Commuter Reads

Neptune’s Daughter – Beryl Kingston

Eibhlin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 05:40:48 +0000

A light romance, with rather unlikely elements in the plot and characters that tend towards caricatures, but dealing with a serious contemporary issue (who looks after the children of professional women?) often not dealt with elsewhere.

An easy commuter read.

DARLING DAUGHTERS CHALLENGE

The House in Paris – Elizabeth Bowen

Eibhlin — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:27:54 +0000

How hard it is to read Elizabeth Bowen nowadays! Her characters reflect and speculate in profound ways that our shallow age neither imitates nor appreciates. The two children in this book discourse and process thoughts at a level unimaginable to, and certainly unimitable by, their counterparts today.

Phyllis Lassner interprets this as a political book. It was written in 1935, and the Nuremberg Laws had been passed in 1934. Max and Leopold are part-Jewish, and their story is one of homelessnes, dispossession, constant unhappy movement from one country to another, and in Max’s case, suicide with a very bloody mess. If this is so, I am not sure how the Irish part of the story at the beginning – Karen’s visit to Rushbrook – fits in. But it is an interesting theory, and sheds some light on a read that is not so easy.

The small hardback volume that I borrowed from the public library fitted neatly into my handbag and made it an excellent commuter book.

TWENTY-TEN CHALLENGE: OLDER THAN YOU

Wives and Daughters – Elizabeth Gaskell

Eibhlin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 06:03:29 +0000

I listened to this on audio, downloaded from librivox.com. The usual caveats about varying standards of reading apply. But the book is utterly charming, very perceptive and describing scenes in intimate detail in that peculiar, slow-moving 19th-century way. The characterisation is a bit black-and-white, but the people are nevertheless real and I cared about what happened to them next! But having stayed with the book for all of its sixty-odd chapters, I was rather disappointed with the ending – “Is that IT?” And I checked on the librivox site to make sure I hadn’t missed downloading the last chapter. Perhaps this is a deliberate ploy on the author’s part? Surely someone capable of writing like this would not leave the end hanging uncomfortably through lack of skill? But if it is a ploy – what is the point of it?

A good read, which deserves a much better blog post than this one, which is being written some time after the reading.

DARLING DAUGHTERS CHALLENGE
TWENTY-TEN CHALLENGE: OLDER THAN YOU

The Opposite House – Helen Oyeyemi

Eibhlin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 05:52:10 +0000

I found this book difficult to read, and it almost put me off the African Diaspora Challenge completely! I wish I’d had the good sense to look up one of the online reading guides to help me along, or read some other reviews or blogs about it - but I thought of that only after I’d struggled through it without much enjoyment.

From the blurb: The Opposite House is about the disquiet that follows us across places and languages, a feeling passed down from mother and father to son and daughter.

The story moves from Nigeria to England via Cuba, the USA, and (briefly) Germany. Sometimes I didn’t know where we were. Other times I was confused by the fact that some of the characters have more than one name. All in all I wasn’t sure where this was going or what I was meant to be looking out for. Maybe I need an “African Writers 101″ class to get my head around some of this stuff. I’ll choose something simpler for my next African Diaspora Challenge read.

A difficult commuter read.

AFRICAN DIASPORA CHALLENGE (British-Nigerian)

Artemis Fowl – Eoin Colfer

Eibhlin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:55:32 +0000

I’m a bit wary of the adult reading of “Young Adult” books – I think age-appropriateness is a useful criterion to apply to many aspects of life. In the last 30 years or so I’ve read only two YA books that I can think of, and one of those was by accident (it was “The Book Thief” by Marcus Zuzak, and I saw the YA tag only after I’d read it. I felt a bit cheated, but it did help to explain why I didn’t like that book much). However, I’ve recently acquired a new identity as riser-to-challenges, and thus the YA genre has found its way onto my TBR list.

With some wariness, I chose “Artemis Fowl” by Eoin Colfer. Colfer is Irish, and so am I, and I heard him interviewed on radio once (though I forget most of the content). I also chose him because his initials are the same as mine, and so he qualifies as my “doppelganger” in the Take Another Chance Challenge. A book featuring a teenage detective in a sci-fi world would not be my usual choice. But this is about expanding horizons, right? And I chose “Artemis Fowl” as the original and first of a series. The later ones will, presumaby, build on things established in this first one, and the beginning seemed like a good place to start.

I loved it! The merging of the worlds of myth and science fiction was marvellous. Fairies with nuclear-powered wings, a twelve-year-old genius hero with just a touch of affection for his mother… it all came together wonderfully. I’m not saying that I’ll become a big YA genre fan, but this was a great commuter read.

TWENTY-TEN CHALLENGE - Category 1: Young Adult

TAKE ANOTHER CHANCE CHALLENGE - Challenge 1: Read Your Doppelganger

I Was Told There’d Be Cake – Sloane Crosley

Eibhlin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:23:15 +0000

I did not choose this book; it chose me. Yes, I loved the title, but I wouldn’t even have spotted the title had the book not hung awkwardly out of its row on the library shelf, begging me to pick it up and straighten it. Or to check it out. I had feasted a bit too much on a fiction-only diet of late, and was glad to take the bait and carry the volume home.

I had never heard of the author before. She’s a Bright Young Thing from New York, and this is a collection of hilarious biographical essays covering topics such as her first (adult) job, moving apartment, being a bridesmaid, having an unusual first name, doing volunteer work at a natural history museum, and various other scenarios which are reasonably commonplace and therefore within the I-can-identify-with-this range of most readers. But the writing itself is not commonplace: it is witty, insightful, sometimes sharp, often laugh-out-loud funny.

I wish Sloane Crosley wrote regularly in a publication on this side of the Atlantic – I would certainly be tempted to take out a subscription. I’ll be looking out for more of her work in the future.

This was a great Commuter Read.

TWENTY-TEN CHALLENGE - Category 9: Who Are You Again?

Welsh Reading Challenge

Eibhlin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:13:36 +0000

I know I said “no more”, but that was before I saw this great challenge! And it’s possible to achieve a bronze medal by reading only ONE book, so that can’t do any harm, now can it?

Here are the rules:

Read at least one book in 2010 that is either by a Welsh author, takes place in Wales, or is about Welsh people (immigrants, descendants, etc). Pretty simple.

Levels to shoot for:

Efydd bathodyn (bronze medal) – Read one to three Welsh-related books between now and December 31st, 2010 to receive a bronze medal.

Arian bathodyn (silver medal) – Read four to six Welsh-related books by December 31st, 2010 for the silver medal rank.

Aur bathodyn (gold medal) – Read seven or more Welsh-related books in before the end of 2010 and be a gold-medalist!

I’m in (aiming for brozne)! It will be nice to read about our neighbours across the Irish Sea.

Take Another Chance Challenge

Eibhlin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:12:11 +0000

I’m signing up for this challenge - and that ALL for the moment! I’m going for the “moderate” level, which means completing six of these twelve challenges:

Challenge 1: Read Your Doppelganger (worth 1 entry)
Find an author who has either the same initials, the same first name, the same last name, or the exact same name as you. Read a book by this author and write a post about it. (If you try to keep your identity anonymous on your blog, you don’t have to reveal what part of the author’s name is the same as your name.)

Example: If your name is Susan Kasischke, you might read a book by Stephen King (same initials), Susan Donovan (same first name), Laura Kasischke (same last name) or Susan Kasischke (same exact name).

Challenge 2: Blogroll Roulette (worth 1 entry)
Find a blogroll at either your book blog or a book blog you like that has at least 15 book blogs on it. Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1 for the min. and 15 for the max. and then hit generate. Then find the blog that is that number on the blogroll you selected. (For example, if you get 10 at Random.org, then count down the list of blogs until you get to the tenth one). Go to that blog and pick a book to read from the books that they have reviewed on their blog. Read it and write a post about it. Be sure to link to the blog post you picked the book from!

Challenge 3: 100 Best Book (worth 1 entry)
Choose one of the lists below and go to the link provided. Choose a book to read from the list that you haven’t read before. Read the book and write about it.

Radcliffe’s Rival 100 Best Novels List
Top 100 Sci-Fi Books
100 Best Romance Novels of the 20th Century
100 Best Mystery Novels
100 Best Non-Fiction Books (pick from either Board List or Reader List)
2009 Best Books for Young Adults

Challenge 4: Prize Winner Book (worth 1 entry)
Pick one of the major literary awards from the list below. Click on the link for the award you picked. You will find a brief description of the award and links to past winners. Pick one of the past winners, read the book and write about it.

Challenge 5: Title Word Count (worth 1 entry)
Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the numbers 1 for the min. and 5 for the max. and then hit generate. Find a book to read that has that number of words in the title. Read the book and write about it.

Example: If you get 1 for your number, read a book that has a one word title. If you get 2, read a book that has a two word title and so on and so forth.

Challenge 6: Genre Switch-Up (worth 1 entry)
Go to this list of book genres and pick a genre that you have NEVER read before. Find a book from that genre, read it, and write about it. Note: If you seriously cannot find a genre that you have never read, then pick the genre that is as far away from what you normally read.

Challenge 7: Break A Prejudice (worth 1 entry)
We all have reading prejudices–authors we don’t like, genres we don’t like, or even publishers we don’t like. For this challenge, think of a reading prejudice you have and then find a book that is an example of this type of book. Read the book and then write about the reading prejudice you had BEFORE you read the book and how reading the book either changed your prejudice or reinforced it.

Examples: I always say I can’t stand James Patterson; therefore, I might read a James Patterson book for this challenge. Or, if you sneer at “chick lit” books, you might read a “chick lit” book. Or, if you think books published by Harlequin are pure drivel, you might read a book published by Harlequin. If you turn up your nose at the Twilight books, then you might read one of the Twilight books.

Challenge 8: Real and Inspired (worth 2 entries)
Many authors or books inspire others to pay homage to them by writing another book inspired by the original work. For this challenge, read both an original work and a book inspired by that original work. Write about both books in one post. Note: This might require some research on your part and requires reading two books so it worth 2 entries.

Examples: Christopher Moore’s Fool is based on Shakespeare’s play King Lear so I plan on reading both King Lear and Fool. Another example is Jane Austen, who inspired the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. For this challenge, you might read both Pride and Prejudice and the zombie version. (There are tons of other Austen-inspired books out there too.) Another idea would be a graphic novel version of a “standard” novel. The only real requirement is that the “inspired by” book must clearly state what original work inspired it.

Challenge 9: Same Word, Different Book (worth 2 entries)
Find two books that have the same word in the title. Read both books and write about them. (Worth 2 entries because you have to read two books).

Example: If you pick the word “Love,” you could read any two books that both have Love in the title. To help you find books that have the same word, you could go to Amazon.com, type a word into the Search box and see what books come up with that word.

Challenge 10: Become A Character (worth 2 entries)
For this challenge, you can read any book you want. However, you have to write about the book as one of the characters from the book. The character can comment on his/her treatment by the author, other characters, the “untold story,” what happened next, and so forth. You could even have two characters interviewing each other! Your imagination is the only limit. Because of the difficulty level of this challenge, it is worth two entries.

Challenge 11: All in the Family (worth 2 entries)
The writing gene often runs in the family. For this challenge, you need to find two authors from the same family (either by blood or by marriage) and read a book by each of the authors and then write about both books. Because of the research involved and having to read two books, this challenge is worth two entries.

Examples: The Bronte sisters; Stephen King and his wife Tabitha OR his son Joe Hill; Jonathan Kellerman (husband) and Faye Kellerman (wife); Michael Chabon (husband) and Ayelet Waldman (wife); Joan Didion (wife) and John Gregory Dunne (husband); Mary Higgins Clark (mother) and Carol Higgins Clark (daughter)

Challenge 12: Author Anthology Pick (worth 2 entries)
Find an anthology of your choice. Read at least 5 entries in the anthology. Of the 5 entries you’ve read, pick your favorite one and then find a book by that writer and read it. (If your first choice doesn’t have a book, then pick your next favorite until you find a writer that has a book.) Write about the anthology, your favorite pick from the anthology, and the book you read by your favorite pick. Because of having to obtain and read two books, this challenge is worth two entries. Thanks to J.T. Oldfield at Bibliofreak who partially inspired this challenge.

Example: If you choose a poetry anthology, you would at least 5 different poems, pick your favorite, and then seek out a book of poetry by that poet. If you read a short story anthology, you would read at least 5 different short stories, pick your favorite, and then seek out either a novel or another book of short stories by that writer.

The Memory-Keeper’s Daughter – Kim Edwards

Eibhlin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:54:06 +0000

I’d had this book on my shelf for quite a while, and was avoiding it in case it provoked overwhelming emotions in me. In fact it didn’t. It is a sad story, facing up to the blackness and bleakness of a particular set of circumstances brought about by human choice. The author is looking at the issues of Downs Syndrome, family ties, the consequences of lying, responsibility for actions, etc. These are big themes, and honestly dealt with.

Yet I didn’t think it was a really great book. For me, there was just a little too much strain put on the credibility of the plot in places, and there was also a certain amount of repetition of descriptions of emotions. It could have been more tightly presented. It’s a book ends with a question, with ambivalence, which makes it all the more real.

DARLING DAUGHTERS CHALLENGE

Like Mother, Like Daughter? – 14 stories about girls and their mums, selected by Bel Mooney

Eibhlin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:40:44 +0000

This is a “Young Adult” book, a genre I’m not used to reading. But I found this very enjoyable. As with any anthology, there is a variety of styles and competencies, and I had my favourites. As the title implies, all the stories are concerned with the relationship between young girls and their mothers. They include stories of happiness and sadness, the mixed feelings and ambivalences that come with adolescence, and the need for a girl both to identify with and to differentiate herself from her mother. I was intrigued at how many of the authors chose to use first person narrative – is there something in this particular genre that lends itself to that? Most of all the book led me to reflect again on my own relationship with my own mother, particularly when I was at the age that the girls in these stories are.

DARLING DAUGHTERS CHALLENGE