The wrap up...

I thought I wasn't going to be able to finish this, but thankfully I was able to pull it off. This was a good challenge for me as I some day want to attempt everything on this list. Both original and updated version. I got a little discouraged while reading Blonde, but I got over it and moved on. I read...

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 4/5

Saturday - Ian McEwan 5/5

Blonde - Joyce Carol Oates 1/5

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson 2/5

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins 5/5

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde 3/5

The Poisonwood Bible - Barabara Kingsolver 1/5

Emma - Jane Austen 4/5

The Virgin Suicides - Jeffery Eugenides 4/5

Casino Royale - Ian Flemming 3/5

A good mix. Only three I disliked, although I am slightly ashamed that two of those I couldn't even finish. But I made it through 100 pages and that's good enough for me. I should see what percentage I am really at with this list...

Casino Royale - Ian Fleming

casino royale
ian flemming
c. 1953
196 pages
completed 2/19/2009

read for: 1% challenge, 1001 books

*may contain spoilers*

Wasn't really sure what to expect going into this book. I've never really been too intrigued by James Bond. I've only seen the latest two movies with Daniel Craig, and while I thought they were both highly entertaining, I don't think the world will end if I never see the ones before. Anyway, onto the book.

There's not a whole lot I have to say about it. There's not too much depth or character development, but it was still entertaining. As my sister, the librarian, would say, "It does what it says on the box." I don't think I'll be rushing out to read the next one, but I enjoyed this one and I'm glad I read it. I was surprised by how alike the book was to the movie. I thought the movie just used the title and a few basic elements, but in actuality it was a fairly faithful adaptation. There were some details changed (for instance in the movie they played poker, whereas in the book they played baccarat) and some things were updated to the current decade, but for the most part the stories were very similar. I didn't expect that.

3/5

The Virgin Suicides - Jeffery Eugenides

the virgin suicides
jeffery eugenides
c. 1993
256 pages
completed: 1/28/2009

read for: 1% challenge, 1001

*may contain spoilers*

This book was somewhat hard for me to read, and seems to be even harder for me to process my thoughts on it in order to review. I knew going into it that it probably would be as it's about a family of teen girls who all commit suicide, a subject that hits a little close to home. During my senior year of high school and the year after, my school went through three suicides (among other deaths), one of whom was a close friend of mine who lived up the street from me. So. A lot of memories surfaced while reading this book.

First, I just wanted to say that the girls in this book were just so sad. Their parents didn't know them. At all. And they kept them so sheltered and closed off that it's no wonder they were seen by the others in their town and school as peculiar. The girls said they just wanted to live. And no one would let them. Not their parents who shut them away in their house or the neighborhood boys who were obsessed with them.

I do think this was a very good look, not at the girls who commit suicide, but at those they left behind. The memories and impressions that an event like this makes on someone can't ever really go away. Mostly because it's something one can never fully understand. This is a different sort of grief. No there's no real way to understand the confusion and loss you personally feel, and it's even worse as an adult trying to help a youth understand that confusion and loss. One of the teachers or school principle in the story tried to compare the loss of Cecilia to when he lost a baseball game as a child. Not really the same. As a reader, you never really understand why the girls chose this way out. You can learn about their life and speculate, the same as the boys. But you never know for sure. Which is just like when this happens for real. You never really know why.

4/5

Emma - Jane Austen

emma
jane austen
c. 1815

438 pages
completed 1/21/2009

read for: 1% challenge, 1001 books, penguin classics, 100 greatest novels

*may contain spoilers*

I'm so glad I finally read this! I was a bit hesitant after reading Persuasion last year and thinking it kind of dull, but I didn't need to be. Emma was very entertaining and very funny. Just the antics of some of the minor characters like Miss Bates and Mr. Woodhouse would make me smile. They were so odd, but meant so well.

I was extremely glad that Frank Churchill did not turn out like his counterparts in Jane Austen's other novels (Mr. Wickham, Willoughby, Mr. Elliot, etc.). Yes, we thought he was partial to Emma and then all of a sudden JUST KIDDING he's secretly engaged to Jane Fairfax, but it wasn't the same as the others. He still turned out as someone we could like. And I was glad there weren't too many characters we needed to dislike. There were some ridiculous people (again Miss Bates and Mr. Woodhouse) but you still liked them. The only people we really disliked were Mr. Elton who you thought was a sweet guy but who turned out to be a super big time loser and his wife Mrs. Elton who was so full of herself that you wished this was set in a time where she and Emma could just throw down and have done.

When writing Emma, Jane Austen said she wanted to write a heroine only she could like. Emma was spoiled and meddlesome and made a mess of things for Harriet and Mr. Elton. She was very decidedly sure of her superiority over others, such as the Coles and the Martins (though it was interesting that she could close her eyes to the very real possibility of Harriet's inferiority). Her perceptions of people were generally completely wrong, though she continued to think she was able to read people and their characters. So yes, I can see how this could be a heroine that was hard to like, but I think her faults made her more real which in turn made her more likable. It was obvious that most of the time what she did she did for the good of someone else. And the things that she did that were thoughtless and mean, she immediately repented and tried to fix them. I liked this book immensely, however I will always consider Pride and Prejudice my favorite.

4/5

The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

the poisonwood bible
barbara kingsolver
c. 1998
576 pages (126 read)
stopped reading 1/9/2009

read for: 1% challenge and 1001 books

*may contain spoilers*

I have a rule that I have to read at least 100 pages of a book before I give it up for good. I feel that is a good try, gives me enough time to make an educated decision on whether I like the book. And so, 126 pages in, I have decided I am done with The Poisonwood Bible. I can't really put my finger on what I don't like about the book, I just know I don't care about anything that happens. Just don't care. So instead of forcing my way through it, I'm just going to move onto the next book and hope it's better.

This is not exactly the way to jump start 2009...

1/5

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

the picture of dorian gray
oscar wilde
c. 1891
187 pages
completed 12/1/2008

read for: decades challenge, classics challenge, 1% challenge, 100 greatest novels, 1001 books, penguin classics

*may contain spoilers*

This was an interesting book. As far as the story goes, I enjoyed it. There were some chapters that just expanded on the philosophies of Lord Henry that were hard for me to read and enjoy. I believe there was one whole chapter of that nature that I skipped. His philosophies were somewhat interesting at the beginning, but I got bored having to keep hearing about them. The idea of 'good' was beauty, youth, art, and pleasure. The idea of 'evil' was crime, vulgarity, and (worst of all) ennui. If that was all I got out of his philosophies, that was good enough for me to understand the point of the book.

Dorian and Lord Henry's relationship was very puzzling to me. Lord Henry was the one who influenced Dorian with his philosophies and books. Lord Henry was, in my opinion, the one (outside of Dorian) most responsible for the corruption of Dorian's soul; he was the serpent to Dorian's Eve, and yet it was Basil, who did nothing more than idolize Dorian and paint his portrait, who Dorian blamed.

What I found most interesting, and also most aggravating, about this books was some of the...missing information. For example, the old woman at the opium den. Who was she? How did she meet Dorian? How did she know to call him Prince Charming? Probably the most prominent of these bits of missing information was the character of Alan Campbell. What came between him and Dorian? What sin did he commit that Dorian was able to blackmail him for? We never find out.

All in all, an enjoyable story, though not always the most enjoyable read.

3/5

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

the woman in white
wilkie collins
c. 1859
643 pages
completed 11/6/2008

*may contain spoilers*

I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite book. Even though my sister, the librarian, told me it was super boring. I'm not really sure how she thought it was boring. This was the first great suspense novel, and was written in a very interesting style. Instead of one narrator who knows the whole story telling it to the readers, it is written by many narrators in order to always have a first person account of the action.

There were a few things that I found very interesting about this book, things that really dated it. For one thing, I found the descriptions of Laura and Marian's physical features as a reflection of their characters. Laura was sweet and submissive and therefore she was beautiful. Marian, on the other hand, was strong and independent and therefore she was ugly. Not an ugly personality, in fact she was incredibly gracious and intelligent and loving, but she was physically ugly. It might not have been the author's intent for the physical descriptions to reflect their character, but that's what I took away from them.

What I felt really dated this novel was the Secret. Obviously, this was written in the 1800's and naturally it describes life at that time that is very different from life now, but in order to keep this secret Sir Percival was willing to completely destroy the lives of two different women, to shut them away in Asylums. This secret is kept hidden from the reader for so long and built up so much that when it was finally revealed I was kind of let down. And I was shocked when I learned that this "crime" was considered a hanging case when it was committed. It's interesting to know I'm not the only one who felt this secret did not match the build up it received. I looked into the musical adaptation of The Woman in White, and there the secret has been changed, probably in order to make it more sensational (albeit, A LOT of the story has been changed in the musical). In the musical, the secret involved rape and murder, whereas in the original novel the secret is nothing more than a forgery.

I am very interested in looking into more by Wilkie Collins. I'm glad we were finally introduced.

5/5

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson

the strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde
robert louis stevenson
c. 1886
90 pages
comepleted 10/7/2008

*may contain spoilers*

I think my sister, long a fan of all things Edward Hyde, would not be at all surprised when I start this review by saying "I didn't like it." But I was! I had always held off because this type of book isn't normally my thing, but when I decided to read it I went about it really objectively. Yes, this is not my favorite genre, but it's written by the author of my favorite book (Treasure Island) and I LOVE the musical (despite the cheese and seeing the TV movie version starring the Hoff). So I really tried to go into it optimistically.

Sadly, my optimism did not last long. I just felt like nothing happened. There was no character development as we really weren't seeing anything through Jekyll or Hyde's eyes, there wasn't very much action, and the structure of the book made it seem like you had to hear the story twice. I do think part of the problem was it was written so the identity of Mr. Hyde was a twist, and I obviously already knew the twist. Maybe that twist would have added some sensationalism to the story. Well, I tried.

2/5

Blonde - Joyce Carol Oates

blonde
joyce carol oates
c. 2000
786 pages (481 read)
stopped reading 9/12/2008


*may contain spoilers*

I am so disappointed, but I just couldn't finish this book. I don't even really know what it was, but by the end it had just become such a chore. I was lugging it around in my purse everywhere and had to convince myself to start reading when I had time. The book just couldn't captivate me. It's an interesting subject, the life and inter workings of Marilyn Monroe's mind, but I didn't care too much about any of the characters, even Norma Jeane.

And I don't think I cared for the writing style: the nicknames for everyone (the Ex-Athlete, the Blond Actress, V, Z, Rumpelstiltskin, etc) and the confusing not quite consistent time line. And I know that the author made a big deal about how this is a "fictionalized" account of Marilyn Monroe, not a biography, and so she took creative liberties exploring just one foster home when in reality there were several, or exploring one abortion when there were reports of more, or whatever, but it was irritating for me to know what wasn't true. I don't know if I said that right, but like if you're writing historical fiction and we don't know exactly what happened and an author writes something to suggest what could have happened I think that is one thing. But when we do know what happened and an author writes that something different happened, well that irritates me. Not to say that it's bad writing and shouldn't be done, just that it is a personal pet peeve of mine and something I don't really enjoy. I don't like things to contradict.

And so, since I couldn't finish the book I have to give it a rating of 1/5.

Making the ultimate decision...

So I'm still stuck reading Blonde. I don't know what the deal is. I wrote about my troubles three weeks ago and I'm still trying to plod along. I've made some decent headway, but this is getting ridiculous how long it's taking me to read this book. And so I've made a decision. I have my next book in line to be read on hold waiting for me at the library (I just got the notice). And so I'm planning a library trip for this weekend, probably Sunday. And when I go...that's it. Blonde is going back. Finished or unfinished, I don't care.

Saturday - Ian McEwan

saturday
ian mcewan
c. 2005
304 pages
completed 7/3/2008

*may contain spoilers*

This has been my favorite new read so far this year. I loved this book. Which leads me to wonder why it would be one of the books removed from the 1001 list.

I'm so glad I decided to give McEwan the benefit of the doubt after reading The Cement Garden. Glad this went the way of Atonement instead.

This book was filled with beautiful language. So much so that for a few seconds after I was done, I wanted to be a poet (but then I remembered my not so stellar relationship with poetry). Henry's day was so simple and easy, a Saturday to be filled with nothing but life's pleasures, yet one minor inconvenience changed not only his day, but in someway probably his life, forever.

I don't know what else to say. This book basically ran through Henry's thought process of his extra-ordinary Saturday. And I loved it.

5/5

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

wuthering heights
emily bronte
c. 1847
247 pages
completed 5/14/08

*may contain spoilers*

Read for both the Decades Challenge and the 1% Challenge (see sidebar), mostly because I'm surprised I haven't read this before. This is one of those books I feel I should have read long ago, but somehow missed.

Probably about halfway through the book I started writing down some thoughts, mostly about the characters. Basically my main thought was 'I really hate everyone in this story.' I hated Heathcliff and Catherine. I thought they were the most awful, hateful people. I was not at all sorry for the pain and torment they put each other through. I did not care at all for their love for each other. I almost feel you can't classify it as love, seeing the torture they inflicted on each other. It nothing more than obsession.

For all the other characters, my opinions of them changed all the time, except for I think Joseph and Mr. Lockwood. I couldn't stand Joseph, and I liked Mr. Lockwood, though to be fair he didn't do much. Edgar and Isabella I started out detesting for their weakness, but in the end they grew on me. The same with Hindley and Hareton. Their boorishness made them unlikable, but occasionally their actions showed a softer side of them. With Linton, though I felt sorry for him because of his poor health and was heartbroken when he was taken from Edgar and had to be delivered to Heathcliff, it was hard to remember this pity when everything he did was out of selfishness, fear for his self, and self pity.

I was appalled through most of this book at Heathcliff's actions. His cruelty was despicable. I've read many reviewers write that his unending love for Catherine should redeem him in the readers eyes, but I saw nothing redeemable or admirable in their love for each other. He was scorned by her and he took his revenge out on everyone else around him.

This was not what I expected coming into this book. I knew it was a love story between Heathcliff and Catherine, but I didn't realize that their love would be match by their hatred. This story just held you because you felt so terrible for these other decent people (Edgar, Isabella, Cathy, Nelly, even Linton and Hareton) and you just had to know what other torture would be inflicted on that at Heathcliff's mercy.

4/5

Two new challenges...

I recently finished the Expanding Horizons 08 challenge and so have replaced it with two new challenges!

Challenge #1: Southern Reading Challenge


Being someone with roots in the South (family all from Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina) and someone who has always loved all the time spent down there, I was super excited for this challenge. The rules are simple. Between May 15 and August 15, read 3 books by a Southern author set somewhere in the South.

My three books will be:

1. Standing in the Rainbow - Fannie Flagg
2. Quite a Year for Plums - Bailey White
3. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen - Susan Gregg Gilmore

Challenge #2: 1% Challenge


This challenge is based of the list 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. The rules are to choose ten books off the list to read in ten months, May 1 - February 28. These ten represent roughly 1% (hence the challenge title). I have already read some books off the list, and had planned to someday read all of them, so this is a good start!

And the ten books will be:

Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Saturday - Ian McEwan
Blonde - Joyce Carol Oates
The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernieres
The Virgin Suicides – Jeffery Eugenides
Emma – Jane Austen
The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
Casino Royale – Ian Flemming
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

I think there's a good mix. Some classics, some more recent. Fun fun.