3 Stars. Even though this novel was written in first person, I felt as if I were watching the story unfold behind glass. I never got pulled into the story completely. I was never particularly interested in Aurora. I was more interested to see what scheme Paulina would come up with next in late-nineteenth century America and [...]
Friday—Future Treasures We’ve been visiting each other and getting to know each other better…now is your chance to share what you enjoyed about BBAW and also what your blogging goals are for the next year! I have not had time to look at very many Book Blogger Appreciation Week posts this week, but I do hope to catch up over the weekend. After being on the road two weekends in a row, I think we'll be taking it easy this weekend! The BBAW posts I have read have been excellent. I've loved finding so many new blogs, finding out new things about those who are already familiar to me, and I'm really looking forward to checking out everyone's book recommendations for a couple of the topics! As for the coming year? I'm not a planner. Not at all. So I can't really say much about my plans. I would like to make more of an effort to write different kinds of posts. I've gotten comfortable with reviews, so I can knock those out pretty quickly. Other kinds of posts take me much longer to write, and I don't feel like I write them as well, so I avoid them. I know that with practice I can make opinion/discussion posts better/easier, as well as my posts about author signings (I have a huge backlog of those to write about). I have a few ideas for challenges I would like to host, so I'll be thinking about those and probably getting them ready for next year. I'll also be poking around and thinking about themes that might appeal to me. Right now I like my idea of the Hispanic Heritage Challenge, which is basically a theme for me for the month, so if it still feels like a good fit for me…
Today's blog topic for Book Blogger Appreciation Week is: Thursday—Forgotten TreasureSure we’ve all read about Freedom and Mockingjay but we likely have a book we wish would get more attention by book bloggers, whether it’s a forgotten classic or under marketed contemporary fiction. This is your chance to tell the community why they should consider reading this book! This was a tough one. It's so hard to choose! I ultimately chose Ahab's Wife: Or, The Star-Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund. My last re-read of this took place before I started reviewing, so I don't have anything formal and fresh to point you toward. All I can tell you is that I loved this book. It is about that Captain Ahab's wife. But don't be fooled into thinking that Una is just some insignificant literary figure whose one claim to fame is her husband. Oh, no. You would not believe the adventures this woman had before she even met Ahab. She is all over the place. It starts when she runs away to be a sailor. It definitely doesn't end after Ahab meets his fate. She is too strong a woman to let that weigh her down. Sometimes books that pack so very much into a relatively short amount of time start to seem scattered and don't flow well. Everything fits perfectly with what we learn of Una along the way. She isn't perfect, but she knows her own mind and isn't afraid to act on her decisions and her convictions. How often can we say that, either about characters or real people? I love reading about strong female characters, so that was the biggest draw of the book for me. But it's also a fascinating glimpse into life in those times (Early 1800s? I can't remember for sure, but I'm…
It just came to my attention over the weekend that September 15-October 15 of every year is celebrated in the US as National Hispanic Heritage Month. According to http://answers.usa.gov, "During this time, America celebrates the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean." I think anyone would call me an all-American country girl. I am what I am. Somehow in the mountains of North Carolina, where we're not exactly known for our diversity, I found a Cuban man to marry. Or did he find me? It depends on who you ask. :-) He has enriched my life in so many ways, not least of which is by sharing his beautiful, vibrant culture with me. His family has always been welcoming and generous with their affection, and while I won't be moving to Miami (too overwhelming for me), I do wish that I could see more of them and hear more of their stories. I keep finding more and more to love about Hispanic culture. I tutored a Guatemalan lady in English. One of my best friends is Puerto Rican. An Argentinian lady and a Salvadorian lady work with me. I love them all. I am fascinated by their culture and their history and their heritage. I thought this would be a good time for me to learn a little more about--well, all of it. And then I thought some of you might want to join me. I know it's last minute, but I'll throw the offer out there. So here's the challenge: just write one post that pertains to Hispanic culture in some way. Review, personal story, recipe, you name it. I can't make it any easier than that. My plans are vague,…
Wednesday—Unexpected Treasure We invite you to share with us a book or genre you tried due to the influence of another blogger. What made you cave in to try something new and what was the experience like? I'm mostly an equal opportunity reader. If it looks good, I'll read it. I can be stubborn about what I will and won't try though. (Non-fiction rarely makes it through my filter) To answer this question, I have to go back to my GoodReads-only days. Becky, who is now blogging at Escapism Through Books, has excellent taste in books and writes reviews that will make you either want to run out and buy those she loves or give away your unread copy of those she dislikes. So when she gave five stars to The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelmann, and then started talking about it in our Wild Things group, I added it to my to-read list. Admittedly, this wasn't a huge stretch for me. I'd read the grapic novel edition of Coraline by Neil Gaiman, but I hadn't been that impressed. I would likely have left the genre alone after that if not for Becky's review. See, I have some sort of fascination with Holocaust stories, and the idea of a son writing down his father's Holocaust experiences in graphic novel form, with the Jews as mice and the Nazis as cats, just fascinated me. I was blown away. I can get goosebumps thinking about that slim little graphic novel. The concentration camp experiences are in there, the aftermath, the living with it, the children living with it--all ramifications that I hadn't really thought about before. Amazing. Because Becky got me to try Maus, I am now more willing to try other graphic novels. My best experiences seem to be with memoirs.…
Today for Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I have the pleasure of interviewing Nancy from Amusing Reviews! I started blogging 2008 because it involved one of my favorite things to do; writing about myself and my perception of life around me. Somehow, seeing my work on the computer validates me. In my little reality, I trick myself into thinking someone agrees with me. Because I'm that stupid. Earlier this year, I decided to combine another of my favorite pastimes, reading, and started blogging about books. I discovered that there are two kinds of people; readers and non-readers. Non-readers just don't get us. Not only that, non-readers can't stand to NOT irritate the crap out of us readers. They feel the need to engage us in conversation. With the understanding that the non-readers believe us to be freaks of nature, I gave my regular site a sister, and Amusing Reviews was born. What I didn't understand is that there is an amazing community of book bloggers which validates me further and I have had a blast entering this new world, getting to know some amazing authors who have as warped sense of humor as I do and have turned into dear friends. My niche is not the kind of books I choose but my explanation of books. I add a lot of myself to my reviews, have no problem giving warnings of inappropriate content (particularly Young Adult fiction), and, I'll be honest here, I think I am hilarious. I am validated in this opinion every time I read one of my posts and laugh at myself. Lest you think I'm completely crazy, let me assure you that I have diagnosed my disorders many times. I have a master's degree in psychology and work as a high school counselor for a local school…
Today is the kickoff of Book Blogger Appreciation Week! This year's theme is A Treasure Chest of Infinite Blogs and Infinite Treasure. Today's blogging prompt: Monday—First Treasure We invite you to share with us about a great new book blog you’ve discovered since BBAW last year! If you are new to BBAW or book blogging, share with us the very first book blog you discovered. Tell us why this blog rocks your socks off and why you keep going back for more. This is an easy one. It's all Misty's fault at Book Rat that I'm out here blogging for all the world to see. We were friends first on GoodReads, and when she started posting links in her reviews to bonus material on her blog, I clicked through and was instantly hooked. I'll tell you about my blogging experience tomorrow. Let me tell you about Misty. She is freaking hilarious! I just love reading her reviews. She can easily make me laugh when she wants to, but she always has intelligent insights into what she's reviewing. Humor and intelligence? What a winning combination! If she doesn't like a book, she says so very clearly, but she's also very specific. When she loves a book, I immediately add it to my to-read list. She's also very kind and supportive to new bloggers and I see her commenting all over the place, both in the blogosphere and on GoodReads. Misty has great ideas for events and original content on her blog. I loved her Jane in June event, and I know many, many other Austenites did too. That was the first event I participated in. She did Helluva Halloween last year and is planning to do it again this year. She hosted Back to School Week recently, and shared her favorite…
Stephanie Plum has just gotten laid off from her job as a lingerie buyer for a company that turned out to be owned by the mob in New Jersey. Her Miata has just been repossessed, she's sold everything of value, and her refrigerator is empty. Out of desperation, she goes to see her cousin Vinnie, a bail bondsman, about a filing job. That's just been filled, but the secretary lets her know that there's an opening for a bounty hunter, and the money's good. Stephanie blackmails her way into taking a case that will pay out $10,000 if she can bring the guy in. It turns out the fugitive is someone she has a long history with who appears to be a cop gone bad. He's been arrested for cold-blooded murder. Of course, Stephanie is unbelievably unqualified for this job, but a mixture of desperation, pride, and stubborness take her a long way. This was a quick, fun read, but there was still plenty of murder and mayhem for most mystery/thriller readers. This was actually pretty funny. I don't think I ever laughed out loud, but I probably giggled a few times. I had expected it to be a little funnier and less violent from what someone had told me about it, but this was still a good book. One thing that did irritate me was that the author pretty much gave driving directions to every place Stephanie went in the book. That might make it more real to the people from Trenton, NJ, but to me it was just distracting fluff for me to skip over. The characters were what really made the book. You have to like Stephanie. She comes across as just an average woman who's gotten in over her head, but she doesn't let that stop…
We all have characters we love. Let's spotlight these fantastic creations! Whether you want to be friends with them or you have a full-blown crush on them, you know you love them and want everyone else to love them too! Most of you will probably post about how much you love each character, but this is a great place for the more creative ones among you to let go and have fun! Write a love letter to Captain Wentworth. Write yourself into a scene with Anne and Diana. Draw a picture of yourself in Jamie's arms. 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.Oh my gosh. I have been a little disappointed with Carlos Ruiz Zafón's work since reading The Shadow of the Wind, but I think that's because he raised the bar so impossibly high with that book. His language (and that of the translator) is gorgeous, and this is a beautiful, Gothic book. It is a bibliophile's book. And then there's FermÃn. Oh, FermÃn! You shattered my heart so many times! FermÃn is not perfect by any means. His arrival into the book is less than fortuitous, to say the least. The Spanish Civil War has left him a wreck. But Daniel Sempere and his father see something worth salvaging in the old soldier. They are so right. He's funny, he's loyal, he's chivalrous, he's everything you could want in a companion. He laughs, he cries, he loves, he mourns, he faces his fears and he comes out stronger. See why I'm in love with this man? I'm afraid that if I start…
Dream's kingdom is being threatened by a vortex, an entity that can rip apart the Dreaming. He also finds out that a few of his major, and monstrous, subjects, have escaped his kingdom. He must look for them all and save the day before it's too late. This was better than Preludes and Nocturnes, but still not quite a four. The arc of the story flowed much more smoothly. This volume really encompasses one big storyline rather than the three or four rather disjointed ones found in the first volume. This one was definitely creepy--I'm desperately hoping that the Corinthian stays out of my nightmares!--but it wasn't as over-the-top horrifying as Preludes. All pluses in my book. I also liked the way Gaiman took a storyline from the first collection that I had completely forgotten about and expanded it into something unexpected but fitting. I liked that we got to see a little more of the family dynamics among Dream's family, the Endless Ones. They aren't really gods because gods die; these beings don't. They have always been around and they always will be. Some of Dream's past is told, and we're left with the feeling that his younger siblings aren't through messing with him and the other two Eldest. I'm not a big fan of the art of the actual story. The colors are a little too garish. Sandman is still very cool, but the other characters, (well, except for the Corinthian) were just too much. This was written and illustrated in the late '80's, early '90's though, so that probably has something to do with it. I did, again, find myself poring over Dave McKean's gorgeous cover illustrations. I really, really like the mixed-media work he did for these. I'll try one more.