Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf

mrs. dalloway
virginia woolf
c. 1925
194 pages
completed 9/3/2009

read for: decades challenge, 100 greatest novels, 1001 books

*may contain spoilers*

Mrs. Dalloway spends her day getting ready for a great party she is throwing in the evening. She and others she encounters during the day reminisce about their pasts and what happens now that they're older.

Oh WOW did this take me a long time to read...about a month, for a book that was less than 200 pages. Sad. Very sad. In the beginning, I could only read this in very small increments. If more than ten pages went by, chances are I would have no idea what was going on. There were several occasions where I would even lose whose point of view I was reading. This drove me crazy. There were some clear spots, when Clarissa or Peter started thinking about their past together, that I could follow and enjoy quite well. But there were other bits, especially those involving Septimus and Lucrezia, that were just a blur. I realize that Virginia Woolf was supposed to have pioneered "stream of consciousness" literature (believe me, my sister the English scholar, who loved this book, told me this several times) which is supposed to be so great, but as my own stream of consciousness is so often incoherent to myself, how am I supposed to follow someone else's?

Last of all, I have to say, someone should have taken the time to introduce Virginia Woolf to the notion that run-on sentences are bad. There is no prize for having the highest count of semi-colons per page. I'm sure this is just another example of the greatness of her writing and I just can't see it, but I think in complete, concise sentences. So should Virginia Woolf.

2/5

Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux

phantom of the opera

gaston leroux

c. 1910
264 pages

completed 6/9/2009

read for: decades challenge, orbis terrarum challenge

*may contain spoilers*

This is another one of those books where I was nervous through the whole thing because it is held very near and dear to someone's heart. In this case, my sister, the librarian. But I am happy to report...I LIKED IT! Surprise, surprise. Something she liked that I liked, too.

Couple things that stuck out to me...

Number 1...The author kept referring to Raoul and Christine as children, so I kept imagining them to be about 14. But while I don't think they ever explicitly say what Christine's age is, Raoul has been said to be 20 or 21 years old! Young, yes, but definitely not a child. If they were really around 14, I could then understand their "secret engagement," but at 20 years old...how could they think that was a good idea? I don't understand.

Number 2...Who was the Persian? I mean, I understand his history and connection with Erik, but did he have any kind of connection to the Opera other than that? And if not, how come no one thought it was weird that he just roamed through the Opera all the time?

Number 3...I don't 100% understand what happened at the end. After the water was rising and the Persian and Raoul were trapped in the torture chamber. I don't know how they got out. Maybe it got explained and I just didn't understand.

So. A few questions, but for the most part I enjoyed reading this. It's definitely a bit different from the musical. It's a little creepy and confusing and lots of fun. I felt lame writing that last sentence.

4/5

The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

the wind in the willows

kenneth grahame

c. 1908
156 pages
completed 4/18/2009

read for: decades challenge

*may contain spoilers*

The story of four friends, Rat, Mole, Badger, and Mr. Toad, living their lives and adventures on the banks of the river.

This book was super cute. I loved Mole the best. He was just so genuine and earnest and new to everything. I was so sad when he got depressed because he smelled his old home and Rat didn't want to stop. I definitely got annoyed during the Mr. Toad chapters. I really didn't like him (even though his is my second favorite ride at Disneyland)! He was just so conceited and a jackass. And I really thought he belonged in jail. He stole someone's car! So a little less Toad would have been nice. All I really need are cute stories about Mole.

4/5

The wrap up...

Two more down...

Fall into Reading ended December 20. I didn't finish quite as much as I planned (13 out of 15 books), but not too bad. Those last two will hopefully be read by either the end of the year or VERY early next year. That's the plan anyway. I read a pretty wide variety of books, trying to fit in all the books from my various challenges. My books were...

1. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott 5/5

2. The Pilgrim of Hate - Ellis Peters 4/5

3. Daisy Miller - Henry James 2/5

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

5. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins 5/5

6. The Alienist - Caleb Carr

7. The Halloween Tree - Ray Bradbury 3/5

8. Adolphe - Benjamin Constant 2/5

9. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde 3/5

10. Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas - Louise Rennison

11. American Gods - Neil Gaiman 3/5

12. The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy 5/5

13. The Third Chimpanzee - Jared Diamond

Like I said, a pretty wide variety. A couple rereads...some I loved, some I didn't like much at all...a good mix. Also completed...

The goal was to read 8 books from consecutive decades in '08. I tried to be ambitious and read 12 books (one for each month) in consecutive decades in '08. I only managed to get through 10, and know I won't be getting to the last two any time soon. So. I fulfilled the requirements, but fell short of my own goal. Not too bad. My books were...

1. Persuasion - Jane Austen 3/5

2. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving 4/5

3. The Red and the Black - Stendhal 4/5

4. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 4/5

5. Madame Bovary - Gustav Flaubert 3/5

6. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott 5/5

7. Daisy Miller - Henry James 2/5

8. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson 2/5

9. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde 3/5

10. The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy 5/5

It's funny...I'm looking back at some of the books I read early in the year and I think my ratings are a little high for the impression the books left on me...like The Red and the Black and Wuthering Heights. I was sure I had rated those 3/5. Interesting. An interesting challenge and I am looking forward to participating this coming year.

The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy

the scarlet pimpernel

baroness emmuska orczy
c. 1905
250ish pages
completed 12/20/2008

read for: decades challenge

*may contain spoilers*

I'll start off by saying I had already seen the mini-series so I already knew who the Pimpernel was so that surprise was not exactly a surprise...

I think it's worthy of noting how the main idea of this book, the main point of the Pimpernel himself, is the opposite of almost all other heroes like this. Zorro, Robin Hood, the Scarecrow...they were all against the rich and for the poor. The rich, the aristocracy, were all evil oppressors who lived in luxury on the shoulders of the poor. The Scarlet Pimpernel, on the other hand, is the opposite. He rescues the aristocratic French from the masses. The people are CRAZY in their blood lust. Normally, you're totally on the side of the peasants, they're the good people. And because of that...I'm not totally sure if I'm supposed to be 100% for the French aristocrats. I mean, yes, the French masses are kind of out of control with their Reign of Terror, but...they were being oppressed. Right? That being said...

I really enjoyed that this was not a normal adventure story. It wasn't told from the perspective of the adventurer, it was told through the eyes of his wife. You weren't privy to the emotions and motives of the Pimpernel, instead you saw his wife dealing with her emotions of love for her husband despite his apparent lack of affection for her, her trying to win back her husband's love, and her struggle between saving her husband and betraying her brother. It was a very entertaining and different setup.

I also have to say, I love Sir Percy. LOVE him. Yes, he's proud and unrelenting in his coldness toward Margeurite, but that small scene right after she told him about the trouble Armand was in, after she'd left him on the terrace, secured my everlasting love. The ice around his heart melted for a moment, and he fell to his knees, kissing the place she had just stood. How sad.

5/5

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

Daisy Miller - Henry James

daisy miller
henry james
c. 1878
98 pages
completed 11/6/2008

*may contain spoilers*

This was much shorter and different than I expected. I don't know if the author meant it to be so, but to me it just seemed like a cautionary tale for young girls. Don't flirt, don't act improper, don't hang out with foreign men who are beneath your status, otherwise you will die of malaria. Or whatever Roman Fever is supposed to be.

I wasn't too impressed. It was not very engaging, and none of the characters were sympathetic, especially Daisy. No one was in any way likable. Though I did find it interesting that while Winterbourne grew increasingly more appalled by Daisy's behavior, so much so that he stopped seeing her altogether, I got the impression that had HE been the one that Daisy was spending so much time with he would not have disapproved of her behavior quite so much. Very hypocritical.

2/5

It's already time...

Well, it's about that time! The challenges for next year are starting to come out of the woodwork and it's time to start planning for them. I'm winding down the '08 Decades Challenge, one more book to go for the official rules. Even though we only needed to read 8, I planned on 12, one for each month of the year, and I think that might have been a little ambitious for me. I didn't cross them over with enough other challenges maybe. So this year I'll just stick to the rules instead of trying to be and over achiever. Book Nut is hosting the Decades '09 Challenge. Read 9 books in 9 consecutive decades in 2009. Last year I decided to start with 1810, this year I will be starting from 1900.

My list will be...
1. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Graham (1908)
2. Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux (1910)
3. Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf (1925)
4. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (1937)
5. For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemmingway (1940)
6. Dandelion Wine - Ray Bradbury (1957)
7. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1967)
8. The World According to Garp - John Irving (1978)
9. The Gunslinger - Steven King (1982)

Some of these (The Wind in the Willows, Of Mice and Men) are books that I don't know how I haven't read them yet. Others (Phantom of the Opera, The Gunslinger) are me letting the influences of my sister, the librarian, take over. And the others I have at least all heard of before. 2009 is already shaping up to be a good year of books.

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

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

little women
louisa may alcott
c. 1868
669 pages
completed 9/22/2008

*may contain spoilers*

This was read for several challenges: the Decades Challenge, the Classics Challenge, and the Book to Movie Challenge (see sidebar for all).

I can't believe I haven't read this book before now. I saw the movie (with Winona Ryder and Christian Bale) forever ago and even without having seen it I knew all the spoilers from Friends seeing as my favorite episode is "The One Where Monica and Richard Are Friends" (where Rachel and Joey trade books and then spoil the books for each other...and then in the end Joey has to put Little Women in the freezer since he's so upset about Beth). So this fitting into so many challenges seemed like a good time to finally read it.

I was a little worried I would find the book boring, especially since I already knew the story, but thankfully that turned out not to be the case. I was not expecting this book to be so focused on morals. The first half especially, it seemed like every chapter ended with one of the girls learning some kind of moral life lesson. And the lessons were sweet and you fell in love with the girls for learning them in their funny little ways, like Meg burning off her hair. I know Jo was supposed to be the heroine, but I think I liked Meg the best. She was sweet and she was funny and I enjoyed reading about the scrapes she got into the most. I couldn't stand Amy. Occasionally I felt sorry for her, like when she was embarrassed at school or when she had to man the flower booth instead of the art booth, but for the most part I just thought she was a brat. Yes, she grew up and learned what was really important in the end, but I had spent so much time not liking her that for me it was too late. She may have changed her ways, but by that time I didn't care. I skipped over the whole chapter that was just her letters home from her trip abroad. I just didn't care.

5/5

Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

madame bovary
gustave flaubert
c. 1856
342 pages
completed 6/28/2008

*may contain spoilers*

This is the second book by a 19th century French writer that I have read this year (the first being The Red and the Black by Stendhal). Both works were filled with the "hero" involved in devious and secretive acts which eventually were the "hero's" downfall. And both ended in their sad demise.

I put hero (I guess in this case it should be heroine) in quotation marks because in both novels the protagonist was so unlikeable. Emma's constant quest for romance and sophistication so blinded her that she couldn't see the love she had until her death. Her husband was quiet and simple. He wasn't the romantic, the hero, she wanted him to be. But he truly loved her.

I also found similarities between the character of Julien in The Red and the Black and that of Rodolphe in this novel. At least, similarities in their ideas of a mistress. For both of them, it wasn't that they fell in love (or even lust, really) and took a lover. Instead, it was like a contest. They wanted to challenge themselves. But where Julien quickly fell in love with his mistress, Rodolphe saw his whole relationship as a game to be played, like chess. Something where he had strategized his every move.

I really do think that Leon was in love with Emma. I think she was just in love with the romanticism the Leon could bring to her.

I hated that Emma not only ruined herself and eventually killed herself, but she also ruined Charles who did nothing but love her, though maybe he should have been a little more involved in the running of his house. And his mother made me crazy. Even if she turned out to be right about Emma sometimes, she was kind of out of control with her constant wailing that Charles loved Emma more than her. Creepy.

3/5

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

The Red and the Black - Stendhal

the red and the black

stendhal
c.1830
485 pages
completed 5/7/08

*may contain spoilers*

I am pretty sure I liked this book.

I was never sure of Julien's character. I had trouble deciding if I liked him or not. I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to like him. There were times when he was super shy and bumbling and terrified of everything, or where he was so passionate and completely in awe of someone he respected. But there were other times when he was so selfish, so arrogant, and full of so much self love and self pity. Stendhal kept referring to him as 'our hero' so I think I should like him, but I don't know.

I was never sure if he was actually in love with Madame de Renal or Mademoiselle de la Mole or just obsessed with the idea of possessing their love, the love of those in a superior class. I felt bad for both women. I didn't really like either of them, I thought they were too weak and petty and small minded, but I did feel for them. They had such passion for this man and were risking so much for his love and he could really take it or leave it. He loved them when he wanted to, not constantly.

His hypocrisy irritated me. He held the upper class with such disdain, as I think most peasant like him did in those days, yet he so much wanted to be a part of them.

I think there is probably a lot of this book that I didn't get, especially some of the French politics and Julien's psychological structure. As for the story itself, I enjoyed it.

4/5

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving

the legend of sleepy hollow
washington irving
c. 1820
67 pages

Before I can really review this, I have to admit the somewhat embarrassing truth that somehow I missed the fact that this was a short story and not a novel. As such, you can imagine my surprise at the 67 page book I picked up from the library. Once I really thought about it, I realized I should have already known that this was just a short story. It's just a little ghost story, a legend. It even says so right in the title.

For what it was, I think I enjoyed it. I am not always one for ghost stories, but I loved the voice of the narrator, especially when he was giving descriptions of Ichabod Crane, or when he spoke of how incredible the food at the Van Tassel's party was.

I wish we had known a little more of Katrina, but I guess she wasn't really important to the story other than being the reason for the rivalry between Brom and Ichabod. I love that in the end, the narrator never comes out and says that Brom was really the Horseman, but you're pretty sure he was. I felt bad for Ichabod. Brom was an ass and I didn't think it was fair that he got to end up with Katrina.

I'm finding it a little difficult to really review such a short story. I don't really read a lot of short stories. It almost feels like there's not enough for me to really have an opinion on.

4/5

Persuasion - Jane Austen

persuasion
jane austen
c. 1818
189 pages

*may contain spoilers*

My first book read for the Decades Challenge (see sidebar)! Kind of exciting, I've now officially started two of my four challenges.

This is now the third Jane Austen book I have completed. I've read Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility on previous occasions, and I believe Persuasion had the least hold on me. I got bored reading it. I knew going into it that it was going to be a very mild, gentle book, a comedy of manners without a lot of action, but even so I remember enjoying the quiet conversations and exchanges in the other two novels so much better. Even with the fairly simple theme of poor girls trying to make a good match, there was humor and interest and character development. And there wasn't in this one. Even with Anne and Captain Wentworth, I was disappointed. There was nothing that made me interested in them.

I do find it interesting to see how many similar twists there are in each book. Something has happened to make the girls in the family poor. There is always one gentlemen who we think is either in love or engaged to someone, though he really is not. There is always one gentleman, such as Captain Benwick or Colonel Brandon that we either dislike or think very little of who turns out to be one of the best gentleman. And there is always one gentleman who everyone thinks extremely highly of, is everyone's favorite (and causes great jealousy for another, quieter gentleman) who turns out to have an extremely sordid past.

Not bad, but definitely not my favorite.

3/5

Who wants a chunky?

And so I'm at it again. I've just signed up for the Chunkster Challenge 2008! In this challenge, from now until December 20th, I need to read four chunky books (books over 450 pages long). Really there are no other requirements. AND I can cross over, so books that I'm reading for other challenges, I can read for this. Sounds good to me!

The List:

LA Confidential - James Ellroy
The Red and the Black - Stendhal
The Virgin's Lover - Phillippa Gregroy
Standing in the Rainbow - Fannie Flagg

January goals...

Okay, so it's true that I've already posted about my new Christams books today, but now I think I am going to be setting some January goals. I may be extremely busy during January since I'm getting ready to move from Seattle to San Diego (or from Canado to Mexico as my dad likes to say) around January 12th, but I am determined that since I have no job other than packing and moving, I will most likely have some down time. And in that down time I intend to read a great deal. And so my goal is to finish the two novels in my 'Currently Reading' list (the histories and non fiction can sometimes take me A WHILE) and the five novels in my 'In Line to be Read' list. And since I oftentimes will change up those lists, I will be writing them all down here to make sure I don't forget.


Adolphe - Benjamin Constant
Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Persuasion - Jane Austin
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
LA Confidential - James Ellroy
Monks Hood - Ellis Peters
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg

Number 1 on my New Years Resolutions list!

Decades Challenge 2008

I am still fairly new to this whole book blog phenomenon. And as such, have only just begun reading others and looking at the challenges that they offer. I (sort of, kind of) participated in the RIP Challenge and have now been searching through other blogs to find more. I have decided on the Decades Challenge 2008! It seems nice and slow. All I have to do is read books from different decades. And I have all year to do it. The requirement is 8 books, but I have decided on 12, one book for each month of 2008. My list, though it is subject to change, currently stands as:

1. Persuasion - Jane Austin (1818)
2. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving (1820)
3. The Red and the Black - Stendhal (1830)
4. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (1847)
5. Madame Bovary - Gustav Flaubert (1856)
6. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott (1868)
7. Daisy Miller - Henry James (1878)
8. Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)
9. Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde (1890)
10. The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy (1905)
11. Pollyanna - Eleanor H. Porter (1913)
12. The Beautiful and Damned - F. Scott Fitzgerald (1922)

It's possible this list is a bit to ambitious for me (let's be for real, I was only able to read 14 books so far this year), but we'll see how it goes!