The Literary Notes Meme

Found on Danielle's A Work in Progress, this meme looked like an interesting (and long) one but I think it has a few good questions for book bloggers.

What author do you own the most books by? I'm sure it's Agatha Christie ... apparently I have 58 of her books. Then probably Elizabeth Peters ... 26. I have 17 books in the Wizard of Oz series but they are by two different authors. Those are the biggest bunches and then I have a few authors in the five to ten range.

What book do you own the most copies of? I have two copies of Gone With the Wind (a newer one bought when my original copy became too battered), two of The Wizard of Oz (one is annotated), two copies of The Brothers Karamazov (a paperback and a beautiful old copy found at a used bookstore), two sets of The Complete Sherlock Holmes, and I think we have three or four copies of Atlas Shrugged around the house.

Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions? Maybe a little bit but I'm not a big grammar nazi.

What fictional character are you secretly in love with? I've always been a Rhett Butler girl.

What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children)? I think probably Gone With the Wind ... the last time I remember counting was seven and I think I read it again once or twice after that. The Harry Potter series is up there too because I would re-read all the previous books when a new one came out and also David Copperfield which I think I've read maybe four or five times.

What was your favourite book when you were ten years old? The Secret Garden was probably one of them but I have always read so many books that I can't even remember.

What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year? I think it was Drood.

What is the best book you’ve read in the past year? I would say either The Graveyard Book or Rebecca ... or maybe The Mysterious Benedict Society. Or 84, Charing Cross Road. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? I've read quite a few really good books this past year.

If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be? I wouldn't do that. Book tastes are very personal and I don't think there's one book out there that would suit everyone.

Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature? I have no idea. I'm sure it will be an international author that I have barely heard of.

What book would you most like to see made into a movie? The Graveyard Book would make a really fascinating movie if it was made well.

What book would you least like to see made into a movie? Probably The Eyre Affair. The sense of humor wouldn't translate and it would just be one of those bizarre Terry Gilliam bombs or something.

Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character. I don't know of one. I tend to forget my dreams shortly after I wake up or definitely by the end of the day.

What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult? Hmm ... I guess one of the recent romances that I got for review. It wasn't bad though!

What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read? Probably The Iliad. It's just so dry and long and I'm not a big fan of war.

What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you’ve seen? I think I've only ever seen Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew. Well, and maybe a high school performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Nothing very obscure.

Do you prefer the French or the Russians? Right now, probably the Russians. They are so angsty!

Roth or Updike? I don't really plan on reading either.

David Sedaris or Dave Eggers? I haven't read either one yet.

Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer? Definitely Shakespeare. I didn't really enjoy Milton or Chaucer.

Austen or Eliot? Austen, although I enjoy Eliot.

What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading? I'm not embarrassed because there is always more time to read but I've been wanting to try Terry Pratchett lately.

What is your favorite novel? This is a totally impossible question. It might be David Copperfield.

Play? The Importance of Being Earnest, definitely!

Poem? The Raven ... you can't go wrong with that one.

Essay? I have no idea.

Short story? I think I will have to go with Oscar Wilde again and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Work of nonfiction? Hmm ... The Double Helix?

Who is your favourite writer? Another impossible question but I could say Charles Dickens and it wouldn't be a lie.

Who is the most overrated writer alive today? Dan Brown? Stephenie Meyer? Anyone who writes books with little substance that become bestsellers.

What is your desert island book? Probably The Eyre Affair because I would need a good laugh if I was stuck on an island with one book.

And… what are you reading right now? The Glassblower of Murano (an ARC).

Wow ... that was a long one!

Waiting for the judgment,
K

Heyer Mystery Giveaway Winner

Random.org picked a number between 1 and 6 and the number was ...

1!

Eva wins a copy of Why Shoot a Butler?! Congratulations!

Sharing a mystery,
K

Poe Fridays: The Forest Reverie

This week's Poe Fridays poem is The Forest Reverie which you can read here but I've also copied it here:

'Tis said that when
The hands of men
Tamed this primeval wood,
And hoary trees with groans of wo,
Like warriors by an unknown foe,
Were in their strength subdued,
The virgin Earth
Gave instant birth
To springs that ne'er did flow--
That in the sun
Did rivulets run,
And all around rare flowers did blow--
The wild rose pale
Perfumed the gale,
And the queenly lily adown the dale
(Whom the sun and the dew
And the winds did woo),
With the gourd and the grape luxuriant grew.
So when in tears
The love of years
Is wasted like the snow,
And the fine fibrils of its life
By the rude wrong of instant strife
Are broken at a blow--
Within the heart
Do springs upstart
Of which it doth now know,
And strange, sweet dreams,
Like silent streams
That from new fountains overflow,
With the earlier tide
Of rivers glide
Deep in the heart whose hope has died--
Quenching the fires its ashes hide,--
Its ashes, whence will spring and grow
Sweet flowers, ere long,--
The rare and radiant flowers of song!

This poem strangely is not in my "Complete" Tales & Poems book. Perhaps it is because it is so odd for Poe to have written a nature poem. This one must have been written in a hopeful time for Poe. He describes the ebb and flow of nature, the tearing down and building up that happen cyclically. I suppose he had some reason at this point to think that things were looking up. Ironically, this poem makes me feel sad for Poe because his life eventually ends on a low note.

For next week's Poe Fridays, I'm choosing the short story The Assignation.

Enjoying the "strange, sweet dreams" of Poe,
K

New Release: A Girl's Guide to Modern European Philosophy

I went out on a topical limb and agreed to read the new-to-the-U.S. A Girl's Guide to Modern European Philosophy by Charlotte Greig. This book, set in 1970s England, is the story of a college-age philosophy student, Susannah, who must make the most important decision of her short life when she finds out she is pregnant. To complicate the issue, she is most likely pregnant not by the 30-something antiques dealer that she lives with but the young philosophy student that she has been having an affair with for the past few months. Because she is still finding her way in the world, she turns to the philosophers that she is studying in an attempt to build her own belief system.

This book started out promisingly with the revelation of Susannah's settled but lonely life and her search for happiness. Unfortunately, I shortly became annoyed with Susannah and her dishonesty and ambivalence. It wasn't that the character was badly written -- in fact I believe it was a rather accurate portrait of many college age youth. I think it was rather that I no longer relate with or have sympathy for this sort of character -- the student that hasn't found their way in the world and takes each philosophy they encounter to heart as if it was the greatest truth they had ever heard ... until they hear the next one.

Some parts of this story were poignant and touching but others were just obvious and stereotypical. Also, the ending was strangely abrupt. And yet I didn't dislike this book. I guess I would say that the plot of the novel was thoughtful but the execution was a bit uneven. As this is Greig's first novel, I think she shows promise but perhaps this one needed a bit more direction and a few less stereotypes.

Happy to be settled in my own life philosophy,
K


Buy A Girl's Guide to Modern European Philosophy on Amazon or find it at your local library.

Updating a Red-Headed Children's Classic

For Z's birthday, one of the books we bought for him was the updated Pippi Longstocking with illustrations by Lauren Child, published in 2007. Of course when he first opened it, he said "Charlie and Lola!" but then he realized that it was a different book by the same illustrator. Normally, I try to find original versions of books because that's the way they were intended to be. In this case, though, I wanted to make sure that Z fell for the precocious red-pigtailed girl the way I did when I was young. I thought it would help bring him into the story if he was excited by the illustrations.

The first thing Z seemed to love about this book were the names -- Pippi, Tommy, Annika, Mr. Nilsson (the monkey, if you've forgotten). He also liked the horse on the porch and was somewhat dismayed that he didn't have a name. The next thing he liked was the variation in font that you will be familiar with if you read any other Lauren Child books. She uses font in a way that brings the text to life. Finally, Z is fascinated by the silly things that happen in Pippi's home --treasure and pancakes and climbing trees--all things that appeal to any young child, boy or girl.

Taking a trip together to Villa Villekulla,
K and Z


Buy Pippi Longstocking on Amazon or find it at your local library.

New Release: The Glassblower of Murano

Already a bestseller elsewhere, Marina Fiorato's first novel, The Glassblower of Murano, is now being released in the United States. It is the story of a young woman who chooses to become a glassblower and then finds that an ancestor generations back was the premier glassblower in Murano, Venice. When Leonora's marriage ends, she decides to relocate from England to Venice and see if she can join the artistic community. When she arrives, bringing Corrado Manin's name with her, she gets both positive and negative receptions. Eventually Corradino is accused of having been a traitor to Venice and Leonora must fight to restore his good name and his place as a Venetian hero. Across the centuries, these two family members are dealing with some of the same issues of love, loss and betrayal.

This was a very well researched and well-written first novel. It switches between the present of Leonora and the past, belonging to Corradino. Within these two time periods it was told mostly in third person but with some first person thoughts interspersed throughout the narrative. This really helped me relate to the characters and to care about them. Also, the Venice built by Fiorato is beautiful and unique. If you are tentative about reading historical fiction, this would be a good one to start with.

Yearning for a connection with the past,
K


Buy The Glassblower of Murano on Amazon or find it at your local library.

Fuse #8's Top Picture Books List

If you missed the fun that was the compilation and reveal of Fuse #8's Top 100 Picture Books Poll, head over and check out the final list ... which actually became a 101 list after an error. The poll lists were submitted by blog readers/writers as top ten lists and then were weighted and tallied by Betsy.

These were our Top Ten picture books and I noted if they made it on the list ...

1. Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel -- the absolute best book to read out loud and for kids to want to memorize - number 35
2. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf -- smelling the flowers is MUCH better than fighting - number 11
3. Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak -- a little book that takes you through the months AND around the world - number 60 (with my quote!)
4. I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go To Bed by Lauren Child -- Lola has the most fantastic imagination
5. The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone -- a little bit of fear is fun and a lot of Grover is even more fun! - number 22
6. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans -- a boarding school full of happy children? you don't see that often in fiction - number 8
7. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle -- the cadence of the book is perfect - number 30 (also with my quote!)
8. The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey -- puppies are so cute that they can still somehow have their fun and eat their cake too
9. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina -- cheeky monkeys! - number 17
10. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson -- imagination is everything - number 7

Eight of our ten made it to the final list and we own 25 of the books so I guess we like a lot of classics around here! There are so many other fantastic books on the list that I really suggest going to check it out. It's a perfect list for filling in those holes in your home library! There is also a complete list of nominated books that didn't make it to the Top list.

Praise to picture books,
K and Z

"Why I Blog" Meme

Everyone's favorite English teacher, Laura, at State of Denmark is collecting data for a project and has created this meme --

1. How long have you been blogging?
Just over ten months now.

2. Why did you start blogging?
I needed to regain my adult vocabulary and writing skills after spending four years at home with a young one and having conversations that focused mainly on bodily functions and sleep patterns.

3. What have you found to be the benefits of blogging?
It has helped me regain my analytical mind and, as a book blogger, gives me an incentive to read regularly. I admit that free review copies are also a nice benefit of blogging.

4. How many times a week do you post an entry?
I post six times a week with one regular weekly feature, Poe Fridays.

5. How many different blogs do you read on a regular basis?
I have about fifty blogs in my Google reader that I read most of the posts.

6. Do you comment on other people’s blogs?
Yes, but maybe not as much as I should. If I see my same comment up, I tend not to repeat. It makes me feel unoriginal.

7. Do you keep track of how many visitors you have? Is so, are you satisfied with your numbers?
Yes, I keep track. I hope for more but I know that I'm just starting out and still finding my voice and discovering what really interests readers.

8. Do you ever regret a post that you wrote?
No, I don't but I'm a book blogger so it would be strange to regret a book review.

9. Do you think your audience has a true sense of who you are based on your blog?
I think they have a partial sense of who I am. I don't reveal a lot of personal information but I'm trying to put more of my personality into the writing.

10. Do you blog under your real name?
Yes, I do. I considered a pseudonym but it just seemed like it would get confusing at some point. I blog about my son under a false initial though since he is only five.

11. Are there topics that you would never blog about?
Not a lot of home-life topics because they just don't fit in the theme.

12. What is the theme/topic of your blog?
Book reviews, reading and book news and such

13. Do you have more than one blog? If so, why?
This is the only blog. I would never have time to write a second one and still live my life!

If you would like to participate, post this meme on your blog and put your link in the comments on State of Denmark's post.

Hoping you enjoy my blog as much as I do,
K

Poe Fridays: To My Mother

This week's Poe Fridays poem is the tame To My Mother. It is short so I will copy it here --

Because I feel that, in the Heavens above,
The angels, whispering to one another,
Can find, among their burning terms of love,
None so devotional as that of "Mother,"
Therefore by that dear name I long have called you--
You who are more than mother unto me,
And fill my heart of hearts, where Death installed you,
In setting my Virginia's spirit free.
My mother--my own mother, who died early,
Was but the mother of myself; but you
Are mother to the one I loved so dearly,
And thus are dearer than the mother I knew
By that infinity with which my wife
Was dearer to my soul than its soul-life.

This poem was obviously written to Maria Clemm, Poe's mother-in-law. She was a substitute mother to Poe, who lost his own mother at a very early age. It is simply an homage to the woman who ran his various homes and tended to the girl he loved through her short life and illness. There is nothing more here than a very sweet thank you letter and there doesn't seem to be much more to say.

Next week's Poe Fridays reading will be another poem, The Forest Reverie.

Hoping to be one loved dearly,
K

Heyer Mystery Giveaway!

So now that you've read the reviews of the three Heyer mysteries featured this week, is there one that piqued your interest? Leave your choice (and your email address if it's not in your profile) and I will have a drawing for one Heyer mystery!

Again, the three choices are:
Why Shoot a Butler?
The Unfinished Clue
Behold, Here's Poison

The drawing is open to readers in the U.S. and Canada and the last day for entries is next Thursday, May 28.

Good luck!
K

New Release: Behold, Here's Poison

The final Georgette Heyer mystery that I read was Behold, Here's Poison. This one was really less a mystery than a family dynamics story. The cantankerous patriarch of a family is murdered with an obscure poison and it brings out the worst in everyone involved -- his sister, his sister-in-law and her two children and his nephew. They all had something to gain from his death and yet his death seems to make them all more miserable and it brings out the worst in them.

There is a surprise romance in the story that is somewhat unexplainable and strange. The mystery is also solved in a slap-dash manner with no real clues presented through the story. However, despite these shortcomings, this is still a good read as just a general fiction story.

One last thing that I wanted to comment on is the series design. I really love the period artwork that Sourcebooks chose for the covers of these mysteries. The color palette for the series is also really pleasant. This will be a nice set to collect!

Hoping I don't deserve poisoning,
K


Buy Behold, Here's Poison on Amazon or find it at your local library.

New Release: The Unfinished Clue

Welcome back to Heyer Mystery Week! The next mystery I read was The Unfinished Clue. This book has a lot in common with the one I reviewed yesterday. It has a host of unpleasant (to downright repulsive) characters and a budding romance. In fact, Heyer outdid herself this time in writing extremely self-centered and annoying characters! The main detective was probably the only wholly likable person in the bunch.

Yet, while Why Shoot a Butler? had a strong mystery, I found this one to be less so. The main clue was somewhat obvious and if we had a bit more information, it would have been rather easy to solve. The solution was unexpected but not shocking. There was no sense of danger or urgency as there was in Butler either.

So, while this book wasn't quite up to the standards set by the first Heyer mystery I read, it was still enjoyable. I have been in the mood lately for some stand-alone mysteries as a break from the Agatha Christie series and these all work well.

Keeping a pencil in hand to record my dying words,
K


Buy The Unfinished Clue on Amazon or find it at your local library.

New Release: Why Shoot a Butler?

Why Shoot a Butler? is the first mystery that I read by Georgette Heyer. Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised! This was all I could have wanted in a mystery and, for standard Heyer fans, there was even a bit of romance.

Since I posted the jacket blurb yesterday, I'm going to be really brief on the plot summary. Frank Amberley is a successful barrister in London but is known in this country neighborhood (where he has gone to visit his aunt and uncle) as an amateur sleuth due to his help solving an earlier crime in the area. On his way, he takes a wrong turn and finds a dead man in a car and a young woman standing nearby. He decides that he is going to get involved in the solving of the crime and in the protection of the girl.

I will admit that Amberley is not the most likable character. He's rude and smug -- think Mr. Darcy but even less sensitive to people's feelings. In fact, not many characters in this book are wholly likable--most are flawed in some way--and yet it works. The characters certainly seem less one-dimensional than many in Agatha Christie's stories. Amberley's aunt was an especially fantastic character who wasn't to be underestimated. The romance could be seen coming from a book length away but it was still sweet. The mystery was acceptable and this is a good example of a mystery that gives you some of the clues along the way so that you can solve it yourself. I'm very excited to move on and read my next Heyer mystery!

Why shoot a butler indeed,
K


Buy Why Shoot a Butler? on Amazon or find it at your local library.

Georgette Heyer Mystery Week

As I was lucky enough to receive three re-released Georgette Heyer mysteries for review, I thought it would be fun to make a review week. Here are the jacket blurbs to whet your interest!

Monday, we will ponder Why Shoot a Butler? (1933).

Every family has secrets, but the Fountains' are turning deadly ...
On a dark night, along a lonely country road, barrister Frank Amberley stops to help a young lady in distress and discovers a sports car with a corpse behind the wheel. The girl protests her innocence, and Amberley believes her--at least until he gets drawn into the mystery and the clues incriminating Shirley Brown begin to add up ...

In an English country-house murder mystery with a twist, it's the butler who's the victim, every clue complicates the puzzle, and the bumbling police are well-meaning but completely baffled. Fortunately, in ferreting out a desperate killer, amateur sleuth Amberley is as brilliant as he is arrogant, but this time he's not sure he wants to know the truth ...

Tuesday, let's explore The Unfinished Clue (1934).

A houseful of people he loathes is not Sir Arthur's worst problem ...
It should have been a lovely English country-house weekend. But the unfortunate guest-list is enough to exasperate a saint, and the host, Sir Arthur Billington-Smith, is an abusive wretch hated by everyone from his disinherited son to his wife's stoic would-be lover. When Sir Arthur is found stabbed to death, no one is particularly grieved--and no one has an alibi. The unhappy guests find themselves under the scrutiny of Scotland Yard's cool-headed Inspector Harding, who has solved tough cases before--but this time, the talented young inspector discovers much more than he's bargained for.

Wednesday, take a sniff at Behold, Here's Poison (1936).

Meet the Matthews--Before the next one dies ...
It's no ordinary morning at the Poplars--the master is found dead in his bed, and it seems his high blood pressure was not the cause. When an autopsy reveals a sinister poison, it's up to the quietly resourceful Inspector Hannasyde to catch the murderer in time to spare the next victim. But every single member of the quarrelsome Matthews family has a motive and none, of course, has an alibi.

In the mood for a mystery,
K

Poe Fridays: Berenice

This week's Poe Fridays short story was Berenice. You can read it here.

But, if I were you, well ... I wouldn't bother. This story was incredibly wordy and hard to get into and then, when it finally got going, it was disturbing and eventually disgusting. There's a young man who has a mysterious malady that causes him to pointlessly fixate on things for hours upon hours. His cousin, Berenice, gets sick and ... um, loses her morals? Okay, so I didn't really understand what he was getting at but she also gets really emaciated and jaundiced from her illness. So, what happens? The guy asks her to marry him, of course. Then one day he sees her and she smiles at him and he fixates on her teeth. He can't stop thinking about them. At this point, the girl has a seizure and seemingly dies. She is buried and he can't remember much of the following hours except that he now realizes that he has dirty, bloody hands ... and there's a spade over there against the wall ... and what is in this box on the desk? I'm sure you can guess and it's not pleasant. And yes, when they find the body, she's not actually dead. She was buried alive.
I wish I could take back having read this story. Really. It was so revolting and pointless. Wikipedia summarizes some of the analyses if you are interested. Poe's own words on the story are these -- "I allow that it approaches the very verge of bad taste -- but I will not sin quite so egregiously again." I hope not!

I need something more palatable for next week's selection so let's enjoy a belated Mother's Day poem with To My Mother.

Determined to keep my teeth in my head,
K

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."

Even having never read this book, I knew the first line by heart. I imagine it spoken in Joan Fontaine's calm alto. Okay, I will admit to watching Hitchcock's Rebecca a fair number of times (read "a dozen or two"). Why it took me this long to get around to reading the book, I will never know. But now that I have read Daphne du Maurier's classic noir romance, I appreciate her talent even more.

If you haven't read the book or seen the film, the basic premise of the book is that a twenty-one year old girl meets a forty-two year old widower in Monte Carlo and marries him after a very short courtship. She manages to find out nothing about his previous wife and when she returns to his English country home, Manderley, with him, she has trouble stepping into the place of the first Mrs. de Winter. What follows is a mystery of sorts as some strange reactions and comments surface about the former lady of the house. Who was Rebecca really?

This novel is heart-breaking and romantic all at once. The main character, the second Mrs. de Winter, is never given a first name. It's as if the memory of Rebecca is so strong that the new young bride is utterly insignificant in its shadow. And yet, for some reason she was chosen, brought to Manderley to be its new mistress. Not only is the plot strong, the prose in this book is unbelievably fluid and beautiful. Even if there had never been a movie, it would be impossible to not have a perfect mental picture of Manderley.

This book was on my reading list for the 1% Well-Read Challenge. I almost forgot about this challenge and still have eight more classics to read this year so expect to see a few more "oldies-but-goodies" in the next few months. I think they will have trouble living up to this one though.


Mourning the loss of the Manderleys of the world,
K


Buy Rebecca on Amazon or find it at your local library.

Ode to a Five Year Old

Today, my little guy is a little less little.


Today, my baby tells me he's not a baby anymore.


Today, my bundle of joy walks next to me.

Today, he's five.

Happy birthday Z!
K

Word Music

Z does not discriminate by section when choosing his books at the library. This week he grabbed one on display in the poetry section and it has turned out to be his favorite and one of my favorites too! The book is Tanka Tanka Skunk by first-time British picture book author Steve Webb and on the front cover it says "Stamp your feet to the Skunka Tanka beat!" The premise is that words have rhythm and you can say different words and make musical poetry. In this case, they use animal names. Here's the jacket blurb which explains the method behind this noisy madness --

Meet Tanka and his friend, Skunk. When you say their names together, they sound like drums.
Steve Webb's innovative and visually stunning picture book introduces young readers to simple rhythms with this riot of shout-out-loud words and cavorting animals. Reading is fun, as the text and animals leap and dance across the pages.

This is an amazing book to read out loud. I will catch Z sitting around saying "lemur, llama, llama, lemur" or many of the other musical animal combinations. This is the perfect introduction to poetry and rhythm for all little ones. I have even used it to teach Z about syllables.

Singing, Reading, Talking, Stomping,
K and Z

p.s. Happy Children's Book Week!


Buy Tanka Tanka Skunk at The Book Depository or find it at your local library.

New Release: Stone's Fall

I have read everything written by Iain Pears and so I feel qualified to say that Stone's Fall is some of his best work. This is a lengthy novel at 800 pages but is quick-reading, as evidenced by the fact that I got through it in five days!

The novel is written in three parts. The first is by Matthew Braddock, a journalist charged with trying to track down the illegitimate child mentioned in the will of recently-deceased financial genius John Stone, Lord Ravenscliff. This youngish man begins the probing of John Stone's past but runs up against secrets whose answers are hidden in the past. The second and third accounts are by Henry Cort, a British intelligence boss, and John Stone himself, respectively. These earlier reminiscences fill in the story and reveal many of the mysteries that Braddock was unable to solve.

The depth and layers of this novel were staggering. And yet somehow Pears manages to tie up dozens of loose ends in a mostly satisfying manner. The characters he creates in this story are complex and my opinions of the main players changed frequently throughout the different narratives. Some readers have said that they were confused or turned-off by some financial language used in the novel but I felt that it was really negligible and did not dominate the narrative. Overall, this is a complex page-turner that is worth revisiting at some point. I would love to read it again with the omnipotence that I gained by the end.

If you are in the Seattle area, Iain Pears will be at Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park) tonight at 7pm. I'm hoping to be there!

Building a strong distrust of businessmen,
K


Buy Stone's Fall: A Novel on Amazon or find it at your local library.

Happy Mother's Day!

We're taking the day off to spend a little mother/son time together today ...

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms,
K and Z

Poe Fridays: To One in Paradise

I decided to take it easy this week for Poe Fridays with a poem -- To One in Paradise.

Thou wast that all to me, love,
For which my soul did pine--
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine,
All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,
And all the flowers were mine.

Ah, dream too bright to last!
Ah, starry Hope! that didst arise
But to be overcast!
A voice from out the Future cries,
"On! on!"--but o'er the Past
(Dim gulf!) my spirit hovering lies
Mute, motionless, aghast!

For, alas! alas! with me
The light of Life is o'er!
"No more--no more--no more"--
(Such language holds the solemn sea
To the sands upon the shore)
Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree,
Or the stricken eagle soar!

And all my days are trances,
And all my nightly dreams
Are where thy dark eye glances,
And where thy footstep gleams--
In what ethereal dances,
By what eternal streams!

Alas! for that accursed time
They bore thee o'er the billow,
From love to titled age and crime,
And an unholy pillow!
From me, and from our misty clime,
Where weeps the silver willow!

Oddly, some versions of this poem contain the last stanza and some do not. This is another poem of love and loss but without a description of the object of his affection in this one. I really love the line "And all my days are trances". It is just a perfect phrase to bring a mental image of the blankness of grief. Not to be sacrilegious or anything but some of Poe's poetry rivals Shakespeare in pure romance.

Next week's Poe Friday reading will be the moody short story Berenice. The first line is "MISERY is manifold." So cheery!

Lost on the green isle in the sea,
K

New Release: The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire

One of the shortcomings of many a historical fiction is the taking of sides -- glorifying one side of a conflict and demonizing the other. C.M. Mayo's The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire takes the moral high ground and gives the story of Emperor Maximilian von Habsburg from all different perspectives, admitting that in this complex situation, there were probably good intentions on all sides as well as bad.

After America failed in their Mexican conquest attempt and became embroiled in its own Civil War, France decided to step in and send troops and a new Catholic leader to the country. The chosen regent was Maximilian, Archduke of Austria. He grudgingly went to Mexico and became Emperor, bringing along his wife Charlotte. As they hadn't produced an heir, they decide to name as their heir the two year old Agustín de Iturbide y Green -- the son of an American mother and a Mexican father. This story is told from the points of view of all the parties involved and also military and household personnel.

This novel is very even-handed and though it is somewhat difficult to follow at first with the movement between narratives and time periods, once you get used to the style it's a fascinating and engaging book. Mayo has done extensive research and this time period in Mexican history really comes alive through her writing. Sympathies change as different viewpoints are voiced and you come to realize the complexities of this political situation.

Mayo plans to write a second novel that continues the story of Agustín. I will definitely look for that one.

Quiero ver las montañas de Mexico,
K


Buy The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire on Amazon or find it at your local library.

Giveaways: Every Last Cuckoo and Royal Blood

Recently I received two books for review (one solicited and one unsolicited) and after starting both and reading a chapter or two, I decided that neither one was for me. Fortunately, I have diverse readers and I'm sure some of you would enjoy these books.

So, here are the summaries:

Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy --

"Sarah Lucas imagined the rest of her days would be spent living peacefully in her rural Vermont home in the steadfast company of her husband. But now, with Charles's sudden passing, seventy-five-year-old Sarah is left inconsolably alone.

As grief settles in, Sarah's mind lingers on her past: her imperfect but devoted fifty-year marriage to Charles; the years they spent raising their three very different children; and her childhood during the Great Depression, when her parents opened their home to countless relatives and neighbors. So, when a variety of wayward souls come seeking shelter in Sarah's own big, empty home, her past comes full circle. As this unruly flock forms a family of sorts, they—with Sarah—nurture and protect one another, all the while discovering their unsuspected strengths and courage.

In the tradition of Jane Smiley and Sue Miller, Kate Maloy has crafted a wise and gratifying novel about a woman who gracefully accepts a surprising new role just when she though her best years were behind her."


Royal Blood by Rona Sharon --

"In the Tudor Court of 1518, your friends and enemies can be one and the same...During the annual celebration of the Order of the Garter, Sir Michael Devereaux arrives in King Henry VIII's court on a mission for his benefactor. The celebration's endless feats and sumptuous women delight the charismatic newcomer, who becomes captivated by the enigmatic Princess Renee of France. But evil, it seems, has followed Michael to the court. Shortly after his arrival, an unknown killer claims several victims, including the Queen's lady-in-waiting, and the powerful Cardinal Wolsey asks Michael to help with the investigation. As he searches for the killer, Michael is haunted by disturbing images of the victims - flashes of violence that lead him to doubt his own sanity. Michael soon realizes that the key to solving the crime is connected to both the Pope's Imperial vault in Rome and a mystery from Michael's own past - revealing a secret that is so damning, it could forever alter the future of mankind."


This is going to be an easy one. The first person to comment and request each of these gets them (U.S. and Canada only, please). They are paperback copies and are not ARCs. Also, I committed to try and get Royal Blood reviewed so please don't request it if you aren't willing to try and review it. I will pass on the contact info for the publicist with the book.

Best of luck and speed,
K

Books With Whiskers

Z has done it again. He has randomly chosen three books from the library that are all on the same theme. This week it's "cats".

The stars of Beware of Tigers by Dave Horowitz are two little birds, Chirp and Birp. They are sitting happily in the city when one day another bird shows up and tells them a tiger is coming to town. He warns them not to trust the tiger when he shows his teeth but they don't listen. They hang out, sing and dance with the tiger and, lo and behold, the tiger one day smiles and then opens his mouth wide -- to try and eat them! They escape but have learned a good lesson about who you can trust. This book is written in verse and has nice bright illustrations. It appears to be out of print so your best bet is to find it used or at the library.

The latest book in the "If You Give ..." series by Laura Numeroff is If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. Z wanted to get this earlier from the library when he was reading it in class but it wasn't available in the library until now. This one is delightfully far-fetched and amusing. From a cat wanting sprinkles on a cupcake, this book quickly progresses to the beach, the gym, karate class, the lake and more! Felicia Bond's illustrations are detailed and exciting. There are so many directions that these narratives can take that they could have a really long and happy franchise with these books. This one is fun because the cat is never too naughty except for a little bit of sprinkles and sand on the floor.

Cat & Mouse by Ian Schoenherr is a light-hearted book where a cat chases a mouse and while the mouse escapes, he teaches the proper way to treat a cat. If you want to take a stab at teaching your youngster about irony, this would be a great book for it! Thankfully, in the end, the cat and mouse actually become friends. It also incorporates some nursery rhymes like Hickory, Dickory, Dock and Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo which will please most kids. The illustrations are a bit intense in some parts so I would just take a look through this one before handing it over to your little one.

Catching a tiger by the toe,
K and Z


Buy Beware of Tigers, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake and Cat & Mouse on Amazon or find them at your local library.

New Release: What Would Jane Austen Do?

I guess this is my year of trying books that I would not normally read. This was the second review book that I somehow missed was a full-on romance! Laurie Brown's What Would Jane Austen Do? is the story of Eleanor Pottinger, a modern-day movie costume designer who is in England trying to start a business making Regency-period costumes. When a pair of ghostly Regency sisters transport Eleanor to their time period to right a wrong, she meets the love of her life *and* Jane Austen! But is this mysterious man really a womanizing cad who will be the downfall of the innocent sisters? And why does he think Eleanor is a Napoleonic spy?

This is a fast-paced book with a fun plot. I still wasn't completely comfortable with all of the sex scenes but they were mostly brief (for the reader). I also felt that the ending was just a little too convenient and beneficial to Eleanor but I guess that's part of the romance -- the "happily ever after". There were some enjoyable characters in the story and some surprising ones that had hidden depth. The Jane Austen thread through this book was somewhat tenuous and not really a part of the main plot but it was still interesting.

Wishing I could waltz in a field of butterflies,
K


Buy What Would Jane Austen Do? on Amazon or find it at your local library.

New Meme: I Would Read (Almost) Any Book About ...

This is a meme that I thought of the other night as I was falling asleep. I was thinking about tagging books on LibraryThing and how to convey what it was about a book that made me enjoy it and why I would choose to read a similar book. I am really interested to hear everyone's conclusions to this simple sentence. It's harder than you think! Post your answers here on this entry or post the link to your answers on your own blog.

I would read (almost) any book about ...

... Edgar Allan Poe. I love both biographical books (The Beautiful Cigar Girl) and historical fictions that feature him as a character (The Pale Blue Eye).

... Charles Dickens. Again, a great subject in both real life and fiction (The Last Dickens).

... a female detective in a non-modern setting. Miss Marple, Nancy Drew, Amelia Peabody, Flavia de Luce. Truth be told, I would even read those Jane Austen mysteries if they were sitting around.

... books and words. Non-fiction about literature and language, historical fiction about a specific book (People of the Book), or a mystery/suspense about an author, library or books (The Thirteenth Tale or The Club Dumas), I love them all.

... scientists or great scientific discoveries. From The Double Helix to Naturalist, I love learning more about science. Historical fiction about scientists (The Invention of Everything Else) are pretty cool too!

I may come back and add to this list later. I think it's been a really interesting exercise! An idea comes up but then I think of some segment of that genre that really is not interesting to me and so I have to scratch that one. I'm glad that I still have many books that I have just chosen on their own merit and not because they fit into a category that I will pick up no matter what. It makes me feel better about my reading diversity! (This list also makes me feel like a big nerd!)

Hoping many of you share your answers,
K

K Has Left the Building!

Okay, I didn't really leave but I did shimmy over to help out Elizabeth at As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves with her Friday feature, 451 Fridays. This week it features the five books that I think would be worth saving.

451 Fridays is based on an idea from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. In his novel, a group of people (Bradbury calls them Book People) are trying to keep the ideas found in books alive. Instead of actually saving the books, the Book People each "become" a book - memorizing it, word for word, and passing it down to the next generation.

451 Fridays asks what books you feel passionate about. What book do you think is so important that you would be willing to take on the challenge of "becoming"?

I think this was a really fun activity and I would love to hear what you think of my choices!

Saving books one memory at a time,
K

Poe Fridays: Why the Little Frenchman Wears His Hand in a Sling

This week's short story, Why the Little Frenchman Wears His Hand in a Sling, can be read here. Whether you will be able to get through it or not is a different story! This one is written in an Irish brogue that is barely decipherable. Here is a sample passage --

The truth of the houl matter is jist simple enough; for the very first day that I com'd from Connaught, and showd my swate little silf in the strait to the widdy, who was looking through the windy, it was a gone case althegither with the heart o' the purty Misthress Tracle. I percaved it, ye see, all at once, and no mistake, and that's God's truth. First of all it was up wid the windy in a jiffy, and thin she threw open her two peepers to the itmost, and thin it was a little gould spy-glass that she clapped tight to one o' them and divil may burn me if it didn't spake to me as plain as a peeper cud spake, and says it, through the spy-glass: "Och! the tip o' the mornin' to ye, Sir Pathrick O'Grandison, Barronitt, mavourneen; and it's a nate gintleman that ye are, sure enough, and it's mesilf and me forten jist that'll be at yur sarvice, dear, inny time o' day at all at all for the asking."

The unfortunate thing is that, once you decipher the story, you find out that it is hilarious! This Irishman moves into a block where there also lives a Frenchman and a beautiful woman. The Frenchman professes he is in love with the woman and claims that she feels the same. Patrick cannot believe this woman would love the little "frog" and so they go to the woman's house and each take up a position on the sofa on opposite sides of her. Eventually, Patrick has his arm on the back of the sofa and is (seemingly) affectionately squeezing her little hand behind her back. The jig is up, though, when the woman stands up and walks away and Patrick is still holding "her hand". You may easily guess why the Frenchman then wears his hand in a sling!

This was a completely lighthearted and funny (if not very politically sensitive) story. There is no hidden edge, no dark underbelly -- just a hilarious farce. It was a welcome story at this point and I just wish he had given up writing an Irish brogue phonetically -- it's near impossible to read.

Next week's Poe Friday offering will be the poem, To One in Paradise.

An Irishman, a Frenchman and a lady walk into a parlor,
K