RIP Read 3: The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime

Besides having the most amusing cover of almost any book I've ever owned, The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime is a fantastic little collection of late Victorian crime stories. The editor, Michael Sims, deserves credit for a wonderful collection that doesn't include a single dud. Every story in this book was enjoyable and a few were unforgettable.

Though we are all fairly familiar with a famous Victorian detective or two, Sims decided, after working on a collection of stories about the famed gentleman thief Arséne Lupin, that the era's thieves weren't getting the attention they deserved. After reading this collection, I heartily agree.

I hadn't read any of the authors in this volume except for O. Henry and his classic Christmas heartstring-puller "The Gift of the Magi" -- which couldn't be more different from his tale of frontier town trickery, "The Chair of Philanthromathematics". I also read Sinclair Lewis for the first time in this book with his RIP-worthy "The Willow Walk". Though this group of stories turned out to be more witty than terrifying, I'm still going to include it in the challenge because there's many a mystery in the volume -- even if we are viewing them from a more prosecutable angle!

"The difference between you and me is this," Cecil was saying. "You exhaust yourself by making money among men who are all bent on making money, in a place specially set apart for the purpose. I amuse myself by making money among men who, having made or inherited money, are bent on spending it, in places specially set apart for the purpose. I take people off their guard. They don't precisely see me coming. I don't rent an office and put up a sign which is equivalent to announcing that the rest of the world had better look out for itself. Our codes are the same, but is not my way more original and more diverting?" -- Arnold Bennett, "A Comedy on the Gold Coast"

Keeping my hand over my purse,
K

Fragile Things Group Read: Four Stories (No Poems)

It's another week and we seem to have earned a respite from poetry this week in our Fragile Reads schedule. Not that Mr. Neil is not a competent poet but it really does take a lot for me to love a poem (as you will see toward the end of October where I will finally gush over a poem).

Standard warning: mild SPOILERS ahead.

GOOD BOYS DESERVE FAVORS

I might have recognized the title of this piece if I had been a bass clef musician but, alas, I am mainly a treble clef one and I only know FACE (the notes between the lines of the staff) and EGBDF (the notes on the lines -- did I ever know an acronym for them? I don't recall). Well, apparently the notes between the bass clef staff are ACEG and the ones on the staff lines are GBDFA -- Good Boys Deserve Favors Always. As you can probably guess by now, this is a story about imaginary "young Neil" and his experience with the double bass. I would assume that the "real Neil" was never so fortunate as to escape an embarrassing situation with a celebrity by being possessed by his double bass and playing an amazing piece that saved the day. This is a simple story and might be one of my favorites. It's so matter of fact and then the little "haunting" is slipped in as if it was no big deal. The ending is sad but fitting and I think this is a very satisfying piece.

THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF THE DEPARTURE OF MISS FINCH

The thing with this story is that I'm not sure if it's a good weird or a bad weird. I have really mixed feelings when I finish reading it. Was it too over-the-top, too strange without that certain something that gives it heft and cohesion? Maybe. I did like, however, the way that Gaiman played with the sentence transitions between sections to change the mood, lend a sense of movement and urgency to the story. I don't think this one will ever be a favorite but I don't really mind reading it.

STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS

I used to like Tori Amos more than I do now. I think I just became too content, too satisfied in life to connect with her particular brand of angst and sadness. The music is still beautiful but the lyrics break my heart. And I think I once would have found these "twelve very short stories, written to accompany Tori Amos's CD Strange Little Girls" interesting but now I find them dreary and depressing.

HARLEQUIN VALENTINE

And, to finish the week, I was rather meh on this one as well. I could see how the story was inspired by the artist Lisa Snellings-Clark's brilliant little Poppets but it didn't grab my heart (haha!). Maybe like the previous piece, it was just too sad and bleak. I'll admit that Neil's descriptions of February made me shiver though!

So, one favorite this week and three neutrals. That's still better than the revulsion of last week!

Sticking to the simply supernatural,

K

RIP Read 2: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Z and I have started bedtime reading together in earnest again after a few off-and-on episodes and we finished our third book on Wednesday night -- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He had seen the movie a few times but I didn't feel like he ever really paid attention. He certainly wasn't very interested in the story or the characters. But, after our first two reads (book one and two of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series), I needed something that I would also enjoy reading and that had a good message and a strong story. I asked Z if we could read HP and he said sure.

He was excited about the book every night. We read about half a chapter at a time so we always had a bit of a cliffhanger or something to look forward to because of the chapter title. Every time I mentioned Harry's scar, Z leaned over and traced a lightning bolt on my forehead. When I said "muggle" he smiled and said "muggle, muggle, muggle". Once I had mentioned Nicholas Flamel, he asked me every night when we sat down "who is Nicholas Flamel anyway?" and I had to remind him again that we wouldn't find out until later. When the chapter called "Nicholas Flamel" finally arrived, he was ecstatic! He also thought Neville's toad, Trevor, was a hoot. Although, he won't believe me that Rubeus is Hagrid's first name. Z wants him to just be Hagrid. And Z also insists that Voldemort is a professor -- I think because he was attached to Professor Quirrell.

So, now we are sitting together, watching the film together again (along with the necessities, namely popcorn and gummy worms) and he is loving it. He remembers the book quite well and is noticing things that have been changed, like when McGonagall is calling names for the sorting hat. In the film, she calls them first name first. But in the book, they are called last name first. So when she says "Susan Bones", Z is over here saying "Bones, Susan". It's cute! He knows all the characters and even waits for certain things to happen -- like Harry seeing Quirrell in the Leaky Cauldron for the first time.

This was an awesome RIP read for both of us. I was a bit worried about spooky things like Nearly Headless Nick, Voldemort and the Forbidden Forest and scenes like the unicorn hunt and Harry finding out about his parents' death but Z did alright with them. His favorite holiday is Halloween after all! We'll definitely be reading more RIP-eligible books together through October. I pulled out our Halloween picture books but I really think he's craving something more substantial now so I bought a copy of Bunnicula and have some other choices from Eva Ibbotson and others to get us through.

Sharing the peril,
K and Z

RIP Read 1: The Devil in the White City

I spent most of September trying to get through The Mysteries of Udolpho but when I was only one third of the way through after almost three weeks, I threw up my hands and threw down the book. I needed something to get me back on track and so I picked up The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Thank you to everyone who recommended that I finally read this one! It was just what I needed.

I'm not going to write much about this book because many of you have already read it and others will probably be at least a bit familiar with it. For those who aren't, the long and short of it is that it tells the parallel stories of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago at the end of the nineteenth century and the exploits of H.H. Holmes, a serial killer and all-around creep in sheep's clothing. Larson takes a little bit of liberty and really creates a narrative with the facts that he unearthed to make it a compelling read. (He explains why he did so in the end notes and I accepted his reasoning even though it bugged me a bit while reading.)

My only complaint (and why I gave it 4.5 stars on LibraryThing instead of 5) is that I love science and wanted to read more about Tesla and less about architecture. I know that it would have been a heftier tome if Larson had included everything possible about the fair but I was just a bit sad that the amazing things that were happening at the Exposition were glossed over. Even the first electric chair (thanks a lot, Edison) was only given one sentence.

But, of course, I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested and it certainly made a chilling RIP read. The evil that men do is always worse than any fiction.

Avoiding life insurance policies that benefit relative strangers,
K

Fragile Things Group Read: Four Stories

This week just flew by and I totally was not able to do the story-a-day thing. Still, I wrote about each piece after reading it and that seems to have worked okay (except for a lack of good "absorbing" time).

Again, minor SPOILERS so be aware --

GOING WODWO

From the introduction: "A wodwo or wodwose, was a wild man of the woods." And while it's a very interesting word, I think the key word in the title of this short piece is "Going" because this is really a poem about the transition from a "regular" life to the escapism and communion of the wodwo lifestyle. The narrator talks about what he is leaving behind and the hardships of starting to live off the resources in the forest. At one point, you almost think he will give it up and head back but then he realizes that the spiritual gains outweigh the physical trials. This is a very thought-provoking piece and is an interesting addition to this collection -- though it certainly exposes a few "fragile things".

BITTER GROUNDS

There was nothing wrong with this story. But I don't like Santeria or zombies and so I didn't really like this either. It was well written but it wasn't for me. It just made me sad and uncomfortable. It's strange because I like fantasy magic A LOT but this particular flavor of New Orleans magic, the kind that is always associated with evil and never with good, just seems pointlessly dark to me -- kind of like the bitter grounds left after brewing strong, black coffee.

OTHER PEOPLE

The most puzzling thing about this story is the title. Interestingly (and according to the introduction), it wasn't Gaiman's title for the piece. He called it "Afterlife", which makes much more sense to me. This is a brilliant little story that truly proves a well-known quote --

"We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell." -- Oscar Wilde

KEEPSAKES AND TREASURES

This was one story that I wanted to re-read again now that I've finally read American Gods because it's supposedly set in the same world. It turned out to be incredibly disturbing and revolting. I didn't remember much about it as I was re-reading it, which means I probably put it out of my mind, trying to not absorb any of its darkness. Though there were many dark and violent things in American Gods, there was nothing quite like this and for that I'm glad. I'm wondering if there will be anyone in the reading group that truly likes this story.

Hoping for something bright and beautiful next week,

K

Coming Soon! Northwest Bookfest 2011

Was anyone else unaware until recently that the Northwest Bookfest has been resurrected this year and is happening on October 1 and 2 in Kirkland, WA? Well, it has been and it is!

Maybe it’s our cloud-cover. Maybe it’s the Northwest lifestyle. Maybe it’s the creative climate of our region. For whatever reason, Seattle continues to be – possibly more than anywhere else in the nation –a place of voracious readers and talented authors.
The 2011 Northwest BookFest, to be held October 1 and 2, promises to feed the appetite of both in grand style. This year’s theme – what else? – It’s Raining Books!
With generous support from the City of Kirkland, King County Library’s Kirkland branch, Kirkland Performance Center, Teen Center, and Peter Kirk Community Center, this family event will draw thousands to Peter Kirk Park and the aforementioned buildings.

The schedule is up and there are tons of panels and bookish activities, even book-related theater (did you know about Seattle's own Book-It Repertory Theatre?). There are also workshops for writers, which I think is a fantastic idea as our area seems to breed creative souls. I love that the King County Library System (2011 Library of the Year!) is one of the sponsors and is having presentations at the Kirkland Library, reminding attendees of the great resources that are always available in our community.

I hope that this is a permanent revival of the Northwest Bookfest and I hope to see some of you there! I have no idea what portions we will be attending but I know that we will be there.

Gathering for the love of reading,

K

New Release: The Flint Heart

The Flint Heart is a unique release because it's not actually Katherine Paterson (our current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and author of the sob-inducing Bridge to Terabithia) & John Paterson's story. The original author was Eden Phillpotts, an early-20th century writer and poet who loved setting his stories in his home region of Dartmoor and who happened to be friends with Agatha Christie. This is an abridged version of his 1910 story, paired with the fantastic illustrations of John Rocco (illustrator for the Percy Jackson series and some beautiful picture books).

The titular "Flint Heart" is exactly what it sounds like -- a stone talisman that hardens the heart of the wearer. It was created in the Stone Age to help a soft-hearted man become chief of his tribe but, as is usually the case, it held more power than he bargained for and the man became a violent tyrant. The charm was buried with him, only to be dug out of a cairn by a kindly Victorian farmer. Soon after, the farmer, Billy Jago, also becomes an insufferable boor who mistreats his wife, children and neighbors. Billy's children, especially his son Charles, believe that their only chance of receiving help is from the local fairies and it is to them that they turn. And so, we follow the Flint Heart through many sets of hands (and paws) as it creates mischief in Dartmoor.

This was a fabulously Victorian tale. There are moors and fairies and all sorts of wonderful and fantastical details. One might balk a bit at the part where the children must impart their knowledge on another creature and, of course, the boy teaches math and history and the girl teaches needlework and poetry but, again, it's a late Victorian tale! The illustrations really enhance the book and I wish that my review copy had them in color like the gorgeous one here of a belligerent badger --

I would love to see more Victorian tales come back into fashion in such a brilliant way as this. This story was honest and heartwarming and I really just enjoyed reading it. I'm sure that Z will enjoy it as well (he already thumbed through it and was really into it) and it will definitely make a good bedtime story. There is also supposedly a film version in the works, produced by the Paterson's son. And, if you're interested, you can read the original tale online (which from a brief browse also seems utterly charming).

Remembering to have a good Point of View,

K

BBAW Giveaway Winner(s)

Congratulations to the winner of our $20 Out of Print Clothing gift certificate --

GMR of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!

And, I've been thinking about Out of Print's mission and want more of you to be able to place orders with them to help Books For Africa so I chose two more winners to receive $10 certificates each --

Erin of Erin Reads!

and

Eli Squared of Eli to the nth!

And to everyone else, please consider shopping at Out of Print Clothing or even just supporting Books For Africa with a donation.

(Winners, this will be an e-mailed gift certificate to the e-mail address you entered with and it says they are delivered within 1-2 business days.)

Thank you to everyone who entered. I hope you had a fantastic Book Blogger Appreciation Week!

Wearing it well,
K