Birthday Books

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My parents gave an Amazon gift card for my birthday (thanks, Mom and Dad). I decided on the following books:

I am feeling a sort of Rebecca vibe, and many of these books seem to be along those lines. Also, I love Melvyn Bragg’s BBC radio show In Our Time. It’s possibly the R.I.P. Challenge at work, but I feel the creepy British manor or the streets of Victorian London are perfect for fall.

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Hey Lady

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BBAW: Celebrate Books

I had the opportunity to get to know fellow book blogger Trish of Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’? I love that she preserves the apostrophe for the dropped g and still includes the proper punctuation—a question mark—after the apostrophe.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Hmm…such a broad question! I’m 30 years old, married, and have two dogs and a cat. I spend way too much time on the computer and hardly ever watch TV. I like to eat cookie dough and don’t like my food to touch. I prefer the rain over the sun because of my fair skin. I geek out when I meet authors and have been known to put both feet in my mouth and continue to talk blithely.

Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging because I had some (what I thought were) interesting/bizarre stories that I wanted to share, and I was already reading blogs so I thought, I can do this! I assumed, If you write it, they will read it. I quickly found out that that’s not necessarily true and that getting people to read your blog is quite a bit of work!

I see you’ve been blogging for a long time. What keeps you blogging? How have you seen the book blogging world change in the years you’ve been blogging?
The community keeps me blogging. I’ve met (in real life even!) some really great people, people who love books as much as I do, and I love that community. I love connecting with people, and my blog is one way in which I can do that. Being fairly introverted, it’s the perfect place for me to be outgoing, because I can be outgoing when I feel like it, not because I’m at a party and have to be outgoing. 🙂

The book blogging world has grown by leaps and bounds. I’ve seen the community come together, and I’ve also seen the community get fractured by those who like to create drama. One thing I’ve noticed is it’s a lot easier to get ARCs. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing I’m not quite sure… 🙂

Do you have any secret names for yourself?
Umm…no. But I do find myself talking to myself a lot more.

Have you ever gotten in trouble for reading (at school or work)?
Not exactly, since I’ve always been pretty sly. But I have gotten some sidelong glances as I close my book and quickly get back to work.

Who’s the coolest author you’ve ever met?
Wally Lamb. He made me feel like we were the only ones in the bookstore (even though there was a line of probably 50 people behind me), and he also made me feel like maybe possibly perhaps one day I could be an author.

The most…interesting author I’ve met is Katherine Dunn, author of GEEK LOVE. She wears sunglasses all the time and tends to avoid the media, so meeting her was pretty exciting.

Since this is Book Blogger Appreciation Week, do you have some other favorite book bloggers you’d like to mention?

1st Books: Stories of How Writers Get Started is a blog written by Meg Waite Clayton, author of THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS. She has other authors guest post, and it’s pretty fantastic.

A High and Hidden Place: Tales of a Capricious Reader is a great blog where you can get recommendations for a variety of books. The blogger, Heather, has a great writing style and is a lot of fun. 🙂

books i done read is very funny. All should read this blog.

Books on the Brain. Lisa is the first book blogger I ever met and still a favorite.

Dreadlock Girl is another favorite. She has great taste in books, has widened my reading, and is a great photographer.

Galleysmith is a new blogger, and holy cow, I don’t know how we ever survived without her. She has a really fun writing style and she loves YA. I love her.

Jenn’s Bookshelves. Jenn has never steered me wrong on a book, and she’s super fun to hang out with, too. This is a must read.

Linus’s Blanket. I met this blogger, Nicole, when I was in New York for BEA, and she’s one of the most well-spoken, well-reasoned bloggers I met while I was in New York. She writes great reviews and is a lot of fun.

Presenting Lenore. Lenore and I have very similar tastes in books, and she does a great job of not giving away every single plot detail.

Steph and Tony Investigate! Steph writes fantastic reviews, and has some of the most thorough reviews I’ve ever read. She puts other reviews to shame.

The Bluestocking Society has more great book reviews. I love Jessica’s style and recommend her blog to everyone.

Have you ever thrown a book across the room?
No, but I’ve wanted to. Perhaps I’ll do that at the end of THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE since I’m not particularly enjoying it.

Do you have one book you recommend to EVERYONE?
THE LIKENESS by Tana French. I seriously don’t know how you could be a reader and not enjoy that book. Also, THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins.

Can you tell us your favorite books of all time (top 3 or 5)?
Crap. I hate these questions. Okay, let’s see.

THE LIKENESS by Tana French
BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett
THE POISONWOOD BIBLE by Barbara Kingsolver
WORD FREAK by Stefan Fatsis
GEEK LOVE by Katherine Dunn

Thanks Trish for being such a great subject and helping me figure out BBAW. If you are not reading Trish now, you should be!

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Coraline

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Coraline Jones is bored. Her parents are too busy to play, and the weather isn’t cooperating, so she explores. Behind a locked door, she finds the entrance to a completely different world. Neil Gaiman’s novel Coraline is compared to Alice in Wonderland or The Chronicles of Narnia on the book jacket, and while the comparison is fair, Coraline’s world beyond the locked door is different: it’s far creepier and in some ways more believable than Carroll or Lewis’s worlds are. Every child knows that there is a mysterious world beyond the mirror or behind the locked door no one ever seems to open.

Gaiman is a master storyteller. I have thoroughly enjoyed all his books I’ve read, and I love to read his blog and even keep up with him on Twitter. He’s a true dry wit, which comes through in his stories as well as his blogging. The characters and the world he creates in this book, as well as the others, however fantastic, always seems believable and real. If you’ve not read Coraline, you should definitely pick it up. It’s a quick read, and though it’s classified as a children’s or young adult novel, I wouldn’t let that classification stop you any more than it should stop you from reading the Harry Potter series.

R.I.P. ChallengeThis book is the first book I’ve finished in the R.I.P. Challenge. I also plan to read Bram Stoker’s Dracula (currently in progress), John Gardner’s Grendel (my next selection), and Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts. If I actually complete the challenge ahead of schedule, I may continue reading the creepy books, which are a perfect way to usher in the fall weather.

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Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

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Laurie Viera Rigler’s novel Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict begins with an interesting premise for any Jane Austen fan: what if you woke up one morning and found yourself in the middle of the Regency, with folks who act and look like characters right out a Jane Austen novel? Courtney Stone, Rigler’s protagonist, is a huge Jane Austen fan. Her love life is unfulfilled. She has recently broken up with her fiancé Frank after catching him with another woman, and she has severed ties with her best friend Wes after discovering he has been complicit in helping Frank hide his dalliance. All of a sudden, she is Jane Mansfield, she’s apparently suffered a bad fall, and a doctor wants to bleed her in the hopes it will cure her.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict explores the question of how a women with 21st century attitudes might fare in early nineteenth century England. Courtney makes several missteps and finds it difficult to accept her more constrained position in Regency society. It’s a fun, light read. It’s clear Rigler has read and enjoyed Austen’s novels. The danger in associating oneself so closely with Austen is that one cannot possibly compare, and Rigler’s prose certainly suffers from the comparison. However, there are passages to admire. Rigler manages to capture Bath and London well. I found Rigler’s heroine wearing and perhaps not as sympathetic as Rigler intended. The characters in general do not sparkle with life in the same way that Austen’s characters do. Few of us, however, are up to Aunt Jane’s standard.

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The Decatur Book Festival

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Decatur Book FestivalWe all had a good time today at the Decatur Book Festival. I had to grab a nap when we got home so I could recover. I am a little sad—one of my main reasons for going, seeing Diana Gabaldon and possibly getting a book signed, didn’t turn out to be feasible when I saw the line. If I had been alone or with like-minded friends, I would have waited, but I was with family, none of whom shared my interest in seeing Ms. Gabaldon, so I filed that away for another time. I have seen her once before, after all.

We roamed all over the place, seeing all the different tents. We didn’t actually buy that much. The atmosphere was great, and as an English teacher, I was ecstatic that so many folks were gathered to celebrate books and reading. We mostly looked, walked around, and had fun. I think everyone except Steve found a book in the Little Shop of Stories. Sarah got Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson. Dylan got a copy of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. (it’s different from the one he already has because it has a CD). Maggie got some Junie B. Jones books and a replacement for the lost (and admittedly battered) copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I got a copy of Finn by John Clinch. It’s a book I’ve been curious about for some time.

You can look at my pictures here, if you have a Facebook. I don’t think you have to be my friend to see them, but if you want to be my friend, just send a request. I’m not sure if you can see them if you don’t have a Facebook.

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Decatur Book Festival and R.I.P. Update

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Decatur Book FestivalTomorrow, the Huffs are heading to the annual Decatur Book Festival for the first time. I’ll be sure to share all the fun here.

Meanwhile, I think I’ve finalized the selections I will read for the R.I.P. Challenge. I have decided on Peril the First, which means I plan to read four books: Dracula by Bram Stoker, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Grendel by John Gardner, and 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill. I am hoping that by picking books of a manageable size that I can actually finish the challenge, but I would like to read the others on my list at some point. I had settled on Dracula and Coraline fairly early on, but what finally made me decide on Grendel was a short excerpt in a supplementary textbook I use for teaching British Lit. I can no longer claim I’m any kind of Beowulf aficionado if I haven’t read Grendel. I decided on 20th Century Ghosts because of the recommendation of a Barnes and Noble employee who raved about it when I purchased it.

Meanwhile, my sister, who doesn’t have a blog, is going to read The Mothman Prophecies by John A. Keel, Strange Guests by Brad Steiger, and Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian. She has committed to Peril the Second. Perhaps if we all ask her really nicely, she’ll consent to guest blog here with her reviews. Or perhaps she will prefer to post reviews at the blog Carl has set up for the purpose. Either way, I hope she’ll share her thoughts with us.

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Roundup: Reading News

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Twitter and Facebook are great places to obtain news, depending on who you follow/friend. In the last couple of days, I have learned all the following:

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R.I.P Challenge Book Pool

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R.I.P. ChallengeI’ve narrowed my book pool for the R.I.P. Challenge down to the following books:

Dracula by Bram Stoker: the classic vampire novel.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: this would be a worthy follow-up for Dracula as its premise is that Dracula is *gasp* still alive.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman: I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time, and this challenge gives me a good excuse. A creepy, huge house, a little girl who feels ignored, and an alternate universe inside your house. Sounds great! I absolutely love Neil Gaiman, so it’s a shame I’ve not read it.

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill: the bookseller at Barnes and Noble said this was a great book, and Steve enjoyed it, too. I love Joe Hill’s blog and tweets, but I’ve not read any of his creative writing yet. This is a collection of short ghosty stories.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke: I started this one some time ago, and I was enjoying it. This one is a dark horse contender for the challenge because it’s extremely long, and I would like to actually finish the challenge this time.

Grendel by John Gardner: the Beowulf story told from the viewpoint of the monster. This one has been on my to-read list for years.

Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott: I grabbed this one on impulse at Barnes and Noble a while back. The cover certainly looks creepy. Ghostwalk is a literary triller about Isaac Newton’s alchemical experiments and a string of murders. It’s only got three stars at Amazon, and I find the reviewers there are often generous. That kind of thing makes me nervous. Still will eventually give it a go since I own it.

A Dead Man in Deptford by Anthony Burgess: this one might be a long shot in terms of qualification (though Carl is very accepting as long as we think it fits the challenge). It’s about Christopher Marlowe’s espionage and murder.

I’m not sure which of the aforementioned books will ultimately make the challenge, but I am fairly set on Dracula and Coraline.

If you are participating in the challenge, I recommend the following books, all of which I’ve read. I don’t like to do re-reads for challenges, but I thoroughly enjoyed all of these books:

  • The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe: What if some of the witches in Salem really were guilty? This novel explores this question, along with creepy houses and strange goings on in modern-day Massachusetts. I couldn’t put it down, and my husband’s reading it now. Plus Katherine Howe is super nice, tweets regularly at @katherinebhowe, and even created a Facebook site for her main character, Connie Goodwin.
  • The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl: A string of murders based on punishments in Dante’s Inferno terrorizes 1860’s Boston as poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his circle are working on a translation of Dante’s work. The problem is, a translation isn’t currently accessible to Bostonians, so who could conduct murders that so accurately mimic Dante’s punishments? Could one of the circle be the killer?
  • The Ghost Writer by John Harwood: If you liked The Turn of the Screw (which would also be an excellent choice for this challenge), you’ll enjoy this creepy story of Gerard Freeman and his pen friend Alice Jessell, a creepy old ancestral house, and ghost stories written by a grandmother Gerard never knew.
  • The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield: A love letter to the Brontës and a great read. This book centers around reclusive writer Vida Winter, who wants protagonist Margaret Lea to interview her. Margaret learns that truth is stranger than fiction and much creepier.
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: This book examines what might happen when it takes a graveyard to raise a child. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and creepy murderers, oh my!
  • The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins: One of the original gaslight books, I think. Who do you trust? What exactly is happening in that creepy house? And who is the Woman in White? What does she know?
  • Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: If you haven’t read this new take on the vampire legend, now is a good time. Don’t expect sparkling prose. If you’re a girl of the 1980’s, the high school experience will look very familiar.
  • The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry: Set in Salem, this novel draws on the witchy setting. Towner Whitney returns to Massachusetts when her beloved aunt dies, but she is haunted by ghosts from her past and messages she can read in the lace.

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R.I.P. Challenge

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R.I.P. ChallengeCarl at Stainless Steel Droppings has once again opened up the R.I.P. Challenge. It’s one of the first signs of fall, and the challenge provides the perfect excuse opportunity for indulging in works befitting the season.

I will participate in Peril the First, which requires the reader to read four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose. I have to warn you I’ve never actually finished this challenge before. Cross your fingers for me, OK?

I am not sure which four books I plan to read, but one of them (is it cheating?) will be Dracula because I’ve already started it. I might try to finish Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian and/or Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, but I’m not sure, and beyond these potential books I’m not sure which others I will read, but watch this space. I’ll think about it some more and post an update here. Feel free to make recommendations for spooky, gothic, or scary books I can add to my list of potentials.

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