Introverted Reader

Southern Plate by Christy Jordan: Book Review

I am not a cook. I mean, I can cook if I have to, but I'd much rather be reading. Some of you have to relate to that. Luckily for me, I married a man who loves to cook. So I'll sit around and read or talk to him (i.e., distract him) while he's whipping up something delicious for dinner. Then I took a job on days while he was still working nights. I knew I was in trouble. I was going to have to fend for myself in the kitchen. I was appalled. What had I been thinking? Once the shock wore off, I went looking for a cookbook. Christy Jordan was coming to Malaprops, my local indie, soon and it sounded like I might like her cookbook. It sounded like I might like her. I didn't make it to the event for some reason (I think I was tired from work), but I did pick up the cookbook. And I regret not going to that signing. I had never heard of Southern Plate, but I have now signed up on the email list. My mom isn't really a cook either (she'd rather be reading in the winter or working outside in the summer), but she did learn how to make a few of these dishes when she was growing up. My grandmother is the one most likely to turn out the Southern food, but neither of them can give me a recipe. "Well, just put a little dab in the bowl and then stir it up and pour just a little bit of milk in until it looks right." "Um, when does it look right?" "You'll know." Hmmm. Actually, I don't. Christy has a lot of my family's old favorites down in a form that I can actually…

A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull: Book Review

Jason Walker is going about his job at the local zoo when he hears music. Following the music, he is led to the hippo tank. It sounds like the music is coming from inside the hippo--but that's not possible, is it? Leaning over to figure out what he's hearing, Jason falls straight into the hippo's mouth and comes out in another world. He finds out that he is a "Beyonder" in this other world, and he eventually meets Rachel, another Beyonder. Jason accidentally stumbles on a quest to set right all that is wrong. To do that, he must defeat the evil wizard Maldor. I haven't read Fablehaven yet, so I can't compare this book to that series. I can say that I enjoyed this high fantasy novel written for middle graders. Jason is pretty much just an average guy. He's got a crush on one of the girls in his class; he loves animals; he wants to be a vet when he grows up, but his family is pressuring him to be a dentist; and he's an amazing baseball player. He's also the youngest in the family by a lot of years. No one really has a lot of time for him. He proves that there doesn't necessarily have to be anything special about heroes. A hero is someone who does his or her best in the face of danger or against impossible odds. Rachel is the smart girl who keeps Jason straight and helps him out on his quest. I liked her a lot too. This world is a lot of fun. I want to know more about what's going on with The Blind King. I'm curious about the Displacers. (Displacers were created by wizards and can pop body parts off at will but still control the parts…

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Over the past two weeks, I've Read: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan--I never read series books back-to-back, but I had to know how this ended! Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi--Very funny, honest, graphic novel about the sex lives of Iranian women! The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee--Didn't finish as strongly as it started for me, but I really loved the parts that I loved. Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji--Teens in Tehran in 1973. A refeshing look at Iran, showing that we're more alike than we think. Reviewed: A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle--Like a vacation to France in a book. Without the headache of your own builders. Austenland by Shannon Hale--Very cute. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss--Very strong start to a fantasy series. Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon--Imaginative, young Zora Neale Hurston and friends investigate a murder and learn some truths about race relations. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell--If you're an Austen fan, you have to read this if you haven't already. The Known World by Edward P. Jones--Heart-breaking historical fiction about a black slave owner. Currently Reading: Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn--Almost done! I have to chew this one over before reviewing. Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach--I was ready to hop a plane to Paris by the end of the first chapter. Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis--I haven't actually started yet, but it sounds good! Up Next: I'm not sure. It's almost time for a new audiobook. I may try The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Has anyone listened to it? What did you think? What are you reading this week?…

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March 14, 2011

The Known World by Edward P. Jones: Book Review

Henry Townsend is a former slave. His old owner took a liking to Henry and so has helped him out in his shoe-making business. Henry eventually makes enough money to build his own small plantation house and to start buying his own slaves. The book begins with Henry's death and skips around in time to explore questions about race, slavery, and freedom. This wasn't exactly my kind of book, but I did enjoy it. The writing was a little stark for me, but on reflection I realized that this style was probably the only appropriate style for the subject matter. There were kind of a lot of characters and I had a little bit of a hard time keeping them all straight. They also weren't really all that well-developed, but that wasn't really the point of the book. I don't really have a whole lot to say about the book. I will say this: I hate writing reviews of books that touch on race. I don't know if it's because I'm a Southerner or if all Americans have this problem, but I'm always afraid that I'm going to write something offensive without meaning to. I hate that. I hate that we all have to walk on eggshells on this issue. Not that we shouldn't--I am glad that we're becoming more aware of our behaviors and trying to correct them. We are making progress, I just wish that the issues that exist didn't exist and we didn't have to worry about it at all. That being said, the issues do exist and one of the only ways we can get any perspective is by reading these kinds of books that make us think about race issues and at least try to get an idea what it's like to be in someone…

Introverted Reader Features

Character Connection: Aliena

Don’t you just love larger-than-life characters? The ones who jump off the page and grab you? Whether you love them or hate them, you can’t be indifferent to them. I would love to know about the characters who just won’t leave you! Most of you will probably post about how much you love (or loathe) each character, but this is a great place for the more creative ones among you to let go and have fun! Write yourself into a scene with Anne and Diana. Write a love poem in elvish for Aragorn. Draw a picture of Harry obliterating Voldemort. The possibilities are endless. Be sure to post the book's title and author, and be very careful not to give away spoilers while talking about how much you love your characters. Mr. Linky will be posted here on The Introverted Reader every Thursday.Aliena, from The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, starts off as something of a spoiled little rich girl. Don't get me wrong--she's feisty and I love that about her. But she is sheltered by her father and his wealth and she doesn't realize how vulnerable she would be without both. The family loses everything in a scene that makes my blood boil, even a couple of years after reading the book. I expected Aliena, the sheltered flower, to wilt like one. Instead, she comes into her own. She thrives on the adversity. I won't get into specifics, but I respected her so much for what she went through and what she became. She has a younger brother and she does anything to protect him and help him regain his rightful place. In a time when independent women were treated with suspicion at best (and burned for witchcraft at worst), she fought hard for her independence and…

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March 10, 2011

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell: Book Review

Margaret Hale is the daughter of a slightly-impoverished parson. She's been living as a companion to her wealthy cousin, but when that cousin gets married, she goes back to live with her parents. Shortly after the transition, her father announces that his beliefs have changed and he can no longer be a parson. He moves the family to Milton, a manufacturing town in the north of England. There, he works as a tutor for the wealthy men (both young and not-so-young) of the city. Mr. Thornton, perhaps the wealthiest of the factory owners, becomes Mr. Hale's benefactor, favorite student, and friend. He spends quite a bit of time with the former parson and so gets to know Margaret. He falls for her beauty, intelligence, and grace almost from their first meeting. The same cannot be said of Margaret. She sees tradesmen as beneath her, perhaps because their work is more of a physical nature than an intellectual one. These are uneasy times in Milton. The workers want more money at a time when the "masters" see profits dropping and want to actually cut workers' wages. (Yes, cut wages. I can't say that I know much about unions, but they have an important place in our past and present.) Margaret gets to know a few workers' families and takes their side in any disagreements that arise. This of course leads to conflict between her and Mr. Thornton. I really liked this. I didn't particularly love any of the characters, but I liked their stories, and I liked the social message that was worked into a love story. Or was it the love story that was worked into a social message? The language and the romantic plot reminded me of Jane Austen. In fact, it reminded me a bit of Pride and…

Zora and Me by Victoria Bond: Book Review

Zora Neale Hurston grew up in Eatonville, FL, "the first incorporated all-black township in the United States." In this fictional account of an incident in her childhood, Eatonville at first seems to be idyllic. Sure, the residents aren't very well off, but they're safe and free to be whoever they'd like. After a headless corpse is found by the railroad tracks, Zora and her friend Carrie's perspectives are changed forever. This was a very fast read. Zora herself is a delight. She reminds me a bit of Anne Shirley in that she names everything around her and has her own mythology to explain the world. She's the leader of this little group of friends and she keeps friends Carrie and Teddy on their toes. Zora and Carrie get a little too caught up in the events surrounding the murder at the train tracks. They've been on the edges of a lot of the events leading up to the death and curious Zora is trying her best to put all the pieces together. Seeing the world through their innocence, and seeing them just starting to lose that innocence, feels very real. They don't have the experience to really understand what they're seeing at first, but they gain that experience the hard way. The novel becomes a good introduction to race relations in the US. I can't imagine that it would be an easy read for youngsters, but these kinds of books never are. Nevertheless, it is important that we know our history. The authors don't shy away from alluding to lynchings (note that I did write "alluding to"--nothing is spelled out) or using "the N word," so if your child isn't ready for that, it might be best to save this book for later. All of that makes the book sound…

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: Book Review

Kvothe is an innkeeper in a little out-of-the-way village. Or is he? One day a story-gatherer finds him and guesses that there is more to the innkeeper than meets the eye. He asks Kvothe to share his story. Kvothe agrees, but tells Chronicler that it will take three days to tell the story. This book is the first in a--can you guess?--trilogy telling Kvothe's story. This one tells of Kvothe's childhood and how he eventually made his way to the University to learn magic. Kvothe was a likeable character and the story was pretty original and entertaining. It moved at a good pace and I really found myself almost devouring it. I really lost myself in it a couple of times. In one scene when Kvothe was auditioning, I found myself with a pit in my stomach and sweaty hands. I just had to laugh at myself when I caught it! For all that, there were a couple of things that bugged me. First of all, Kvothe's name. I don't mind authors inventing names, but make it something pronounceable, please! It doesn't help to explain "It sounds like quothe." I stumbled over those consonants every time I read the name and it broke the flow of the book. Luckily the book is told in first person, so I didn't really have to read it that often. Second, the pacing was great--until one part right at the end when the author got distracted by a giant lizard. This part dragged on and on and on. There was a point to the scene, but it wasn't such a huge payoff that it demanded over fifty pages of text. I read somewhere (I think here on Goodreads) that this is like Harry Potter for grownups. Not so much. On a very superficial level,…

Introverted Reader Features

Character Connection: Achilles

Don’t you just love larger-than-life characters? The ones who jump off the page and grab you? Whether you love them or hate them, you can’t be indifferent to them. I would love to know about the characters who just won’t leave you! Most of you will probably post about how much you love (or loathe) each character, but this is a great place for the more creative ones among you to let go and have fun! Write yourself into a scene with Anne and Diana. Write a love poem in elvish for Aragorn. Draw a picture of Harry obliterating Voldemort. The possibilities are endless. Be sure to post the book's title and author, and be very careful not to give away spoilers while talking about how much you love your characters. Mr. Linky will be posted here on The Introverted Reader every Thursday.Yup. That Achilles. If you don't know his part in the Trojan war, stop here. This is one big re-telling of those events with my own spin on them. I cannot stand Achilles. Ever since I first came across his story, probably when I was 12 or 13, I have thought he was the biggest wimp ever. Oh, sure, he's a great fighter--now that he's practically invincible since his mom gave him that little dunk in the river Styx. Cheater. And, sure, the Greek army was lost without him. But look at all the havoc his little temper tantrum caused. So, his "honor" is besmirched when Agamemnon--what was it? Took away his slave girl/sex slave? Something equally appalling anyway. The big manly man goes and sulks in his tent. No talking it out, no overlooking the slight for the greater good of his friends and countrymen. No, just a retreat like a 3-year-old brat to his tent. I…

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March 3, 2011

Austenland by Shannon Hale: Book Review

Jane Hayes has a secret. Hidden behind one of her dying houseplants is her very own copy of Colin Firth's Pride and Prejudice. She drags it out and watches it as she eats her ice cream alone in her apartment. When she's in a relationship, she tends to compare the poor guy to Mr. Darcy. Yes, she's obsessed. But her wealthy great-aunt sniffs out her secret and sends her on a three-week vacation to Austenland, a total-immersion experience where everyone dresses in Regency costume, the servants are invisible, men and women are never alone together, and the electric bulbs flicker romantically. Jane packs up and goes, hoping to kick the Darcy habit for good. This was very, very cute. Coming to Austen a little later than most, I can't say that I relate to the Darcy obsession (although if I had come across Captain Wentworth before I got married, I would probably have developed an unhealthy Wentworth-habit). But I do understand where Jane was coming from. Heck, if I'd had all the "boyfriends" Jane's had through the years, I would've given up and held out for a fictional character myself! I did get a little tired of Jane's endless decisions that she was done with Darcy and she was going to kick the habit for good this time. It was a three-week stay and it felt like she analyzed herself to death and came to that resolution almost daily. I knock the book back to 3.5 stars largely because of this. The men at Austenland were very Austen-esque and I couldn't help but like them. I have to admit my ears perked up when Captain Wentworth's equivalent showed up! The ending was more than I hoped for. I was listening to this alone in the car on the way home…