Hiatus

A quotation come to mind right now as I post this from one of my favourite novels (and movies), Sense and Sensibility, from that overbearing but delightful codger Mrs. Jennings:  "Ah, Pooter.  Still alive, I see."  Replace Pooter the parrot with Teacher/Learner the blogger and there you have the initial reaction you must have had upon seeing this post on your Google Reader after nearly three months of no posts.

I have had a wonderful (though exhausting) time teaching a grade 1/2 class for the past 10 weeks and am happy to report that I will be continuing in the same position with a new group of students from September to May.  That means that book blogging during the school year will be very limited.

I don't want to say goodbye or even farewell but I will, to be fair to all who come here (and I miss your comments, your posts & your literary kinship), I am announcing that I will have to take a hiatus from book blogging.  My posts will be sporadic for the next year or so.  I will likely have to bow out of reading challenges (as much as it pains me to) and will have to make time to read in the real world when I have the time, energy, and love to do so.

I sure hope that I can return to this world.  It has rekindled a love of reading in me that I hope will continue as I enter a much more demanding workforce.

Thank you all for your support and well wishes :)

"Crazybusy" Work Just Got "Crazybusier" & Here's Why!

I had a successful job interview two days ago and am starting a full-time, long-term teaching job from Monday until the last day of school (a far cry from an average of 3 substitute teaching days a week!), so this is just a fair warning that my blog activity will be sufficiently curtailed for the next 10 weeks. 

I will try my best to get caught up on my reviews, but I don't expect I will have the time to post Monday memes or visit and comment on all your progress and wonderful reading material :(

I whole-heartedly promise to be back full throttle in the summer.  Thanks for your patience & please know that I am still around...just a bit busy in the non-virtual world at the moment :D

Happy reading as always!

A Quick Monday Check-In

It's been a crazybusy (I say it in one breath, so I'm inventing a new word--it definitely should exist, right?) work week and I have a job interview tomorrow!  *Crosses fingers*

I'm still reading The Count of Monte Cristo, which at 1100 pages and change isn't going to finish anytime soon (I'm at page 250).  I was hoping to catch up on my backlog of reviews...*was* being the keyword since I haven't done any yet for the month of April!...so here's hoping that will happen this week.  Or I might have to dip into something shorter that I can finish and get my reading groove back on.  I wouldn't say I'm in a slump exactly...more like a sleep :D

Enjoy your week :)

March Wrap-Up & Missed Monday Meme

Work has been very busy this week, so here's a quick update while I'm thinking on it:

BOOKS READ IN MARCH:  (4)
Contact- Carl Sagan
Persuasion- Jane Austen
The Eyre Affair- Jasper Fforde
Coraline- Neil Gaiman

REVIEWS IN MARCH:  (3)
Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte
Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen DeGeneres
11/22/63- Stephen King

And now for the (belated) Monday meme:

Read This Week:  (1)
Coraline- Neil Gaiman
I loved his use of language and the mood he created was eerie and fascinating.  Some of the story was a bit "meh" for me.  I think I would have liked it better if I had the opportunity to read it as a child.

Currently Reading:  (2)
The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas
Technically a re-read this time with an unabridged edition.

My Life- Bill Clinton

Reviews This Week:
11/22/63- Stephen King

Next to Read:
It will probably be a week or two before I can finish Count of Monte Cristo, so I won't decide that now and let spontaneity take over :)

11/22/63- Stephen King



Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  2011
Pages:  849
ISBN:  9781451627282
Genre:  Historical Fiction, Thriller

Started:  Jan. 11, 2012
Finished:  Jan. 30, 2012 (20 days)

Where Found:  Xmas 2011 gift
Why Read:  It's the latest Stephen King book...um, do I need any other reason? ;)

Read For:  What's in a Name 5 Challenge--Something on the Calendar (1/6)

Summary:  A high school English teacher in 2011 steps through a time travelling portal to 1958 with the intent of rewriting history by intervening in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Review:

Marketed as a reimagining of the socio-political day the music died, November 22, 1963, you may be surprised to find that the assassination and events leading up to the shots fired from the Book Depository in Dallas, Texas with suspicions surrounding the grassy knoll plays a supporting role.  The story is more about the butterfly effect: how a single decisive event leads to countless outcomes in unfathomable ways.

The book is highly ambitious with a seamless transition from 2011 to 1958 where Jake's journey begins.  He discovers other tragedies and problems that he has the influence to change for the better...as long as he doesn't inadvertently change the outcomes of other people's fate.  Cultural, political, and social atmosphere is tweaked for historical accuracy in such a way that contemporary readers who may not have lived during that time (including yours truly) can get a close-up glance of attitudinal contrasts between past and present.

I really enjoyed where the story went and wasn't at all disappointed that the story of Lee Harvey Oswald and JFK's assassination blended into the background as Jake's imprint on other, fictional characters' fates made up most of the book.  His relationship with Sadie was a lovely touch and just how (if he even can) prevent the assassination against the obstinate nature of time and space keeps you guessing.

It was written in a way that stretched the scope of what constitutes a Stephen King novel, often to the point of forgetting that he wrote it, much in the way I thought of Bag of Bones.  I was impressed with it for very different reasons than other books of his I've read and reviewed, and I would count it as a definite must-read.  The Green Mile still remains my favourite King book with Bag of Bones, Different Seasons, and Carrie up there as well, but this is one fine addition to his catalogue.

Rank:  (A)- Excellent, Highly Recommend

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey.

Read This Week:  (1)
The Eyre Affair- Jasper Fforde
Wow, this was one awesome ride!  So unique.  Can't wait to review it...but it'll be backlogged.

Currently Reading:  (3)
The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas
After loving the abridged edition (not knowing it was abridged until finishing it!), I'm reading the full version.

Coraline- Neil Gaiman
I took this to work as the above book is too heavy to lug around.  Intriguing so far.  Liked the movie.

My Life- Bill Clinton


Reviews This Week:
None :(

Next to Read:
I'm probably covered for the next week, probably two.  I need to catch up on my reviews...


Have a great week of reading...and everything else, of course :)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey.

Read This Week:  (1)
Persuasion- Jane Austen (A)
Loved it :)  I'm officially hooked on Jane Austen.  It goes to show how timeless her work is.

Currently Reading:  (2)
The Eyre Affair- Jasper Fforde
It's quite a world to settle into at first but now that I'm used to it, it's getting good!

My Life- Bill Clinton
New goal:  Finish this book by my 50th birthday :D  Just kidding...I just need to read a chunk at a time and I should be able to (finally) finish it.

Reviews This Week:  (1)
Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen DeGeneres (B)

Next to Read:
No idea...I'll keep my options open & go with what jumps out at me first :)

I also posted about joining the Classics Club this week and you can view my TBR list for this 5-year challenge.  Thanks again Jillian for hosting :)


Have a great week of reading, everyone!

I'm Joining the Classics Club!

Jillian @ A Room of One's Own has created a fantabulous (don't you just love that word?) challenge of sorts called the Classics Club.  The basic idea is to read 50 or more books within 5 years from joining up, post a list, link up your review of the book to your list, and post your virtual happy dance comment at the Club when you accomplish your goal.

In looking at my lifetime TBR list, I have come to two conclusions:

1)  I had better live to be at least age 100 to get through them all and then catch up on what I've missed on since ;)

2)  I have a boatload of classics on my list, because I am smitten with them.

I have made a list of 50 as an initial goal, including classics I'm planning on getting to this year for reading challenges and some re-reads.  I have over 250 (!) classics on my TBR list but I really need to
clear off my shelves before I can make room for more...*she says* :)

Visit my Classics Club TBR 5-Year List for my choices.

Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen DeGeneres

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  2011
Pages:  241
ISBN:  9780446585026
Genre:  Humour, Memoir

Started: Jan. 9, 2012
Finished:  Jan. 11, 2012 (3 days)

Where Found:  Xmas 2011 gift
Why Read:  I love the fun energy of her show, and I wanted to see how that came through in her book.

Read For:  Mixing It Up Challenge--Journalism/Humour (1/16)

Summary:  The queen of daytime talk chimes in on current social issues, the randomness of life, and general Ellenish things :)

Review:

Is there anyone else you think of first when you hear the name Ellen?  Well, I guess not if your mom or grandma or sister or best friend is named Ellen...But you get the idea :)  Ellen DeGeneres is simply known as Ellen to millions of fans who tune in to her talk show for a guaranteed cure of the blues and blahs.

*SPOILER ALERT*

(HILARITY TO ENSUE IN THIS PARAGRAPH!)

Her book is written in short spurts that tell stories, like the hilarious time she sat on a fork, used the intercom at home to find the cat, and was asked to not eat almonds in a casino (um, okay...why, exactly?), and offer insight on issues such as common courtesy, self-care, and socialization.  There are bits just for fun like a letter to mall security which made me howl, translating a teenager's text message, a cut-off sentence from passing out in a sauna (now that's silly...since when does anyone do that?  Is it me or is it really hot in h--).  There's even a pros and cons list that covers reasons why you should (and shouldn't)...or maybe that should be would (and wouldn't)...or could (and couldn't)--sorry, I digress--read this book.  And there's colouring pages for the kiddies, though I admit to doodling in some myself :)  There are even lessons to be learned, such as "What is the secret of life?" The answer: Hale.  And linguistics: Haiku sounds like a friendly greeting to someone named Ku. "Hi, Ku!"  And English literature as she quoted from Jane Eyre.  That was eerie for me as I had just finished reading it when I started Ellen's book.  Oooooh...

I imagine that the audiobook is probably more entertaining given her keen ability to structure and pace jokes for optimum hilarity.  And hearing her read her own material has got to be fun.  But all in all, her book is a fun, cute escape for a day when, to quote the Bruno Mars song, "I just don't feel like doing anything."

Rank:  (B)- Good

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey.

Today is the first day of March Break and the weather is gorgeous!  Sitting on the back porch with a book in the sunshine can't be too far off...*ahhh*


Read This Week:  (1)
Contact- Carl Sagan
This one really picked up in the last third.  Sagan has a knack for making the potentially mundane exciting.  Review coming soon.


Currently Reading: (2)
Persuasion- Jane Austen
Enjoying it so far (that was to be expected).

My Life- Bill Clinton
Haven't touched this one in some time.  I'll finish it eventually. I just have to be in the mood.


Next to Read:
I'm really looking forward to The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, so I'll probably dive into it next.


Reviews This Week:
Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte (A)
...I'm behind by 7...

I also posted my February wrap-up...a week late.  Oops!

Hope the winter blahs are officially behind us now.  Spring feels so close.  Speaking of which, did you remember to set your clocks ahead an hour?

February Wrap-Up Post

The following is a transcript from an actual conversation with myself in my head:

ME:  You know, today is March 8th.
MYSELF:  *checks date on watch* Yes, it is.
ME:  I should probably post a February wrap-up post.
MYSELF:  *scratches head*  But, I thought you did?!
ME:  No, I don't think so.  I've been behind on reviews and I posted a couple of those in the last couple of weeks but no, I don't think I got around to a February wrap-up.
MYSELF:  *scrolls through Blogger post history*  You're right.
ME:  Boy, Myself, you really have a knack for doing actions in between asterisks
MYSELF:  *tries to cover up fact that I'm blushing*

Okay...enough of that.  I feel like I have a split personality...or an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other like in cartoons.  I really don't.  I just have a very wacky sense of humour.

Read:  (4)
The Girl Who Played With Fire- Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest- Stieg Larsson
Pygmalion- George Bernard Shaw
Shameless Explotation in Pursuit of the Common Good- Paul Newman & A.E. Hotchner

Reviews:  (2)
Life Itself- Roger Ebert (B)
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret- Judy Blume (A)

Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  1847
Length:  352 pages
ISBN:  9781441412645
Genre:  Classic

Started:  Jan. 1, 2012
Finished Date:  Jan. 8, 2012 (8 days)

Where Found:  Book Depot
Why Read:  On my TBR list

Read For:  Back to the Classics Challenge--19th Century Classic (1/9) and Mixing It Up Challenge--Classic (1/16)

Summary:  An orphan girl named Jane Eyre comes of age after a miserable childhood raised by a wretched aunt, schooled in a decrepit education system, settling into her role as a governess for a girl under the care of the rough-edged Mr. Rochester.

Review:

Jane Eyre is considered one of the greatest gothic novels ever written.  To give you an idea, it reminded me of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca meets Jane Austen (though the book was published a good 30 years after Austen's work, it has similar social formalities, though you notice the characters have a more relaxed language and use some familiar slang).

Jane's life is presented in stages, from her childhood with the Reeds, a family that doesn't want her and makes her miserable; Lowood, a school that doesn't want her and makes her even more miserable; Thornfield, where she finds her greatest happiness despite the sharp moods of Mr. Rochester; and the small family she encounters that brings her life around full circle.

When it came to the characters, I didn't really like Jane until she came to Thornfield.  Mind you, I did sympathize with her situation as a child but I think once she grew into herself, she became a stronger, better character, and I found her more admirable as a governess and teacher.  Her friendship with Helen Burns at Lowood was touching, given the rest of her time at the school was dark and certainly makes me appreciate the school system I teach in--it may not be perfect but it beats Jane Eyre's any day!

Rochester was downright hard to like, much like du Maurier's Max de Winter, but (*SPOILER ALERT*) in the end, both end up being respectable, loving men, despite first impressions and choice words and actions.

What was a little off-putting to me were the religious hyperbole and deus ex machina coincidences occurring near the end of the book.  On the upside, it lead to an ending that I liked and added romance to the book's gothic tones.  It is thisclose (really, thisclose!) to an A+ for me but it's a smidge too overdramatic at times for me to put against my other A+s.

Great quotations:

"Make my happiness and I will make yours."

"I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on Earth."

"And as for the vague something--was it a sinister or a sorrowful, a designing or a desponding expression?--that opened upon a careful observer now and then in his eye and closed again before one could fathom the strange depth partially disclosed."

By the way, the most recent movie version is from 2011 with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender as Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester, which I saw just after finishing the book and thought it was a beautifully rendered adaptation. 

Rank:  (A)- Excellent, Highly Recommend

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret- Judy Blume

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  1970
Pages:  149
ISBN:  9780440404194
Genre:  YA, Classic

Started: Dec. 30, 2011
Finished: Dec. 30, 2011 (>1 day)

Where Found:  Xmas 2011 gift
Why Read:  A classic I missed reading in childhood.  Better late than never, right?

Summary:  A young girl entering puberty moves to a new city where she struggles to adapt to her change in surroundings and changes in herself.

Review:

So...I wondered about something that everyone who read this book years after its publication and initial controversy wondered: What exactly was controversial about this book that isn't a fact of life for young girls (always has, still is, and always will be)?  If this isn't an example of censorship going overboard, I don't know what is.

I loved reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (a character I really connected to, being a klutzy tomboyish girl) years ago and was amazed how engaging Margaret was to me as an adult reader.  I will admit that I cried when Margaret gave her teacher the letter instead of her project and she thought she had failed.  It was a beautiful piece of the story.

It was also interesting to me how Margaret explores the concept of God as a figment and not as an omniscient figure (I could see how the censorship racket would jump on that one quick-like) and the discovery of alternative ideas of thinking and feeling as she becomes her own person and not an extension of her parents, while at the same time she doesn't feel like she has a toehold on how to go about doing this with the flexible (maybe too flexible) attitudes of her parents.

I would put this book into the hands of any girl age 11 or 12, especially when questions start coming about growth and development--it would make a great gift!

Rank:  (A)- Excellent, Highly Recommend

Still Here...With Birthday Books

This has been a crazy couple of months!  I apologize for my long-winded absence.  It's the same old tired excuses--if it's not work, it's getting a bad head cold; if it's not a head cold, it's pulling something in my neck that's been niggling at me off & on for a few months (I applied heat to it last night and appear to be cured at least temporarily...wish I had thought to do that earlier!); and if it's none of the above, it's the randomness of life throwing things at you.  *Sigh*  But never fear...for I come bearing news most bookish :)

So...my progress of the past couple of weeks is thus: I finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, successfully catching me up with the rest of the world on the Millennium series.  A good end to the trilogy, though The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo remains my favourite of the three.  I've only reviewed Life Itself by Roger Ebert and have a few other reviews in the wings, so please bear with me.  I'm starting a new book today: Pygmalion, the play by George Bernard Shaw that was adapted into a movie and then later into another, more recognizable (and pronounceable) movie My Fair Lady.

And now for the birthday book loot.  My family knows me so well and got me some lovely books for me birthday (sorry...transformed into Eliza Doolittle for a second there).  And wouldn't you know it?  Some of them are for the reading challenges I'm participating in ;)

Coraline- Neil Gaiman--I liked the movie and heard all good things about the graphic novel.

On the Origin of Species- Charles Darwin--I went with the Penguin Classic cover (because it's coooool)

Persuasion- Jane Austen--I'm making this my next foray into Austen.  Can't wait!  I went with the Penguin Classics hardcover edition.  Lovely green leaves on the cover.

Cloud Atlas- David Mitchell--Have no idea what I'm getting into with this one but sounds interesting

Contact- Carl Sagan--The movie is highly underrated and so perceptive about the state of the universe and its inhabitants...you know, besides us.  Fascinating subject matter.

Last Night at Twisted River- John Irving--I loved Garp and Owen Meany, liked Cider House Rules, and am coming back for more Irving.

Shades of Grey and The Eyre Affair- Jasper Fforde--I see these on so many book blogs, curiosity kil...made the cat go out and buy the books :D

And...drumroll please...

Sense & Sensibility- Jane Austen
YES!  Am awaiting my order of the pretty pretty Penguin Classics hardcover edition.

The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas
Unfortunately the Barnes & Noble leatherbound edition isn't for sale in Canada :(   But I have the Everyman unabridged (thank goodness) one on order.  Now I can actually read the entire story!


I also got a few DVDs: 

Tangled--I think this is the best Disney "princess" movie released in ages...so fun!

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street--Ahhh....Johnny Depp.  Let's just say I pause this one a lot to enjoy the view ;)

Inception--Twisted, tangled awesomeness

Panic Room--This is one of the smartest thrillers I've ever seen.


I will try my best to get a review or two up over the weekend and get back on some kind of track.  I also hope to go back through all the posts in my Google Reader to catch up on what you've all been reading.  Wow...that'll take a while.  Must get busy...This will take a record-breaking amount of coffee.  Almost as much as Stieg Larsson's characters drink...anyone else notice that they all seem to consume "coffee and sandwiches" wherever they are?

Happy reading :)

Life Itself- Roger Ebert



Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  2011
Pages:  436
ISBN:  9780446584975
Genre:  Nonfiction, Memoir

Started: Dec. 25, 2011
Finished: Dec. 30, 2011 (6 days)

Where Found:  Xmas 2011 gift
Why Read:  I enjoy Ebert's movie reviews and more often than not agree with his opinions, and was interested in learning how he became one of the most revered movie critics worldwide.

Summary:  A reflection of childhood, his start in journalism, interests in reading, travel, memorable interviews and encounters, and his influence by and on the movies.

Review:

Roger Ebert has an inside view of the film industry unlike any other.  He isn't a filmmaker, an actor, or a studio executive, yet he is just as respected, opinionated, and central to the world of movies as those who run the cogs of the machine called Hollywood.  Ebert isn't pounding the pavement but is the one who brings it all together: he watches the finished product, scrutinizes what worked and what didn't, and makes a conclusion that millions of moviegoing public recognize as the inside scoop on the best answer to the inevitable question: "Is there anything good playing at the movies?"

Ebert has a refreshingly honest tone in his memoir, writing as if he has nothing left to prove or hide, which he readily admits when the book comes to the time when Ebert underwent treatment for thyroid and salivary gland cancer.  He starts as all good stories do from the beginning, recounting his start in journalism, encounters with both the famous, including an interview with Lee Marvin and a road trip with Robert Mitchum, but most memorably with the not-so-famous, his stay at the Eyrie Mansion, and his friendship and working relationship with Ebert's complete and utter opposite Gene Siskel.

His transition from Catholic childhood in the chapter "How I Believe in God" fascinated me most and, similarly to myself, a thankfulness for its simplest moral values of honest, kindness, and humility, but not its theology. His bibliophiliac chapter "Books Do Furnish a Room" would make a great book on its own.

The movies don't play as much of a part in this memoir as you would think, but they crop up occasionally.  This book is less about the movies and Ebert as a movie critic, and more wholistic in scope with Ebert's experiences as a journalist and a traveler.

Rank:  (B)- Very Good, Recommend

December & January Wrap-Up

So...it's been a crazy couple of months, but hopefully February will start the ball rolling for a smooth 2012.  If the past month is any indication of what the year will bring...yikes!

So...I neglected to post a wrap-up for the month of December, but maybe this will make my microscopic reading progress in January look better if I put them beside last month :D

So...*okay, that's enough of that*

DECEMBER
Read:  (4)
Bag of Bones- Stephen King (A+)
The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History- John Ortved (B)
Life Itself- Roger Ebert
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret- Judy Blume

Reviews:  (6; see 2 above)
The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas (A+)
The Old Man & the Sea- Ernest Hemingway (A)
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter- Carson McCullers (A)
It- Stephen King (A)

JANUARY
Read:  (3)
Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte
Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen DeGeneres
11/22/63- Stephen King

Reviews:  (1)
Emma- Jane Austen

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey.

Ouch, two weeks later and I've just finished one book: 11/22/63 by Stephen King.  I've had no motivation to write any reviews, either.  Is this a slump?  Well, at least I'm still reading something.  It's a reviews slump :)

Read This Week:
11/22/63- Stephen King
Wow, this was a terrific read!  It was full of unexpected threads and he works the time travel yarn (get it? Threads? Yarn?  Ha ha) so well, it makes me want to not only re-read The Time Traveler's Wife but find more books in this subgenre.  Any suggestions?

Collecting dust on the nightstand but still hanging in there:
U2 by U2- U2 (Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.)
My Life- Bill Clinton

Reviews Coming Soon (I promise):
Life Itself- Roger Ebert
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret- Judy Blume
Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte
Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen DeGeneres
11/22/63- Stephen King

Next to Read:
I'm finally going to get to The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  With the release of the movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I'd like to finish the book
series off.


Have a great week of reading :)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey.

Quick check-in post today...

Read This Week:  (1)
Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen DeGeneres
Sweet, breezy read.  Review coming soon.

Reviews This Week:
None...I'm behind again (by 4).

Currently Reading:  (3)
11/22/63- Stephen King--I love time travel stories and this one is getting good :)

U2 by U2- U2 (Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.)
My Life- Bill Clinton

Next to Read:Probably something shorter after the 800+ pages of 11/22/63 ;)


Have a great reading week :)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey.

Yay, I finished my first book of 2012!  It feels great to kick the new year off with a good one.

Read This Week:  (1)
Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte (A)
I really enjoyed this one.  It felt like Jane Austen meets Rebecca.  Review coming soon!

Reviews This Week:  (1)
Emma- Jane Austen (B)
Currently Reading:  (3)
Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen DeGeneres
Before delving into Stephen King's latest, I'm dipping into the new Queen of talk's book.

U2 by U2- U2 (Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.)
My Life- Bill Clinton

Next to Read:
11/22/63- Stephen King
I'm hoping it lives up to the hype...


Have a great week everyone :)

Emma- Jane Austen

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  1815 (mine is the Penguin Classics hardcover edition pictured here)
Pages:  474
ISBN:  9780141192475
Genre:  Classics

Started:  Dec. 14, 2011
Finished:  Dec. 24, 2011 (11 days)

Where Found:  Chapters-Indigo
Why Read:  I love Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice, so when I spotted this copy (on sale to boot!), I snatched it up.

Summary:  A young lady successful (for the most part) at matchmaking struggles to settle conflicts interfering with her own love life.

Review:

Jane Austen is definitely master of the genre comedy of manners.  She is able to weave together complex social dramas with tongue permanently implanted in cheek.  Formalities and niceties aside, there are glimpses of social situations that are just as sticky to be caught in now as they were then.

Unlike Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice, I wasn't taken with any particular character in Emma but the story is fun and lively.  I found Emma very self-involved, and not very reliable or sympathetic, whereas the turmoils of Elinor & Marianne Dashwood and Elizabeth Bennet were at the heart of the other two novels.  Oh, Knightley...I wish there had been more of him!   He was a sweet, decent character, and I liked him better than Edward Ferrars (not as stuffy) but not quite as much as Mr. Darcy or Col. Brandon.  There is always a secondary character that provides comic relief from the tense romantic plot, and in Emma, it's the bubbly, constantly talkative Miss Bates, who is just hilarious, especially how she describes everything she notices as they walk from the front door to the dining room of the Woodhouse estate, including warning the person just behind her that there is a step down from the floor!

The best moments of Emma are where mistakes are either made or fixed surrounding a person's demeanor, and the humour comes from the extremities between what was once thought and what is actually true.  Judgment, especially about a person's physical appearance, behaviour, or past, is a recurring theme in Austen's novels, and it is especially important in Emma.

Not the best of Jane Austen, but an enjoyable romp.  Dive in and enjoy :)

Some memorable quotations:

"What did she say?  Just what she ought of course.  A lady always does."

"And with all her advantages, natural and domestic, she was now in great danger of suffering from intellectual solitude."

"Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised or a little mistaken."

Rank:  (B)- Good, Recommend

Xmas Book Gifts & Monday Check-In

A weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey.

I'm baaaack!  Happy New Year!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.  Mine was lovely, as usual.  I have an additional week off work, so I get to continue the relaxation and get some reading in.  December was a slow working month for me as the weather kept everyone healthy and no one needed a substitute teacher...Left me with lots of Xmas planning time :D 

I had to go back and edit my 2011 wrap-up post as I completed 3 more books before ringing in 2012.  Reviews coming soon for:

Emma- Jane Austen
Life Itself: A Memoir- Roger Ebert
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret- Judy Blume

I'm currently reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which I'm applying to two reading challenges.  This was a "book of the year" for a few bloggers last year, so here's hoping I take to it just as well :)

Judging by the posts I've read, Santa left some great books under your tree.  Wouldn't you know it...he did at my house, too :)

11/22/63- Stephen King
Highly anticipated! This is getting mostly good reviews. I love time travel stories :) I'm hoping to get to this next.

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret- Judy Blume
A YA classic I wish I'd read back then but am so glad I did now. A beautiful little book for girls about growing up.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings- Maya Angelou
Another classic I'm finally getting around to. Isn't it a gorgeous cover?

Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck
I didn't know how slim this book is! A classic I haven't gotten around to yet and my first Steinbeck.

Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen DeGeneres
Her show is so lively and never fails to cheer me up on a bad day. Sounds fun :)

Life Itself: A Memoir- Roger Ebert
I read this in just a few days.   Some fascinating stories.  Review coming soon.

...And I previously posted about some early bookish Xmas gifts.

I also got some DVDs: Glengarry Glen Ross, Matchstick Men, and was very surprised to get a rare (at least inexpensively) copy of a terrific movie, Charade, lots of iTunes, a couple of I Spy books for my closetful of children's books (now I just need a classroom to put them in!), Burt's Bees pomegranate lip balm, Uniball pens, hand cream, chocolate, and a calendar with bulldogs (awww, they're so cute).  And I got a plaque made from this picture in the Entertainment Weekly reunions issue from one of my favourite movies:

I got it done at Staples.  It was very affordable and it turned out so well, especially considering the crease in the middle.  It's barely visible on the plaque (that's not it pictured) and looks even better than the original.

Happy New Year!  And have a great reading week :)