So of course I missed two books in my grand catch-up post of last week.
#15 Slaughterhouse - Five by Kurt Vonnegut
This is one of those books that everyone in my generation seems to have read in high school, yet somehow I didn't. I think for many it was assigned as a class read, but everyone I talked to seemed to really like the book. It seemed like it was probably past time for me to read this classic.
As promised, Slaughterhouse - Five is definitely a quick read. It's an interesting exploration of a type of time travel. I didn't fall in love with it but it's definitely a good book and deserves its status as a classic.
#16 The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
This was a reread. The first time I read it was in 1996 right after I saw the Marlon Brando & Val Kilmer movie adaptation. I was in high school and a lot of the Victorian terminology was confusing to me. Even so, I had a favorable memory of the read.
My reread was very quick and I certainly picked up on a great many more of the nuances. The Island of Dr. Moreau may be slightly more horror than it is science fiction, but it's still part of the cannon.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Catch-up #9-14
Four months ago, I think I mentioned that I was heading into a busy time. Well, I wasn't wrong. It was a good four months, but I am glad that they are over. My JV Basketball Boys took second place in the championship and I couldn't be prouder of them. It is with some small sadness that I close the chapter on "Basketball Coach," but realistically speaking I wasn't a very good one. Team sports were never my thing, even in high school. I learned a lot.
In other news, it looks like my husband and I will be expecting a little boy in June sometime. It is both exciting and intimidating at the same time and I think it is good that I'm working such a demanding job; it keeps me from brooding over much.
Against all odds, my Science Fiction Literature class made minimum enrollment so many of the forthcoming books and reviews will be classic sci-fi and rereads. Below is what I did manage to read during the busy times. It's possible that I've missed one or two but I believe this is correct.
9. The Frenzy by Francesca Lia Block
Teenage werewolves. A girl going through all those fun changes in adolescence suddenly gets an additional one. It seems she's been cursed with lycanthropy because of a deep family secret. It was a fun quick YA read and many of my kids like this book, but it is not in my favorites of Block's
10. Medusa's Children by Bob Swan
Late 70's sci fi with an endorsement from Roger Zelanzny on the cover. I picked it up at the Book Nook on a whim based on the endorsement and the somewhat evocative cover art. There are a couple of really cool ideas in here. The book opens in a strange underwater community of humans, not mermaids mind, but humans who survive by capturing bubbles of air. Strange, I know. Apparently this environment is almost entirely free of gravity but there is one large current and it is getting stronger, dangerously so. Eventually the action ends up back on earth. Shaw plays with the ideas of cyclical climate change and the mutation of a protoplasmic organism free of gravitational forces. It's a pretty good story with only one flaw: Shaw shoehorned in a romance. Without the love story it's a great book. With the distraction of the love story the best I can say is that it's fun.
11. Watchstar by Pamela Sargent
Sargent has somehow hit my consciousness as someone I should read more of, so I picked this one out more or less randomly from what was available at the Book Nook sometime around mid-November. It was a very enjoyable read about a young woman, Daiya, who is coming of age in her community of telepaths. The coming of age rite of passage is dangerous and often fatal, so Daiya trains frequently out in the desert. On one of these forays, she comes across a stranger whose very existence is taboo and causes her to cut herself off from the minds of her village for the first time in her life.
12. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Both a re-read and a classic of proto-sci fi. Every time I read this I get up to the last chapter loving every minute, but that last chapter is a real slog. I think Stevenson probably had difficulty figuring out how to wrap up his story after the inevitable death of Jekyll/Hyde. It's a understandable problem; it's not like he had many examples to look at for inspiration. The best thing about this book will always be the core idea which is philosophical. Man is, at his core, a mixture of good and evil. If we could separate these two sides into different beings, would the good be better or would the evil simply get stronger.
13. The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace
Over the holidays, one of those fly-by-night stores opened selling remainder book stock. No advertising or publicity; it just appeared one day selling books at a deep discount. Apparently their first run was successful enough that they extended their stay and reduced their prices even further to $1 a book. The siren call reeled me in. . . of course. I left with over 60 books, mostly from authors I'd never heard of and this is one of them. This was a lucky find.
The protagonist is a young women who, just before her marriage, realizes she is going blind. No one around her believes her, though, except for her childhood friend, the embarrassingly eccentric inventor next door who incidentally is in love with her and is unfortunately married to someone else. The story tracks her experience descending into and coping with her blindness, her escape into the world of dreams where she can still see, and the inevitable affair with her childhood friend. It's a great story: sad, but beautiful as well. I wasn't particularly in love with the ending, but I can't come up with a better one, and frankly this is one of those books where the end doesn't really matter. It's the journey that matters.
14. Journal of the Dead by Jason Kersten
Another giant book sale gamble. I don't read a lot of true crime books, but the blurb on the back did a good job selling it. Kersten follows the 1999 case where Kodikian stabs to death his best friend Coughlin during a disastrous camping trip in the National Park around the Carlsbad Caverns. What was supposed to be an overnight stop turned into a four day nightmare when the friends couldn't find the exit trail out. According to Kodikian's story, after several days in the searing desert without any water, the painful aspects of moderate to severe dehydration and the certainty that death was inevitable combined in Coughlin's mind when he asked his best friend to kill him, which Kodikian did. Soon afterwards, rangers rescue Kodikian who is, under the definition of New Mexico law, a murderer.
Kersten does a good job of following the particulars of the event and resulting trial while providing the right amount of back story. While he appears sympathetic to Kodikian, Kersten maintains a sense of objectivity and it is well written book.
In other news, it looks like my husband and I will be expecting a little boy in June sometime. It is both exciting and intimidating at the same time and I think it is good that I'm working such a demanding job; it keeps me from brooding over much.
Against all odds, my Science Fiction Literature class made minimum enrollment so many of the forthcoming books and reviews will be classic sci-fi and rereads. Below is what I did manage to read during the busy times. It's possible that I've missed one or two but I believe this is correct.
9. The Frenzy by Francesca Lia Block
Teenage werewolves. A girl going through all those fun changes in adolescence suddenly gets an additional one. It seems she's been cursed with lycanthropy because of a deep family secret. It was a fun quick YA read and many of my kids like this book, but it is not in my favorites of Block's
10. Medusa's Children by Bob Swan
Late 70's sci fi with an endorsement from Roger Zelanzny on the cover. I picked it up at the Book Nook on a whim based on the endorsement and the somewhat evocative cover art. There are a couple of really cool ideas in here. The book opens in a strange underwater community of humans, not mermaids mind, but humans who survive by capturing bubbles of air. Strange, I know. Apparently this environment is almost entirely free of gravity but there is one large current and it is getting stronger, dangerously so. Eventually the action ends up back on earth. Shaw plays with the ideas of cyclical climate change and the mutation of a protoplasmic organism free of gravitational forces. It's a pretty good story with only one flaw: Shaw shoehorned in a romance. Without the love story it's a great book. With the distraction of the love story the best I can say is that it's fun.
11. Watchstar by Pamela Sargent
Sargent has somehow hit my consciousness as someone I should read more of, so I picked this one out more or less randomly from what was available at the Book Nook sometime around mid-November. It was a very enjoyable read about a young woman, Daiya, who is coming of age in her community of telepaths. The coming of age rite of passage is dangerous and often fatal, so Daiya trains frequently out in the desert. On one of these forays, she comes across a stranger whose very existence is taboo and causes her to cut herself off from the minds of her village for the first time in her life.
12. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Both a re-read and a classic of proto-sci fi. Every time I read this I get up to the last chapter loving every minute, but that last chapter is a real slog. I think Stevenson probably had difficulty figuring out how to wrap up his story after the inevitable death of Jekyll/Hyde. It's a understandable problem; it's not like he had many examples to look at for inspiration. The best thing about this book will always be the core idea which is philosophical. Man is, at his core, a mixture of good and evil. If we could separate these two sides into different beings, would the good be better or would the evil simply get stronger.
13. The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace
Over the holidays, one of those fly-by-night stores opened selling remainder book stock. No advertising or publicity; it just appeared one day selling books at a deep discount. Apparently their first run was successful enough that they extended their stay and reduced their prices even further to $1 a book. The siren call reeled me in. . . of course. I left with over 60 books, mostly from authors I'd never heard of and this is one of them. This was a lucky find.
The protagonist is a young women who, just before her marriage, realizes she is going blind. No one around her believes her, though, except for her childhood friend, the embarrassingly eccentric inventor next door who incidentally is in love with her and is unfortunately married to someone else. The story tracks her experience descending into and coping with her blindness, her escape into the world of dreams where she can still see, and the inevitable affair with her childhood friend. It's a great story: sad, but beautiful as well. I wasn't particularly in love with the ending, but I can't come up with a better one, and frankly this is one of those books where the end doesn't really matter. It's the journey that matters.
14. Journal of the Dead by Jason Kersten
Another giant book sale gamble. I don't read a lot of true crime books, but the blurb on the back did a good job selling it. Kersten follows the 1999 case where Kodikian stabs to death his best friend Coughlin during a disastrous camping trip in the National Park around the Carlsbad Caverns. What was supposed to be an overnight stop turned into a four day nightmare when the friends couldn't find the exit trail out. According to Kodikian's story, after several days in the searing desert without any water, the painful aspects of moderate to severe dehydration and the certainty that death was inevitable combined in Coughlin's mind when he asked his best friend to kill him, which Kodikian did. Soon afterwards, rangers rescue Kodikian who is, under the definition of New Mexico law, a murderer.
Kersten does a good job of following the particulars of the event and resulting trial while providing the right amount of back story. While he appears sympathetic to Kodikian, Kersten maintains a sense of objectivity and it is well written book.
Monday, October 28, 2013
#8 The Waters and the Wild
by Francesca Lia Block
The Waters and the Wild is a strange little book where the protagonist, Bee, comes to believe that she is actually a fairy changeling. She get's bad grades, is left handed, and feels like an outsider. In that sense, Bee certainly seems to qualify although that would mean many teenagers qualify. Her two friends, Sarah and Haze, also feel like outsiders and identify themselves as the reincarnated slave girl and a half alien, respectively. What's not clear in the beginning, however, is whether any of them is anything other than a semi-normal teen.
That ambiguity of purpose - is it a story about an actual changeling or is it just a metaphor the character uses- is one that Block fosters to good effect. There is a dream like quality to the prose that only half resolves in the end. It was a quick read and had Block's trademark beautiful use of language and myth to create a richly textured sense of character. At 113 pages long, why not read it?
The Waters and the Wild is a strange little book where the protagonist, Bee, comes to believe that she is actually a fairy changeling. She get's bad grades, is left handed, and feels like an outsider. In that sense, Bee certainly seems to qualify although that would mean many teenagers qualify. Her two friends, Sarah and Haze, also feel like outsiders and identify themselves as the reincarnated slave girl and a half alien, respectively. What's not clear in the beginning, however, is whether any of them is anything other than a semi-normal teen.
That ambiguity of purpose - is it a story about an actual changeling or is it just a metaphor the character uses- is one that Block fosters to good effect. There is a dream like quality to the prose that only half resolves in the end. It was a quick read and had Block's trademark beautiful use of language and myth to create a richly textured sense of character. At 113 pages long, why not read it?
Thursday, October 24, 2013
#7 The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
Most of the time, I buy my books from used bookstores or check them out from libraries. Occasionally, I borrow one from a friend or coworker. I only rarely buy them new. I discovered The Night Circus while teaching. One of my usually-on-the-ball students was hiding something under her desk and ignoring the class discussion. I walked over expecting to confiscate a cell-phone and instead walked away with temporary possession of this novel. This, of course, led to a pretty interesting discussion about the book.
The Night Circus is billed as a "love story for adults" and I guess that's true but I think that's over simplifying the case. In reality, it's a story about magic and control. There's even a whiff of philosophical musing running under the surface. It's about what true immortality does to a human and it's about people pulling together to save each other. Surprisingly, it's only tangentially about romantic love at least as far as I'm concerned.
The best thing about The Night Circus is the richly developed world of the circus. It's otherwise set in the late 1800's and travels from location to location. The circus though is pretty much what I always wish circuses were. Miraculous things happen here. There are contortionists, acrobats, a bestiary, fortune tellers, and impossible structures full of clouds and wishing trees. It's a spectacle and it's the playing field to two dueling magicians: Celia and Marco. Their battle, committed to by their teachers when they were children, entangles the lives of everyone involved in the circus. Eventually it all starts to fall apart and it threatens everyone's life.
Great book. Totally worth collecting.
Most of the time, I buy my books from used bookstores or check them out from libraries. Occasionally, I borrow one from a friend or coworker. I only rarely buy them new. I discovered The Night Circus while teaching. One of my usually-on-the-ball students was hiding something under her desk and ignoring the class discussion. I walked over expecting to confiscate a cell-phone and instead walked away with temporary possession of this novel. This, of course, led to a pretty interesting discussion about the book.
The Night Circus is billed as a "love story for adults" and I guess that's true but I think that's over simplifying the case. In reality, it's a story about magic and control. There's even a whiff of philosophical musing running under the surface. It's about what true immortality does to a human and it's about people pulling together to save each other. Surprisingly, it's only tangentially about romantic love at least as far as I'm concerned.
The best thing about The Night Circus is the richly developed world of the circus. It's otherwise set in the late 1800's and travels from location to location. The circus though is pretty much what I always wish circuses were. Miraculous things happen here. There are contortionists, acrobats, a bestiary, fortune tellers, and impossible structures full of clouds and wishing trees. It's a spectacle and it's the playing field to two dueling magicians: Celia and Marco. Their battle, committed to by their teachers when they were children, entangles the lives of everyone involved in the circus. Eventually it all starts to fall apart and it threatens everyone's life.
Great book. Totally worth collecting.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Unannounced Hiatus
Dear Reader,
I apologize for my unannounced hiatus. Several time-consuming things all collided unexpectedly about three weeks ago. As a result, I haven't had much time to sit down for regular meals let alone pick up a book. However, it's been a highly productive time:
Luckily, life moves on and the hectic times are past for a time. In the aftermath, I'm trying to reestablish my reading routines and have reduced my massive pile of "to-read" lists into a short list of 10 books.
I apologize for my unannounced hiatus. Several time-consuming things all collided unexpectedly about three weeks ago. As a result, I haven't had much time to sit down for regular meals let alone pick up a book. However, it's been a highly productive time:
- I finished my practicum binder for teaching certification. Probably the most time-consuming of all the things listed here and certainly the event that pushed my out of my groove. The binder is about 5 inches thick and fully indexed. It's the kind of thing that isn't really hard, only tedious and fully of picky details. I'm glad it's over.
- I led a school trip to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Which, if you are local and haven't been lately, are well worth a look. In the last ten years, the Gardens has put together a number of inventive exhibits and artistic collaborations to entice the public. One of my favorites was the Chihuly exhibit in 2004. The current exhibit, "Imaginary Worlds," consists of amazing botanical sculptures. I actually saw several of the sculptures when they were still wire work and scaffolding. The transformation was amazing and the kids had a great time trying to figure out how the sculptures were constructed.
- Brian Wilson & Jeff Beck Concert in Chastain Park October 4th. For those unfamiliar, Brian Wilson was one of (arguably the) the major creative forces behind The Beach Boys and Jeff Beck was a similar force to the Yardbirds. The show was split between these two power house starting with Wilson whose music I was already familiar with. Beck I was not so familiar with and was shocked by the sheer compositional richness. I guess it could be described as a rock version of instrumental jazz. It was amazing and surprising and very, very loud.
- Paid-Off my student loans. Yay. See ya Sallie Mae. (Of course with my luck I'll end up with new loans through Sallie Mae when I go to grad school.)
- Started my stint as Junior Varsity Boys Basketball Assistant Coach. It's a new role for me and I can't say whether I'm excited or trepidatious, but I know it will be interesting.
Luckily, life moves on and the hectic times are past for a time. In the aftermath, I'm trying to reestablish my reading routines and have reduced my massive pile of "to-read" lists into a short list of 10 books.
- Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
- The Elementals by Francesca Lia Block
- The Frenzy by Francesca Lia Block
- The Waters and the Wild by Francesca Lia Block
- The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring by Jenet Conant
- Forgotten Garden by Kate Morten
- The All New Square Foot Garden by Mel Bartholomew
- Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
- The Toss of Lemon by Padma Viswanathan
- Monster of God by David Quammen
Sunday, September 15, 2013
#5 Divergent & #6 Insurgent
by Veronica Roth
YA lit exploded in the last 15 years. When I was in highschool, I was stuck with R.L. Stine books and Goosebumps. More options probably existed but the marketing machine didn't get rolling on them, and so I didn't find them. Love it or h ate it, the marketing machine does serve a purpose. High Schoolers and Middle Schoolers today seem to have an almost limitless selection of options. Surprise surprise a lot of it is very good.
Divergent and Insurgent are a pair of distopian sci-fi novels. In this world, people live in a highly structured caste system based on idealized character traits. Each group is called a faction and there are five of them: Abnegation (selflessness), Erudite (Knowledge), Candor (Honesty), Amity (Friendliness), and Dauntless (Courage). Each faction has a role in society and, in theory, they live in peace.
Beatrice was born into Abnegation but during her aptitude test she discovers that there is something very special about her brain. Where most people have aptitude for one faction, Beatrice confounds the system and shows aptitude for three factions. This flexibility makes her something called divergent and being divergent is dangerous.
Soon Beatrice's personal problems are overshadowed when faction attacks faction and their carefully ordered society falls apart.
Overall, it's a pretty good pair of books. The plot combines elements of Ender's Game and 1984. The relationship angst got to be a little much, but the rapid pace kept the story moving.
YA lit exploded in the last 15 years. When I was in highschool, I was stuck with R.L. Stine books and Goosebumps. More options probably existed but the marketing machine didn't get rolling on them, and so I didn't find them. Love it or h ate it, the marketing machine does serve a purpose. High Schoolers and Middle Schoolers today seem to have an almost limitless selection of options. Surprise surprise a lot of it is very good.
Divergent and Insurgent are a pair of distopian sci-fi novels. In this world, people live in a highly structured caste system based on idealized character traits. Each group is called a faction and there are five of them: Abnegation (selflessness), Erudite (Knowledge), Candor (Honesty), Amity (Friendliness), and Dauntless (Courage). Each faction has a role in society and, in theory, they live in peace.
Beatrice was born into Abnegation but during her aptitude test she discovers that there is something very special about her brain. Where most people have aptitude for one faction, Beatrice confounds the system and shows aptitude for three factions. This flexibility makes her something called divergent and being divergent is dangerous.
Soon Beatrice's personal problems are overshadowed when faction attacks faction and their carefully ordered society falls apart.
Overall, it's a pretty good pair of books. The plot combines elements of Ender's Game and 1984. The relationship angst got to be a little much, but the rapid pace kept the story moving.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
#4 Seraphina
by Rachel Hartman
Seraphina is a musical young woman with a grave secret. She's half-dragon and the dragons are only barely trusted. So she lives her life circumspectly, trying to avoid notice in the royal court, that as a musician, she works in. Seraphina does not have a talent for circumspection. It's not long before she's rolled up in conspiracy and her heritage gives her unique abilities which might just save the day.
It's a YA novel. A pretty good one too. The characters were engaging and the plot interesting. The end was satisfying but left the door open for more. It's definitely worth a read.
Seraphina is a musical young woman with a grave secret. She's half-dragon and the dragons are only barely trusted. So she lives her life circumspectly, trying to avoid notice in the royal court, that as a musician, she works in. Seraphina does not have a talent for circumspection. It's not long before she's rolled up in conspiracy and her heritage gives her unique abilities which might just save the day.
It's a YA novel. A pretty good one too. The characters were engaging and the plot interesting. The end was satisfying but left the door open for more. It's definitely worth a read.
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