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Inspiration: Neil Gaiman Commencement Address

Neil Gaiman is consistent in his ability to inspire me, and hopefully a group of young graduates. It seems that all creative people stress the importance to be ok with failure, to make "glorious, interesting mistakes." I hope to have the opportunity to meet Mr Gaiman and thrill him with the detailed list of my glorious mistakes.

Book Review: The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

The Fangs are an odd family. Camille (mother) and Caleb (father) are artists who have a unique perspective of what classifies as "art". They came to fame via performance pieces which involved their children: Child A (Annie) and Child B (Buster). Chapters are split between the current events of the novel and the memories of past performance pieces. At first, the pieces seem mostly light-hearted; however, the more examples we are presented the more we have to wonder how this behavior has affected A and B.

As far as the current events in the book, spectacular circumstances send Annie and Buster (now adults) back to their childhood home. Annie, an actress, is disgraced by tabloid fodder. Buster, a writer, is terribly injured in a potato gun incident. Both Annie and Buster experience these situations with complete apathy. This struck me as odd until I read more of the flashback/performance art excerpts. Clearly apathy is how a Fang child survives.

Shortly after returning home, the elder Fangs disappear and are soon presumed dead. Buster is deeply concerned about his parents. Annie, believes this is just another stunt that her parents are pulling. We do find closure regarding this aspect of the book; however, I found these to be the least interesting part of the plot. It was the characters of Annie and Buster that kept me interested. They are incredibly smart and funny, yet incredibly immature.

I would recommend this book to ... fans of David Sedaris, the family dynamic is very similar.

Favorite quote ... "There is no best Fang, we're all exactly the same."

Soho Press Classic Crime Read-Along (April Update, Yikes!)

OK, OK, I know... I'm behind on this read-along. I'm about halfway through A Study in Scarletby Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and it really is fantastic. In this story, we see the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes - who seems to be the incarnation of hubris - as seen through the eyes of Dr Watson.

Unfortunately, I am not ready to discuss this story. Why not head over to this Soho Press Crime Fiction Blog Post to take part in this discussion?

I will follow-up on May 22nd to discuss both A Study in Scarlet and The Man in the Queueby Josephine Tey.

 

 

Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

This book opens on Nick and Amy Dunne's five-year wedding anniversary. Nick wakes to find Amy busy in the kitchen making him breakfast. He leaves for work and receives a phone call - from a neighbor - later in the day, saying that his front door is wide-open and his cat is sitting outside. Nick returns home to find a mess, the living room ransacked, the iron left on, a tea kettle burning... the one thing that he does not find is his wife.

Nick calls the police to report the situation and waits on the front steps until they arrive. After a quick view of the scene, Detectives Boney and Gilpin are called. They asks questions of Nick, he provides answers: however, as the reader is told - by Nick - "it was my fifth lie to the police. I was just starting."

Nick's behavior is not befitting of a man that just lost his wife. You want to believe Nick because he's our narrator, we hope that he will not lie to us. The narrative switches between Nick as the narrator and Amy's diary entries. We are painted a very confusing picture of a marriage that has disintegrated; yet, we have to ask ourselves ... is a person a murdered simply because they are an ass?

I refuse to give any more of this book away, as I do not want to ruin the surprises for you. I was completely enthralled by this story. I can assure you that you will be given closure by the end of this book.

I would recommend this book to ... fans of Tom Perrotta, Flynn's ability to flesh out her characters is amazing and reminded me of Perrotta. I would also recommend this book to readers who enjoyed Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson. I highly suggest that even folks who do not enjoy a good whodunit pick up this book, it really is astounding.

Would I read this book again ... I think I must! I was so excited by the plot that I'm sure that I missed out on the slow unraveling of the story.

Gone Girl will be available on June 5, 2012 by Crown.

 

The Book Thief and World Book Night

At the end of last year, I decided to prescribe 45 books to myself. Books that I've been wanting to read but always seem to get pushed to the side. One of these books was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The Book Thief is one of the books that I've heard a million good things about but knew practically nothing about the plot.

Around the same time, I volunteered as a World Book Night book giver. World Book Night is a celebration of reading. Over 80,000 volunteers received 20 books each to hand out to their communities. I saw The Book Thief on the list of book options and promised myself to read it before World Book Night, thereby participating in a worthwhile event AND crossing a book of my back list challenge.

Originally, I requested the book in order to hand it out at William's Park in Saint Petersburg, FL. William's Park is a mecca for indigent residents of Downtown Saint Petersburg. My rationale was to give books to people that can't afford to buy books.

Then I actually read the book and the plan changed. I had to get this to a young adult audience. This book was about standing up for what is right. About what it feels like to look at society and want to scream "no!". This needs to get to the kids that will soon be adults, kids that will soon have an impact on society!

However, I goofed. I didn't read the book until 2 weeks before the event. I scrambled to find a organization that would allow me to hand out the books to the teens that attend their centers. Due to the PG-13 language, I was told no - respectfully and gently no - but no all the same.

At the last minute, I decided to bring half the books to work and hand out the rest in Downtown Saint Petersburg. A couple folks laughed at me, a couple tried to give me money, a few thought I was crazy, most said thank you, and 3 teenage boys eagerly accepted the books. So maybe I didn't reach 20 young adults, but 3 is worth something.

Book Review: Habibi by Craig Thompson

Habibi follows the lives of two slaves, Dodola and Zam (or Cham or Habibi). Dodola was sold into marriage at an incredibly young age. Though her husband could be cruel, she seemed to love him in a way.

He was employed as a scribe, and taught Dodola how to read and write. Her life there was peaceful, until a group of men raided her home. They cut her husband's throat, kidnapped Dodola and branded her as their slave.

During her time at the slave camp Dodola "adopted" a child. The kidnappers wanted to kill Zam (a baby then); Dodola wouldn't allow this to happen. She cared for Zam during their time at the slave camp. When she clawed her way to freedom and took her "son" with her. Dodola was 12 at this time; Zam was 3.

The runaways found shelter in a ship abandoned in the desert. Young Dodola tried to steal food from passing caravans; however, she was not so good at thieving, but from a young age knew that her body held some worth. She became known as the "phantom courtesan of the desert." Zam grows and begins to understand how Dodola is providing food for them. He begins to make trips into the village, which could keep him away overnight. It was during one of these trips that Dodola was stolen from her bed and taken to the Sultan to join his harem.

Dodola and Zam spent nine years together; however, it is their six years apart that gains the focus of the majority of the story.

Intertwined in the story of Dodola and Zam are full page of stories from the Quran and the Bible. The artwork in these pages is jaw dropping.

I was put off a bit by the incorporation of modern aspects to the book. For example, we are to believe that we are reading a story which occurs in the time of harems, desert caravans, and scribes; yet, also in a time of condos, water bottles, and Pepsi signs. I'm not sure what is going on with this bit.

Regardless of the confusion, I truly enjoyed this story, which is why I'm awake at 3:30am writing this...

I would recommend this book to... friends who are not offended by mature graphic novels. I would consider this a strange marriage of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights and The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. 

My favorite quote... "and God's followers worship, not out of hope for reward...nor fear of punishment... but out of love."

Blog Maintenance

As you may have noticed, the blog has gotten a bit of a facelift. I have switched from Wordpress to Squarespace. There should be no change for the reader. My desire to change to squarespace was to allow more creative freedom in what I want my blog to look like.

If you have any issues, please, please, please, use the contact form to alert me.

Thank you!

Jane

Book Review: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirely Jackson

We Have Always Lived in the CastleWe Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's hard to discuss this book without giving much away. I knew nothing of the plot when I began this read. I read solely by suggestion of Neil Gaiman, who I trust completely with my reading choices.

The narrator is 18 year old Mary Kathrine Blackwood (nicknamed Merricat), she lives with her sister Constance (age 28) and her ailing Uncle Julian, and of course her constant companion a cat named Jonas. As Merricat says, "Everyone else in my family is dead."

The tale begins with Merricat making a trip to the small village which her family's home borders. The villagers hate the Blackwood family. They pester young Merricat, very aggressively. It is not explicitly said, but I believe that the hate from the villagers occurred prior to the death of the majority of the Blackwood clan.

Merricat and Constance have very few visitors. One visitor being Helen Clarke, who Merricat is not quite pleased to see. It is during one of Helen's visit that we learn how the remainder of the Blackwood family died. They were poisoned during a family dinner. Arsenic in the sugar. Constance was arrested and later found not guilty of their deaths; however, the village obviously does not believe her to be innocent.

Merricat and Constance are happy together, until their cousin Charles shows up and the story truly begins.

Merricat is an amazing character. Though 18, she reads as though she were a 12 or 13 year old, her relatives treat her this way. At first she just seems stunted, then as the story progresses she seems truly mad. Actually, I saw a great number of similarities between Merricat and Mor from Jo Walton's Among Others.

I would recommend this book to ... folks that enjoy a bit of a dark, haunting tale. Maybe folks that enjoy Richard Matheson.

My favorite quote (spoiler alert) ... "Yes, the way I did before." WOW!

Would I read this book again ... YES! And I will read more of Shirley Jackson.

View all my reviews

My week with Fifty Shades



I've spent the past week blowing (ha!) through the Fifty Shades trilogy (Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed by EL James.) These were so fun to read. And no, not just for the dirty bits.

As many know, Christian Grey and Ana Steele (the main characters) started their fictional existence as Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, in the form of Twilight fan fiction. I found several similarities throughout the two series, a friend of mine who read Twilight after reading Fifty Shades did not see as many.

A qualm that I have with the character of Bella is that she is not well developed. She is a blank canvas that teenage girls draw themselves onto. Ana is more developed, perhaps that is due to her being older (23 vs 18), than Bella. Ana is stronger than Bella, she knows what is important to her and she fights for that. Christian is a great character, his development over the trilogy is immense. He is not a very deep character, but that may drill down to narration. My annoyance with the characters drilled down to the way they voice their insecurities with each other. ::SPOILER ALERT:: Ana, constantly needs Christian to validate that he is OK being in a non-BDSM - bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, masochism - relationship. Christian constantly needs Ana to promise that she won't leave him.

OK, let's not forget the sexy bits. Oh, my. James has a very thorough imagination. The trilogy (I hate to use this term for something other than an epic fantasy tale) is approximately 1,000 pages. Every 15 or so pages has a sex scene - some more descriptive than others - my suggestion for anyone who blushes easily is to read this in the safety of their home.

Now, please excuse me while I scoop my mind out of the gutter and move on to something a bit more "vanilla".

I would recommend these books to... someone who will not file sexual harassment charges against me for making the suggestion.

Would I re-read these books... absolutely.