. His prose (or at least the translation) leaves something to be desired but his ideas more than make up for any shortcomings. His philosophical ideas masquerading as short stories are easily the most interesting pieces I read all year.</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"Eating the Dinosaur"</span> by Chuck Klosterman</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I like pop culture and I like to pretend it's important. I even like to think that maybe it holds some universal truths. Klosterman seems to be in the same boat. His essays are interesting quick reads that embrace the trivial while at the same time never shy away from the big picture.</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"By Night in Chile"</span> by Roberto Bolano</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Bolano is a master of prose and that shines through even in this translation. I'm sure a lot of this eerie, morally ambiguous story went over my head but it was nonetheless powerful. I plan to read more Bolano this year so maybe I'll have some better insights soon. Regardless, this was a great first taste.</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"Autobiography of Red"</span> by Anne Carson</div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It's a poem, it's a novel, it's fantastic. Carson has a way with words that drives this unconventional "novel in verse" from mythology to homosexuality to Latin America to volcanoes. There's a lot of disparate pieces that come together both beautifully and seamlessly in this vastly under-appreciated book.</div>ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-56161311754294342862011-11-23T22:22:00.000-08:002011-11-23T22:22:22.993-08:00*Insert Interesting Headline* or Recap Part 1<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So it’s been about a month since I last posted. Miss me? Oh you didn’t notice. Yeah that’s what I figured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway the last month has been crazy though have been able to do some reading so instead of spending the next few weeks trying to catch up on full length write ups I’ll just patch together a brief overview.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/227nL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i.imgur.com/227nL.jpg" width="298" /></a><b>“Pnin” by Vladimir Nabokov<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Nabokov is better known for his controversial novel “Lolita” which I’ve yet to read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Dad gave me “Pnin” because he remembered reading and enjoying it some 30+ years ago and though it took me awhile to get through I’m inclined to agree with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The novel, about an inept Russian professor, is equal parts funny and heartbreaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though the writing can be a bit dense at times ultimately it’s what really made this book shine.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>“33 1/3: Pavement’s Wowee Zowee” by Bryan Charles<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">About two months ago I wrote a review professing my love for Bryan Charles’s novel “Grab on to Me Tightly as if I Knew the Way.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Wowee Zowee” is Charles’s foray into the world on nonfiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book chronicles the making of the album “Wowee Zowee” by Pavement, one of the leading alt-rock band in the 90s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prior to reading Charles’s novel (which I first came across about a year ago) I had never heard of Pavement but being interested in reading another one of Charles’s books I decided to try their music which I ended up really enjoying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those who haven’t heard of them here’s one of their songs:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As for the book, I found it interesting but not nearly as engaging as his novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Charles used a very different writing style, which though more informative did not have the same poetic tilt to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This type of style was far more suited to a nonfiction work but a part of me couldn’t help being disappointed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some fascinating interviews with the band members and others associated with the making of the album make the book worthwhile for any Pavement fan though some prior knowledge about the band is necessary to get through this slim volume.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Later…<o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So I wrote those last few paragraphs in September (?) and set it aside hoping to add another book or two to the list before I posted it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Considering it’s now Thanksgiving I’m going to go ahead and say procrastination got the better of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite my absence I have still been reading though, granted not quite at the same rate as this summer.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>“City Life” by Donald Barthelme<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I feel pretentious even admitting I read this so I’ll just be completely honest and say that not only did I read this short story collection by the postmodernist writer Barthelme, but I greatly enjoyed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the stories definitely went over my head, most notably “Blood Bubbles” (though I think the incomprehensible nature of it was part of the point), but I found some of his more accessible stories to be fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Barthelme makes use of unconventional story structure and often includes multiple pictures in his pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is all very surreal and imaginative but if you’re in a mood for some substance free mind altering I highly recommend this collection or any of Barthelme’s stories for that matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Highlights include: “Views of my Father Weeping,” “The Glass Mountain,” “Sentence,” and “City Life.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>“Self Help” by Lorrie Moore<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://visualfunhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/bottomless-pit-of-books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://visualfunhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/bottomless-pit-of-books.jpg" width="320" /></a>I’ve recently discovered that short stories work a lot better with a busy schedule than full fledged novels (why it took me so long I don’t know) so I’ve been picking up more short story collections lately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moore’s “Self Help” was one of these collections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read and enjoyed (mostly) her novel “Who Will Run the Frog Hospital” this summer but I kept hearing how short stories were really her best medium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After reading this book I’m inclined to agree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She writes about rather mundane situations but the elegance and emotional power she harnesses while covering these subjects is remarkable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, and lately even more than usual, enjoy reading things that are fantastic or unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moore’s stories are neither, but I still found her stories to be engrossing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would recommend the best stories of the collection but in truth I loved almost every single one of them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>“Mao II” by Don DeLillo<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I read my first DeLillo book this spring and since then I’ve been a fan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Mao II” is my fourth DeLillo book and maybe it’s a case of too much of one author in too little time but I was rather disappointed by this novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about an aging reclusive author (read: Don DeLillo’s depiction of himself) and his handful of “friends.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are quite a few meditations on crowds, fame, terror, and death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s supposed to be one of his best books but I found it to be painfully slow and I felt no connection with any of the characters who were, to put it in middle school vocabulary, weird and annoying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps I wasn’t in the right mood but I think I’ll take a break from DeLillo for a few months.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>To be continued…<o:p></o:p></i></b></div><!--EndFragment-->ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-4385346383577435102011-08-20T23:04:00.000-07:002011-08-20T23:04:55.363-07:00The Alchemist<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After my favorable experience with Jorge Luis Borges I decided to try another South American author.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve seen Paulo Coelho’s work around a lot so I set about finding one of his novels for sale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The Alchemist” is his most popular and widely available book so I determined it would be a good place to start and now, after having read it, I’ve also determined it will be an excellent place to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in this context excellent is not a compliment.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIUnY3JAIMxn3qvxy2HFxqy4vYRALgzj5AywMZU8_qp4SnXDr_g1xJTDMKWcuIdwEgroHMQCx_PtbzG0AfA-xdSUpRcZNsL-OxGT0Y2MhUY4uLTd5MYJpM9YVM5v9sD33pdmHfIAYSGBo/s1600/the_alchemist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIUnY3JAIMxn3qvxy2HFxqy4vYRALgzj5AywMZU8_qp4SnXDr_g1xJTDMKWcuIdwEgroHMQCx_PtbzG0AfA-xdSUpRcZNsL-OxGT0Y2MhUY4uLTd5MYJpM9YVM5v9sD33pdmHfIAYSGBo/s320/the_alchemist.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The story is about a boy, presumably in his mid to late teens, who is working as a shepherd in Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has a dream of a treasure at the pyramids and after a conversation with a gypsy and a godlike old man decides that it is his Personal Legend to find this treasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hold on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s this? Did I capitalize “Personal Legend?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would I do such a thing? I mean neither “Personal” nor “Legend” are proper nouns or in “Personal’s” case even a noun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, I capitalized “Personal Legend” because it was capitalized throughout the text of “The Alchemist” along with “Soul of the World,” “Language of the World,” and probably a few others phrases that I don’t care enough about to look up.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A few frivolous capitalizations may seem to be an odd thing to be upset about but these obnoxiously common out of place capitals are a good representation of everything that is wrong with the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The Alchemist” is as heavy handed as any book I have ever read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story is an incredibly unsubtle allegory for following one’s dreams, the characters are one dimensional devices, only the most basic of words are used, the sentences are as inelegant and infantile as something one would find in a first grade reader and the worldview is naively simplistic and unbelievable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, after dealing with all those shortcomings, when I see a clumsy pseudo-meaningful phrase decked out with those gluttonous capital letters I feel like chucking “The Alchemist” at a wall. That’s covered with spikes. And on fire.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Okay, perhaps I’m exaggerating my reaction, but on the whole I found “The Alchemist” to be an incredibly frustrating read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is something to be said for simplicity and I’m a big proponent of being straightforward, but this book takes all the downsides of these qualities and weaves them into a preachy tale aimed at the lowest common denominator. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t like to be completely negative so (Actually who am I kidding? I love writing scathing reviews and this love is pretty much the only reason I finished the book, but I refuse to cave into my ugly desires so here is something positive) I found two upsides to this book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first is it seems this novella has helped people and no matter my own opinions on the book that is definitely a noble result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also have to admit I found the prologue, a re-imagining of the story of Narcissus, to be very enjoyable and thought provoking two pages.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Overall this book was not for me and as a result I would never recommend it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The Alchemist” is, however, an “international bestselling phenomenon” as the cover so boldly proclaims therefore someone, somewhere out there must think this book is pretty great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whoever that is I don’t think I’ll be ever be able to understand so... three cheers for diversity I suppose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or as Paulo Coelho would put it: Three Cheers for Diversity.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment--> ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-42526856005450508372011-08-17T22:54:00.000-07:002011-08-17T22:54:08.589-07:00Ficciones<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve started and restarted writing this post several times now and I just can’t express what I want to say eloquently so I’m going to throw back-story, hooks, analogies and whatever other devices I overuse out the window and get to the point: Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges is good. Really good.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJOzsjVqUqtN24MLBBiQazLv1ZJNTsNK69RUXzY2yLD5YL6Ftt_nAo3v9vCSpiyLHX32MfNznzqdQUN5N0U45AEGlbcC2corU3q2hIskiOcdZ0Kif0-aEzu4KZesUJyHsDIoDGNABjRg0/s1600/Ficciones+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJOzsjVqUqtN24MLBBiQazLv1ZJNTsNK69RUXzY2yLD5YL6Ftt_nAo3v9vCSpiyLHX32MfNznzqdQUN5N0U45AEGlbcC2corU3q2hIskiOcdZ0Kif0-aEzu4KZesUJyHsDIoDGNABjRg0/s320/Ficciones+pic.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's something intangibly wonderful <br />
about well worn books.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Borges was an Argentinean </div><div class="MsoNormal">writer active in the 20<sup>th</sup> century and best known, at least in the United States, for his short stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His first collection to be translated out of its original Spanish and into English was Ficciones.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Going into Ficciones I expected the pieces to be rather similar to many other short stories I’ve read: something about a person struggling to overcome an obstacle and then in the end the protagonist has a revelation or grows in some minute way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though echoes of this type of structure exist in several of Ficciones stories, individual human actions are not the main concern of this collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Borges’ gaze (Figuratively, of course. Borges was blind later in life) is far broader with his stories questioning both reality and perception.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The unfortunate reality, no matter how Borges might try to twist it, is his stories are far from accessible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ficciones though under 200 pages is neither a quick nor an easy read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of this difficulty comes from the ideas Borges plays with in the stories. A real world created from fictional encyclopedias, the implications of rewriting a book word for word, the downsides of infinite memory, parallel universes: these aren’t easy concepts grasp and especially not in the many faceted way in which Borges examines them. Subject matter, however, isn’t the only element making these stories difficult to understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s clear from the collection that Borges is a very intelligent, well-read and scholarly man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While these are all admirable qualities, they often work to the reader’s disadvantage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the selections are written in the manner of a highbrow examination of a fictional author’s work with numerous obscure references, proper nouns and needlessly difficult words thrown in for good measure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The translator might be at fault for some of these extra layers of difficulty but it’s doubtless Borges was responsible for quite a bit of the complexity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The writing style does succeed at making the story deeper and more intricate, but whether any of Borges already dense stories actually needed this, is a matter of personal opinion.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I found Ficciones to be one of the most fascinating and perspective altering books I’ve ever read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each story forces the reader to think and revaluate realities that are often left unquestioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked the first half of the collection slightly better than the second but the whole book is filled with gems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stories that stood out to me are: “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius,” Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote,” “The Circular Ruins,” “Funes the Memorious,” “Three Versions of Judas,” and “The South.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re looking for a good but challenging read I heartily recommend Borges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of you unsure if you would enjoy his writings, many of his stories are available online for free and are well worth a try.</div><!--EndFragment--> ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-74099622739692595492011-08-17T13:18:00.000-07:002011-08-17T13:18:05.334-07:00WWW Wednesdays (August 17)<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #003300; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/www_wednesdays43.png" style="color: #9c4617; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-9601" height="167" src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/www_wednesdays43.png?w=240&h=167" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" title="WWW_Wednesdays4" width="240" /></a>To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: green; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">• What are you currently reading?</span><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><span style="color: green; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">• What did you recently finish reading?</span><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><span style="color: green; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">• What do you think you’ll read next?</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: green; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I don't usually do this "bookish meme" (oh, how I hate the word meme) but since laziness got the better of me yesterday and I didn't do a Teaser Tuesday I decided to give this one a whirl.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green;">• What are you currently reading?</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://chamberfour.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/pnin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://chamberfour.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/pnin.jpg" width="125" /></a>I'm currently reading "Pnin" by Vladimir Nabokov, best known for writing "Lolita." I'm not very far into the book but so far the it's a clever and funny look into a pathetic professor's life. Humor doesn't normally age well but this 1953 book is still hilarious and I'm looking forward to getting back to reading it.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green;">• What did you recently finish reading?</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1287827991l/865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1287827991l/865.jpg" width="132" /></a>I recently went on a mini South American writer kick and read "Ficciones" by Jorge Luis Borges (which I loved) and "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho (which I didn't). The reviews will be forthcoming as soon as I can force myself to sit down and write more than three coherent sentences in a row.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://perival.com/delillo/maoii_first_ed.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://perival.com/delillo/maoii_first_ed.jpeg" width="132" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green;">• What do you think you’ll read next?</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The next book I'll tackle largely depends on how long it will take to finish "Pnin". If I finish "Pnin" before Friday I'll probably read "Mao II," a book by one of my favorite authors, Don DeLillo, that has been sitting in my to-read pile and tempting me for about a month. Otherwise I'll read "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac next in conjunction with a long road trip.</div>ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-16801828607097494932011-08-14T00:34:00.000-07:002011-08-14T00:34:31.226-07:00Survivor<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Though the old adage goes “you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover” I like to maintain that a good cover doesn’t hurt. There are some books that just leap off the shelf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Survivor” by Chuck Palahnuik with its construction orange cover is one of them. Mix the alarming hue with dotted white lines that show where creases are made in making a paper airplane and embossed letters in the same blinding orange and you have one brilliant and unique cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And adages be damned, because brilliant and unique are also the adjectives I would use to describe the contents of this novel.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://chuckpalahniuk.net/files/images/gallery/us-trade-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://chuckpalahniuk.net/files/images/gallery/us-trade-3.jpg" width="213" /></a> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The details of the plot are best left to be discovered while reading through the book (even the description on the back gives away too much in my opinion) but at its most general the novel is Tender Branson’s narration of his life story into a black box on a crashing airplane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the strange dictation circumstances might imply, Tender’s life has been anything but normal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole book is a surreal parody of religion and pop culture.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As funny as much of the novel is, Palanuik doesn’t hold back on sobering truths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the pilot of the airplane is explaining to Tender how to use the black box and when the plane will crash he says to Tender:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“‘You don’t know when the fuel will run out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s always the chance you could die right in the middle of your life story.’</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And I yelled, So what else is new?”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Palahniuk also makes very good use of both direct and clever symbols and parallels to get his point across.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the more unique techniques he applies is a backwards page count starting with page 289 and ending with page 1 giving the sense of a countdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Style aside, the plot is engaging and the details never cease to be interesting. However, the disturbing zaniness that gives this book its spark and makes it one of my favorite books I’ve read all year, will just as easily alienate people comfortable with books that tell more traditional stories.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Survivor” by Chuck Palahnuik is an odd book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s crude, uncomfortably dark and populated with mostly morally vapid characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet at the same time it’s meaningful, funny and the characters are, in their own way, endearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether you can reconcile these disparate parts and enjoy the book largely depends on your own degree of oddness.</div><!--EndFragment--> ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-55804497368011407352011-08-09T17:15:00.000-07:002011-08-09T17:15:39.953-07:00My First Summer in the Sierra<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I recently visited Yosemite and perhaps I’ve watched too many National Park documentaries or accidentally absorbed what my transcendentalist obsessed high school English teacher was telling me, but Yosemite and John Muir are inseparably linked in my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So in celebration of my arrival at the scenic, yet tourist overrun park that would make old John cry himself to sleep at night if he knew one has to fight through Disneyland sized crowds to see a simple waterfall, I decided to buy and read a book by John Muir. “My First Summer in the Sierra” was the one I happened to pick up.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMddMc4oQeu1HZxfSlvnnslFVc_MeX0lAGRU_cwdyB_6sWh2KM6El3WNaxRsNHcroKSDi6lhajHdcMQXlWt8UZwXu0jGutQQmp-GHMA5QYUotatoQ4jDHjtfdaSn8t6a7jWCABULyZNvZ/s400/my+first+summer+in+the+sierra+by+john+muir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMddMc4oQeu1HZxfSlvnnslFVc_MeX0lAGRU_cwdyB_6sWh2KM6El3WNaxRsNHcroKSDi6lhajHdcMQXlWt8UZwXu0jGutQQmp-GHMA5QYUotatoQ4jDHjtfdaSn8t6a7jWCABULyZNvZ/s400/my+first+summer+in+the+sierra+by+john+muir.jpg" /></a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>John Muir, for the uninitiated, was an American naturalist who spent years frolicking in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and other wild places, chronicling his experiences. His accounts and enthusiasm led to his founding of the Sierra Club in 1892 and also proved instrumental in the creation of the National Park Service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As someone who generally greatly enjoys national parks I figured I should give Muir a try even though his writings aren’t the type that would generally appeal to me.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now I realize I just provided two different reasons for why I read this book, which may seem superfluous (and probably is) but I would argue that you really need some sort of strong conviction to make it through Muir’s account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not to say Muir’s book is bad because it absolutely isn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a lot to love about it actually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His writing manages to be accessible without sacrificing his beautiful prose and his enthusiasm is infectious, though he uses a few too many exclamation marks for my cynical tastes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The difficulty with “My First Summer in the Sierras” is it’s basically 350 pages of description.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a small amount of narrative since this is the 1869 diary of the summer Muir spent as a member of a sheep herding expedition, but it appears Muir did very little in his actual job so the account is almost entirely description ranging from the poetic to the scientific.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If anyone is thinking of reading a book by Muir I urge you to ask yourself why you want to read it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want beautiful passages about nature I would recommend getting a book of collected quotes from Muir because his descriptions are much more meaningful and palatable in small doses, but if you want a taste of who Muir the man was go ahead and try one of his full books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The side of Muir that is often disregarded in his public profile comes out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t misunderstand, Muir is not some monster in disguise with a dark history, but reading Muir’s mixed opinions on the Native Americans and even a veiled reference to the recent end of slavery in the nation is fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My favorite parts are when the usually overjoyed Muir breaks the character history has set for him and starts complaining about something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The naturalist’s hatred for small black ants and sheep seems to only be surpassed by the disgust he shows towards shepherds. An account from the unfortunate shepherd who spent most of his summer with Muir has the potential to absolutely hilarious.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“My First Summer in the Sierras” is well written, insightful and an important piece of work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite these positives it’s not a book that will appeal to many people and unless you’re fascinated with how Muir presents himself in an unfiltered form or think works by Emerson and Thoreau make for riveting reads, I would skip it.</div><!--EndFragment--> ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-28409983937047716722011-08-09T16:47:00.000-07:002011-08-09T16:47:54.069-07:00Teaser Tuesdays "Ficciones"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/teasertuesdays2.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #00cc99; cursor: pointer; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img alt="" height="83" src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/teasertuesdays2.jpg?w=135&h=83&h=83" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.496094) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-right-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 621px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;" title="TeaserTuesdays2" width="135" /></span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Teaser Tuesdays</span></strong></em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Should Be Reading.</em> Anyone can play along! Just do the following:</span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><blockquote style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 3em; padding-top: 0px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://thebenclarkson.com/wp-content/uploads/tl%C3%B6n-uqbar-orbis-tertius1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://thebenclarkson.com/wp-content/uploads/tl%C3%B6n-uqbar-orbis-tertius1.jpg" width="198" /></a>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Grab your current read</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Open to a random page</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"> (</span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">)</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Share the </span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">title & author</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</span></span></li>
</ul></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> I'm currently reading "Ficciones" by Jorge Luis Borges and it was very hard to select a quote. Borges doesn't go for simple, powerful lines but instead weaves a story with slowly growing layers of detail. This makes for an absolutely fascinating read but does not lend itself to short spoiler free quotes so this is the best I could find:</span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> "'The work will make no pact with the impostor Jesus Christ.' Buckley did not believe in God, but he wanted to demonstrate to this nonexistent God that mortal man was capable of conceiving a world." --"Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" by Jorge Luis Borges </span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">artwork by Ben Clarkson</span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div>ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-48152959746004663832011-08-04T15:32:00.000-07:002011-08-04T15:32:05.155-07:00The Road<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I finished “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy awhile back and I’ve been delaying the review because I’m really at a loss as to what to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The premise is pretty simple: it’s about an unnamed man and his son surviving in a post-apocalyptic world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There really isn’t much more that happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boy and man scavenge for food, evade cannibalistic tribes of humans that roam the desolate world, and constantly face death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sparse story reflects the meager existence of the two main characters whose worlds start and end with each other.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://i.acdn.us/image/A6366/636658/300_636658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i.acdn.us/image/A6366/636658/300_636658.jpg" width="207" /></a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Despite the minimalist approach to story, the novel never drags or seems dull.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The Road” is driven by its atmosphere, which is gritty, dirty and void of hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout the whole story I couldn’t help but be reminded of the world in the popular video game “Fallout 3,” an association which unfortunately spoiled the book for me a bit since “Fallout 3” took post-apocalyptia more lightheartedly than this utterly humorous novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though with the topic of the destructive powers of video games aside (I kid, I kid. Video games are great), it can’t be denied that McCarthy really excels at setting the grim tone with his prose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much like the story, the writing was simple yet powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sentences are short and to the point suggesting a rather simplified and animalistic thought process that arose in the wake of civilization’s destruction.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have to admit I didn’t completely “get” this book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I followed the religious and moral undertones well enough, I think, but the end still puzzles me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t say any spoilers but the final event of the novel is so incongruent with the rest of the occurrences in the novel I’m stuck wondering what it means, if it’s as it seems or if it even occurred in the post-apocalyptic world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t a complaint, just a musing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s nothing wrong with a book that makes you think.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The Road” is a very human look at the apocalypse, a subsection of dystopian literature that is rarely explored with such mastery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wouldn’t say this is an enjoyable read because the subject matter is far too depressing. I also wouldn’t say that a year from now I’ll be thinking back and remembering it’s message often but I do believe this book has the potential to be a memorable read, especially for parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book never quite clicked for me and I don’t know why since it has all the markings of a book I would like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not a novel I would actively recommend but I wouldn’t try to persuade someone against reading it either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end to most eloquent thing I can say about it is that, “The Road” was okay.</div><!--EndFragment-->ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-44654744277267720092011-08-02T12:39:00.000-07:002011-08-02T12:40:51.948-07:00Teaser Tuesdays "My First Summer in the Sierra"<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/teasertuesdays2.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img alt="" height="83" src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/teasertuesdays2.jpg?w=135&h=83&h=83" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 10px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 10px; border-right-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 10px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 10px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 621px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="TeaserTuesdays2" width="135" /></span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Teaser Tuesdays</span></strong></em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Should Be Reading.</em> Anyone can play along! Just do the following:</span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><blockquote style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 3em; padding-top: 0px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecotopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/john-muir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecotopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/john-muir.jpg" width="184" /></a></div><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Grab your current read</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Open to a random page</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"> (</span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">)</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Share the </span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">title & author</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</span></span></li>
</ul></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">"It seems extravagant to spend hours so precious in sleep... Pity the poor beloved needs it, weak, weary, forspent; oh the pity of it, to sleep in the midst of eternal beautiful motion instead of gazing forever, like the stars." --"My First Summer in the Sierra" by John Muir</span></div></div></div></div>ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-71213960955886640742011-08-02T01:17:00.000-07:002011-08-02T01:17:18.965-07:00Grab On to Me Tightly as if I Knew the Way<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I promised a review of “Grab On to Me Tightly as if I Knew the Way” by Bryan Charles quite awhile ago but things got in the way and though I finished the book over a week ago I haven’t had time to write a blog on it until now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I first found this book on a library shelf and I was immediately attracted to its fantastic cover and unwieldy long name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Acting on these very superficial opinions I checked it out, went home, curled up on a sofa and began to read it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what I found:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><blockquote> “When you grow up you can be anything, they said, but that’s a lie too. So I go to band practice and plug in the Twin Reverb, the Stratocaster, and the noise is a beautiful plane crashing into my face. So I make a gun with my finger and thumb and aim it heavenward. So I dream of a landscape, this one, darkened by the slow rolling shadows of cloud-sized tits.”</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://img2.imagesbn.com/images/99840000/99847348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img2.imagesbn.com/images/99840000/99847348.JPG" /></a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I don’t like dealing with long quotes but the first paragraph of this novel sums up everything this book has to offer far better than I could say it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Angst, music, lust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The three driving themes of this book have been done time and time again by hundreds of different authors but Charles manages to make it seem fresh in no small part due to his writing style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every sentence is expertly crafted and I could go to any page at random and pull a tragically beautiful quote out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> This</span> is the main reason why (full disclosure time) this isn't the first time I’ve read this book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been about a year since I first read it and I finally found a used copy of it for sale prompting this recent reread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though I loved it the first time, now that I’ve read it again I can easily say it’s become one of my favorite books.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> Despite this,</span> I should acknowledge it’s not a book for everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The basic plot is about 17-year-old Vim Sweeney’s coming to age in early 90’s Michigan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means angst and a lot of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vim’s motives aren’t always obvious and he’s not a completely sympathetic character, but that’s really aside the point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He embodies the turmoil that comes with the empty space on the cusp of adulthood and though his actions are sometimes idiotic, in the end he’s really just a pretty smart, kind hearted, lost kid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The supporting characters form an interesting and believable cast, each with enough depth to make them more than just flimsy devices to help Vim along with his journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though the writing and cast is sound, this book will probably appeal most to people who were teens in the early 90’s or people who are currently teens. Even if you don’t fit into either of these categories, if you’re in the mood for a good coming to age story I urge you to give this a try because, if nothing else, there are few books with prose as piercing and poetic as this novel offers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I can’t resist I’ll leave you with one final quote:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><blockquote> “I want to take a ten-year shower. There is the night to wash off me, all the doubt and dark things lingering. I feel naked in the brightness now, exposed, like my skin is peeling off and I’m showing her everything, for the first time showing my mother my heart, my fear, the sunken bruises that never heal.”</blockquote><!--EndFragment-->ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-88686265768069512742011-07-20T01:49:00.000-07:002011-07-20T01:54:26.796-07:00All was well<div class="MsoNormal"><i> I just finished reading “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” again and while normally I would sit down and write a review of it, for a book like this I just can’t. Even if I could ignore all my nostalgia for the book and concentrate on it’s quality it would be pointless since either you’ve enjoyed the Harry Potter series enough to read the final installment or you’re a naysayer who never made it past book two. Instead, here is my humble attempt at a tribute.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ndyteen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Harry-Potter-and-the-Deathly-Hallows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ndyteen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Harry-Potter-and-the-Deathly-Hallows.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> I am a Harry Potter fan. There are very few readers my age who aren’t. Though the Harry Potter series has been touted as children’s books that were able to break free from their target audience and appeal to a wide range of ages, it can’t be denied there is also a very generational aspect to their popularity. Though I’m far from the biggest fan (as my conspicuously Harry Potter paraphernalia free room can attest to) I grew up with Harry, Hermione, Hogwarts, and everything else in the series.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> To the best of my memory I was first exposed to the series when the first and second books were given to me as a gift during the Christmas of 1999. Next to a super awesome metal slinky one of my friends gave me for my seventeenth birthday, they're the best gifts I’ve ever received. The books were beyond my reading level at the time, so I sat down with my family while my dad read them out loud. It was a tradition we would keep all the way until the last one was released in 2007.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> From the start I absolutely loved them. At the risk of sounding like a hipster, I’ll admit that this was before they had been commercialized and there was no merchandise for them to be found, so with special paper, a printer and an iron, I made my own shirt emblazoned with the cover of “The Chamber of Secrets.” I wore it with pride. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> I remember going to the book releases. One came out on the morning before a road trip, another one released while I was sitting in a Peruvian airport and I bought the sixth one while in Canada so now it looks shrunken and out of place, squeezed between the massive American editions. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> As for the movies, though never quite as enchanting as the books, were still thrilling parts of my childhood. That’s why, as I laughed with my friends last Thursday night while waiting for the clock to hit 12, I couldn’t help feeling a bit of sorrow, because I knew a prolonged episode in my life was ending. Feel free to call that notion ridiculous. Feel free to scoff at my attachment to a fictional world. But when it comes down to it, the magic of the Harry Potter series isn’t in its spells or potions but in the knowledge that however horribly wrong things in real life go there is always a world I can close my eyes and return to that feels like home.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> For me, mischief will never truly be managed and for that, I’m glad.</div>ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-22598145092339807482011-07-19T13:53:00.000-07:002011-07-19T13:53:13.975-07:00Teaser Tuesdays "Grab on to me Tightly as if I Knew the Way"<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/teasertuesdays2.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img alt="" height="83" src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/teasertuesdays2.jpg?w=135&h=83&h=83" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 10px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 10px; border-right-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 10px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 10px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 621px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="TeaserTuesdays2" width="135" /></span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Teaser Tuesdays</span></strong></em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Should Be Reading.</em> Anyone can play along! Just do the following</span>:</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><blockquote style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 3em; padding-top: 0px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Grab your current read</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Open to a random page</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"> (</span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">)</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Share the </span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">title & author</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</span></span></li>
</ul></blockquote></div></div></div></div><br />
<a href="http://img2.imagesbn.com/images/99840000/99847348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://img2.imagesbn.com/images/99840000/99847348.JPG" width="132" /></a>This book has some of the best prose I've ever read and unfortunately two sentences doesn't do it anywhere near justice. The review I'll be posting in a few days will likely include more quotes, but for now I suppose a small taste of a book filled with memorable lines won't hurt.<br />
<br />
"So we go to bed not knowing and wake up not knowing and from dream to dream everything goes wrong. Someone's sculpting my ice-block heart with a chainsaw." --"Grab on to Me Tightly as if I Knew the Way" by Bryan CharlesECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-19268022037861178212011-07-17T01:36:00.000-07:002011-07-17T01:36:19.903-07:00Monster, 1959<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I mentioned picking books up on whim in my last review and I guess I just must be in a whimsical mood because “Monster, 1959” by David Maine is another book I read despite knowing nothing about it beforehand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The basic plot of the book is very well worn monster movie fair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It starts out with a monster called K living relatively peacefully away from civilization until a group of Americans come to the island and K takes the book’s token “damsel in distress,” Betty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her gallant husband, Johnny, along with a group of big game hunters, try to save her leading to plenty of action, the capture of K, and the decision to bring the K to the U.S. (you don’t have to a connoisseur of campy monster movies to know that this move only leads to more disaster).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://i43.tower.com/images/mm112265556/monster-1959-david-maine-paperback-cover-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i43.tower.com/images/mm112265556/monster-1959-david-maine-paperback-cover-art.jpg" /></a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fortunately this flimsy plot doesn’t take itself too seriously and instead works as a vehicle for a few other themes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one sense “Monster, 1959” is a tribute to mid twentieth century monster movies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a bit of tongue and cheek humor, several very unsubtle allusions to movies of the era, and, my personal favorite, the fleshing out of the stereotypical movie characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brave Johnny is addicted to peril to a fault, beautiful and danger prone Betty is actually rather resourceful (though not resourceful enough to save herself), and even the comical 7 foot tall circus clown has his demons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maine’s effort to show the other side of these typically one-dimensional characters is interesting but in the end adding one more trait to a very tired character archetype still doesn’t make them any more interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the examination of K’s psyche, which seems to have some promise, turns out to be dull and repetitive.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There are also, surprisingly enough, some very political messages at play within the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These messages flit in and out of the narrative both abruptly and infrequently and only occasionally does the author openly mix the story and portrait of the United States he’s painting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Maine does this, however, it results in some of the best passages of the book. (WARNING: Spoiler in quote. Granted, the story is so predictable it wouldn’t be hard to guess something like this would take place)</div><blockquote> “The statue [of Liberty], severely foreshortened, looms above them like a Calder mobile. Like a graven idol: something to worship, to pray to, to die or kill for. In which case K.’s unexpected figure, squatting atop it, is—a blasphemy? An intrusion? A joke? A logical endpoint?”</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"> Maine’s story is one really of injustice, which covers everything from the treatment of K to the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment to commentary on Hydrogen bomb testing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he takes a break from the narrative and concentrates on these issues you can see a hint of genius shining through.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The problem is the rare hint of genius is the best the book has to offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither the message nor the humor nor the fleshed out characters can overcome the clunky story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cliché narrative is both part of the joke and the central meaning of the book but that doesn’t make it any more enjoyable to read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many books have covered the same territory far more adeptly and engagingly making there little reason to read “Monster, 1959.”</div><!--EndFragment-->ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-76867753725735003372011-07-12T16:13:00.000-07:002011-07-20T16:33:58.938-07:00Teaser Tuesdays "The Enchantress of Florence"<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/teasertuesdays2.jpg?w=135&h=83&h=83" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #00cc99; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" height="83" src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/teasertuesdays2.jpg?w=135&h=83&h=83" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.496094) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-right-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 621px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;" title="TeaserTuesdays2" width="135" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Teaser Tuesdays</span></span></strong></em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Should Be Reading.</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> Anyone can play along! Just do the following</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">:</span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><blockquote style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 3em; padding-top: 0px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvXv1UxfLd_tpfeWLOrtWpqAoC1PSro3UW2aBsbV1KMOE1h6l00Uvc9byhGcO4GTb3fh-NHPqgxYhEMQDxE21SuqafYd5vWNYuGqd4Y0x9_zPagcLlFucKqtGOUHO7uAlXEEsw-Gnlm9M/s1600/enchantress-florence_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvXv1UxfLd_tpfeWLOrtWpqAoC1PSro3UW2aBsbV1KMOE1h6l00Uvc9byhGcO4GTb3fh-NHPqgxYhEMQDxE21SuqafYd5vWNYuGqd4Y0x9_zPagcLlFucKqtGOUHO7uAlXEEsw-Gnlm9M/s200/enchantress-florence_l.jpg" width="131" /></a>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Grab your current read</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Open to a random page</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</strong> (<em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!</em>)</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Share the <strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">title & author</strong>, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</span></li>
</ul></blockquote></div></div></div></div></span>"He would die without telling his story. He found this thought intolerable and so it refused to leave him, it crawled in and out of his ears, slid into the corners of his eyes and stuck to the roof of his mouth and to the soft tissue under his tongue." <span id="goog_305586249"></span>--"The Enchantress of Florence" by Salman Rushdie<span id="goog_305586250"></span></div>ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-3449754679630762822011-07-12T15:26:00.000-07:002011-07-12T15:28:55.861-07:00Survival Rates<div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://ca.pbsstatic.com/l/48/0848/9780393320848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ca.pbsstatic.com/l/48/0848/9780393320848.jpg" /></a> Occasionally I choose a book purely on whim. I’ve never heard of the book or the author before and decide to gamble seven dollars or so on this unknown entity. I find it refreshing to stumble into a book completely free from expectations and biases with only the information the back cover supplies. Of course, I usually quickly shatter this state by looking it up online about ten pages into the book, but that is beside the point. I’ve found some great books this way that I otherwise wouldn’t have touched and it’s a practice that I have no intention of giving up anytime soon.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<br />
What I don’t like to mention is that while this method has uncovered some true gems, it is also a very effective way of finding absolutely disastrous books. Both fortunately and unfortunately, Mary Clyde’s short story collection “Survival Rates” falls into neither of these categories. The Flannery O’Connor award winner is, in my opinion, just okay.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
The nine stories contained within the volume, though each different enough to avoid sounding repetitive, have some definite similarities with each other. Among the most noticeable is the concentration on the aftermath. Whether it is coping with a diagnosis or recovering from a breakup each piece gives a glimpse into one, or often several, people’s reactions. The greatest downfall of the collection is most of the time it is just merely a glimpse and not fully a story. There is nothing wrong with not having a traditional story arc but by about the fourth story in it begins to seem like this tendency is less of a device and more of a crutch.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
The other main thread in the collection is the southwestern U.S. setting. There is one set in southern California, another in Utah, but most of the stories with a specified location take place in Phoenix, Arizona or one of its suburbs. Normally I’m all for a southwest setting seeing as it tends to be woefully unused in literature, but Clyde’s depiction of it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It’s not that Clyde misrepresents the area; it’s quite the opposite. The author clearly knows the area very well but for some odd reason seems bent on showing the reader how much of an expert she is by throwing in oddly specific place names. This is something that can be done acceptably when the story is set in a major city like New York or London but for a place like Phoenix, as large as it might be, the place is really an unknown to people who have never lived there. I suppose it could be argued Clyde is trying to educate the readers about the city but these efforts occasionally come at the expense of the stories’ clarity. Because really, how many people who aren’t also intimate with area will know that Smitties is a grocery store or understand all that is implied when a character is described as dressed in clothes from “Biltmore Fashion Park.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
Despite these complaints “Survival Rates” is by no means a bad collection. “Victor’s Funeral Urn,” “Pruitt Love,” and “Jumping” are my personal favorites but most of the others in the collection are quite good also. Each of the stories hover on the edge of greatness and it makes me wish to see another collection by Clyde with her story telling skills better honed. Seeing as it has been twelve years since the release of her first and only collection this may be the only of her writings the world ever receives which would be a shame because she’s not bad; not bad at all.</div>ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-56762500001434473092011-07-06T13:17:00.000-07:002011-07-06T13:17:07.664-07:00Franny and Zooey<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://smcmlibrary.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/franny-zoey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://smcmlibrary.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/franny-zoey.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Franny and Zooey” is a book by J.D. Salinger and like all books by Salinger, besides his most famous, can’t be discussed without first establishing the speakers opinion of “The Catcher in the Rye.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As unfortunate as it is that none of Salinger’s other works can seem to escape Holden’s angst riddled little tale, it’s best to get the elephant out of the room as soon as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I seem to be one of the few people who doesn’t have a strong opinion either way on “The Catcher in the Rye.” I didn’t find Holden annoying, as many other contemporary readers seem to have felt, and generally enjoyed the read, but at the same time the book was not life changing or even made a lasting effect on me as rabid fans claim to have experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never the less, when one of my friends saw me reading “The Catcher in the Rye” and suggested I should also try “Franny and Zooey” I decided to follow her advice.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Franny and Zooey” is about the two youngest members of the Glass family: a fictional family that much of Salinger’s canon concerns, though my only previous encounters with them was through the couple mentions they receive in “Nine Stories.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book is in two parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first part is the lead up to Franny’s breakdown and the second is the aftermath told largely through Zooey’s conversations with his mother and Franny.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The novel has several themes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similar to “The Catcher in the Rye” disillusionment with the world and the people who inhabit it plays a large part, but in “Franny and Zooey” the characters are older and their reaction is more mature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The suicide of the siblings’ eldest brother, Seymour, though it occurred years before the novel’s events, is a definite force in the book making the reader question if the character having a breakdown is really the one in the most distress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Religion, however, is the most dominant theme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Salinger, a man who was born Jewish Catholic and went on to practice everything from Hinduism to Scientology in his adult life (more about that <a href="http://www.adherents.com/people/ps/JD_Salinger.html">here</a>), was known for his ever changing beliefs which are very clearly reflected in this novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A pretty strong case could be made that “Franny and Zooey” is actually religious fiction but simply slapping on a label like that wouldn’t do this book justice.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Salinger’s books get called a lot of things from pretentious to grating, but it can’t be denied that he is a fantastic writer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His ability to completely change voice, the importance he places in details and his knack for weaving humor and heartbreak together so tightly they can’t be separated, really makes his stories a joy to read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite this, it’s true “Franny and Zooey” isn’t for everyone. The slow pacing and tendency to shy a bit too much towards the oblique side of the spectrum may infuriate some readers, but for people who aren’t bothered by those tendencies, even those who didn’t like “The Catcher in the Rye,” will find a richly rewarding book well worth the time it takes to read its scant 200 pages.</div><!--EndFragment-->ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-51351557873642783092011-07-05T16:49:00.000-07:002011-07-06T13:17:55.548-07:00Teaser Tuesdays "Survival Rates"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; color: #444444; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span><br />
<a href="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/teasertuesdays2.jpg?w=135&h=83&h=83" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="83" src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/teasertuesdays2.jpg?w=135&h=83&h=83" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-right-style: solid; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(226, 226, 226); border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 621px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="TeaserTuesdays2" width="135" /></a><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></strong></em></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></strong></em></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Teaser Tuesdays</span></span></strong></em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Should Be Reading.</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> Anyone can play along! Just do the following</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">:</span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://i43.tower.com/images/mm101789544/survival-rates-mary-clyde-paperback-cover-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"></span></a><br />
<blockquote style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 3em; padding-top: 0px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://i43.tower.com/images/mm101789544/survival-rates-mary-clyde-paperback-cover-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i43.tower.com/images/mm101789544/survival-rates-mary-clyde-paperback-cover-art.jpg" width="133" /></a>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Grab your current read</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Open to a random page</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</strong> (<em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!</em>)</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Share the <strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">title & author</strong>, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</span></li>
</ul></blockquote> "He thinks the mountains seem close today, particularly inhospitable in the noon light. The olive green of the saguaros reminds him of a tank's armor, and there's a glare that makes him feel thirsty." <a href="http://www.amazon.com/survival-rates-stories-mary-clyde/dp/0820320498">--"Survival Rates" by Mary Clyde</a></div></div></div></div>ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-463427517598834305.post-84131602068795672612011-07-04T11:11:00.000-07:002011-07-04T11:11:34.315-07:00Going After Cacciato<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tim O’Brien’s “Going After Cacciato,” like many of his other books including his most famous novel “The Things They Carried,” takes place to the backdrop of the Vietnam War.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book mixes main character Paul Berlin’s memories of the war with Berlin’s and fellow soldiers unreal trek to Paris in pursuit of a deserter, Cacciato.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.betterworldbooks.com/076/Going-After-Cacciato-9780767904421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://images.betterworldbooks.com/076/Going-After-Cacciato-9780767904421.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The book is far more than a straightforward story, however, so a simple plot summary doesn’t do it justice. The novel I would most readily compare it to is “Catch-22.” Perhaps it reveals how few war based novels I’ve read by being so ready to lump these two books together, but I feel there are some noticeable similarities beyond the theme of war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both make some use of chronologically jumbled flashbacks, have dark humor, and express dissatisfaction with war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The manifestation of this dissatisfaction is where the two books diverge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While in “Catch-22” Yossarian outright rejects the war and openly tries to escape it, the characters in “Going After Cacciato” are much less decisive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They cling to the idea they are carrying out their mission of capturing Cacciato despite their march to find him gradually lapsing into tourism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lack of decision and definition is a reoccurring theme in this book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Berlin straddles the line between desertion and mission refusing to commit to either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daydreams and reality rub shoulders increasing the confusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But confusion is the point: the confusion of the Vietnam War, the confusion of the era, perhaps even the confusion of youth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all this confusion the only thing that exists are possibilities but Berlin’s reluctance to capitalize on these give even what normally stand as hopeful beacons a gloom.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Or maybe I’m just spouting meaningless drivel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, I enjoyed “Going After Cacciato.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the type of book you can examine and reexamine but doesn’t sacrifice an engaging narrative either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The picture of soldiers on the front cover might scare some potential readers away but even those, like myself, who aren’t war buffs should give this novel a try, because after all, as the mysteriously unaccredited quote on the back of the book said, “To call ‘Going After Cacciato’ a novel about war is like calling ‘Moby-Dick’ a novel about whales.”</div><!--EndFragment-->ECDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02214684529579752510noreply@blogger.com0