the whimsy reader

Testing

2011-08-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

Testing

One down, Two To Go

2009-11-01T13:44:00.000-08:00

I finally updated my books read list. Next goals: an actual blog entry and a review of Shelf Monkey (which I read in two days in July).

Jane Austen On...

2009-08-31T21:19:00.000-07:00

Jane Austen on my cat, Sweet Joe.

Joe indicating he no longer wishes
to participate in the silliness.

Hall of Shame

2009-08-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

The inductees into the California Hall of Fame were announced today. What is that you ask? Well it was created by the California First Lady Maria Shriver and the California Museum for Women, History and the Arts (the museums name used to be The Golden State Museum until Maria Shiver "suggested" they change it). Every year they induct "legendary Californians who have influenced the state, the nation and the world" (their words). This year Harvey Milk will be inducted, Chuck Yeager, Carol Burrnet, Rafer Johnson and George Lucas (they must be ignoring the new Star Wars movies in their decision!) among others.

And then this name was announced - Danielle Steel.

Danielle Steel in the same group as Harvey Milk is so wrong I do not know where to start. People may read her books but they are poorly written cheesy romances and I'm pretty sure none of them have influenced the state, nation and the world. The only change I can think of was when she insisted her books be placed in the fiction section of bookstores and we had to move them all out of the romance section.

Maybe the museum based their decision on Steel's book of poetry. Yes you read correctly, she has written a book of poems entitled Love. Go check out the book. It is filled with poems so bad it becomes hysterically funny.

Sigh. All the wonderful California writers to choose from and they pick Danielle Steel. Grr.

Wicked Fabulous

2009-08-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...Wicked The Musical was just wonderful! An incredible production with an amazing cast, including Patty Duke who played Madame Morrible. I loved the music and it was funny, which I was not expecting. The whole evening reminded me how much I love the theater, the city and taking the subway ( I never know what to call BART. Is it a subway, is it light rail? - its both). My friend and I drove to the nearest BART station and then hoped on a train into San Francisco. I love riding the subway. There are always such interesting people to see. I saw one man getting on with a book and I thought I knew what it was by just the spine (Guns, Steel and Germs) and I was right. I was happy to see so many people reading as we headed in to the city.

San Francisco was, as always, interesting and full of fresh air except for the occasional whiff of the standard city smells. We went and had dinner in a hole in the wall diner and then wandered Market Street until the theater opened. On the BART training going home there were two kids trying to look thuggish, drawing graffiti on the car wall. Normally I do not find this funny but they were using a ball point pen and you can't really look thuggish with a ball pint pen. If I had had a Sharpie on me I might have given it to them (well probably not). All and all a fun trip. I didn't get home until 2:00am so dragging myself to work the next day was a project but Wicked was worth it!

Something Wicked This Way Comes....

2009-08-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

My poor little abandoned blog! Where have I gone? Nowhere really. I’m just in my defeated by the summer heat mood. I hate the heat and I hate Sacramento in the summer (why do I live here? That is a whole other blog entry)! It was 103 yesterday which I should be grateful for since it could have been 110. The air has also filled with smoke from various forest fires. I was so hoping California would make it to the rainy season (please let there be one this year) without bursting into flame. Sigh.
What does all this have to do with my blog? Nothing. I just needed to complain for a moment. I’m done now. Actually the heat does make me tired and non-motivated, even when I’m inside my air-conditioned apartment, so hence the no blog entries. Never fear, I am beginning to perk up because September is near and also because I am getting out of Sacramento tonight. I will be headed over to San Francisco after work to see Wicked at the Orpheum Theater. What could be better? Cool ocean air, the city at night and a wonderful show.
I’ve polished my ruby slippers so Wicked here I come!

Bulwer-Lytton - Favourite Sentence

2009-07-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

Below is my favourite sentence from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction contest:

In a flurry of flame and fur, fangs and wicker, thus ended the world's first and only hot air baboon ride.
Tony AlfieriLos Angeles, CA

My mind generated a wonderful mental image which left me giggling for a good couple of minutes.

Challenge Addendum

2009-07-01T19:56:00.001-07:00

Since I am reading Shelf Monkey I decided to join Corey Redekop's Critical Monkey Contest! I have plenty of guilty pleasure books on my shelf but I am a bit of a book snob (why can't Nora Roberts be stopped?!)...and this should be interesting.

On To The Next Challenge

2009-07-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

I am ready for the Canadian Book Challenge 3. I'm excited to be joining at the beginning this time. A full year should help me avoid my last month reading and posting frenzy. Maybe. I have not decided if I will make a list or just pick titles randomly. I do have my first book and it is Shelf Monkey by Corey Redekop. I started reading the book this morning and depending on how late I want to stay up, I might finish it tonight. Shelf Monkey has already given me flashbacks to my days in the bookstore and my creative rearranging. I used to remove the Tim LaHaye Left Behind novels and replace them with wonderful Canadian books like Fall on Your Knees or a title by Carol Shields.

2nd Canadian Book Challenge: Adding up!

2009-06-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

So in my last post I said I had read 13 books unless I had added incorrectly. My math was wrong! I've read 14. I am not so good with the numbers, lol.
In an effort for proper accounting here is a list of the books I have read for the 2nd Canadian Book Challenge:

14. The Morning Star: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin and Sabine is Illuminated by Nick Bantock
13. Alexandria: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin and Sabine Unfolds by Nick Bantock
12. The Gryphon: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin and Sabine is Rediscovered by Nick Bantock
11. Vinyl Cafe Diaries by Stuart McLean
10. Vinyl Cafe Unplugged by Stuart McLean
9. Hippolyte's Island: An Illustrated Novel by Barbara Hodgson
8. Canoe Lake by Roy MacGregor
7. Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood
6. Inside Out Girl by Tish Cohen
5. Summer Gone by David MacFarlane
4. Island by Alistair MacLeod
3. The Ladies' Lending Library by Janice Kulyk Keefer
2. Looking for Anne of Green Gables by Irene Gammel
1. A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews

The Morning Star Trilogy: Review

2009-06-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

The Morning Star Trilogy by Nick Bantock

For my final books of the 2nd Canadian Book Challenge, I decided to read Nick Bantock’s The Morning Star Trilogy. The Gryphon: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin and Sabine is Rediscovered, Alexandria: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin and Sabine Unfolds and The Morning Star: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin and Sabine is Illuminated form the trilogy and complete the Griffin & Sabine series. The three books are visually stunning and a tactile delight. I loved taking the letters out of their envelopes to read. It brings a wonderful feeling of suspense, making the reader feel as if only they have discovered this treasure trove.
The story line that runs through the three titles is connected to Griffin and Sabine but follows two different lovers as they navigate their own mystery. The story is not as compelling as Griffin and Sabine, and while I liked it, I felt somewhat let down by the end of The Morning Star. The sense of danger and intrigue is not as intense throughout the three books but the story is still enjoyable and the artwork beautiful.
So unless I have counted incorrectly, I have completed 13 titles for the 2nd Canadian Book Challenge and in the nick of time too!

I have been reading!: Multiple mini reviews in one post!

2009-06-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

Procrastination is alive and well at my house! I've been reading for the 2nd Canadian Book Challenge but not posting reviews. Bad book blogger. So here are a handful of reviews with a second post to follow tomorrow:

Canoe Lake by Roy MacGregor

I love fiction based on real life mysteries. Canoe Lake follows an American woman, Eleanor, who travels to present day Ontario. She is trying to uncover the secret of her past which is tangled up with the story of Tom Thompson and his death in 1917. I enjoyed following Eleanor's search for answers even if she is unsure of what she finds. The way MacGregor puts together the puzzle of Thompsons death is made all the more interesting by his own personal connection to the story.

Hippolyte's Island: An Illustrated Novel by Barbara Hodgson

I discovered Barbara Hodgson by way of Nick Bantock and am ever so grateful I did! Her books are a feast for the mind and the eyes. Hippolyte Webb sets out to discover the Auroras, a tiny group of islands in the South Atlantic, that may or may not exist. The story is told through journal entries, Webb's letters and his field guide (that would be the illustrated part). It is a wonderful adventure story that dares the reader to embrace what is not on the map.

Vinyl Cafe Diaries and Vinyl Cafe Unplugged by Stuart McLean

The further adventures of Dave and Morey! I giggled my way through both books and thoroughly enjoyed the cozy atmosphere that McLean creates. I think my favorite bit out of both books is when Dave practically tears the house down fixing what was a small repair.

Thoughts: Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood

2009-06-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

I have mixed feelings about Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood. On one hand I loved it because I love Atwood's writing, her style. On the other hand, the main character Rennie drove me crazy. She kept doing things that would lead to a bad or dangerous result. I just wanted to shake her and yell wake up! Stay at the shady hotel, sure. Pick up a box at the airport and bribe customs for someone else, of course. I kept thinking don't do that and stop it. I know that these actions were a part of the state Rennie was in and part of the story Atwood is telling but they irritated me anyway. I put down this book halfway through and read other things for a couple of weeks before I returned to the story. I loved the book but disliked the main character.

This was my seventh book read for the 2nd Canadian Book Challenge.

I'm Blogging In My Head

2009-06-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

I have no good excuse for not blogging only that I have been a little anti-computer lately. I spend so much time on one at work and then there is all the Facebook updating to do that sometimes I would just rather read a nice old fashioned paper book. I do however compose blog entries in my head and I've decided to get back to putting them into cyberspace. I have five more books finished for the Canadian Reading Challenge. My goal this weekend is to post about them and a few other titles I have finished.

I just took a short trip to Portland, OR to visit one of my closest friends and celebrate my Birthday. We explored the Columbia River Gorge. In the picture below everything on the left of the river is the state of Washington and everything on the right is the state of Oregon.

My favorite thing about Portland is Powell's Books. Sigh. It is heaven. My shopping spree through their stacks was my birthday present to myself. I was lucky to find a few Canadian titles I have been looking for. While Portland is nice I still love Seattle best, it has more tang to it and is right on the water. I suppose I'm loyal too since I lived there and still think of myself as a Seattle person.

Review: Inside Out Girl by Tish Cohen

2009-05-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

Inside Out Girl by Tish Cohen is the story of an overprotective single mother, whose orderly world is upended. One day, late to work, she stops to help a man and his daughter having car problems on the side of the highway. This action changes her life, leading to love and a blending of families.
There are no hidden themes in this novel, Cohen lays them all on the table for the reader to view. Single parenthood, love, life, death, disability, adoption and the struggle to do the right thing, all intersect at different points in the novel. Cohen does a wonderful job of portraying how people struggle with their inner doubts when making decisions or trying to be a better person. In the character of Olivia she brings to life a special needs child without ever being condescending or cloyingly cute.
There is a lot going on in Inside Out Girl but maybe that is the point. Sometimes, even in real life, everything happens at once and you just have to make your way as best as you can.

This is my sixth book for the 2nd Canadian Reading Challenge.
I would also like to thank HarperCollins Canada for the review copy.

Review: Summer Gone by David Macfarlane

2009-05-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

Summer is a different country. One inhabited by childhood dreams and adult longing. David Macfarlane follows the life of Bay Newling through this country in his novel Summer Gone. Newling is a divorced father who tries to reconnect with his son on a summer canoe trip. The novel moves back and forth between the present and the past. Newling remembers his own childhood summers and the last “perfect” one that changed the direction of his life with his wife and child. Set mainly in northern Canada’s cottage country Macfarlane captures the fleeting beauty of summer and uses it to infuse his story with both melancholy and nostalgia. The deeper theme of Summer Gone is the relationships between fathers and sons. As he prepares for his canoe trip with his son Caz, Newling reflects on his own father and the boundaries that existed between them. The canoe trip is for Newling both a chance to recreate his memories of summer past and to bridge the silence that separates him from his own son. Macfarlane is cryptic about the events that change Newlings life, leaving bits of information scattered until everything is gathered together in the final pages. A beautiful and thoughtful novel Macfarlane leaves the reader with the feeling that both summers and life slip through our fingers quickly no matter how tightly we grasp to them.

Summer Gone is my fifth book read for the 2nd Canadian Book Challenge.

The Books Attacked Me (that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it)

2009-05-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day after almost no posts for three weeks! I'm on a roll (actually I'm on a chair).
Home from dinner and the bookstore. My Godmother is curled up finishing her book (In The Woods) which I am going to borrow and read as well. We had a lovely dinner and then went across the street to The Avid Reader. The building it is located in what used to be the home of Tower Books and while it is SO wrong that Tower Books is gone at least its old home is still a bookstore.
I did not even make it past the first display table and by the time I made it to the second one I had one book in hand and two other titles written down. And so it went. In the end I bought three and wrote down seven or so other titles. I am going to have to quite my job so I can stay home and read. Does anyone else ever feel like they will never get to read everything they want to?
Here is what I acquired:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Mutiel Barbery (I am very excited to read this one)
A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventures in Early America by Tony Horwitz (If you have not read his book Confederates in the Attic, go get it and read it!)
My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger (It is set in Boston, how could I resist?)

Of course these are in addition to the six books I brought home from the used bookstore of Friday. Sigh.
I do not know if I will get to my reviews this week. It is scholarship interview week at work and I will be wrangling teenagers and putting in a few late hours. But who knows......

Home Repair

2009-05-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

I was so hopeful about getting reviews posted this week but...life intervenes. An old friend stayed with me for a night on her way through town. We were collage roommates and it was nice to spend time with her. After she left my Godmother arrived which is wonderful because she is my favorite person in the entire world. She is in Sacramento to get her former home (they live in Washington now) ready to sell. The renters moved out and we started in on the repairs and clean up. I scrubbed all the grout between the tiles of the kitchen floor. It is rather satisfying to see everything all bright and shiny. I will be on house duty now to take care of the scheduling of cleaning, yard work and painting. Hopefully the little house will find a new family to love it soon.
Tonight my Godmother and I will have some well deserved fun after the scrubbing and repairs. It is dinner at Tower (my favorite place!) and a rummage through the book store and maybe even a movie.

Back in the Saddle

2009-04-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

I’ve been away from my blog for two whole weeks. Horror! It was mostly due to work. I had a large event I was in charge of planning and as the day of got closer it mostly consumed all of my time. This was followed by our first heat wave of the year, which just demoralized me completely. April is way too soon for it to be 96 degrees. Fortunately the cool spring weather has returned (for the time being at least) and my event is over and my free time is my own again.
I may not blog when I get really busy at work but I always read. As result I have a small pile of books to review and I will be posting soon!

The Friday Book List: #4 - A Story Within A Story

2009-04-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Novels that tell a story within a story or combine a tale in the past with one in the present are some of my favorite books to read (if you have suggestions for me, send them along). Here are four of my favorites.

1. Possession by A. S. Byatt – Mix love, passion, poetry, academic intrigue and you have one of the best books ever! Possession is the gold standard in my story within a story category (or of books in general). Byatt won the 1990 Booker Prize for Possession. I’ve found that people who have read this book are split into two groups, those of us who read the poetry and those who didn’t. Go back and read the poetry!

2. The Little Country by Charles de Lint – Use the phrase mysterious manuscript and generally I will jump to read the book. Add in standing stones, the beautiful setting of Cornwall and alternate worlds and this novel is a keeper. A bit of a departure from de Lint’s Newford novels, the reader can almost hear the fiddle music in the background. (For me the book has an added bonus of being by a Canadian author)

3. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova – This book has a wonderful spooky atmosphere about it that has you looking over your shoulder. There are multiple story layers (it’s a story within a story within a story) and the action moves across history and geography. There is a mysterious book, family secrets, disappearing libraians and Dracula – what could be better? Don’t worry if you are not into vampires – it is not that kind of vampire book. Deliciously long and intricate, The Historian makes digging through archives feel like the height of adventure.

4. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield – This is one of those books that I read all day and stayed up late to finish. With echoes of Jane Eyre, Setterfield weaves the tale of Vida Winter and her mysterious past with that of Margaret Lea to whom she is telling her story.

Review: Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris

2009-04-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

I realized recently that I spend more time with my co-workers then my family and most of my friends. This seems backwards. Most of us, for eight hours a day, five days week spend our time with people who may drive us crazy or become our closest friends. This craziness that is the workplace is captured adeptly by Joshua Ferris in his novel Then We Came To The End. The book brings to mind The Office or the movie Office Space. There are differences but it is in the same vain. Farris brings all of the inane, crazy things that happen in cubicle world off of the TV screen and into print. The boredom, the gossip, the on the sly use of the copy machine and all the other things people do to get through the day are poked fun at. Every once in awhile I would find myself giggling over something in the book that I’ve done at work (I never use the copy machine for personal stuff, never!). The story does not circle around one central character but instead around the backdrop of layoffs at an advertising agency in Chicago. Told from the viewpoint of “we” it almost feels like you are sitting in the office with the characters. Ferris has an ear for the interplay and tensions that exist in the workplace. He infuses enough charm and light in the story to keep it from becoming too cynical. This may not be a book everyone will like, its tone and style are quirky but if you have ever worked in an office I recommend checking it out. Then We Came To The End is a smart, funny and timely book.

Book Notes

2009-04-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

I have been sorting through scholarship applications at work. 64 of them came in and only one kid has a planned major in the the english/history fields (she wants a art history/Library Science degree). Sigh.

I found this interesting story while I was reading the news on the BBC today. A housing estate in England is naming their roads after places from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/7984118.stm

I think tonight, I will sneak around my neighborhood and rename streets with places and names from my favorite fiction. Green Gables Way, Mr. Darcy Court, Cannery Row Road - It will be fabulous! This also reminds me I have yet to read a Terry Pratchett book. Must add to my to TBR list.
When I came home this evening I found a lovely package on my doorstep. It contained two books from Harper Collins Canada to review. They are by Tish Cohen and look quite interesting.
I finished Then We Came To The End last night. I loved it! I will save the details for my review. I've started Summer Gone by David MacFarlane. It will be my 5th book for the Canadian Book Challenge. I picked it because I am still in a summer cottage mood from reading the Ladies Lending Library.
I am not really a big baseball fan but it is opening day. The only thing I really love about baseball is the Boston Red Sox. I am looking forward to a new season of beating the Yankees (who is cursed now!)!!!

Review: The Bronte Myth by Lucasta Miller

2009-04-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

The Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, literary achievements have become tangled in the web of myths around them. Myths and untruths, some, that still endure, which were woven by biographers and by the sisters themselves. With The Bronte Myth Lucasta Miller aims to sort out fact from fiction and explore how the sisters lives took on mythic proportions. Elisabeth Gaskell’s The Life of Charlotte Bronte published soon after Charlottes death provided the foundation of many of the myths and misperceptions that would follow. Miller explores how Gaskell set about writing the biography with very staunch beliefs about Charlotte and how she should be portrayed to the public. Charlotte, in particular also contributed to public perceptions of herself and Emily with her own defense of her sisters writings. Miller follows the development of the Bronte’s careers and brings in many pieces of archival evidence to counter the false perceptions. She explores how the women’s lives become more important then their literary work. The book focuses mainly on Charlotte, with several chapters dedicated to Emily and her work. Anne Bronte is barely mentioned and does not even merit a chapter. This was my only disappointment in the book. Overall Millers work has inspired me to take a closer look at the sister’s poetry, perhaps re-read Wuthering Heights and read Anne Bronte’s novels. While academic in style Millers writes in a way that makes her subject accessible to any reader. The Bronte Myth is an excellent selection for those interested in the Brontes or how Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights came to be written.

Review: Island by Alistair MacLeod

2009-03-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

Island by Alistair MacLeod is the compilation of the MacLeod’s short story collections “The Lost Salt Gift of Blood” and “As Birds Bring Forth the Sun and Other Stores” along with two new stories. The majority of the stories are set in the mining and fishing communities of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. MacLeod explores family and community relationships, cultural traditions and economic realities of the region. With one exception MacLeod’s protagonists are male that masculinity permeates the atmosphere. Throughout the stories men both yearn to escape and long to return to their Cape Breton homeland, an echo of earlier departures. The settlers of Cape Breton left or were forced to leave their homeland and now in the new country the pattern continues in a different way. The highland Scots traditions and Gaelic heritage of Cape Breton is woven into the narratives. Many of the characters speak or think both in English and Scottish Gaelic. The way in which cultural traditions are preserved or lost through the generations is a main focus of several of the tales.
MacLeod is a brilliant, beautiful writer with an amazing sense of place. The smell of salt air emanates from the pages, the way John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath feels gritty from dust. The longing that MacLeod writes with, gives the collection a strand of sadness, of loss and tragedy that connects all of the stories even the ones with a lighter tone. As for the lighter touch that is little evident in Island. The love for place is obvious but there is not much joy or happiness. MacLeod’s portrayal of Cape Breton is not sentimental and he looks clearly at the harshness of life.
As a collection the book become somewhat too heavy by the end. The stories are bettered served by a slower individual reading allowing each story’s harshness to be tempered by its beauty. This is a book not to be missed, a window into the soul of the people and land that is Cape Breton.

This is my 4th book read for the 2nd Canadian Book Challenge.

Sunday Thoughts

2009-03-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

If I were a cat my fur would be all puffed out and I'd be growling a bit. There is a wicked strong north wind blowing currently. It was a strange week and it has been a grumpy weekend. The wind has blown in my ill humor and some exceptionally severe allergies. Who needs to breathe, anyway. Out the window I can see the trees bending back and forth and hear the swoop of the incoming gusts. The north wind is the type that has an odd silence about it, quiet and noisy all at the same time. Earthquake weather (lucky in Sacramento we are on no fault lines). The scientists will all say there is no such thing, but anyone who has spent a significant amount of time here knows different. I think many of the quakes I've been through came with this still but windy weather. My cat, while not puffed up has been squirrelly all week, jumping at shadows and peeking around corners. What a good pair we make today. I am trying to soothe my soul with a bit of chocolate and my book.

The Perfect Bookshelf?

2009-03-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

I would like to say I found this myself but my friend sent me the link. Being a book person, I am always looking for new and good ways to store my books. My favorite in was number #1 and I think #6 would make me dizzy when looking at it.

http://www.oddee.com/item_96613.aspx

Which ones were your favorite?

A Mini-Review with a Cold

2009-03-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

I've been laid low by a very bad cold this last weekend. I did make it to work this morning and lasted about three hours. Now I am back at home on the couch where I have spent the previous three days. I did not feel much like blogging but on the bright side I did finish Island, have almost finished The Bronte Myth and also finished How to Sleep Alone in a King-Size Bed. I will post a review of Island later, my mind is still to befuddled to take it on right now.

I picked up How to Sleep Alone in a King Size Bed by Theo Pauline Nester because the title made me laugh. I wasn't even in the bookstore but buying ginger ale and Kleenex in Target. I'm book crazed so if I know there are books within my immediate proximity I'll give them a fly by. Upon reading the back, I discovered it was a memoir of the authors divorce, resulting single parenthood and how her life changed. Normally this is not a subject that appeals (I'm not married so no divorce and no kids) but I flipped it open and read a page. Nestor's writing hooks the reader from the start. Her style is approachable, smart and quite witty. I bought the book and read it in one sitting (between sneezes and sniffles). Often with books about a life changing event there is some "phoenix rising from the ashes" clarity moment where, from then on everything gets better and life becomes fabulous. Nester's book does not follow that pattern. She explores what brought her to divorce and her life after but in a way that conveys that it was a difficult time that got less difficult but that she found no magical transformation (much to her disappointment). Nestor is funny in way that reminded me of how I am with my friends when something difficult happens. She imagines setting up a website to explain what happened to her friends and family called www.whatthe#&?!happened.com with FAQs like, "Q. Are you okay? A. No, I'm not. Thanks for asking". The true joy of her book is that her story has universal themes (mothers & daughters, tangled family relationships, rats in the basement) and can be applied to many situations and experiences. I highly recommend this book (you do not even need to be divorced or getting one to read it).

I Am Triumphant!

2009-03-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

I am writing this at home on my very own computer! Thanks to my wonderful friend Dan everything is working again. I can now blog at home instead of at work. AND I can listen to the CBC Radio and watch The National on my computer. Life is good again. Although tonight I am going to read. I am almost finished with Island and a review will be forthcoming.

Eirinn go Brach - Ireland Forever

2009-03-17T09:13:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite Irish writers is playwright Brian Friel and one of my favorites by him is Molly Sweeney. The story is told from three points of view, Molly, her husband, and Molly’s doctor, Mr.Rice. The three narratives circle around Molly, blind since she was an infant, as she regains some of her eyesight after eye surgery. They discuss their experience before and after the surgery and their memories and the events that lead them to their current situations. I first read the play in college and drew many elements from it to use in my papers on Irish history and identity. It is a brilliant piece of work.

I am proud to be Irish myself. My grandmother came from Rosscarbery in County Cork. It is from her family, the Scullys that I inherited my red hair and freckles and I think my love for soft gray, misty days. When my friends give me a hard time about not liking the sun I tell them that my people are from a dark and misty place (my grandmother is from Ireland, my Dad is from England, which all means I sunburn in the shade!). So on this St. Patrick’s Day, here is a picture of my grandmother in her lovely Rosscarbrey.

The Friday Book List: Books With Teeth

2009-03-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

List #3 - Books With Teeth

My trip to the dentist (getting that numbing shot was worse then I remembered!) yesterday has given me teeth on the mind. So here are a few selections about teeth or with teeth in the title.

1. Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks by Susan Casey
I loved this book and I am afraid of sharks. You would not catch me swimming off the coast of San Francisco before reading this book and now you really won’t catch me in the water! This book, however, did shed a lot of light on a mysterious animal and gave me more respect for the sharks and the scientists who study them. At some point, I would also like to take a trip out to the Farallons to see islands (and maybe a shark) for myself. This story is also a personal one for Susan Casey and like me, you may have mixed feelings about her at the end of the book.

2. Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss, need I say more?

3. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Another book I have been meaning to read but have not gotten to yet.

4. Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World by Selby Beeler, G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

5. Little Tiny Teeth by Aaron Elkins

Review: The Ladies Lending Library by Janice Kulyk Keefer

2009-03-11T12:54:00.001-07:00

Set in August of 1963 against the backdrop of the summer cottages of Kalyna Beach, Ontario, The Ladies Lending Library by Janice Kulyk Keefer is a novel rich in atmosphere. Kalyna Beach is the vacation getaway for the immigrant Ukrainian community, where the mothers and children spend their summer days and the fathers come up on the weekend. That particular year, mothers and daughters, both, have become captivated by the film Cleopatra and the personal lives of its stars Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. On Fridays the women gather to swap racy books, drink gin and escape the chores and children. The film and books affect the women in ways that they had not imagined. It is a summer of change as relationships shift and secrets simmer. The novel captures the duel sides of a tight knit immigrant community, the safety and claustrophobia as well as the struggle between the traditions of the old and new country. Told from the multiple points of views of the mothers, fathers and children, it does focus more closely on a few specific characters. Keefer also explores the universal themes of mothers and daughters, the ties of family and unspoken longing. The limitations of the woman’s lives and their acceptance or resistance of those limits, drives much of the story. The trapped feeling that many of the women exhibit reminded me very much of the film Revolutionary Road (I will be reading the book soon), and its story of suburban unhappiness. Despite this Keefer does manage to inject the story with the fun and adventure of summer at the cottage and creates a wonderful sense of place and time in her novel. I could almost feel the hot sand beneath my feet. She also leaves the reader with more hope then resignation in the end.

On a personal note this book made me long for my own childhood summers at my Grandparent's cottage on Cape Cod with my family.

This is my third book read for the 2nd Canadian Book Challenge

The Stolen Hour or Why I Am Sleepy Today

2009-03-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

I would like to say that I have solved my computer issues but I haven’t. I will be calling the professionals to fix the troublesome little creature.
On the bright side I finished reading The Ladies Lending Library yesterday. It is my 3rd book completed for the Canadian Reading Challenge. Finding it was a happy accident in the bookstore and I really enjoyed the story. It had a wonderful sense of atmosphere and I could almost smell the scents of summer at the cottage. I shall put together my review today and post it later.
Daylight savings has arrived and I am not happy about it. I want my hour back! I am all sleepy this morning. It is definitely a two cup of tea morning. If I was at home it would be a whole pot of tea morning. Sigh.

Why Can't Computers Be More Like Books?

2009-03-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say I am still here; I’m just experiencing technical difficulties. I have been too busy at my job to work on my blog and at home, well that is the problem. I am having a few computer issues and they are just about to drive me MAD!! I hope to sort everything out by this weekend. I will be bribing my friend with home baked chocolate chip cookies to help me fix the problem. Technology is wonderful but sometimes I think it is out to get me.
On the bright side my co worker just gave me this neat little book journal to record books read or wanted or lent in. Anyway, I’ll be back soon…….

Sunday and Monday Thoughts

2009-02-23T09:26:00.000-08:00

It has rained all night here and this morning the sky was filled with fluffy dark clouds, bits of blue sky and rays of sun peeking out. As I drove to work, in front of me there it was, a lovely rainbow. I love rainbows, they always make me smile and feel just a little more hopeful. This was not a bad way to begin a Monday morning.

I watched the Oscars last night and really quite enjoyed them. I do not care what anyone else says, Hugh Jackman was great! I did get teary eyed when Heath Ledgers family accepted his Oscar, they were so dignified. I am just happy that Kate Winslet finally won the Oscar she so deserves and beyond excited that Slumdog Millionaire ruled the night. When they won Best Picture and everyone came up on stage, that was fantastic.

Book Note – Yes I am still reading Island. It always takes me longer to read short story collections. I finish one story and often put the book down for a few days during which I start reading a different title. This weekend I stated the Ladies Lending Library so now I am reading both books.

The Friday Book List: Five Authors I Haven’t Read but Should

2009-02-20T10:03:00.000-08:00

List #2: Five Authors I Haven’t Read but Should.

1. John Updike – His recent passing alerted me to the fact that I have not read any of his titles. That will be corrected.

2. George Eliot – Every year I plan on reading Middlemarch, this will be that year!

3. Umberto Eco – I saw an interview with him once in his home and he had stacks of books everywhere. An author after my own heart.

4. Mordecai Richler – A huge gap in my Canadian reading. I must read an author who elicits such strong emotions from people.

5. Ernest Hemingway – I do not know how I got through high school, university AND graduate school with out reading any of his novels (I did read a few short stories) but there it is.

Planes, Ferries and Automobiles

2009-02-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

I just got back from Washington. I miss living there. I had a wonderful time with my Godmother and even had a chance on my way back through Seattle to have lunch with friends. My Godparents live in Sequim out on the Olympic Peninsula. It takes a bit of effort to get there. I take the plane to Seattle, the Ferry to Bambridge Island where my Godmother meets me and then we drive off the island over the Hood Canal and up the Peninsula to Sequim. A trek but worth it, and I love taking the Washington State Ferries.
Sequim looks out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca and from the back yard I can actually see Canada. At night you can see the glow of lights from Victoria.
It was a nice relaxing visit. It was also quiet. I could hear the birds and the other animals from the farms below the house. We went up to Port Angeles and rummaged around the bookstores. I found a couple of Canadian titles to add to my reading list. I do like cites but I have to say as of late I more drawn to rural places like the Peninsula. It is so loud now in Sacramento, I miss the birds already.

Sequim farmland with Mt. Baker in the distance

Sequim

The lighthouse at Fort Warden in Port Townsend

Port Angeles with Vancouver Island in the distance

Coming into Seattle on the Ferry

Review: Sense and Sensibility

2009-02-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

Warning: This is in no way an academic review of Sense and Sensibility. I made the mistake of reading the afterward in my copy and the writer of it managed to suck the joy out of the story. Sense and Sensibility is my favorite Jane Austin novel. I know, everyone loves P&P with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy and I do as well, but Sense and Sensibility deserves as much attention. I decided to re-read it after watching the replay of the new adaptation on PBS at Christmas (more on that later).
Sense and Sensibility is the story of sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Marianne is the romantic and emotional sister and Elinor is more practical and reserved. Elinor in no way feels less then Marianne but she is more cautious about displaying her feelings. The emotional nature of the sister and her Mother’s nature has also placed her in the role of being the responsible one in the family. The Dashwoods; Elinor, Marianne, their Mother and younger sister Margaret find their circumstances much reduced after the death of Mr. Dashwood, whose estate passes to his son from a first marriage. Settled in a new home, Elinor and Marianne encounter their new neighbors, petty relatives (their brother and his wife) and both fall in love. The story is very much about how each navigates their situation and handles their feelings in love and heartbreak. Marianne displays hers for all to see and flouts many social conventions. Elinor carries her feelings inside and also bears much for her sister. Jane Austin has managed, in Elinor, to create a character that we can still relate to today. Elinor is often overburdened with others problems, leaving her alone to deal with her own heartbreak. I know I have often felt that and Elinor is my favorite character.The supporting characters are wonderfully drawn as well, sneaky Lucy Steele, kind Mrs. Jennings, and the petty Mrs. John Dashwood. Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon may not have the mystery of Mr. Darcy but they hold their own. Of course at the end both Marianne and Elinor find happiness and love but the road there is rocky and packed with a few twists. All and all, Sense and Sensibility is a delightful novel of love, manners and

I think I am a book snob...

2009-02-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

I checked out the New York Times Bestseller list this morning and I have to say I am disappointed. Here are the top 5 for hardcover fiction:

1.PLUM SPOOKY, by Janet Evanovich
2. THE HOST, by Stephenie Meyer
3. THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, by David Wroblewski
4. AGINCOURT, by Bernard Cornwell
5. BLACK OPS, by W. E. B. Griffin

Plum Spooky I get. I, myself, love Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Mysteries, they are fabulous and fun. Edgar Sawtelle is an Oprah selection and is most likely very well written (I haven’t read it yet). But the other three?!? Certainly there are better new fiction titles out there that Americans could be reading. Or maybe I am just being a book snob. Sigh.

As January Fades...

2009-01-31T19:37:00.000-08:00

I had intended to do a lot more blogging this week, however work was a hard slog and by the time I got home, turning on the computer was not in any way appealing. I forgot to do my Friday list and didn't even get a chance to think about the books I would put on it. This is suppose to be a book blog but it is not as bookish as I would like yet. I'll have to work on that. February should be a little calmer at work so hopefully I'll be more creative.
I was listening to people talk in the grocery store today. It made me wonder what is it like to really belong to a place? I have lived in Sacramento longer then many other cities but I do not feel I belong here. I'd lived in three different states and been around the country for six months in an RV by the time I was six years old. There were plenty of moves after that and we added another state to the collection (California, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Washington). None of this is bad, I suppose one would say it made me the person I am. (OK, I admitt, sometimes I am grumpy about all the moving that went on)
Well, tomorrow is the Superbowl and it seems that Superbowl Sunday is now an American holiday. Does the fact that I may not watch tomorrow make me un-American? Maybe I could be deported to...hmmm let me think...Canada! for this infraction? Ahhh, one can dream.

Sunday Thoughts on Monday

2009-01-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

I read a very interesting little book on Sunday morning. Live What You Love: Notes from an Unusual Life by Bob and Melinda Blanchard. I usual stay away from titles like this but I originally had purchased it for the library I am in charge of at work. I glanced at one afternoon and it looked interesting so I brought it home were it sat on my bookshelf for months. I do not know what inspired me to read it on Sunday but it was quite good. It is not a touchy feely self help type of book but instead a collection of essays about points in the Blanchard’s life that helped shape their decisions and led them to where they are now. I t also includes questions to ask yourself and some concrete advice about how to reach your own dreams. I like concrete advice. The “think about it and it will come to you” style does not really work for me. It also helped that the Blanchards are engaging writers and have had an unusual interesting life. I feel a little inspired now and I may even read their other books.
I threw over Freddy and Fredricka. I have been unable to really get into reading it and my eyes keep straying to other books. Instead I am starting on my next book for the 2nd Canadian Reading Challenge. I’ve picked Island by Alistair MacLeod. I read No Great Mischief quite awhile ago and it is one of the few books that actually made me cry.
It has been grey and rainy here (which is good, we really need the rain) but on Sunday afternoon the sun came out. I packed up my backpack and went down to read by the river. One of the best things about Sacramento is that you are in the city but a short walk to the river and it feels like you are out in the country. I’ve posted a few pictures below.

It is still way too cold to dip my feet in the river but I could not help taking my shoes off.

The American River Trail - It looks a little Lover's Laneish.

The American River

The Inaugural Friday Book List

2009-01-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

List #1: Books for cats and their humans
This is a list of books for your cat (and you too!). Who knows, maybe they do read. Do we really know what they do while we are away from home? All that sleeping 18 hours a day is highly suspect. I think they are reading.

1. Why Cats Paint: A Theory of Feline Aesthetics by Heather Busch
It is not a ruined couch, it is cat sculpture! This book will inspire any kitty to release their inner artist.

2. The Complete French for Cats: French for Cats and Advanced French for Exceptional Cats by Henry Beard, Gary Zamchick (Illustrator)
For the worldly cat. This also helps humans interpret what their cat is really saying.

3. Bad Cat: 244 Not-So-Pretty Kitties and Cats Gone Bad by Jim Edgar, with R. D. Rosen and, Harry Prichett
For humans to read with their cats. It should make everyone laugh.

4. Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds by Joy Adamson
The story of Elsa, a lioness raised by humans and returned to the wild. Helps your cat stay in touch with its wild side. It was one of my favorite books growing up.

5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
For the intellectual cat. A story of a boy named Pi stranded on a boat with a tiger. Won the 2002 Man Booker prize for fiction.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
I haven’t read this title yet but I know all about Dewey and really, how can a book about a library cat not be wonderful! At only a few weeks old Dewey was stuffed into the returned book slot at the library in Spencer, Iowa, on the coldest night of the year. He was found by the library director and spent the next 19 years having the run of the library and bringing much love and joy to the people of Spencer.

Sweet Joe - Sleeping or planning which book to read next?

The Best Day

2009-01-20T08:03:00.000-08:00

I think today is the first time in my life I can say that I am proud of my country. Today Barak Obama will be inaugurated President and will hopefully bring this country out of the darkness that Bush plunged us into. Finally there is hope, not fear, in the air.
Yesterday was the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and work. Today, I hope that Dr. King’s spirit will be watching as the first African American President takes office.

Sunday Thoughts

2009-01-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

Yes! Just as I logged on here, the football game ended and the Steelers beat the Ravens! I have not been paying too much attention to the playoffs since my team (New England) was out but I like the Steelers and I want them to win the Superbowl.

I am very excited to be posting my Sunday thoughts on a Sunday! It has been a nice weekend. I saw Revolutionary Road and thought it was fabulous. I'll post more on that later (and now I need to read the book). I haven't been doing to much book reading as I have the new issue of Vanity Fair with several yummy articles to keep me busy.

I have also been trying to make my apartment asthma friendly. Sweet Joe and I took a trip (very expensive trip) to the vet and he has severe asthma. So it was dust be gone patrol today. Poor sweetie. I am irritated that the shelter NEVER noticed he was having problems breathing.
I hit the grocery store today and all I have too say is when did people start shopping in packs? I'm all for family togetherness but do you really need five people to grocery shop?
The weather is being weird. We are having two seasons at once. Spring during the day and winter at night. I may walk down to the river tomorrow with my book if the sun is still out.

I bought my plane ticket for Seattle and will be heading up North in February to spend the long weekend with my Godparents. I can not wait. Grey skys and rain here I come.
The picture below is of my gift certificate haul except the top two which I brought back from New Mexico.
The best thing about this weekend, is it is not over! Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is so fitting that this year his holiday will be followed by the Inauguration. I can not wait for Tuesday!

I think that is all for now. Joe just curled up in his blanket and I think I will grab my book and join him.

A Dash More of Anne

2009-01-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

Since I so enjoyed Looking for Anne of Green Gables I thought I would see if Irene Gammel had written anything else. I found three titles pertaining to Anne and L.M. Montgomery. For the most part they are collected essays and Gammel is the editor, but they looked interesting. I will be reading them at some point if I can get my hands on them. Here are the titles if anyone else is interested:

The Intimate Life of L.M. Montgomery by Irene Gammel (Editor)
L.M. Montgomery and Canadian Culture by Irene Gammel (Editor), Elizabeth Epperly (Editor)
Making Avonlea: L.M. Montgomery and Popular Culture by Irene Gammel (Editor)

I am particularly interested in L.M. Montgomery and Canadian Culture. I think I will see if I can hunt it down at the University library.

Another Anne side note.
After reading Looking for Anne I was glancing through some of L.M. Montgomery’s short story collections on my bookshelf. In the collection Along the Shore I re-read the story titled Four Winds. Published in 1908 it is about a young woman, Lynde, who can not marry the man she has fallen in love with, the town minister, because she is already married to a man who holds something over her Father. Her husband immediately left for sea and has not returned for three years. On a stormy night her suitor rescues a man from a sinking ship who Lynde recognizes, much to her distress, as her husband. However, when the rescued man awakes he turns out to be the husband’s twin brother and tells Lynde that her husband died years ago. Lynde is then free to marry the man she truly loves.
So there it is the first telling of what would be reshaped into the story of Leslie Moore and Owen Ford in Anne’s House of Dreams. I did not remember reading the story, even though I have had Along the Shore for ages. I got all excited since I love finding things I’ve never noticed before. I think I will go through all of Montgomery’s titles and story collections to make sure I have read everything.

Looking for Anne of Green Gables : The Life and Times of L. M. Montgomery: Review

2009-01-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

Looking for Anne of Green Gables : The Life and Times of L. M. Montgomery by Irene Gammel

Looking for Anne of Green Gables is not a strict biography of L.M. Montgomery (or Anne for that matter) instead it is a window into the birth of Anne and the influences in Montgomery’s life that helped form the character and further writing. Gammel delves into what she calls the mysteries of Anne. How did the character arise, what and who influenced her traits, and where the sparks for her story came from.
One of Gammels best achievements with Looking for Anne is illuminating the influences that Montgomery absorbed, such as the magazines that came through the post office in the Macneil house. Montgomery was also influenced by the literature and popular reading of her time and those elements helped shape her work. Gammel does an excellent job of weaving the story of Anne and Montgomery together giving the reader an excellent snapshot of a writer’s process. For myself, I most appreciated Gammels exploration of Montgomery’s motivations and her cultural influences. Montgomery is a complex and interesting figure. She used the story of Anne and many of her other characters to reconstruct the family and relationships she had lost. The loss of her mother, the abandonment of her father and the feelings of being an outsider in the extended Macneil clan could be imagined away in the writing of Anne and later of Emily and Jane. Montgomery, herself, proves to be a challenging character. Gammel does do attempt to portray her as a sunny writer creating charming stories. She takes an honest look at the trickery aspects of Montgomery’s personality, such as her manipulativeness and ability to ignore what she did not want to see. However, Montgomery’s close friendships, her love of the outdoors and emotional nature are given equal examinations. Gammel gives the reader a full portrait.
It is fascinating to see how Anne was developed although I’m not sure there is as much mystery as Gammel implies. She does present strong academic arguments while still maintaining a readable and assessable narrative.
Looking for Anne of Green Gables is a wonderful read for fans of Anne, Montgomery and for anyone interested in a cultural snapshot of turn of the century PEI.

This is my second book for the 2nd Canadian Reading Challenge.

One Week Left!!!!

2009-01-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

A week from today Barak Obama will become President of the United States officially ending the dark ages of the Bush/Cheney era. Hopefully, now that we will have an intelligent, rational President (who is not controlled by an evil genius VP) this country will truly become a place to be proud of once again.

In local political news, the state of California is doing a wonderful job driving itself into a very deep budget hole. With the chance of having to pay state workers and bills with IOUs, the state legislators actually took the weekend off. Personally I think they, and the Governor, should be locked in the State House until they figure out a solution. I think I will try paying my bills with IOUs this month.

I am officially apart of the 2nd Canadian Book Challenge! I will add the link to my page as soon as I figure out how to do that. I also have two books out of the thirteen completed. My strategy is to read a few new books and then to read some books from my bookshelf that I’ve had for awhile but have not read.

Once Again.....Sunday Thoughts on Monday

2009-01-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

It was a lovely reading weekend, a much needed one after my very busy week at work. I had every intention of blogging last Monday but I gave over the evening to a work project. Oddly, my cat was very disturbed about having the living room covered with paper and other items. He became a little squirrelly and decided to chew on my arm (no harm, he has no teeth, it’s like being bitten by a gummy bear). He also did not appreciate my attention being focused elsewhere. The rest of the week followed as busy as the first day. I am happy to report that I finished my first book of the New Year, Looking for Anne of Green Gables: The Story of L.M. Montgomery and Her Literary Classic. I won’t go into to much detail here, as I’m working on a short review, but I found it a fascinating read. I love learning about an author’s interior landscape and this provided many interesting insights. There are a few aspects of LMM’s life that I feel quite akin to.
In other news, the weather has turned spring like. I heard the frogs croaking yesterday afternoon, as if were March instead of January. I hope we will be in for some winter weather yet. There is nothing better then curling up with a book on a rainy or stormy day.

Sunday Thoughts on Monday

2009-01-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

I was going to post my Sunday thoughts on Sunday but I had a bit of a headache and was not inspired to turn on the computer.
I did check a few things off my list from Saturday. I spent my gift certificates, at both, Borders and Barnes and Noble. Both stores were oddly busy. I say odd because they did not seem to be filled with bookish people but filled with I just want to return my Christmas gift and leave people. I prefer independent book stores but every once in awhile a gift certificate or coupon takes me into the big two. I feel, at least in their Sacramento stores, that the selection has really been poor, especially in fiction. They do not seem to be stocking anything special or unusual. I was unable to find any of the Canadian authors I was looking for on Saturday night. Sigh.
I was slightly amused by watching the employees run to and fro with all the returns in B&N. When I first came to Sacramento, I worked in that particular store for a year. Sometimes I still feel the urge to shelve when I am browsing and on at least one occasion have almost answered the phone. Shopping there is like visiting a past life. I miss my discount and access to advanced copies but not the retail madness (and the people asking for the “green book that was on Oprah”!).
I do have a nice pile of new books. I have a picture to upload but that will have to wait until I am home this evening. I hope everyone out there is having a good Monday. Mine has not been too bad. Although it is rainy and grey outside so I would rather be home curled up with a book.

The list, the list!

2009-01-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

Goals for the weekend:
1. Set goals
2. Sort out reading - I am currently reading 3 books and that is too many!
3. Figure out how to spruce up my blog page (I will learn how to use this thing!!!!).
4. Put together my Canadian reading list.
5. Spend Christmas gift certificate at bookstore!!
6. Contemplate solution for bookcase problem (completing #5 will not help with #6).

Well, I least I have one thing on the list done!

The Albuquerque Book Report

2008-12-29T15:02:00.000-08:00

I suppose that starting a blog just before going to spend Christmas at my parents home in New Mexico, where a reliable internet connection is a fantasy, was not my best idea. Well, no matter, I am back in the land of the high speed connection! While in Albuquerque I spent a few hours rummaging around one of my favorite bookstores, Page One Books. I was a little worried at first as Page One also had a used location, Page One, Too, across the street. Recently, they closed the used location and merged the two into one building. While still in the process of reorganizing the store, I am happy to say having Page One and Page One, Too in the same building is really quite wonderful. I wondered through the Antiquarian Room first and then checked off my Christmas Gift purchases. The children’s section, while wonderful, is not well stocked yet with used books. I was unable to continue my search for “books I used to have but can’t remember the title”. Oddly, I have had excellent luck finding Canadian published books at Page One, Too. This trip, I found a Canadian edition of The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness and Greed By John Vaillant. I am very excited because earlier this year when I was in Victoria B.C., I passed up buying it in favor of an Emily Carr biography. Now I have both! Yeah! So here is to Page One, an oasis of good Canadian books on the high desert.
One other New Mexico book note. The city of Albuquerque just renamed one of the city libraries after mystery author Tony Hillerman. If you have not read any of Hillerman’s Navaho mysteries with Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, start with The Blessing Way. He captures a people and place so beautifully it will take your breath away and he serves up a great mystery as well!

Construction Woes

2008-12-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

I experimented with changing the template on my blog today with poor results. I have almost successfully restored everything but there are still a few quirks. This page will be a work in progress for a while as I learn how to work everything. Which means it will be a plain green background for a little while longer.
I was in the bookstore today (shocking, I know) buying books for the library at work. I spent a little time looking at a few non-work related titles. I found at least ten books I want to read and I was confronted with a horrible thought. I will never have enough time to read everything I want to read! Ahhhhhhh!
On the topic of reading, I have yet to write a lot about books. That will soon change. Work is winding down and I have a week off for Christmas. I am selecting the titles I will be taking with me to my parent’s home in New Mexico. Chances for snow are good and I will finally have proper time to curl up with my books.

Winter

2008-12-16T15:25:00.000-08:00

I thought of something very cool to write for my blog yesterday on my way home. Since I was driving, I of course, did not write anything down. Now those thoughts are gone. I can not remember one thing. Sigh. I did finish A Complicated Kindness. Nomi did find some hope at the end but I’m still irritated with the other characters. I’ve started Claire Messud’s The Emperor’s Children. I have been meaning to read it for some time and stumbled across a copy in a used book store last week. Obviously it was meant to be.
Now for an off topic rant. The news last night was abuzz with all the ongoing winter storms across the country. When did it become surprising to see winter storms in December? The news people kept saying things like, “Winter does not even start until Sunday”. Like Nature follows our calendar. I have always considered all of December a part of winter. Apparently I am alone in that. Even when it is “officially” winter people still act surprised about ice, snow, blizzards and other bad weather. Living in Boston as little girl I remember snow banks taller then me as a standard sight. My grandmother covered the inside of the windows in plastic (and I poked holes in it). Now all of these things seem to catch people or at least the media off guard. Wake up everyone, its winter! Storms, snow and cold happen. Even before December 21st.

A Complicated Feeling

2008-12-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

Currently I am reading Miriam Toew’s A Complicated Kindness. I would say I am about ten or so pages from the end.
The novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old Nomi Nickel growing up in the Mennonite community of East Village, Manitoba. Nomi’s wit and intelligence are far more suited to NYC’s East Village, the place she longs to be transported to. We join Nomi and her father Ray after both her older sister and mother have left the family and East Village after being excommunicated by the church. Father and daughter try to cope in different ways. The book is a darkly funny, and both poignant and devastating.
I have fallen in love with Toew’s prose. In Nomi she has created a character that leaps off the page. Her insight into her isolated community provides the humor that balances the downward spiral her family has become engulfed by.
Generally I would write this after finishing the book but I have become so attached to Nomi, I find myself increasing angry at the other characters. Why didn’t Nomi’s mother take her with her when she left? (Nomi asks this question herself, receiving only a vague answer from her father) Why doesn’t her older sister Tosh call and check on the sister she obviously cared for? But what most bothers me is Ray, Nomi’s father, and his actions or lack of action. He begins getting rid of household furniture at night, and one can see him disappearing just as the items in the house do. I find myself so angry at him for not scooping up his woulderfully intelligent daughter the taking her far away from East Village. Ray can not bring himself to see beyond his own inner struggle to save Nomi, the remaining piece of his family. In the end (which I peaked at) Ray leaves as well. While this may leave Nomi free to make her own decisions, it also leaves her alone and I find that Ray took the easy way out.
So like Nomi, I have conflicting feelings. I have enjoyed the humor and insight but am endlessly frustrated with the actions of the people around Nomi. Can one mount a rescue mission into a book?

My yearly visit to New Moon

2008-12-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

I re-read the Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery this fall. I love the Emily books and never grow tired of them. The Anne of Green Gables books may be better known, and I love them as much, but I have to say there is something very special about the Emily books for me. I think I relate a little more to her (although my red hair and freckles match Anne) temperament. She is imaginative but she has a practical bent that I appreciate. While Emily is, like Anne, an orphan, she is surrounded my aunts, uncles and cousins and abiding family traditions. This environment speaks to my own soul, reminding me of the time when I lived in my Grandparents home, outside of Boston. The Emily books just feel so cozy; I just want to climb into the pages. L.M. Montgomery herself is very much reflected in Emily. She used pieces of her own journals in the books and Emily’s climb up the Alpine Path is akin to Montgomerys. I often wonder if the life she created for Emily was really the life she wished she had had herself. If I could choose one book to go live in it would be Emily of New Moon.

The whimsy begins...

2008-12-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

I love books. I love reading books, talking about books, looking at books, bookstores, libraries and well everything else I could think of about books. I have a particular love and intrest in Candian literature, children’s literature and Jane Austen.
A long time ago my third grade teacher told me my mind was like a filing cabinet. I think he was right. My mind is a filing cabinet and it is filled with unlimited files on all the mishmash of things I am interested in. I am always curious about everything (and I am a good person to have on your pub trivia team*). The Whimsy Reader is my place for all of my interests, miscellaneous information, quirkiness and of course, books!

* I wonder if I could make that into a job? Professional Pub Trivia team member. I could go from pub to pub, around the country, maybe the world. I am going to have to look into this.