My Reading Frenzy

The Brontes Do Sci Fi

I did know this actually, but it is interesting in any case:

Check Out the Brontë Sisters’ Early Science Fiction

2:30 pm Wednesday May 18, 2011 by Caroline Stanley

Did you realize that the Brontë sisters (and their brother, Branwell) wrote fantasy stories about a group of imaginary countries called the Glass Town Federation back when they were kids? Neither did we. Branwell and Charlotte invented the kingdom of Angria, while the younger two, Emily and Anne, created a world called Gondal. The resulting sagas, hand-written in incredibly tiny script, featured a mix of fictional and real-life characters, like the Duke of Wellington.

via flavorwire.com

Flavorwire » Books - Hester Prynne Mix Tape

Since Hester Prynne is the protagonist in my favorite book of all time, I thought this from Flavorwire was brilliant!!!!

Literary Mixtape: Hester Prynne

If you’ve ever wondered what your favorite literary characters might be listening to while they save the world/contemplate existence/get into trouble, or hallucinated a soundtrack to go along with your favorite novels, well, us too. But wonder no more! Here, we sneak a look at the hypothetical iPods of some of literature’s most interesting characters. What would be on the personal playlists of Holden Caulfield or Elizabeth Bennett, Huck Finn or Harry Potter, Tintin or Humbert Humbert? Something revealing, we bet. Or at least something danceable. Read on for a cozy reading soundtrack, character study, or yet another way to emulate your favorite literary hero. This week: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s dubious heroine, Hester Prynne.

Read More »

via flavorwire.com

Russell Freedman and World War I

Russell Freedman's The War to End All Wars is as expected informative, well-written, and visually interesting.  Russell Freedman is one of my favorite children's non-fiction writers. 

BECAUSE:

1.  He picks such interesting topics (ie Martha Graham, Marian Anderson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln).

2.  His research is impeccable and he provides a source list. 

3.  He includes pictures and illustrations as supplements to the informational text, instead of replacements.

4.  His books are written for students (upper elementary up to high school) but they are chock full and could be used by a teacher seeking preliminary information on a topic as in-depth as World War I or as an only source for topics such as Martha Graham and Marian Anderson who will not be the focus of a lesson, but rather an important element of a larger topic. 

5.  I have read almost everything he has written and never been disappointed by ommissions or glossing (I dislike when writers sanitize history for students...the truth does not have to be graphic, but it should be the whole truth.)

6.  I love history and like to read non-fiction, and have, but I still learn from his books because he seems to make an effort to include interesting elements that do not appear in other works.   

 

Jodi Picoult's Latest and Phoebe Stone

I finished Sing Me Home over the weekend.  I liked it, but not as much as I have liked some of Picoult's other books.  It was appropriately topical as usual, dealing with same-sex marriage and adoptions, as well as the über religious reaction to both.  I really liked Zoe and Vanessa who are both involved in education in some form and I know people like them.  They were well-developed, but some of Zoe's decisions or mistakes seemed too contrived, or possibly just unfathomable to me.  That is what is great about reading: each reader brings a different outlook and interprets events and characters differently. 

 

On a side note, I e-mailed Phobe Stone after finishing The Romeo and Juliet Code the other day.  She was gracious enough to write back...as if I were not already a big (or shortish), new fan, now I will sing her praises FOREVER! 

 
 

Nerds Heart YA Tournament 2011

Nerds Heart YA is a group of bloggers committed to bringing attention to under-represented by other awards, under-read, and under-blogged YA titles and authors.  For this year's tournament, yours truly has been selected as a second round judge...woohoo!!!!  The judges have already been chosen for this year, but anyone can nominate a title on the site. 

I know I have written about this before, but have not yet figured out how to link to one of my own previous posts yet...I will soon!  But in any case you can find out all about the tournament with the link to the site.  Have fun and nominate, nominate, nominate!

"13" Trilogy - IS OVER!

I finished The 13 Secrets yesterday and I can now say definitively that I did not like it as much as the first two books. 

1.  There was more violence in this book and it was more graphic than I would prefer for the age group.  These books are really aimed at tweens (11-13) not full-fledged young adults (YA) so I think the violence was too much. 

2.  I was not sure what would go on in book 3 because two ended so nicely, but Harrison did a good job of bringing an element of book 2 in as the conflict for book 3.   However, I felt the explanation of the "13 secrets" was sort of.....lame.  I can handle figurative meaning but it felt like a stretch. 

3.  I was happy with Tanya, Fabian, and Rowan, but felt Rose and Florence were not strong characters.  It would have been nice for the last book to go back to the strengths and unique qualities of these role model women and they were just a let down. 

 

PICOULT UPDATE:

So I bought the Picoult book yesterday, but felt I should finish the last 40 pages of The 13 Secrets first, then my sweetie wanted to watch a movie (We watched Red, which reminded me yet again why I get a little swoony over Bruce Willis.), then I had to sleep (Not having to sleep would be the only reason I would want to be a Twilightseries type vampire.). SOOOO, I have not started the book yet...but I will right after work TODAY!

Dirty Little Reading Secret

I LOVE JODI PICOULT!

Her newest book is out today and I may have to stop at the bookstore on the way home to buy it.  It is likely my car will uncontrollably steer right to the parking lot of my nearest emporium of the printed word and I will dash in to buy Sing You Home.

It all began with Second Glance a book I read in my book club in 2003ish.  I have read everything she has published since then and have gone back to read older books as well. 

Here's why I like her books:

1.  They are topical...this means my kids (if I ever have any - besides cats that is- how stereotypical for a librarian, but that's the way it is) will not be reading them in high school English class, but that is OK!

2.  The characters are real and well developed...maybe not all the minor characters but certainly the main ones.

3.  Somehow, someway she just manages to suck me in right from the beginning.  Some books take a while to pique my interest but hers just have me at "Hello."

** I have even read the four installment series she wrote of Wonder Woman comic books.  I cannot help myself.**

 

Cupcakes and Crimes

In the past two days I have finished two YA novels, Close to Famous by Joan Bauer and The Agency: A Spy in th House by Y.S. Lee.  I always enjoy Bauer's novels as they are upbeat and charming.  This one was no different.  Foster McFee is an amateur baker who woos the townspeople of Culpepper, West Virginia with her muffins and cupcakes.  Foster struggles with reading and the loss of her father in the Iraq war, while her mother, a talented singer, tries to make a life for the two in a new town.  Sometimes Bauer's endings are too neat and tidy, but her characters struggle realistically...and it is nice to have a happy ending sometimes.

Lee's novel, is mystery and historical fiction similar to that of Anne Perry's William Monk and Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels.  There is just enough historical detail for a YA reader along with an interesting female sleuth.  I believe Lee intends a trilogy; the second book, The Body at the Tower is out now...I will have to track it down at my local library.  I am interested to see how Mary Quinn (aka Lang) develops and to what depth Lee will explore the time period and London conditions. 

At the top of my list for reading next are Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce and The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd.

Jane Eyre

I love the novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, but I am not sure about this new movie.  See for yourself. 

 

Good movie versions of books

It is common knowledge when it comes to the movie version of books, the book is always better, however in a few cases, the movie is actually pretty good.  In no particular order, these are the movies I think fit this criteria:

1.  Of Mice and Men (1992)  Gary Sinise did a great job converting this novella into a movie.  The length of the novella does seem to play a large role because very little had to be cut to fit the length of a standard feature film.

2.  The Crucible (1996)  Beside the fact that Daniel Day Lewis makes an exceptional John Proctor, this movie is wonderful because Arthur Miller was one of the screen writers.  He made sure his work was not butchered by the movie makers.  (Trivia: Daniel Day Lewis met Arthur Miller's daughter Rebecca during the filming of the movie and is still married to her.)

3. The Age of Innocence (1993)  Again we have an excellent film starring Daniel Day Lewis.  While there are of course some differences between the novel and movie, it is generally faithful to the book.  Now, you may be noticing an affinity for Daniel Day Lewis and I certainly have that, but on my "Not good movie versions of books" list is Last of the Mohicans (1992).  Do not get me wrong, this is a superb movie, but it is not a particularly close interpretation of the book.

4.  The Cider House Rules (1999)  I guess John Irving learned his lesson after movie makers massacred his book A Prayer for Owen Meany and turned it in to the monstrosity that was Simon Birch because he was involved in writing the screen play, and even played a small role as a train conductor. 

Sadly these are all I can come up with...though I must admit there are movies I have seen but not read the book or vice versa so I cannot speak authoritatively.  There are also many wonderful movies that happen to be based on books, but are not faithful to the book and therefore not appropriate for inclusion on this list.  Maybe I will make a list of those in the future.  I would be glad to have input about my choices and additions to the list. 

 

 

Find books and authors

For those of us who love books, we cannot have access to too many sites leading us to more books to buy, borrow, and read.  I easily found a nice site today, "Book Browse" with a collection of links to author websites, which is what I originally wanted.  It has a tab called "Find a Book" though which allows you to find books based on categories such as "genre," "setting," "time period," "award winners" and a few others.  This is a nice feature if you know what you like, but do not know what to read next.  I can freely admit, I never have this particular problem because I have shelves full of books I have not yet read waiting for me to have time to give them some attention.  The site is clearly a professional site with many other features than the ones I have highlighted and is worth exploring. 

Library Queen

Nancy Pearl is a librarian extraordinaire who seemingly knows everything about all sorts of books.  This link will take you to a brief interview with her.  And the website is cool on its own because it has interviews with lots of other authors and interesting people connected to books who are - writing them, publishing them, buying them, selling them, loaning them and of course...reading them!

Nancy Pearl Interview