New Release: The Dante Chamber

I don't know how I found Matthew Pearl's The Dante Club (2003) but it made such a big impression on me that I became a lifelong fan of Pearl and even loaned the book to my mom. (She will still bring up a particularly gruesome part every once in a while.) Now he has written a sequel of sorts to that dark tale, The Dante Chamber.

While the first book focused on Dante's Inferno, this book takes us into his Purgatory, accompanied by a new cast of historical figures -- poets Christina Rossetti, Robert Browning, and Alfred Tennyson. We not only watch them as they frantically seek for Christina's missing brother, artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, but we also get a glimpse into their lives and times.

First of all, yes, this book can absolutely be read on its own. Pearl has kindly given enough information to the reader to get them up to speed on the horrifying influences of Dante in New England while guiding them through his new and equally horrifying influences in old England. As I didn't know much about any of the protagonists of this story, I was also glad that Pearl spent almost as much time with their stories as he did with the main plot. I ended up doing a lot of Googling when the book was over! His books are always so well researched and authentic that it's sometimes hard to believe that these strange happenings are not actually historical. I am already eagerly awaiting his next tale.

Classically,
K

New Release: Abridged Classics

I know that many of us could use a bit of added levity in our lives these days and, as we are bookish people, Abridged Classics by cartoonist John Atkinson is probably a good place to find some. Although the subtitle will be inaccurate for most of us--Brief Summaries of Books You Were Supposed to Read But Probably Didn't--since we don't dodge the classics, we can find these very brief comics funny because we are, in fact, in the know.

With one or two page spreads on over 100 books, this is a fun read that even Z (who is heading to high school and will be expected to read a couple of these) enjoyed.

Very briefly,
K

p.s. I received this book from the publisher.

Walter Moers' Zamonia

I had the ridiculously good fortune the weekend before this last one to meet up with some blogging friends -- Robin, Selena, and, the reason for it all ... Ana, who was visiting Seattle for the first time. Yay! We met at Elliott Bay Book Company where we bought too many books together and then had a lovely little sit down with lemonades. It was so nice to be with these dear friends in person. There were so many of you that we also wished were there too!

Anyway, at one point we each volunteered what we were currently reading and I tried to explain my current read and completely failed, mumbling something about "dinosaur-ish author explores a city dedicated to books". My explanation might not even have been that clear! Then I just looked back over my blog and saw that I rave about most of the books in this series but can never quite explain what they are about in a way that doesn't make them seem ridiculously odd. So, here is my latest attempt to get some of you interested in the Zamonia series by Walter Moers, translated from German into English by John Brownjohn.

There are five books currently translated into English in this series --

The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear

Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures

The City of Dreaming Books

The Alchemaster's Apprentice

The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books

The first two books have a character in common but aren't related, the third and fifth feature the same main character and take place 200 years apart, and the fourth is another one-off, but all five are set in the same world. They all feature illustrations by the author and a fantasy world like no other. The fifth, which I just finished, is actually only the first half of a huge, rambling story and it was my least favorite (but still enjoyable) Zamonia read, a real fan's book ... but that could change once the rest of the story is available (in The Castle of Dreaming Books, release date unknown). Anyone could easily start with The City of Dreaming Books or any of the other three and discover the world, just in a slightly different order.

So what are these all about? A whole bunch of species living in the ridiculously diverse landscape of Zamonia and the city of Bookholm. There is a bit of magic, a lot of unexpected friendships, some intense adventures, and a deep and abiding love for books and words. Main characters can be bears, dogs, cats, or even dinosaurs and eventually you think nothing of it. You get too caught up in the prose, the humor, and the adventure of Moers' tales. Just search for Zamonia on Tumblr and you will see that this series has fans from all over the world that have been inspired to create and dream and explore.

These are some of the things I have said in past posts about this series:

I don't even know how to begin to explain this book or series but if you are looking for something completely different, this is it. If you don't enjoy the absurd or fantastic, then don't read it. (Rumo)

I know this sounds super strange but it's actually a beautiful tale with tons of suspense and action but also lots of thoughtful musing. (Alchemaster)

This book is funny and exciting and charming and imaginative. Each book I read in this series is more amazing than the last. Moers is a genius in the vein of Terry Pratchett or Jasper Fforde, using wordplay in a witty but seamless manner. I'm sure that I have missed well over half of what was really in this story. Rather than discouraging me, it just makes me look forward to rereading. (City)

So, I'm sure I still haven't satisfactorily explained what these books are about and what makes them so special but, if you're in the mood for something completely different and unique, you may want to give this series a try.

Spewing gibberish,

K

The Invisible Library ... Enough Said

I finally read The Invisible Library. I fell in love ... hard. With elements reminiscent of some of my favorite stories (Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Jackaby, and Seraphina, just to name a few), I couldn't help but fall in love with Librarian Irene and the alternative London filled with dirigibles, mythical creatures, and intrigue. I almost couldn't contain my joy when I figured out Kai's secret and I loved Vale's progressive nature as well. I'm not really going into the plot because I didn't know much about it before I went in and was constantly nervous (in a good way) and surprised (in the best way). I do need to reread the last chapter though because it was a bit hard to follow at 4:00 in the morning when I finished my binge read. I think I know what Coppelia was getting at but I need to recheck and make sure.

Once I'm done with that, I have the second book, The Masked City, here already and the third book is on hold. There's a fourth book coming out in December and I will definitely be ready to read it! This is a series I know I will go back to for rereads whenever I need a dose of kickass librarians and mind-controlled alligators.

In love (times ten),

K

New Release: The Book Jumper

I know I'm posting a lot at the moment but I just checked the release date on this gem and it's TODAY in the US and I wanted to make sure that I helped spread the word about this fantastic new YA novel.

When I needed a book to get me happily reading again in early December, I spotted Mechthild Gläser's The Book Jumper on my review stack and couldn't resist the beautiful cover and intriguing title. Well, the premise is exactly what you might think it would be. Amy Lennox and her mother have had some tough times in Germany and so they retreat to the family estate on the island of Stormsay, a fictional Shetland Island off the coast of Scotland. What Amy doesn't know before going is that both the Lennox family and the other ancient family on the island, the Macalisters, while teens, can enter the book world and they have charged themselves with maintaining order and the integrity of the stories. Amy's grandmother sends her right off to book jumping lessons which she takes to immediately. At these lessons, she meets Betsy and Will Macalister and they all get involved in a mystery that is emerging both on the island and in the world of fiction. Who is stealing ideas and items from stories and why did the thief kill Sherlock Holmes?

Though you might be familiar with the idea of book jumping from Jasper Fforde's stellar Thursday Next series, its use in this story still feels fresh and unique. Amy is a girl damaged by bullying and she is more than ready to escape into fiction. The book world is fun for her but quickly becomes dangerous, just as the happenings in the real world become more mysterious and unexpected. It's a fantasy YA that still explores some very real issues.  I enjoyed just about everything about this book even though parts were bittersweet. I hope that more readers fall in love with it the way I have!

Trying to jump for the millionth time,

K

Oh, How I Love My Books

Seeing as how it is National Book Lovers' Day and how I just finished a major overhaul of my home library, I thought I would share some pictures today! A few of you have seen some of these already on Instagram and Twitter but I have taken closeups of the shelves now that you might want to scroll down for.

This was my old bookshelf wall. We bought these shelves when we lived in an apartment and they were over 15 years old. As you can see, they were getting a bit cluttered and probably half of our books were in a big bookpile in another room and under the book desk on the other side of the room.

I unloaded all of the books from the shelves and we repurposed the shelves around the house (one now has hubby's books in his office space).

We lived with a blank wall and piles of books all over for about a week until ...

these showed up! Five Billy bookcases from IKEA.

I managed to build and position the first one all by myself!

I had a little help with lifting and placing some of the other ones (from hubby and from the cat) but I am proud to say I built them all on my own.

Finally I got all five bookcases up and it was time to position the shelves. I turned to my Instagram buddies and almost all of them voted for staggering the shelves. I agreed and so ...

the shelves got placed and the books (and movies) starting going in!

Finally, after two full days of work, the project was done. I was super sore after putting up the bookcases and hauling the books but I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. I not only staggered the shelf heights but also staggered the front alignment of the books on the shelves so that when I sit on my couch (off to the left of this picture), I see some variety and texture.

I now have a beautiful Diana Wynne Jones shelf, front and center ...

a Neil Gaiman shelf right next door ...

a Jasper Fforde cubby (which will have to be switched with a taller one after he finally finishes his next book) ...

a section of ghost and murder non-fiction (my favorite kind!) ...

my Oxfords, Penguins, and Georgette Heyers ... yay classics! ...

the Harry Potters, of course (right below Z's two cubbies of comics and graphic novels) ...

and all of my YA books, sitting happily between the beloved Oz books and my favorite chapter books.

I culled quite a few books and movies during this process, created a wishlist of books that I want to buy to replace ARCs, and worked on my biceps and glutes. Moving the old shelves also allowed us to clean up T's office that was piled with books and also the workspace in our garage. It has been an amazing process. We aren't quite done but are feeling much more inspired after this. Maybe one day my library hold on The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up will finally come in (I started in the 900s and am now at position 560) and I will use some of those techniques to make this space even better!

What would your dream library look like?

Happy Book Lovers' Day!
K

New Release: Book Scavenger

I'm back! Sorry to disappear on you like that but I had to go to Kauai for a bit. It was a lovely vacation and I'll share some pictures with you in my next post but right now I really wanted to share with you the best book I read while I was there -- Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.

Garrison Griswold is called "the Willy Wonka of book publishing".  He runs some one-off book and puzzle related games but his biggest undertaking is an online game called Book Scavenger where people hide books and then leave clues so that other readers can find them. There's a whole points system and it has some seriously devoted users. Griswold is ready to launch his big next game when he is attacked. Emily, a Book Scavenger fanatic, is the one who finds the first clue that launches her unknowingly into the new game. And though she is just getting to know her new home city of San Francisco, she's racing against the clock because she's not the only one who is on the trail of Griswold's next prize and those people aren't playing around.

This was such a fun book that I kept trying to pick it up again for days after I finished it. A side plot is that Emily's family moves frequently and so we get to see how she and her brother deal with that, especially as they get older. But, of course, the book parts of the story were the best and were right up my alley. Bertman's skill at combining regular book nerdery with specific San Franciscan literary history, Edgar Allan Poe lore, and cryptography is exemplary. This is a book that I want to read again already!

And amazingly, there is a real Book Scavenger game starting up! There are less than two dozen books hidden right now in the US but I can only imagine how that number will swell when kids start getting excited after reading this book and then finding out that the game is now real.

Finding that a good read is the best prize,
K

New Release: The Year of Reading Dangerously

Remember how I did so well posting in December? I sure thought it would last, that I had my blogging mojo back, but then the winter blues set in and, every time I opened the laptop, I found I didn't have it in me to write anything just then. Luckily, today was a glorious day in Seattle and I've felt happy and productive all day. Therefore, I'm taking this chance to start playing catch-up with reviews.

The first book I read this year was The Year of Reading Dangerously: How Fifty Great Books (and Two Not-So-Great Ones) Saved My Life by Andy Miller. It got me started on my goal to read more non-fiction this year and it also helped to remind me why I choose some of the books that I do and how I should go about choosing what I read in the future.

The premise of Miller's book is that he had pretty much stopped reading much and/or anything of quality and so, for self-improvement and a change of habit, he made a list (originally thirteen books) of books that he had always wanted to read and that he thought he should read ... because, in a lot of cases, he had already told people that he had read them. This book follows his journey through those books and also delves into his thoughts on reading, Dan Brown, book clubs, and more.

"However, what I really got from reading was this: it was the one thing at which I truly excelled."

I loved the parts of this book that told how Andy developed his love of reading as a child and the stories of the times he met Douglas Adams. I enjoyed hearing about how he finally fit reading back into his life after he became a parent. I also found it useful when he explained his process of how to chose which books to read. I've only read 9 1/2 (stupid Moby Dick) of his list of fifty books and only intend on reading 4 or 5 others but he doesn't advocate that everyone read the exact same books he did. He thinks (as I do) that a list like this is personal. You don't have to read books that are uninteresting or distasteful. Instead, read the books that you have always meant to get to, the ones that will fill in the gaps in your own web of literature.

The second appendix of this book is a list called The Hundred Books Which Influenced Me Most. I love this idea and am planning on assembling such a list of my own. If I ever get it done, I think it will make it obvious which books I should place on the next list -- Books I Still Intend to Read. I've tried in the past to co-opt other lists (e.g. 1001 Books to Read Before You Die) but I start feeling guilty as I mark books as "will never read" because they are simply ones I have zero interest in. To make my own list, one that changes as I change and as I read more and more throughout life (and as more lovely books are written, of course), seems far superior to giving in to the tastes of others.

Also reading dangerously,

K