ladyc72385: 999 challenge

This is such a cool idea! I'm excited! :) Here's the list so far:

1. Pre-1900
- Wilkie Collins, The Law and the Lady
- Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers
- George Eliot, Daniel Deronda
- Charles Dickens, Bleak House
- Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto
- Mary E. Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret
- something by Sir Walter Scott

2. Owned but unread
- James Collins, Beginner's Greek
- Anya Seton, Katherine
- Haven Kimmel, The Used World or Iodine
- Diana Gabaldon, Dragonfly in Amber
- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
- Bernard Cornwell, Gallows Thief
- Jennifer Crusie, ed., Flirting with Pride and Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives on the Original Chick-Lit Masterpiece
- Anatole France, The Gods Will Have Blood
- Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

3. Pulitzer winners
- John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces
- Booth Tarkington, The Magnificent Ambersons
- Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence
- Edna St. Vincent Millay, The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver: A Few Figs from Thistles: Eight Sonnets in American Poetry
- Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth
- Thornton Wilder, Our Town
- Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes
- Eudora Welty, The Optimist's Daughter
- Norman Mailer, The Executioner's Song

4. Shakespeare plays
- Romeo and Juliet
- Pericles
- Two Gentlemen of Verona
- Antony and Cleopatra
- Troilus and Cressida
- Love's Labour's Lost
- The Merry Wives of Windsor
- Two Noble Kinsmen
- Cymbeline

5. Mystery
- Rhys Bowen
- Stephanie Barron
- Carrie Bebris, North by Northanger
- Steve Berry, The Templar Legacy
- Georgette Heyer, Envious Casca
- Will Thomas, Some Danger Involved

6. Nonfiction
- Caroline Weber, Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution
- something about Ireland (suggestions especially welcome here! I'm looking for a good overview of Irish history or Irish-English relations)
- Nick Hornby, Housekeeping vs. the Dirt
- Martin Buber, I and Thou
- Two Guys Read Jane Austen
- David McCullough, 1776
- Aidan Nichols, O.P., Christendom Awake
- Annie Dillard, The Writing Life
- David Howarth, 1066: The Year of the Conquest

7. Historical fiction
- Lauren Willig, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
- Elizabeth Aston, Mr. Darcy's Dream
- Deanna Raybourn, Silent on the Moor
- Sharon Kay Penman
- C. S. Forester
- Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander
- Tracy Grant, Beneath a Silent Moon
- Robert Harris, Pompeii
- Georgette Heyer, The Spanish Bride
- Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds

8. Fantasy
- Mercedes Lackey, One Good Knight
- Neil Gaiman, Coraline
- Jim Butcher, Fool Moon
- Shannon Hale, The Goose Girl
- Stephanie Meyer, Twilight (I'm so curious now...)
- Naomi Novik, Empire of Ivory
- Terry Pratchett, The Light Fantastic
- Rick Riordan, The Sea of Monsters

9. American classics
- William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury
- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables
- Herman Melville, Billy Budd
- James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender Is the Night
- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
- Henry James, The Turn of the Screw
- Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye
- John Steinbeck, East of Eden

My plan is not to overlap, and to stick with books I haven't read before (hence the odd assortment of Shakespeare). Looking forward to getting started!

Note: This list is definitely subject to change as I decide what I actually want to read. I'll make another post with the final list, which I'll fill in as I start reading the books.

Lady C...you are in for such a treat! Confederacy of Dunces is probably my all time favorite book in the world. I first read it in 1982 for the first book discussion group I ever did. My neighbor and I went together and we spent hours laughing and crying over poor Ignatius Reilly - the main character. If you've ever spent any time in New Orleans, you will enjoy it even more. Happy reading. Tina (aka Tutu)

Thanks for the rec! It's been on my reading list for ages but I've never gotten around to it. I definitely look forward to reading it.

And here's the first book! It's under (5) Mysteries:

1. Rhys Bowen, Her Royal Spyness

Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, known to her friends as Georgie, may be 34th in line for the throne of England, but that doesn't mean she has no problems: she's living alone in 1930s London, practically broke, and the queen herself is throwing a fish-faced prince at her head. To make matters worse, a murder victim is found dead in her bathtub, and she herself is the number one suspect! To clear her name, Georgie turns detective - but the murderer may be after her as well.

I really enjoyed this book - it's fun, lighthearted, escapist candy for the brain. Georgie is a lively narrator with a keen sense of humor, and I look forward to reading more of her adventures. Since this is the first book in the series, though, Bowen takes about half the novel to set up the story, introduce Georgie, and establish the tone of the series. As a result, the mystery plot itself is a bit thin, and it's wrapped up really quickly. Hopefully this won't be a problem as the series continues; but other than that, I'd definitely recommend this book!

Hola LadyC

Nice to see another reader with a Pulitzer category. I think there are a few of us. I'm going to go put up a thread in the 999 Challenge group so we can all post our links there and keep up with if we read any of the same books.

Sounds good! Can't wait to see what others are reading!

Second book, under (7) Historical Fiction:

1. Rose Melikan, The Blackstone Key

In late-eighteenth-century England, a teacher at a girls’ school has little hope of finding adventure, but that’s exactly what Mary Finch does when she embarks on a journey to visit her estranged uncle. Along the way, she passes a man who’s had a carriage accident and is now dying; as she tries to help him, he raves to her about mystery and danger. She then discovers that he has somehow gained possession of her uncle’s watch. Thus Mary is catapulted into a very big adventure indeed, involving smugglers, coded messages, and treason. She meets many interesting characters, including more than one potential love interest – but whom can she really trust?

I picked up this book with absolutely no idea what to expect, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The book was a page-turner that I couldn’t put down, and main character Mary was funny and likeable. Several of the secondary characters were excellent as well, and there were a few Heyer-esque moments that made me smile. There were a few historical points that bothered me, though: for one thing, Mary spends way too much time traveling with single men. Ladies who weren’t loose women would never have done so. On the other hand, Mary’s social class was pretty vague – she obviously wasn’t rich, but I couldn’t tell whether she was a member of the gentry or the working classes, and I suppose that might have made a difference. Despite the occasional lapse, though, I enjoyed this book a lot. Apparently a sequel is expected in the summer, so I’ll have to add it to the challenge list! :)

I'm also planning to read Confederacy of Dunces for my prize winners category, though I probably won't start it until March/April. I look forward to reading your review of it. I did attempt it last year but it was the wrong book for me at that time so I'm going to give it another go as so many people have recommended it.

Same here...I've always wanted to read it but never got around to it. No clue when I'm going to start it, though - I'm just winging it right now!

I think it should be a group read if the 2010 challenge is for 42 books.

Happy to do it in a group...just let me know where and when! :)

My first read under pre-1900 books: Wilkie Collins, The Law and the Lady.

Valeria Woodville appears to be a very lucky woman: she is beautiful, intelligent, and recently married to the love of her life. Her husband Eustace is everything her heart desires, but her marriage is soon threatened by a dark secret that Eustace is concealing; when she finally discovers it, he tries to save her from disgrace by leaving her. But Valeria doesn't give up that easily, and in defiance of everything, she sets out to solve the mystery surrounding her beloved husband.

The first thing I have to say is, if you're interested in reading this book, DON'T read any introductions, prefaces, or blurbs on the cover. They'll spoil the first big surprise of the book - a twist that Collins spends a lot of time building up to. I thought this book was very engrossing and suspenseful, but the characterization was a bit weak: Valeria isn't quite believable as a woman (and Collins definitely had his own agenda when he chose to narrate through her voice), Eustace is very two-dimensional, and Miserrimus Dexter is like a fantasy character rather than an actual person. The plot carries the book, though, and I'd definitely recommend it to mystery or gothic novel fans.

In the fantasy category, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale:

As Crown Princess of Kildenree, Ani grows up in the lap of luxury as she is groomed to become the future queen. But Ani has always been uncomfortable in her role and can't manage to act appropriately regal. To solve the dilemma, her pragmatic mother contracts a marriage for her with the prince of the neighboring kingdom of Bayern. Along the way, a conflict among her guards forces her to run for her life, and she finds herself in a strange place with no way of claiming her true identity. She finds work as a goose girl and makes friends among the Bayern villagers and Forest folk; but the time eventually comes when Ani must reclaim her rightful place and fight to save her country.

I love fairy tale retellings, and even though I don't know the original story of the goose girl, I thought this book was extremely good. Hale does a good job of evoking a fairy-tale world, and I loved Ani and the other characters, particularly Enna (who gets her own story in the companion novel, Enna Burning). I also enjoyed the mix of coming-of-age story, adventure, and romance, with a little magic thrown in. The prose does get a bit overly flowery at times, which isn't surprising since it's Hale's first published novel, but I definitely look forward to reading more by her.

First book in the "Owned but Unread" category: Katherine by Anya Seton.

At its most basic, Katherine is the story of the love between Katherine Swynford, the widow of a relatively obscure knight, and John of Gaunt, one of the most powerful men in England. The novel follows Katherine through her young womanhood, her marriage to the oafish Sir Hugh Swynford, and her affair with John of Gaunt, which lasted for many years. Ultimately, Katherine grows from an innocent young girl to a royal mistress; but when multiple tragedies threaten her happiness, she must finally face the consequences of her decisions and discover how to rebuild her life.

While primarily a love story, the novel also shows a slice of history as it portrays the political, religious, and cultural concerns of fourteenth-century England. Seton does an amazing job of weaving the various threads together while remaining historically accurate: for example, Katherine's brother-in-law was Geoffrey Chaucer, who appears as a sympathetic but detached presence in Katherine's life. Seton also handles the intricate political machinations of the time very well, as she explores them through Katherine's eyes: the Peasants' Revolt, the preaching of John Wyclif, Richard II's ascent to the throne, and the wars with France and Spain, to name a few.

Since I'm very interested in medieval English history, I enjoyed the historical detail that Seton provided, but it often slowed the progress of Katherine's story. Though I liked the book, it took me a long time to read; the story is so epic that it took a lot of effort to overcome my inertia and open the book again! I think fans of Sharon Kay Penman would enjoy this novel. I'm glad I finally took the time to read it, and I'd say it was a worthwhile purchase, but now I'm turning to something a bit lighter!

Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald:

Beautiful young actress Rosemary Hoyt meets Dick and Nicole Diver while vacationing in the French Riviera, and she is immediately blown away by them and their lifestyle. She is especially attracted to Dick, a talented psychiatrist whose attentive charm soon captures her heart. His magnetism endears him to people wherever he goes, and he and Nicole are widely imagined to be the perfect couple. But the Divers’ life is not as perfect as it seems on the surface, and the interaction between Rosemary, Dick, and Nicole eventually ends in tragedy.

I have to say, this book isn’t one of my favorites. I thought the first section of the book moved very slowly; it was basically all exposition, setting up the puerile love story between Rosemary and Dick. The second part of the book was the most interesting for me, because it told Dick and Nicole’s backstory and developed Dick’s character a lot more. I think the reason I didn’t like this book very much is that none of the characters seemed very sympathetic to me. Rosemary is childish and insignificant, Nicole is irritatingly confused, and Dick is exactly what his name implies. Although Dick’s downfall is supposed to be tragic, I just found it pathetic in the worst sense of the word. Personally, I think The Great Gatsby is much better, in terms of both style and entertainment value.

The China Garden by Liz Berry

When Clare accompanies her mother to the ancient English estate of Ravensmere, she thinks she’s just passing a few weeks until she starts university. But as soon as she arrives at the grounds, she feels that everything is eerily familiar. She also senses that everyone else is in on a secret from which she’s being excluded: the villagers treat her with an uncomfortable amount of respect, and her mother refuses to give her a full explanation. As Clare begins to unearth the mysteries of the house and grounds, she discovers the secrets of its past; but the most dreadful secret of all is one that will affect both her own future and the future of all England.

The China Garden was a fast, easy read, but I was expecting more. It sounded like it would have elements of fantasy, romance, and the gothic novel, but I was pretty disappointed on all three counts. Yes, the novel was “gothic” in the sense that it dealt with a spooky old house, but I never really bought into Clare’s tension and suspense. The fantasy element could have been interesting, but it was underdeveloped. As for the romance angle, I didn’t buy it at all – Mark’s character was never really developed, and it seemed like his love for Clare was simply the result of the supernatural forces of Ravensmere, not based on any true compatibility or affection. While I have to praise Clare for trying to fight against her irrational urges and be reasonable in the relationship, I almost didn’t care whether she and Mark would eventually work things out. Maybe it’s because the target audience of this book is children and teenagers, but overall I thought it lacked depth.

Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona:

Proteus and Valentine, the eponymous two gentlemen, are best friends. Valentine sets out on a journey to Milan, but Proteus is happy to remain where he is, since he’s recently fallen in love with Julia. His father, however, wants him to see the world and sends him to Milan as well. Meanwhile, Valentine has fallen in love with Sylvia, the Duke of Milan’s daughter – but when Proteus gets to Milan and sees her, he falls in love with her too! Banishment, cross-dressing, and bumbling clowns – all the usual Shakespearean fun – help to sort out the tangled lovers in a traditional (though implausible) comic ending.

I enjoyed this play quite a lot, although the scholarly introduction called it an immature work (it’s one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays). You can definitely see traces of the characters and plot devices that Shakespeare used in later plays – Julia, for example, reminds me a lot of Rosalind from As You Like It – but Two Gentlemen of Verona is enjoyable on its own merits. There are some very witty exchanges in the text, but they’re brief enough that the plot doesn’t lose its intensity. The main characters (except for fickle Proteus) are all likeable, and I especially enjoyed the interactions between Julia and her maid Lucetta. There’s a band of outlaws, just for fun – and the moral of the story is, “Bros before hos.” Ah, Shakespeare, forever timeless…

LadyC
I read Katherine many many years ago, but I still have it because I really loved it and figured one day I'd go back and read it again. Not happening any time soon since there's so many I haven't read no time for re-reads. I'm lending it to my sister first, but it's one I'm going to want back. You did a great review bringing back nice memories of a favorite book.
'

cyderry - Thanks! I really enjoyed the book and will doubtless reread it again someday. Not any time soon, though - like you said, too many new books to read! :)

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Historical fiction: Lauren Willig, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine

Lady Charlotte Dovedale loves to read romantic novels about knights in shining armor. So when her distant cousin Robert comes back from fighting in India to take up his responsibilities as the new Duke of Dovedale, she immediately endows him with every heroic attribute. But Robert is far from perfect – he’s home to wreak an elaborate scheme of vengeance, and his path will take him into the sinister depths of London’s Hellfire Club. One of the secrets he discovers there could have disastrous consequences for England – and for Robert’s relationship with Charlotte. Will true love once again conquer all? (Gee, I wonder!)

Willig is still going strong in this fifth installment of the “Pink Carnation” series. It’s lighthearted, enjoyable, and a lot of fun. I enjoyed the espionage aspect of the story a lot, despite its utter improbability. I was actually less pleased with the romance angle. Robert was sometimes selfish and a bit idiotic, while Charlotte was naïve and silly. I felt like they were just the standard romance-novel hero and heroine, with nothing special to set them apart or make them more interesting. Every once in a while they surprised me by being sweet or funny, but for the most part their story fell flat. Still, I liked the book, and I’ll definitely continue with the series – apparently a sixth book is in the works!

Owned but unread: James Collins, Beginner's Greek

Hopeless romantic Peter Russell is convinced that someday he’ll turn around and run into the girl of his dreams; so when the beautiful and intelligent Holly Edwards sits in the seat next to his on an airplane, he knows that it’s destiny. The two of them really hit it off, and she gives him her number, but when Peter arrives at his hotel later that night, he discovers that – horror of horrors – he’s lost it! Five years later, Holly is married to his best friend Jonathan, and Peter is about to marry the lackluster but well-meaning Charlotte. His life seems straightforward and hopeless, until a catastrophe intertwines the lives of everyone – including secondary characters like Charlotte’s stepmother Julia and Peter’s boss Arthur Beeche – and gives them all a second chance.

I actually can’t decide whether I thought this book was good or not. There were definitely some patches of lovely writing, and I liked the idea of writing a “modern” love story with a touch of the fantastic about it. (I actually liked the hints of “magical realism” in the book, but some might see them as unrealistic. It all depends on what you like.) Of all the characters, Julia was the most interesting to me, and I enjoyed her story the most. Characterization in general was good, except that I thought Holly was a bit too idealistically perfect. I guess that makes sense, though, since we’re mostly seeing her through Peter’s eyes. There’s just something about the style – I can’t pin it down – that makes me think Collis was trying to be way too clever and cute. He jumps between way too many different points of view, which is distracting. Overall I guess I did like the book, though. I’d just say it’s something to get at the library rather than buying it.

Fantasy: Laura Whitcomb, A Certain Slant of Light

In this unique novel, narrator Helen is a ghost haunting a high school English teacher. It’s not “haunting” in the traditional sense of spooky noises and clanking chains, though; rather, she clings to human “hosts” to prevent herself from being dragged down into hell. Mr. Brown, the English teacher, is her fourth host, but so far he and all other living beings don’t know she exists. That is, until one of the students looks right at Helen and smiles at her. Thus begins a relationship between Helen and James, a spirit who has managed to enter the body of seventeen-year-old Billy Blake. As their feelings for each other deepen, Helen tries to unite herself with James by finding a body of her own. The two ghosts are now able to change the lives of two unhappy teenagers, as well as finding personal fulfillment in one another. But are they both ignoring their own ultimate destiny?

The premise of this book simultaneously intrigued me and made me really nervous. Ghosts possessing the bodies of “empty” teenagers? Spirits haunting humans because an implacable God won’t let them into heaven? I was skeptical, to say the least, but I ended up being engrossed by the book. Helen and James were great central characters, and I couldn’t help rooting for them. The possessing-people’s-bodies thing didn’t sit right with me initially, but as the plot unfolded I became more reconciled to the new developments. My gripe is that the book was too short – there were certain aspects that could (and should, in my opinion) have been developed much more. For example, what happened with Mr. Brown at the end? What was Helen’s husband (during her life) like? Oh, and a word of caution: there are some adult scenes in the novel, though not particularly graphic ones. Overall, though, this was a fast-paced read that was unlike anything I’d ever read before, and I’d recommend it, especially for fans of YA literature.

Owned but unread: Bernard Cornwell, Gallows Thief

Rider Sandman, Waterloo veteran and first-class cricket player, is in desperate need of money. But when the Home Secretary offers him a job, he’s incredulous: his assignment is to investigate the recent sensational murder of the Countess of Avebury. A young painter, Charles Corday, has been convicted of the murder and is now in Newgate prison; but the Queen, with whom Corday is connected, is uneasy about his fate and wants to be reassured of his guilt. When Sandman visits Corday, however, he quickly becomes convinced that the painter is innocent. Now he must track down the only witness to the crime to save Corday from the gallows; but his investigation soon ruffles the feathers of some very influential people, including members of the sinister Seraphim Club.

The problem with this book is that it was, in essence, a sermon about the evils of the death penalty. I felt like the plot was completely secondary to Cornwell’s message – it’s cruel and terrible to hang criminals, and the aristocracy is cruel and terrible for being so rich when others are so poor. I’m not expressing an opinion one way or the other on those positions, but I hate novels that are overly burdened with politics. Gallows Thief comes off as self-righteous and preachy, where all the good characters are appalled by the injustice of it all, and all the ignorant and evil characters favor capital punishment. That said, the mystery plot was fairly entertaining, and I thought Sandman was a great, admirable character. But unless you’re really interested in the execution of criminals in Regency England, I’d skip this one. I’m still curious about the Sharpe novels, though – to read or not to read?

23> Wow, I didn't get that at all when I read it. I loved Gallows Thief. I presumed from the title/blurb that the book would be about the innocence of a man found guilty of a crime, and efforts to save him. And of course you'll ratchet up the emotions as part of the plot, and have the characters consider the fact that with an execution as punishment, there's no taking it back if a mistake is discovered. I'll have to read it again to see if I get anywhere near a different interpretation.

A friend of mine went to the Historical Novel Society conference where Cornwell and Gabaldon were the keynote speakers, & I asked if she could squeeze in a question about whether there'd ever be more books about Rider. She didn't get the chance, so when I requested an ARC of Agincourt recently, I made sure to put in a request for more Rider at the same time. I'm nothing if not persistent. :-)

And I also love the Sharpe novels. We read Sharpe's Rifles for historical fiction book group, and every single one of us except a woman who couldn't follow the battle scenes enjoyed it. A couple of us went on to read the whole series. Sharpe's Rifles was, I believe, the first written, but it is no longer first chronologically. That's Sharpe's Tiger. You do have to suspend your disbelief about Sharpe's appearance on seemingly every field of battle, but they're great reads.

Thanks for recommending the Sharpe books - I've frequently thought of reading them but have never gotten around to them. I'll have to start soon!

As for Gallows Thief, I didn't hate it or anything...I just thought the evils of the death penalty were over-emphasized compared to the story. I agree that I'd like to see more books about Rider, because I enjoyed his character, and I felt like there were some loose ends at the end of the book.

Historical fiction: Elizabeth Aston, Mr. Darcy’s Dream

This final book in Aston’s “Darcy” series centers around Phoebe Hawkins, the daughter of Mr. Darcy’s sister Georgiana. The man of Phoebe’s dreams, Arthur Stanhope, has just proposed to her, and she’s ecstatic – that is, until her father forbids the marriage because of Stanhope’s questionable morals. Brokenhearted Phoebe immediately leaves London for the peace and tranquility of Pemberley, where she hopes she’ll be able to forget about Stanhope. Her friend Louisa Bingley (daughter of Mr. Bingley and Jane) comes to keep her company, thinking that Phoebe will be lonely and isolated at Pemberley. However, it’s not long before several eligible gentlemen enter the vicinity, including Hugh Drummond, the architect who’s building Mr. Darcy’s new greenhouse, and Stanhope himself, whose character might not be so immoral after all.

For the most part, I’ve really enjoyed all of Aston’s novels. She wisely doesn’t try to mimic Austen’s writing style or rewrite Austen’s characters, so these books are really just romantic stories set in the early 19th century, with a few Austen allusions thrown in. That said, I thought Mr. Darcy’s Dream was a pretty weak installment in the series. The resolution of Phoebe’s conflict with Stanhope felt extremely flat. There was no real character development or dramatic climax, so the ending was awkward and contrived. The side plots were singularly uninteresting to me, too: Louisa’s love story was given so little attention that I couldn’t get emotionally invested, and the development about French spies came absolutely out of nowhere and was completely superfluous to the story. I’m glad to have read this book, just to round out the series, but it was disappointing, especially compared to some of the earlier books.

FINALLY finished my first book in the nonfiction category!

Caroline Weber, Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution

This biography of Marie Antoinette has a unique twist: it tells the story of her life, from her marriage to Louis Auguste of France to her execution, through her fashion choices. Weber’s thesis is that Marie Antoinette used her clothing to make political statements and to assert her own power as a ruler of France. Unfortunately, Marie Antoinette wasn’t particularly adept at winning over the public with her fashion choices: she angered the French people, first by dressing too informally for a queen, and then by dressing too extravagantly while the nation as a whole suffered extreme poverty. Weber thus spends a lot of time describing the public’s reaction to Marie Antoinette’s sartorial innovations, in addition to the fashions themselves.

On the whole, I found this book quite interesting. It’s definitely a good read for anyone who’s interested in the history of fashion, Marie Antoinette, or the French Revolution in general. Weber is a formidable scholar, and the book appears to be very well researched. Sometimes I felt that she overstated her thesis a bit, but it’s definitely an intriguing one. My only other complaint is that there weren’t enough pictures. Although there were 25 full-color plates, as well as a few other black-and-white pictures throughout the text, I would have liked to see even more visual examples of Marie Antoinette’s clothing choices. Other than that, though, I’d recommend this book for anyone interested in the subject matter.
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I gotta get started on the Pulitzer category next!!

>27 christina_reads:
Thanks for the review! When I was in college (many, many years ago), I wrote a paper on fashions before, during & after the French Revolution. My thesis, however, was that the fashions reflected the attitudes of the wearers, rather than being deliberately used by them.

Catching up on threads today, and have really enjoyed yours, and picked up a bunch for the TBR pile - Her Royal Spyness, The Blackstone Key, The Law and the Lady and The Goose Girl. Thanks for your reviews!

ivyd - glad you liked the review. Sounds like you'd probably enjoy the book! :)

LisaMorr - thanks for the compliment! Hope you enjoy the books!

Pulitzer: Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence

In the 1870s in New York City, appearances are everything, and the only unforgivable sin is causing a scandal. Newland Archer is a privileged young man who moves in the upper echelons of society. Recently engaged to a pretty, placid, and suitable young woman, he feels complacent about the world and his place in it. But when his fiancée’s cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, comes to town, her disregard of convention leads Newland to question the rigid rules of his society. As he finds himself more and more intrigued by the countess, he must finally choose between his duty and his heart.

I was surprised to discover how much I loved this book. At first I was afraid that all the characters were going to be self-righteous and unsympathetic: Newland certainly seemed that way at first, but he grew a lot throughout the course of the novel. With a sympathetic protagonist, the story was riveting, and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen in the end. The love story was exquisitely written, and the descriptions of New York’s high society were funny and witty. I liked the fact that, while Wharton does satirize the upper crust, she doesn’t completely dismiss all its values or refuse to see its good qualities. She shows the complexity of the characters’ motives and desires, and achieves an ending that is hopeful but not simplistic. I would recommend this book to anyone!

Great review - I believe that will be the next book in my 'older than me' category.

Fantasy: Martha Wells, The Element of Fire

The kingdom of Ile-Rien has just come out of a long and bloody war, and now it faces new dangers: King Roland is weak and stubborn, his conniving cousin has an eye on the throne, and a dangerous sorcerer from the neighboring kingdom of Bisra has just kidnapped one of Ile-Rien’s court sorcerers. When Thomas Boniface, captain of the queen’s guard, heads a mission to rescue the kidnapped magician, he is hurtled into the midst of a political battle royale where humans, sorcerers, and creatures of Fayre all have their own axes to grind. Things seem to get even worse when the king’s half-Fay half-sister, Kade, returns to court. She claims to be the one person with no designs on the throne of Ile-Rien, but can Thomas trust her?

The first chapter of this book moved slowly for me, but after that I tore through the pages. This is a fine example of classic sword-and-sorcery fun, in my opinion. The magical “system” isn’t developed in depth, but there is plenty of action and political intrigue. The characterization is a bit typical of the genre: for example, Thomas is a tough, handsome soldier with the ability to beat up his enemies and say something funny while doing it. I liked him, though, as well as all the other major players – Wells uses the archetypes well. But this is definitely a plot-driven novel, and the story was compelling enough for me to read most of it in one sitting. I plan to continue with the Ile-Rien books, which I’ve heard get even better as the saga goes on.

Fantasy: Rick Riordan, The Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson has actually managed to get through seventh grade without any (significant) trouble, and he is looking forward to a nice long summer at Camp Half-Blood. But when he and his new friend Tyson arrive, things are different: monsters are able to cross the normally impenetrable boundaries of camp, and the new activities director is more concerned with holding chariot races than preparing his students for heroic combat. Percy’s dreams are also bothering him – he keeps having visions of his best friend Grover trapped and calling for help. Soon Percy, along with Tyson and Annabeth, must set off on another quest, to rescue Grover and retrieve the one thing that has the power to save Camp Half-Blood.

This book was every bit as good as The Lightning Thief. It reads extremely quickly, and Percy’s voice is entertaining as always. Once again, the plot treats readers to an overview of Greek mythology, this time dealing with Odysseus’ voyage and the story of the Golden Fleece. The adventure in this book ties into the larger story arc dealing with Kronos’ possible return (and the resulting destruction of Western Civilization). Some old characters resurface, and Percy’s own character develops somewhat as he learns more about his own identity and destiny. I definitely can’t wait to continue with the series and find out what happens next!

...Can you tell which category is going to fill up first for me? :)

Pre-1900: Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers

Who knew that the ecclesiastical politics of 19th-century England could be so funny? Barchester Towers (second in the “Barsetshire” series, after The Warden) begins with the death of old Dr. Grantly, bishop of Barchester, and the question on everyone’s mind is who will replace him. Enter Dr. Proudie, the weak-willed clergyman appointed as the successor, his domineering wife Mrs. Proudie, and his slimy chaplain Mr. Slope. Slope’s evangelical tendencies shock and anger the conservative clergy of Barchester – and his unpleasantly ingratiating personality makes him a lot of enemies. The main plot concerns Slope’s power struggle in Barsetshire, with a large subplot given to the potential love life of Eleanor Bold, now a widow.

I know this book sounds as though it would be terribly dull, but it’s really not. Trollope is an extremely witty writer, and I often found myself laughing out loud. The most entertaining aspect of the church-politics plot is that it allows the reader to see all the foibles and follies of the different characters. There was some genuine talk of religion too, which I found very interesting although I didn’t always agree. I liked the love plot too, although it was quickly obvious whom Eleanor would eventually choose. I was a little put off by Trollope’s descriptions of women in general: at one point he compares man to a strong tower, and woman as the ivy that must cling to the tower in order to fulfill its purpose. I guess that’s a function of Trollope’s time, though. The other negative aspect of the book was that there were almost too many characters: a few were introduced only to disappear in one or two chapters, and they had no relevance to the main story at all. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to fans of Austen, Eliot, Dickens, etc.

Fantasy: Shannon Hale, Enna Burning

Since I really enjoyed The Goose Girl, I decided to try the next book in the series. Enna lives a life of busy poverty in the Forest of Bayern with her brother Liefer. Although she misses her friend Isi and the adventures they shared in the city, she tries to stay upbeat and content. But when Liefer brings home a piece of vellum containing the secrets of fire language, life suddenly gets a lot more dangerous: Liefer becomes reckless and uncontrollable, consumed by his desire to create fire. Enna fears the fire magic but also finds herself drawn to it – and when the neighboring country of Tira declares war on Bayern, she must master the fire magic before it consumes her.

This book was a satisfying follow-up to The Goose Girl. Enna is a scrappy and courageous young woman who tries to do the right thing in some really tough situations. Occasionally she fails and makes a bad choice, which is one thing I really liked about the novel – it makes her a more realistic and relatable heroine. I also liked the way Hale described the fire magic, both in its mechanics and in its effect on Enna. The characters in general were more fleshed out than they were in The Goose Girl, and I hope to see this trend continue in the next book, River Secrets. This is definitely a worthy addition to a YA fantasy collection.

Fantasy: Mercedes Lackey, One Good Knight

Princess Andromeda of Acadia has been a disappointment to her mother and her kingdom for her entire life. Too thin, too tomboyish, and too intelligent to be seen as a suitable princess, Andie spends most of her time researching Acadian trade and economics. She hopes that she can at least be useful in this way; and when Queen Cassiopeia and her advisor Solon find one of her reports, they actually praise her and give her more status in the castle. Things are looking up, until a marauding dragon attacks the capital, and the only Traditional way to appease him is to offer virgin sacrifices. When Andie herself is chosen to become the next sacrificial victim, she resolves to escape her terrible fate – but she’ll need some help from a Champion and a Fairy Godmother to see it through.

I’m kind of conflicted about this book. One the one hand, the plot was interesting enough to keep me absorbed in the book, because I really wanted to find out which fairy tale Lackey was going to reinvent. The first book in the series, The Fairy Godmother, was loosely based on Cinderella, and I was expecting the Andromeda story to influence One Good Knight. This expectation was completely thwarted – but if I say which fairy tale was actually used, I’d give away the ending, so I’ll refrain. I was pretty disappointed with how things turned out: the main fantasy plot was very clichéd and the romance angle was barely given any attention (not to mention that it was rather…odd). I didn’t hate this book, but I liked The Fairy Godmother better. I will probably continue with the series, but so far it’s not as good as I was hoping.

Historical fiction: Clare Darcy, Eugenia

Beautiful but outspoken Eugenia Liddiard is about to embark on her first London Season. While traveling to her guardian’s country estate, she stops at an inn and runs into a man whom she recognizes as her cousin Gerry. However, the man doesn’t seem to recognize her, claims he’s never seen her before – and then faints on the floor of the inn. While Eugenia tends to him, she learns that the man’s name is actually Richard, and he is the illegitimate son of one of her distant relatives. Since he’s impoverished and has nowhere to go, she comes up with a brilliant plan: she’ll bring him to her guardian’s house and he’ll impersonate her cousin Gerry. Richard (astonishingly) assents to the crazy scheme, but complications rapidly ensue when it transpires that Gerry is wanted for highway robbery and murder – and then the real Gerry shows up! Will Eugenia be able to untangle all the madness and find true love in the process?

This book is pure Regency fluff, and it’s a substantial step down from Georgette Heyer – in fact, it’s pretty much a total ripoff of Heyer’s style and plot devices. Nevertheless, it was entertaining in a superficial sort of way. Eugenia was a likeable character: I enjoyed her forthrightness, and I liked how she broke the conventions because she simply didn’t think about them, not because she was consciously trying to rebel. Richard was a yummy hero too, although I wish he’d been developed more as a character. In fact, the whole romance between him and Eugenia wasn’t that well developed – and for a purported “Regency romance,” this is a problem. I would never re-read this book, but if you can find it at the library, it’s not the worst way to spend an afternoon.

Mystery: Ellis Peters, The Sanctuary Sparrow

In the spring of 1140, all is remarkably peaceful in the small town of Shrewsbury. As the monks at the local Benedictine abbey begin their evening prayer, however, this calm is disrupted by a terrified youth who runs into the church and claims sanctuary. An angry mob is at his heels, loudly accusing him of robbery and murder of the local goldsmith. The boy, Liliwen, is a wandering acrobat and minstrel who had been hired to play at the wedding of the goldsmith’s son. He swears his innocence, but the mob is out for his blood. Now Liliwen has 40 days’ respite until he must be delivered to the law, and Brother Cadfael must find out the truth before time runs out.

I started reading this series years ago, and I absolutely loved it; yet for some reason, I stopped continuing with the series after book six (The Virgin in the Ice). I honestly forgot how much I enjoyed these books. I love the medieval setting, which Peters describes with grace and charm. Brother Cadfael is a wise and likeable detective, with a soft spot for young lovers and underdogs. I also find it interesting how the religious and temporal authorities intertwine with each other – a relationship with particular significance in this book, since the right of sanctuary is somewhat at odds with the secular justice. The Sanctuary Sparrow is typical fare for the series – very enjoyable, with a somewhat darker ending than some of the earlier books. It’s not my favorite of the series so far (that would be One Corpse Too Many), but it was certainly no disappointment, and now that I’ve rediscovered the series I’ll have to move on to book eight soon!

Pulitzer: Eudora Welty, The Optimist's Daughter

Laurel McKelva Hand has been living in Chicago for many years, but she returns to her roots in the South when her father falls ill. She’s just in time to see him before an operation on his eye, and she remains in the hospital to sit with him. But she is also forced to interact with her vulgar young stepmother Fay, who cannot be more different from Laurel’s own mother. Laurel later returns to her hometown of Mount Salus, Mississippi, where she meets her old friends and sees how the South she grew up with is vanishing. Finally, Laurel confronts her grief for all that she’s lost – father, mother, husband, way of life – and gains a new perspective on her future.

I’m very glad I read this book, but I don’t think it’s something I’d ever re-read. Welty’s style is beautiful, no question, but the plot was very stagnant. I would have liked to know more about “the bridesmaids,” especially the character of Adele Courtland, who was the most interesting to me. On the other hand, the book’s spare prose and somber tone really attracted me – I felt like its style mirrored its substance perfectly. It’s not the type of book I would normally gravitate to, but I’m happy that I tried it.

Fantasy: Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan

As a little girl, her name was Tenar; but when she was chosen to be High Priestess of the Nameless Ones, she became Arha, the Eaten One. As Arha now grows up among the priestesses in an isolated desert, her life is consumed with service to the unnamed powers of the darkness and the tombs where they reside. Her devotion is unswerving – until the day a strange man violates one of the holy places, the pitch-dark Undertomb. According to the ancient laws, he ought to die, but Arha slowly becomes fascinated by the tales he can tell of the outside world. The more she learns, the more she questions the beliefs she’s held all her life, and the closer she draws to a horrible choice.

This book was amazing. I read A Wizard of Earthsea about two years ago, and I liked it, but I wasn’t terribly impressed at the time. Then I read The Left Hand of Darkness and liked it a little better…and now, with The Tombs of Atuan, I was blown away. Honestly, I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t like. I hope the rest of the Earthsea cycle is this good!

Historical fiction: Clare Darcy, Cressida

Beautiful, vivacious, and wealthy, Cressida Calverton is one of the most sought-after women in London. She often encourages her many suitors and accepts their attentions, but always stops short before marrying them – a habit that has caused some people to label her a heartless flirt. Cressy, however, is simply trying to find a man who can replace her memories of her first love. Six years earlier, she had been engaged to Deverell Rossiter, a penniless soldier, but the engagement had lasted only one week before a violent quarrel ended the relationship. Now Cressy is inclined to accept a proposal from the extremely eligible Lord Langmere – but then Rossiter returns to London from his adventures in the army, incredibly rich and ready to settle down. He and Cressy meet several times but can’t seem to hold a conversation without arguing. Will they ever be able to reconcile their differences and find true love?

Okay, I’ll admit it: I quite enjoyed this novel, despite the fact that the basic plot was a shameless ripoff of Austen’s Persuasion. Rossiter was a fun hero, blunt and straightforward – I just wish there had been more of him. I also found Cressy sympathetic overall, although I wanted to smack her sometimes because of her crazy, self-indulgent behavior. The subplot, involving a poor young woman whom Cressy takes under her wing and a hardened rake, was trite and irrelevant to the main plot. Rossiter’s engagement to Kitty was never believable, and Addison was like a cartoon villain. Although I had a lot of problems with the book, though, overall it was very entertaining, and the resolution was sweet. I’d recommend this to fans of historical romance who just want a light, quick read.

You've written some great reviews and I am enjoying reading them.

Thanks so much! :)

Historical fiction: Daphne Du Maurier, My Cousin Rachel

Philip Ashley, orphaned at an extremely young age, has grown up with only his cousin Ambrose as a parental figure. So when Ambrose marries a mysterious woman named Rachel whom he meets during a trip to Italy, Philip is shocked and resentful. Within a year, though, he starts getting letters from Ambrose that refer to an illness and suggest that Rachel is poisoning him. When Ambrose dies, Rachel travels to England, and Philip has the opportunity to see her firsthand. His suspicion of her behavior soon conflicts with the attraction he increasingly feels for her, and this tension slowly escalates until he is consumed by his own doubt.

This is not a spoiler - it's revealed in the first chapter - so I'll go ahead and say it: Du Maurier never lets us know for sure whether Rachel poisoned Ambrose or not. We have to live with the same suspicions that Philip does, and draw our own conclusions from her behavior. Usually that kind of uncertainty would drive me crazy, but in this case, I think it was necessary in order for Du Maurier to pull off the ending (which was truly fabulous and chilling). I found this a very engrossing read, although I must say it went extremely slowly. If you enjoy gothic novels, you'll definitely enjoy this, although personally I liked Rebecca better.

Owned but unread: Diana Gabaldon, Dragonfly in Amber

After the events of Outlander, Claire Fraser is back in the present day and has been living in England with her husband Frank and daughter Brianna. When Frank dies, Claire takes 20-year-old Brianna to Scotland, finally able and ready to reveal the secrets of her past. With the help and support of Oxford historian Roger Wakefield (a good-looking young man with eyes for Brianna), Claire tells the story of how she mysteriously traveled back in time to 1743, met Highlander Jamie Fraser, and fell in love. The bulk of the book deals with Claire and Jamie’s determination to stop Charles Stuart from invading England. Knowing that his rebellion is doomed to failure, Claire desperately wants to prevent the tragedy of Culloden – but the interventions of countless people keep the course of history twisting and turning. From Charles Stuart’s court in Paris to the hills of rural Scotland, Dragonfly in Amber is an epic story of history, war, magic, grief, betrayal, and timeless love.

It took me forever to finish this book! At least, it felt like forever, although apparently the actual elapsed time was about a week. Maybe I’ve gotten too used to reading short books at a fast pace, and now I have a lower tolerance for long books. I’ll have to work on my endurance! But anyway, its length is really the only complaint I have about this book. One very good thing about it is that, although you have to be familiar with the events of Outlander to understand what’s going on, Gabaldon always reminds you of them at the crucial moments. The characters are as well-drawn and delightful as ever, and I especially liked the relationship between Claire and Jamie. I also really liked the development of Jack Randall’s character – it surprised me, but I was definitely interested. So far, I think this series is very good, and I plan to continue with it…but maybe I’ll wait a while before making the attempt!

Historical fiction: Anna Godbersen, The Luxe

The high society of 1899 New York City may look perfect from the outside, but within this world everyone has secrets. Elizabeth Holland, desirable for both her beauty and her social pedigree, is in love with a man she can never be with. Her best friend (and social rival) Penelope Hayes is striking, dramatic, and confident, but the man she wants is just using her. Diana, Elizabeth’s little sister, is sick of the hypocrisy of her world, yet she falls for someone who represents everything that disgusts her. Beneath the veneer of riches and luxury, the three girls feel trapped in a world from which there is no escape, and where their dreams seem completely out of reach. Ultimately, they must learn to come to grips with the realities of life, and decide whether to follow their ambitions or their hearts.

It’s always amazing to me when I pick up a book and it delivers exactly what I was hoping for. The Luxe is a YA novel targeted towards girls who enjoy both historical fiction and TV shows like “Gossip Girl.” There’s a ton of drama, scandalous secrets, and broken hearts, as well as some gorgeous men to daydream about. The ending was well done, I thought – it wrapped up the book enough to give a sense of closure, but still kept me dying to know what would happen in the sequel. It’s not high literature, but I was extremely entertained and couldn’t put the book down. (Literally – I stayed up way too late last night finishing it!) This was brain candy that was actually decently written, and I’m hooked on the series now. Can’t wait to read the next two books!

Historical fiction: Georgette Heyer, Pistols for Two

This collection of short stories is typical Heyer – it’s funny, sweet, romantic, and full of Regency goodness. Since the stories aren’t connected to each other, there’s no easy way to summarize the book as a whole – so I’ll just summarize some of my favorites! In “A Clandestine Affair,” an old maid (in her early 30s) worries about her niece’s romantic entanglement with an unsuitable man, but is completely unprepared to encounter her own long-lost love. In “To Have the Honour,” a young soldier returns from the Napoleonic Wars to find his estate grossly in debt, and his family urges him to marry his childhood friend, who is now a beautiful heiress. And in my personal favorite, “Hazard,” a brooding marquis wins the sister of one of his drinking buddies in a card game. The only story I didn’t particularly enjoy was “Night at the Inn,” which was actually rather creepy and gruesome – not something one looks for in Heyer! One of these things is not like the others…. Other than that, though, romance fans will enjoy Pistols for Two – I only wish Heyer had expanded all these stories, which were far too short, into novels!

Historical fiction: Anna Godbersen, Rumors

This book picks up right where The Luxe left off, continuing to follow the stories of the Holland girls and their acquaintances in New York society. Elizabeth, whom everyone believes to be dead, is living with her beloved Will in California, but is confronted with a hard choice when she learns of her mother’s illness. Diana is even more besotted with Henry Schoonmaker, who returns the sentiment, but there are still many obstacles separating them. Penelope Hayes continues to scheme, manipulating everyone in her path with the sole purpose of ensnaring Henry’s attention. And Lina Broud, formerly Elizabeth’s disgruntled maid, is having her first taste of life as a lady, and quickly realizes she will do anything to consolidate her new social position. As events rush toward a scandalous conclusion, it’s impossible to predict who will come out on top, because nothing is quite as it seems.

Everything I said about The Luxe applies equally well to this book. It’s a fast, addictive read that paints a vivid picture of real flesh-and-blood teenagers in Old New York. About halfway through the book, it’s easy to see exactly what’s going to happen, but it’s still fascinating to watch the plot unfold. I was happy to see some character development in this installment, especially with Lina. I would have liked to see more of Henry, though – he was such an interesting character in the first book, but he didn’t get enough time “onstage” in this installment, in my opinion. The ending definitely makes me want to continue with the next book – it was very dramatic, like a TV season finale, and I really want to know what happens next! Luckily the third book is already out, but I think there’s at least one more coming. Definitely a good series if you like light historical fiction with tons of drama.
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And that's it for the Historical Fiction category! One down, eight to go...too bad this was one of the easiest ones! :)

Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost

In this early comedy, the king of Navarre and three of his noble friends swear an oath that they will study in strict seclusion for three years. They will fast, stay within the court at all times, and, most importantly, see no women in that time. This last vow, however, is necessarily broken when the princess of France and three of her ladies come to Navarre on political business. Naturally, love immediately strikes all eight of them, and the men must figure out how to woo the women they love without breaking their oaths.

This play is interesting because it’s rather dark for a comedy and the ending is ambiguous. However, it’s definitely not my favorite Shakespeare work, because most of the characters are very undeveloped. In addition, it’s not really that funny. A couple of times I laughed aloud, but there were a lot of passages where I was totally confused – I think there were a lot of inside jokes and references that would have been understood by Shakespeare’s contemporaries but not by modern readers.

Be that as it may, I read the play because I loved the Kenneth Branagh film adaptation, which I would highly recommend. It's a musical set in pre-WWII Europe, which seems completely bizarre (not to mention some weird casting), but I found it delightful. :) Anyway, having seen the movie, the play was worth a read to me, but I liked the movie better!

Mystery: Ellis Peters, The Devil's Novice

Brother Cadfael saves the day once again in this 8th installment of the series. Events in the outside world are tumultuous as Stephen and Maud still wrangle over the British throne, and diplomatic envoys are traveling throughout the country in an effort to garner support for one side or the other. Meanwhile, the Benedictine Abbey in Shrewsbury welcomes a new prospective monk, the 19-year-old Meriet of Apsley. Meriet is extremely eager to take his vows, but some of the monks (including the Abbot and Cadfael) believe that he has no true vocation; rather, it seems as though Meriet is hiding from something and concealing an important secret. When the diplomatic envoy Peter Clemence goes missing and later turns up dead, Meriet confesses to the murder – but Cadfael suspects that there is more to his story than meets the eye.

Another great installment in a great series! That’s all I can really say – if you enjoy mysteries set in the Middle Ages, you’ll probably like these books. One thing I’ve noticed is that Peters’ stories can be a bit formulaic: there’s almost always a misunderstood young person who’s wrongly accused, for example. But my feeling is, why argue with what works? The writing is good, the characters are engaging, and the mysteries are fun to unravel. In my opinion, that’s really all you need. :)

Mystery: Rhys Bowen, A Royal Pain

Lady Georgiana Rannoch, a.k.a. Georgie, is at it again in this sequel to Her Royal Spyness. This time, the Queen herself has engaged Georgie for a very important mission: in an effort to extricate her son, the Prince of Wales, from his vulgar American mistress, the Queen is inviting a Bavarian princess to England – and she wants Georgie to take the princess under her wing and throw her in the prince’s way. Georgie is chagrined by the assignment – how is she supposed to entertain, or even feed, a princess when she’s practically broke? – but playing royal matchmaker soon becomes the least of her problems. A string of seemingly unrelated deaths rouses Georgie’s suspicions, especially when one of the victims is a member of an outspoken Communist group. Are these murders merely isolated incidents, or are they part of a political plot to overthrow the government of England?

Much as I enjoyed this book, I think I’ll have to give up on expecting a traditional “mystery” from the Royal Spyness series. As in the first book, the mystery plot was underdeveloped compared to Georgie’s social experiences. The tone of the book is so lighthearted and cheerful that it was hard for me to believe the sinister suggestions of a Communist plot. Georgie’s adventures, on the other hand, were extremely fun to read about – I really like the major characters here, and I’ll continue with the series just to learn more about them. If you’re into frothy comedies-of-manners and like reading about early-20th-century England, this series is very enjoyable, but skip it if you’re looking for a strong mystery series.

Stop it , stop it, stop it!
Everytime you read an interesting book, my TBRs grow!
The pile is too high now, so stop it! I can't keep up!

Hahaha, sorry! :) I think it's the eternal plight of the book lover...for every one book I cross off my TBR list, at least 10 more crop up in its place!

Pre-1900: George Eliot, Daniel Deronda

This novel tells the story of two extraordinary individuals and the effects they have on each other’s lives. Gwendolen Harleth is a beautiful, spoiled young woman who has grown up believing that the whole world revolves around her. Although she is a matrimonial prize, she is reluctant to get married and surrender the freedom to do whatever she wants. But when her family’s fortune is suddenly lost, she decides to marry the wealthy and prominent Grandcourt – a choice that has dramatic consequences for the rest of her life. Meanwhile, Daniel Deronda is an intelligent, compassionate man whose future is uncertain because there is a mystery surrounding his birth. As he tries to discern his life path, he meets a beautiful Jewish woman and her intensely idealistic brother, and his interactions with them change the course of his life.

I enjoyed this novel overall, but I thought it moved very slowly. The characters, especially Gwendolen and Daniel, were extremely well developed, and the focus was more on exploring their psyches than on creating an exciting plot. Since the characters were depicted so well, though, this wasn’t really a flaw. I got impatient at times because there was so much philosophy in the book: entire chapters would be given over to philosophical discussions in which the characters seemed to exist solely to be mouthpieces. There was also a lot (a LOT) about Judaism in the novel. While it was very interesting to see how Jews were viewed in 19th-century England, there was so much information and reflection on this topic that it overpowered the story. On the other hand, Judaism does have a large effect on the outcome of the novel, so I can understand why it was included in such depth. At any rate, I’d recommend this book to fans of the classics or British literature, but personally I like Middlemarch better.

Nonfiction: Margaret C. Sullivan, The Jane Austen Handbook

Have you ever read Pride and Prejudice and wondered to yourself, “Why are Lydia and Wickham running away to Scotland? What’s the big deal with Bingley asking Jane to dance twice? How rich is Mr. Darcy, really? And what the heck is an entail, anyway?” If you’re a fan of Austen’s novels (or the film adaptations) and would like to know more about the cultural background of Austen’s times, this book is for you. The Jane Austen Handbook covers topics like fashions, vacation spots, social hierarchy, daily life for the Regency gentry, and of course, how to behave when that certain gentleman catches your eye. The book should appeal to a wide range of Austen fans – casual readers will appreciate getting some basic knowledge about the period, while hardcore Janeites will enjoy the sly references to Austen’s novels that are embedded throughout the text.

Personally, I found the book entertaining, but it didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know – if you’ve read a lot of Austen, you’ll already be familiar with most of the concepts discussed. Also, I was a bit disappointed by the appendices: there was one that purported to discuss Austen film adaptations and fanfiction, but it was really only a list of the most popular offerings. I would have enjoyed an in-depth discussion of the major films, especially as some of them are quite awful. And I know Sullivan is capable of the snark, since she is also editrix of the wonderful AustenBlog. Anyway, The Jane Austen Handbook was a cute read, but definitely not a major resource for diehard Austen geeks.

Mystery: Erin Hart, Haunted Ground

It all begins when the head of a beautiful red-haired girl is found in a bog in western Ireland. Archaeologist Cormac Maguire and anthropologist Nora Gavin arrive at the scene to inspect the remains, trying to learn all they can about when and how she died, as well as the historical period she came from. This mystery of the past soon becomes linked to contemporary affairs: a local woman and her child disappeared two years ago, and her husband, Hugh Osborne, is the number-one suspect in their possible murder. Policeman Garret Devaney, who was taken off the Osborne case, nevertheless can’t get it out of his mind, and he teams up with Maguire and Gavin to solve this mystery as well. As the three investigators are drawn deeper and deeper into the case, they must come to terms with their own past secrets…but their own lives might also be in danger.

This book was actually about eight mysteries for the price of one. Who is the red-haired girl, and what happened to her? Where are Hugh Osborne’s wife and son? What happened to Nora’s own sister? Why does Irish farmer Brendan McGann hate Osborne so much? Who is the father of Una McGann’s child? As you can see, there are a lot of plot threads going on, and a lot of characters to keep straight. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book. There were a few flaws in the characterization, and sometimes I did feel like there was a little too much going on. But Hart created an absorbing world, and that’s what kept me reading – she depicted modern Ireland with such beautiful descriptions that I felt like I was there. I also really liked the way she wove history and culture into the story: the mystery of the red-haired girl turned out to be one of my favorite plot lines, and there are several wonderful scenes in which the characters play traditional Irish music. This was a very satisfying read, and it’s definitely something I plan on buying! Can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel, Lake of Sorrows.

Fantasy: Shannon Hale, River Secrets

Hale continues her saga of Bayern in this third installment. Razo, Isi and Enna’s prankster friend from the earlier books, finally gets his own story! After the events of Enna Burning, Bayern and Tira are trying to coexist in an uneasy peace. To further diplomatic relations between the two countries, Isi and Genric decide to send an ambassador, along with a small contingent of the Bayern army, to Tira. When Razo is selected as one of the soldiers, he can’t believe it –he’s short, scrawny, and useless with a sword, so why would anyone choose him? He’s determined not to let anybody down, but he worries that he’ll just be a handicap to the rest of the soldiers. Once in Tira, though, Razo quickly realizes that somebody wants to thwart the peace effort: charred bodies start turning up near the Bayern camp in an effort to frame the soldiers. With the help of the beautiful Lady Dasha, as well as his old friends Enna and Finn, Razo will finally have the chance to prove himself – if he doesn’t die first.

This is another lovely addition to the Bayern series. Razo is an endearing character, and I really enjoyed reading about the events from his point of view. He’s so charmingly awkward! I thought Hale did a good job of revealing Razo’s insecurities, too – he feels useless because he’s not strong and he doesn’t have magical powers, not even realizing that he’s also an ace marksman with his sling and an unusually observant spy. The love story was sweet and tied in nicely with the main plot. I’m so glad Hale decided to continue with the series, and I’m eagerly awaiting Forest Born!
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And now the fantasy category is done! 2 down, 7 to go...

Nonfiction: Anna Quindlen, Imagined London

I was so intrigued by the title of this book that I just had to check it out. I was imagining a kind of travel book, I think – a guidebook to the literarily significant sights of London. As in, “If you go down X street, you’ll find Charles Dickens’s house, and if you turn onto Y street, you’ll see the store that inspired his Old Curiosity Shop!” This book wasn’t like that at all. Quindlen does mention some places that are famous for literary reasons, like the Bloomsbury neighborhood and the (fictional) 221b Baker Street. However, her approach is far from systematic; instead, she rambles on in an almost stream-of-consciousness way and talks about books she read as a child, the haphazard construction of London streets, isolated neighborhoods of literary importance, etc. I felt like the book ended up being more about Anna Quindlen than about London, so I was a bit disappointed. I think it might have been better if she’d focused on one author or literary movement per chapter, and then enumerated all the sites specific to that topic. Anyway, this book was okay, just not what I was expecting.

Mystery: Ellis Peters, Dead Man's Ransom

War continues to rage in 1141 England as Stephen and Maud battle for the throne. The northern earls are taking advantage of the chaos to further their own interests, and they’ve enlisted Welshmen to help them expand their domains. Shrewsbury is thus threatened more closely than ever, and the rule of law is in a precarious state. As a result of one battle, Gilbert Prestcote, sheriff of Shrewsbury, is taken prisoner by Welsh prince Owain Gwynedd. Luckily, Shrewsbury has one of Owain’s young kinsmen as a prisoner, so the two sides arrange a peaceful exchange. Yet shortly after Prestcote arrives back in Shrewsbury, he is found dead, and Brother Cadfael knows that it was murder. The death has tragic consequences, both for two sets of young lovers and for the tenuous diplomatic relations between Shrewsbury and Wales.

Not the greatest book in the series, but I still really enjoyed it. This is definitely a series I plan to finish to the end!

Owned but unread: Haven Kimmel, The Used World

If I summarize this book by saying that it’s about the interconnected lives of three women in a small town, I will be telling the exact truth, but I will also be giving you completely the wrong idea. Astrologically-minded Hazel Hunnicut owns The Used World Emporium, a giant indoor flea market in Jonah, Indiana. Her employee Claudia is middle-aged, freakishly tall (and often mistaken for a man), and terribly lonely. Rebekah is in her late twenties and has just found out she’s pregnant by the young man who just left her. All three women have to cope with demons from their past: Claudia can’t stop grieving for her dead mother, Rebekah’s father has disowned her for leaving the extremely strict religious sect in which she was raised, and Hazel has to deal with her aging hippie sister – among other things. But as the novel unfolds, all three women realize that what matters more than the past is the future they must all forge together.

This book was interesting…I’m still kind of digesting it. It has a contemplative feel, and although there’s a lot going on in terms of plot, it unfolds very slowly. I think my biggest problem with the book is that it’s so narrowly focused on this tiny cluster of women that it gets claustrophobic. There are practically no men – only two male characters of any significance, and only one of them is likeable (and he doesn’t appear that much in the book, actually). What I did like about The Used World was the writing style, which is lovely as always. There’s also a lot of religious speculation, which I find fascinating, but it’s more than that: religion really permeates the whole novel, and I think part of the reason is that Kimmel is trying to evoke the ethos of the American Midwest. In my opinion, she succeeds. I can’t say this is a novel I loved, but I definitely think it was worth reading.

Also, I actually underlined something in this book – possibly the first time I’ve ever made a mark in a novel. Here’s what struck me (it’s from the local minister’s sermon): “The Kingdom of God is a door perpetually opening, and it makes me, as dear Emerson said, ‘glad to the brink of fear.’”

American classics: Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

This novel follows a group of English and America expatriates from bar to bar in France and Spain. The narrator, Jake Barnes, is a member of this group, along with Lady Brett Ashley, her fiancé Mike Campbell, Jake’s friend Bill, and a weak-willed Jew named Robert Cohn. Basically the group spends most of its time eating, drinking, and dancing – not necessarily in that order. There are petty rivalries between the men, almost all of whom vie for Brett’s attention. They all end up in Spain during a weeklong fiesta where they watch several bullfights; this is where the most dramatic events of the book occur. Through it all, the characters desperately try to distract themselves from the fundamental emptiness of their lives, searching for meaning after the devastation of World War I.

I liked this book a lot even though it’s very sad. Jake’s character was the most interesting to me – in fact, he was the only character who really caught my interest. Like the others, Jake is unhappy; unlike the others, he actually tries to figure out why he’s unhappy and wonders if there might be a way to change things. He knows that drinking all day long is not the answer (although that doesn’t stop him from going along with the crowd), and neither is traveling to exotic locations (although he does that too). He searches for meaning in love, religion, friendship, and the drama and passion of the bullfight – and this search is what makes him a true tragic hero, in my opinion. Hemingway’s style is pretty unique, and you either like it or you don’t. Personally I like it, and I think this novel flows very well. It deserves its status as a modern classic.

A quote that struck me from the novel: “I thought of her walking up the street and stepping into the car, as I had last seen her, and of course in a little while I felt like hell again. It is awfully easy to be hard-boiled about everything in the daytime, but at night it is another thing.”

Thoroughly enjoying reading your book reviews and busily adding and subtracting to my wish list.

Thanks!

Owned but unread: Helen Halstead, Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride

In this “sequel” to Pride and Prejudice, Halstead explores the first few years of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage. Having conquered Mr. Darcy’s pride and won his heart, Elizabeth must now win the acceptance of his family and social circle. She soon makes friends with the wealthy and influential Lady Englebury, which becomes her ticket to social success. But as she begins to mingle with high society, the attentions of various gentlemen and the new friendships she makes begin to strain her marriage. Halstead also follows many other characters from Pride and Prejudice, including Caroline Bingley, Georgiana Darcy, Kitty Bennet, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Through courtships, weddings, births and deaths, Halstead tries to imagine what happened after the happy ending.

As Austen fanfiction goes, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. For the most part, I think Halstead does a fairly good job of staying true to Austen’s original characters. The problems Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy face seem realistic – she teases him so constantly that he sometimes doubts her love for him, while his sometimes overbearing manner offends her. I also liked the return of Lady Catherine, and I enjoyed Kitty and Georgiana’s romances. However, most of the minor characters, especially those Halstead added, aren’t fleshed out very well, and there are far too many of them! There were so many plotlines that I couldn’t keep them all straight, and I just didn’t care about a lot of them. Sometimes Halstead even jumps from one set of characters to another mid-paragraph, which makes the narrative confusing. However, the most important part of the story is the Elizabeth-Darcy dynamic, and I think Halstead succeeds pretty well here. Though this book is flawed, it is among the better Austen sequels out there.

ladyc,

Because of your comments, I read The View from Saturday, and agree with you that it's a better book. I can understand it being your favorite, and I suspect it might have been one of mine if I had read it as a child. I've added both Konigsburg books to my list of possible gifts for children. Thanks for the recommendation.

The Sun Also Rises is one of my all-time favorite books. Katherine is also a favorite of mine; I also love reading about medieval England.

A couple of years ago, I read several of Shakespeare's plays which I either hadn't read before or hadn't read since college. The big surprise to me was how much I enjoyed Troilus and Cressida and its depiction of fickle young love (perhaps the flip side of Romeo and Juliet?). I'll be interested to see your reaction to it.

Mystery: P. D. James, Cover Her Face

Sally Jupp, a young and pretty unwed mother working as a maid in the Maxie household, delights in collecting secrets and shocking the people around her. When she is found strangled in her room one morning, however, it’s obvious that her antics have pushed someone too far. Inspector Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard knows that everyone in the Maxie family has a motive for the murder and prods relentlessly at the suspects’ weaknesses in his search for the truth.

This book is a pretty standard “cozy” mystery: there are a limited number of suspects, and most of the detective work is done through conversations with the various people involved. It reminds me somewhat of Agatha Christie, although it lacks the spark that makes Christie’s novels compulsively readable. I do think the novel was well done overall, and it kept me interested until the end, but I wasn’t very emotionally invested. However, I’ll likely continue with the Adam Dalgliesh books because I’m curious to see how James’s style develops as the series progresses.

Ack, it's been forever since I updated! I've been reading a lot of non-Challenge stuff lately, and currently I'm in the middle of some long nonfiction. However, here's a review of a book that I was required to read for my summer internship.

Nonfiction: J. Budziszewski, Natural Law for Lawyers

In this slim volume, Budziszewski gives a basic overview of natural law theory: what it is, how it has developed throughout history, and how contemporary culture (particularly legal culture) has responded to it. He cites to authorities such as Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the Bible to argue that natural law theory is rooted in the divine law, and emphasizes the moral nature of law in general. Ultimately, his goal is to promote the idea of the natural law in legal discussion.

I would only recommend this book to people who have absolutely no prior knowledge of natural law theory and who don’t mind reading a work from a blatantly Christian perspective. For me, the book didn’t really tell me anything new, although I did agree with many of its arguments and conclusions. The language got a bit patronizing at times, which bothered me; the tone was so casual as to be awkward and irritating, possibly in an effort to “relate” to younger readers. My overall problem with the book is that it’s far too short. Many of the arguments may well be valid, but since Budziszewski does not discuss them at length, they sound dismissive of opposing viewpoints. I do think that natural law theory is interesting and intellectually legitimate, but it deserves a much more thorough discussion than it is given in this book.

Nonfiction: C. J. Mahaney, Humility: True Greatness

This book comprises the reflections of Christian pastor C. J. Mahaney on humility. In the first section, Mahaney discusses the benefits of humility and perils of pride, frequently citing the Bible and the writings of influential Christians (John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, etc.). Next, he examines humility in the light of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. In the third and final section, he lists some practical ways in which people can practice the virtue of humility.

This book didn’t sit very well with me. I disliked the tone, which was that of a down-home country sermon. That’s just my personality, though; I prefer a drier, more academic style. Also, I couldn’t help but be extremely aware that this book was written by a Protestant minister. As a Catholic myself, some of his vocabulary was strange to me, or at least used in a different way than I would use it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; again, it’s just my personality and character. I do think Mahaney says some insightful things about humility in this book, and I liked the practical section the best. So many books about bettering yourself talk about how important it is to do so, but they don’t tell you how to do it. People (particularly Christians) who are interested in learning more about humility would probably find this book helpful.

I just found your thread, and it looks like you have a bunch of good books on here. I also read and enjoyed Barchester Towers for the first time this year.

About the One Good Knight book - I loved The Fairy Godmother, but didn't read any more in this series until The Snow Queen, and I loved them both. Maybe that one was just a dud.

Thanks! :) I had pretty much given up on that Mercedes Lackey series, but maybe I should give The Snow Queen a try!

Nonfiction: David McCullough, 1776

The title of this Pulitzer-winning history is basically self-explanatory: McCullough describes the progress of the American Revolution from late 1775 to early 1777. The central figure is unquestionably George Washington, whose military conduct and public persona are explored in some detail. McCullough also follows some other key players of the Revolution, including General Nathanael Greene and bookseller-turned-soldier Henry Knox. Drawing from letters, diaries, and firsthand accounts from Patriots, Loyalists, and British, 1776 describes the ragtag Continental Army and its major military encounters from the siege of British-occupied Boston to the famous crossing of the Delaware.

I was so glad to finish this book! :) However, I found it very fascinating and well-written; it’s easy to see why it became such a popular history. McCullough writes in a very accessible way, but it’s obvious that he’s done prodigious research as well (the list of sources, both primary and secondary, is truly impressive). The emphasis of the book is definitely on the military strategy and the battles, not on psychology or character. Although the book follows Washington almost nonstop, I didn’t feel like I got a lot of insight into his personality. However, since 1776 isn’t a biography, that probably wasn’t McCullough’s goal. Long story short, I would definitely read more by this author.

Nonfiction: Ken Sande, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict

This book is exactly what its title suggests: Sande explores the nature of conflict through Christian teachings and the Bible. There is indeed a substantial section on how to resolve conflicts, including practical steps to take and real-life examples of how they might work. But this book also discusses why people have conflicts in the first place, how each person can minimize his own role in a conflict, and how Christian virtues (particularly humility and patience) can help to produce mutually beneficial resolutions.

I’ll admit that I approached this book with a certain amount of contempt; I thought it wouldn’t have much to say other than “Be nice to people and treat them respectfully.” In a nutshell, this is the message of the book. However, I was surprised by how much I still learned from it, especially regarding my own weaknesses. The best chapter in the book, in my opinion, was the one about “idols,” which can be anything that a person desires more than God (or, if you prefer, anything that a person desires to a disordered degree). I would recommend reading this book, provided of course that you don’t mind explicit statements of Christian values.

Pre-1900: Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret

This novel, billed as “sensation fiction” in the style of Wilkie Collins, centers around the young barrister Robert Audley, his best friend George Tallboys, and his uncle’s new wife Lady Audley. George has just returned from seeking his fortune in Australia when he suddenly disappears without a trace. Robert suspects that Lady Audley has something to do with it, but in order to find out the truth, he must delve deep into both George’s and Lady Audley’s pasts. His investigation leads to layer upon layer of deception, culminating in a dramatic twist which finally reveals Lady Audley’s secret.

This is a pretty typical 19th-century novel, in the sense that it’s a little melodramatic and a little flowery in its style. However, I still really enjoyed the story. It has a lot of gothic elements, and the main characters, especially Robert, were very sympathetic to me. I had to leave a lot out of the plot summary so as not to give away all the twists and turns, but the plot is probably the novel’s biggest strength. Braddon doesn’t throw anything away; all her details have a purpose, and little “insignificant” lines from the early chapters come back later in really surprising ways. Even though at least part of Lady Audley’s secret is obvious from very early on, the suspense still manages to build. I’d recommend this book to fans of mysteries – it’s really a proto-detective novel – and fans of the “classics” too.

Mystery: Erin Hart, Lake of Sorrows

In this sequel to Haunted Ground, anthropologist Nora Gavin and archaeologist Cormac Maguire team up once again to solve the mystery of a pair of bodies found in an Irish bog. One man is from the Iron Age, and the other is from the twentieth century, but they have something in common: both men were killed in the ritualistic style of the “triple death.” As Nora and Cormac search for the identity of the modern corpse, they begin to uncover the secrets of the local villagers and the workers at the archaeological dig. Then more bodies begin to appear...and Cormac himself is one of the police’s main suspects. Will Nora be able to uncover the truth, clear Cormac’s name, and avoid getting killed herself?

By and large, I think Erin Hart is a very good writer. Lake of Sorrows is very atmospheric; as with Haunted Ground, I loved the evocative details of Ireland that she portrays. She also draws complex, well-rounded characters, which is unquestionably an attribute in a writer. However, in Hart’s case, I almost felt like she spent too much time on the various characters. There were so many of them, each with his or her own complete history and story line. I think the book would have benefited if she had cut a few of the characters and focused more narrowly on the central ones. The overall tone also felt a little dreary and depressing to me (although I guess I should have expected that, given the title!)…but maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood to read it. I do plan to continue with the Nora/Cormac books, as I believe there is at least one more coming out.

Mystery: Margery Allingham, Mystery Mile

This is Allingham’s second Albert Campion mystery (after The Crime at Black Dudley), but the first where Campion emerges as the central character. On a transatlantic voyage he encounters the famous American judge Crowdy Lobbett, who has gained a reputation for jailing several members of the dangerously criminal Simister gang. Now the gang is trying to kill Lobbett, and Campion steps in to protect him. Albert sends the judge and his two children to an isolated English manor, Mystery Mile, in hopes of keeping them safe – but almost immediately trouble follows them. Mysterious deaths, disappearances, and violent kidnappings abound as Campion moves toward the final showdown with the gang’s mastermind.

As a mystery, I thought this book was very well done. Allingham is frequently compared to Agatha Christie, and the plot did somewhat remind me of Christie’s work. However, the 1930s British slang is completely overpowering. I didn’t know what Campion was saying half the time, and I also missed a lot of important plot development because I was trying to translate the colloquialisms into something resembling English. My favorite part of the book was Campion’s cronies from the criminal world – their banter was amusing and made me smile. As I said, fans of Agatha Christie might want to give Margery Allingham a shot, but don’t expect Christie’s level of awesomeness!
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Huzzah, the Mystery category is complete! Only 6 more to go, haha.

The Albert Campion books, including this one, have been done as a BBC Mystery series. The whole thing was really well done. Lugg was perfectly cast, for one thing, and the feel of the series is just right. Mystery Mile is maybe my favorite of the series.

Ooh, hooray! Thanks for telling me - I never (well, rarely) say no to a BBC production!

Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet

So after four years as an English major, one year as an English teacher, and one year as a law student, I finally read Romeo and Juliet for the first time. It was very strange reading this play having grown up in a culture where its plot and language are already known to everyone. I mean, what English-speaking person can’t quote the balcony scene? Who doesn’t know the most famous lines? And we certainly all know how it ends! So I’m still pondering whether I actually gained anything by reading the play, since it was already to some extent ingrained in me.

But I did have a rather odd experience while reading it: I got carried away enough by the story that I had to keep reminding myself that it’s a tragedy! With every new development, I kept thinking, “Well, this is okay; they’ll just follow their plan and everything will work out!” I almost expected Romeo and Juliet to escape to Mantua, effect a reconciliation between their families, and return to Verona in triumph with a cute little baby in tow.

Rationally, though, I think the ending couldn’t have happened any other way. Romeo is an immature, fickle whiner who really needs to grow up. Juliet’s not much better – although she seems like a smart girl, she doesn’t realize that what she’s feeling is first-crush infatuation, not love. Honestly, I think Romeo should have stuck with Rosaline, who was perceptive enough to see that Romeo had to grow up a little before he’d make anyone a good husband. And Paris seemed like a pretty good guy too, who probably would have made Juliet happy if she’d waited a couple years. Obviously, the whole Romeo-Juliet relationship was doomed from the start. If they hadn’t killed themselves, they’d have been divorced in a year.

Well, obviously I did gain something from reading the play, since it generated so much rambling! Bottom line: I’m glad I finally read it!

Nonfiction: R. V. Young, At War with the Word: Literary Theory and Liberal Education

In this book English professor R. V. Young examines the current state of literary criticism in academia. He principally talks about postmodernism and deconstructionism, explaining why (in his view) these theories are logically inconsistent and ultimately incorrect about the interpretation of literature. By contrast, Young argues that works of literature have intrinsic meaning and value, that this meaning can be conveyed from authors to readers, and that there are objective standards for evaluating what constitutes “great” literature.

This book will probably only be interesting to those who have studied literature in an academic environment and who are familiar with the people and terms to which Young refers. I was vaguely familiar with such names as Foucault and Derrida, but I had never heard of several other deconstructionists such as Paul de Man. Young quotes at length from these critics, and some of the passages went over my head. However, I thought Young’s argument was in general very persuasive, and I was especially interested to see how he related literary criticism to political theory and current events. He’s pretty direct about his own point of view and doesn’t mind arguing forcefully with the other side, so some people might find this book offensive. I personally enjoyed it, but a postmodernist probably wouldn’t be convinced by the argument.

Pulitzer: Booth Tarkington, The Magnificent Ambersons

This novel traces the development of American society and culture through the rise and fall of the Amberson family. Major Amberson made his fortune in the 1870s, and his family soon rose to great wealth and social prominence. His grandson, George Amberson Minafer, is the heir to it all, and he has grown up extremely selfish and arrogant in consequence. As George reaches adulthood, however, his native city begins to change: its population grows as more and more immigrants move in, and wealth passes from the old families into the hands of manufacturers. George must deal with this change on a very personal level when one of these self-made men reveals himself as a suitor of George’s mother. The Ambersons’ familial conflict mirrors the changing social order in the wake of the Industrial Revolution in America.

I checked out this book from the library three times before I actually brought myself to read it. I thought the whole thing would be about social turmoil in early 20th-century America; but while that is certainly one aspect of the novel, there’s also a really excellent story involving George and his family. I thought the character of George was amazingly well done. I hated him in the beginning for being so conceited and ridiculously immature…but I also couldn’t help but admire some things about him. He really comes of age in the course of the novel, too, and by the end he is a truly admirable character. So even though I was reluctant to start this book, I got sucked into it and ended up reading it really quickly. I would definitely recommend this book!

#81 Like you, I've often thought that I SHOULD read this book, but never got so far as to even check the book out from the library. You make it sound very good, so now it goes onto the wish list. Thanks for a great review.

#82 I hope you enjoy it! I definitely liked it much more than I thought I would!

Pre-1900: Maria Edgeworth, Castle Rackrent

Set in the Irish countryside, this novel is narrated by Thady Quirk, lowly squire of the Rackrent family. He describes the Rackrents’ shifting fortunes, from the family’s founding by gregarious Sir Patrick O’Shaughlin to its fall less than five generations later. The owners of Castle Rackrent are all very irresponsible (read: drunk) and very expensive, usually dying in debt. However, by his own account, Thady remains “honest” and loyal to the family through it all – even though the estate eventually falls into the hands of his own son Jason. Meanwhile, an English editor appends footnotes, a preface, and a glossary to Thady’s narrative, explaining the ignorance and superstition of the Irish.

This book was so dull that I nearly couldn’t finish it – and, at only 80 pages long (if that), it’s more like a short story than a full-fledged novel. There is no real plot to speak of, and all the characters are exactly the same; there’s no depth, no growth, no real change. However, apparently the book is supposed to be a satire, which does make it slightly more interesting. I did like how Thady’s voice is contrasted with the Editor’s, and how both narrators are unreliable in various ways. Edgeworth also manages to slide in some social issues, such as Anglo-Irish relations, money, and dissipation in the upper and the lower classes. So I can see how this book might be productive reading in a literature course, for example…but if you want something that actually has a story and is entertaining, look elsewhere!

Owned but unread: Jim Butcher, Fool Moon

As the only wizard who openly advertises in the phone book, Harry Dresden is frequently asked to collaborate on “unusual” police cases. So when a man is brutally murdered – by a werewolf – he’s called in to investigate. Harry soon finds himself on the trail of an incredibly dangerous werewolf, but he must deal with other hazards too: said werewolf might not actually be guilty of all the grisly murders that have occurred in the past few months; Harry has made an enemy of local mob boss John Marcone; and a criminal gang known as the Streetwolves is after him too. Not to mention that he’s in trouble with both the local police and the FBI. Once again Harry must use his unique abilities to find out who’s behind this gruesome violence, while also confronting the limits of his own power.

The best thing about the Dresden Files series, in my opinion, is Harry’s darkly humorous and self-deprecating voice. I’m extremely interested in his character’s development and history. That said, I’m on the fence about whether to continue with the series or not. For starters, Fool Moon is incredibly graphic and violent: while I’m not unduly squeamish, the gore in this book is pretty extreme. Also, these noir/thriller/gritty-PI storylines aren’t really my taste. I realized while reading this book that I didn’t really care about the plot; I was just reading for Harry’s voice. So I’m not sure whether I’ll keep reading the series or not. On the one hand, I really want to know more about Harry’s past and see how he will grow in future books…but on the other hand, I don’t know if it’s worth wading through the dark and depressing plotlines!

I read Castle Rackrent last year, I think, and my opinion is about like yours. I did like the satire, and found parts of it rather funny in a dark sort of way, but it wasn't exactly plot driven.

And thanks for the input about the Jim Butcher books. I keep hearing about them, but I haven't started the series yet. I don't like a lot of gore, so I'm not sure it's for me.

cmbohn - In all fairness, I should say that while Fool Moon was quite gory (lots of blood and viscera and so forth), it might just be because the plot involved werewolves. Storm Front was violent too, but it wasn't particularly gory in my opinion.

Shakespeare: The Life and Death of King John

This play is Shakespeare’s re-imagining of the life of England’s most infamous king. It opens with a message to King John from France: the French king is preparing to invade England on behalf of Arthur of Brittany, John’s nephew and a rival claimant for the throne. John instantly retaliates by invading France, and there follows a dance between war and diplomacy as the various French and English factions bid for power.

Obviously this is not one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, or even one of the most famous histories. I can see why – there’s really not much to say in terms of plot, and the characters are flatter than in many of his other works. John is certainly no Lear or Macbeth, and the conflicts appear to be mostly external: threats from France, threats from the pope, threats from the English court. Still, I enjoyed this play for its dramatization of history, and it makes me want to read more about the era. I also saw some interesting parallels between the events of the play and the events of Shakespeare’s time, especially the Protestant Reformation. For anyone interested in the history of this time period, I’d recommend King John.

American classics: William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury

This novel depicts the supremely dysfunctional Compson family: rebellious Caddy, tragically unbalanced Quentin, self-centered and cruel Jason, mentally retarded Benjy, a detached father, and a weak-willed and querulous mother, not to mention the black servants who wait on them all. Three characters take a turn narrating the family’s self-destruction and unwittingly unveiling the tragic secret that lies at its heart.

I will say, I enjoyed this book a lot more than As I Lay Dying, but that’s not saying much. Faulkner’s stream-of-consciousness style grated on my nerves for a while, and it completely confused me; I was at least two thirds of the way through the book before I figured out who all the different characters were. I really disliked the first third or so of the book, and I basically stuck with it solely from a feeling of obligation. However, as I got farther along, I got much more interested in the novel’s plot, and I came to see that the style could actually be very effective. I’m glad I finished this book, and in hindsight I definitely think it was worth reading.

Haha, I just changed my username - it's now christina_reads - but my 999 thread still says ladyc72385's challenge. Oh well!

I just had to post (in a geeky and excited manner) because now the 1010 Category Challenge is officially up! I've already picked my categories and started my thread, which is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/70787. I can't wait until next year! I should probably finish these 999 books first, though.... It's obvious I won't finish by 9/9/09, but I never really intended to. I should be done by the end of 2009!

Thanks for letting us know about the name change or we would have wondered where you disappeared to. Wish everyone who is doing a name change would be so considerate. I'd change mine, but I've used cyderry for nearly 15 years and I think I'm too old for a change. I'll think about it.

Pulitzer: John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces

Ignatius J. Reilly is one of a kind. He’s a grown man living with his mother in a squalid little house on Constantinople Street in New Orleans. He dresses absurdly, ignores the conventions of personal hygiene, and is plagued by a misbehaving “valve.” He’s also paranoid and completely self-obsessed, spending the majority of his time going to movies and writing delusional narratives about life in the modern age. The book follows his adventures in the work force and his interactions with various colorful characters, including his mother, several disgruntled employers, a flamboyant group of homosexuals, a political activist from New York, and a pornography ring.

This book left me rather awed. The use of comedy in the narrative and characterization is absolutely outstanding. I enjoyed reading about all the characters in this novel – they’re all fully rounded and have their own unique voices. Ignatius constantly gets himself and everyone else into terrible (and terribly funny) situations, yet he remains completely oblivious to it all and sees himself as the victim. His written work is painfully hilarious, especially his remarkable plan for achieving world peace. However, I see the novel as fundamentally tragic – it definitely left me feeling sad for Ignatius, though the rest of the characters come to well-deserved and satisfying ends. Ultimately, while I appreciated the artistry of this book, I didn’t feel emotionally connected to it. In my opinion, it’s a book to admire but not to love.

Pre-1900: Robert Louis Stevenson, The Black Arrow

This adventure story takes place during the War of the Roses. Young and idealistic Dick Shelton has grown up under the protection of Sir Daniel Brackley, and he hopes one day to become a knight like his guardian. Circumstances change, however, when a band of outlaws called The Black Arrow threatens Sir Daniel and his men. Dick learns that Sir Daniel has done terrible things in the past, and he begins to question where his loyalty truly lies, both in the war and in his personal life. His quest for vengeance against his foes becomes an opportunity for self-knowledge, as Dick eventually realizes that the line between friend and enemy is not as clear as he once believed.

At bottom, this book is simply a good story. It was first published as a serial in a boys’ adventure magazine, and there is certainly enough swashbuckling and bloodshed to satisfy the most adventurous mind. While the plot kept me turning the pages, though, I also appreciated the fact that all the characters are a mixture of good and evil. While some people do emerge as heroes and others as villains, no one is completely black or completely white. Even Dick performs some rather horrible atrocities, despite his belief that he is acting for the best. This actually bothered me several times, as I struggled to root for a character who is frequently stupid, selfish, and needlessly bloodthirsty. But the moral ambiguities in the story make it more complex and realistic. Overall, although some readers might be put off by the faux-medieval dialogue, I think this book is worth reading.

Owned but unread: Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

In 1903, a young soldier and aspiring poet wrote to Rainer Maria Rilke asking for his opinion of some poems the young man had written. Rilke responded with a kindness and sympathy that sparked a five-year correspondence. Between 1903 and 1908, Rilke wrote ten letters to the young man, giving guidance and advice about life, love, and poetry. My edition also contains a short biographical sketch of Rilke’s life, which shows Rilke’s personal struggles and occupations at the time he was writing the letters.

Honestly, I wasn’t terribly impressed by these letters. Rilke writes beautifully, no question; there are some lovely turns of phrase and ideas to be found in the book. At the same time, though, I don’t think he actually says very much. There are only ten letters in all, and he mostly returns to the same few themes over and over again: the importance of solitude for an artist, the goodness of the difficult path, the return to nature. In my opinion, his style is too poetic and artsy; I didn’t know what he was talking about half the time, and frankly I’m not sure that he did either. Maybe it’s because I’ve never read anything else by Rilke, so I couldn’t put his letters into the context of his poetry and other work. Maybe I was reading it so quickly that I didn’t take enough time to appreciate it. Maybe I just didn’t get it! Whatever the reason, Letters to a Young Poet just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor

Sir John Falstaff – the boozy, lecherous, witty wastrel of the Henriad – is up to his old tricks in this comedy. Chronically broke, he decides to increase his fortunes by courting Mistress Page and Mistress Ford, the wives of two of the wealthiest men in town. Falstaff believes that he can easily get them into bed, and plans to blackmail them in exchange for keeping his mouth shut. However, he underestimates the two wives, who see through his scheme and decide to exact revenge.

For me, this was one of Shakespeare’s denser plays, and one of his less funny comedies. I got the gist of the main plot, as well as a subplot in which several men vie for the attentions of Anne Page, Mrs. Page’s daughter. But the minor characters were not terribly interesting, nor did I understand a lot of the peripheral jokes and speeches. This might be a fun play to see performed, though – a lot of the comedy was physical in nature. It just didn’t come across well in print for me.

Pre-1900: Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit

Amy Dorrit, affectionately known to everyone as Little Dorrit because of her small stature, has lived her entire life in the Marshalsea debtors’ prison in London. She selflessly takes care of her weak-willed father, whose airs of gentility have inspired the other prisoners to call him “the Father of the Marshalsea,” and her brother and sister. Her fortunes soon become entangled with those of Arthur Clennam, a man who has recently come back to England after his father’s death abroad. Arthur is unnerved by his father’s dying words, which implied that he had done something terrible in the past, and he searches for answers from his estranged mother. Many mysteries must be solved in the course of the novel, some of which have important consequences for Little Dorrit. Along the way, we meet a classic assortment of Dickens characters, from the gregarious Flora Finching to the snorting, sputtering Mr. Pancks.

I saw this miniseries when it aired on PBS, and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to read the book. The novel clears up a few questions I had about the miniseries: I had trouble understanding what Mrs. Clennam’s secret actually was, as well as the significance of Miss Wade and Tattycoram, but the book resolved those issues for me. The movie did follow the book quite closely, though – I think some things were just harder to convey on film. That said, this novel is VERY long, and I had trouble staying focused on some of the less important storylines. My other complaint is that Little Dorrit is just too loyal and self-sacrificing. I know she’s the heroine, but I got sick of her endlessly angelic behavior. By the end I just wanted to yell, “Grow a spine!” If you’re a diehard Dickens fan, I would recommend this book, but I prefer David Copperfield and Our Mutual Friend.

Thanks for the review. I didn't know anything about Little Dorrit. We're reading David Copperfield right now in my book club.

@97 :: Cool! I really liked David Copperfield when I read it...hope you enjoy it as well!

American classics: James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans

The French and Indian War is the backdrop for this novel of adventure, romance, and the complicated relationships between American Indians and European settlers in North America. Cora and Alice Munro, the daughters of a British general, must travel through the wild American forests to join their father at a military fort. Accompanying them are a young soldier named Duncan Heyward and an Indian guide, Magua. But when Magua betrays the group and kidnaps the women, it’s up to Hawkeye, an Englishman who lives and hunts with the Delaware Indian tribe, and his Mohican companions to save the day.

I have to say, I wasn’t terribly impressed by this book. The style is pretty cliché-laden and melodramatic, and most of the characters seem like cardboard cutouts. The most interesting person in the book, to me, was the villain! Although Magua was clearly supposed to be evil, I almost pitied him in places, and I wanted to hear more of his story rather than following the tiresome Hawkeye around. The repetitive plot also bothered me – the group of protagonists would make its way through the forest, get captured, escape, fight the enemy Indians, and then begin the cycle again. It was interesting to see the different viewpoints toward the American Indians in this book; while a lot of the natives’ characters seem very shallow and stereotypical, Cooper also goes out of his way to talk about how the Europeans oppressed them. Aside from this sociological aspect, however, I found nothing particularly interesting about this book.

Oh, and I should probably also mention that the movie (with Daniel Day-Lewis) is VERY different from the book!

Pulitzer: Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth

Wang Lung is an impoverished farmer living in rural China. He lives in a tiny house with his aged father and must work the fields all day just to survive. However, he is content with his small farm, knowing that the land is his livelihood. The novel opens on Wang Lung’s wedding day to O-lan, a lowly kitchen slave in the great house of the nearby village. O-lan is plain and silent, but she works tirelessly beside Wang Lung, bears him sons, and serves him patiently through the years. The Good Earth follows Wang Lung’s changing fortunes throughout his life, from a famine that nearly kills his family to years of prosperity and riches. Though he often goes astray in his quest for money and respect, he always returns to the land that sustains him.

I very much enjoyed this book. I liked the writing style, which consists of short, straightforward sentences and a simple yet formal tone. I also really enjoyed learning something about China and its culture at the cusp of the revolution; since I know basically nothing about China, I found the world of the novel very interesting. I was a little surprised at the pacing of the novel, which moved incredibly quickly and spanned Wang Lung’s entire adult life. It was effective, though, in showing both his family’s cyclical fortunes and the changing society of China as a whole. I would definitely recommend this book to people who are interested in reading about foreign cultures.

Just wanted to drop by and say that I really enjoyed reading your thread! I've been clicking through the group to see how close people are to finishing (if they haven't already) and noticed that I've read quite a few of the books that you've read this year. I am getting ready to start reading Confederacy of Dunces for my bookclub next week. After everything I've read on LT, it seems like your review will be the closest to what the book is going to be like for me. (Does that make sense?)

Good luck with the rest of the Challenge!

101 :: Thanks so much! From what you said, it sounds like we have similar tastes. :) Can't wait to see what you think of A Confederacy of Dunces! Anyway, I'm plugging away at the challenge, and I'm really hoping to finish by the end of the year!

Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida

This tragedy tells the ill-fated love story of Troilus, a young prince of Troy, and Cressida, the daughter of a Trojan priest. The action takes place at roughly the same time as the Iliad, if I remember correctly: the Greeks are encamped outside the walls of Troy, Achilles is sulking in his tent, and Greek Agamemnon and Trojan Hector are both trying to figure out how to win the war. Troilus, however, is more concerned with winning the beautiful Cressida’s heart; but no sooner do they pledge their love for each other, than Cressida is traded to the Greek camp in exchange for a noble Trojan hostage. Meanwhile, the Greeks and Trojans gear up for a climactic battle, in which a decisive blow is struck against the city of Troy.

I liked this play more than I thought I would – possibly because of taking Latin and reading the Aeneid in high school – and I’d like to read it again after brushing up on my Trojan War knowledge. Shakespeare’s take on the conflict is very interesting, and certainly different from Homer’s in some key areas! The relationship between Troilus and Cressida was fairly realistic to me; rather than being torn apart by destiny or tragic coincidences (as in Romeo and Juliet), the romance doesn’t work out because of ordinary human fickleness and the fortunes of war. There’s one absolutely amazing scene where Troilus sneaks into the Greek camp to spy on Cressida…I would love to see it acted on stage or film! Does anyone know if there’s a good movie version of this play? Anyway, I’d definitely recommend it to fans of classical history.

American classics: Herman Melville, Billy Budd

At the beginning of this novella, Billy Budd is impressed onto a British warship and forced to become a member of its crew. Billy accepts his new duties cheerfully, though; he is a good-natured, innocent, simple man who takes life as he finds it. He soon becomes a favorite among the sailors, who teasingly refer to him as “The Handsome Sailor.” But there is one person on the ship who doesn’t share this general goodwill: John Claggart, a petty officer whose dislike of Billy grows into obsessive hatred. In the confined space of the ship, a confrontation is inevitable, and the result will force the ship’s captain to contemplate the most difficult questions of justice and morality.

I’ve wanted to read this book ever since a professor mentioned it in the context of an undergraduate ethics class. The most (and, really, the only) interesting part of the story is the ship captain’s speech just after the climactic action occurs. He must weigh various ethical, legal, and practical concerns as he decides what to do with Billy Budd, who unintentionally violates an important maritime law in his dealings with Claggart. Should Billy be exonerated, since he didn’t mean to do anything wrong? Or should the law be applied to him strictly, considering the need for a captain’s control of his ship? Thinking about this moral dilemma was very interesting to me; however, Melville’s overwrought prose and needless digressions lessened my enjoyment of the story. This was my first encounter with Melville, and I’m not particularly eager to read more of his work. Still, I’d recommend Billy Budd to people who enjoy thinking about ethical questions.

American classics: Henry James, The Turn of the Screw

A merry group of young people at a house party start telling ghost stories, but the spookiest one of all is the tale of a young governess sent to care for two small children at Bly, an English country estate. At first, the (unnamed) governess is thrilled with her position: the children, Miles and Flora, are beautiful, clever, and angelically well behaved. However, her peaceful existence is shattered when she sees a strange man on the grounds—a man whom the housekeeper later identifies as a former servant who died. Is the governess merely seeing things, or are there ghosts at Bly? And if the spirits are real, what do they want from the governess and her young charges?

This little ghost story was a quick read. It wasn’t terribly spooky for me, but it did make me think a lot about what was going on. James doesn’t give the reader any clear answers about what the ghosts are up to, or even whether they really exist. I definitely have my own ideas, but I think what makes the story interesting is that everyone’s going to have a different interpretation. By leaving the danger as vague as possible, the reader is free to imagine his own scenario of evil. Overall, this novella was not really my taste, but it’s definitely an atmospheric read for anyone who wants to go gothic this month!

#105 I just ordered The Turn of the Screw from the library for my son, who is on a classic gothic/horror kick right now. Maybe I'll have a look at it myself before it has to go back!

106 :: I'm actually on a "classic gothic" kick myself - October seems like the appropriate time! :)

#107 October does seem like the appropriate time, however in my son's case, it has been going on for most of the year so far!

Pre-1900: Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto

In the first chapter of this novel, a giant helmet falls on a prince’s head; after that, things start getting weird. Manfred is the impetuous and tyrannical prince of Otranto, and his family is living under a curse: if he cannot keep his family line going, he’ll be stripped of his title and ousted from his lands. He hopes to marry his son Conrad to Isabella, the daughter of a rival claimant for the land of Otranto; but after the giant helmet kills that dream, he decides to divorce his wife and marry Isabella himself. This decision is not very popular with anyone else in the story, and it leads to many dramatic and supernatural consequences, including: ghosts, secret passageways, duels, lost heirs, talking skeletons, and (of course) death.

The Castle of Otranto is widely acknowledged to be the first gothic novel, so I was excited to read it for its contributions to the genre. It’s certainly not a very good novel from an objective standpoint. The characters are mostly cardboard cutouts: the wicked usurper, the beautiful and virtuous maiden, the noble and chivalrous youth of deceptively humble origins. The plot, too, is so wildly improbable that it’s more hilarious than scary. However, I suspect that the humor might have been intentional; and regardless, I found the novel very enjoyable despite its ridiculousness. It’s also interesting to see the origin of so many conventions of the gothic novel, like past secrets, big scary houses, threats of sexual danger, and supernatural occurrences. Anyone who’s interested in the literature of the time period (as well as anyone who wants a good laugh!) should read this book.

American classics: Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables

The house of the seven gables has belonged to the illustrious Pyncheon family for generations. Yet, rather than being a status symbol for the proud family, it signifies doom and decay. The original Pyncheon who built the house obtained the land through falsely accusing its former owner, a common farmer named Maule, of witchcraft. Ever since the house was built, therefore, it has been under a curse, and several of the owners have died in mysterious circumstances. It is now occupied solely by an old spinster, Hepzibah Pyncheon, and a young daguerreotypist who lodges in one wing of the house. But when Hepzibah’s brother finally returns after a long absence, and a young cousin named Phoebe comes to visit from the country, a fateful chain of events, which could either trigger the curse or break it, is set in motion.

For a book that contains a curse, several mysterious deaths, a secret passageway, ghosts, and hypnosis, this novel is astonishingly unexciting. I enjoyed Hawthorne’s writing style overall, but it took him way too long to get to the point! Instead of telling a story, Hawthorne simply created little individual scenes, which he set up and described in excruciating, mind-numbing detail. For this reason, I felt like the plot really suffered; although the actual events are quite interesting, most of them aren’t introduced until the last chapter or two. In addition, I was dissatisfied with the ending, which seemed incongruous given the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the rest of the novel. I would actually have preferred a darker, less happy resolution! (I’d be more specific about this, but I don’t want to spoil the novel for anyone.) Overall I was very underwhelmed, and I won’t be reading this book again.

I'm still alive. :) I've just been reading Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song for the last month...but I've only got about 300 pages left now! After I finish it, I have 11 more books to go. I'm starting to get nervous that I may not finish by the end of the year...but I will not give up! Hopefully I'll be able to finish The Executioner's Song within the week, and then it's full speed ahead!

#111 I admire you for taking on such a long book so late in the year. Me, I was too anxious to finish up quickly once I got close to the end and pushed aside longer (and maybe better) books in favor of short, fast reads. Good luck on a successful finish!

Thanks, sjm...in hindsight, it would definitely have been better to read the long books first, while I still had the motivation! Some of my other picks are short, so hopefully I'll still make it!

Pulitzer: Norman Mailer, The Executioner's Song

This monumental “true life” novel tells the story of Gary Gilmore, who was executed in Utah in 1977 after killing two men. Because the Supreme Court had suspended the death penalty in 1972, there had been no executions in the United States in five years; thus, Gilmore’s sentence caused a national uproar. Gary Gilmore had been in and out of prison for most of his life, but this book focuses on the period from his release from an Illinois prison, when he went to live with relatives in Utah, until his execution about nine months later. Although it is technically a novel, the book closely follows the real-life people and events involved in Gilmore’s execution. Information came from Gary’s family and friends, his girlfriend Nicole, lawyers, judges, journalists, prison guards, fellow inmates, clergymen, and citizens from all over the country. This book includes it all, striving to give a comprehensive picture of Gilmore and his lasting effect on history.

I was not alive in 1977, and I didn’t really know who Gary Gilmore was until I started reading this book. Now, having read it, I feel like I was there while it all happened, reading the newspapers and watching the TV reports to get the latest news about Gilmore’s sentence. The book really does include every possible bit of information and testimony available, which made the 1056 pages hard for me to get through. As I was reading, I kept thinking, “Do we really need to get inside the head of this random ACLU lawyer who wrote one brief in one of the many court proceedings related to Gary Gilmore?” It just seemed like too much. But now that I’ve finished the book, I can understand why so much was included: it shows how important Gilmore’s execution really was at the time. Although its sheer length made it difficult to get through, I’m glad I took the time to read this book.

Pulitzer: Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes

In this Pulitzer-winning memoir, Frank McCourt tells the story of his childhood in Limerick, Ireland. He writes about the grinding poverty, the constant hunger, the illnesses, the death of two brothers and a sister, his father’s alcoholism, his mother’s begging to make ends meet. He tells stories about his days in school, the odd jobs he takes to make ends meet, and his dream of going to America to have a better life someday. His picture of Ireland is a grim one, yet it’s clear that he loves the country and the people. And, despite all the suffering in his childhood, McCourt’s sense of humor and joy still comes through.

I guess it’s obvious that I enjoyed this book very much. :) I liked how McCourt narrates in his childhood voice, and especially how he includes all the uniquely Irish phrases. I was also especially interested in his first encounters with literature: reading to an old blind man down the street, hearing the words of Shakespeare for the first time, writing a composition for school entitled “Jesus and the Weather,” etc. Anyone with Irish blood in his or her veins should enjoy this book, as well as anyone looking for an enjoyable and interesting memoir.

Pulitzer: Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

An old fisherman wakes up one morning and goes out to sea, hoping to catch a big fish since it’s been 84 days since his last catch. He says goodbye to his friend, a boy whom he taught how to fish, and sets out. After several hours of waiting, the old man hooks the biggest fish he has ever seen, and he must pit all his strength against it so that he can kill it and bring it back to shore.

I chose to read this book because, by some fluke, I never got assigned it in school. I can definitely see why it’s such a popular choice for a curriculum: it’s short enough to hold students’ attention (theoretically!), and there’s lots of symbolism to explore. What does the giant fish represent? What about the other animals observed by the old man – the sharks, the birds, the flying fish? What happens to the old man at the end of the book? Truthfully, though, I just couldn’t get into the symbolic speculation. I was actually more interested in the literal level; the buildup of tension as the novel progresses had me genuinely concerned about whether the old man was going to catch the fish or not. I would definitely recommend this – it’s just over 100 pages, so why not? – but I’m not planning to read it again.
_____

I'm just 9 books away from completing this challenge! I now have hope that I can finish it this year. :)

You are so close!

Haha, thanks! It's going to be a close race!

Pre-1900: R. D. Blackmore, Lorna Doone

This novel, written in the 19th century but set at the end of the 17th, is narrated by a simple young farmer named John Ridd. He lives with his family in western England in the region of Exmoor, which has been terrorized for several years by a family of outlaws called the Doones. The Doones have robbed the honest people of Exmoor, kidnapped their wives and children, and even murdered John’s own father. Yet John harbors no desire for vengeance, especially after he meets the beautiful Lorna Doone and falls in love with her. John and Lorna’s romance is set against a time of political upheaval, as the western counties follow the Duke of Monmouth in his ill-fated rebellion against the King.

I enjoyed the plot of this novel very much. It combines a lot of great story lines: the romance, the satires on law and Londoners, the band of outlaws, the political concerns of the time period, etc. However, the book moves very slowly; John Ridd is an extremely digressive narrator. Maybe I’m just a little burned out from trying to finish my 999, but I frequently got tired of reading this novel. I did genuinely enjoy some of it, though. I guess it’s a common flaw with 19th-century novels – you end up with an excellent book, but you have to work for it! Anyway, I’d recommend this book to fans of classic Brit lit, and I plan to get my hands on the miniseries at some point.

I didn't know you were reading Lorna Doone. A few months ago I put it on my short list for next year's challenge. Let me know what you think of the miniseries. I think I'll netflix it.

VictoriaPL - I'll definitely let you know my thoughts on the miniseries! It shouldn't be hard for me to get - I think my local library has it! :)

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American classics: Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye

In this novel, Morrison explores the complexities of race in mid-20th-century America. The main character is a young black girl named Pecola Breedlove, whose deepest belief is that she is ugly. She yearns to be beautiful like the white girls in her town, girls with blue eyes who live in nice houses and always have new clothes. The novel tells the story of her parents’ early lives, their dysfunctional marriage, and her constant neglect and rejection by those around her. Pecola desperately wants to be accepted, and she believes that, if only she had blue eyes, everything would be different for her. Yet the futility of her desire ultimately leaves her more bereft than ever.

This is the first thing I’ve read by Toni Morrison, and I thought it was absolutely excellent. I can’t say I “enjoyed” the book – how can you enjoy such depressing subject matter? – but it was very well written and thought-provoking. I really liked the structure of the novel, especially the way Morrison uses a paragraph from a common children’s reader to contrast with Pecola’s story. I also loved the character of Claudia, a feisty little girl who befriends Pecola; her desire to dismember white baby-dolls made me laugh out loud. The novel as a whole made me think about cultural ideals of beauty and how they penetrate so deeply into our thoughts about ourselves. I would definitely recommend this book! It’s a very quick but thought-provoking read.

Nonfiction: Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner, Quarterlife Crisis

In this book, Robbins and Wilner explore the phenomenon they call the "quarterlife crisis." They claim that, as most twentysomethings graduate from college and enter the so-called real world, they frequently experience feelings of doubt, anxiety, and even depression. These young adults deal with a lot of changes, and they constantly worry about whether they're making the right decisions - decisions that will impact the rest of their lives. The authors argue that the quarterlife crisis is extremely common, but it's not widely known or discussed, which makes the problem even worse. The book is therefore intended to raise awareness about an often-overlooked problem and to let twentysomethings know that they're not alone.

I got this book for free on Paperback Swap, and I doubt I would have picked it up otherwise. I had previously enjoyed another book by Alexandra Robbins (Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities), so I was mildly curious about this one. However, I'm glad I ended up reading it. As a twentysomething myself, I could really relate to a lot of the issues raised in the book: living alone in a new city, not having the safety net of college, worrying about career choices, etc. I wouldn't characterize my situation as a "crisis," but the book was helpful in reassuring me that I'm not alone! I should say that this book doesn't contain any statistics or sociological evidence; most of it is composed of anecdotes from twentysomethings who shared their personal experiences. I don't think this book would be particularly interesting for anyone who's not at this point in their lives, but it was a worthwhile read for me.

American classics: John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Set in turn-of-the-century California, this novel follows two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, through several generations. In the beginning, central character Adam Trask is a child; he and his brother Charles grow up competing for the love of their father Cyrus. Eventually the tension between the two brothers becomes unbearable, and Adam ends up moving west. When he goes back to visit Charles several years later, he meets a beautiful woman named Cathy, marries her, and takes her to California. Cathy turns out to be evil and manipulative, and eventually she leaves Adam with twin sons Cal and Aron. The cycle of sibling rivalry begins again as the twins grow up, but are they doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past, or can they ultimately determine their own fate?

I thought this book was fantastic. Despite its length, I remained enthralled with the story. As the title indicates, there are many allusions to the Book of Genesis, particularly the story of Cain and Abel, and I thought it was really interesting to take a foundational story of the Western heritage and transpose it to another time and place. The many characters and plotlines can be hard to keep straight, but that almost seems necessary, considering the scope of the novel. I haven’t enjoyed Steinbeck much in the past, because his books all seem so depressing: but while there is a lot of pain and death and suffering in this book, there is also hope. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Shakespeare: Antony and Cleopatra

This play, another one of Shakespeare’s great tragic love stories, is set in ancient Rome. Mark Antony, Caesar (Octavian, later Augustus), and Lepidus are the three triumvirs who rule over the Roman Empire, and they must unite to deal with the external threat of Pompey. However, they soon begin fighting each other for sole control over the empire. Antony is the strongest and most powerful soldier, but he is distracted by his love affair with Cleopatra, the (in)famous queen of Egypt. Though he loves her deeply, he never quite trusts her; and as the final showdown with Caesar looms, Antony’s passions begin to overrule his reason.

What can I say about this play? It’s Shakespeare! Plus, anyone remotely familiar with the story already knows how it ends. :) It was interesting to match the events of the play with my (slight) knowledge of classical history – Shakespeare even gives his take on the battle of Actium. I was not terribly invested in the romance between Antony and Cleopatra, because it seemed to me like both of them were acting stupidly. Antony let her boss him around all the time, and he even fled from a crucial battle because he got worried about her. He needed to keep his head in the game! And Cleopatra, while she genuinely loved Antony, kept playing mind games with him, thinking that she needed to mess with his head to keep him interested in her. It seemed like a very high-school mentality to me. :) Nevertheless, I’m glad I read this play.

Well, I'm in the home stretch! I still need to finish Anna Karenina (my last book for the "owned but unread" category - I'm about 60% done), and then I just need to read two Shakespeare plays and The Yearling (my last book for the Pulitzer category), and then I'm done. I am going to finish! :)

Owned but unread: Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

This monumental novel follows two main characters, Anna Karenina and Konstantin Levin, as they search for happiness and meaning in their lives. Both Anna and Levin are intelligent, passionate individuals; but while Levin eventually finds contentment and inner peace, Anna follows a different path. She falls in love with the dashing and worldly Count Vronsky, and their illicit affair gradually leads to the famous final tragedy. Anna’s and Levin’s stories are supplemented by scores of other characters, all with their own preoccupations and philosophies of life. The resulting novel is epic in scope and addresses universal human questions.

Well, my most prominent feeling right now is that I’ve finally finished this book! I was very engrossed by some parts of it but very bored by others; in particular, I found the chapters about Levin to drag quite a bit. He spends too much time philosophizing, and Tolstoy spends far too much time discussing issues such as the science of Russian agriculture, the economic state of the peasants, and the various petty politics of Moscow and St. Petersburg. It’s certainly Anna’s story that most of us think of when we think about this book…and yet I get the feeling that Tolstoy considered Levin’s story to be much more important. Reflecting on the book now, I feel like Anna’s part in it was rather small compared to all the rest. Yet the book is named after her…so I’m not quite sure how to think about it right now. Ultimately, this is one of those books that is bigger than my opinion of it, so I’m just going to let it sit and think about it for a while.

Shakespeare: Pericles

The bizarre and hilarious plot of this play has something for everyone: incest, shipwrecks, tempests, long-lost family members, murderous plots, love, pirates, and prostitution. Despite (or perhaps because of) the wild improbability of the plot, I really enjoyed this play. It might be my favorite Shakespeare that I’ve read this year!

>127 christina_reads: I really enjoyed Pericles, too, when I read it for the first time in 2007.

And congratulations on finishing Anna Karenina! It's a book I'm glad I read (a long time ago) but I've never felt any urge to re-read it.

@128 :: Yeah, I'm not sure I'll be re-reading Anna Karenina...at least not any time soon! But I feel proud for getting through it once. :)

Pulitzer: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Yearling

Jody Baxter wants nothing more than a pet of his very own. Living on an isolated farm in Depression-era Florida, he is lonely with only his parents and the neighboring Forrester family for company. So when he finds a newborn fawn without a mother, he quickly adopts and tames it. Jody’s preoccupation with his fawn, however, doesn’t prevent him from accompanying his father on hunting trips and listening with rapt attention to the grown-ups’ tales. Through his experiences with his father and the small rural community to which he belongs, Jody eventually learns a harsh but important lesson.

I’ll be honest: I only read this book to fulfill a challenge requirement, and I thought that since it was a children’s book, it would go faster. It did go fairly quickly because of the simplistic writing style, but the pacing of the book was quite slow. A lot of the scenes felt repetitive, too, especially Jody’s many hunting expeditions with his father. This is definitely a book for people interested in nature and animals, and I’m not really one of those people. I didn’t actually dislike it…I just didn’t really care one way or the other. Maybe children and young teenagers would like it.

Shakespeare: Cymbeline

In this late comedy/romance, Shakespeare uses a lot of devices that appear in his earlier works: star-crossed lovers, banishment, cross-dressing, disguises, etc. The lovers here are Imogen, daughter of King Cymbeline, and Posthumus, a member of the court. Imogen’s parents disapprove of the match because they want her to marry her stepbrother Cloten. Posthumus is banished to Rome, where he makes a bet with an Italian that Imogen’s chastity will survive any attack. Complications ensue, but eventually the tangled plot lines are resolved in true Shakespearean style.

As with Pericles, I enjoyed this play more than I thought I would. I tend to enjoy Shakespeare’s more farfetched and ridiculous plots; I’m not sure why, but they just make me smile. I also thought of Romeo and Juliet several times while reading this play, and there are many interesting comparisons between the two. Not only do the lovers face parental opposition, but there’s also a drug that creates the illusion of death, as well as a misunderstanding where each lover thinks the other one is dead. I liked seeing how the similar plot points were used in very different ways. I would definitely recommend this for Shakespeare fans!

And with that, my 999 Challenge is complete! :) Here is the final list:

I. Books written before 1900
1. Wilkie Collins, The Law and the Lady
2. Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers
3. George Eliot, Daniel Deronda
4. Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret
5. Maria Edgeworth, Castle Rackrent
6. Robert Louis Stevenson, The Black Arrow
7. Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit
8. Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto
9. R. D. Blackmore, Lorna Doone

II. Owned but unread books (as of December 31, 2008)
1. Anya Seton, Katherine
2. James Collins, Beginner’s Greek
3. Bernard Cornwell, Gallows Thief
4. Diana Gabaldon, Dragonfly in Amber
5. Haven Kimmel, The Used World
6. Helen Halstead, Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride
7. Jim Butcher, Fool Moon
8. Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
9. Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

III. Pulitzer winners
1. Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence
2. Eudora Welty, The Optimist’s Daughter
3. Booth Tarkington, The Magnificent Ambersons
4. John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces
5. Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth
6. Norman Mailer, The Executioner’s Song
7. Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes
8. Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
9. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Yearling

IV. Shakespeare plays
1. Two Gentlemen of Verona
2. Love’s Labour’s Lost
3. Romeo and Juliet
4. The Life and Death of King John
5. The Merry Wives of Windsor
6. Troilus and Cressida
7. Antony and Cleopatra
8. Pericles
9. Cymbeline

V. Mysteries
1. Rhys Bowen, Her Royal Spyness
2. Ellis Peters, The Sanctuary Sparrow
3. Ellis Peters, The Devil’s Novice
4. Rhys Bowen, A Royal Pain
5. Erin Hart, Haunted Ground
6. Ellis Peters, Dead Man’s Ransom
7. P. D. James, Cover Her Face
8. Erin Hart, Lake of Sorrows
9. Margery Allingham, Mystery Mile

VI. Nonfiction
1. Caroline Weber, Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution
2. Margaret C. Sullivan, The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World
3. Anna Quindlen, Imagined London
4. J. Budziszewski, Natural Law for Lawyers
5. C. J. Mahaney, Humility: True Greatness
6. Ken Sande, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, 3rd ed.
7. David McCullough, 1776
8. R. V. Young, At War with the Word: Literary Theory and Liberal Education
9. Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner, Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties

VII. Historical fiction
1. Rose Melikan, The Blackstone Key
2. Lauren Willig, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
3. Elizabeth Aston, Mr. Darcy's Dream
4. Clare Darcy, Eugenia
5. Clare Darcy, Cressida
6. Daphne Du Maurier, My Cousin Rachel
7. Anna Godbersen, The Luxe
8. Georgette Heyer, Pistols for Two
9. Anna Godbersen, Rumors

VIII. Fantasy
1. Shannon Hale, The Goose Girl
2. Liz Berry, The China Garden
3. Laura Whitcomb, A Certain Slant of Light
4. Martha Wells, The Element of Fire
5. Rick Riordan, The Sea of Monsters
6. Shannon Hale, Enna Burning
7. Mercedes Lackey, One Good Knight
8. Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan
9. Shannon Hale, River Secrets

IX. American classics
1. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender Is the Night
2. Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
3. William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury
4. James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans
5. Herman Melville, Billy Budd, Sailor
6. Henry James, The Turn of the Screw
7. Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables
8. Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye
9. John Steinbeck, East of Eden

This challenge was definitely a good experience for me; it gave me the opportunity to read a lot of books that I wouldn't normally gravitate towards. I'm very glad I participated, and I'll see you all at the 1010 Category Challenge! :)

Congrats on finishing!

Thanks! I'm happy and relieved to be done...and looking forward to the next challenge!

Congratulations! What great timing you have. Will look for you over on the 1010 challenge.

135 :: Thanks! I wasn't sure I would make it by the 31st, honestly...glad I squeaked by! :) See you at the 1010.

Congratulations!

Thanks, Zoe!

Well done Christina!!
Forgive my lateness to the party. I'm drowning in challenge threads!

Congratulations, Christina!

Thank you, Victoria and ivyd! I'm looking forward to reading your 1010 threads! :)