Review: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
by Susanna Clarke

After a year of on-again/off-again effort I have finally done it. I have finished reading the 846 page monster that is Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Hallelujah!

"Two magicians shall appear in England. The first shall fear me; the second shall long to behold me; the first shall be governed by thieves and murderers; the second shall conspire at his own destruction; the first shall bury his heart in a dark wood beneath the snow, yet still feel its ache; the second shall see his dearest possession in his enemy's hand..."

It sounds interesting huh? And it comes with many accolades from critics and bloggers alike. The book is a complete history of the make believe world of magical 1800s England. Susanna Clarke did a thorough job of making this world of hers seem like it was based on something real. The characters are caricatures but that's what makes them lovable.

But the huge size of it could certainly be a turn off. If you are looking for something that will keep you on the edge of your seat or be compelling enough to keep you interested for the entire 850 pages you will be disappointed. It moves very slowly, developing the magicians' relationship with each other over a ten year period. But the characters and the history is so well developed that if you can stick it out you will be rewarded near the end with suspense and the remorse one feels when a book is over. The best way to handle it is in small steady mouthfuls. I read 2 chapters a night and was amazed by my progress. Each chapter or two is a little story unto itself making this way of reading much easier. It lets you progress without getting too bored with the pace.

It was a perfect fit for finishing off the RIP III Challenge which ends today. Ah, just in the nick of time. And it is another title crossed off the Wind-Up Book Chronicle Challenge. Very satisfying.

Buy this book from Amazon.

Writing Advice from Jayne Pupek

Largehearted Boy posted an article about author Jayne Pupek's diverse playlist of music to accompany her debut novel Tomato Girl. With the approach of NaNoWriMo I too have created a playlist as inspiration for my own writing. But one needs more than a few songs to create a good story. With this in mind I asked Jayne Pupek for some writing advice I could use and share with my readers. Here is her list of 10 important things aspiring writers should know:

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1. Writers write. That's what we do. While inspiration certainly plays a role, I think discipline and hard work matter more. It's important to love the work of words and storytelling. It's also important to show up regularly to do the work. A nurse doesn't wait for the urge to care for a sick person before he or she administers medicine or changes a bandage. I've never understood why writers sometimes believe that inspiration has to strike before they can write. I think that's a myth that results in wasted opportunities.

2. Read everything. Good storytellers usually love to read or hear other good stories. As a writer, it's important to see what works and what doesn't, and there's no better place to begin than by reading what others have written. While the goal isn't simply to imitate, we can learn rhythms, patterns, and techniques from other writers. How do writers grab the reader's attention? How do they develop believable characters? How do they handle points of view? How is tone established? So much can be learned from reading.

3. No excuses. This is related to #1. I often hear people say that they'd love to write, but they don't have a quiet place at home or can't find the time. Stephen King balanced a child's desk on his knees and wrote in that position. Raymond Carver used to leave his house and go write in the car to find the quiet he needed. If you want to write, you'll find a way. No one said it would be easy.

4. Keep a Moleskin handy. Sometimes the best ideas come when you're in line at the market or waiting at the dentist. I keep a Moleskin notebook with me at all times so that I can write a few notes to remember the idea when I get back to my laptop.

5. Seek out someone objective. It's difficult for a writer to be truly objective about his or her work. It's often just as hard for a friend or family member to be objective. Find people who are willing to be honest about your work. Maybe consider an online critique group or enroll in a workshop for writers.

6. Welcome rejection letters. No sane person likes rejection. Unfortunately, rejection letters are just part of the process. As much as possible, try to remember that all writers receive them. Even J.K. Rowling received them.

7. Focus on the writing, not the publishing. While it may be your goal to publish, the writing should always matter most and come first. Publishing is a business. Writing is an art. They marry at some point, but I think a common mistake is for the new writer to focus too much and too soon on getting published.

8. When you are finally ready to publish, be persistent and determined. It's easy to get discouraged, but that's when you really have to believe in yourself and be tenacious.

9. Consider keeping an idea file to ward off bouts of writer's block. Ideas can come from any where--the news, other books, postcards, poems, dreams, etc. Because fear of the blank page can immobilize a writer, collecting ideas and keeping them in a folder or box assures a writer of always having a place to begin.

10. Be kind to yourself and others. Writing is solitary work and sometimes difficult. It's important to take good care of yourself and to help others on this journey.

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We Have a Winner!

And the winner is....

Sheri from Bookopolis!

Yay for you Sheri. And thank you to everyone who entered the contest. I have a nice big list of interesting books to choose from for the next few months. Some of these books were already on my TBR stack or my wishlist. Others I need to look into. Two I've already had the pleasure(Vida Winter is fabulous and with a name like Mularkey who could forget her?). Here are some of your favorite characters:

• Esme Lennox from The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
• Duncan Wagner in A Jolly Good Fellow
• almost every character in The Book Thief
• Luzia from The Seamstress
• Sarah Carrier from The Heretic's Daughter
• Juana la Loca in The Last Queen
• Tambu from Nervous Conditions
• "Narrator" in the The Gargoyle
• Marianne from The Gargoyle
• Kate Mularkey from Firefly Lane
• Mary from The Other Boyeln Girl
• Vida Winter from The Thirteenth Tale
• Chloe in The Summoning
• Enzo the dog and narrator from The Art of Racing in the Rain
• Chloe from Becoming Chloe
• the monster at the end of The Monsters Of Templeton
• Alice from Living Dead Girl
• Olivia Bean from Inside Out Girl

Giveaway: Tomato Girl

Jayne Pupek, the author of the emotional but satisfying Tomato Girl (see my review here) has offered to send an autographed copy to one of my lucky readers. You definitely want to participate in this one. Tomato Girl was a great read with one of the most lovable characters ever; that is, I just wanted to pull her into my arms and promise to love her forever. To enter this contest just leave a comment telling me about the most memorable character you've come across in a book this year. Don't forget to tell us all the name of the book. :) I'll pick a winner sometime next Wednesday, Oct. 29th. Be sure I can contact you when you win.

The Sunday Salon (or Monday Salon)

Goodness! Where have I been? I've been around but school and family have kept me busy. Reading too. I finished the Barnes and Noble First Look book, The Believers by Zoe Heller. And thank heavens too. I didn't like it. And now I must discuss it for the next 4 weeks in the book club forums. Maybe dissecting it will bring understanding. I've also been steadily working through Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell at two chapters a day as planned. I've found it to be the perfect pace for this book. I will have it completed by the end of the month. Yay!

I am now trying to decide what I should read next. I will be busy in Nov. with NaNoWriMo. Should I read something related to writing? Should I read a couple of ARCs to get them out of the way? Should I pick up something that I've been looking forward to for a while before all my reading time is taken up with writing? Hmmm. I hate making decisions. I really should read The 19th Wife as I am participating in a TLC Blog Tour in Nov. It has been on my TBR pile for a couple of months now. Okay, I've talked me into it. =)

The Sunday Salon

Am I totally unable to stick with a plan or what? As soon as I hit the post button on last week's TSS post I changed my reading plans. I realised that if I read two chapters a day from Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell then I can finish it by the end of the month, which will allow me to count it toward two reading challenges. I've also been reading at least one chapter a day from A Fine and Private Place. I set aside the Reading Like a Professor book and the poetry. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

But this week there will be no changing of plans. I received a review copy of The Believers, the newest novel by Zoe Heller, for the Barnes and Noble First Look Book Club. I have one week to read before the discussion begins next Monday. This will be my first time participating and I am excited.

I wanted to say a great big thank you to everyone who reads this blog. THANK YOU!! And especially for those who let me know they stopped in by leaving a comment. If you've left a comment in the last month you are now linked in my sidebar. Not linked? You know what to do.

One last thing before I sign out, Jayne Pupek has offered a copy of her amazing book Tomato Girl to one lucky reader of Educating Petunia. Look for giveaway information sometime this week. And have a great one.

NaNoWriMo Begins Soon

National Novel Writing Month, or nanowrimo for you cool folks, is only a few short weeks away. Starting Nov. 1st I will be starting the insanity; a month long quest to write the Great American Novel, or at least 50,000 words of it. Sound interesting? Click on over and sign up. Then come back and let me know so I can cheer you on.

In preparation I will be doing a little writing from prompts. There are some great photo prompts at A Thousand Words. Or I may dip into a couple of books: Writing Without the Muse and The Writer's Idea Book. Anyone interested in joining me?

Review: Tomato Girl

Tomato Girl
by Jayne Pupek

I was very fortunate to win a free copy of Tomato Girl from a blog giveaway at Bermudaonion's. The book looked like a good one so I didn't waste much time getting to it. And it was good but it wasn't easy. I have never been so mad at fictional characters since reading Anna Karenina.

Ellie is our 11 year old protagonist. She is the only child of a mentally disturbed mother and a cheating father. Poor Ellie only partially understands what is going on around her and is totally unable to do anything about it. As the mother of an 11 year old daughter, at first I thought Ellie didn't ring true but as I continued to read and to understand the circumstances of Ellie's existence I could see that it was entirely within reason for a child this age to contain the paradigm of childishness/maturity that she had. The reader, being an adult acquainted with the pains of this world, is forced to be as powerless as Ellie, observing helplessly as her parents spiral out of control, destroying their family and the innocence of their daughter all in one fell swoop.

How many times did I fight back tears? How many times did I put the book aside for fear of the inevitable? How many times did I want to pull my own daughter into my arms and promise to never put my selfish desires above her needs? But thank heavens for the ending. It was perfect.

Jayne Pupek told a heartrending story masterfully. I am left feeling cleansed. If there is ever another story about Ellie I will be the first in line to buy it. She is a character I will not easily forget.

Buy this book from Amazon.

The Sunday Salon

It has been an unusually busy week for me. Braces, horse riding lessons and a visit from Nana kept me running around like a crazy woman. Despite my schedule I did get two books read: Blankets and Tomato Girl. Their reviews will be up this week.

For the upcoming week I think I will concentrate on challenge books. I will finish up How to Read Literature Like a Professor for the for the Wind-Up Book Chronicle and A Fine and Private Place for the RIP III Challenge. I'll also be thumbing through Poems Bewitched and Haunted from the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets collection. Should be fun.

Review: The Icy Hand

The Icy Hand

by Chris Mould

There is a new series of books out for the 10 year old crowd. It's called Something Wickedly Weird. The first 2 books in the series were released this past week: The Wooden Mile and The Icy Hand. It has been compared to The Series of Unfortunate Events, though I would say it's just a touch younger or maybe for the reluctant reader. My family read the second book, The Icy Hand, in a couple of days. Here's my thoughts on it:

Stanley Buggles just inherited an old mansion from his Great Uncle Bart, a Navy Admiral lost at sea. But there is a secret treasure that comes with the estate that brings a curse with it. Stanley, with the help of a neighbor girl, a housekeeper, Uncle Bart's ghost and a talking fish must find a way to keep the treasure out of the hands of dead pirates.

For me, the story was more fun than creepy, which could work well if your child likes adventure stories but can be sensitive to scariness. The pace seems mellow at times despite its small size and how much is really packed into it. The artwork is awesome. There are pictures on every page and a few full page spreads. I think this series would be great for kids just getting into reading, anywhere from 6 to 10 years old. The second book says it's fine as a stand alone but I would recommend starting with the first one.

Buy The Wooden Mile from Amazon.
Buy The Icy Hand from Amazon.