tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488626790979260822024-03-12T19:30:28.715-06:00The Reckless Reader(Reading with abandon)Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-13645242920881608612010-04-21T00:18:00.000-06:002010-04-21T00:22:11.522-06:00Mini Review - Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia FunkeOnce upon a time, I went down to my local Indie bookstore to find a birthday gift for my mom. After roaming around the place for a good hour ( I can never spend less than an hour in a bookstore), I took a pile of books up to the desk and asked the clerk's opinion on them, telling her a bit about my mom's taste in literature. Inkheart was among the books in that pile, and it was the first one that she grabbed. She looked at it in disdain. "I definitely wouldn't pick this one," she told me. "I didn't like it at all."<br />"Really?" I was surprised. "I've heard such good things about it."<br />She shrugged. "I thought that it was awful. Really awful. Of course, the book was originally written in another language. German, I think. Perhaps there was something lost in the translation."<br />So I put down Inkheart that day, got my mom a book by Fablehaven author Brandon Mull, instead, and Inkheart got bumped a few spaces down on my TBR list.<br /><br />I should never have listened to the clerk that day, even if she HAD been a reliable source in the past, and has continued to be a reliable source even now.<br /><br />It makes me wonder. What else have I missed out on based on a bad review from a trusted source?<br /><br />Because I have since read all three books, and fallen in love with them. I now consider this one of my very favorite fantasy series. The child in me identifies with Meggie, the girl who lives more fully inside of her books than she does in the physical world. Mo and Dustfinger have joined the ranks of my most beloved fictional characters. This is a series that I absolutely MUST own, so that I can share it with my children in years to come.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S528zatUedI/AAAAAAAABFc/8BN5PFzulHI/s1600-h/inkheart.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 204px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S528zatUedI/AAAAAAAABFc/8BN5PFzulHI/s200/inkheart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448718715716925906" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://a7.vox.com/6a00c2252d77b88e1d01101685a17f860c-500pi"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 208px;" src="http://a7.vox.com/6a00c2252d77b88e1d01101685a17f860c-500pi" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://inkweb.artemis-fowl.net/images/inkdeathcover.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 209px;" src="http://inkweb.artemis-fowl.net/images/inkdeathcover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Good</span></span><br />Wonderfully imaginative. A fair mix of happiness and sorrow. Fabulous characters.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Bad</span></span><br />the last book in the series requires the most suspension of belief. It feels as though rules are broken too often, as though absolutely anything goes and what's to stop the story from careening off of the page completely?<br /><br /><br />But overall I love the story, and I think it ends wonderfully.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating</span></span><br /><br />Read it. Read it read it read it.<br />I give it a <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >9/10</span>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-41042650921132471472010-03-22T10:28:00.003-06:002010-03-22T13:43:19.586-06:00Frigging AwesomeJamie of <a href="http://www.isuwannee.com/">i suwannee </a>has a frigging awesome blog. My very favorite part of it is the part where she <a href="http://www.isuwannee.com/search?q=bookcase&max-results=20">spotlights beautiful bookcases</a>.<br />Like these ones:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S6fD9YpOsJI/AAAAAAAABIk/v6qZRv7-jJQ/s1600-h/Bookcase+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 283px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S6fD9YpOsJI/AAAAAAAABIk/v6qZRv7-jJQ/s400/Bookcase+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451541333310091410" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S6fD8y5Y69I/AAAAAAAABIc/vX5wGIj_CjU/s1600-h/Bookcase+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 282px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S6fD8y5Y69I/AAAAAAAABIc/vX5wGIj_CjU/s400/Bookcase+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451541323177323474" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S6fD8CxXj0I/AAAAAAAABIM/qrAzqVofwlI/s1600-h/bookcase+4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 305px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S6fD8CxXj0I/AAAAAAAABIM/qrAzqVofwlI/s400/bookcase+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451541310258777922" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S6fD8rNWudI/AAAAAAAABIU/XfESMqMutmA/s1600-h/bookcase+3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 303px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S6fD8rNWudI/AAAAAAAABIU/XfESMqMutmA/s400/bookcase+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451541321113582034" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I don't know about you, but I ADORE bookcases. There is just something wonderful about seeing all of those books lined up on the shelves. It's like you're staring at a pile of endless possibilities.<br />AND here's another cool thing that I learned through Jamie's blog: You can buy books by the foot. That's right. Do you have some beautiful, empty bookcases that need to be filled? Well, then <a href="http://www.wonderbk.com/productcart/pc/viewType_books_btf.asp"> go here</a>, and order yourself some books by the linear foot. You can also order them in bulk! It's only $150 for 1000 random tomes to fill your shelves. Isn't the Internet fantastic?Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-27583715630717267682010-03-15T00:22:00.006-06:002010-03-15T14:33:10.486-06:00The Dead and the Gone - Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S53SW_Wy4-I/AAAAAAAABFk/ury6QPTtTx4/s1600-h/dead_and_the_gone.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 264px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S53SW_Wy4-I/AAAAAAAABFk/ury6QPTtTx4/s200/dead_and_the_gone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448742416594166754" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The Dead and the Gone</span> by Susan Beth Pfeffer<br /> is the second installment in Pfeffer's Last Survivors series, a companion book to Life as We Knew it<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.parajunkee.com/2010/01/dystopian-challenge-parajunkees-view.html"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2714/4311637578_90e577cd61_o.jpg" border="0" /></a></center><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">About the book</span></span><br /><br />Some of the things that I didn't like about the first book in the series were addressed in the second one. It's darker. It's grittier. And when you're talking about post-apoc fiction, the grittier the better, in my opinion. I don't want to say too much about the novel, because I don't know about you guys, but I prefer going in to a story knowing next to nothing about the plot. It's more fun that way. But I'll tell you this much:<br />The Dead and the Gone is set in New York. When the comet hits the moon, 17 year old Alex Morales is at work. His mom is working a late shift at the hospital, his father is in Puerto Rico for a funeral, and his two younger sisters are home alone. They are a devout Catholic family, and the disaster serves as a test of their faith. Will their parents make it home? Will Alex be able to provide for his sisters?<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Good</span></span><br />Like I said, this book is darker than the first. There is a bit more violence, and we see death that is much closer to the main characters. In many ways this book is the complete opposite of its companion. This installment has less of the everyday teenage angst that was present in Miranda's journal. Alex and his sisters are religious whereas Miranda's family was not. Alex lives in the urban sprawl whereas Miranda was in rural Pennsylvania. It was nice to see the disaster from a completely different perspective. I've heard some people complain that the piety of the teenage children, particularly Bri, was unrealistic, but (being Cuban) I have met my share of Hispanic Catholics and I don't think it's too much of a stretch.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Bad</span><br />The book still wasn't as dark as I would have expected, though I don't suppose I can demand something on the same level as The Road from a YA novel.<br />There still wasn't as much chaos as I expected. Especially as this one was set in the inner city. The kids were able to get lunch every weekday from their schools, and there were food lines that gave out a bag of supplies every week. I WOULD like to have that much faith in the government and our society, but (call me a cynic) I just don't. There was only one instance when the line ran out of food while Alex and his sister where still waiting, and a mob formed. Just one.<br /><br />I didn't quite understand Kevin's motivation for doing all that he did for Alex. He was a bit of an enigma, and not always in a good way. How can you relate to a character if you don't understand their motives? He seemed cynical and hard, and yet he was obviously well enough off. He had no reason to stand in line with Alex, and yet he did. Every week.<br /><br />I was also confused as to why Alex wasn't able to get into any of the other apartments in the building. It seems that since his father was the Manager, there would be keys to EVERY apartment in the office somewhere. Am I wrong about this?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating</span></span><br />The book was good. I like the series, so far. I will read the third one as soon as it's available to me. I would recommend it to people who like Disaster/Post-apocalyptic fiction and Young Adult novels. But the series doesn't quite do it for a serious Post-apoc Junkie.<br /><br />I give it a <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >7/10 </span>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-89784307692887092552010-02-26T00:11:00.005-07:002010-02-26T01:26:51.425-07:00Dystopian Challenge book review - Life as we Knew it<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S4d3wmwhfaI/AAAAAAAABDg/aOgI7y1dG-0/s1600-h/Life+as+We+Knew+It+book+cover.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S4d3wmwhfaI/AAAAAAAABDg/aOgI7y1dG-0/s320/Life+as+We+Knew+It+book+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442450351622028706" border="0" /></a>
<br /><center><a href="http://www.parajunkee.com/2010/01/dystopian-challenge-parajunkees-view.html"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2714/4311637578_90e577cd61_o.jpg"/></center>
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<br />The first book that I read for <a href="http://www.parajunkee.com/2010/01/dystopian-challenge-parajunkees-view.html">Parajunkee's Dystopian Challenge</a> was <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Life As We Knew It</span> </span>by <span style="font-size:130%;">Susan Pfeffer.
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;">The book didn't really fit into the Dystopian genre, and was more of a straight up apocalyptic novel, but I enjoyed it anyhow. </span>
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">About The Book<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">The novel is written in journal form, and the narrator is a 16 year old girl named Miranda. The first few journal entries focus on things that an average teenage girl would be worried about: school, homework, friends, boys. We learn that she has an obsession with an ice skater from her home town, that she is finding herself at odds with her best friends, and that she's annoyed with all of her teachers for giving out too many homework assignments that are all due on the same day. Everyone is excited about an asteroid that is about to hit the moon, excited because the asteroid is so big that you should be able to see the impact with your naked eye. But something goes wrong. The moon is knocked out of its natural orbit, pushed closer to the earth. And, as you can probably imagine, this causes some serious problems.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Excerpt:
<br /></span></span></span><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Jon was making himself a can of green peas for lunch when all of a sudden he turned to us and said, “How come none of you eat lunch?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">It’s funny. We haven’t in ages, but Jon was always outside with Matt and I guess he figured Matt ate a big breakfast or something. He didn’t know what Mom or I were doing…</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">I eat every single day. Two months from now, maybe even one month from now, I might eat only every other day.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">We’re all alive. We’re all healthy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">These are the good times.</span></p></blockquote>
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<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Review</span></span>
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<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Good</span></span>
<br />Life As We Knew It is a compelling read. The journal format really pulls you into Miranda's head and places you right in the middle of her situation. You know her heart, you see her inner turmoil, and it all feels very honest. There are some heartbreaking moments, and I often ached for this poor girl that had to grow up so quickly, and found myself terrified by the possibility that she would have to watch her family die around her, or starve herself to keep her younger brother alive. Reading this book gave me an urgent desire to stock up my own pantry.
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<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Bad</span></span>
<br />The 'science' of the situation calls for a pretty serious suspension of belief. I didn't find it all that difficult to let myself be pulled into the story, but some people might have a problem with it. I was, however, perplexed by the fact that somehow mail was still being delivered. The world is in turmoil, gas is at a premium, people are having a hard time crossing state borders... but somehow they kept the Post Office running. Of course it wasn't exactly reliable, but still.
<br />Another thing that surprised me was that there was never a real portrayal of the violence and rioting that I'm sure would accompany such a massive disaster. The scene at the grocery store was quite a bit tamer than I would have imagined it, and no one ever tried to break into Miranda's house to take her family's food, or anything like that. The only glimpse of violence that we see is some people breaking storefront windows and stealing plywood.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Ugly</span></span>
<br />I was put off by the author's portrayal of Christians and Republicans. It irked me that she didn't try to balance her view a bit. Granted, I'm sure that the crazy, fanatical sects of Christianity would be pretty vocal in a time of disaster, but it would have been nice to see some balance.
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<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>My Rating
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">All in all, the book was enjoyable, and I look forward to starting the second one, which I just picked up from the library today. </span>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7.5/10<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>
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<br />Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-54369728730881911532010-02-06T13:02:00.005-07:002010-02-06T17:59:57.679-07:00The Dystopian ChallengeI've decided to join my very first blog challenge!<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.parajunkee.com/2010/01/dystopian-challenge-parajunkees-view.html"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4310900533_103ab2b746_o.jpg" border="0" /></a></center><br /><br />Dystopian novels are my favorite, and I just can't resist a good post-apocalyptic story. Some of my all-time favorites are <span style="font-size:130%;">The Road</span> by Cormac McCarthy, <span style="font-size:130%;">The Giver</span> by Lois Lowry, and <span style="font-size:130%;">Fahrenheit 451</span> by Ray Bradbury. So I just couldn't resist the urge to join this challenge.<br />I'm going for <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >level 3 - Junkee </span>, so my goal is to read 20 books by August 24th, which is the release date for the 3rd book in the Hunger Games trilogy. (And if you haven't read The Hunger Games, I suggest that you do it!)<br />Here's my (tentative) list for the Challenge<br /><br />1. The Knife of Never letting Go – Patrick Ness<br />2. The Ask and the Answer – Patrick Ness<br />3. Genesis – Bernard Beckett<br />4. How I live Now – Meg Rosoff<br />5. The Declaration – Gemma Malley<br />6. The Resistance – Gemma Malley<br />7. The Dead And the Gone – Susan Beth Pfeffer<br />8. This World we live in - Susan Beth Pfeffer<br />9. Bones of Faerie – Janni lee Simner<br />10. The Maze Runner - James Dashner<br />11. The Year of the Flood – Margaret Atwood<br />12. Battle Royal – Koushun Takami<br />13. The Adoration of Jenna Fox – Mary Pearson<br />14. Boneshaker – Cherie Priest<br />15. Uglies – Scott Westerfield<br />16. The Forest of Hands and Teeth – Carrie Ryan<br />17. The Dead Tossed Waves – Carrie Ryan<br />18. The Children of Men – P.D. James<br />19. Gone – Michael Grant<br />20. Hunger – Michael Grant<br />21. Neuromancer – William Gibson<br />22. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley<br /><br /> This list is subject to change, as it depends on whether I can find many of these books at my local library, or borrow them from someone. But I'm pretty sure I'll be able to read 20 books without too much problem.<br />Good luck to everyone that's joining the challenge!Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-44705956397963301582010-02-05T17:17:00.003-07:002010-02-05T21:33:11.666-07:00Audiobook Review - Stonefather<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S2zfj3LiTFI/AAAAAAAABCE/oq51iLzwJUc/s1600-h/Stonefather.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 296px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S2zfj3LiTFI/AAAAAAAABCE/oq51iLzwJUc/s400/Stonefather.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434964657530096722" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Stonefather</span> is a novella <span style="font-size:130%;">by Orson Scott Card</span> that I didn't even know existed. I ran across it while I was browsing my library's collection of audiobooks, and since I have been a fan of Card's since high school, I picked it up.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />About the Book</span><br />Stonefather is the story of Runnel, the ninth son in a family that doesn't care much for him. His father is abusive, his mother barely notices him, and his siblings show him only disdain. They live in a tiny mountain village, and Runnel knows next to nothing about the world outside of it. One day Runnel decides to leave his mountain home, and he sets off without a goodbye to his family, without a plan, without any inkling of where he might be headed. Eventually he comes to the town of Hetterferry, which lies across the river from Mitherhome, where the great Watermages reside.<br />Here Runnel is lucky to meet an affable servant girl named Lark, who helps him to find a job in the unfriendly town.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-size:180%;">My Review</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /></span></span></span>After I finished the book I did a bit of research and found out that this novella is meant as a precursor to a Fantasy series that Card is planning called Mithermages. I think this is important to note, because the novella itself seems to be mostly about backstory, exposition, and education (of the hero as well as the reader). He introduces the system of magic, teaches the hero what he needs to know about himself, and then ties the book up with a nice and tidy victory for the good guys.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Good</span><br />The characters are likable, the magic system is interesting, Runnel is someone that it is easy to be sympathetic towards. This is a quick, pleasant read.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />The Bad</span><br />It really isn't anything more than 'pleasant'. I think this is one novella that could have done with a bit of fleshing out. The plot is predictable and rushed. The ending is too pat, too easy. I would have liked to watch Runnel grow slowly into his own rather than becoming the hero (literally) overnight. There is a bit at the end that feels as though it was tacked on, unceremoniously, to tell us what happened to Lark. I was ultimately disappointed. But I'm hopeful that the forthcoming series will give us something akin to the world of Alvin Maker, as these are problems that are easily fixed within a standard length novel.<br />The audiobook was read by Emily Janice Card, who, I believe, is Orson's daughter. I can't say that I loved her narration, but she wasn't bad. I don't know whether she has any other experience with audiobook narration, but I thought she seemed a little stiff. Not terrible, not a voice that's going to make me abandon the book... but not great.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">My Rating<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6.5/10</span></span>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-62504629407343343262010-01-31T21:49:00.005-07:002010-02-01T12:02:08.185-07:00Book Review: Nectar in a Sieve<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S2cIdXe38QI/AAAAAAAABBc/EoYnfjT33lA/s1600-h/nectar+in+a+sieve.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 156px; height: 261px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/S2cIdXe38QI/AAAAAAAABBc/EoYnfjT33lA/s400/nectar+in+a+sieve.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433320776058532098" border="0" /></a>(This post was supposed to go up on Saturday, but my Internet hasn't been working proper<span>ly, and b</span><span>logger hates me</span><span>!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Nectar in a Sieve</u> by Kamala Markandaya</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >P<span>lot Overview</span></span><br />When Rukmani is twe<span>lve years o</span><span>ld she marries a man that she has never met. She moves away from the vi</span><span>l</span><span>lage where she grew up and becomes the wife of a </span><span></span><span></span><span>tenant farmer named Nathan. Nathan is kind to her</span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span> and their </span><span>love for each other quick</span><span>ly</span><span> grows into a strong, genuine bond. Rukmani respects him for his hard work and his ski</span><span>l</span><span>l at working the </span><span>land, and Nathan respects Rukmani's abi</span><span>lity to read and write ( ski</span><span>l</span><span>ls that are not often found among the vi</span><span>l</span><span>lagers)</span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span>, and her determination to </span><span>learn the tasks required of a farmer's wife. Nathan has never </span><span>learned to read or write</span><span>, and as Rukmani's husband he has the right to forbid her from using these ski</span><span>l</span><span>ls, but he never does. Instead, he praises her c</span><span>leverness and ca</span><span>l</span><span>ls her 'the best of wives.' </span><br /><span>The main theme in the story is Hardship, and it comes in many forms: hunger, poverty, death, inferti</span><span>lity, prostitution, infide</span><span>lity. Day-to-day surviva</span><span>l is often a strugg</span><span>le for Rukmani and her fami</span><span>ly.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Good</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Rukmani has an amazing fortitude, and she does her best to adapt to the situations that she faces. Instead of giving up, she chooses to 'bend </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">like the grass, that you do not break.' </span><span style="font-size:100%;"> Through every hardship she continues to hope and p</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span>lan for the future. </span>She says to herse</span><span style="font-size:100%;">lf 'and what if we gave in to our troubles at every step! We would be pitiable creatures indeed to be so weak, for is not a man’s spirit given to him to rise above his misfortunes?</span><span style="font-size:100%;">"<br />This was a lovely, well-written story, and Rukmani's faith was inspiring.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Bad</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Some will find this story too melodramatic for their tastes, as the majority of the book is focused on the hardships that the family faces. There is also little in the way of plot. The story is simply about the day-to-day survival of a family facing hard times. There is also very little character development. I would have liked to learn more about the personalities of Rukmani's children.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />My Rating</span><br />I thought that the book was lovely, and often poetic. It was a simple story, told in simple language, but it left a lasting impression. <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">8/10</span></span><br /><br />(P.S. sorry about the random bold script up there, but I don't know how to fix it. like I said earlier - Blogger hates me.)<br /><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-51692642568561465502010-01-26T10:22:00.002-07:002010-01-26T10:33:37.804-07:00Back from the deadWell, what can I say? life happens, priorities shift, and hobbies get neglected. But, I'm back now, and hoping to start reviewing things regularly (more or less) starting next month. I have reviews in the works right now for <span style="font-size:130%;">Nectar in a Sieve</span> ,The <span style="font-size:130%;">Inkheart <span style="font-size:100%;">trilogy</span></span>,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> The Dark is Rising</span> series and <span style="font-size:130%;">The Road</span>... the first of which should be up this weekend.<br /><br />It's good to be back.Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-26663249529645133522009-10-12T23:25:00.005-06:002010-02-01T12:03:03.367-07:00Audiobook Review - The Palace of Illusions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://z.about.com/d/bestsellers/1/0/F/4/-/-/palace_illusions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 314px;" src="http://z.about.com/d/bestsellers/1/0/F/4/-/-/palace_illusions.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><i>The Palace of Illusions</i> by Chitra Banarji Divakaruni is a retelling of an epic Indian poem called the <i>Mahabharata. </i>I've never read the Mahabharata, so I can't tell you whether or not it was a good retelling, but I definitely enjoyed the story. I would like to get my hands on a good translation of the Mahabharata now, so that I can compare them.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Palace of Illusions</span> follows the life of princess Panchaali. She is literally born from fire and told that she is destined to change the course of the world. She is determined to fulfill her destiny, but doesn't realize that she might not like the way this change is brought about. The funny thing is that when she <span style="font-style: italic;">does</span> begin to change history, she doesn't seem to realize what she's doing.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Good</span><br />I liked the star-crossed-lovers bit of the book, even though I could see the surprise ending coming from a mile away. There's just something about doomed romance that catches my attention in a story, as cheesy as it can be. And there <span style="font-style: italic;">were</span> times when I thought Panchaali's inner dialogue on the matter was a bit much, but I can live with it. <span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br />I also liked the questions raised about fate, and whether you can change or fight your destiny. I thought it was interesting that Panchaali made mistakes even though she had been warned about them in advance.<br /><span style=";font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" >The audiobook was read by Sneha Mathan</span>, whose voice I loved. She did a wonderful job and had a wide range of voices and accents that she used, which was definitely an enormous help when it came to keeping the various characters straight.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Bad</span><br />It was difficult to keep track of the characters, because there were so many of them, and many of the names were very similar. Not to mention that some of the characters went by more than one name. It got a bit confusing at times.<br />There were also many stories inside of stories, and the timeline was often a bit hazy. The narrator would often jump backward or forward in time, which I found irritating. I thought there was some very heavy-handed foreshadowing, as well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Ugly</span><br />I can't think of anything that I thought was really awful in the book. Some clumsy moments, a bit of heavy-handedness, but nothing terrible.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >My Rating</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7.5/10</span> - pretty good. I would definitely read another book by this author if I came across it.<br />I would like to find more good books based on Indian culture, so if you have any recommendations, let me know. But please, don't recommend anything like A Fine Balance. I think that was the most depressing book I've ever read. And on that note, I've noticed that there isn't as much of a focus on happy endings in other cultures as there seems to be in American culture. Do you agree?Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-7959895653118644022009-09-30T23:10:00.004-06:002009-09-30T23:56:36.017-06:00Review- Prodigal Summer by Barbara KingsolverI finally finished it! What (you may ask) took me so long? Well. It's not that the book was dull, exactly, but neither was it riveting, and I picked it up at a time when I had too many other things vying for my attention.<br />I mentioned before that the only reason I picked up Prodigal Summer was because I had been told that I MUST read The Poisonwood Bible. But when I stopped by my local library, this was the only Kingsolver book on the shelf.<br />...To be honest, I hope that The Poisonwood Bible is not as pretentious as this was.<br />So. let's sum it up:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Good-</span></span><br />Now, I've<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>got to admit that the writing was lovely. Kingsolver has a way with words, that much is apparent. The writing is really what redeemed the book in my eyes. I will also admit that I thought many of her ideas about man's impact on nature were interesting (though, at times, inaccurate) and I was glad to see how the seemingly unconnected storylines converged in the end. The story was really just one intricate web built of the characters' lives.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Bad - </span></span><br />It seemed that every character in the book had a soapbox that they were standing on. They all wanted to preach at you about one thing or another. Kingsolver obviously has a very 'green' agenda that she's trying to push with this book, and I found her delivery a bit annoying. I'm all for exploring serious issues through fiction, but you don't have to do it by hitting me over the head with a hammer again and again and again. Yes! We understand what you're trying to say! Pesticide bad! Hunters bad! logging bad! Enough already.<br />My other problem was that the only openly religious character in the book was a flat, stereotypical boor. It felt as if his only purpose in the story was to show the arrogance and self-righteousness of Christians. He couldn't ever seem to formulate a coherent argument. Actually, neither could any of the other 'antagonists' in the book, now that I think about it.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Ugly -</span></span><br />There was one <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> weird sex dream. There was also a ridiculously awkward bit where a recently widowed woman admits that she's attracted to her 17 year old nephew. Um. Ewww. There was actually quite a lot of frank discussion about sex in the book, so definitely don't pick it up if that sort of thing bothers you.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating - </span></span><br />Eh. This is a hard one, because the writing really was lovely, but I didn't care much for the book overall. Overall I'd give it <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">6/10</span></span> but I think that Kingsolver's prose deserves closer to an <span style="font-weight: bold;">8/10<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></span><span>Not the dia</span>logue, mind you, just the descriptions. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /></span>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-85864579434471435632009-09-29T22:53:00.003-06:002009-09-29T23:39:41.743-06:00Teaser Tuesday - Galveston by Sean Stewart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i.biblio.com/z/861/006/9780441006861.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 221px;" src="http://i.biblio.com/z/861/006/9780441006861.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I've read one other novel by Sean Stewart. It was a book called Cloud's End that was both beautiful and frustrating, a slow-paced read that plunged you deep into the characters and had you feeling every heartache right along with them. I was so immersed in the characters that when one of them made a bad decision I was tempted to fling the book across the room in anger.<br /><br />I'm excited to read another novel by Stewart. Cloud's End was lent to me by my good friend Tanya, and so was Galveston. It's a good thing that I have a friend like her to lend me books, because otherwise I probably wouldn't have discovered his writing. If the lyrical, poetic diction that was present in Cloud's End is his norm, then I think I'm in for a good read.<br /><br />I have JUST started the book, and haven't had a chance to really sink my teeth into it, but so far it has a wholly different feel to it. Here's the <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">synopsis</span></span> from the back of the book:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Galveston had been baptized twice. Once by water in the fall of 1900. Again by magic during Mardi Gras, 2004. Creatures were born of survivors' joy and sufferers' pain: scorpions the size of dogs, the Crying Clown, the Widow who ate her victims. And the Island of Galveston would forever be divided-- between the real city and a city locked in a constant Carnival, and endless Mardi Gras...</span><br /><br />Definitely an interesting premise. This is my favorite kind of novel, the kind the blends the normal world, our everyday lives, with the fantastic. I think the correct term for it is 'Urban Fantasy'. So if Stewart can pull off this blend of fantasy and realism, I'll be a fan for life. I'll let you know what I think when I've finished the book.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Teaser:</span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Gloria frowned into the Fords' massive refrigerator. It had been eleven years since the Flood of 2004 had ended the industrial world, and with no spare parts available, refrigerators were becoming more precious-- but of course the Fords had a giant two-door Frigidaire that would squirt out chilled water or ice cubes in two different shapes, regular cubes or the little half-moons Joshua liked better. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Tomorrow:</span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Finally! A review of Prodigal Summer. </span></span></span>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-45282146353348465982009-09-24T22:11:00.006-06:002009-09-25T00:45:29.052-06:00Audiobook Review- The Hunger Games and Catching Fire<span style="font-weight: bold;">This is the <span style="font-size:180%;">spoiler free</span> part of the review</span> -<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://osterhoutteens.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/hunger.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 105px; height: 160px;" src="http://osterhoutteens.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/hunger.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The Hunger Games has been making waves all over the blogosphere lately, and this month I finally got around to reading it. I was lucky, because the second book came out while I was reading the first, so I didn't have to wait long to pick the story up again. You'll probably want to have the second book handy after you read the first, because the first ended in a way that had me itching for JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER, <span style="font-style: italic;">COME</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">ON</span>!<br />And now I am unlucky, because the third book is still being written, and I have to wait at least a year to read the conclusion. I hate that. The second book basically <span style="font-weight: bold;">drops a bomb on you</span> with the last sentence, so if you're a really impatient person, I would suggest waiting until the entire series has been published before picking up the first book.<br /><br /><a href="http://therecklessreader.blogspot.com/2009/09/btt-and-mini-review-hunger-games.html">A while ago</a> I talked about how I was reading The Hunger Games for my book club, and at that time I wasn't really sure <span style="font-style: italic;">what</span> I would rate the book. I still think that the first book isn't as strong as it could have been. The plot was somewhat predictable, and some parts of the narrative felt as though they had been put there with the sole purpose of playing with your emotions, rather than moving the story forward. I was also often frustrated by the seemingly thickheaded and overly-cynical Katniss and the almost 'Gary-sue' Peeta.<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>But, overall, it was an enjoyable read, and one that I think would appeal to many teenagers and adults alike. <span style="font-weight: bold;">BUT I would suggest that you reserve this book for the older and more mature teens, as there are some disturbing themes and situations throughou</span>t. I mean, it's a book about 24 teenagers trying to kill each other, so I would hope that that would be common sense, but... you never know.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">MY RATING:</span> by itself I would give The Hunger Games a <span style="font-weight: bold;">7/10</span><br />I enjoyed it, but thought that parts of it could have been stronger and less predictable.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://thebooksmugglers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/CatchingFire_cvr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 106px; height: 161px;" src="http://thebooksmugglers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/CatchingFire_cvr.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Paired with Catching Fire, however, the grade goes up to an <span style="font-weight: bold;">8/10</span>.<br />I thought that Catching Fire was more fun, because it was less predictable. There were a couple of good twists in there. I was still frustrated by Katniss' thickheadedness at times (get a clue, girl!) and also by the love triangle. But I think that, together, the books form one very entertaining package, and I await the next installment with eagerness.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THIS is where the review gets <span style="font-size:130%;">SPOILERIFIC</span>, people!</span> Highlight the text if you want to read the spoilers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE HUNGER GAMES</span> -<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Specifically, for those of you who have read the book, I hated the wolf muttations at the end. I got the idea that they had used body parts from the dead tributes to make the werewolves, and I thought that the idea was used purely for the shock value, because there had been nothing leading up to it. I kept thinking "Did it mention before that The Capitol had used humans in muttation experiments? Is this going to be a major theme in the next book? Where the heck did this come from!?" It took me straight out of the book. I thought that if the theme of human/animal muttations was going to carry on into Catching Fire, then I would be okay with it appearing suddenly at the end of The Hunger Games. But, it didn't. As I read Catching Fire I began to see that the muttations were NOT made from the bodies of the tributes, but that The Capitol wanted the living contestants to think that perhaps they had been. So. I don't know if that's better, or not. For some reason, those creatures just bug me. </span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">And, seriously, how could Katniss really be so thick headed as to think that Peeta was just acting?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CATCHING FIRE</span> - <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Okay, the whole bit with the Game Maker showing Katniss the mockingjay on his watch? Again with the thickheaded thing! Though I admit that I wasn't really sure what the Game Makers and the rest of the tributes were planning. I wonder how long Heymitch has been planning this coup? And what's the deal with Peeta and Gale? I'm almost positive that Collins is going to kill one of them off, but I can't decide which one it's going to be. Either that or Peeta will be all </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">perfect</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> and </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">self-sacrificing</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> and still be Katniss' </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">best friend</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> even though she chooses Gale over him. Ugh. I hate it when authors yank you back and forth between love interests like that. And the cliff-hanger ending OMG. </span><br /><br />I would love to hear everyone's comments about the books but <span style="font-weight: bold;">please specify whether there are spoilers in your comments, so that we don't ruin anyone else's experience. </span><br /><br />I would also like to add that I did listen to both of these books rather than reading them. The Audiobook is read by Carolyn McCormick, and she is a FANTASTIC narrator. It's amazing how much the person who is reading the book can affect your opinion of it. Carolyn was smooth and believable, and transitioned between characters with ease and clarity. Two thumbs up.Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-74552890109713702532009-09-23T00:54:00.003-06:002009-09-23T01:18:59.128-06:00Winners! Also: blog makeoverThe winners of the BBAW giveaways have been chosen!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell</span> goes to <span style="font-size:180%;">throuthehaze</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://historisk.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/jonathan_strange_and_mr_norrell_cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 71px; height: 107px;" src="http://historisk.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/jonathan_strange_and_mr_norrell_cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Black Beauty</span> goes to <span style="font-size:180%;">Sue</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/b5/15/b515501e8f41c19593357634d67434d414f4541.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 98px;" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/b5/15/b515501e8f41c19593357634d67434d414f4541.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />and <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Last Juror</span> goes to <span style="font-size:180%;">Rebecca N.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://a4.vox.com/6a00fa96992352000200fa969a3c840003-500pi"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 64px; height: 99px;" src="http://a4.vox.com/6a00fa96992352000200fa969a3c840003-500pi" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Congratulations to our winners, who were chosen by chance at www.random.org! I have contacted them through email. If I don't hear from the winners within the next 48 hours, new winners will be chosen.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">In other news: </span><br />I gave my blog a facelift today. I'm actually quite proud of myself for figuring out some of the code that I used to customize the template. ( I know next to nothing about Html.) One thing that I <span style="font-style: italic;">can't</span> figure out is how to get the 'Newer Posts' button that I made to show up. I've messed around with every bit of code that I could think of, but that basically comes down to a lot of guess work and trial and error for me, since I'm pretty clueless. So. If anybody out there can help me out, I'd appreciate it!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">later this week:</span><br />I should be able to write some actual book reviews! Can you believe it?Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-71557838394586508572009-09-18T14:37:00.002-06:002009-09-18T14:47:09.514-06:00BBAW giveaway #3 (Us only)The third item that I'm giving away today is a trade paperback edition of John Grisham's The last Juror. The book is gently used, and in great condition. I haven't read this one yet, but I loved John Grisham's novels when I was in high school, so he holds a little piece of my heart.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://gymkhana.iitb.ac.in/%7Ehostel5/Liby/last.juror.cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 223px;" src="http://gymkhana.iitb.ac.in/%7Ehostel5/Liby/last.juror.cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Since I haven't read this book myself, here is the summary from Amazon.com:<br /><br />In 1970, small town newspaper <i>The Clanton Times</i> went belly up. With financial assistance from a rich relative, it's purchased by 23-year-old Willie Traynor, formerly the paper's cub reporter. Soon afterward, his new business receives the readership boost it needs thanks to his editorial efforts and coverage of a particularly brutal rape and murder committed by the scion of the town's reclusive bootlegger family. Rather than shy from reporting on the subsequent open-and-shut trial (those who oppose the Padgitt family tend to turn up dead in the area's swampland), Traynor launches a crusade to ensure the unrepentant murderer is brought to justice. When a guilty verdict is returned, the town is relieved to find the Padgitt family's grip on the town did not sway the jury, though Danny Padgitt is sentenced to life in prison rather than death. But, when Padgitt is released after serving less than a decade in jail and members of the jury are murdered, Clanton once again finds itself at the mercy of its renegade family.<br /><br />To enter, leave a comment with your contact information, and tell me why you would like to win this book. This contest ends Monday the 21st at 11:59 p.m EST<br /><br />Don't forget to enter the other giveaways, too!<br /><a href="http://therecklessreader.blogspot.com/2009/09/bbaw-giveaway-1-us-only.html">Giveaway #1</a><br /><a href="http://therecklessreader.blogspot.com/2009/09/bbaw-giveaway-2-us-only.html">Giveaway #2</a>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-81098924089369481392009-09-18T11:55:00.004-06:002009-09-18T12:39:50.656-06:00BBAW Giveaway #2 (US only)Our second giveaway of the day is another thrift store find (I'll be honest, I couldn't afford to do giveaways if it wasn't for thrift stores). But once again, this book is in perfect condition.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.infibeam.com/img/84833a34/c8f85/19/531/P-M-B-0866119531.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 184px;" src="http://img.infibeam.com/img/84833a34/c8f85/19/531/P-M-B-0866119531.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This is an adapted version of the book, by Deidre S. laiken. I haven't read this version, so I don't know how good it is, but there are some lovely illustrations, and it looks as though it would be good for a child of about 8 years or so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/SrPSxLL6mMI/AAAAAAAAAzE/T9Z637_tuic/s1600-h/IMG_3303.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 165px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/SrPSxLL6mMI/AAAAAAAAAzE/T9Z637_tuic/s320/IMG_3303.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382877721896065218" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/SrPSwqQ2YqI/AAAAAAAAAy8/S09M0c-BqJ0/s1600-h/IMG_3304.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 121px; height: 159px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/SrPSwqQ2YqI/AAAAAAAAAy8/S09M0c-BqJ0/s320/IMG_3304.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382877713058390690" border="0" /></a><br />To enter, leave a comment telling me why you'd like to win this book, and make sure to leave your contact information, as well. The contest ends on Monday the 21st at 11:59 P.M. EST<br /><br />Don't forget to enter the other giveaway, too!<br /><a href="http://therecklessreader.blogspot.com/2009/09/bbaw-giveaway-1-us-only.html">Giveaway #1</a>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-61370781001318150962009-09-18T09:58:00.005-06:002009-09-18T11:24:07.826-06:00BBAW Giveaway #1 (US Only)Since most of the giveaways are going to be ending today, I thought I'd shake things up and start my giveaways today. CRAZY, I know.<br /><br />First up is a <span style="font-size:130%;">hardcover copy</span> of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4d/Jonathan_strange_and_mr_norrell_cover.jpg/200px-Jonathan_strange_and_mr_norrell_cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 258px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4d/Jonathan_strange_and_mr_norrell_cover.jpg/200px-Jonathan_strange_and_mr_norrell_cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I bought a cheap paperback edition of this book on a whim to read during a long trip. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I've seen it billed as 'Harry Potter for adults', but I think that description is misleading. This is nothing like Harry Potter. It reads more like a 19th century novel. The focus is less on story or plot, and more on characters and style. There is little actual magic done in the book, and it's a hefty one, weighing in at 782 pages. But I thought that Clarke's writing was wonderful. Because of the length of the book, you really get to know the characters. One of my main problems with this story, though, is that while the male characters are multidimensional, the female characters are flat and uninspiring. But, I did enjoy the book, and since I found a hardcover edition of it( in perfect condition) at a thrift store for <span style="font-style: italic;">one dollar</span>, I've decided to share it with you! Huzzah for thrift store finds!<br /><br />To enter the contest, just leave a comment telling me why you think you'd like the book. I'm not going to make you jump through any hoops to enter, everyone gets only one entry. Just remember to leave your contact information in your comment. The contest ends at 11:59 P.M on Monday the 21st.Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-5945050460354609892009-09-17T23:37:00.004-06:002009-09-18T00:26:00.329-06:00BBAW Reading Habits: Second verse!<span style="font-weight: bold;">What are you currently reading?</span><br />Oh, sheesh. Okay. Sometimes I get book ADD. I'm not always this bad. AND some of these are audiobooks, so I'm only listening to them when I really don't have <span style="font-style: italic;">time</span> to be sitting and reading. Stop judging me.<br />1. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver( I can't believe I <span style="font-style: italic;">still</span> haven't finished this...)<br />2. Audiobook of Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling ( I might not be able to finish this one, because the guy that reads it is pretty boring)<br />3. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen ( I just can't get into this book as easily as I have some of her other work)<br />4. Audiobook of Flight by Sherman Alexie ( I started this one because I found that my mind was wandering quite a bit while listening to #2<br />5. <span class="addmd">The Federa</span>list Papers <span class="addmd">by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and Isaac Kramnick (This is non-fiction, and thus it does not ho</span>ld my attention quite as well. So while I do think it's interesting, it feels a bit like I'm doing schoolwork when I read it)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> What is the last book you bought?<br /></span>Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson (You can read my review <a href="http://therecklessreader.blogspot.com/2009/07/warbreaker-by-brandon-sanderson.html">here</a>.)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> you read more than one at a time?</span><br />Um. Heh. Did you <span style="font-style: italic;">read</span> the answer to the first question?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read? </span><br />At night, snuggled up on the couch, when the kiddos are sound asleep. No more interruptions!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Do you prefer series books or stand alone books? </span><br />I don't think I really prefer either, but I do seem to be in the middle of quite a few series' at the moment. Why is it that fantasy books always come in sets of at least three? (Curse you, George R.R. Martin! Curse you, Patrick Rothfuss!)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?</span> Ray Bradbury! Neil Gaiman!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)<br /></span><span><br />Wow, this question just makes me chuckle. Organize? Really? I TRY to organize them by genre, and then by author. But.. . they never stay that way long. I mean, really, look at this:</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/SrMin2aFynI/AAAAAAAAAys/OZW8iwMuB2c/s1600-h/IMG_3299.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 243px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/SrMin2aFynI/AAAAAAAAAys/OZW8iwMuB2c/s200/IMG_3299.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382684047653063282" border="0" /></a><br />The left side looks kind of organized, right? Sort of? Well that's great, but those are <span style="font-style: italic;">mostly</span> my husbands books and old text books that don't get looked at very often. The right side? Yeah. That's my mess. Okay, the top two shelves don't look too bad. I just organized those a few days ago, because someone asked to borrow one of my Harry Potter books, and I had to FIND it in the mess. And, I don't know if you can tell, but on the next shelf down, the books are stacked two deep. Yeah. I need more bookshelves. Now, to be fair, we did just move the bookshelves (and by <span style="font-style: italic;">just</span> I mean... three weeks ago...) So the books got stacked haphazardly and then didn't ever get put back in any particular order. But, I mean, I'll get around to it one of these days.<br /><br /><br />Annd, here is a close up, because *drum roll* tomorrow, I'm going to be giving away three of the books in this photograph. Can you guess which ones? (Click to enlarge the picture)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/SrMioaCIq3I/AAAAAAAAAy0/zRPJIW1WKlc/s1600-h/IMG_3300.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 236px; height: 317px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/SrMioaCIq3I/AAAAAAAAAy0/zRPJIW1WKlc/s200/IMG_3300.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382684057216265074" border="0" /></a>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-34490184658858680882009-09-16T16:13:00.005-06:002009-09-16T16:40:57.878-06:00BBAW - Reading Habits QuestionnaireBecause I can't choose just one question to answer, and I can't possibly answer them without RAMBLING<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>... I'm going to do half of the questionnaire today, and half tomorrow. Or, you know. Whenever. Because I am a bad blogger.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">leave <span style="font-style: italic;">your</span> answers to these questions in the comments, or post the answers to your blog and leave a link here. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?</span><br />I try to avoid snacking whenever possible! If I didn't, I would surely weigh about 600 lbs by now...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> writing in books horrify you?</span><br />WHY? Why in the name of all that is good in the world would you defile a book that way? I even hated marking my text books in college.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?</span><br />I mark my place with any random piece of paper that I find lying around. Reciepts, tissue, a corner torn from a piece of notebook paper, whatever.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Laying the book flat open?</span><br />DO YOU WANT TO DIE? No? Then don't you dare do any of these things to my books. Seriously, people.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?</span><br />I like to read Non-fiction occasionally, but I really <span style="font-style: italic;">love</span> fiction. For non-fiction I would rather watch a documentary than read a book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hard copy or audiobooks?</span> I always prefer a hard copy, nothing compares to the feel of a book in your hand. But since I had my second child I have grown to love audiobooks for their convenience. Who has time to actually sit and read every book that's on their TBR list? Not me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> able to put a book down at any point?</span> I've had to learn to stop at any point, because sometimes poopy diapers just can't wait.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?</span><br />No, I can usually figure out the meaning by the context. But if it's a <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> perplexing word then I definitely look it up.Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-3673031056277789632009-09-15T20:20:00.002-06:002009-09-15T20:27:04.718-06:00BBAW - Bookalicious InterviewIf you haven't checked out Pam's blog yet, you should. She has an easy to navigate layout and a beautiful website. I hadn't seen her blog before we were paired up for the BBAW interviews, but now I've added her to my Google Reader. Seriously. Go take a look.<br /><a href="http://bookalicio.us">bookalicio.us</a><br /><br />Here are Pam's answers to the interview questions. My answers to these same questions should be up on her blog sometime this week.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why did you decide to start blogging about the books that you read?</span><br /><br />I wanted an outlet to talk about the books I was reading, I was completely<br />unaware of the whole book blogging scene but was so happy to find so many<br />like minded individuals to discuss new and old titles with.<br /><div class="im"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Is there a genre that you prefer to review?</span><br /><br /></div>I guess YA I really feel that genre is advancing now in a way it hasn't<br />before with authors like Jay Asher and Laurie Halse Anderson tackling<br />issues that children actually deal with and not being afraid to dig deep<br />into the tough topics.<br /><div class="im"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Do you like to participate in any of the popular book blog memes?</span><br /><br /></div>I like to read the memes especially the Sunday Salon but I do not<br />participate because I want my blog to be completely unschedlued and<br />random. I do not like feeling pressured to post on a certain day or on a<br />certain topic. It just doesn't work for me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How do you feel the internet and blogging about books is changing the</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> publishing world?</span><br /><br />I think it is a very exciting time for publishing houses. With the<br />advancements of EReaders and online bloggers they have a chance to grab<br />even more readers than ever. After all word of mouth is the best<br />advertisement.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who is your favorite author, and why?</span><br /><br />My favorite author has always been the Bronte Sisters as a whole. Their<br />style is easy readable while still having the old world feel.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What was the first book you read as a child that got you hooked?</span><br /><br />I remember reading a simplified version of The Swan Princess with the<br />school librarian and thinking that was the coolest thing ever. After that<br />I spent a lot of my free time in the library with her and she was really<br />the person who encouraged my love of reading.Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-18442008349994906842009-09-14T22:18:00.002-06:002009-09-15T10:32:07.401-06:00BBAW kicks off!This week is <a href="http://bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/">Book Blogger Appreciation Week</a>. Six months ago, I didn't know that BBAW exsisted, but, boy, am I glad that I found out about it. Through the BBAW website I've met some wonderful bloggers and learned that there is a googolplex of book blogs out there in the blogosphere.<br /><br />I'm a day late in joining the festivites, but I'll do my best to catch up during the week.<br /><br />The first thing that participating bloggers were asked to do for BBAW was to list a few blogs that you love, but weren't short listed for the awards. In the short time that I've been involved in book blogging, these are the ones that have stuck out to me:<br /><br /><a href="http://goodcleanreads.blogspot.com/">Good Clean Reads</a>: I love Kim's unique rating system! She gives each book four ratings: She rates the book as a whole, and then gives it a rating for sex, one for profanity, and one for violence. She reads a wide variety of subjects and genres.<br /><a href="http://paperbackreader2.blogspot.com/"><br />Paperback Reader</a>: I just found this blog last week! She has a wonderful writing style, a good flow of information, and she also covers a wide variety of subjects and genres. Through her blog I also came across another blog: <a href="http://books-snob.blogspot.com/">Book Snob</a>. I don't know much about this blog yet, but I've bookmarked it, and it looks wonderful!<br /><a href="http://librariansbookreviews.blogspot.com/"><br />One librarians Book Reviews</a>: Melissa, as you might have guessed, is a librarian. She is also a fellow Utahn. She also has a lovely blog. She updates nearly every day and always has interesting content.<br /><br />There are many more wonderful blogs that I follow, but I simply don't have the time to write about them all. Check these out, and then check the list of blogs that I follow in my profile.<br /><br /><br /><br />Coming up Tomorrow: I swap interview questions with Pam of <a href="http://bookalicio.us">bookalicio.us </a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-3124332245648532772009-09-11T20:06:00.003-06:002009-09-11T20:24:12.869-06:00Slow Language - The Essential RumiYesterday I received a wonderful gift from my friend Tanya: The Essential Rumi, a book of poetry that I have been wanting to get my hands on for months. Here is one of my favorites, so far:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.greenspirit.org.uk/resources/rumi.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 195px;" src="http://www.greenspirit.org.uk/resources/rumi.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">Jalaluddin Rumi</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">1207 -1272</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Wean Yourself (Translation by Coleman Barks)<br /><br />Little by little, wean yourself.<br />This is the gist of what I have to say.<br /><br />From an embryo, whose nourishment comes in the blood,<br />move to an infant drinking milk,<br />to a child on solid food,<br />to a searcher after wisdom,<br />to a hunter of more invisible game.<br /><br />Think how it is to have a conversation with an embryo.<br />You might say, "The world outside is vast and intricate.<br />There are wheatfields and mountain passes,<br />and orchards in bloom.<br /><br />At night there are millions of galaxies, and in sunlight<br />the beauty of friends dancing at a wedding."<br /><br />you ask the embryo why he, or she, stays cooped up<br />in the dark with eyes closed.<br /> Llisten to the answer.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There is no "other world."</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I only know what I've experienced.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You must be hallucinating.</span>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-72173670644890163312009-09-10T23:36:00.006-06:002009-09-11T00:33:25.314-06:00BTT and mini review - The Hunger GamesThe <a href="http://btt2.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/recent-big/">Booking Through Thursday</a> prompt for last week was:<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" > "What’s the biggest book you’ve read recently?<br />(Feel free to think “big” as size, or as popularity, or in any other way you care to interpret.)"</span><br /><br />This month, my book club is reading <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Hunger Games</span> by <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Suzanne Collins</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://osterhoutteens.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/hunger.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 109px; height: 165px;" src="http://osterhoutteens.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/hunger.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />In case you don't follow any other book blogs, (or you've been hiding under a rock) The Hunger Games has been a pretty huge subject on the internet lately, especially because the sequel, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Catching Fire, </span>just came out last week. I just finished The Hunger Games today. Since I'm short on time at the moment, I'll only be giving a mini-review. I might write a longer review at a later date... but I'm a bad blogger, so I'm not promising anything.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Mini-Review</span>:<br />Because I've been too busy to sit down and enjoy a book properly as of late, I decided to listen to the audio book. The book is read by Carolyn McCormick, who does a wonderful job. Now, I tried to keep my expectations low for this book, specifically because of it's popularity. I didn't want to go in expecting something fantastic, since I knew that it couldn't possibly live up to the hype. They never do.<br />But the book is really pretty good. I still need to mull things over a bit and decide what kind of a rating to give it, but suffice it to say that while I don't think it's one of the best books I've ever read, it's not bad; and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.<br /><br />I will also say that something about the ending just didn't sit right with me. I don't want to say much here, because I like to keep my reviews relatively spoiler-free. But, (for those of you who have read the books) I was not really fond of the use of certain 'muttations' that were introduced to us at the end of the book. The whole scene felt a bit out-of-the-blue to me, and as if the creatures were only put in for their shock value. If the muttations are used as a plot point later in the story, then I might buy it, but at the moment I am not impressed by Collins' use of them. Anyway. I hope that wasn't too cryptic for anyone.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Moving on</span></span>:<br /><br />Coming soon to The Reckless Reader: reviews for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Prodigal Summer</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mansfield Park</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">luck in the Shadows</span>. Why is it that I can never read just one book at a time? Also happening this month is Book Blogger Appreciation Week (Sept 14-18). I will be interviewing Pam of <a href="http://bookalicio.us/">bookalicio.us </a>. If you haven't checked out her blog yet, you should! It's beautiful!Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-22499930464462253052009-09-02T13:14:00.004-06:002009-09-02T13:57:45.900-06:00under the cover of darkness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/Sp7JWhLfRqI/AAAAAAAAAvA/TMV355ypZXg/s1600-h/read+under+covers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 136px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KTvImaXsV6E/Sp7JWhLfRqI/AAAAAAAAAvA/TMV355ypZXg/s200/read+under+covers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376956393827813026" border="0" /></a><br />Were you a 'reading under the covers' type of kid when you were younger? I certainly was. I didn't mean to be a rebellious child, but it seemed that I could never get enough of the stories and the characters and the WORDS, oh, wonderful words. I devoured whatever I could find, and then hungered for more. I read my father's westerns, my mother's mysteries, and the Reader's Digest Condensed Books. The local librarians and I were on a first name basis. With all of this glorious material available, who could go an entire night without a book? <br />Already, my oldest child is shaping up to be a 'reading under the covers' kid. She is only four, and not yet able to read; but I have often found her flipping through her picture books and making up stories about the illustrations (holding whispered conversations with herself), when she should be sweetly dreaming instead. It makes a mother proud.Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-41392854257921035102009-09-01T23:34:00.001-06:002009-09-02T00:47:46.905-06:00because half of an hour before Wednesday still equals Tuesday...<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Teaser Tuesday</span><br /><br />I've seen the Teaser Tuesday meme done on a couple of other blogs, but I'm not going to follow the exact same formula. What I'm going to do is this: If I have nothing else to share with you on any given Tuesday, I will pick up whichever book I happen to be reading at the time, and share a passage that I like, as well as a short synopsis of the book.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://webspace.ringling.edu/%7Eemcguire/fourthyear/prodigalfinal.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 108px; height: 143px;" src="http://webspace.ringling.edu/%7Eemcguire/fourthyear/prodigalfinal.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Book</span></span>: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Prodigal Summer</span> by Barbara Kingsolver<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Synopsis</span></span>: I picked up this book because someone recommended that I read <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Poisonwood Bible</span>, a different book by the same author. The Poisonwood Bible was checked out of my public library, and this one was not. So.<br />Prodigal Summer follows three different storylines, which all seem to have a pack of coyotes and a small town in the appalachian mountains as their connecting thread; but the characters in each storyline, so far, do not seem to have any other connection to each other. I will be interested to see how (and if) the various plots converge.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Teaser</span>:<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">People in Appalachia insisted that the mountains breathed, and it was true: the steep hollow behind the farmhouse took up one long, slow inhalation every morning and let it back down through their open windows and across the fields throughout the evening-- just one full, deep breath each day.</span>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748862679097926082.post-58515839338243178382009-08-28T09:30:00.001-06:002009-08-28T09:30:00.535-06:00Slow Language Friday - Ancient Chinese Poetry<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > I came across this poem just yesterday whi</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >le I was </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >looking for something e</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >ntire</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >ly different. But, I was struck by the beauty of these four short </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >lines and knew that I must feature them here. Ah, what </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >love</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >liness can be found in simp</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >licity.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ridgewine.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/sutungpo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 290px;" src="http://ridgewine.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/sutungpo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Su Tung-Po</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">1036 - 1101</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Remembrance </span><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >To what can our life on earth be likened?<br />To a flock of geese,<br />alighting on the snow<br />S</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >o</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >metimes leaving a trace of their passage.<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span>Mellissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15687019114824159915noreply@blogger.com1