It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey.

It feels so good to be back on track in the reading world.  The weather has been gorgeous here the last few days after a nasty windstorm in my area that took out a number of trees and roof shingles, but *knock wood* my house wasn't affected.

Books Read This Week (2)
Rebecca- Daphne du Maurier (click title for review)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams (review coming soon)

Currently Reading (2)
The Stone Diaries- Carol Shields- for What's in a Name 4 Challenge
My Life- Bill Clinton- on hold for now

Next to Read
Night Shift- Stephen King- for Stephen King Challenge- I've heard a lot about this & love Stephen King books


What are you reading?  I can't wait to catch up with everyone.  I've been feeling a bit antisocial this week, only having time to review and read.  I will definitely be more active with my comments this week :)

Rebecca- Daphne du Maurier

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  1938
Pages:  448
ISBN:  9781844080380
Genre:  Suspense/Mystery

Start Date:  April 22, 2011
Finished Date:  May 4, 2011 (13 days)

Where Found:  Borrowed from my mom
Why Read:  It's my mom's favourite book and I wanted to see what it was like.  It was also on my TBR list.

Summary:  A young, impressionable woman is swept off her feet by a rich older man who brings her home to his estate, Manderley, where she feels compared to and less favourable than his dead first wife, Rebecca.

Review:

There is something charming about a story set in England, even if it is a mystery shrouded in deceit and deception like Rebecca.  The language is so crisp and the characters so familiar that it feels as if you have known this book and are instantly drawn to its story.  Nothing is ever quite what it seems and it becomes so complicated that trust is a slippery slope for the reader.  Characters make decisions that are awkward, cringeworthy, even shocking.  What is most fascinating about the plot is how little actually happens but what does occur is presented with such depth and analysis that you sometimes forget how isolated and small the story actually is.

The story moves along at a somewhat slow pace but very soon, things begin piling up and every occasion has a hint to consider in solving the mysteries of the Manderley household, both past and present.  I especially enjoyed Beatrice and her down-to-earth wit.  She cracked me up and really let the tension of the story subside when she visited.  Of course, Max de Winter cannot help but be considered rather partriarchal and overprotective, but then again, the new Mrs. de Winter is quite naive and often completely unaware of what she got herself into.  This may shock those of you who have read Rebecca or seen the Alfred Hitchcock movie (being a huge fan, I'm saddened to say that I haven't yet watched the movie, though I highly intend to), Mrs. Danvers was not quite as villainous as I expected her to be...at least from the onset.  After a certain *ahem* wardrobe malfunction in the story is when I really loathed her.  Now don't get me wrong...I didn't ever find her likeable, but she didn't come across as the essential villain either.  I think the unconventionality of her as an antagonist was clever and added to the deception of the story.  As for the title character, the first Mrs. de Winter was mysterious, powerful, and literally drop dead gorgeous...what could ever be wrong with her?! :D

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely re-read it to catch all of the subtle nuances that I missed prior to the very surprising twist (or two...or maybe it was three?).  I would highly recommend it to mystery lovers and literature lovers alike.  I've never really been able to say this about any other book I've reviewed (though not to say it isn't true about many other books), but it is universally appealing, timeless, and very few books have a literary style comparable to Daphne du Maurier.

If you have read du Maurier before, I would love some further recommendations.  I'm interested in Jamaica Inn and My Cousin Rachel.  Are they just as good?  Better?  Worse?  Please advise!

Rank:  (A)- Excellent, Highly Recommend

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- J.K. Rowling

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  1998
Pages:  251
ISBN:  155192370X
Genre:  Series (Harry Potter, #2), Adventure/Fantasy

Start Date:  Apr. 15, 2011
Finished Date:  Apr. 21, 2011 (7 days)

Where Found:  Part of a birthday gift (box set of the first 3 books)
Why Read:  I intend to finish off the series by next year.  I've only read the first 3 before.

Summary:  Upon returning to Hogwarts for their second year, Harry, Ron and Hermione attempt to solve the mystery of the hidden Chamber of Secrets that somehow revolves around the cocky new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and the mysterious heir of Slytherin.

Review:

Boy, this series sure grabs hold you and doesn't let go!  I had a blast revisiting this book again.  The plot is not as creative as book #1 as there is less to learn about the workings of Hogwarts (pretty much set up in book #1) but more mysteries are revealed and the story is just getting warmed up.  Chamber of Secrets doesn't have quite the same level of excitement and wonder that the initial book of the series gave us but answers a few questions left over from The Philosopher's Stone.

I found the mystery somewhat predictable (big whoop--I'm an adult!) but at just the right level of intrigue for children to get excited and feel like detectives, keeping track of all the clues and potential suspects.  I love how the characters are becoming more distinct in their personalities, especially supporting players like Professors Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore.  And how adorable is Ginny Weasley? :)

By the end of this book, there are a few conflicts hanging in the balance, making the wait to start book #3 almost unbearable!  J.K. Rowling is obviously skilled in luring readers to continue the series by offering a tiny peek at a time into her Pandora's box.

What more can I say that hasn't already been said?

Rank:  (A)- Excellent, Highly Recommend

The Cider House Rules- John Irving

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  1985
Pages:  598 (with Author's Notes)
ISBN:  0345387651
Genre:  Literary Fiction

Start Date:  Mar. 26, 2011
Finished Date:  Apr. 15, 2011 (21 days)

Where Found:  Chapters-Indigo
Why Read:  On my TBR list and I love John Irving's work

Summary:  A naive orphan raised by a doctor who performs abortions fights against assumptions that he will carry on the doctor's practice, instead working in a cider mill where he falls in love with the fiancee of his boss's son.

Review:

It's no secret that I've been a big admirer of John Irving, having read & reviewed The World According to Garp and A Prayer For Owen Meany. Garp remains my favourite but Meany was just as fascinating. With The Cider House Rules, I expected a similar quirkiness in the characters within a family saga type of structure. There certainly were a number of creative figures at the Maine orphanage that feels like a modernized gothic setting with its nods to Dickens and Jane Eyre. I was instantly taken with the backstory of Dr. Wilbur Larch and his loyal nurses with their oppositional personalities. As for their charges, Melony was the strongest, and probably the most interesting character. Her story could have been a novel in itself. But when Homer grows into an adult and moves away from St. Cloud's, the plot takes a considerable drop and slogs through mostly inevitable events until a very busy climax takes place.

Candy and Wally are likeable characters, and their friendship with Homer, as well as the cider mill workers and all their complexities is interesting but I kept wanting to see more of the orphanage  and more of Melony's story. In short, I got bored with the cider house.  Without spoiling the story, a whirlwind of activity in the book occurs, including some deaths and some life-changing moments, seemingly happening all at once, and after that point, things look up and I actually finished  the book liking it. What was missing for me was a certain spark that the Garp and Meany books had. Homer, the main character, needed more of an edge but instead he was purposely dull and empty, leaving the supporting characters to have all the unique qualities expected of an Irving novel.

As for the subject matter, which I will not discuss as I feel socio-political topics such as these are controversial and difficult to address without offending anyone's beliefs and is not the point of reviewing this book in the first place, it was quite powerful. No angle on the issue went unrepresented. It was a brilliant way to broach the subject on Irving's part, leaving no room for accusing Irving of being on any one "side".

I would recommend the book, though I wouldn't consider it a high priority read. If you are new to John Irving, I would definitely suggest you try Garp or Meany first. In general, The Cider House Rules can be difficult to plow through but the end is (mostly) worth the journey.

Rank:  (B)- Very Good, Recommend

55 Book-Related Questions

To get me back in the swing of things after a long book blogging break, I thought I'd answer these bookish questions I found from 2 weeks ago (ugh...this is my attempt at playing catch up) @ Sarah Says.  Here goes...

1. Favorite childhood book?
Curious George, especially Curious George Goes to the Hospital.  I used to plunk myself down by the CG books in my school library and go to town :D

2. What are you reading right now?
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and My Life by Bill Clinton (plugging away occasionally for 8+ months).

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
None.  I haven't used the library in some time since my town nearly cut it in half :/

4. Bad book habit?
Creasing the spines of paperbacks.  I don't mean to (really!) but it happens naturally as I read and sometimes they're really deep.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
See #3.

6. Do you have an e-reader?
Nope.  I'm not too interested in getting one, either.  I don't have anything against them, per se, but I think nothing tops the real deal.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
Usually one at a time is all I can handle but sometimes I dip into something else if my current read isn't catching on.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Just my reading pace & the number of books!

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
Rabbit, Run by John Updike.  I finished it and liked the prose style but I found the characters very empty and the plot was almost nonexistent.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
I've been very fortunate to have read lots of amazing books so far in 2011.  If I had to choose, I would say Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  It's the most important book I've read and every book lover should read it.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Only if someone has highly recommended a book to me that is otherwise not something I would normally pick out myself.  It would have to be a really convincing recommendation ;)

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
I'm very open to most genres, fiction & nonfiction.  I love reading literary fiction, modern classics, some bone-dry classics (ha ha), biography, autobiography, even sci-fi, mystery & popular fiction if the book is right for me.

13. Can you read on the bus?
Yes and I love to!

14. Favorite place to read?
Curled up in bed or on the couch.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
I've never been asked but after a friend borrowed a DVD from me & didn't return it for a year (!), I'm a bit hesitant to do so unless I know the person very well and live near that person.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
No, I don't like the beat-up look it leaves behind.  I bookmark my spot.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Only if I'm reading the book for work or a course.

18. Not even with text books?
See #17.  Yes, I did highlight, underline or jot in the margins religiously during university.  I had to if I wanted to get anywhere with the readings!

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
I'm only fluent in English.

20. What makes you love a book?
When it's irresistible, when the story makes me think/feel/laugh/cry, when the characters feel like friends or closely relate to myself.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
When I'm asked or it comes up in conversation, I immediately think to the newest A or A+ book I've read.

22. Favorite genre?
Literary fiction.  That's a broad one, but it represents most fiction that is somewhere between populist and classic.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Science fiction.  I love the imagination that oozes out of this genre but I often think to read it last.

24. Favorite biography?
I love Kiss Me Like a Stranger by Gene Wilder, Me by Katharine Hepburn, and Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda.  Those would be considered memoirs or autobiographies, but they count, right? :)

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
I used to read Chicken Soup books in my teens but lately I feel they're mostly money-grabbers.  Not too interested.

26. Favorite cookbook?
The recipes off the box :D  I love my grandma's old recipes and Company's Coming.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen inspires youth and exuberance in the human spirit.  I also really liked A Twist of Lemmon by Chris Lemmon, which spoke eloquently about the parent-child relationship (especially father-son).

28. Favorite reading snack?
I don't normally eat while reading but anything "chocolatey" is an added bonus :)

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Probably Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.  Should have known that not liking The Corrections would foretell my dislike of Freedom.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I don't pay much attention to book critics, but I definitely do book bloggers :)  About 95% of the time I agree with the blogger's review of a book.  Sometimes you might feel differently but it's amazing how many people think similarly about a book (either positively or negatively).

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I don't have a problem with giving them.  I'm fair but firm about my opinion and I don't badmouth anyone.  I also tend to keep my C, D & DNF posts short & to the point.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
French would be glorious!  I'd love to read all the romantic writers in their original language.

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
In a good way:  The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sacks.  It was outside my comfort zone but I really enjoyed it.  In a bad way:  The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
Anything by James Joyce.  Yikes!

35. Favorite poet?
Poe, Keats, Shakespeare, Percy Shelley.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
See #3.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
I rarely did.  I would renew them to the max before that happened!  I think I might have had to return one once or twice but not often.

38. Favorite fictional character?
Is it even possible to pick just one?  Here's a top 10: Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables), Christopher (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Morag Gunn (The Diviners), Lizbeth Salander (Millennium trilogy), prot (K-PAX), Hassan (The Kite Runner), McMurphy (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), Leah (The Poisonwood Bible), Duncan Garp (The World According to Garp), Judith (Wild Geese).

39. Favorite fictional villain?
That's another tough one to single out just one favourite.  My top 10 would be:  Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs), Mr. Hyde (Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), Jim Rennie (Under the Dome), August Rosenbluth (Water for Elephants), the Warden ("The Shawshank Redemption" from Different Seasons), Annie Wilkes (Misery), Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), Percy Wetmore (The Green Mile), the cult of Gilead (The Handmaid's Tale), Jack (The Lord of the Flies), Nathan Price (The Poisonwood Bible).

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Anything I'm itching to read at the time from my TBR shelf.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
Maybe a week or a few days.  It depends on how busy work & life get :)

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
Unfortunately this happens from time to time.  The most recent was Slaughterhouse-Five, which I may pick up again some day.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Usually background noise or the TV if I'm sneaking in some reading during TV commercials (of course, I mute the sound).

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
The Shawshank Redemption, though technically that was a short story.  If you want to be from a specific novel, I would say The Green Mile, ironically both written by Stephen King.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
I found the Roman Polanski version of Macbeth very gruesome and unwatchable.  The Great Gatsby was a pretty dull movie.

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Probably between $100-$200, usually a birthday cheque ;)

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Very rarely.  I sometimes read the last sentence of the book (and to be honest, it's never been a big spoiler) but other than that, unless it's nonfiction and I'm mainly interested in a particular topic from the book, I read it from page 1, word 1 on :)

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Boring or nonexistent story, dull, uninteresting characters, not relating to a single character (especially if the preceding two points exist), having no clue what is going on with it & not wanting to find out

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Yes, I shelve my books by like authors and genres on my bookshelf, and keep my TBR books on a separate shelf & my nightstand.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I keep all my favourites, any I liked & might like to reread or refer to another time.  Any "meh" or disliked books are given away, boxed for a future garage sale, or donated to amity.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
I feel like I'm avoiding any book or author that is particularly intimidating, such as James Joyce.  Ulysses seems daunting to me.  Also, the major Russian works--War & Peace, Crime & Punishment, Anna Karenina (which I have a copy of but haven't started yet).

52. Name a book that made you angry.
I can't think of a book that made me angry in its entirety, but I have read parts of books that anger me, such as (spoilers ahead--highlight betwen the brackets to read) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Mikael pretty much abandoning Lizbeth at the end) or how Amir treats Hassan in The Kite Runner or how Mrs. Bennet demeans her unmarried daughters in Pride & Prejudice.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.  I was a bit afraid that it would be too dark & depressing but it was quirky, often delightful, and full of fascinating family lore.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Julie & Julia by Julie Powell.  I thought the movie was sweet and lots of fun, but the book was flat, not at all funny, and took itself too seriously.

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
People magazine every week :D

Monday Meme / Monthly Wrap-Up

A weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey.

FINALLY!  I'm back on track.  After three weeks with a heavy work schedule and a big side project on family genealogy, I can catch up on my reading.

Books Read in the Last 3 Weeks (2)
(Reviews coming soon)
The Cider House Rules- John Irving
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- J.K. Rowling

Currently Reading
Rebecca- Daphne du Maurier
This is my mom's favourite book and I'm borrowing her copy.  I love the descriptive prose and am intrigued so far.

Next to Read

I'll get back to my challenge books.  Probably something shorter to get my momentum back in check.

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend or Passover.  I can't wait to catch up on all the great books you've read.  Prepare for my comments to appear on old posts :D

Checking In...

This is just a quick note to say I'm still here and sorry to have disappeared this past week.  Some family & work obligations got in the way and I'm still about 200 pages away from finishing The Cider House Rules, so I may not be able to review it for another week.  My apologies also to those bloggers that I normally send comments to as I haven't read any posts this week, either :(   I'm relieved & thankful that no one has "unfollowed" me because of this absence.  Please don't leave...I'm still here...really! :D  I hope to get back on track as soon as I can.  I hope you'll fill me in on any great books you read and/or reviewed this week that I missed.

Friday Blog Hop!

A weekly meme hosted by Jennifer @ Crazy For Books.

This week's question is:

Since today is April Fool's Day in the USA, what is the best prank you have ever played on someone OR that someone has played on you?

Happy April Fools' Day!

I only remember one:  my dad was a science teacher and loves birds in particular.  It was a cold day and way too early in the season for cardinals to fly by, but my mom thought she'd fool him on April 1st.  She put a bright red plastic cardinal on our backyard bird feeder and acted all surprised to find one.  My dad actually believed her and when he saw it, he thought it was real...until he got the binoculars and noticed it wasn't moving :)  Gotcha!

I can't wait to hear all the funny ones you came up with!