None Of This Nonsense, Please

: queenlyzard; November 11th, 22:10

{1222-1227}

*** 1222) "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

No, I've never read this-- or any Austen book-- before now. Amazing, isn't it? I enjoyed it quite a lot-- the short chapters offset the period language and made it easier to read than I expected. I love Austen's dry, situational sense of humor, and I was thoroughly swept away by the main plot once I got into it, which did take me a little while. I don't know that it will become one of those favorites that I read over and over, but I'm definitely happy to have read it once.

Quotes:

Charlotte: "' Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation...' " 24 Not sure if I agree entirely, but it's a very interesting point to consider!

Darcy: " 'The power of doing any thing with quickness is always much prized by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance.' " 49 Austen actually has a real knack for being snarky, come to think of it.

of Elizabeth: "It was not in her nature, however, to increase her vexations by dwelling on them. She was confident of having performed her duty; and to fret over unavoidable evils, or augment them by anxiety, was no part of her disposition." 227 I envy her that! And they totally got her wrong in the movie with Kiera Knightly (although I liked the movie all the same, romantic piece of drivel that it was. We watched it and read the book for book club last month. I really was annoyed at the movie for leaving out some major plot-points, though).

of Mr. Bennet "...where other powers of entertainment are wanting, the true philosopher will derive benefit from such as are given." 231 What a marvelous description!

*** 1223) "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Enjoyable, although verging on the overly simple at times. Unexpectedly funny in places, although I wouldn't describe it as a humorous work on the whole, as many people do. A wonderfully astute sketch, a pie-slice of life, a celebration of normalcy and oddity... all the stuff I tend to find boring in standard "literature," but written sparely and lightly enough that it isn't boring.

"...there are two possible reactions to social ostracism-- either a man emerges determined to be better, purer, and kindlier or he goes bad, challenges the world, and does even worse things. This last is by far the commonest reaction to stigma." 132

" 'It has always seemed strange to me,' said Doc, 'The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.' " 135

**** 1224) "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Marvelous-- everything a novel should be. A tall tale, and a wonderful one. A grouchy old man in a nursing home recalls his days with the circus, and as he finds his power over his own mind and body slipping away from him, he is reminded of the experiences that make life worth living. Adventure, intrigue, and wonder abound.

*** 1225) "War of Worlds" by H. G. Wells (on audio)

Wells is an excellent storyteller, and even though I already knew the basic plot of this one, I followed it with no less eagerness for that. It was amazing being reminded throughout how different the world was a mere hundred years ago-- no mass media, no means of communicating over a distance, no rapid transit of any kind. Nothing electric, for crying out loud. How did they manage? It's amazing to see how even such little questions as food storage were handled so differently then. I found it interesting to speculate, too, how science fiction has changed over the years-- I mean, in every era, we imagine, for example, aliens coming to earth with technology we've never seen, but the way in which we envision that futuristic technology depends so much on our own stage of development. Wells' Martians wouldn't even start to be a threat today, and "Independence Day" would make no sense at all in his time.

**** 1226) "Bagombo Snuffbox: Uncollected Stories" by Kurt Vonnegut

Well, if these are the stories that didn't make it into the original collection, I'd better go read those ASAP, because these were amazing. Vonnegut seems a little less cynical, a little more lighthearted and uplifting, in his short fiction. I expected the reverse. He has fun playing with little "what if" scenarios, but realistic and un.

And I'm very glad I finally got a good look at the title. I've been thinking of this book as "Bombago Snuffbox" for years. I really can be rather lysdexic at times. Oh wait, crud, that's the actual name of the place, too? I had that wrong as well. Oy, what am I going to do with me?

*** 1227) "Timequake" by Kurt Vonnegut

Interesting, but not my favorite of his books by any means. Took me a bit to get into this one. Also, very baffling in parts because he talks about himself alternately as a character in the book and as the author writing it. Impossible to tell fact from fiction for a large part of the novel. Some good quotes, though:

"I myself say atomic energy has made people unhappier than they were before, and that having to live in a two-hemisphere planet has made our aborigines a lot less happy, without making the wheel-and-alphabet people who 'discovered' them any fonder of being alive than they were before.
"Then again, I am a monopolar depressive descended from monopolar depressives. That's how come I write so good." 89 I love Vonnegut.

Vonnegut's suggested further amendments to the US Constitution:
"/Article XXVIII:/ Every newborn shall be sincerely welcomed and cared for until maturity.
"/Article XXIX:/ Every adult who needs it shall be given meaningful work to do, at a living wage." 152

"At the time of their invention, books were devices as crassly practical for storing or transmitting language,albeit fabricated from scarcely modified substances found in forest and field and animals, as the latest Silicon Valley miracles. But by accident, not by cunning calculation, because of their weight and texture, and because of their sweetly token resistance to manipulation, involve our hands and eyes, and then our minds and soul, in a spiritual adventure I would be very sorry for my grandchildren not to know about." 157 A fascinating theory.

"Any dream of taking care of our people [needs] some scheme for giving us all the support and companionship of extended families, within which sharing and compassion are more plausible than in an enormous nation..." 164

"Still and all, why bother [to write]? Here's /my/ answer: Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people don't care about them. You are not alone.' " 193

{1222-1227}

Tags: books, literature, novels, quotes, short stories

This!

: queenlyzard; October 27th, 14:11

A great short article about the value of graphic novels. Thank you whoever I stole this link from.

( quoted article with comments, which are awesome )

Tags: article, books, graphic novels

Share Your Wisdom

another long book entry

: queenlyzard; October 20th, 0:13

**** 1221) "The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia" by Laura Miller

We read this as a "book club" book over at

bookaddiction a while back, but I never got around to making a personal post on it. I'm going to copy material from my discussion posts there, so this will be a bit longer than my usual book review. In short, in this book Miller talks about her childhood love of Lewis's Narnia series, her disillusionment with the books when they were presented to her as Christian symbolism, and her search for the reason why she still loves them despite disagreeing with their religious premise. Part memoir, part literary criticism and history, part psychology, and with a bit of biography about Lewis and his writings, I found this book very enjoyable and full of interesting ideas. The only thing that frustrated me was the lack of source notes. She presents many references to other works, but no specific sources for her most tantalizing speculations.

Quotes (some that I liked and some that I just thought were good discussion topics)

"...we all know that the books we've loved best are seldom the ones we esteem most highly-- or the ones we'd most like people to think we read over and over again" (p 4).

"...while the process of writing about a book can reveal things you'd never get from simply reading it, it can also make reading a less immediate and visceral experience" (p 5)

"The relationship between book and reader is intimate, at best a kind of love affair, and first loves are famously tenacious" (p 11)

"Do the children who prefer books set in the real, ordinary, workaday world ever read as obsessively as those who would much rather be transported into other worlds entirely?" (p 23).

"...all stories are escapes from life; all stories are unrealistic, or at least all the good ones are. Life, unlike stories, has no theme, no formal unity, and (to unbelievers, at least) no readily apparent meaning. That's why we /want/ stories... Perhaps that's why humanity's oldest stories are full of outlandish events and supernatural beings; the idea that a story must somehow mimic everyday life would probably have seemed daft to the first tellers. Why even bother to tell a story about something so commonplace?" (p 25).

"Like Lewis's, my material life [in childhood] often seemed to be nothing more than the drab and shadowy interludes between the hours when I could read and retreat to an interior realm furnished with the fabulous treasure I had scavenged from hundreds of books." 42

"Gardens make a particularly good image of the self for a writer, because while a garden can be cultivated and enjoyed privately, it can also yield fruit that can be shared with others." 50

"...children are literalists; they lack not only the cognitive skills but also the sheer bulk of information it takes to formulate abstractions and recognize general patterns. They think in specifics, of the concrete, tactile reality they encounter every day. As Philip Pullman... is wont to say, 'Children are not less intelligent than adults; what they are is less informed.' Sometimes they do not see the forest because they're still getting acquainted with the trees." 87

"Once we learn to see things with the idea that they belong to a particular category, we're in danger of missing all the qualities they share with things in other categories, not to mention all the qualities that are theirs alone." (p89)

"Like Lewis, I hankered after the ineffable and the sublime, but the story of Jesus had never spoken to that part of my imagination. Christianity was too monolithic, comprehensive, and established. Temperamentally, preferred uncertainty, slippery boundaries, little neglected corners of the world where magic lurked unnoticed, and strangeness." (p 100)

"If literary writing has any distinguishing characteristic, it's that the more you look at it the more you see, and the more you see the more you want to go on looking." (p 113)
I am tempted to disagree with this, although I cannot say why. I can think of an example in which it is true-- Madeleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle In Time" (another children's book with an underlying religious message, in some ways). Perhaps I object not so much to that statement as to one which follows it closely:
"The closer and more completely you can come to explaining what a work of art means, the less like art it seems." (114)

"[In school] If anything, the more I enjoyed a story, the less likely it was to be serious, worthwhile literature." 116 How true!!

"Disgust, however elemental it feels, is often just a matter of the company you keep." 122 There is some room for debate on this, from a psychology perspective.

"We want the artists who have changed our lives to lead exemplary lives of their own." (p 125)

This following section is not very well informed, I think, but a fascinating premise to follow up on:

"But surely what the sadist or masochist craves most is a particular /dynamic/, generated by a theatrical imbalance of power, in which one player towers above, possessed of all the strength, glory, and authority, while the other cringes below in utter humility and dependence. The imbalance creates a charged emotional appeal; who plays what role matters less than the voluptuous contrast between them. Often no real violence and very little pain are involved. The sadomasochistic impulse seems to arise not from the urge to behave aggressively, but from the desire to be suspended in an ever-unfolding continuum of overwhelming feeling. And this, in turn, throw new light on the emphasis Lewis put on him submissiveness before God; for here was a man for whom piety and prostration were very much the same thing...

"...my friend asked, 'But isn't that the same thing as almost everyone's relationship to God? It's about bowing as low as you can before an incomprehensible power.'
"
His observation stopped me in my tracks. Surely not every believer is a closet sadomasochist? On the other hand, perhaps sadomasochism is not as exotic as it's made out to be. Perhaps its devotees are merely people whose affinity for a particular dynamic takes a sexual rather than a spiritual form? ...[in church as a girl] I saw the tortured body of a man, swooning in agony, blood dripping from his brow, hands, feet, and side. What would someone with no prior knowledge of Christianity conclude upon walking into /that/ god's temple...

"Remove the overt sexuality and the paraphernalia from a sadomasochistic scene, and the emotional center of helplessness and dependency isn't so very different from the intense bond between parent and child or a god and his worshipper. Perhaps all of these are facets of something universal that I, too, can recognize. It's the desire to be carried away by something greater than ourselves-- a love affair, a group, a movement, a nation, a faith. Or even a book." (166-7)

I confess, I just love the idea of religion as an S&M relationship with God!

"Men like J. M. Barrie and Lewis Carroll preferred the company of children not (as the jaded modern mind sometimes presumes) because they were pedophiles seeking adult pleasures from children, but because they longed for the childlike pleasures they couldn't share with
adults." 174 My instinct is to agree strongly. But this is one of those places where I'd love to see some source material for her conclusion.

"Ideally, reading is a kind of collaboration; the more a reader brings to the book, the more he has to contribute to the experience and the richer it will be." 264

"Fairies, neither angels nor men, neither good nor evil, have no place in God's plan. That is the real source of their appeal and their threat, and the reason why fundamentalists object to witches, wizards, and other occult elements in children's books. It's not that these figures lure readers to Satanism, but that they introduce the possibility that God and Satan are not your only options." 276

"The power of a myth doesn't arise from the particular words used to convey it; it can even be felt when no words at all are used." 286

( more of my own opinions )

Tags: books, lit crit, literature, quotes

bookage

: queenlyzard; October 19th, 23:57

*** 1220) "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates" by Tom Robbins

In spite of my longstanding love of Robbins, it took me a while to get into this book. I often have the same problem with Vonnegut, for some reason. But in the end, as always, I loved it. Robbins has such an excellent grasp of how to mingle the absurd with a realistic story until you have trouble remembering which bits should be hard to believe. And somehow, the most ridiculous parts are always the most true to human nature.

Quotes:

"Silence is a mirror. So faithful, and yet so unexpected, is the reflection it can throw back at men that they will go to almost any length to avoid seeing themselves in it..." 234

"[America is] an 'abusive democracy,' one in which everybody wants to control everybody else. Lately, even tolerance, itself, has been usurped by the sanctimonious and the opportunistic, and turned into an instrument for intimidation, bullying, and extortion." 258

An interesting sociological observation:

" [Skeeter Washington said] '...I fail to detect where they be a hell of a lot of /difference/ between the terms 'colored people' and 'people of color.' Or between ''Afro-American' and 'African-America,' far as that goes.'
'The distinctions are subtle, all right,' Switters admitted. 'Too subtle for the rational mind. Only the political mind can grasp them. I suspect there's a bid for empowerment behind it all, the power going to whoever seizes the right to coin the names. In a reality made of language, the people who get to name things have psychological ownership of those things.'" 211

Switters: "'Politics is where people pay somebody large sums of money to impose his or her will on them. Politics is sadomasochism.' "
Also, he says "Terrorism is the only imaginable logical response to America's foreign policy, just as street crime is the only imaginable logical response to America's drug policy." 394

I had to copy this following passage down (ok, most of it, anyway... I did elide quite a few bits) because it has so much in it that is very astute, although I think it could also be very easily problematic if taken too seriously as an over-generalization. All in all, though, it is an excellent explanation of how situational depression can turn into purely biochemical depression. Although I'm not sure I agree with her assessment (not included here) that the best way to save someone from this fate is to make fun of them until they learn to make fun of themselves!

Maestra: "'All depression has its roots in self-pity, and all self-pity is rooted in people taking themselves too seriously...
For most people, self-awareness and self-pity blossom simultaneously in early adolescence. It's about that time that we start viewing the world as something other than a whoop-de-doo playground, we start to experience personally how threatening it can be, how cruel and unjust. At the very moment when we become, for the first time, both introspective and socially conscious, we receive the bad news that the world, by and large, doesn't give a rat's ass. Even an old tomato like me can recall how painful, scary, and disillusioning that realization was. So, there's a tendency, then, to slip into rage and self-pity, which, if indulged, can fester into bouts of depression...
"then depression can become a neurological habit....
"Gradually, our brain chemistry becomes conditioned to react to negative stimuli in a particular, predictable way...
"Once depression has become electronically integrated, it can be extremely difficult to philosophically or psychologically override it...'" 44-5

Tags: books, novels, psychology, quotes

!?!

: queenlyzard; October 7th, 22:04

Holy crap, how is this the first I have heard of... a sixth Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book!?!

*jawdrop* I don't know what to think, honestly. Except to be sorry that it isn't being written in collaboration by Terry Pratchett and Spider Robinson.

Tags: books, hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

And a few more

: queenlyzard; October 3rd, 22:41

{1214-19}
Adult fiction from the "normal" shelves

** 1214) "Sum: 40 tales from the afterlives" by David Eagelman

Fun little book. Reminded me a bit of "Einstein's Dreams." Each mini-story covers a potential life after this one-- some thought-provoking, some absurd, some frightening, some wonderful. The first story was truly the best. A few made me laugh out loud. I was a bit surprised that, although many of them turned classical ideas on their heads and went out on quite a limb, most of the ones involving a religious afterlife of some kind seemed very much based in Judeo-Christian thinking.

*** 1215) "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult

Yes, I gave in a read a popular novel, and enjoyed it quite a bit more than I thought I would. The writing isn't brilliant, but it's compelling and evenly-paced. The story held a good mix of serious content, light moments, and heart-string-tugging. Around about 2/3 of the way in, I realized that there was no possible ending that could make me satisfied given what I knew so far, so I wasn't surprised when I found the end unsatisfactory. I'm curious to know how they changed it for the movie and whether I'll like that ending any better. I suspect I'll pick up another of her books when I want a light human-interest thriller.

*** 1216) "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" by Terry McMillan

No, I haven't seen the movie. I didn't love this as much as the other book of hers that I read, but I did still enjoy it quite a bit. Too much romance for me, and I found myself caring about whether it would work out far more than I wanted to! I guess the story sucked me in against my will. The descriptions were wonderfully vivid and I certainly found myself jealous of Stella (and for more than just the romance!).

*** 1217) "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

Yes, yes, I should have read it years ago. Good story, and all the more enjoyable for being a lot damn shorter than "East of Eden". Sad and real and all those other things that are the main reason I avoid classics :)

In the intro, Steinbeck is quoted as writing "Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love". Not sure I agree, but it's definite food for thought.

*** 1218) "Hocus Pocus" by Kurt Vonnegut

I will never understand why I keep putting off reading the rest of Vonnegut's books. Even when one of them isn't my very favorite-- such as this one, with its complex and meandering plot-- I still enjoy his style immensely. And as always, I found a few disturbingly deep thoughts disguised as cynical witticisms:

"My own feeling is that if adultery is wickedness then so is food. Both make me feel so much better afterward." 120

"Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance." 225

"Beer, of course, is actually a depressant. But poor people will never stop hoping otherwise." 259

1219) "Enduring Love" by Ian McEwan

Book club book. Typical "literary fiction"-- disturbing, off-putting, depressing, and just plain weird. My favorite bit was the epilogue and that's only because it made the novel sound as though it were based on a true story, which would have been excellent indeed. Instead... I might recommend it to fans of Updike's "Rabbit" novels-- it has that same morbid tone of classical hubristic tragedy about it.

"No one could agree on anything. We lived in a mist of half-shared, unreliable perception, and our sense data came warped by a prism of desire and belief, which tilted our memories too... Pitiless objectivity, especially about ourselves, was always a doomed social strategy. We're descended from indignant, passionate tellers of half-truths, who, in order to convince others, simultaneously convinced themselves." 196 A good point indeed! Really, if the novel had focused just a bit more on the neurological factors at play, I might have liked it a lot better.

"I've never outgrown that feeling of mild pride, of acceptance, when children take your hand." 248 This line just struck me so poignantly. It's exactly how I felt, not long after, when I visited with

conuly and her two adorable young nieces, who on several occasions reached out with absolute trust to put their tiny, soft hands in mine, making me feel proud and responsible and touched and protective and trusted all at once. It's really something of an overwhelming feeling when one isn't used to it.

Ok, enough for one entry.

Tags: books, literature, novels, quotes

perhaps I can brain for just a little while, please...

: queenlyzard; October 3rd, 22:20

{1208-13}

I'm long overdue for, among many other things, a bookjournaling post!

Some kids books I've read since we last spoke:

** 1208) "Not As Crazy As I Seem" by George Harrar

Touching and believable YA story about a young man with, most likely, OCD. He isn't quite sure why he needs everything to be exactly the way it is, but he doesn't want anyone to take his quirks away from him, either. Still, he manages to start developing a sense of himself as more than just "the crazy kid." Moral of story: our problems may be an integral part of us, but that doesn't mean we have to be defined by them.

* 1209) "Everything on a Waffle" by Polly Horvath

A somewhat whimsical story about a girl whose parents are missing at sea (and not, she insists, drowned. Certainly not). While she waits for them to return, she does her best with the various well-meaning but generally inept adults in the world around her. She's got a knack for fixing up other people's lives... and it just may work on her own life, too. A bit unrealistic in odd ways for such a down-to-earth story, but still fun.

** 1210) "Strange Happenings" by Avi

A highly enjoyable collection of surprising and fantastic short stories.

**** 1211) "Clementine's Letter" by Sarah Pennypacker

An early chapter book. Move over, Ramona-- I just can't get enough of Clementine!

**** 1212) "I Am Not Esther" by Fleur Beale

A powerful YA novel about family, religious fundamentalism, identity, and integrity. Kirby and her mother have never been particularly well-off, but they've always managed to get by-- and they love each other, so what could go wrong? Then suddenly, Kirby's mother disappears, leaving her in the care of unknown relatives, who all happen to belong to a strict religious cult. Renamed "Esther" and subjected to strict and bewildering rules, Kirby must manage to survive in a new world while trying to track down her missing mother. As she comes to care for her new family, Kirby is increasingly torn between her old and new lives, unsure about her identity and her loyalties. A moving and multifaceted, and above all, disturbingly realistic, story.

***1213) "The Bronze Pen" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

I saw it on the library shelf and could believe there was a ZKS book I'd never even heard of... but it's new this year, which explains why. More outright magical than many of her books, this has her trademark ability to tell a story sweetly and straightforwardly while gently broadening a child's mind about the wide variety of people who make up the world. Definitely for a younger audience than some of her other works, too. Or maybe I'm just getting older.

Tags: books, juvenile literature

Urban Fantasy

: queenlyzard; August 18th, 20:52

{1200-1207}

Another long-overdue post. Man, I need another day off. Today snuck past without my noticing it.

***** 1200-1205) The first 6 books of Rachel Caine's "Morganville Vampires" series: "Glass Houses," "Dead Girls' Dance," "Midnight Alley," "Feast of Fools," "Lord of Misrule," and "Carpe Corpus"

It's easy to resent an author who writes anything this captivating, but at least they were quick to read. I forgive her for stealing away my brain for 6 books straight only because the 6th one doesn't end on a complete cliffhanger like all the others. Thank goodness. Otherwise I'd be knocking on her door at 2 AM begging for the next installment.

I was reluctant to pick them up at first (oh lloyd, not Another Teen Vampire Series) but I'd forgotten just how excellent a writer Caine is. They are unusual, witty, romantic, surprising.... oh, and the vampires are the Bad Guys. Mostly. I'll grant, the series is fluff rather than literature, but if you're looking for some truly excellent fluff, I can't think of anything I'd rather recommend. There's just a tad bit too much Deus Ex Machina (the setting is grim enough that you're always a bit surprised when all the main characters survive-- but again, you forgive the author because you really couldn't bear for any of them to die, imperfect as they all are), but that's my only nitpick. Seriously. Give them a shot. But don't say I didn't warn you if you end up staying up all night to find out what happens next!

**** 1206) "Rosemary and Rue" by Seanan McGuire

To be released Sept 1. Fortunately, I got to meet the lovely (and very witty) Seanan in person during our ComicCon panel and had her sign me a copy... which I then proceeded to read in a single afternoon. The story is classic Urban Fantasy: a half-faerie (of whatever spelling) lives between the worlds of mundane and supernatural, fully at home in neither and at risk from both. But when a member of the faerie royalty is murdered, she may just be the only one who can solve the crime. More to the point, however: she's dead meat if she can't.

It was very good. I won't jump out and say it's the best supernatural mystery I've ever read, and it certainly wasn't the most surprising as far as plot-twists, but it was well-worth picking up. Her world-building is strong and consistent (and includes, thank goodness, a guide to the pronunciation of Stuff From Celtic Mythology). Her characters are unique and likeable (or dislikable where appropriate), and the story flows very smoothly at a fast and even pace. Plus, I didn't catch a single typo or grammatical error, which is both very refreshing and downright amazing in a first novel (among my other criticisms of Tamora Pierce, I forgot to mention that the woman can't punctuate a sentence to save her life, and apparently her editors have never heard of a "comma-splice"-- for shame!). So go buy a copy when it comes out and help ensure that there will be a continuing series! And check out her website: seananmcguire.com

*** 1207) "Deathwish" by Rob Thurman

This latest installment of the Cal series delivers the ass-kicking, wise-cracking, up-against-ridiculous-odds action I've come to love from Thurman-- even more so since discovering that the author is a woman (her name is Robin, which anyone who's read the books will find instantly amusing)! The series is suffering from a slight dose of the over-the-topness that invariably happens to any story with a bad-ass main character (urban fantasy and comic books in particular). It's a bit hard to imagine where she'll go from here... but I look forward to finding out what that new direction may be.

The previous books in the series have all been in first person POV-- Cal's. This time, while still first person, the POV switches around a bit between the characters. I'm not sure what to think of that. On the one hand, it makes for more interesting plot lines when you can 1) see what multiple people are doing at the same time and 2) see what different people are thinking about the same situation. On the flip side, however, I had to read just a tad bit slower to avoid getting mixed up about who was experiencing what, and when. And I gotta admit-- no one else has a "voice" like Cal's, and his POV is what I really love about this series, more than the actual plots. Although I admit to having spent a lot of the previous novels wondering what the hell Niko was actually thinking about stuff that went on....

well, ok, it's a small dent in the list, but it will have to do for now.

Tags: books, urban fantasy, vampires

mysteries

: queenlyzard; August 9th, 23:51

{1197-99}

**** 1197) "Gone For Good" by Harlan Coben

I am so glad a customer talked me into trying another of Coben's books. This one was painfully hard to put down. Layer upon layer of missing persons, threatening thugs, and unresolved murders from long ago tangle a man's life up past recognition and leave him racing against time and unknown enemies. At times I felt so bad for him I almost wanted to throw the book across the room-- but I had to keep reading, to find out what happened next. The ending held one surprise after another, and was surprisingly satisfying at the very last. One of the best mysteries I've read in a long time.

**** 1198) "The Confessor" by Daniel Silva

It struck me, not very far into this book, that this might have been what Dan Brown would have written if he really knew how to write. This spy thriller is intensely literary and seems very well-researched. No religious nonsense, but it does involve plots within the Vatican, secret societies, and international chase scenes. The story begins with the murder of a Jewish journalist who was writing a book about the Holocaust. What secret could he have discovered that is worth his life? And to whom? An Israeli spy living in Italy takes up the thread and uncovers dangerous secrets with far-reaching tendrils. Not a light book, but a good one.

*** 1199) "Miracle at St. Anna" by James McBride

I'm going to do something I've never done before and never thought I would do: I'm going to recommend that you see the movie ("Buffalo Soldiers") before you read the book on which it is based. There's a simple reason for this-- in the book, the main character's name is used right away. In the movie, it's kept a secret until the end. To me, that added so much more to the story. Plus, it's a good movie, and not too miserably far off from the book. The book is, of course, a bit less dramatic, not quite as neatly satisfying, and may not even really qualify as a mystery. Really, it's a historical novel and war story about a group of black soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in WWII Italy. There, they rescue a mysterious child and uncover a terrible secret as they attempt to aid a local partisan group.

Tags: books, historical fiction, mysteries, wwii

Share Your Wisdom

nonfiction

: queenlyzard; August 9th, 23:43

*** 1195) "When You Are Engulfed In Flames" by David Sedaris

One of his better collections, in my opinion; surprisingly, it didn't contain a single story that grossed me out-- except maybe the one about keeping pet spiders, but still. Witty and fun, and I only wanted to smack him a few times.

*** 1196) "The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion

A book club book (shows you how far behind I am on my journaling-- I think I've listed three club books lately, and we only meet once a month!) This is a beautiful and heartbreaking memoir about a woman who loses her husband and has her daughter fall into a coma in the same year. It is a terribly honest and moving story of grief, love, and surviving heartbreak. Poignant.

"These people who have lost someone look naked because they think themselves invisible." 75 This quote in particular struck me when I looked at the author's photo on the back cover-- she had that exact look in her eyes, so full of grief it was as though you could see straight into her.

"...many people I knew, whether in New York or California or in other places, shared a habit of mind usually credited to the very successful. They believed absolutely in their own managerial skills. They believed absolutely in the power of the telephone numbers they had at their fingertips, the right doctor, the major donor, the person who could facilitate a favor at State or Justice... Yet I had always at some level apprehended, because I was born fearful, that some events in life would remain beyond my ability to control or manage them." 98 Oh, I know how that feels!

"...I realize how open we are to the persistent message that we can avert death./ And to its punitive correlative, the message that if death catches us we have only ourselves to blame." 206

"The craziness is receding but no clarity is taking its place./ I look for resolution and find none." 225

Tags: books, nonfiction, quotes

Share Your Wisdom

YA books

: queenlyzard; August 9th, 23:08

{1187-94}

**** 1187) "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

This book is incredibly intense. In a potential future, the elite ruling class requires lower-class teenagers to fight to the death in order to win their families a chance at life. Our heroine never expected to be one of them, but she'll do anything to protect the people she loves. It seems, however, that every move she makes only serves to pull her deeper into a world of unimaginable violence and danger. This book is brutal and gripping in the same way as "Ender's Game." The writing isn't flawless, and there are moments of unbelievability, but the overall effect is still very powerful.

**** 1188) "Catching Fire" (ARC) by Suzanne Collins

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy of the sequel to "Hunger Games," and it's every bit as thrilling as the first one. I can't wait for the third installment.

**** 1189) "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen

I believe this is at least based on a true story of wilderness survival. A tad bit darker and more realistic than "My Side of the Mountain," but just as triumphant and interesting.

** 1190-93) The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce: "Wild Magic," "Wolf-Speaker," "Emperor Mage," and "The Realms of the Gods"

It took me a little while to get into this. It's classic teen heroic fantasy, but somehow that doesn't draw me in the way it used to. In the first book in particular, our heroine's "countrified" manner of speech got on my nerves like anything, but I came to appreciate her character's mix of kindness and spunkiness as the stories went on. Plus, it's hard to go wrong with a story which includes a baby dragon named "Kitten"-- bits of humor like that did a great deal to win me over. I think the third book was my favorite.

** 1194) "Bass Ackwards and Belly Up" by Elizabeth Craft

I confess, I picked this one up purely for the title and cover-- and it wasn't what I expected. In fact, my first impression of the book was that it was a pure rip-off of "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," and a lousy one at that. But I kept reading, the writing got less stilted, and I found myself caring more and more about the main characters (4 high-school graduate girls who take a year before college to have adventures). In the end, I enjoyed it quite a bit and found it refreshingly realistic in places. I may even pick up the sequel.

Tags: books, ya books

literatures

: queenlyzard; August 8th, 0:28

{1184-6}

* 1184) "Love in the Time of the Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I confess, I might not have finished this one if it weren't a book-club assignment. It's very literary, yes, but dense and hard to follow. The storyline jumps around so much, flashing forward and back, that I suspect one would only get the full effect on the second reading. I found the main love story impossible to believe, although it was fun trying to imagine such an obsession and the world in which it could happen. In short, the book was beautiful, but not my type.

**** 1185) "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This book, on the other hand, swept me off my feet. Tense, gothic, lush, and mysterious, this is a book about a book, a mystery within a mystery, a maze of a story all wrapped up in gorgeous writing like dark chocolate. Let me share some quotations with you:

"I wondered what on earth she saw in me that could make her want to befriend me, other than a pale reflection of herself, an echo of solitude and loss. In my schoolboy reveries, we were always two fugitives riding on the spine of a book, eager to escape into worlds of fiction and secondhand dreams." - Daniel, p29

" 'Army, Marriage, the Church, and Banking: the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' " - Fermin, p98

" 'The words with which a child's heart is poisoned, through malice or through ignorance, remain branded in his memory, and sooner or later they burn his soul.' " -Nuria Monfort, 167

" 'Life on the streets is short. People look at you in disgust, even the ones who give you alms, but this is nothing compared to the revulsion you feel for yourself. It's like being trapped in a walking corpse, a corpse that's hungry, stinks, and refuses to die.' " - Fermin, 322

"Wars have no memory, and nobody has the courage to understand them until there are no voices left to tell hat happened, until the moment comes when we no longer recognize them and they return, with another face and another name, to devour what they left behind." -Nuria, 428

"Julian once told me that a story is a letter the author writes to himself, to tell himself things that he would be unable to discover otherwise." -Nuria, 444

"Does the madman know he is mad? Or are the madmen those who insist on convincing him of his unreason in order to safeguard their own idea of reality?" -Nuria, 444

"[She] says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do so with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day." -Daniel, 484

*** 1186) "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Fascinating, touching, poignant. All that stuff great literature is supposed to be. I can't believe it took me this long to get around to the book, but I'm very glad someone finally talked me into it.

Tags: books, literature, novels, quotes

chemistry sucks

: queenlyzard; July 29th, 23:30

{1179-83}

So, books. I am ridonculously behind on the Book Journal.

**** 1179) "Bloomability" by Sharon Creech

I'm so glad I finally followed all the recommendations and read one of her books. Juv. novel about a preteen girl from a rather isolated life who is suddenly swept away to live at a Swiss boarding school run by her relatives. There, through numerous and often humorous, adventures, she gains a broader understanding of the world and of herself... and slowly begins to learn that caring about people doesn't always mean losing them.

**** 1180) "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" by Joan Aiken

The only word for this book is "delicious." Despite the fact that I'm probably 20 years older than the target reader, I found myself shivering along with this gothic tale and rooting for the brave little girls who faced such infuriating injustices. If Roald Dahl had attempted to write a book like "Matilda" in the style of Burnett's "A Little Princess," it would have been very much like this one. (And if you haven't read those, shame on you). John Bellairs fans will also feel at home with the grim and tense tone of this captivating story.

**** 1181) "Rules" by Cynthia Lord

Catherine's little brother is autistic. She loves him, but like any other young teenage girl, what she wants most in the world is a family that isn't "weird," that doesn't stick out. So she does her best to help him act normal with lists of rules-- everything from "keep your pants on in public" to "an apple is not a funny-looking orange." However, when Catherine befriends a boy her own age who also has a physical disability, she starts having to question her own rules about what it means to be normal... and realizes that there are more important things than fitting in. Very touching, this story handles the issues with care and honesty. Very real.

**** 1182) "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

Marvelous. Kids team up on a dangerous mission to save the world, a mission that will require all their quirky talents and odd genius. Clever-- even when I figured things out ahead of the children, I was enchanted by the way in which they solved the problems. The book wasn't perfect by any means-- a few bits struck me as poorly designed or silly, and the writing style seemed oddly misplaced at times for a story set in America (I was quite surprised to find out that the author wasn't actually British, because it read that way to me!), and I agree with one critic that Constance's secret would have been very hard indeed to hide from the others (I won't spoil by telling you what it is, because I enjoyed the surprise a lot myself). But overall, the effect was wonderful and kept me glued to the story til the very last page. Fans of "Matilda," "The View from Saturday," and pretty much any other book about kids outwitting adults will love this one.

** 1183) "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyle

I confess, I was not nearly as impressed by this one as I had hoped to be, and I definitely think it belongs on the chapter-books shelf, not YA. It is, of course, a Holocaust story, convincingly told from the viewpoint of a very young son of an SS officer, who has absolutely no idea what is going on. The language is carefully used so that a child who has not heard much about the Holocaust might read this book without understanding at first what it was about-- which I think would be wonderfully fascinating and shocking if I were young enough to have that experience. However, since I could tell the setting from page one, the element of surprise was lost on me, and I was somewhat frustrated with the narrator for not catching on sooner to the fact that his friend on the other side of the barbed-wire fence was in a bad situation. Still, children of that age are indeed very self-oriented and can't always make sense of anything which doesn't relate to them personally. The ending (which I will not give away) was a shock to me, and I have to confess that I felt a certain horrible sense of vindication and pleasure at it, found myself wishing that those events, too, were based on a true story-- what a grim thought!

And somehow, it's gotten to be midnight already. Goodnight all!

Tags: books, juvenile literature

Share Your Wisdom

In which I is made of squee

: queenlyzard; July 25th, 22:49

Sometimes, the spoons are kind enough to show up when you need them. Thank the deity of your choice.

( fangirling ) ,

padparadscha , I'm thinking of you here...). *envies* And she's wonderfully bouncy too. Excitable in that way that makes you want to say something she finds thrilling just to watch her response, you know?

Rob Thurman is, indeed, a woman, and a lovely one at that. Great sense of humor, very friendly. She had a bag of pins related to her books that were dubbed "too dirty" for ComicCon. I got one for the Cal series that says "Kicking Supernatural Ass for Fun and Profit" and one for her upcoming book that says "Excessive violence doesn't go well with footy pajamas." We'll see how many of her books I can sell by wearing those at work!

Jeanne Stein gave me a promotional pen. I /always/ need pens.

Kat Richardson has thick silver hair to the middle of her back, and she referenced Feynman! I may have to purchase one of her books just for that, although I couldn't afford to do so this evening.

Tom has a remarkable sense of humor for someone who writes about wars between the Angels. Then again, seeing as said wars are conducted in modern-day Boston, maybe it's not so surprising.

Actually, everyone on the panel was so nice and had a really excellent sense of humor. It seemed like they were having fun, too. A break from the big Con crowds and a chance to chill with fellow book-nerds :)

The panel had a really good moderator who brought up excellent discussion points-- a lot of stuff about the various types of fantasy out there, Epic v. Urban, their respective appeals and disadvantages, their history-- which led into discussions of mythology and folklore as the urban fantasy of its day, Tolkien v. Shakespeare, why science fiction has lost popularity-- lots of great stuff. Patrick brought up the idea of hard v. soft fantasy, which clarified so much for me, mentally (I wasn't planning to read his book, but I changed my mind after hearing him speak-- the man is /sharp/).</div>

All around, lots to think about, lots of book recommendations (oy, just what I needed...), lots of fun. I am a Happy Bug.

Tags: books, fandom

adventures in bookland

: queenlyzard; July 24th, 23:43

Today actually kinda verged on fun. I timed my pills right, ate lots of protein, and hardly got tired at all (although my voice is pretty sore from saying "Hi! How can I help you today?" a million and ten times). Actually, the store was surprisingly dead most of the day-- except, of course, right when I was getting ready to leave. I even got to chat with a few real SF fans, and Jacqueline Carey dropped by (even better, I complimented "Kushiel's Dart" in her presence before I knew who she was).

It occurred to me that I could even enjoy the Twilight fandom. For the first hour, I wore a tag that said "Team Bella-vamps-out-and-EATS-everyone" and then I thought better of it and switched to one that said "Team Bella Marries Alice." Fortunately, the only people who noticed seemed to get a kick out of it. A few even came up to express their support for the Bella/Alice idea. Maybe I've started a new trend :)

Definitely going to try and attend the sci-fi author panel tomorrow. Have to decide how many books I can afford to buy and get signed! I'm a mild-to-moderate fan of most of the authors, and there are only two whose work I haven't read. The panelists are:

- Amber Benson (yes! I'm going to meet "Tara" from Buffy!!), signing "Death's Daughter" (haven't read, but I did read a book she co-wrote with Christopher Golden and it was pretty good).

- Kat Richardson, author of the "Greywalker" series (read and liked the first two-- there are two more out, one of them very recently). Suppose I actually need to buy one or two of them, huh?

- Rob Thurman, author of "Nightlife" and series. Read and enjoyed all of them quite a bit, but I probably wouldn't purchase them except to get signed (ie, not likely to reread them a lot). I have a sneaking suspicion I already own the first one-- must see if I can find it. Also, I just found out that Rob is a woman!! Definitely would not have guessed that from the books.

- Jeanne Stein, author of the Anna Strong chronicles (read the first one-- not bad, but I'm not sure if I'll read the rest).

- Patrick Rothfuss, author of some thick book that's been madly popular and I haven't even looked at it.

- Thomas Sniegoski, author of the Remy Chandler books. I read half of the first one during lunch today. Seems like fairly typical supernatural mystery and I wasn't too impressed-- but I'll finish the book before making a final judgment.

- Seanan McGuire - new author, never heard of. ~~His~~ Her book doesn't even officially come out until Sept.

Woo!

Tags: books

another overdue post - textbooks

: queenlyzard; July 20th, 20:25

{1175-78}

**** 1175) "Learning and Behavior" by R. Powell, D. Symbaluk, and P. Honey (2nd or 3rd edition-- I forget which)

This was the textbook for my learning class last year, and I have to say, textbooks don't get much better than this. Clear, concise, well-organized, and with helpful diagrams and review questions. It helps that I find the topic fascinating, of course, but I also particularly liked the way this book presented the material. And the fact that it didn't weigh a ton.

*** 1176) "The Art of Public Speaking" by Stephen E. Lucas, 9th edition

I didn't quite read all of this one, but close to it. I found it a little too obvious and repetitive in many places, but clear and easy to read all the same. What I particularly liked was the inclusion of many speeches for a wide variety of topics and demographics, with breakdowns of what made them so effective. I also liked the careful inclusiveness and emphasis on cultural awareness in order not to offend your audience. Book comes with way too much supplementary material (DVDs, worksheets, etc), which I found completely unnecessary.

** 1177) "The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence" by Kathleen Stassen Berger, 7th edition (I think)

Perhaps I'm being unfair to this text because I hated the way our professor used it, but I found its organization very hard to follow. Perhaps I simply disagree with the way child development is taught. The book covers the various stages of development in terms of biosocial, psychosocial, and cognitive developments. This means a lot of material overlaps or is broken up in odd ways, and vanishes at one point in the chapter to reappear later when you've forgotten what you read before. Meh.

**** 1178) "Writing Logically, Thinking Critically" by Sheila Cooper and Rosemary Patton, 5th edition.

I /loved/ this book. I plan to keep it. It is full of great quotations, brilliantly quotable text, and much humor. An excellent introduction to critical thought and the mechanics of argument.

Tags: books, school, textbooks

Share Your Wisdom

meh! How did it get so late!

: queenlyzard; July 10th, 22:41

**** 1174) "The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog: And other stories from a child psychiatrist's notebook: what traumatized children can teach us about love, loss, and healing" by Bruce Perry

Not an easy book to read, but it ought to be required for anyone who works with children, people, and trauma/abuse victims of any kind. The carefully-analyzed case studies in this book are fascinating, insightful, and not overly hyped or simplified. Beyond that, I'll let it speak for itself. Favorite quotes in bold.

"I do not believe in 'the abuse excuse' for violent or hurtful behavior, but I have found that there are complex interactions beginning in early childhood that affect our ability to envision choices and that may later limit our ability to make the best decisions."

"Biology isn't just genes playing out some unalterable script. It is sensitive to the world around it..."

"...the stress-response systems are among only a handful of neural systems in the brain that, if poorly regulated or abnormal, can cause dysfunction in all four of the main brain areas..."

"It's important to understand that our default is set at suspicion, not acceptance." (regarding any kind of new stimuli)

"While not all ADD, hyperactivity and oppositional-defiant disorder are trauma-related, it is likely that the symptoms that lead to these diagnoses are trauma-related more often than anyone has begun to suspect."

"Our bodies and especially our brains are built to magnify practically imperceptible initial incongruities into massively differentiated results."

"Fortunately, the virtuous cycle is every bit as cascading and self-amplifying as the vicious cycle." (eg, praise at the right moment can spark interest, resulting in modest potential flowering to fullest extent.)

"The key to healthy development is getting the right experiences in the right amounts at the right time."

"If you're planning for consequences, in some sense, you are empathizing with your 'future self.' " (Empathy relates to impulse-control)

"Humans are social animals, highly susceptible to emotional contagion. Training, logic and intelligence are often no match for the power of group-think."

"...'trained intuition' is a large part of what distinguishes experts from amateurs in most fields. We don't always consciously what what it is that doesn't fit, but somewhere our brain recognizes that part of the puzzle is missing, and it sends up a signal that something's askew. (This 'gut feeling' is actually a low-level activation of the stress response system, which is acutely attuned to combinations of incoming signals that are out of context or novel.)"

"What maltreated and traumatized children most need is a healthy community to buffer the pain, distress and loss caused by their earlier trauma. What works to heal them is anything that increases the number and quality of a child's relationships. What helps is consistent, patient, repetitive loving care. And, I should add, what doesn't work is well-intended but poorly trained mental health 'professional' rushing in after a traumatic event, or coercing children to 'open up' or 'get out their anger.' "

"As technology has advanced, we have gotten farther and farther away from the environment for which evolution shaped us. The world we live in now is biologically disprespectful; it does not take into account many of our most basic human needs... For years mental health professionals taught people that they could be psychologically healthy without social support, that 'unless you love yourself, no one else will love you'... The truth is, you cannot love yourself unless you have been loved and are loved. The capacity to love cannot be built in isolation."

Tags: books, psychology, quotes

Miles behind

: queenlyzard; July 6th, 21:50

{1170-73}

I've been so busy reading every spare moment I never have time to write reviews anymore!

Oh hey, I think I'll start a new rating system too, since I'm getting more readers: books will be given 0-4 stars (*), instead of the previous 0-2.

Have some nonfiction.

*** 1170) "A Small Place" by Jamaica Kincaid

A wonderful (small) book in which Kincaid muses about her home island of Antigua, in her vivid, acerbic, insightful way. Funny and sad and wistful and angry all at once.

**** 1171) "A Primate's Memoir" by Robert Sapolsky

July's book club book. With Jewish humor and unflagging optimism, Sapolsky tells tales of his years in Africa studying baboons. Part science journal and larger part memoir/travelogue, this book is a joy to read despite the many frightful facts and events it covers. Through his stories, Sapolsky reminds us subtly that we, like his baboons, are strange primates whose behavior is often hard to comprehend.

*** 1172) "Alex and Me" by Irene Pepperberg

A sweet memoir about the bird who changed the world-- or at least made people think twice about the term "birdbrain." Alex was an African Grey parrot and Irene was his trainer and advocate. The book doesn't focus so much on their work as on the deep personal relationship the two formed over the years.

A caveat: I passed the book along to my roommate, who is a professional scientist, and she pretty much hated it. So-- not to be read from a scientifically critical standpoint (I don't think Pepperberg talked enough about her studies to judge them, but apparently a lot of her personal decisions-- turning down a teaching post and then complaining that she didn't have the funding to do her research, for examples-- are major faux-pas in the world of professional science. My roommate branded her a "kook"-- but I still have to recommend the book, if only as an animal lover's personal odyssey).

** 1173) "My Lobotomy" by Howard Dully

The story of Dully, a man who, at age 12, was given an "ice-pick lobotomy" at the request of a stepmother who found his behavior unmanageable. It is unclear from Dully's description of himself as a child whether he may have had ADHD or something similar-- honestly, he struck me as a normal, if somewhat rambunctious and mischievous, boy.

What is so strange to me is how little the lobotomy seems to have changed Dully, at least according to his own descriptions. He seems to have given up on himself as hopeless at that point and went through many years of delinquency, alcohol dependence, and assorted self-destructive behaviors-- but no more so than anyone who grew up in a broken and distant family. I think, oddly enough, that the psychological effect of what was done to him may have been worse than the physical effect on his brain-- although his life-long history of poor choices and impulsive behavior is certainly consistent with frontal lobe damage.

This is an interesting memoir, strange and disturbing at times, and often disturbing in its tone of normalcy and banality. Perhaps some of the flatness of the descriptions is, in fact, due to the lobotomy... and perhaps not. It's hard to tell. As someone with an interest in brain science, I found this very frustrating to read because it is truly a memoir, not a case study, and leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

After long years of researching his own history, and some heavy soul-searching, Dully at last is content in his life, and has realized that, in some ways, he is both better and worse off than others-- as are we all.

"That's true for everybody, I guess. We are all the victims of what is done to us. We can either use that as an excuse for failure, knowing that if we fail it isn't really our fault, or we can say 'I want something better than that, I deserve something better than that, and I'm going to try to make myself a life worth living.' " Amen!

Tags: books, nonfiction, quotes, science

even moar sf&f

: queenlyzard; June 27th, 22:59

{1166-69}

So, I missed a few... and have read more since last entry.

** 1166 ) "Podkayne of Mars" by Robert Heinlein

Ok, I officially take back everything bad I ever said about sci-fi. I love the stuff. It just has to be character-driven for me to get into it. Granted, this one isn't heavy on the science, which may have been part of why I liked it-- it's a good story that just happens to take place in the far future with a young woman from Mars as the main character. It's very interesting to see how a female character (not to mention the future itself) was written about half a century ago. In some ways, Poddy should be considered a very anachronistic-- if not downright old-fashioned-- woman. In other ways, despite the outdated gender standards and ideas, she's a very strong and self-determined character, and it's hard to see where she gets any raw deals.

* 1167) "The Stepford Wives" by Ira Levin

Having seen and liked both versions of the movie (for very different reasons, of course), I figured I should give the book a try. It was quite fun-- almost more of a novela than a novel. And much more heavily feminist than I'd realized. Creepy, too-- much more like the first movie than the second.

** 1168) "Stardoc" by S. L. Viehl

I actually picked this one up out of curiosity because

padparadscha is writing something a bit along these lines and I was curious to see what a similar, published work would look like. This one turned out to be an exciting sf drama featuring a brilliant doctor working a crappy job at the far end of space in order to escape the secrets of her past... slight shades of "Firefly" here. It was a good and compelling story with highly engaging characters... but

padparadscha and her many fans will be happy to know that it was no "Doctors!... In!... Space!..." While some of the alien species are quite fascinating, the author spends very little time making them medically or anthropologically plausible. Still, good story.

** 1169) "Kushiel's Dart" by Jacqueline Carey

So I've finally gotten around to reading this book after years of dithering and griping that it was too long. Yeah, it was good. A bit too much religious back-story and political intrigue for me, occasional off-putting usage of archaic language... and yet. It was lyrical and mesmerizing and truly remarkable in that it was a long book about a woman who is essentially a courtesan, but it is not an erotic novel. It's just a long, complicated, and very good story. I really must pick up the next one soon.

Favorite line: "There is no situation so dire that a hot bath cannot improve one's outlook"

Tags: books, fantasy, quotes, sci-fi

some mysteries

: queenlyzard; June 27th, 0:11

{1163-1165}

1163) "Deal Breaker" by Harlan Coben

You know, I'm so used to reading series' in order that I've forgotten you don't always have to. Particularly with mysteries, I'm starting to wonder if maybe it isn't always best to start with the author's first book, because those tend to be a bit rough around the edges. We'll see if I can overcome my OC tendencies in that respect-- I've accidentally read books out of order before and liked them just fine, but I never can bring myself to do it on purpose.

So, apart from being a touch rough around the edges, this was a good mystery. A bit too much about sports for me personally, but other than that, I have no complaints.

1164) "Rest in Pieces" by Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown

Another mystery in a cute and charming setting-- but somehow, I don't think mystery will ever be my "brain candy" genre. For some reason, I find reading about murders a little too creepy unless there's some good supernatural stuff thrown in to set my brain in "non-reality" mode. Still, her characters are a lot of fun, if sometimes a bit too southern for my finicky taste.

** 1165) "Up Country" by Nelson Demille

I read this one on recommendation of a customer, and I have to admit it was pretty damn good. It was longer than what I usually read, and more male-chauvinistic by a lot, and entirely too much about war... but I didn't mind any of that because it was an incredibly gripping and well-written book. The main character is a Vietnam veteran, and as far as he's concerned, he's also retired. But then the army approaches him with an offer he can't refuse-- to go back to 'Nam in search of some "important articles" from the war. Something even he isn't allowed to know about. So begins a vivid story of travel and intrigue and soul-searching as well as the more physical kind.

The only thing that really bugged me was the ending, which I found far too open-ended and unsatisfactory. I don't think it's any spoiler to tell you that he eventually uncovers a secret which should, quite frankly, put his life in grave danger-- but as I see it, that threat is never really properly addressed. And yes, the ending is a big deal, but when you can read several hundred pages and be unable to complain about any except the last two, you still have to call it a damn good book. Even if, like me, you're not much for either mysteries or war stories. Got a few good lines out of it, too.

"Nostalgia is basically the ability to forget the things that sucked." 225

"You can fake a lot of things in life-- women fake orgasms, and men fake whole relationships" 246

Tags: books, mystery, quotes

Share Your Wisdom

sci-fi/fantasy catch-up post

: queenlyzard; June 25th, 12:51

{1156-62}
(The last two books listed here are the good ones)

1156) "The Other End of Time" by Frederick Pohl, whose name I invariably mix up with Poul Anderson's.

It was... interesting. I'm coming to realize that I'm not as much of a hard sci-fi fan as I thought. Still, this was a fascinating adventure, nicely mysterious, and with some good unique ideas about the future.

1157) "Sun of Suns" by Karl Schroeder

I found this one a bit of a slog. It drops you into a science fiction world without explaining much, and takes too long to get around to those explanations-- in the meantime, you're left reading a lot of jargon. The world itself is a fascinating one, an intriguing variation on the Dyson Sphere concept, but I often found details implausible to say the least. Oh right, and the plot, once you can find it under all the world-description, was pretty good. I bet the sequel is a lot better, since you'd have all the background information you need to understand the world. But I doubt I'll pick it up. Still, Larry Niven gave it a good review, so who am I to complain?

1158) "The Caterpillar's Question" by Piers Anthony and Philip Jose Farmer

This one had the same Men's Adventure feeling to it that I found in Farmer's other book. Lots of swagger and bluster and protecting of the lady (who turns out to be from another dimension and a major part of the plot, but anyway...). Good solid storyline, strange aliens, epic battles, man outsmarting robot, etc etc. Fun book, really. Couple of good one-liners, too.

"Empathy might not be the same thing as conscience, but the effects could be similar." 153

"The unconscious was a tricky and unpredictable bastard." 34

1159) "The Becoming" by Jeanne ~~Stern~~ Stein. (LOL on the edit-- I accidentally substituted the name of an old friend for the author)

Somewhat of a standard modern-vampire-mystery novel. A woman who has no idea that vampires exist is attacked by one on the job and finds herself suddenly adjusting to a new way of life-- and a lot of dangerous intrigue. Kudos for being heavier on the mystery than the romance, and for keeping the mysteries coming hard and fast. Good pacing and action, but the writing style is nothing special. Good book to take on a plane ride.

** 1160) "Turn Coat" by Jim Butcher

Umpeenth book in the Dresden Files, and I still love them to death, in spite of having forgotten who half the characters are since I read the last one. Still, he's good enough to recap the important points for the reader, and after that, it's hard to put the darn thing down. I really ought to reread the whole set sometime.

** 1161) "Odalisque" by Fiona McIntosh

OMG I want the sequel to this book!! Which, sadly enough, none of the local libraries or bookstores carry! I hate how quickly things go out of print in the genre fictions.

This is among the better-written fantasy novels I've read in a long time. Set in a world that seems to be loosely based on the Persian empire, it would be a completely believable story in many ways but for the fact that the gods of this world are quite obviously real-- and preparing for a showdown. The plot follows a set of palace characters-- a scheming wife, a young ruler, an honorable captain of the guard, a new harem girl, and a few others-- as they are drawn into a supernatural plot where none of them can see the larger picture that is emerging.

It's neat, because so many aspects of this story are, honestly, predicatable or cliched, and yet it is so well written, the characters so compelling, the descriptions so vivid, that it all feels new all over again.

** 1162) "Passage" by Connie Willis

Willis has this extraordinary ability to write sci-fi that skirts on the edge of actual science. I'm tempted to write to her and ask what research she read that led her to this book.

This is a novel about near-death experiences. A skeptical young scientist is trying to conduct solid research, while dodging the supernaturalists who keep trying to suck her into their circle... and steal her research subjects. She teams up with a neurologist who has discovered a drug that similates near-death experiences in the brain, and gets to experience one for herself. And finds something disquietingly familiar about it. As she becomes increasingly more obsessed with them, her work becomes more and more dangerously personal-- it turns out that death is one thing it's hard to study objectively. (And no, it isn't a bit like "Flatliners").

This is one of those books that you simply cannot put down. I'm not sure whether I should recommend it-- I held my breath for most of the second half of the thing, and I'm pretty sure that's not healthy.

Tags: books, fantasy, quotes, sci-fi

disturbing book

: queenlyzard; June 20th, 21:51

** 1155) "Crazy In America: the Tragedy of our Criminalized Mentally Ill" by Mary Beth Pfeiffer, 2007

Consider yourself warned-- you probably don't want to read this book. It is not for the faint of heart or stomach. The title pretty much says it all, but the details will shock you cold. I do wish the author had included more of her actual citations, though. I mean, she's a professional investigative reporter, so I have some respect for her numbers, but I'd like to see the actual sources at least listed. Still, I'm not saying I disbelieve any of it... sadly enough. Good mix of statistics and specific case studies-- this book really does tell the whole ugly story. I used a lot of information from the book for my final semester projects, too.

Notes:
-Early 1990s: 4% of Iowa prison inmates were on psychiatric meds. By 2006, 34% were (p39)

-In Memphis, TN a "Crisis Intervention Team" trains police officers in new ways to handle the mentally ill, with a resulting decrease in violent situations and incarceration. Check out their website, folks-- these guys are saving lives and money and more cities need to follow their example.

Quotes:
"To be mentally ill like Shayne [a schizophrenic who clawed out her own eyes while in prison] was to live a life of indignities and incapacity, of helmets and restraints, shackles and handcuffs, needles and pills. " 33

"...in prisons, psychotic breakdowns are not cause for medical intervention but for overwhelming shows of force." 43

"America is a bad place for anyone, mentally ill or not, to become addicted to illegal drugs. This nation does not suffer its weak citizens lightly..." 67 (Interesting that she uses the term "weak" even in the midst of arguing that addiction is a mental illness and should be treated as such. Stigma is such a terribly insidious thing).

"In 2005, mental health care was provided to just 27 percent of eligible Texans in need of it. The consequences of failing to help people with mental illness are enormous. After the legislature's round cuts in 2003, jails and emergency rooms were flooded with a new influx of people with mental illness." 97-8

"Prisons have become a self-perpetuating industry in America. They have brought construction projects and jobs to small rural towns across the nation-- an economic boost, though usually short-lived and small. Prisons bring political clout as well. Inmates are counted in federal census data for purposes of doling out federal aid... Some of us are paying the price for these trends." 254-5

"America's prison boom has given it the world's highest per capita incarceration rate: 714 per 100,000 people in 2005, followed at a distant second by Russia, Belarus, and Bermuda, which were tied at 532." (we spent $60 billion on the prison industry in 2001. And 3/4 of prison inmates in 2002 were convicted of nonviolent crimes) 255-256

There are 3X more mentally ill in prison than in population. "America's costly drug was has sapped money from treatment, and from education and job programs that are far more effective in deterring drug use and addressing addiction." 257

"All told, the nation has eliminated more than three hundred thousand [psychiatric hospital] beds since 1970, a 59 percent reduction at a time when the population increased by 38 percent." 267

"Still, mental illness remains a uniquely troubling disease without objective diagnostic tests, with strange and exotic symptoms, and with reluctant patients. That may explain why it is a stepchild in the health care system, why change is so slow in coming. People with mental illness are difficult to understand, to reach, and to treat. They have been stigmatized. They have been easy to ignore." 270

Tags: books, civil rights, criminal justice system, mental health, quotes

one last book (review) before bed

: queenlyzard; June 17th, 23:02

*** 1154) "On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not" by Robert Burton

This was downright brilliant-- or if not brilliant, at least Very Important. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The book explains, on a biological level, why we think the way we think-- and, most importantly, why we're /sure/ we're right. Mind-opening when it comes to the science of belief, and indispensable for anyone who wants to go into any psychology, sociology, or cognitive fields... or just wants to understand a little bit more about People. I will now let the book speak for itself.

[NB: I tend to put all quotes in italics for easy identification. words emphasized in the original text are enclosed within /backslashes/. Bold is my own emphasis]

"It is through extreme examples of brain malfunction that neurologists painstakingly explore how the brain works under normal circumstances."

"Despite how certainty feels, it is neither a conscious choice nor even a thought process. Certainty and similar states of 'knowing what we know' arise out of involuntary brain mechanism that, like love or anger, function independently of reason." ** This was basically the entire premise of the book.

"My goal is to strip away the power of certainty by exposing its involuntary neurological roots. If science can same us into questioning the nature of conviction, we might develop some degree of tolerance and an increased willingness to consider alternative ideas" Yes, that!

"I cannot help wondering if an educational system that promotes black or white and yes or no answers might be affecting how [neurological] reward systems develop in our youth. If the fundamental thrust of education is 'being correct' rather than acquiring a thoughtful awareness of ambiguities, inconsistencies, and underlying paradoxes, it is easy to see how the brain reward systems might be molded to prefer certainty over open-mindedness." Oh, yeah, it's kinda obvious now that you mention it. No wonder America's youth are doing so poorly.

"The /feeling of knowing/, the reward for both proven and unproven thoughts, is learning's best friend, and mental flexibility's worst enemy."

"Any concept of free will assumes that we possess a portion of mind that can rise above the biological processes that generated it." Well, that's a bit of a mind-fuck.

"We have no mechanism for establishing the accuracy of a line of reasoning until it has produced a testable idea."

"All thoughts-- the trivial, the brilliant, the mundane, the profound, the catastrophic, and truly dangerous-- percolate up from the unconscious (the hidden layer). The issue isn't whether or not unconscious thoughts can be of great value, but in sorting out those that are from those that aren't."

" 'Objectivity cannot be equated with mental blankness; rather, objectivity resides in recognizing your preferences and then subjecting them to especially harsh scrutiny.' " - S. J. Gould

"Our mental limitations prevent us from accepting our mental limitations." Yup!!

"...it is impossible to overlook the shared qualities of the /feeling of knowing/, a /sense of faith/, and feelings of /purpose/ and /meaning/."

"...the sense of purpose... carefully weighs all inputs, positively weighting those ideas that /feel right/ while negatively weighting those that fell /wrong, strange/, or/unreal/. The best that a rational argument can accomplish is to add one more input to this cognitive stew. If it resonates deeply enough, change of opinion might occur. But this is a low probability uphill battle; the best of arguments is only one pitted against a lifetime of acquired experience and biological tendencies operating outside of conscious control. To expect well-reasoned arguments to easily alter personal expressions of purpose is to misunderstand the biology of belief." And that, my friends, in a nutshell, is why it's so hard to change people's minds.

"The belief that we can rationally determine the difference between purpose and pointlessness arises out of a misunderstanding of the nature of purpose."

"If science is to carry on a meaningful dialog with religion, it must work to establish a level playing field where both sides honestly address what we can and cannot know about ourselves and the world around us... And we must factor in that irrational beliefs can have real adaptive benefits-- from the placebo effect to a sense of hope. Insistence upon objectivity and reason should be seen within a larger picture of our biological needs and constraints."

Tags: books, neurology, psychology, quotes, science

graphic novels and shorts

: queenlyzard; June 15th, 21:59

A quick review of some books that I don't think qualify for the Numbered List.

** "Richard Matheson's I Am Legend" (Graphic Novel) by Steve Niles and Elman Brown
I far prefer this interpretation to the movies, since it's much truer to the original book. In fact, it's almost more of an illustrated and shortened version of the novel than it is a graphic novel. I rather like the fact that it skirts that line between the media. Very realistic and compelling illustration style, too. I do have to check back with the original book, though-- I think the graphic version may have put a slightly more positive spin on the ending than what I remember from the novel.

A handful of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" titles-- both the old comic and the Season 8 ones. I much prefer Season 8, but even those are starting to slip, artistically, and to resemble to original characters less and less. Shame, that.

* "Serenity: Better Days" Definitely worth picking up, especially in the absence of the show coming back! I had trouble following the storyline, as I often do in graphic novels, but I enjoyed the artistic style and felt that the dialog was pretty true-to-character.

"The Lump of Coal" by Lemony Snicket. Another wonderfully droll little holiday story.

"Mrs. Katz and Tush" by Patricia Polacco. Charming picture book about a young Black boy who befriends an elderly Jewish lady. Highlights the similarities between the histories of their peoples.

"The Talented Clementine" by Sara Pennypacker. A very amusing follow-up to "Clementine," wherein Clementine does everything she can to avoid joining her class Talent show... and discovers her true abilities. Early chapter book, and downright hilarious.

More later.

Tags: books, graphic novels, juvenile literature, picture books

Juvenile Fictions!

: queenlyzard; June 15th, 21:19

{1148-1153}

Well, let's see if I can't knock a few YA novels off the list.

* 1148) "The Birds of Summer" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

A beautiful story de-romanticizing drugs, and most likely written during the 70s or early 80s. The main character looks after her little sister and irresponsible hippy mother, realizing at last that in order to save those she loves, she has to take care of herself first. A very realistic and sobering story in many ways, but still with a thread of hope-- a bit like Cynthia Voigt's books.

This one left me thinking a lot about hippies and their portrayal in the media, because my mother seems to be very much the odd one out-- a hippy who never went overboard with it, never got sucked into drugs, etc. On the surface, my story resembles this book-- a socially isolated, fluid, nomadic and often whimsical childhood, a stay-at-home single mother, and so on... but with the crucial difference that my mother was self-sufficient in the way this mother isn't. Whatever my childhood lacked, neglect was never an issue!

* 1149) "The Soldiers of Halla" of J. D. MacHale

The Pendragon series has drawn at last to a close, and I confess I will miss it-- but really, the plot couldn't have been stretched out for much longer. The ending was sufficiently surprising, gripping, and satisfying, though it wasn't my favorite book in the series.

1150) "The Last Battle of the Icemark" by Stuart Hill

I assume this one, too, is the end of a series (a trilogy in this case). I couldn't quite get into this one as much as the previous two books. I felt it lacked the humor and cleverness of the first, and the mysteriousness of the second. I still read the last few chapters in a breathless hurry to find out what happened, but on the whole I was sorely disappointed by the whole thing. Must reread the first one, because it was marvelous.

1151) "Gossamer" by Lois Lowry

Not her best work, but she's never written anything /bad/. I liked this one for dealing, delicately, with some painful issues of childhood (one of the main characters is in the care of CPS and is believably conflicted about his family). The story follows a group of mystical creatures who bestow dreams, as they try to use their limited influence to keep this child-- among others-- from descending into fear and despair. Touching.

* 1152) "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz. Book one of the Alex Rider series.

Bond, Junior Bond. Well, not quite, but when Alex begins to look into his uncle's mysterious death, he finds himself in deeper danger than he'd ever imagined-- and working undercover for the British government! A sensible young man, Alex is not entirely thrilled with the idea of throwing himself in danger's path, but it may be his only chance to get justice for his family. A past-paced action-adventure story. Not as much fun as "Evil Genius," but still a good story.

** 1153) "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

I can't believe how many series' are ending all at once!! Percy Jackson, I'm happy to say, went out with a bang-- the book is fast, furious, epic, and clever-- in short, it doesn't let the series down. I'm sorry it all had to end (although the ending strongly hints at the possibility of a follow-up series with a new set of main characters), but it did end well. Mythology is awesome stuff.

Tags: books, juvenile literature

(haz no subject)

: queenlyzard; June 11th, 23:43

** 1147) "The Snow Leopard" by Peter Matthiesen (Matthiessen?)

I picked this book up because I figured it would be one of those naturalist books all about snow leopards. Instead, it turned out to be a physical and philosophical travelogue, the story of a man's journey into the depths of the Himalayas and Buddhism. Just wonderful. The language is at times dense, the writing often lacking in technical finesse, and the author/narrator himself is not always the easiest man to understand; still, I learned so much. I /felt/ so much. This book was Worth It.

(

woddly_spinning , you ought to read this one-- it strikes me as right up your alley)

On to quotes:

"The Universe itself is the scripture of Zen, for which religion is no more and no less than the apprehension of the infinite in every moment." 35 ...I think I need to study this "religion" a bit more...

"Amazingly, we take for granted that instinct for survival, fear of death, must separate us from the happiness of pure and uninterpreted experience, in which body, mind, and nature are the same." 42

"...I already had what Kierkegarrd called 'the sickness of infinitude,' wandering from one path to another with no real recognition that I was embarked on a search, and scarcely a clue as to what I might be after. I only knew that at the bottom of each breath there was a hollow place that needed to be filled." 43 (oh haven't we all felt that way!)

" 'The undiscovered vein within us is a living part of the psyche; the classical Chinese philosophy names this interior way "Tao," and likens it to a flow of water that moves irresistibly toward its goal. To rest in Tao means fulfillment, wholeness, one's destination reached, one's mission done; the beginning, end, and perfect realization of the meaning of existence innate in all things' " -Jung (45). Ok, maybe I need to read some Jung, too.

Man is described as "this haunted animal that wastes most of a long and ghostly life wandering the future and the past on its hind legs, looking for meanings, only to see in the eyes of others of its kind that it must die." 57 (gave me shivers to read that-- so true)

"...scholars are less apt to be mistaken in small matters than in large ones..." 160 Ha!

"The secret of the mountains is that the mountains simply exist, as I do myself: the mountains exist simply, which I do not. The mountains have no 'meaning,' they /are/ meaning; the mountains /are/. The sun is round. I ring with life, and the mountains ring, and when I can hear it, there is a ringing that we share. I understand all this, not in my mind but in my heart, knowing how meaningless it is to try to capture what cannot be expressed, knowing that mere words will remain when I read it all again, another day." 212 And yet, when I read the chapter that ended with these words, I felt them ring in me.

"I love wild rocks, I covet them..." 247 Oh, me too!!

"With the wind and cold, a restlessness has come, and I find myself hoarding my last chocolate for the journey back across the mountains-- forever getting-ready-for-life instead of living it each day." 247

"Frustration at the paltriness of words drives me to write..." 248 I bet a lot of writers feel that way.

"Safe from the dogs and the night cold, my belly placated... I lie back in near-spiritual bliss. Why do I work so hard at mediation? Someone once said that God offers man the choice between repose and truth: he cannot have both. I have scarcely decided on a lifetime of repose when the dogs set up a terrific row, and everyone rushes forth into the night." 294

"...I am still beset by the same old lusts and ego and emotions, the endless nagging details and irritations-- that aching gap between what I know and what I am." 298 That's being human all right-- or at least, being a philosophical one.

Tags: books, philosophy, quotes, zen

Share Your Wisdom

an apt book

: queenlyzard; June 10th, 23:04

Well, I think this is a good time for me to post this review!

** 1146) "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race" by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Been meaning to read this book for years, ever since I first saw the title. Because, of course, I had that question myself once I went to college and was in a place with enough Black people to sit together at their own table(s). After all, there was only ever one Black kid in my class and she sat with the rest of us... wasn't that how it was supposed to work?

This book went above and beyond my hopes of addressing issues, explaining race relations, and telling stories to which I could relate. Among other things that hit close to home, Tatum talked about Jews as sort-of minorities, Jews feeling more Jewish than White but still having White Privilege (and this book is one of the few contexts where I've seen discussions of White Privilege that don't, frankly, make me grind my teeth), and the story of a woman who grew up completely sheltered from seeing prejudice, as I did, and the surprising drawbacks of such an upbringing.

Suffice it to say that it's an excellent book for anyone of any race who is interested in any way in race relations in America. I'll leave the rest of the convincing up to the quotes:

"As our nation becomes more diverse, we need to be able to communicate across racial and ethnic lines, but we seem increasingly less able to do so." xvi (Intro)

On privilege: "She could be late for meetings, and talk with her mouth full, fairly confident that these behaviours would not be attributed to the fact that she was White. She could express an opinion in a meeting or in print and not have it labeled the "white" viewpoint. In other words, she was more often than not viewed as an individual, rather than as a member of a racial group." (8) Best description I've read!

Linda James Myers "refers to two groups of people, those of acknowledged African descent and those of unacknowledged African descent..." (15) Cute! But apt...

"...where a person is a member of the dominant or advantaged social group, the category is usually not mentioned [in their self-description]. That element of their identity is so taken for granted by them that it goes without comment.... The parts of our identity that /do/ capture our attention are those that other people notice, and that reflect back to us." 21

On minorities choosing whether or not to try and "fit in" with the majority group: "The use of either strategy, attending very closely to the dominants or not attending at all, is costly to members of the targeted group. Not-learning may mean that there are needed skills which are not acquired. Attending closely to the dominant group may leave little time or energy to attend to one's self. Worse yet, the negative messages of the dominant group about the subordinate group may be internalized..." 26.

And just in case you don't read the book, Yes, it is a good thing that the Black kids sit together-- it helps them develop their own sense of racial identity and comfort with who they are.

"The young person whose racial identity development is out of sync with his or her peers often feels in an awkward position. Adolescents are notoriously egocentric and assume that their experience is the same as everyone else's." 67

"Those whose work or lifestyle places them in frequent contact with Whites are aware that their ability to 'make it' depends in large part on their ability and willingness to conform to those values and behaviors that have been legitimated by White culture." (84) Ouch.

Whites go through "racial development" too. Clayton Alderfer writes that in the final (ideal) step, " 'We have a more complete awareness of ourselves and of others to the degree that we neither negate the uniqueness of each person, regardless of that person's group memberships, nor deny the ever-present effects of group memberships for each individual.' " (112) I think that's kinda like what I was trying to say about acknowledging the "Black" in Black music, actually.

Lois Stalvey writes " 'We whites would have to be naive to expect that hundreds of years of humiliation can be forgotten the minute we wish it to be. At times, the most poignant part of the test [the social testing that Blacks do towards Whites] is that black people have enough trust left to give it. Testing implies that we might pass the test. It is easier and safer for a black person to turn his back on us. If he does not gamble on our sincerity, he cannot be hurt if we prove false. Testing shows an optimism I doubt I could duplicate it I were black.' " (105) Like I said, there's some serious food-for-thought in here.

Tags: books, quotes, race

Share Your Wisdom

now onto the heavy stuff

: queenlyzard; June 8th, 18:29

*** 1145) "The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness" by Elyn Saks.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and it was a large part of my inspiration to write both my final paper and final speech this semester on mental illness. It's the story of a very bright woman who struggles with schizophrenia for many years before getting it under control... and then is nice enough to share her story with the rest of us. In fact, I don't know how else to recommend it except to give you some actual quotes. Oh, and you can see a speech of hers here: http://mylaw.usc.edu/blog/index.cfm

"...I'd been taught all my life: Intelligence, combined with discipline, could overcome any challenge. And mostly, that belief had served me well. The problem was, it assumed that the intelligence at hand was fully functioning, fully capable-- but I'd been told by experts that my brain had serious problems. Was my brain the same thing as my mind? Could I hang onto the one while conceding that there was a big flaw in the other?" (183-4)

On a similar note: "The fundamental flaw in all this, though, is that it neglects something intrinsic to the complex real world and to complex real human beings. In fact, it is /not/ necessarily true that everything can be conquered by willpower. There are forces of nature and circumstance that are beyond our control, let alone our understanding, and to insist on victory in the face of this, to accept nothing less, is just asking for a soul-pummeling. The simple truth is, not every fight can be won." (32) Yes, yes, and thank you, yes.

On the nature of psychosis:

"Philosophy and psychosis have more in common than many people (philosophers especially) might care to admit.... each is governed by very strict rules. The trick is to discover what those rules are, and in both cases, that inquiry takes place almost solely inside one's head." 40

"Psychosis is like an insidious infection that nevertheless leaves some of your faculties intact; in a psychiatric hospital, for example, even the most debilitated schizophrenic patients show up on time for meals, and they evacuate the ward when the fire alarm goes off." (98-99)

"Psychosis does traumatize you, much in the same way that ducking gunfire in a war zone or having a terrible car crash traumatizes you. And the best way to take away the power of trauma is to talk about what happened." (289)

On treatment:

"Stigma against mental illness is a scourge with many faces, and the medical community wears a number of those faces." (232)

On the vast and disturbing differences between the treatment she received in America and England (did you know they don't use restraints in England? They actually treat mental patients like, you know, people) "Part of the problem was that I was behaving like a patient in psychoanalysis. When Mrs. Jones and I were working together, I was encouraged to say exactly what was on my mind, always, no matter how crazy it sounded-- that was how analysis worked. That was the /point/. Otherwise, how would she know what was going on inside me? But the people at MU10 didn't want to know. If they couldn't tolerate what was in my head, why were any of them in this business? When my Scrambled thinking revealed itself, they put me in the hospital version of "time out' [restraints]. Where was the 'treatment' in this? Were they wanting to help me get better, or did they just want me to be socially appropriate?" (161)

"While medication had kept me alive, it had been psychoanalysis that had helped me find a life worth living." (298)

"This is a classic bind for psychiatric patients. They're struggling with thoughts of wanting to hurt themselves or others, and at the same time, they desperately need the help of those they're threatening to harm. The conundrum: Say what's on your mind and there'll be consequences; struggle to keep the delusions to yourself, and it's likely you won't get the help you need." (161-2)

"More than anything, I wanted to be healthy and whole; I wanted to exist in the world as my /authentic self/-- and I deeply believed that the drugs undermined that. And so I kept backing away from them, tinkering with the dosage, seeing how far I could go before I got burned. And of course, I got burned every time-- even in my denial, I knew that." (245)

on being defined by your illness "But if, as our society seemed to suggest, good health was partly mind over matter, what hope did someone with a broken mind have?" (255)

"'Crazy people' don't make the evening news for successfully managing their lives; we only hear about them when something horrible happens." (289)

Concluding quote:
"If you are a person with mental illness, the challenge is to find the life that's right for you. But in truth, isn't that the challenge for all of us, mentally ill or not?" (336)

Tags: books, mental illness, psychology, quotes

for pete squeaks!

: queenlyzard; June 8th, 17:58

{1140-44}

I've been so busy fussing over

bookaddiction I've let my own book journal slide. Ok, I've also been crazybusy with life, work, and one very large dog, and oh yeah reading, but anyhoo...

Let's start with some sci-fi:

** 1140) "Second Contact" by Mike Resnick

"A Few Good Men"... in space. Yeah, that's basically the shape of it. The main character is hired to be lawyer to a starship captain who killed two of his crew members, claiming they were alien infiltrators... which they obviously weren't. But for some reason, everything related to the case is being kept hush-hush... why? The truth can be a dangerous thing, especially when you work for the military.

The Lilith's Brood trilogy, by Octavia Butler:

** 1141) "Dawn" -- book one, and my favorite, although the whole series is amazing.

Lilith awakes after WWIII to find out that she's been captured by aliens... and is one of the few survivoring members of the human race. The more advanced species that has captured them treats the humans like any endangered species-- to be cared for, studied, and perhaps saved... if possible. But their plan for saving the human race brings up some disquieting questions about the very nature of humanity itself. And if Lilith accepts their offer, will she be humanity's savior, or its traitor?

An incredibly creative, philosophical, and deep story, both intellectually and emotionally.

* 1142) "Adulthood Rights" --book two

...about which I have nothing particular to add other than the fact that for some reason, my subconscious keeps on mixing up "adulthood" and "adultery" in my mind.

** 1143) "Imago" --book three

And can I just say how much I long to be an Ooloi, a creature who can experience, study, and manipulate all kinds of organic chemistry including DNA itself? Hell-- talk about self-medication! Great quote from this one, too, which is told from the viewpoint of a non-human character.

"Humans said one thing with their bodies and another with their mouths and everyone had to spend time and energy figuring out what they really meant." 27

* 1144) "Cybermancy" by Kelly McCullough

Another fast-paced and creative Greek-mythology-based cyberpunk mystery. I enjoyed this one as much as the original "Webmage"-- and I don't know from computers! This is the "Percy Jackson" series-- for adults (and technogeeks).

Tags: books, quotes, sci-fi

Food or LJ? Or both?

: queenlyzard; May 31st, 22:27

{1137-39} Adult novels.

** 1137) "A Day Late and A Dollar Short" by Terry McMillan

I confess, I've been eyeing this book for years on account of loving the title to death. But somehow, due in part to my reticence to read "real world" fiction, and in part to some disappointing experiences with other African-American fiction, I kept putting it off. Big mistake on my part.

This book swept me away. It opens from the viewpoint of a middle-aged woman wondering where her family has gone wrong-- her marriage has fallen apart and her grown children range from lay-about to overachiever; more importantly to her, none of them seem truly happy.

Then the book jumps from character to character, telling the stories of each family member in their own words (the author has a glorious talent for giving each character a distinctive "voice" without hitting you over the head with various dialects). And slowly, you gain a sense of each individual person and how they fit together as a family. Better still, they start to figure it out, too.

"Maybe /everybody/ is dysfunctional and God put us all in this mess so we can learn how to function. To test us. See what we can tolerate. I don't know, but we don't seem to be doing such a hot job of it. I guess we need to work harder at getting rid of that d-y-s part. I just wish I had a clue where to start." - Viola (probably one of my favorite quotes ever referencing the God I don't believe in)

"As a man, it makes you feel small when you know what your limitations are. When you know you ain't lived up to your potential, when you ain't sure if you ever will." - Lewis

"I don't care what color she is. But dumb is one color I don't like and have a hard time tolerating." - Paris (Thank you Paris!!)

1138) "The Screwtape Letters" by C. S. Lewis

I admit, it had its funny moments, and some excellent insights into human nature, but mostly this book just reminded me how happy I am not to be a Christian. Oh, for those of you who don't know, this book consists of the "advice" from a senior demon to a junior one on how to corrupt a man.

"...[a man] can practise self-examination for an hour without discovering any of those facts about himself which are perfectly clear to anyone who has ever lived in the same house with him..."

"In civilised life domestic hatred usually expresses itself by saying things which would appear quite harmless on paper (the /words/ are not offensive) but in such a voice, or at such a moment, that they are not far short of a blow in the face."

"In discussing any joint action, it becomes obligatory that A should argue in favor of B's supposed wishes and against his own, while B does the opposite. It is often impossible to find out either party's real wishes; with luck, they end by doing something that neither wants, while each feels a glow of self-righteousness... and a secret grudge against the other..." Oh dear god, that's my family in a nutshell.

"the Present is the point at which time touches eternity."

"Cowardice, alone of all vices, is purely painful-- horrible to anticipate, horrible to feel, horrible to remember; Hatred has its pleasures. It is therefore often the /compensation/ by which a frightened man reimburses himself for the miseries of Fear."

** 1139) "Cast in Shadow" by Michelle Sagara

Weirdly enough, I can't bring anything about this book to mind right now... except that it was a fantasy novel and I couldn't put it down. I don't think I've been so intensely into a fantasy novel since "Poison Study"... so why can't I bring the plot to mind? Can't wait to read the next one, though.

"Silences were barbed in unexpected ways; with words, you generally knew where the traps were." (p 202)

" 'History is our guide, it is not our friend. It is a passing stranger, one which shadows legend, sprinkling it with seeds of truth.' " -Tiamaris (p 483)

Tags: books, novels, quotes

And some fantasy for the grown-ups

: queenlyzard; May 18th, 14:01

{1131-1136}

1131) "Spiral Hunt" by Margaret Ronald

Pretty good modern supernatural mystery, and won my heart for being set in Boston. Fans of Kat Richardson and C. E. Murphy may want to check this one out. Well-researched with some creative reuse of old myths.

** 1132) "Bellwether" by Connie Willis

Just brilliant-- I kinda wish I had the money to keep this one. A researcher studying trends finds her life perpetually turned upside-down by the same forces of fad and fashion that she is trying to explain. Witty, insightful, and occasionally uncannily realistic, this fantasy novel is definitely food for serious thought.

* 1133) "Last Watch" by Sergei Lukyanenko

Book four of the Watch series. Continues strong, but I think I need to sit down and read them all in a row, because there are so many plot details that carry over-- not to mention keeping track of all those complicated Russian names. Still, very imaginative and full of good mystery.

* 1134) "My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding" edited by P. N. Elrod

A seriously fun collection of romance-related fantasy stories, ranging from the sexy to the creepy to the downright hilarious. Stories by L. A. Banks, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, P. N. Elrod, Esther M. Friesner, Lori Handeland, Charlaine Harris, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Susan Krinard. I quote from Esther Friesner's story, "The Wedding of Wylda Serene":

"There is no fortress more unassailable than the resolution of a heretofore submissive woman. Such creatures take all the willpower they have deferred during a lifetime of obedience, compliance, and meekness, gather it into one titanic mass, and focus it like a laserbeam."

* 1135) "Enchantment Place" edited by Denise Little

Another very fun anthology, this time about the various shops of Enchantment Place-- essentially, a supernatural mall. Whether you're shopping for a familiar or trying to remove a hex from your business, this is the place to go... and things certainly get interesting in a place where a security breach can mean the end of the world as we know it. A surprisingly good group of authors turned out for this collection, making for some very fun reading.

* 1136) "Witch High" edited by Denise Little

Forget Hogwarts-- this is really what it's like to be a teenage witch. Again, an excellent group of fantasy writers takes on the challenge of exploring life within the walls of Salem High School, known to its otherworldly students as "Witch High." Enchanted classmates, magical proms, uncontrolled powers and teenage angst. Good stuff-- just don't ask me to teach there!

Tags: books, fantasy, quotes

moar bookz

: queenlyzard; May 18th, 13:44

{1125-1130}

1125) * "Dragon Flight" by Jessica Day George

Sequel to "Dragon Slippers," and with the same cleverness and charm. Any dragon fans who are too young for Anne McCaffrey should be steered towards this series instead.

1126) "The Figure in the Shadows" by John Bellairs

Another good spooky mystery. I'm rather sad that I didn't discover this series as a child.

1127) * "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick

A wonderful historical novel, half graphic-novel and half traditional book, following a young French boy as he unwinds the mysteries behind a fantastic clockwork doll.

And by Megan Whalen Turner:

** 1128) "The Queen of Attolia" and 1129) "The King of Attolia"
Sequels to "The Thief," which I also reread. I like the sequels a tiny bit less for being in third-person, but I confess it does allow for a touch more intrigue. A marvelous series altogether. Fans of Llloyd Alexander in particular should check these out.

1130) ** "Instead of Three Wishes"
Turner's collection of marvelous fantasy short stories has only one flaw-- it's too short.

Tags: books, juvenile literature

Share Your Wisdom

the list, oh the list!!

: queenlyzard; May 17th, 22:35

{1123-24}

I shall drown beneath a sea of books.

1123) ** "The Case of the Frozen Addicts" by J. William Langston and Jon Palfreman

This one was damn hard to put down. A medical mystery so thrilling it's hard to believe it was for real. When a handful of drug users got hold of a bad batch of drugs in the 1980s, they came down with a sudden, bizarre, and crippling condition that looked disturbingly like end-stage Parkinson's. Originally dismissed as a fluke, they luckily came to the attention of medical researchers, who started to untangle the complex circumstances leading to their condition. These researchers fought to do groundbreaking work with stem-cell research that provides incredible hope for Parkinson's sufferers. Just amazing stuff.

I also really need to look into the history of the Human Fetal-Tissue Transplant Research Panel, which was held at the NIH, in October, 1988. The authors write of that meeting:

"The atmosphere in the room was explosive. Intelligent men and women who had considered all the rational arguments in good faith were still divided by convictions that they felt passionately." Ultimately, though, and distressingly, the decisions made by that panel wound up having very little effect on America's stem-cell research policies.

1124) ** "Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness" by William Styron

This brief book should be, at the very least, required reading for anyone going into the mental health professions. In simple, eloquent terms, Styron describes the attack of major depression which descended upon him in his 60s and nearly drove him to suicide. I share some of those words with you now:

"Depression is a disorder of mood, so mysteriously painful and elusive in the way it becomes known to the self-- to the mediating intellect-- as to verge close to being beyond description." 7

"I was feeling in my mind a sensation close to, but indescribably different from, actual pain" 16

"Depression is much too complex in its cause, its symptoms and its treatment for unqualified conclusions to be drawn from the experience of a single individual." 34

"...mysteriously, and in way that are totally remote from normal experience, the grey drizzle of horror induced by depression takes on the quality of physical pain." 50

"...the acute sense of loss is connected with a knowledge of life slipping away at accelerated speed. One develops fierce attachments. Ludicrous things-- my reading glasses, a handkerchief, a certain writing instrument-- became the objects of my demented possessiveness. Each momentary misplacement filled me with a frenzied dismay, each item being the tactile reminder of a world soon to be obliterated." 57

I'm going to try making these entries shorter, in the hopes that more of you will bother to read them. Have no doubts: I have many more books to list.

Tags: books, psychology, quotes

on a lighter note

: queenlyzard; May 1st, 21:38

{1117-1122}

How's about some funner books now?

1117) "Weekend Warriors" by Fern Michaels

Picked it up on a customer's recommendation and was very disappointed. As a teen, perhaps, I would have liked the vindictive tone (think "First Wives Club," which I still love, but much more so and more childishly so), but this time all I could think about was how sad the escalating violence between the genders is. I couldn't even enjoy it humorously. And the writing was really lousy. 5th grade reading level, tops. I don't often feel that a book was a waste of my time, but this is one such instance.

* 1118) "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw" by Jeff Kinney (whom I almost just called Greg Kinear!)

The series continues cute and clever, and this one almost verged on having a moral. Still want to smack the kid, but I gotta love him too. BTW, saw an interview with the author which was much fun. Apparently, they had to change the titles when they translated them to German because the Germans don't have a word for "wimpy"... or at least wouldn't admit to it.

* 1119) "The Shadow Queen" by Anne Bishop

A new novel (*Squee!!*) set in the Black Jewels universe. I think she's smart to have moved away from the original main characters, as much as I adore them. This book doesn't touch the original trilogy, of course-- nothing can-- but it was good enough to give me my "fix." :) Better than the last one, if any of you follow the series-- a sort-of sequel to "The Invisible Ring."

** 1120) "Evil Genius" by Catherine Jinks

Yes, yes, and a thousand times yes, this is an excellent book for teens and adults alike. Just check out the inside cover if you doubt me. It lists the course schedule for the Axis Institute-- a school devoted to turning out evil geniuses. The classes all have two names-- a public one, such as "Economics" which covers for the real title ("Embezzlement").

Young Cadel has a penchant for trouble-making, and is quickly recommended to the school by a mysterious "therapist" who mentors Cadel in his devious ways. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Cadel is no ordinary boy, many powerful people have an interest in running his life. With all the plotting, scheming, and double-crossing going on around him, will he be able to stay one step ahead long enough to survive the Institute? And even if he does, will he ever be master of his own fate?

Cadel is one of those rare characters who genuinely evolves over the course of the novel. What makes this book so much better is that Jinks really is bright enough to come up with clever schemes, unique ideas, and believably impressive secret codes for Cadel to use. Nerds for the win!

** 1121) "Genius Squad" by Catherine Jinks

The sequel, and very nearly as enjoyable. A bit less plotting and more human interest, and nearly as suspenseful. Also, mega-kudos to Jinks for including characters with disabilities, not as tokens, but as fully fleshed out members of the cast who are neither victims nor saints but absolutely and truly believable people.

1122) "A Barnstormer in Oz" by Philip Jose Farmer

I confess that Farmer's genre of science fiction (i.e. Men's Adventure Tales) is not particularly to my taste, but I can't deny that he's a creative and classic writer in that genre. Long before "Wicked," Farmer wrote an adult version of the Oz story, in which a modern (1920s) man finds himself unexpectedly in that magical country and has to come to grips with new sciences (physics and biology in particular are different from those he knew), very new cultures, and new politics that might just land him in the middle of an interdimensional war. Fast-paced and very detailed (down to a thoroughly technical tangent in the end notes about the linguistic history of the different countries).

(Good Lloyd, I haven't even dented the list)

Tags: books, juvenile literature

Which is long overdue

: queenlyzard; May 1st, 21:03

{1114-16}

OMFG life needs to stop getting in the way of my literary ambitions.

1114) "The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman

True story set in Warsaw, Poland, WWII. A couple dedicated to the keeping of a large menagerie get some leeway from the Nazis, who are big (oddly enough) on animal conservation and so on (still, I don't recommend the book to the PETA crowd-- it does get brutal at points).

Anyways, the zookeeper and his wife undertake the daring task of hiding Jews and other endangered species on the zoo grounds. The book is not incredibly well written (I don't know if Ackerman's abilities have gone downhill or if I'm just more sensitive to grammatical errors than I used to be or both), but it's captivating, and tells the story of life in wartime Poland from a very microcosmic, almost stream-of-consciousness, viewpoint.

Also, lots of mini-biographical sketches of amazing people. I think I need to look into Jewish Mysticism a bit more. Apparently, it isn't all celebrity bandwagon material, but also quotes like this:

"To be human is to be a problem, and the problem expresses itself in anguish" - Abrahan Joshua Heschel

*** 1115) "Maus: A Survivor's Tale" vol 1 & 2, by Art Spiegelman.

Actually, I read this last year, but could never bring myself to write about it. This has got to be among the most brutal and gripping memoirs I have ever read, and the fact that it's presented as a graphic novel gives it an emotional impact that no other medium could deliver. I outright sobbed at parts.

For those who don't know, "Maus" is the story of a son drawing out his father's tale of surviving the Holocaust. In it, the Jews are represented as anthropomorphized mice, while the Nazis are cat-like creatures. At the same time, the characters are all so strikingly human in their expressions and body language that it will give you chills. One facial expression in particular haunts me still-- the mouse seen from the front, with head thrown back, crying out in the agony of having just experienced an unendurable tragedy. Somehow, I can't imagine that any other face could be capable of showing such pain. You can almost hear the broken cry of despair.

I've read so much about the Holocaust, yet no book or movie has ever brought it home to me the way this did. Despite growing up very estranged from the Jewish community, I heard such echoes of my grandmother and even my mother in the way the father speaks and acts. He is sarcastic and serious, an inexplicable mix of over-sensitive and stoical, stubborn as hell about the little things but able to shrug off the larger problems of life; in short, utterly infuriating in many ways-- traits that anyone who has known a Jew of their generation will instantly recognize. And this book makes you /almost/ understand why.

Read it. Read it for them. But don't say I didn't warn you.

* 1116) "Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel" by Richard H. Minear

A fascinating retrospective of Seuss's career as a political cartoonist. I found myself both intrigued and disquieted by this book. On the one hand, it was wonderful to see another side to the man's genius. On the other, I couldn't help realizing that Seuss was quite the warmonger, and extremely prejudiced against the Japanese.

While in retrospect I can cheer him for encouraging American intervention in WWII, I have the uncomfortable suspicion that I would have disagreed with him quite strongly at the time, not knowing then what I know now about Nazi Germany. At the time, he didn't know it either-- he (and we) just got lucky in that we chose the right side. Heaven knows we haven't always done so since.

And his appeals to patriotism (and distaste for dissent and conscientious objection) at times come perilously close to the same kind of scare tactics I deplored 50 years later when we went to war with Iraq. Like I said, disquieting stuff. But the cartoons are brilliant and the commentary is both insightful and historically interesting. I do recommend this one.

Tags: books, holocaust, quotes

and here's another

: queenlyzard; March 29th, 21:25

1113) Rabbit, Run by John Updike

We read this one for book-club, and pretty unanimously liked the writing and hated the main character. We spent a long time discussing why this book may have been so popular: theories ranged from "on account of all the sordid sex scenes," (my idea) to "because it really was rebellious at that time for a man to sneak out of his marriage like this," to "people can relate to the put-upon sort of every-man that Rabbit was" to "guys are incomprehensible and total dicks." Which ought to give you some idea of what the novel was about. I personally spent most of the time trying to figure out what mental illness Rabbit needed to be treated for-- lots of social anxiety, I think, plus some serious impulsiveness problems and a scary amount of narcissism. He may have had Borderline Personality Disorder, actually.... Still got some good quotes, even if some, like the first one, pretty much just highlight the problems with Rabbit's thinking (which was heavily influenced, I grant you, by 1950s American culture).

"With women, you keep bumping against them, because they want different things, they're a different race. " p93 (Also, can I just say how much I /hate/ the usage of the term "love" to mean sexual attraction and/or intercourse? I'm sorry, but you do not "love" someone you've just met no matter how much you want to go to bed with them. And for that matter, it isn't the right term to use for your wife either, when you view her as an object rather than a person.)

Just for the sake of another possible diagnosis: "[Eccles] seems unreal to Rabbit, everything seems unreal that is outside of his sensations." p197. Any ideas?

" '...life. It's a strange gift and I don't know how we're supposed to use it but I know it's the only gift we get and it's a good one.' " -Mrs. Smith p224

"There exists a sense in which /all/ Christians must have conversations with the Devil... suffering, deprivation, barrenness, hardship, lack are all an indispensable part of the education, the initiation, as it were, of any who would follow Jesus Christ." p237. Again, glad I'm not Christian!

"Hate suits him better than forgiveness. Immersed in hate he doesn't have to do anything; he can be paralyzed, and the rigidity of hatred makes a kind of shelter for him." p287

Tags: books, quotes

well, if I'm not going to be doing anything useful...

: queenlyzard; March 29th, 20:56

I might as well do this!

1112) The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

I found this one a bit hard to get into at first-- the language is a bit dated, and the descriptions are all very particular to the period (just following WWI). Lots of stuff about the lives of the rich and posh, most of which assumes you know what sorts of things were considered gauche to wear to a dinner party, etc... but once I got into the story, I kept being swept away by Maugham's incredible descriptions and talent for bringing concepts and characters to vivid life. The plot is almost a minor part of the story, and I'm not actually sure whether this is a novel or memoir-- but either way, it's a very true story about young people trying to find their way in the world. I must now relate to you many quotes:

"It is very difficult to know people and I don't think one can ever really know any but one's own countrymen. For men and women are not only themselves; they are also the region in which they were born, the city apartment or farm in which they learned to walk, the games they played as children, the old wives' tales they overheard..." p8

" 'It's all very unsatisfactory, but that's the sort of thing you run up against when young people are left to arrange their marriages on no better basis than mutual inclination' " - Elliott, p44

A conversation between the narrator and Isabel, on why Larry has been putting off his marriage to Isabel in favor of his studies:
" 'What I'm trying to tell you is that there are men who are possessed by an urge so strong to do some particular thing that they can't help themselves, they've got to do it. They're prepared to sacrifice everything to satisfy their yearning.'
'Even the people who love them?'
'Oh, yes.'
'Is that anything more than plain selfishness?'
'I wouldn't know,' I smiled.
'What can possibly be the use of Larry's learning dead languages?'
'Some people have a disinterested desire for knowledge. It's not an ignoble desire.' " p91

And his further discussion on why Larry is acting this way
" 'I suggest to you that whatever it was that happened to Larry [in the war] filled him with a sense of the transiency of life, and an anguish to be sure that there was a compensation for the sin and sorrow of the world.' " p93

" 'He's the idealist... I'm cast for the hard, mercenary, practical part. Common sense is never very sympathetic, is it?' " -Isabel p93

In answer to the question of whether she loves Larry, Isabel answers " 'I don't know. I'm impatient with him. I'm exasperated with him. I keep longing for him.' " p95. If that isn't a great description of love, I don't know what is.

"Most people when they're in love invent every kind of reason to persuade themselves that it's only sensible to do what they want. I suppose that's why there are so many disastrous marriages.' " p100

Narrator to Isabel: " 'American women expect to find in their husbands a perfection that English women only hope to find in their butlers.' " p164

" 'I've always felt that there was something pathetic in the founders of religion who made it a condition of salvation that you believe in them. It's as though they needed your faith to have faith in themselves.' " Larry, p270

Tags: books, quotes

it's been too long!!

: queenlyzard; March 28th, 18:01

{1103-1111}

Let's see if I can't take another whack at the list. Unfortunately, all my writing ability has been taken up lately with schoolwork and job apps. I'll try listing some of the kids' books-- that should be easier.

1103) How I Spent My Last Night on Earth by Todd Strasser
With one night to go before an asteroid may destroy the Earth, teens spend the final hours searching for true love and their own identities. Sweet, quirky, and witty... like most of Strasser's books.

1104) What the Witch Left by Ruth Chew
Nice short chapter book, a bit dated but still cute. Best friends decide to borrow some items from a forbidden drawer of their great-aunt's belongings... and discover magic and adventure.

1105) Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker
Move over Junie B. Jones and Amber Brown! Clementine has got to be the cleverest, funniest, and most endearingly exasperating young girl I've ever read about. I fully expect this series to be placed with classics like Cleary's "Ramona" and Blume's "Fudge."

1106) Whirligig by Paul Fleischman
Fleischman has a knack for handling tough topics. When a teenage boy attempts to kill himself in a car crash during a fit of depression, he winds up killing another girl instead. Her mother makes a request-- that he journey all around the states and put up whirligigs in her honor. His journey of self-discovery and repentence is interwoven with several stories of the people who come across his artwork later, and how it affects them. Thought-provoking.

1107) Magic Can Be Murder by Vivian Van Velde
The intriguing tale of a teenage girl, Nola, and her mother living in a somewhat medieval society. The trouble is, both are witches. In constant fear for their lives, the two remain on the move, Nola trying to care for her somewhat mentally-unstable mother. In many ways, their story feels like its modern equivalent-- a daughter trying to care for a drug-addicted parent and keep them safe from the police. But Nola can't resist using her magic, either, and the more she tries to use it to keep them out of trouble, the deeper she falls into a web of deception and spellcraft. I found this story hard to put down.

1108) Companions of The Night by Vivian Van Velde
After the previous book, I had high hopes for this one, but was sorely disappointed. This modern-setting tale of a girl who rescues a young man from "vampire hunters" only to find her own life in danger struck me as weak and inconsistent. The main character was somewhat dull, and no one else's motivations made any sense.

1109) The Green Futures of Tycho by William Sleator
Another reread from childhood, and one of Sleator's few books that I haven't already read many times over. I think the trouble is that I didn't understand this one the first time I read it. It was better the second time around. When a young boy finds a time-travel device in his backyard, he has the bright idea of taking himself ahead in time to see how his life turns out. But the future is grimmer than he expected, and Tycho returns to his own time frantic with worry. But can he figure out how to avoid his own fate? Satisfyingly complex.

1110) Strange Attractors by William Sleator
I saw "my" cover of this book recently and was struck by a wave of nostalgia, so I went and bought myself a copy off eBay. Haven't read this one in years, but it must have been the first book I ever read about time travel and how the paradoxes involved in changing the past might actually play out in real life. Sleator has a wonderful gift for making hypothetical concepts come to life, and I found the book thrilling all over again. I love the way his protagonists are such "every guy" types-- often bright, but invariably a bit too curious and self-confident for their own good... and above all, all too easy to identify with.

1111) The Edge Chronicles Book 1: Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart with illustrations by Chris Riddell
A wonderfully creative and exquisitely illustrated children's novel about a young boy's quest... in a fantasy land quite unlike any other. "Harry Potter" meets "Captain Bluebear" and weirdness abounds. Danger lurks around and often inside of every tree (some of which actually have a taste for flesh), and nothing is ever quite what it seems. The whole thing struck me as a bit grim (British authors haven't quite given up on trying to scare children half to death in a way that American authors just aren't permitted to do), but I will say this: Lewis Carrol had nothing on these guys for sheer creativity.

Well, that seems like a nice number to leave off with, for now. Oh man, that really did barely make a dent... must remember to write more book entries soon.

Tags: 1111, books, juvenile literature

while I still have a few of you paying attention-- I hope!

: queenlyzard; March 5th, 20:11

{1098-1102}

So I'm home with a cold. My ears crackle every time I swallow as if they were full of rice crispies. My nose feels like someone ran a sander over it... for that matter, so does my throat. All told, I have absolutely no excuse not to be sitting in front of the computer for the rest of the evening. So, before the list of Unlisted Books reaches 50, I'm going to try and get some of them down!! Including, I hope, some from ridiculously long ago.

1098) Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name: a novel by Vendela Vida

Our book club read this one a while back and were less than impressed with it. While the descriptions are lovely, the plot is interesting but somewhat predictable, and the main character is just flat-out hard to like. Upon discovering a family secret when her father dies, this young woman goes through a complete identity crisis, flies off to Lapland in search of her roots, and basically throws hysterical fits about nearly everything. While it's true that she has her metaphorical feet pulled from under her a couple times, I don't think any of it justifies the angsty tantrums she throws in response. Nice descriptions of the Great White North, though.

1099) * Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

I'd been avoiding this series because the covers looked like more bandwagon-jumping werewolf romance crap. I confess that I was totally wrong. Mercy Thompson, our heroine, isn't even a werewolf; she's a skin-walker who can take the shape of a coyote. Mind you, she lives next door to some werewolves and maintains a general peace with them... until a violent kidnapping gets the entire supernatural community involved. The story is serious and compelling, the characters all nicely rounded, and the heroine is powerful without being the obnoxiously bad-ass, wise-cracking, sex-bot who seems to have taken over this sort of fiction. Fans of C. E. Murphy and Kat Richardson will like this book.

1100) ** The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

Let's backtrack way back here. A customer recommended this novel to me, and I loved it. It has the feeling of a sweeping epic, while only telling of a single boy, and a fairly young one at that-- I think the novel spans his experiences from age 5 to perhaps 18. Set in South Africa before and during WWII, it tells the tale of an unusual youngster who dubs himself Peekay. Somewhat alone and adrift as an English boy in a predominently Dutch settlement, young Peekay has a chance encounter which instills in him a dream-- to become the welterweight boxing champion of the world.

The boy fights for his goal with a singleminded determination, from an age where he understands very little (the descriptions from a young child's point of view are incredible) to the time when he becomes a man. Through adventure and hardship, Peekay leads a charmed life which, even in its darkest moments, attains a sort of mythological quality as though he were a hero in an ancient legend. There are moments when even Peekay as the narrator concedes that his story strains credibility, and in doing so, makes his achievments impossible to doubt. This book is exciting, touching, unique and realistic, and still manages to read like a fairy tale. Marvelous.

1101) * Wish You Were Here: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

I don't read mysteries often, but

dark_phoenix54 recommended this one, so I decided to give it a try. From the title, I expected a story featuring a fussy old lady like Miss Marple (who I do like, but only to a point). But no, Mrs. Murphy turned out to be... a cat! Not only that, but the story largely follows her point of view as her curious owner (a youngish woman) attempts to resolve a set of small-town murders. I had a tad bit of trouble getting over the Southernness of said town and the characters therein, but they are all so wonderfully described and frequently comical as well as endearing that I just had to give in and love the place... even if I wouldn't necessarily want to live there. The mystery itself was sufficiently intriguing, gruesome without being realistic enough to make me uncomfortable, and nicely full of twists and false leads. I think I'll have to pick up the next one when I get a chance...

1102) ** Through Wolf's Eyes by Jane Lindskold

My roommate and I do not always agree on what makes good reading, but I've got to thank her for recommending this series. Fantasy, talking animals, political intrigues galore, touches of romance and scandal, and some adventure and grand battles thrown in for good measure. This is what fans of Brian Jacques and Mercedes Lackey read when they grow up.

An expedition to find out what became of an exiled royal party yields a possible heir-- a young woman who has grown up among a particularly intelligent clan of wolves. Returned to human civilization (generic medieval/feudal states setting), the girl who calls herself Firekeeper learns that it takes sharp wits as well as sharp claws to survive among her own kind. The characters are symathetic, complex, and often entertaining. Definitely among the better-written fantasy novels.

Time for a hot tea break, I think.

Tags: 1100, books

*running to catch up*

: queenlyzard; February 7th, 14:35

{1091-7} Yes, it's a loooong entry. But I've bolded all the titles to make it easy for you to skim!

Ok, the list needs me to take another whack at it. Let's see if I can't make another dent in the quotes file, too.

1091) The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama by Pico Iyer

Not my usual sort of book (chosen by book club), but I found it... enlightening (sorry, couldn't resist). Written by a personal friend of the DL (Dalai Llama), this book skims over a lot of the better-known facts and the DL's personal history, and focuses on exploring his beliefs more deeply. I felt that I got to know him through this book, and was both surprised and impressed at how different the DL is from his watered-down media portrayals. This narrative reveals the DL as a complex man, more wise than saintly, and incredibly hard-working. The author also does not shy away from stickier topics, either, such as the DL's firm stance against homosexuality (more specifically, against non-"missionary" sex-- I've actually drafted a letter to him on this topic and am debating sending it), and the uncertainties tearing Tibetans apart as their homeland and traditional life is destroyed while their leader puts his faith in nonviolent solutions. Some wonderful quotes from the book:

"Those who long to be entrusted with real consequences in our lives [politicians] acquire that power increasingly by presenting themselves as fairy tales."

"Where the Christian believes in the transcendence of everyday life, through finding a higher life in God, the Buddhist generally believes in the transformation of it, by finding the better life in the here and now." The more I read lines like that, the more I suspect that I am more Buddhist than I realize.

Instead of human beings, the DL thinks of "... 'human becomings,' and the ways each one of us could travel along the open road to becoming more compassionate and responsible."

"A global peace reached by men who are themselves still restless or frightened or jealous is not going to be much of a peace at all."

On the topic of how such leaders as the DL can make a difference in such formats as media conferences, Iyer writes that the teachings of a "spiritual celebrity" should "help people return to the clatter and commotion a little differently, in part by seeing how they could change the world by changing the way they looked at the world."

"Kindness without wisdom is sometimes no kindness at all." Ain't that the truth!!

It takes a lot to make the DL cry-- one such instance occurred, however, when a Californian audience member asked, "What is the quickest, easiest, cheapest way to attain enlightenment?" Oh dear. Oddly enough, I think I could come up with some great answers to that question. The more serious ones are hard to put into words, however.

On poetry written by the youth who are Tibetans in exile, "Identity crises, the search for something, a sense of pervading sadness or frustration that reaches no further than the small cosmos of the self, are, to some extent, the universal currency of the young."

1092) Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge

Excellent adventure story for fans of "Inkheart." It took a little while for the story to win me over, but the writing is luscious from the beginning. The main character is a girl who loves words, in a world (based quite closely, it turns out, on a particular period of medieval England) where books are tightly censored and religious arguments have caused decades of strife. Leaving her tiny village with no friend but a goose with a serious attitude, young Mosca finds herself completely unprepared for the complexity and deviousness of the larger world. However, she's a shrewd and canny young girl herself, and her knack for getting into trouble is just barely matched by her knack for weasling out of it again. Memorable lines:

"Brand a man as a thief and no one will ever hire him for honest labor-- he will be a hardened robber within weeks.The brand does not reveal a person's nature, it shapes it." -Tamarind

" 'Do you know what courage is?Not a willingness to fling oneself into danger without proper thought-- that is nothing, nothing.There is cowardice in all impulse.Real courage lies in thinking things through, seeing all the risks and taking them anyway.' " -Toke

"A race through treacle is very hard on the nerves."

1093) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Intense, heavy, beautifully written, and thoroughly beyond my comprehension. This story weaves the tale of a simple tragedy -- a girl's rape by her father and her subsequent descent into madness-- through the eyes of her fellow children and the histories of all the adults around them. It is an amazing story where every facet adds another piece to the puzzle and changes the reader's perspective yet again. Above all, the book provides a stunningly clear window into the world of racial self-hatred.

"Being a minority in both caste and class, we moved about anyway on the hem of life, struggling to consolidate our weaknesses and hang on, or to creep singly up into the major folds of the garment."

"But to find out the truth about how dreams die, one should never take the word of the dreamer."

"Along with the idea of romantic love, she was introduced to another-- physical beauty. Probably the most destructive ideas in the history of human thought. Both originated in envy, thrived in insecurity, and ended in disillusion." Actually, that quote almost sums up the entire message of the book right there.

1094) Janie's Private Eyes by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Technically, this is a reread, but it's been many many years. Also, ZKS is brilliant and I will take any opportunity to harp on that fact. This is one of the books that I squealed to see at library branch I visited two weeks back. I just adore Snyder's writing, even though her books are aimed at a younger audience. She has the remarkable ability to make them down-to-earth real but uncannily witty (Paula Danziger had that same knack), and to let the normal brush up against the supernatual so lightly that you're never quite sure what to believe. At least, that's definitely the case with the Stanley Family mysteries, which are my very very favorites of all her works. The series in order is as follows, in case you should be smart and decide to pick them up!

The Headless Cupid (still in print and widely available, like, at any Borders)
The Famous Stanley Kindnapping Case (a great story and inexplicably hard to find)
Blair's Nightmare
Janie's Private Eyes (these last two can probably be found in any decent library whose children's department dates back to the 80s)

Also, *squeee* her website says that "Black and Blue Magic" is back in print!! If you know any kid who liked or would ike the first Harry Potter book but is a little too young for the rest of the series, recommend this book to them ASAP!

1095) Blair's Nightmare by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

I'm pretty sure I've read this one before too. It was fantastic. See above.

1096) Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt

You know, I read "Dicey's Song" a few times as a kid, but was much too young for it and also frustrated because it was all boringly realistic. Going back to the first book in the series helped a lot, and now I want to reread "Dicey's." "Homecoming" is an amazing story of a family of children making it on their own, and very apt for me to read now, since my volunteer work may very well involve children who have had to care for themselves a lot due to mentally ill parents, as in this case. The story is very believably told, yet sweet at the heart of it. And still, very foreign to me, both in terms of the time period and the attitudes of everyone in it. I can't imagine experiencing anything remotely similar as a child, even though it takes place where I grew up.

1097) Swallowing Darkness by LHK

Back to the Merry Gentry series, and a total disappointment. The plot was kinda interesting, the descriptions were excellent as usual, but the text was far too repetitive and the sex scenes almost nonexistent (and the few extant ones were pretty disappointing-- damn it, we prefer this stuff in writing to real life because book sex is supposed to do away with all the annoying interruptions and similar glitches!)

Well, there, it's a dent at least.

Tags: books, juvenile literature, quotes

oh dear...

: queenlyzard; January 28th, 17:22

I wasn't going to do this meme, but then I checked just out of curiosity, and had to post the results. Thank you,

virginia_fell .

1. Grab the book nearest you. Right now. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
2. Turn to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post that sentence along with these instructions in your LiveJournal.

I counted that as the 5th complete sentence, not counting the one which started in the middle at the top of the page.

Oh dear. Oh deary deary dear.

( cut for extreme impropriety: you have been warned )

It wasn't even one of my naughty books, Bob damn it! It was "Time Pressure" by Spider Robinson. About which I am now even more curious than before.

Tags: books, funny, meme

shameless self-promotion

: queenlyzard; January 21st, 13:57

Ok, guys, help me out here-- I've got

bookaddiction set up and some of you have expressed an interest in being members (obviously, people I already know don't have to petition for membership, and if any of you would like to recommend friends of yours who read, just give me their names and I'll send them an invite!)

Anyways, what I need now is for you to all go post there! I've put out a few topics for discussion, each in a separate entry, and will continue to do so. Feel free to answer any of them at any point-- or email me with a topic you'd like to see posted!

And please, help me spread the word. Let your friends list know all about

bookaddiction !

Thanks!!

Tags: books, my bookaddiction

Now I've done it!!

: queenlyzard; January 19th, 12:17

So... I started a new community.

Been thinking about it for ages, but I've only just figured out how I want it to work, because there are too damn many "booklovers" groups out there already, and despite belonging to a couple of them, I've never found them all that interesting. So I've started my own:

bookaddiction

I've got ideas for it and everything-- come check it out! I expect to see some of you there... and even if it's not for you, I hope you'll all help me spread the word! I think this one could be really cool if I can get the ball rolling. Thanks!

Tags: books, my bookaddiction

list

: queenlyzard; January 17th, 21:14

{1084-1090)

1084) ** "The House with a Clock in its Walls" by John Bellairs

I've been meaning to read this one since childhood because I love the title, but somehow the cover always put me off. Grabbed it from the library today and read the whole thing in one sitting. It was excellent. The writing style reminds me of Zilpha K. Snyder with a touch of Diana W. Jones' whimsy, and Gorey's illustrations give it a bit of the childhood-noir feeling of Dahl's works. Must pick up the rest of the series ASAP.

1085) ** "Have Spacesuit-- Will Travel" by Robert Heinlein

I confess I've always had a love-hate relationship with Heinlein, leaning heavily towards the "hate" when it comes to his novels. Apart from "Stranger in a Strange Land," every one I've ever tried to read has been too long, too technical, or too philosophical for me, or some combination thereof, leaving me wondering how a man who writes some of the best short stories known to man can write such unreadable works. Apparently, I've been reading the wrong books. The man can write intelligibly-- so long as he's writing for children! Apart from a moment or two of getting bogged down in mathematical discussion, I devoured this book and could scarcely put it down. I understand now, too, why people say Spider Robinson writes like Heinlein-- in fact, the stylistic similarity is downright uncanny. No wonder this is the novel that got so many people into sci-fi!

1086) * "Theater Shoes" by Noel Streatfield

Well, it wasn't as good as "Ballet Shoes," which I read dozens of times when I was younger, but it was still fun. I was so very charmed by the dedication to the fans, where she writes that children have been writing to her anxiously wanting to know if the characters of "Ballet Shoes" are managing ok during WWII. It was an interesting reminder to me that, while I've always thought of her books as charmingly old-fashioned, they were contemporary stories when they were written. It always amazes me, too, to read about WWII-- it doesn't seem so long ago, and yet there were bizarre things like shortages of rubber and sugar and even cloth. And people cheerfully made do. Things really have changed!

1087) ** "Man Without a Country" by Kurt Vonnegut

This one, I read while waiting in line at the DMV the other day. OK-- not all of it. There was too much good and interesting stuff to quote; you'll have to go read it yourself. As usual, Vonnegut's observations range from the absurd to the very wise. He says, for example, that most of the time when couples fight, what each of them is really saying to the other is "you're not enough different people." This, I think, is both absurd and very wise. This book is shorter than most of his, and more of a philosophical musing than a memoir; it's certainly not a novel. He contradicts himself at times, or seems to at least, but I feel that it all holds together just right if you look at it from a certain angle. Vonnegut is in many ways a perfect voice for his generation-- an atheist who refers to God pretty often, a cynic about humanity who loves individual humans, someone who has seen the world change enough to be bitter about it and too much to get excited about it, a philosopher too smart to want to believe the things he knows are true.... a man, as he says, without a country.

1088) "Blood Lite: An Anthology of Humorous Horror Stories Presented by the Horror Writers Association"

Actually, I found many of the stories more horrific than actual horror stories-- I guess I'm not much for gruesomeness taken lightly. It was sort-of the literary equivalent of the movie "Scream" (I think that's the one-- where the kid in the mask kills everyone?). Only one or two stories, including Jim Butcher's, managed to make me laugh.

1089) * " 'Socialism is Great!': a Worker's Memoir of the New China" by Lija Zhiang

A very realistic and honest memoir of what it is like to be a normal woman in socialist China. She describes how, growing up after the turmoil and terror that her parents experienced during the revolutions, she lacks an understanding of why she has to play by the rules... while at the same time, doing so is really her only experience. She yearns for more out of life-- college, a better job, love-- but finds herself constrained at every turn, most of all by regulations and bureaucracy, of course, but also by human failings and pettiness, her own shortcomings as well as those around her. I was very gripped emotionally by her story-- as surprised and torn as she herself when a romantic relationship falls through, always expecting a better and more exciting turn of events for the future, always disappointed by the shortcomings of reality.

I don't really have a quote from this one, but something did catch my attention. After studying English for a time, Zhiang is surprised that the standard translation of Marx reads "Religion is the opiate of the masses." In Chinese, apparently, the saying is given as "Religion is the opiate that poisons people"-- a much harsher interpretation. I've always thought of "opiate" in that saying as a tranquilizing drug, something addictive that numbs and dulls the mind, like reality TV. If the Chinese version is more correct, though, then Marx was speaking of religion as something that actually kills. It's a more reasonable interpretation, especially if you live in China where opium use really is a major threat to lives and families. I'd never thought of it so darkly before.

1090) *** "Fledgling" by Octavia Butler

You know how some books are just plain BETTER THAN SEX? Well, this was one of them. I think it may have spoiled me for all other vampire novels, because no one and I mean no one makes vampirism creepy and sexy at the same time the way Ms. Butler does it. I could not put this one down. When the novel starts you know nothing more than the main character, who wakes up in the woods remembering nothing of her life, identity... or even species. The tangled tale of how she patches that life back together kept me riveted. And the relations between human and vampire provided a wonderfully clever twist on racism. This world is both so creative and so down-to-earth believably real that it will make your head spin... and you'll end up wishing it was all true. I know I do.

OK, that's a good start. I hope you're still with me!

Tags: books, juvenile literature

book nibblets

: queenlyzard; January 17th, 20:39

So, I haven't been online as much as I'd planned today. Reason being: I went to the library. And not just any library-- oh no-- I went to a branch of the library that I hadn't been to before, on account of they had this book in stock that I wanted and I didn't feel like waiting for inter-library loan. Anyways, this branch isn't walking distance like my regular one, but it's only 5 miles away, though it felt like farther because I didn't know the area and got lost a bit.

Point being: I should /not/ be allowed in those places. I wound up staggering out an hour later with a stack of books I could barely see over-- and a huge grin on my face. I just /love/ libraries, bookstores, all of it. But sometimes I worry about the severity of my bibliophilia.

The most amazing part of that library was the Children's department. As I wandered through, I discovered so many familiar "faces"-- the books I had read growing up, and many of them the editions I knew as well.

You know? I don't care how damn cool the Kindle and SonyReader and all those things are. Nothing will /ever/ replace books for me, ever, and I can't imagine that there's a booklover in the world who wouldn't agree with me. It's not just about the words, or even the words and illustrations and cover art (which, admit it, is one of the things that you remember about a book long after you've forgotten the rest)... it's the whole living, breathing, visceral experience of it-- the dry crackle of the paper, its texture against your hands, the musty smell of an old tome or the sharp inky smell of a recent printing-- the act of curling up somewhere with your feet tucked under you and your head bent to the pages-- the act of wandering through a library like a treasure trove, every shelf telling stories far beyond those contained in the pages. I even think there's a special sense of continuity that a book in a library gains-- the fingerprints, smudges of jam, coffee spots on the pages that tell of someone else's excitement or the fact that they carried this book everywhere with them. You find old notes, yellowing shopping lists, due slips from years ago, stuck between the pages, and you can't help being aware that this book is part of something bigger, linking you with people you've never met and never will.... It's magic, pure and simple.

So, seeing the copies of Beverly Cleary's books or Roald Dahl's, with the covers that I remember as a child, takes me back in a way that the text of those books never could. I saw titles I had forgotten ever having read, and it was like seeing long-lost friends. I checked out several Zilpha Keatly Snyder books that I've read before, for pure nostalgia value because almost no library /ever/ has the books about the Stanley Family, at least none besides "The Headless Cupid." And when I ran across this edition of Paula Danziger's "This Place Has No Atmosphere," I actually got all teary-eyed. I can't tell you how many times I read that book, and it's just never the same with the new cover, pages of a different weight than I remember... I just stood there for a few minutes holding the book and sniffling (I do attribute a bit of that to PMS, but still, it was an emotional moment. I want to own that book /so badly/.). They had my edition of "Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice?" too, although mine had been a paperback. I thought about picking that one up for nostalgia, too, but I was running out of arm-space. Besides, I can still probably recite half the thing from memory, even the bits I didn't understand when I read them.

Ok, this has gone on long enough. Next I'll be telling you how things were "when I was young." Short and short of it is that I left a %5 tip in the library's donation jar, came home, and spent the rest of the day reading, only pausing to eat. I really need to start listing books again-- perhaps without reviews. I'm going to lose track of them soon! I'll make it a separate entry, though, cause this one is getting long.

PS-- you know that trashy romantic vamp novel that I said I thought about buying? Turns out I don't have to-- I found a copy in one of the myriad boxes of paperbacks that I've picked up off the 25-cent rack at the library (hey-- didn't keyboards used to have a "cent" sign?). I really have to find a better way of keeping track of my books-- I'm discovering an ungodly number of duplicates (often that I've paid for, no less!), and I can't just turn them in for store credit anymore!!

I think I ought to start a book-addicts community soon. But I think I would just be enabling others with the same problem.

Tags: bibliophilia, books, juvenile literature, library, my bookaddiction

biblio-babble

: queenlyzard; January 10th, 19:39

{1081-83}

Ok, let's tackle a bit more of The List.

1081) ** "Sir Apropos of Nothing: The Woad to Wuin" by Peter David

I think this is fast becoming my favorite fantasy parody series after Terry Pratchett. The books are more serious in some ways-- at least, the main character is. But the absurd moments equal anything on the Discworld. In this sequel, Apropos collides with a rather naughty version of Tolkien's tales, stumbles through some very bad puns, escapes across a bridge known as "the middle finger," and for the most part does his best to let evil triumph, because only an idiot would stick their neck out for something as intangible as Good. I find him a remarkably likeable character in spite of his utter lack of morals... and maybe even, in a way, because of it. After all, you can always count on him... to do whatever is in his own best interests. How can you blame him, with a life as miserable as his? It actually makes rather more sense than most of the heroic stuff you read about (let's face it-- in the real world, the majority of abused children do not grow up to be saints, particularly when too much power falls into their hands. Why should fantasy characters be any different?). And you can't help feeling sorry for the guy-- nothing ever goes well for him, especially on the rare occasions when he does actually try to be a decent person. Good quote from this one:

"...the truth is that the fear of death can get you killed." -Sharee

1082) * "The Diaries of Adam and Eve" by Mark Twain

Technically a short story, I suppose, but it was bound as a book. Very clever, very funny (especially, to me, the part from Adam's perspective). Got a little strange at the very end, but ah well. Good stuff.

1083) "Nature Writings" by John Muir, comprising "The Story of My Boyhood and Youth • My First Summer in the Sierra • The Mountains of California • Stickeen • essays"

Every once in a while, I worry that books like the one above shouldn't really "count" for my list because they aren't long enough. Well, I think this one made up for all of them. It's /831/ pages of small print (849 if you include the chronology of his life, which I did browse), and even if I did skim a few of the essays on account of their containing repeated material from earlier sections, that's still a /bloody ton/ of reading. It isn't easy reading, either. I shall be nice and sum it all up for you.

( Much shorter than the book, and with quotes )

Well, I think I'd better leave it there for now, so as not to make your eyes bleed from reading.

Tags: books, muir, quotes

Oh so behind again/still...

: queenlyzard; January 5th, 20:30

{1073-80}

Right. Let's get at 'em.

1073) * "Change Your Brain; Change Your Life" by Dr. Daniel Amen

Read this ages upon ages ago and kept meaning to get specific quotes, etc., from it. In short: very interesting. Good stuff about brain scans. Lots of good proof that mental illness isn't a matter of "fault" or "willpower." On the downside, lots of speculation, very heavy drug recommendations, and too much extrapolating from individual case studies. Also, the doc has that uppity know-it-all streak that gets under my skin. Rants about the Evils of Drug Use (but at least makes the point that caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes can be as bad for you as the illegal stuff).

The only part that made me cringe outright is when he talked about not listening to "Toxic Music," thus proving once again that a degree is no guarantee against idiocy, and that people shouldn't be allowed to work in the mental health field unless they've experienced depression for themselves. See, Dr. Amen thinks that because loud rock music jangles his nerves and makes him feel unsettled, it is Bad For Everyone and we should all go listen to some nice classic. Remember that study a while back about how "crack babies" were calmed by spending time with twittery little birds? Because the birds' twitchiness was around the right speed for these poor babies whose nervous systems were racing around like crazy. Whereas all the stuff that normal babies found calming just annoyed these ones.

Anyway, the point being, there are times when I enjoy some nice classical music. And there are times, depending on my chemistry, when listening to something nice and calm makes me feel like I'm listening to nails dragged on a chalkboard. There are certain anxiety states I get into where the only thing I can stand to listen to is R.E.M.'s "So Fast, So Numb"-- the song whose background sounds a bit like sped-up sirens. Soothes me like anything. From there, I can relax down to some of the lighter heavy metal, and then down to ordinary rock 'n roll, and soon I feel all evened out. Listening to something which matches my mental state makes me feel better, whereas if I tried to listen to The Beatles while I was in that mood, I'd end up smashing my head against the wall. How's that for toxic music, doctor?

1074) "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

One of those wrenchingly real books. To my surprise, much of it was about Beah's experiences before joining up with the army-- as a refugee on the run for years from the revolutionary fighters who destroyed his village. He wandered alone or with friends, just trying to stay alive, never able to rest or feel safe. Every part of his story is told with a heartbreaking honesty and simplicity from the point of view of a boy in his early teens. Very little philosophy here; just the brutal facts. What's most amazing is that he was able to recover from these experiences (four years straight of constant material for PTSD) and regain something of a normal life. I was also surprised that there was so little of the "us" vs. "them" hatred that one expects in the indoctrination of child soldiers. No Nazi youth here. Just damaged and drugged kids pushed past the point of caring, willing to do anything for survival. Again, just amazing.

1075) ** "The Interpretation of Murder" by Jed Rubenfeld

A painstakingly researched mystery novel set during Freud's only visit to America. Freud and his collegues are called upon to analyze a woman who falls hysterically mute after a brutal attack... and uncover a web of lies, murders, mistaken identities, and professional rivalries. I admit I was captivated from the very first page, whereon I read:

"Unhappy men are all alike. Some wound they suffered long ago, some wish denied, some blow to pride, some kindling spark of love put out by scorn-- or worse, indifference-- cleaves to them, and they to it, and so they live each day within a shroud of yesterdays. The happy man does not look back. He doesn't look ahead. He lives in the present.
"But there's the rub. The present can never delver one thing: meaning. The ways of happiness and meaning are not the same. To find happiness, a man need only live in the moment; he need only live /for/ the moment. But if he wants meaning-- the meaning of his dreams, his secrets, his life-- a man must reinhabit his past, however dark, and live for his future, however uncertain."

Another quote I liked was "Every neurosis is a religion to its owner, and religion is the universal neurosis of mankind." This was attributed to Freud, and according to the endnotes, was therefor almost certainly something he actually wrote or said at some point.

I did find parts of the story a little hard to follow, especially considering the large number of characters, but all the same, I recommend it highly.

1076) * "The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters" by Gordon Dahlquist and Dave McKean

It is very unfortunate that I began reading this book just after the one listed above, because the period and setting were so similar that I spend the first quarter of this book getting the two confused and trying to remember which characters belonged to which. But then, I did get swept away by the story, and an epic story it was, too! I confess to a slight disappointment-- no book really could be as cool as this title suggests, and although it came close, it fell short of the creativity and magic that I expected.

I think it would do better as a TV mini-series than a book; far too much of it is taken up with vividly described action sequences better suited to the visual medium. Also, it has cliffhangers in scores as the story rotates between the three main characters-- three very different persons who are pulled into the intrigue of a mystical plot which may bring about the downfall of the country (never named as such, but assumed to be Britain, at an indistinguishable time period resembling the Victorian era), if not the entire world. Like I said, the story is suitably epic, but I felt that it went on too long for one book, like Cliver Barker's "Imagica"-- you couldn't quite put it down because there was still more plot to unravel, but I'd still catch myself thinking "my god, is it still going on?" in parts.

Still, if you want a good, long, engaging historical fantasy, you could do a lot worse than this.

1077) * "One Good Knight" by Mercedes Lackey

Every once in a while you need a good fluffy fairy tale, and I enjoyed this one thoroughly. While a number of authors have taken to parodying or overtly referring to the fairytale Tradition in their works, only Lackey cites it outright as a distinct force-- a plot device of which her characters are aware and wary, and sometimes deliberately use to their advantage! Much fun, and although I foresaw all of the plot twists at least a little ways ahead, they were still enjoyable to read.

1078) ** "Dragon Slippers," by Jessica Day George

While this book reminded me forcibly at first of Patricia Wrede's series, it quickly became clear that this author has a creative storytelling streak all her own. The dragons are quirky and impressive; the main character spunky but realistic, and the storyline is fraught with hardship but ends very satisfactorally. I strongly suspect that if I had come across this one as a young teen, I would have reread it to pieces.

1079) * "Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean" by Justin Somper

Not as goofy as the title suggests. Although there are some inconsistencies in tone and the setting is a little unclear-- one of those tales that doesn't sound modern but still makes reference to the modern world-- it's a good adventure story. Twins-- a boy and girl-- are lost at sea, and while one becomes an apprentice pirate, the other is taken aboard a ghostly vampirate ship crewed by supernatural beings. But which will end up having to rescue the other?

1080) "The Secret" by Eva Hoffman

A near future science fiction-ish tale. I admit I had trouble relating to this one, because the premise, which strikes the main character as so horrific, isn't one which I find morally reprehensible. I won't give away the secret, although I guessed it quite quickly and it is revealed in the first third of the book, but I can say that I didn't understand quite why it was supposed to be so earth-shattering. All the same, the writing was beautiful enough to keep me reading. A lot of the little side-notes about this future world fascinated me more than the main storyline-- I'd love to see more stories set there. It didn't quite come across right, though-- this is supposedly set in the not-far future, and characters refer to things that happen in the 20th century... but at the same time, certain technologies and cultural aspects seem dozens, if not hundreds, of years away from where we are now. Well, who can say? Still, I think it was a mistake for the author to claim such a nearby time period.

I didn't realize when I picked the book, incidentally, that this is the author of the memoir I loved so much a few years back, "Lost in Translation." This book was very lyrical, but I think maybe she ought to stick to nonfiction, or at least realistic fiction.

"This was unbearable, to mourn what had not died, to feel the loss of what could not disappear." Taken out of context here, but what better way to describe the pain at the end of any relationship?

" 'Thank heavens for the Nazis,' someone else put in acidly. 'Where would we find our evil analogies without them? Is your imagination so goddamn LIMITED?' " I have to admit I've thought the same myself from time to time, even as I use the analogy myself!

"In order to keep transgressing, you have to change your venue. Once is transgression, twice is just... not right."

"...how are we to explain ourselves to ourselves? How can we divide the palpitating, impalpable inner substance into something intelligible, except by parsing it into cause and consequence?"

" 'If there's anything I've learned from studying the objective world, it is that we make everything up, including the truth.' " -Robert

OK, there's a dent, at leat. I've gotten the easier third of the books out of the way. Ooof.

Tags: books, juvenile literature, quotes

yikes

: queenlyzard; December 27th, 2008

{1067-72}

ok, so I am officially months behind on book journalling. Now that I've had my few days of rest, let's see what I can do about that.

1067) * "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

No, I had not in fact ever read this book before, and between the old-fashioned language and the old-fashioned ideas about hunting and women, I think I wouldn't have liked it much as a child. But I'm glad I've read it now, because it is indeed a beautifully told story. It probably helps a lot that I'm more of a "dog person" now, too. (Interesting side-thought-- did coming to like dogs help me become a more extroverted person, or was it the other way around. As a child, I had a very "cat" temperament-- quiet, loner, inscrutable-- but I've really changed a lot in the past two years, become much more outgoing and demonstrative.)

1068) * "Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books" by Francesca Lia Block

I read the entire collection, in spite of having read the first one previously. Whoever told me that I would like the other books more was right. I certainly did identify more with Witch Baby as well. I actually had trouble with the first book about her ("Witch Baby"), because I couldn't figure out what age anyone was supposed to be, and it kept throwing me off. But I loved "Missing Angel Juan," which is told from Witch Baby's perspective. And the entire collection holds together wonderfully as a complex modern myth/fairy tale.

1069) ** "Emissaries from the Dead" by Adam-Troy Castro

*laughs* I kept forgetting the actual title of this one. If you read it, you'll understand why I keep mistakenly titling it "Unseen Demons." This is a brilliant sci-fi mystery, hard-core stuff. It reminds me of Edward Willet's "Lost in Translation" for the detail and care given to creating alien species. Andrea Cort is an excellent heroine-- tough, no-nonsense, and with enough personal problems to read as realistic. No fluffy romantic moments in this novel, although there is something of a happy ending. But mostly, lots of intrigue and creative futuristic ideas. I can't wait to read his next book. Great quotes:

" 'Management's true agenda has always been making things more pleasant for Management' " - Lastogne

" 'Many extreme acrophobes are frightened of heights, not because they see those heights as dangerous, but because they don't trust themselves that close to an opportunity to jump. They see themselves surrendering to impulse. It's not the fear of heights, in other words, but the fear of impulse that paralyzes them' " -The Porrinyards

On why not to befriend a certain aggressively nice person: " 'The last thing I could ever want was understanding from someone so arrogant she actually believed other people could be understood.' " -Lastogne

1070) "Key to Conflict" by Talia Gryphon

I think that's how the author spelled her "name", anyways. I wonder who she really is? I never used to notice things like that, but that is too obviously a nom-de-plume for me to pass over it.

Anyhoo, about the book. I don't know what to tell you on this one. It's another vampire-mystery-romance, one that really belongs in the romance section. On the whole, I found it hard to put down in spite of some major problems with the writing itself. Most of the problems are about timing. The main character seems the wrong age for her accomplishments and for her attitudes, and she's written to be a hard-ass who softens up when she experiences love, but it really doesn't come across that way. The supernaturals (mostly vampires and ghosts) are frequently described as being traditional and stuck in their ways-- as befits creatures centuries old-- but again, the author ignores her own rules there and has them completely reversing their behavior within a few days of meeting the heroine. And then, near the end of the book, an entire year somehow goes by without any indication that anything changing at all. And yet-- Ok, I admit it-- I even considered buying this book, purely for the-- to use one of the author's favorite phrases-- panty-liquifying romance scenes. The story may not be consistent, but it sure is sexy. I may even pick up the sequel.

1071) * "Pyramids" by Terry Pratchett

As usual, an excellent parody both of the fantasy genre and of certain specific histories (notably the Egyptian, obviously, and also a good bit on the Greek philosophers). It's not my favorite of the Discworld books, but even the worst of them is pretty damn good. (People always compare things like that to sex or pizza, but I've had pretty lousy experiences with both of those, so I don't feel that the phrase "even when it's bad, it's good" applies to them. Maybe to chocolate, though...). Without further dithering, quotes:

"Belief is a force. It's a weak force, by comparison with gravity; when it comes to moving mountains, gravity wins every time."

"It is now known to science that there are many more dimensions than the classical four. Scientists say that these things don't normally impinge on the world because the extra dimensions are very small and curve in on themselves, and that since reality is fractal most of it is tucked inside itself. This either means that the universe is more full of wonders than we can hope to understand or, more probably, that scientists make things up as they go along."

1072) "City of Bone" by Cassandra Clare

I wasn't as blown away by this one as everyone else seems to be, but I do concede that it's an excellent YA modern-setting supernatural story, with plenty of intrigue, wit, and originality, and I did prefer it to Holly Black's "Tithe." It's pretty much Harry Potter for an older crowd. Now, if only I hadn't read so many similar books, I might be really impressed! Still-- yes, it was quite clever, and I'll probably pick up the sequel when I get the chance. Even got one good quote out of it:

" 'Every teenager in the world feels like that, feels broken or out of place, different somehow... And it's no picnic being different.' " - Magnus

OK, that's made a dent at least. It's all the ones I can sum up quickly, at any rate!

Tags: books, juvenile literature, quotes

damnit!

: queenlyzard; December 10th, 2008

In my last book post, I referred to the memoir "The Blood Runs Like a River Through My Dreams" by Nadijj. Turns out, that book was a total fake. And for that matter, the reason it reminded me a bit of Sherman Alexie's novel is that it stole a number of facts from Alexie's work (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1154221,00.html).

You know, I didn't really get the huge fuss about James Frey's book having untrue bits... so what? The guy is a self-confessed drug addict and we expect him to both remember and tell the exact truth about his life? Riiight...

But the racial exploitation stuff gets to me a bit more. I'm still sore about finding out that "The Education of Little Tree" was a fake, because I thought that book was awesome when I was a kid. Hell, I still do. I'm miffed, but it's hard for me to explain why.

The problem, I guess, is that I love these books. I don't want to see them discredited. And in a way, I think that any story which highlights a minority culture and makes you identify with or even think about them more should be a good thing... so then why do these people have to go and ruin it by lying about who wrote the book in the first place? Couldn't they just pass them off as damn good novels instead of memoirs? And why does our society have to be so obsessed with the difference between fact and fiction anyways, especially since we usually get it wrong? There are many novels out there which are "true" in the sense of touching something within people-- and sometimes, that emotional narrative matters more than the facts. At the same time, I have both sympathy and empathy for the members of the minority races who are hurt by these pretenses, who feel violated or robbed when someone claims to speak in their voice.

I think it would be hard for a white person to get a novel published if it's written from the viewpoint of a Native American or Black person. Why? People write about things they haven't personally experienced all the damn time. I don't think Barbara Kingsolver was actually the daughter of a missionary in Africa, but that doesn't in any way detract from "The Poisonwood Bible." I'm pretty sure people have written novels about being Irish, or French, or India-Indian, when they aren't really. Why is that ok, but you can't write from the perspective of an oppressed minority? People write novels about being raped, about losing a child, about being alcoholic or going insane, all kinds of touchy stuff, but we don't insist that they have to have experienced these things in order to be allowed to write about them.

It's all complicated and stuff and I don't really feel up to thinking about it right now. Just one more reason why I'll stick to writing-- and probably reading-- sci-fi and fantasy.

Tags: books

hmph

: queenlyzard; December 9th, 2008

{1063-1066}

So, of course, when I finally have a day off from work and school and figure I'll catch up on everything... I get sick. So I took it nice and easy today, got done the most important of my errands (including spending /way/ too much money on books)... and now I'm going to try an catch up on my book journal just a bit before I fall so miserably behind that I have to give the entire thing up.

1063) "The First World Fantasy Awards" edited by Gahan Wilson

Perhaps because the awards were held in honor of Lovecraft (whom I'm embarrassed to confess I have not read), this collection of stories struck me more as horror than fantasy. I'm intrigued by how the genre has changed. Overall, I liked the book a lot. A quick run-down of the contents:
( details )

Each story was accompanied by a short biographical sketch on or musing by the author. Robert Aikman (a bit of a superstitious nutcase, mind you) provided these marvelous quotes in his:

"The belief that one day, by application of reason and the scientific method, everything will be known, and every problem and unhappiness solved, seems to me to have led to a situation where, first, we are in imminent danger of destroying the whole world, either with a loud report or by insatiable overconsumption and overbreeding, and where, second, everyone suffers from an existential angst, previously confined to the very few. There is a fundamental difference between worrying about where one's next meal is coming from and worrying about the quality and reality of one's basic being."

"...nothing which is worthwhile can be predicted scientifically, let alone brought about, and least of all guaranteed"

"I believe in what the Germans term /Ehrfurcht:/ reverence for things one cannot understand."

"I believe [in something beyond this world]... because I can make no sense otherwise of the tragic lives that people lead; except, perhaps, upon the heretical, though far from illogical, thesis that the world is a construct of the devil..."

1064) ** "Kindred," by Octavia Butler

My thanks again to

mj_automatic for recommending this superb author. The overall plot concept is one I have encountered before in "Stigmata" by Phyllis Alecia Perry, but this book has a very different tone to it. In both stories, a relatively modern-day black woman finds herself "unstuck in time" to use Vonnegut's phrase, and travels against her will into the lives of her enslaved ancestors. But while Perry's book is written as the simple chronicle of a family, "Kindred" has a more science-fiction tone to it.

Dana is bodily transported into the past where she is an anachronism, and woefully unprepared to endure the lives of her predecessors. Her personal pride and revulsion towards slavery war with her need to blend in and stay alive... and, she realizes, to save the lives of her great grandparents. The book presents a brutally realistic psycho-social portrait of the contradictions and confusions inherent to the African-American psyche. It's just... stunning. I couldn't put this one down, and highly recommend it to anyone with the slightest interest in race relations.

1065) ** "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie.

This is apparently Alexie's first YA book-- I haven't read any of his adult novels, though. I believe the review from Chris Crutcher described the experience of reading this book as "laughing your ass off while your heart is breaking" and I couldn't have said it better myself.

The protagonist of this novel is a young teen growing up on the reservation... and dreaming of a better life against all odds. When he gets the opportunity to attend a white school in the nearest town, he takes it-- and finds himself mostly ostracized both in his new situation and in the life he left behind. The book is amazingly witty, which is the only thing that saves it from being unbearably grim-- it reminds me a bit of Klass' "You Don't Know Me" that way. It also brought home to me how much fiction can sometimes illucidate something better than nonfiction.

In many ways, this book contained all the same facts about Indian life (apparently, the Indians scoff a bit at the term "Native Americans"-- like us being PC does anything to help them?) as the book "The Blood Runs Like a River Through My Dreams"... and yet, I found it much harder to deal with. The casual discussion of the agony in which these people live-- almost everyone is alcoholic, nearly every family abusive, and the rates of violent crime and death are beyond imagining-- makes it all the more tragic. The book is beautiful and brilliant, and really not as depressing as I've made it sound.

1066) "Whirlwind" by David Klass

Book 2 of the Caretakers Trilogy. I didn't like it as much as the first book, "Firestorm"-- a little more heavy-handed-- but it's still a good series to recommend to Pendragon fans, and a bit more adult and fast-paced. I got a wonderful quote from it, too:

"Here’s a sad but true definition of home: it’s where you go to find out if you’re still you, or if you’ve become somebody else."

OK, I'm going to take a break now. More later, I hope.

Tags: books, juvenile literature, quotes

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