Book #34 – Pride and Prejudice (up next)
I am so excited about reading Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. For some reason, up to this year, I have shied away from the classics. Earlier this year I walked passed the Classics shelf at the library, saw Emma sitting there and thought “Hmm, maybe I’ll see what it’s like.” I’m sure you could see this coming, but I loved it. I surprised myself with how much I liked it. At the back of the book was a list of other suggested classics, so I made my own list of classics I wanted to read. And, of course, Pride and Prejudice was part of that list.
Another reason why I’m so excited to read this is because it means I get to crack open, er, I mean gently open, the brand new copy that my mom brought back from Oxford for me. I mean, look at it. It’s so pretty. This is the new Oxford University Press paperback cover. For someone who borrows most of the books she reads, opening up a brand new book that no one else has ever opened before, is even more exciting.
Alright, I’ve got some reading to do!
Book #33 – The Lit Report (up next)
I had planned on reading Pride and Prejudice next, but I felt like I needed a bit of a break after The Historian. A light, quick break. And so, this afternoon I found The Lit Report by Sarah N. Harvey in my TBR pile. A friend of mine lent it to me months ago, but I kept forgetting about it each time I needed a new book to read.
The story is narrated by Julia Riley, a teenager growing up in an ultra conservative christian family (well, her mother) and school. It took about 2 pages for me to like Julia. Her wit and references to classics grabbed me instantly and I couldn’t stop reading.
I’m about 40 pages in right now and looking forward to the rest of the book. For now I’ll leave you with Julia’s view of being a kid:
I rarely argue with adults. It seems like such a waste of energy. In my view, childhood and adolescence are non-negotiable sentences. There is no appeal process. No time off for good behavior, no parol. You might as well just wait it out, make plans for your release and try not to piss off the wards and the other inmates. (p. 19)
Book #32 – The Historian
“His memory becomes legend, passed down through generations of superstitious peasants. At the end of the nineteenth century, a disturbed and melodramatic author – Abraham Stoker – gets hold of the name Dracula and fastens it on a creature of his own invention, a vampire.” (p. 23)
Is there a better way to start off Fall than with a creepy historical thriller? Yesterday, as I curled up on the couch while dark clouds gathered and heavy rain pelted the window, Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian seemed to fit the mood perfectly.
I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for a while, but hesitant at the same time. Mostly because it’s long (800+ pages) and it’s been described by numerous people as being quite dry. Hmm..long and dry, doesn’t sound like a quick read. I really don’t like being bogged down by one book for too long. I only read one book at a time, so if something takes too long, I start getting antsy, thinking of all the other books I could be reading.
But on the other hand, I like challenging myself and there’s nothing quite like that feeling of accomplishment you get after finishing something you deemed to be particularly difficult. Also, I’ve heard so many good things about The Historian that I really want to know what all the fuss is about. No one likes feeling left out 
I’m about 100 pages in and I’m happy to say that while it is quite dry and the pace is pretty slow, the story is great. There’s a sense of anticipation that keeps me reading, needing to know what will happen next.
Plus, there are wonderful quotes. I love books with great quotes.
“Life’s better, sounder, when we don’t brood unnecessarily on horrors. As you know, human history is full of evil deeds, and maybe we ought to think of them with tears, not fascination.” (p. 42)
What book-lover doesn’t enjoy a good book-related quote?
I flipped through the rest of the pages – when you handle books all day long, every new one is a friend and a temptation. (p. 13)
Seeing a new book as a friend and temptation – I love it.
I’ve got to mention something about this cover. Seriously, it creeps me out. Every time I pull it out of my bag and I see that one dark eye staring at me…shiver shivers. The colours on the copy I have aren’t as bright as this picture here, which makes it look that much more sinister.
Okay, I’m off to do some more reading before it feels too late to read about possible vampires.
Book #31 – Evermore
The plan was that once I finished I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason I would dive head first into The Historian. However, last week the library informed me that a book I had requested was ready for me to pick up. A book I have no recollection requesting. I really need to stop browsing the library website late at night.
Anyway, obviously this means I need to read my new book right away, because The Historian is not going to be a quick read. And it’s not going anywhere. My dad lent it to my husband months ago and there’s a good chance it will still be here for quite a few months to come. But, I’m not here to talk about a book I’m not reading yet.
I remember reading a synopsis of Alyson Noël’s Evermore a while ago and thought it looked interesting. It’s is about Ever, a teenager who is anything but ordinary. After surviving a car accident that killed the rest of her family, she’s left with some unusual abilities, including hearing people’s thoughts and being able to see (and converse with) dead people. And then a boy shows up who changes everything.
It’s a pretty easy read – I started last night and am about half done – and I’m enjoying it so far. It’s always fun to get into a new series that you know you’ll want to continue with.
Book #30 – I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason
Another day, another book.
Earlier this week I started I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason by Susan Kandel. It’s the first book the Cece Caruso Mysteries series, which I heard of from Anastasia. The series focusses on Cece Caruso, a former beauty queen from New Jersey who now lives in LA and writes biographies of mystery writers. She’s run into a bit of writer’s block while working on her most recent piece: a biography on Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason. To fight it (or distract herself from it) she’s decided to do a little investigatory work herself and starts looking into a case that ESG seemed to have given up on. A murder case that happened 45 years ago.
So far the book is okay. It’s light & fluffy with a bit of intrigue mixed in.
Book #29 – Looking For Alaska
I took a little break from reading between these two book – almost two full days! Okay, so it was a day and a half, but it sure was long enough. I’m ready to get back in to things.
My next book is Looking For Alaksa by John Green. I mentioned on Monday that I didn’t know anything about this book. And really, I knew nothing about it when I dove into it. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I didn’t even realized the main character was male until I was 8 pages in. When was the last time I read a book where the protagonist wasn’t female? I have no idea. Well, besides Harry Potter.
Now that I’m about 20 pages in, I can tell you that it’s about Miles, smart kid who never really fit in with his public school peers, who is fascinated by people’s last lines before they die, and is in search of the Great Perhaps. As part of this search, he has decided to go to boarding school. And this is where he meets Alaska.
I did a little bit of research, and apparently a movie adaptation is set to come out next year, called Famous Last Words.
Lastly, a couple thoughts on this cover, which is the one on the copy I’ve borrowed from a friend.
1. I love it, it’s so sweet, and probably one of the reasons it rose to the top of my TBR pile.
2. With that cover, can you blame me for thinking the main character is female? I mean, really.
Book #28 – Hot Six
As much as I loved Jane Eyre, I’m ready for a new book. Preferably something light and funny. So, it’s a good thing that up next is Hot Six, the sixth book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.
The Stephanie Plum series is an outright guilty pleasure of mine. The books are completely fluffy, slightly trashy, somewhat formulaic, but oh so much fun.
I first came across this series last summer. I didn’t like the first book (One For The Money) and the only reason I kept reading was because the copy I had borrowed from the library contained books 1-3. However, once I got into book #2 (Two For The Dough) I was hooked.
The books are about Stephanie Plum, NJ bounty hunter, who I would describe as a gutsy coward. She puts up a tough front, but underneath it all she’s terrified of most of the people she goes after (and her gun, which she hides in the cookie jar).
I have no idea what Hot Six is about, but I’m sure it’ll be entertaining.
