New Zealand Book Month

I’m very excited to share the news that October is New Zealand Book Month!     Maree at Just Add Books is having a one month easy-peasy and FUN Challenge highlighting New Zealand.

And it’s got options:    Not just books…   movies and music, too.

If you want to read a book by an NZ author, join us!

If you want to see a movie that has NZ connections, join us!

If you love to discover new music, check out the NZ scene and join us!

SO click on her blog and read all about it =====>  Just Add Books Blog.   As she says:

I’m offering options because although it’s New Zealand Book Month, we Kiwis are a diverse lot.

and let me try and entice you further.     Feel like re-watching one of the Lord of the Rings movies?   It’ll count.    How about Flight of the Conchords?   If you know them, aren’t they awesome?!?!    If you don’t, oh – ya just gotta check them out!

Maree’s got prizes, too.    CANDY!!!

I’ve bookmooched The Whale Rider book – it’s a TREMENDOUS movie, too.  WATCH IT.    And I’ve got Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones on hold at the library, so I’m committing to TWO books (although, they better hurry up and arrive; dont’ have all that much time.)

Words for the Last Wed of Sept 09

WORDS!     Be sure to visit BermudaOnion for more Wondrous Words (Kathy hosts this meme).

from SWTWC (my review here)
p.46  SEMAPHORE – “There, on the world’s rim the lovely snail-gleam of the railway tracks ran, flinging wild gesticulations of lemon or cherry-colored semaphore to the stars.” - visual signaling apparatus with flags, lights, or mechanically moving arms
p.25 EFFULGENCE – shining brightly; radiant.
p.36 FLUMING – to send (logs, water, etc.) down or through a flume (artificial channel)
p.104 PULING – cry querulously or weakly
p.106 INTERNES – recent medical graduate (I don’t like that second ‘e’)
p.115 SERE – dry; arid
p.126 ULMERS/GOFFS -  no definitions found in first quick search; makes me laugh cuz I know people with both of these words as their last names.  I wish I could share the sentence – context would say some kind of scary clown,  maybe.
p.185 FANTOCINI – some kind of puppet?

oops! I sent this book on to a new reader before I finished the post or I would have sentences to share. oh well…

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from False Witness (my review here)
p.100  SWARTHY - “Martin Hale had been a swarthy, little man with large hands and feet.” –  dark-skinned
p.269  SPINNY – “The scent of jasmine floated in through the open windows on the muggy, evening air and Billy felt spinny.” – associated with spinning.

Where Are You This Tuesday 092909

Heck, I’m not sure where I am exactly but I was in France for awhile and now I’m in America trying to figure out how to insert myself into that house and make Ms Haze aware of the predator living under her roof and to make sure she keeps that kid of hers away from that creepy man!

Which is why I am ‘unplugging’ RIGHT NOW and getting back to the book.

Thank you RaiderGirl at An Adventure in Reading for hosting this meme.

Mailbox Monday 09/28/09

I was blessed to receive a bunch of books last week!    Mailbox Monday is a meme hosted by Marcia at the Printed Page blog,

The prior week, I was feeling generous; I added a few books to my bookmooch.com inventory and responded ‘sure, why not?’ to everyone who asked if I would send to their country.    For just under $100, I sent books to Bulgaria, South Korea, United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada, a US military base, as well as state-side to Pennsylvania, Montana, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

Which meant that I had a ton of points to MOOCH with!   Along with winning a contest from Chris over at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On…   Thanks Chris!!

Here’s what I got:

Lois Lowry’s The Giver

William Goldman’s The Princess Bride - blame to Raych

Tracy Chevalier:  The Virgin Blue (for the Dewey Challenge)

Shooting the Boh by Tracy Johnston (blame Eva)

undiscovered gyrl / Allison Burnett – from Chris

The Bright Forever by Lee Martin (Caribou’s Mom?)

I am Madame X by Gioia Diliberto (no blame; I liked the cover)

And last but never least, I have to shout to the rooftops my appreciation for a blogger that I consider a super dooper friend.     I had seen a lovely contest over at Christina’s Stacked Blog and sent out an email to friends to hurry and enter.  Teeni did just that and WON!

But that’s not the end of the story.   She gave the prize to me!   SURPRISE!   So sweet.  This is what she sent me:

Shelly Kommer’s Bookplates – Visit her ETSY shop here.

What Are You Reading for Banned Books Week?

I’m reading Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.   Yes, THAT Lolita*.   AND, I purchased The Annotated ___ Edited with preface, introduction, and notes by Alfred Appel, Jr.  Revised and Updated, too!

Softdrink is organizing a read-along, so do check out her post if you want to join us.

Do you think this book would qualify for the RIP-IV?    It surely IS creepy and has the power to make. skin. crawl.

September 26th through October 3rd 2009 will be the official Banned Books Week sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA).

This is my first annotated book and I’m not sure yet how I’m going to use it.   Should I just read the story THEN go back and read the notes?   Do I only check back when I need all the freaking French explained/translated?   I do admit I like the word definitions, even the English words — quick and handy.  (For a great post on her thoughts about annotations, visit Eva and her post on her beloved P&P)

I did not read the Introduction – I think I bring enough assumptions about what this book is about just from popular culture reference that I don’t need anymore to distract me or ruin the story.   I did, however, read the Preface.   Get this:

“This annotated edition, a corrected and chastely revised version of the edition first published in 1970, is designed for the general reader and particularly for use in college literature courses.”

WHAT?!?!   chastely revised?    Do I need to go find the original-original; are they saying the NOTES are corrected and not Nabokov’s novel?     Anyway, I was bit offput by this sentence but am jumping in anyway.

“…, the reader of Lolita attempts to arrive at some sense of its overall “meaning,” while at the same time having to struggle with the difficulties posed by the recondite materials and rich, elaborate verbal textures.”

I had to look up recondite:  (of a subject or knowledge) little known; abstruse.     and then had to look up abstruse:  difficult to understand; obscure.

Let the fun begin!!  What are YOU reading for Banned Books Week? The Biblio Blogazine has much more info on Banned Books, challenges, lists, etc.

* It cracks me up how many times I’ve been responded to with “Reading Lolita in Tehran?” when I’ve mentioned Lolita, even at the library, no less.   (this RLIT book also pops up first when you do a library search on just Lolita.  Then after that, I asked the librarian at the ref desk and she asked, too!)     I did read Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (and recommend) a few years before I knew about book blogging.   I have always hoped to get to the real, the original, the classic Lolita.   Here goes.

False Witness

Review   False Witness by Anita Rodgers, ireadiwrite Publishing 2009, 267 pages

MOTIVATION for READING:    I currently enjoy the author’s blog and count her as a friend.      Visit her blog:  Writer Chick Talks. So when she announced her debut novel as PUBLISHED!  I rushed to get a copy.   This is my first ebook.

WHAT it’s ABOUT:    False Witness is a mystery that revolves around an older murder mystery;  we are introduced to the case by way of a college classroom discussing the long ago crime and whether or not the defendant was really guilty despite an acquittal.    One of the students, Billy, who has been obsessed with this particular case is furious that most of the class, including the professor, doesn’t agree with his theory.    So he accepts a dare to find out ‘what really happened’.   He drags his girlfriend along on the adventure and mayhem & hijinks occur.   Well, not quite mayhem & hijinks but somehow that sentence just flowed out of my typing fingers.

First stop is a meeting with the now retired detective, then some shady characters are introduced and puzzle pieces start to fit together for the protagonist.   Sort of.    A few other clues are tipped off to the reader and some others are figured out by the girlfriend.    Our boy eventually gets involved with the murderess (or is she?) to his possible peril, and….   You’ll just have to read it to find out.

I was hooked and had to keep reading even though I was disappointed with myself for assuming that I had guessed some of the developments as it progressed – by design, I eventually find out.   It’s a fun story with characters playing mis-identities but it was cool how the author trumped me when I thought I had it figured out and then it was revealed as it unfolded and not just as a big aha!

Rodgers writes great descriptions of people and place.   The dialogue between characters is very believable which adds to the fast pace.

WHAT’s NOT so GOOD:    A few typos?    actually just two.    (I’ll email them to you, Annie!)   so perhaps a tighter effort on editing?      I didn’t like the girlfriend very much and was not sure if I should trust her or not because my image of her and her ultimate actions didn’t quite ring true.    But that could have been ‘me’.

I offer my congratulations to the author for a fun story that kept me guessing even as I thought I guessed it all!

RATING:    THREE SLICEs of PIE.

∏

On the topic of ebooks…     I read this on my laptop and whatever epub-reader I have on my Mac would freeze on a page and I had to unstuck it often.   It wouldn’t accept my down-arrow-key to move to the next page after so many pages – that bugged me.   Also, the bookmark function didn’t work so I just had to remember what page I was on when I exited the program.   I have no idea what that was about but it was annoying, too.     I really prefer carrying a physical book and using a nice pretty bookmark than reading novels on my computer.    I’m sure this is a function of my particular reading software but I’m in no hurry to try another ebook (until I get a Kindle?!)

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Review   Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, Avon Books 1998 (orig pub’d 1962), 293 pages

“Suddenly he seemed aware of house windows or the cold sky staring at his neck.  He turned slowly, sniffing the air.   Wind rattled the empty trees.  Sunlight, breaking though a small rift in the clouds, minted a last few oak leaves all gold.  But the sun vanished, the coins were spent, the air blew gray; the salesman shook himself from the spell.”

wow.

Let’s all mouth that word once more, ready?   WOW.   wow.

Do you love language?   If you love the pop-crisp-zap! of creepy, slimy, dreary bleary SCAREdy-cat language in all its finery,

You’ll LOVE this book.

MOTIVATION for READING: RIP IV Challenge. [Review Site here.]  It’s Autumn.   I attempted this book last year and Halloween interrupted.   Once that scary date had passed, I just could NOT pick this book up and finish it!    I am glad I tried again and made it to the last page.

WHAT it’s ABOUT:   Two boys of an age which lifelong-meant-to-be-forever friendship is truly meant to be FOREVER are suddenly exposed to serious sinister DANGER and are thrust into considering how the previously vague understanding of evil versus good just might apply to EVERYTHING that makes life precious.

the NOW,

the FUTURE,

the meaning of LOVE and loyalty and good versus bad (oh, I already mentioned that.)

I found an earlier attempt at a review where I wrote this:  (I like it much better.) Two boys encounter a scary carnival come to town and must save themselves from unspeakable horrors; luckily, Dad is there to help.

WHAT’s GOOD:  The language of this colorful novel is…. colorful?   lively?   DEATHLY?  full of dread.   full of HOPE?   COLORS!   everywhere on every page, colors.

It’s an experience.

You will love this if you love language and delightful suspense of growing up.   The words and rhythm of the text alone are cotton candy and the darkest DARK chocolate.

Enjoy!   this book is likely PERFECT for this time of year…

“Tell you your husbands.  Tell you your wives.   Tell you your fortunes.  Tell you your lives.   See me, I know.   See me at the show.   Tell you the color of his eyes.   Tell you the color of his goal.   Tell you the color of her soul.   Come now, don’t go.   See me, see me at the show.

Children appalled, children impressed, parents delighted, parents in high good humor and still the Gypsy from the dusts of living sang.  Time walked in her murmuring.  She made and broke microscopic webs between her fingers wherewith to feel soot fly up, breath fly out.  She touched the wings of flies, the souls of invisible bacteria, all specks, mites and mica-snowings of sunlight filtrated with motion and much more hidden emotion.”

* Truly, I LOVED that this book is dedicated to Gene Kelly.   [Explained in the Afterword.]  And before you ask me what my rating is, please don’t.    As much as I loved the words that Mr. Bradbury strung together to tell this story, I did struggle through it and this struggle and effort is why I’m not giving it five pie slices.     I don’t think I’m scared exactly to criticize it or downrate it for any reason  – it’s most certainly a beloved book here in bookblogdom, I just can’t articulate why this is not a top rated book for me.   My unaccountable ambivalence is counter-balanced with my delight for the imagery Bradbury creates with his WORDS.   So let’s throw away the rating for this and enjoy it as a fabulous piece of Americana, shall we?

Π

Has anyone seen the movie starring Jason Robards?    Has anyone seen the trailer to the upcoming movie Cirque du Freak starring John C. Reilly?    I immediately wondered if it was related to this but upon further research, I don’t think it is.   But it certainly reminded me of Something Wicked…

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Review   P&P&Z by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, Quirk Books 2009, 317 pages, ISBN: 978-1-59474-334-4.

First Sentence:   It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.

MOTIVATION for READING:    I won this from Cecelia! It’s perfect for the Everything Austen Challenge AND the RIP IV Challenge.    It’s my very first zombie book.   It sounded like fun AND now I don’t have to read the original P&P since I only *think* I read this but am really not at all sure that I ever did…

WHAT’s it ABOUT:    I don’t really have to tell you, do I?    Five daughters sworn to protect England from the scourge attempt to capture (and/or resist) the attentions of eligible bachelors, etc and so on.

WHAT’s GOOD:   It’s still Austen;  just with some zombie-killing thrown in.   I admit, about 10 pages in, I wasn’t sure if the gimmick would last but by the end of the book, I wanted even more zombie slayings, please!     It is cleverly amusing, amusingly clever.     I really did love the light tone and attention to manners above all.

WHAT’s NOT so GOOD:    More zombies!    It really needed more zombies!      Maybe it’s the knowing how the story goes that by the time Lizzie and Darcy confess their love, all I really wanted was one more good zombie encounter.      And…    I really want to resent Mr. Grahame-Smith for coming up with the idea, but I can’t.   It’s like not wanting to slow down to look at car crashes, but glancing over anyway.

FINAL THOUGHTS:   Silliness, all in good fun.

SPOILER!!   (just highlight the empty space here to make my text appear…  AND if you really do intend to read the book, don’t read this and blame me later for ruining a terrific scene.)   I really DID wish that she had lopped off Lydia’s head when she had the chance.

♦

WORDS

p.53 ASPERITY “He was set right by Mrs. Bennet, who assured him with some asperity that they were very well able to keep a good cook, and hat her daughters were to busy training to be bothered with the kitchen.”

harshness of tone or manner.

p.72 MANKY “… to attend a demonstration of a new carriage that boasted of being impervious to attacks by the manky dreadfuls.”

inferior and worthless

p.155 VERDURE “The five weeks which she had now passed in Kent had made a great difference in the country, and every day was adding to the verdure of the early trees.”

lush green vegetation.

p.208 CURRICLE “… when the sound of a carriage drew them to a window, and they saw a gentleman and a lady in a curricle driving up the street.”

a light, open, two-wheeled carriage pulled by two horses side by side.

Another scene that I just have to share…

“As dinner continued in this manner, Elizabeth’s eye was continually drawn to Charlotte, who hovered over her plate, using a spoon to shovel goose meat and gravy in the general direction of her mouth, with limited success.  As she did, one of the sores beneath her eye burst, sending a trickle of bloody pus down her cheek and into her mouth.  Apparently,  she found the added flavor agreeable, for it only increased the frequency of her spoonfuls.  Elizabeth, however could not help but vomit ever so slightly into her handkerchief.”   p.121

gross, huh?!

Oh, I’m Still Here…

It’s BBAW and now I remember why I didn’t do much with it last year:   It’s FREAKIn’ overwhelming!    SO many awesome blogs to read, new and dear.   SO many new bloggers to discover and so many favorites to be sure and visit!     Just one big happy book-and-blogger Love Fest and away it swirls OUT OF CONTROL.

Throw in that I didn’t have access to a PC last week and now this week, my internet magic feels to be tapped – I can’t get websites to load, comments are eaten, Firefox decides to shut down and not allow access whatsoever.      SO I feel like a whiny do-nothing.    But it’s working today, so I’m goin’ fer it.

THAT now out of the way to excuse my not visiting / posting / commenting / applauding / contest-entering / participating (I really feel like I’ve been locked out of the party of the century!), I’ll share a few new books that I’ve been led to directly from THIS BBAW year and any/all I can blame on book bloggers for the year so far.

You’ll guess which panel I worked with when you see these new additions to my tbr:    Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev, The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner, Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer, My Invented Life by Lauren Bjorkman, and Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson.

Now for the books I read this past year or so that I probably never would have if I hadn’t dipped my toes into this crazy/beautiful bookbloggonet:

Blame goes to

Citizen Reader: Population 485, The Father of All Things, Nobodies, How To Tell When You’re Tired.

Hey Lady: Montana 1948, The Art of Racing in the Rain, In the Woods

Dewey:   Christine Falls, Persepolis  (can’t get to this link at the moment…)

Amy: Nothing But Ghosts

Violet: Last Night in Montreal, My Father’s Paradise (and Ali?)

Jessica:  84 Charing Cross Road (and Citizen Reader)

Ali: Absolutely True Diary, The Housekeeper and the Professor

Verbivore/Incurable Logophilia: new to me authors  Nadine Gordimer and Coetzee

Serena:  Gods Behaving Badly (Serena – your blog won’t load for me today!)

Lots of Bloggers:   Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Their Eyes Were Watching God

Char:   Popular Music in Vittula, Remains of the Day, Geek Love

Oh there are more, many more; it would be easier to list the books I canNOT blame on blogging!

Now, go read this to recap the book-blogger year to date from the lovely and hilarious Raych.   Happy Mid-week BBAW Celebration Continuance!

BBAW Day 1 Spotlighting

Book Bloggers — I appreciate YOU!

Just a few of my top favorite blogs that DIDN’T get shortlisted are as follows:

For Most Eclectic - Nancy at Book Fool – I love Nancy’s “Wahoos” and self interviews and just the VARIETY of books she talks about is amazing.     I especially love her comments in response to comments – the posts are often fun to read, but the CONVERSATIONS can often be the icing on the cake!   (or is it meringue to my pie?)

For Best General Review – LitLove at Tales from the Reading Room – I can’t say enough about how awesome I think this blog is and the wonderful blogger who blogs it.      If you have read The Time Traveler’s Wife, read this.   I think it’s one of the best reviews ever.

For Best Commentator – Violet at Violet Crush I applaud Violet’s insights, kind words, thoughtful comments and sharing of her time to visit me and to respond to my comments.   She reads a wide variety of books, too, and plenty of memoirs.   AND, of course, her blog is my favorite color…

Really, I appreciate all of you.   Really, I do!   Thanks so much for visiting.   Have a piece of pie.    

Happy BBAW Everyone!   Celebrating books and the people who love books and the people who brave the internet to talk about books and the people who love books…