The Sunday Salon

There has been no time to read today since we've had family visiting for the weekend. In fact, during the last week I've only read about 150 pages. I'm halfway through Chocolat by Joanne Harris for my book group that meets tomorrow but it's another of those books that is just not for me. I will say that Harris' descriptions of chocolate make my mouth water.

Last weekend I read several short stories from Carson McCullers The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories. Now here's a writer I can get into. She sure can draw some interesting and 3 dimensional characters. I can't wait to be done with Chocolat so I can read some more McCullers.

Review: Shakespeare:The World as Stage

Shakespeare: The World as Stage
by Bill Bryson

This was another book on CD that I listened to on my long drive last weekend. It is a short history of Shakespeare and his times read by the author. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Mr. Bryson is honest right from the beginning. He shares that he wrote this biography not because the world needed another book about Shakespeare but because it is part of a series. He states up front that there is a great deal we don't know about the Bard and his time in history. His work is for the lay scholar, the person like myself who wants to know about Shakespeare and his times but doesn't want to spend a lifetime in study. I don't need to know all the authorship debate or what in his life influenced him to write which play when. I want more than a morsel but not a college level class. This book fit my needs perfectly.

Bryson appears to have done a good deal of work. He lays out some of the main thoughts about certain areas, like the order the plays are believed to have been written in (no two scholars agree), then reminds the reader (or listener) about the lack of evidence to support any viewpoint. When he has an opinion to share he follows it with a brief explanation. The final chapter that deals with the authorship debate and where it stems from was interesting and I tend to agree with him. Why challenge Shakespeare as the author when there is no substantial evidence for or against and the circumstantial evidence is stronger for his being the author than for anyone else, especially when you consider where the challenge stemmed from?

I'm glad I listened to this one. I can recommend it happily. Here is another review that is concise and well written.

Review: I Capture the Castle

I Capture the Castle
by Dodie Smith

I Capture the Castle is written as the diary of 17 year old Cassandra, who lives in an old castle with her older sister Rose, her father, a famous writer who has lost his muse; and her stepmother, a dramatic model for artists. They are scraping by with no income and no friends or neighbors when a family with two brothers moves in near by. The diary keeps track of all the interactions between the two families for the next year.

I reserved this book on CD after Eva's positive review as a book that every girl should read. I listened to it over a week or two, finishing it last Friday during a 4 hour drive south. I found it hard to get into but my kiddos were listening to it every time they were in the car and wanted to hear more so I kept going. The characters bothered me. Other than Cassandra, none of them seemed very real to me. And the diary format didn't always seem right. In the end I found it boring and I would have had no problem setting it aside at any point. I'm not sure I would consider it a must read for every girl but my daughter appeared to really like it. One quality in the book that I appreciated was that in the end everyone makes the right decisions no matter what their feelings say. And Cassandra is a very likable character throughout. I'm sure most girls would find it interesting but it wasn't the right book for me.

A Challenge Completed

I've wrapped up the Once Upon a Time II Challenge and just in the nick of time. Originally I only committed to The Journey which involved reading one book. After a while I decided to read one book from each of the four categories. Here is my completed list with brief thoughts:

The Princess Bride by William Goldman - I'm considering this fantasy since it includes a giant, a pirate and an evil king. It was just as fun as the movie.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight trans. by J.R.R. Tolkien - a folktale in connection with King Arthur. This poetic epic was my favorite.
The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White - another folktale about King Arthur that I adored.
A Wonder Book by Nathaniel Hawthorne - a book of reworked mythology I enjoyed with my children.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall edit. by Kate Bernheimer - a compilation of essay from famous women writers about the fairy tales they love and hate.

I still plan to read A Midsummer Night's Dream but not in time to count for this challenge. I want to refresh my heart of its magic before seeing it performed in celebration of my 15th wedding anniversary next month. Yes, I am one lucky lady.

P.S. Thanks Carl once again for a fun and enlightening challenge.

Review: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Women Writers Explore Their Favorite Fairy Tales
Edited by Kate Bernheimer

This compilation of essays by some of today's most talented women writers has something for anyone who loves or hates fairy tales. There is critical academia, poetry and a lot of autobiography. Some of the essays are long and some are quite short. Most are written from a feminist prespective. What I liked most about it was the last essay. While Terri Windling's writing presents her abusive background, she spins it into a positive and empowering example of making a happily ever after from where ever you come from. It was a good book to finish up the Once Upon a Time II Challenge with.

Review: Admit One

Admit One: A Journey Into Film
by Emmett James

I've just finished reading a Review Copy of the humorous and reflective memoir of actor Emmett James and his fascination with film. The book is laid out is a very pleasing style with plenty of white space for ease of reading. The chapter titles are the titles of well known movies that reflect in some way the contents encased within. I am impressed with the quality of the presentation of this book.

As for the inside, I liked what I read for the most part. Mr. James can write and is funny and self-effacing. It is clear he is in his 30s and living in LA, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I am also in my 30s and grew up near LA. It felt very familiar to me as the type of humor and storytelling that I myself indulge in. I could have done without some of the language and the Lap Dancing chapter but it was not horrible or even uncomfortable. I have worked as a extra in a few TV shows (Power Rangers and Sweet Valley High) and a particularly bad gangster movie starring Martin Sheen so I am mildly familiar with how Hollywood works. The scenes described within the book, while possibly ridiculous, are entirely possible. There are probably millions of stories like these to be shared all over the streets of LA.

I'd like to thank online publicist Lisa Roe for offering me this book to review and Emmett James for sending me an autographed copy. I enjoyed Admit One very much.

The Sunday Salon

I have been looking forward to summer break for the last two months. I dare say the kids have also. We can all put our school books away and pick up books of a more relaxing nature. Thanks to a very generous Book Fairy I am well stocked for the next month or three. In the last 10 days I have acquired the following:

Evening by Susan Minot
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
The Song of Hiawatha by Longfellow
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
Saturday by Ian McEwan
A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton
A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander
The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
Admit One by Emmett James

That's quite a stack! I'm working my way through Mirror, Mirror on the Wall to finish up the Once Upon a Time Challenge and I already started Admit One. On top of these I have three books from the library: The Venetian Mask, Shakespeare: the World as Stage, and a compilation of the top works of Carson McCullers. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the choices, but excited. Most definitely excited.

One-Word Meme

A One-Word Meme (well, mostly)

You’re feeling: lazy
To your left: cocoa
On your mind: nap
Last meal included: French Toast
You sometimes find it hard to: not complain
The weather: hot
Something you have a collection of: fairies
A smell that cheers you up: strawberries
A smell that can ruin your mood: burnt breakfast
How long since you last shaved: Wednesday
The current state of your hair: messy (as usual)
The largest item on your desk/workspace (not computer): quilt
Your skill with chopsticks: adequate
Which section you head for first in a bookstore: bargain
Something you’re craving: chocolate peanut butter ice cream
Your general thoughts on the presidential race: yawn
How many times have you been hospitalized this year: 0
Favorite place to go for a quiet moment: outside
You’ve always secretly thought you’d be a good: ballerina
Something that freaks you out a little: heights
Something you’ve eaten too much of lately: Black Bean and Goat Cheese Enchiladas
You have never: been to Europe
You never want to: eat snails

Hat tip to Palm Tree Pundit.
Everyone is welcome to join the fun. Let me know if you answer this meme. I'd love to see your responses.

Booking Through Thursday - Clubbing

Have you ever been a member of a book club? How did your group choose (or, if you haven’t been, what do you think is the best way to choose) the next book and who would lead discussion?

Do you feel more or less likely to appreciate books if you are obliged to read them for book groups rather than choosing them of your own free will? Does knowing they are going to be read as part of a group affect the reading experience?

I started a Book and Movie group this year. I wanted it to be a voluntary and equitable process so the members who are able choose a month to host a book. They offer 2 or 3 book options, then the group votes for the book they are most interested in. Then the host runs the show, sometimes with my help, sometimes without.

As for my appreciation, I prefer to read a book for myself before I find out what others have gotten from it. I don't want my mind to be influenced before I've had an opinion of my own. But afterward I greatly enjoy to hear about the experiences of others. These can deepen my appreciation of a work without prejudicing my initial conceptions. This holds true whether I'm hearing someone else's views or watching a movie adaptation.

Review:The Sword in the Stone

The Sword in the Stone
by T.H. White

If ever a book was destined to made into a Disney movie this book is it. It was funny and corny in the same way that the Disney version is. I haven't seen the movie in a long time but there are scenes that popped into my head as I read them and made me smile. All the humor and fun were a pleasure to read. It starts to feel sluggish about 200 pages in but in the end it is all brought back together beautifully.

More than telling a story about the beginnings of King Arthur, I think this book was a treatise about the importance of learning. The Wart could not have become King Arthur without all that he had learned from Merlyn, no matter how silly or boring the reader may find it. Here is a quote that I think encapsulates this message perfectly:

"The best thing for disturbances of the spirit," replied Merlyn, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love and lose you moneys to a monster, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then-to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the poor mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the thing for you."

I happen to agree with that. And I offer my recommendation of this book to anyone 10 and older.

48 Hour Challenge Completed

The Finish Line

I am glad it is over because it became clear rather early on that I wasn't going to do very well. A 48 hour reading binge doesn't bode well with running a family, especially when the brunt of the reading is to take place on my busiest chore day. My husband did help a bit when he took all the kiddos to the movies to see Ironman. Despite this most wonderful of reprieves I only read 273 pages divided between two books. I mistakenly thought the last 100 pages of The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery would be a breeze to finish. Those 100 pages ended up taking me 4 hours. That's slow even by my standards. The rest of my frequently interrupted time was put into T.H. White's The Sword in the Stone. I have another 100 pages to finish it. If we combine the two books together I can safely say I read 1 book. Disappointing. On the bright side, maybe I'll win a booby prize for being the biggest loser. =)

Review: The Story Girl

The Story Girl

by L.M. Montgomery

Sara Stanley is a girl with the power to draw her listeners in. She can make you feel the stories she tells, not just hear them. For one particular summer Sara joins all her cousins and a couple of extra friends on Prince Edward Island to spend their days in frolicking and learning about the world around them, and to hear the Story Girl do what she does best.

I started this book a few years ago but I put it aside as boredom with the storyline set in. While I'm glad to finally have finished it, I can't say I feel any differently about it. Maybe it is a difference in historical period but I didn't believe that a bunch of 13 and 14 year olds would be this unacquainted with the world. They seemed more on the level of 10 year olds to me. And there was not a lot of plot going on. I could see this book as a good choice for a young girl on summer break with no other obligations. It is a good alternative to a summer in front of the TV.

This is my first completion for the Wind-Up Book Chronicle. Yay! I'm happy to pass it on to my daughter who is just about the right age.

48 Hour Book Challenge Begins

Mother Reader is once again hosting the 48 Hour Book Challenge starting today. If you'd like to join in it's not too late. Head on over and check out the rules.

I am crossing the starting line right now, 10am my time here on the west coast. I will start with L.M. Montgomery's The Story Girl because it is a challenge book and it is one I only have about 100 pages left to finish. Completing a book early on could be a real morale booster. I'll check back in with you frequently to give progress reports. And I'll visit some of my fellow challengers when I'm able.

And now, we're off!

Review: On Chesil Beach

On Chesil Beach
by Ian McEwan

It was because of the Ravenous Reader's well written review giving this audio book high marks that I had it rushed to me from the library. What a treat! It was everything she promised it would be. I could hardly do a better job of reviewing it myself so I encourage you to follow the link.

In essence, this book is about the honeymoon night of Florence and Edward, a young couple very much in love but with very different ideas about what will happen on their first night of married life. Edward has patiently waited to be with Florence and is anxious to experience the next step but Florence is downright repulsed at the idea of s*x. What happens on this night will affect the rest of their lives.

This novel is so beautifully written. Every little detail in it serves a purpose and brings the reader along to the final destination. The characters are memorable and sympathetic. Every part of it is believable. And listening to the author read his own work was a joy indeed. If you can get your hands on this audio it is well worth the trouble. The interview at the end is helpful in explaining the development process and the exact mood and how it was all masterfully put together.

If anyone had told me that one of my favorite books would have a heavy war theme I would have looked sceptically at them. If they had told me that I'd feel the same way about a book dealing so heavily with s*x I'd have laughed nervously. Yet Atonement and On Chesil Beach are certainly favorites. If Mr. McEwan can make these two themes appealing to me then he has some kind of magic. I anxiously await the two other books I've already ordered: Saturday and Amsterdam.

Review: Chronicles of Avonlea

Chronicles of Avonlea
by L.M. Montgomery

It was four years ago that my thoughtful husband gifted me the entire Anne of Green Gables series for my birthday. Before that I had not read the books or been at all familiar with the story. When I finished the first Anne book I was in love but also a bit miffed that no one had told me about Anne. She would have been a bosom friend and may have encouraged a reading lifestyle in my childhood. I know that many of you have experienced this same affection.

Along with the Anne series, I received two books of short stories: Chronicles of Avonlea and Further Chronicles of Avonlea. I am only just now reading these. I know. Shame on me.

But shame on me still more for what I am about to say. Chronicles of Avonlea was boring. The stories are so familiar. Some of them are almost exact replicas of stories from the Green Gables set. All the stories are drippy and sentimental. I would have loved them as a child but as an adult, well, they lose their luster. They feel tired. There were not enough original, interesting stories to carry me through. I still love Anne with all my heart but Avonlea can be retired to the shelves of a younger generation.

The Sunday Salon

I have a major literary crush on Ian McEwan after listening to him read On Chesil Beach this afternoon. Wow! I am in awe. This being the second of his novels that I have read and fallen in love with, the first being Atonement, I am now ready to buy everything he's written. Watch for a review this week.

McEwan is not the only author I have devoured this week. I also finished The Namesake, Chronicles of Avonlea, The Woman Who Wouldn't, and The Wednesday Sisters. Whew! It adds up to 7 books read in the month of May, which for me is phenomenal. I hope I can keep up that kind of average through the summer.