The Book Thief

Normally I try to write about the books I've read in the order that I finished them. Today I am going to break that rule. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak blew me away. I wrote this post as soon as I could because I want to share The Book Thief with all of you. This book begs to be shared.  I finished it approximately 10 minutes ago, and boy did I cry. There have only been a handful of books that have ever made me cry. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and Watership Down by Richard Adams are a couple titles that come to mind. (And no, I didn't cry when Dumbledore died. Lets get real people, it was bound to happen). In fact, I'll admit to crying like a baby after finishing Of Mice and Men for school when I was a freshman in high school. To this very day I vividly remember trying to explain to my dad as to why I was crying so much over a book.  (Sorry Dad. Haha).

I digress. Back to The Book Thief. It begins with this statement by the narrator "Here is a small fact: You are going to die." If that doesn't draw you in, I don't know what will.

  The narrator of the story is Death, kind of like the grim reaper but not in the traditional sense. Death is more like an innocent witness to the sorrows of human kind, who must clean up the souls left behind. The story takes place in Nazi Germany during WWII, and death is very busy. Yet somehow, a young German girl named Liesel catches his attention and he finds himself returning to her life periodically to see how she is doing. In my opinion, Liesel and the people in her life represent the slew of emotions experienced by the world during a catastrophic event such as WWII. As you can imagine there is a profusion of sorrow, hatred, death and betrayal but glimpses of love, humor and compassion that shine through at the most unsuspected times. Don't get me wrong, this book does not sugar coat the horrors that millions of people experienced during WWII. Instead, it gives a human face to the lives lived and lost during this tumultuous time in our history. If you've read any of my other blog posts you know that I value realism in a book. And this book gives a huge dose of realism, which, as proven by my tears, can be overwhelmingly sad at times. It was such a beautiful and creatively written book that deserves to be read cover to cover. I was not expecting it to evoke the emotions in me that it did. But I am glad that it did, because a good book should do that.

I wont write anymore about this book, because I honestly don't think I could do it justice. I actually borrowed it from a fellow bibliophile friend and now I plan on buying a copy for my own collection.  Just promise me you will do yourself a favor and read it. And heed my advice: you'll want to have a box of tissues near by when you read it.

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society was written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. The story beings in 1946, the year after WW2 ended. The novel consists of a series of letters sent back and forth between the protagonist Juliet and the inhabitants of Guernsey Island in the English Channel. During the war Juliet wrote humor columns to help lift the spirits of the British people during the war. Now that the war is over Juliet wants to write a book that is more serious in tone but is struggling for a topic, until one day she receives a letter from a member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. During the war Guernsey was occupied by the Germans and was cut off from all communications with England and the  European continent. The members of the literary group write her about their experiences during the long years of occupation. The stories are both funny, sad, extraordinary and at times unbelievable.

The first word that comes to mind when thinking of this book is cute. Second, would sadly have to be contrived. Cute and contrived...not such a good combination. The letters that make up the book are at first a really great idea, 'oh how clever! The whole book is a series of letters". Then you get half way through the book and you can't keep track of who is writing the letters anymore, and honestly you really don't care anymore. I loved the characters, but I couldn't keep any of them straight. I would read a letter and think it was written by one person but find out 5 pages later that I was confused and the plot is all jumbled up. Sometimes I just felt like chucking the book across the room I got so frustrated. Also, no one in real life writes with as much emotion and detail as the characters do in this book. They must have amazing memories to be able to describe exactly what the weather was like, and how the person looked at them, and what they were wearing, and every single word that came out of their mouths or that they even thought!  This book would have been so much better if it wasn't all in letter format. It was a cute idea but in the end it just didn't work, or at least it wasn't realistic at all. I suppose I am probably the only person that thinks bad things about this book, apparently most people love it.  So if you are willing to look past the cutesy-fake-contrivedness ( I know that isn't a word, but I'm using it anyways) of the letters go for it. Some of the stories that are told by the islanders are truly heart wrenching and are worth mucking around in all the letter reading.

Empress Orchid

Empress Orchid is a historical novel covering the first 15 years of the last empress of China, Empress Dowager Cixi's, reign. Before reading this book I knew nothing about Cixi and her legacy. I discovered a world of ritual, wealth, power, deceit and sorrow that existed in the Forbidden City for hundreds of years. I find it infuriating that historically, women in power lives' and personalities are lambasted and spun so as to create a negative and inaccurate portrayal of who they really were. In Empress Orchid and its follow up novel The Last Empress Anchee Min attempts to deconstruct the elaborate lies surround Cixi's reign and portray her as the woman she really was.

Cixi, or Orchid, is the daughter of a minor Manchu noble whose family lost almost everything when her father passed away. In order to save her family from desolation, Orchid presents herself to the Emperor of China, along with thousands of other young women,to be chosen as one of his concubines.  Surprisingly, Orchid is chosen as the fourth wife out of seven. She believes that she is lucky because as wife, unlike the Emperor's hundreds of concubines, she has a chance at winning his heart and bearing him a son. She quickly learns that not everything is at it seems in the Forbidden City, and that love and honesty is not enough to get by. Instead, she must depend on her own cunning, will and passion in order climb to the top of power and gain the Emperors attention. She does this all whilst navigating a social and political minefield where one wrong step can lead to death. 

After finishing Empress Orchid  I delved deeper into Cixi's history and was surprised by what I found. Apparently, it is a widely held belief in modern day China that Cixi was an evil woman and that she was responsible for China's embarrassing defeat in the Boxer Rebellion and the era of foreign spheres of power. I found it hard to believe that she was as horrible as these claims, so I searched harder for more accurate accounts. Within the past decade or so historians have begun to uncover information that proves that she wasn't as horrible a person or ruler as some would like us to believe. Foreign powers published many slanderous accounts of the Empress, so as to justify invading China and taking huge spheres of trade, land, money and power. Many historians believe that if it wasn't for Cixi's leadership, China would have fallen to foreign powers and internal discord much sooner. I plan on trying to find more historically accurate accounts of Cixi when I get a chance to drag myself to the UB library.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

OK, so almost everyone has at least heard of the Millennium trilogy. They've been so heavily promoted that you would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't read one of the books. There have been movies made in Sweden for all three, and the American versions are the in the works. I get it, everyone loves them. What I am about to say may seem like a shock but I might be the only person in the entire world that thought they were only so-so. There I said it! I'm sure to be marked as a literary pariah for admitting it, but I can't lie. I struggled through the first one, I hardly remember any of the second and the third was just 'eh' to me. The only parts that I really enjoyed were from Lisbeth's point of view. I think that the other characters, Blomkvist, Berger, etc. are  unbelievable and  downright annoying. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest just helped to solidify my opinion of the series. Much of the book is spent mucking around in legal issues and following various police officers who in my mind were so similar as to be interchangeable. Meanwhile, Blomkvist is trying to help vindicate Lisbeth, while banging multiple ladies during his free time. Berger is, as always, a powerful woman with a sketchy sexual background that Larsson never misses a chance to remind us of. Lisbeth remains as the only character that I don't find unbelievable or predictable.

It seems obvious to me that Larsson lived vicariously through Mikael Blomkvist. Even though Blomkvist is middle aged and not extremely fit or atractive, he constantly has younger attractive women throwing themselves at him. He is able to have a regular sex buddy on the side, (Erika Berger) who he has been sleeping with for over 20 years without any strings attached. He always finds himself in the middle of a huge story that will put him on top. Not to mention he is BORING. Maybe I am biased but I can't stand him. I find myself rolling my eyes or laughing at how transparent Larsson is being whenever I read Blomkvist's portions of the book. If he's not having sex with random women, he's sitting around brooding while drinking black coffee, eating sandwiches and smoking excessively.

All rants about Blomkvist aside, Larsson's saving grace is Lisbeth Salander. Considering she was created by a man, Lisbeth is an believable and intriguing female lead. She is completely unpredictable which gives the series the kick it needs to stay interesting. As a reader you are always on Lisbeth's side, making her story all the more exciting. She is the only character that I actually care about.  It's really a pity that Larsson wasn't able to complete the series because I read in a interview with his girlfriend that the 4th book was going to explain all of Lisbeth's tattoos.

Read the series for Lisbeth, it's worth mucking around in the other characters' stories for her part alone.

The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry was one of those books that seemingly everyone read in school, except me. I don't know how, but it just passed me by. I hadn't given it much thought until recently. I mentioned to a friend that I loved dystopian novels, and she said her favorite book from that genre was The Giver. I figured it would be a quick easy read.

I was immediately struck by how simple the prose in The Giver is. Lowry's style of writing is clear and concise without being slow paced or overtly obvious. The writing evolves with the main character Jonas. At first, Jonas is just like everyone else. He  experiences some emotions but not all of them, and none of his emotions are extreme or complex. Basic human emotions have been systematically eliminated from the population, such as pain, anger, fear, hunger, lust and even love. These feelings have been eradicated by creating a highly controlled society in which everyone must follow strict protocol. Jonas does not entirely understand the concept of death, instead he believes that people are 'released' from the community to a place outside of his little world. All of his life has been planned out stage by stage, and lacks any surprises or spontaneity.

Throughout the first portion of the book, the writing style is much like Jonas, lacking emotional intensity. Lowry states the facts as they appear to Jonas in a way that cannot be questioned, because Jonas cannot question his own identity. That is, he cannot question his identity until he is chosen to become the new Giver in the community. As the Giver, Jonas takes on the responsibility of learning memories of times past. Memories that had been forgotten by the rest of the community so that they could live without pain, anger, fear and suffering. Jonas quickly realizes that along with forgetting the negative things they have forgotten the beautiful happy things such as the ability to perceive color, excitement, and love. As Jonas learns more memories the writing style becomes more human and tangible. As readers we grow along with Jonas, as he begins to see his world with a new understanding.

I have not seen this literary technique used so well before and it gave the story more complexity and dimensions. Although I would have liked to have read this book while I was still in school, I think I can better appreciate it now that I am older. The Giver may have been written as a children's novel, but it still strikes a chord in adult readers. Especially as we get older, we value our memories more than ever before.

Mockingjay

The Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is the third and final book of The Hunger Games trilogy. Instead of reading the first two parts, I listened to them on my iPod. I was immediately drawn into the story. The Mockingjay was the first book I didn't listen to but read, and now I want to go back and reread all three. These books left a deep impression on me. Once finishing the series I thought about it for days after, replaying the story and it's message in my head. I would recommend this series to anyone who is looking for something different. The trilogy does not follow traditional literary formulas, which I think makes for a much more interesting and refreshing read.

Since the Mockingjay  is the final book I don't want to give anything away for those of you who are interested in reading the first two. I will give a broad synopsis of what the series is about, without giving too much away.

The trilogy is set far in the future where the United States has crumbled and is renamed Panem. The country has been divided up into 12 districts. Each district is in charge of providing goods and services for the Capitol. The Capitol is the main city of Panem, and it is where the totalitarian government resides.

One boy and one girl, between the ages of 11 and 18, are randomly chosen from each district to participate in the annual Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a vicious event in which all 24 'players' are forced to survive in a arena developed by the Game Makers. Players are forced to kill one another in any way possible, and the last player remaining wins. Not only must they protect themselves from each other, but the arena is riddled with deadly traps set up by the Game Makers to make things more 'interesting'. All the while the Games are broadcast all over Panem for the nation to witness.Traditionally players from the lower number districts win, because they are trained from birth to be ruthless killers. The worst district, 12, hasn't won in over 40 years. A young woman from district 12, Katniss Everdean, puts herself into the games to save her younger sister from death. Little does Katniss know that she is about to change the game for the better and incite rebellion amongst the districts.

The Mockingjay is  darker and more adult in tone than the previous books. A large portion of the book is spent showing how war, violence, loss and death can affect a person.  Collins shows how many the her characters experience symptoms of PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome). We are taken inside the heads of people who have experienced horrific situations but who must overcome those feelings in order to survive. Collins portrays war for what it really is; brief moments of victory followed by lasting periods of fear, loss and deception. I read many reader reviews of the Mockingjay on Goodreads.com and a lot of people felt that this book was a much too dark ending to the series. I disagree, I felt that it was realistic. Realism is often overlooked in the YA genre, which in my opinion is a mistake. I respect Collins because she was able to break away from the typical YA formula and inserted reality and truth into her story.

The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the Wind by Ruiz Zafón took me by surprise. I was hesitant at first to read this book because it was originally written in Spanish, and I was afraid the some of the meaning would be lost in the translation. Fortunately I was proven wrong. It is a beautifully written story filled with love, tragedy, mystery, obsession and literature. Zafón's writing style is both descriptive and passionate. He has the ability to describe the physical and emotional scene and tone in just a few simple sentences, without bogging the down the flow with too many superfluous words.

This novel focuses on a young man living in post-civil war Barcelona, Daniel. One day, Daniel's father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Daniel is allowed to pick one book, out of thousands, that he will cherish and keep safe for as long as he lives. Little does he know that by choosing his book, Daniel becomes wrapped up in a tragic and long forgotten story that consumes Daniel and sets the course for his life.

 

The Shadow of the Wind constantly kept me guessing. Once you think you've figured out the plot, Zafón throws an intense twist into the mix, throwing you off the trail. Unfortunately, I accidentally ruined the main mystery for myself by reading a review that gave it away.  Despite reading a spoiler the book was still enjoyable and kept me guessing until the end. My only major qualm is with the epilogue. The tone throughout  is distinctly dark, Gothic and at times frightening, which in my opinion sets it apart. Meanwhile, the epilogue digressed from the Gothic theme entirely, giving an almost annoyingly cheerful close to the book. The cliche happy ending does not balance with the rest of the novel at all, which makes me question whether Zafón was perhaps pressured into it by his publisher so as to appeal to the masses. 

Apparently Zafón has written a sequel of sorts to The Shadow of the Wind called The Angel's Game, which I will definitely be reading in the future. Hopefully it is as intriguing as it's predecessor, but better balanced in tone.

After the Falls

Wow, it's been a while since my last post.  I can't use the lame excuse that I didn't have time to post. I read 3 books, so obviously I had time for something. After spending the past month or so staring at a computer screen for my various classes, I had to give my eyes a much needed rest. But now I am done with school (horray!) and it's the summer which means I have extra time to spend reading! But first I need to catch up on my blogging. So here it goes...

After the Falls by Catherine Gildiner is the second installment of her childhood and young adult memoirs. The book begins in the early 60's, Cathy has turned 13 and her family has moved to Buffalo. Cathy's family has decided that she needs to go to a school with more opportunities.  In reality, Cathy's father's pharmacy is going out of business and the house that they lived in doesn't really belong to them. The book follows her experiences over a 10 year strectch. She reveals stories about her family life, which was slowly deteriorating due to her father's brain tumor. Her first years in college, where she realizes that she doesn't fit it with the traditional co-ed stereotype. She becomes wrapped up in the hippie and equality movements. Finally she meets who she thinks is the man of her dreams. Until the day she realizes it is all a lie. Although her experiences jade her, she's tries and sometimes fails, to never give up hope.


Her previous book, Too Close to the Falls, begins with Cathy believing the world is a perfect place. Towards the end she rudely comes to the realization that the world is not what it appears to be, and that society attempts to hide the ugly truth. After the Falls picks up on the disenchanted theme and carries it throughout. As we follow her teenage years, Cathy peels back the various masks that have been placed in her way and she is faced with the truth. Often times the truth seems too much for her to bear and it threatens to break her apart. At the same time she is often surprised by the few people who really are good, and that aren't hiding something dark within themselves.

Honestly, a brief review cannot do this book justice. It evoked so many emotions in me; laughter, happiness, hope, revulsion, sadness and grief.  Cathy's stories and experiences growing up resonate within me, and I find myself comparing her revelations with my own. Even though this book was written about a era which is over 30 years past, her story can still be applied and compared to what many young woman experience now.

Looking back at this post I realize that I made this book sound really depressing. Although there are some very depressing situations, there are happy and encouraging stories sprinkled in as well. If you want a story that is funny, surprising, thought provoking and relate-able I recommend  After the Falls.

Too Close to the Falls

Lately I have been really into reading memoirs. I am so used to reading fiction that I always seem to figure out what is going to happen in the plot, before it actually happens. The lack of imagination that some writers have blows my mind at times. Yet the great thing about memoirs are that they are totally unpredictable. The stories told do not follow the usual plot themes of the average novel, making each memoir unique and memorable. At the same time it can be difficult reading because you want so badly for something to turn out OK or for the story to come full circle, and often times they do not.

Too Close to the Falls follows the life of Cathy McClure while growing up in Lewiston, New York, in the 1950's. In the beginning Cathy is 4-years-old and the book ends with her as 11-years-old. Cathy is the only child of her strange and lovable middle aged parents. Her mother is nothing like the quintessential 50's housewife, she doesn't clean or cook, and the family eats out for every meal. "Mother was convinced that it was important never to learn to cook or type or you'd be requested to do both against your will forever." Cathy's father is a pharmacist who owns the town drug store. Cathy, unlike other children her age, starts working at her fathers pharmacy, full time, at the age of 4. Today Cathy would have been diagnosed with ADHD, but in the 50's it was believed that she had too much excess energy. The doctor thought it would be in Cathy's best interest if she started working so as to expend that energy. Cathy helps deliver medications with the pharmacists delivery man Roy. Roy cannot read so Cathy is in charge of reading the map and the list of medications, while Roy drives the van.

A majority of the book depicts the experiences Cathy had driving around Lewiston and the neighboring towns delivering drugs with Roy. The encounters that Cathy and Roy have while delivering medications are all at once incredible, funny and sometimes deeply saddening. Because of her exposure to the world, Cathy understands human nature better than people triple her age. Although some of the situations she finds herself in, she does not fully understand the full meaning of what is happening to her.

The last portion of the book transitions into her teenage years. It is at this point in her life that Cathy quickly learns that the world is not completely black and white in regards to religion, 'morals' and what is right and wrong. Unfortunately, the loss of her innocence comes at a high price.

At times I found some of Cathy's stories to be hard to believe. Many of the memories from her childhood are extremely detailed, leading me to think that maybe she embellished a few. Yet regardless as to how valid or accurate her stories are, I still enjoyed them immensely. Cathy's life is definitely one in a million, and it's not everyday that you stumble upon a book like this.

A Red Herring Without Mustard

A Red Herring Without Mustard is the third book in the Flavia de Leuce mystery series. Normally, I don't read mystery novels, but my mom highly recommended this series to me. I gave it a try and I'm in literature love.

The plot takes place in 1950's era England, in the small town of Bishop Lacey. Flavia is an 11-year-old girl who lives with her emotionally distant, stamp enthusiast father, Colonel de Leuc , two cruel older sisters Ophelia (Feely) and Daphne (Daffy) and her loyal, yet sometimes 'foggy' grounds keeper, Dogger. Flavia's mother, Harriet,died when Flavia was just a baby in a tragic mountain climbing accident. Unlike other girls her age, Flavia loves chemistry and spends a majority of her time in a lab built by one of her ancestors in the family mansion, Buckshaw. Flavia's favorite pastime is recreating poisons used by histories most infamous poisoners.

Flavia's macabre and dry sense of humor makes for an extremely entertaining read. She has the ability to make any seemingly disturbing situation into something that is quite humorous, if not a bit disconserting. Although Flavia is a child, the plot of the book is definitely not for children. In fact, Flavia's narrative makes her sound more of an adult than a majority of the adult characters.

The Red Herring concerns a series of gruesome murders occuring throughout the town. The murders appear be related, but you can never be sure because the plot takes many twists that are intended to be misleading (get it...'red herring'...duh). Flavia becomes intimately involved with each of the murders in town, leaving her with the more knowledge of the deaths than anyone else has. Her ability to outsmart and out think the bumbling adults that surround her, allows me to forget that she is in fact only 11-years-old. We are only reminded of her actual age when she comes face to face with death, and only then are we shown the little girl that she truly is. The plot itself is complicated in nature and I don't want to give anything away, so it's up to you to find out.

My one complaint about this book is that I read it as soon as it was published, so now I have to wait  forever for the next installment! Also, on a side note I am all about crazy internet fads, so I started a Tumblr blog (sorry for cheating on you blogger). My Tumblr blog is pretty simple, it's just some of my favorite quotes from the books I've been reading recently. There are some really good ones from The Red Herring Without Mustard, so check it out! thebananalise.tumblr.com

More bookshelf fun!

Instead of writing my next book review like I should be, I am posting this awesome video. I think that this video goes hand-in-hand with my previous bookshelf porn post. Watch and enjoy! Hopefully I can get my next post out soon...

Eldest

I'm the kind of person who tries to avoid literature fads for as long as possible. I always pass by the displays in the bookstore that hold all of the 'it books' and turn up my nose. I scoff at the fans who devote themselves entirely to the series and usually make fun of the plot (vampires and werewolves? wtf?). Then a few years later once the hype has died down, I crack. I try to resist, I really do, but my own personal taboo against reading these books over takes my pride and I give in to the guilty pleasure. Usually, I secretly buy and read the books, whilst trying to avoid public places so people don't judge me. I tend to mutilate the book, in a feeble attempt to hide the cover from other people.

 The Inheritance Cycle is one of these situations. About a year ago I read the first book in the series, Eragon, and was mildly impressed. I think what initially drew me in was the fact that the author was only 16 when he wrote the first book. Once I have read the first book in the series I feel like I have to read the other books, it's some weird obssessive-compulsive thing. I was hesitant to read the second book, Eldest. I try not to read reviews beforehand because I find that they instill a bias in my own reading, but for Eldest I decided to read them anyways. A lot of people really liked it (mostly 14-year-old boys) and a lot of people weren't impressed (everyone else above the age of 14). Needless to say, I wasn't expecting much.

I wouldn't say that Eldest is a great work of literature. It is a YA fantasy novel that is better than most. Definitely a purely entertaining read, not much symbolism or depth. Although, half the time I felt like I was studying for the verbal part of the SAT. Paolini loves obscure adjectives. I have never seen the word 'cacophonous' used so many times in one book before. He also promotes the pursuit of scholarly endeavors within the plot, which seems really out of place and condescending. 

If you have read Eragon, you know that Paolini's writing style isn't the most complex or mature, but with Eldest he has definitely evolved as a writer. In Eldest, there are multiple perspectives which gives the story much more complexity and allows you to get more involved in the story.  I am not a huge fan of the main character (Eragon), so I was happy that we get to see the story unfold from other perspectives, such as his cousin, Roran. If you aren't familiar with the series, the story takes place in the country of Alagaësia where a evil omnipotent king named Galbatorix rules over the people whom he repeatedly enslaves and abuses. Galbatorix is a semi-immortal being who was previously a Dragon Rider but murdered his fellow riders so as to rule Alagaësia himself. Since Galbatorix murdered all of the other riders and almost all of the dragons, no one can stand against him. As a safety Galbatorix has kept three dragon eggs for himself so that he can maintain control over the dragon race. Fortunately for our protagonist, one of the eggs is stolen by a rebel group (the Varden) and, through a series of events, comes into Eragon's possession. As I am sure you can figure out, the egg hatches for him and he becomes the only other dragon rider in the empire. From there on the story becomes very predictable in nature, so I wont bore you with any more details. Basically, if you know anything about Campbell's monomyth (hero cycle) theory, you can figure out the entire plot. Eldest follows Eragon further on his journey to become the dragon rider to defeat Galbatorix. In retrospect the most memorable narratives of the book were the chapters from Roran's point of view. Unlike most of the characters, Roran is not definitively good or bad. Instead, he struggles with the consequences of the murders he must commit in order to rescue his fiance and keep an entire village alive in the face of great odds.

OK, time to wrap up this obnoxiously long post. Overall this book is exactly what you would think any YA fantasy novel would be. The only difference between this book and all of the other books in this genre is the writing. Although Paolini's writing isn't very well developed, he shows promise for improvement and maybe some really impressive work in the future. This is a good book to read if you are looking for a simple guilty pleasure that doesn't involve vampire, werewolf and dumb-girl love triangles. Also, you may learn some new fancy words you can impress your friends with. If you don't know what cacophonous means, look it up and try using it more than once in your entire life. Easier said than done.

Bookshelf Obsession

Well, I am still chugging along through a very thick book. Although it is not a very difficult read, the shear length is the challenge (approx 900 pages). I've been told by some friends and family members that if I picked shorter books I would complete the challenge faster. I don't know why but that just seems like cheating to me. If I am going to read I am going to READ. Hopefully I can crank it out in a week or two, but until then here's a random post to keep you entertained.

So in my constant pursuit of procrastination I stumbled upon this blog with these amazing photos of bookshelves. I know, what is so great about bookshelves? What could be so exciting about that? Well I love books so it just makes sense that I love the shelves they rest on. I say the bigger and more dramatic the better. Right now I have a $30 shelf that I purchased from Target this past summer. Now don't get me wrong, I like my bookshelf and it does the trick. Yet I still yearn for a shelf as dramatic as some of the images I found today. Until the day I can afford to hire an amazing carpenter to build my $20,000 bookshelf masterpiece I will just be content with drooling at pictures of said shelves. If anyone else shares my weird bookshelf fetish here is a link to the blog post I found the photos on:
Apartment Therapy -- Bookshelf Envy

Also, I just uncovered another tumblr photo blog called Bookshelf Porn. Yes, you heard me right, porn. I bet you never thought you'd ever see those two words in the same sentence. This site may be even better than the earlier Bookshelf Envy article. You have to see some of these amazing shelves, they are more like works of art than actual shelves.

Bookshelf Wall (Courtesy of bookshelfporn.com)

I want this shelf. Wait, no. I need this shelf! (Courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com)

Goodreads

I'm all about distracting myself from real work by surfing the web. Recently a fellow bibliophile friend of mine recommended this insanely addicting site called goodreads.com. Needless to say I have spent the last hour and a half adding books to my various goodreads lists and book shelves, when I should really be doing school work. So if you love reading as much as I do join the site! Trust me you won't be disappointed.

p.s.
friend me!  http://www.goodreads.com/bananalise

The Sandman

The Sandman Volume 1 Preludes and Nocturnes
Written by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg and Malcom Jones III
Published by DC Comics (Compilation Copyright Year 1999)

I've always had an interest in graphic novels. In fact the comic book genre is what got me to start reading in the first place. As a little girl the only way my parents could get me to read was by giving me Betty and Veronica comic books. Every couple of weeks my Dad would bring home the latest issue and I would tear through it. I don't read comics or graphic novels too often anymore, but I had been meaning to read the Sandman series for some time. I figured it would be a good addition to my list because it is so different than all the other books I have read. Let me just say I was not prepared for what I encountered.

This particular volume is a compilation of about five different 'issues' that had originally been released monthly. The comic focuses on the protagonist Morpheus. Morpheus is the anthropomorphic personification of dreams. He is the lord of the "Dream Realm" and he can control what people dream, thus the name Sandman. Basically this particular volume documents the capture of Morpheus by magicians who hold him captive for over 60 years. They take from him 3 items which hold his power. He spends the rest of the book attempting to take those items back so that he can rule the dream realm once again. Throughout this process he encounters some really messed up stuff. His journey to retrieve his magical items takes him to hell, a really creepy mental asylum and a house of horrors.

Right around the second issue I figured out why the Sandman series is said to contain adult content and is also considered to be in the horror genre. There are disturbing images of decapitation, people literally exploding, lots and lots of blood and gore, and some other really nasty stuff that I don't even know how to describe. I felt that the excessive use of violent images kind of took away from the story line, which was actually quite good. I was really impressed by the compilation of the frames within each page. Most of them weren't laid out in a consecutive manner, instead they flowed with the tone of the story which really made it a much more intense reading experience. The disorganization of the pages puts the reader on edge, which I assume is the feeling the artist was going for.  I've read almost all of Neil Gaiman's other works and realized that they are just as dark and creepy, but somehow seeing it drawn out for you just makes it a little hard to stomach. The story is riddled with references to ancient mythology, which gives it good depth.

I don't know if I plan on reading the rest of the series. From what I've heard and read, the other 12 or so volumes are much better. Honestly though, I just don't think it's my kind of thing. The fan base for this series is huge, so maybe I should give it another chance. But for now I think I am going to steer clear from this series, until I feel like I am up for the challenge again.

Footnote: Sorry for all of the grammatical errors in the first publication of this post. I suppose being all strung out on caffeine and trying to write a post at 1 in the morning isn't the best thing for my grammar, which isn't really very good to being with. Special thanks to my favorite 'editor' Nathan Kaplan for finding the errors for me :)

Identical Strangers

Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited
By Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein
Published by Random House in 2007

Let me just start by saying I don't read a lot of nonfiction, especially biographies and the like. It's not that I don't enjoy them, it just never seem to find one that can keep my attention throughout the whole thing. I always start with the good intention of reading it cover to cover, and 'bettering' myself. Instead, I end up getting half way through, skipping the boring parts, read the end and give up. So I was feeling skeptical when my Mom recommended that I read this book for my challenge. But the concept of identical twin sisters meeting each other for the first time since their were separated at birth lured me in.

At the start of the book Elyse and Paula are both 35-years-old and living their lives completely oblivious to the fact that either of them are twins. Both of the women were adopted as babies to Jewish families from an prestigious Jewish adoption agency. Neither the girls or their adoptive families are made aware of the fact that they are twins. Throughout their childhoods and early adult years both sisters are plagued with similar emotional and mental issues. Both go through periods of deep depression and struggle with a inexplicable sense of loss. Elyse, in particular, dealt with feelings of abandonment and a sense that someone or something was always missing from her life.

At age 35 Elyse decides to contact the adoption agency to request information regarding her birth mother. She finds that the agency is in the process of shutting down due to extensive law suits. The agency notifies her that she has a twin (Paula) and that they unknowingly were in a twin study about nature versus nurture.

The rest of the book deals with the sisters getting to know one another and dealing with fitting each other into their lives. The two of them constantly struggle with their own identities and how different their lives would have been if they hadn't been separated. The sisters try to remain individuals while attempting to learn more about themselves through each other. Together they attempt to find out more about their birth mother and the 'study' that they had been subjected to.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to have a twin somewhere out there. Also, I found myself really like Elyse and Paula not so much, she seemed to whiny to me. The story of their reunion was touching but also sad because of all the time they lost growing up, and the life that could have been.

Still reading

So I'm in the middle of reading my next book Indentical Strangers. I should be finished in about a week. Until then you can watch this video from the new HBO show based on the Song of Ice and Fire series. The video goes along really well with my previous post. Enjoy!

First one down...twenty-four to go

 

950 pages later and I have finished my first book in the challenge!  To say that A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin is lengthy is an understatement, be ready to devote a lot of time to reading this book. I spent many of the past weeks staying up until 2 in the morning reading it. Not only did I want to finish it before January was up but I literally couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book to whomever has the stamina to read each of the 800+ page volumes that come before it. The series begins with A Game of Thrones, followed  by A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords.

This series is hard to describe so I will do my best...Imagine a reality TV show consisting of many players who are vying for the ultimate prize: the throne to a huge kingdom. But throw in a lot of intrigue, sabotage, violence, sex, war, plotting, more sex and some more violence. Then subtract any crap that you associate with reality TV and you've got the Song of Ice and Fire series.

But seriously this series is out of this world. The plot is always moving forward and each chapter covers a different character so we are constantly being given a different point of view. Martin doesn't give into the normal fantasy genre cliches and formulas. He has created a world in which there is no 'good versus evil' instead we are lead through a maze of characters that we can never seem to label in the traditional ways. If you shy away from violence, sex or the unpredictable this is not the book for you. Martin is ruthless with his plot twists and he is not above killing off what seem to be key characters. I would try and go into more detail but honestly I couldn't do the series justice in just a few paragraphs. Also, it's kind of hard to review just one small part of a larger series without giving everything away.

I highly recommend reading the first three books of the series before A Feast for Crows  just because of the complicated plot and the vast array of characters that you have to keep track of. If you are willing to make the commitment to this series go for it, you won't be disappointed. Also, keep an eye out for the rest of the series (3 more books) that have yet to be published. As far as I am aware he has been working on the 5th volume for almost 6 years, and it will hopefully be published within the year.

Finally for any HBO fans out there HBO is making these books into a TV series! I think the show is going to begin this April, and it promises to be amazing. And don't worry it's not a reality TV show, quite the opposite in fact.

Click the link if you are interested:
http://www.hbo.com/#/game-of-thrones

Or watch this clip from the HBO website

Clip Preview

Here we go...

Alright, it's January 2nd 2011 and the challenge has officially begun! I've started compiling my list and begun reading my first book. The book I decided to start with is the fourth in a seven part series A Feast for Crows by G.R.R. Martin. I have already read the first three and they were amazing, so far I am about 300 pages into the 4th book, with about 800 to go!