Dare You To Move

Finally, another book post. Nine books here, and hopefully once I finish either Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey or The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, I can go back to my full-length reviews. I miss those things, but I am not about to try and do nine full-length ones in a day, so these'll be short.

32. Without Blood by Alessandro Barrico (Grade: B-)
I read this book at the end of my freshman year, so I don't quite remember the book entirely. What I do remember is that it was written very well and expressed the horrors and challenges war brings to people. It also shows the power of redemption and forgiveness, and how there can be peace found among opposing members in a war. Although it is not one of my favorite books, I enjoyed it. (112 pp.)

33. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (Grade: A)
I had been wanting to read this book for quite a while, ever since I was in seventh grade. I tried reading it back then, but found it was too complicated and dark for my romance-addled brain to handle, unfortunately. I had tried reading it since then, but again, it was just too complicated. It had to have taken me two or three or four times reading the first chapter for me to really get into it, but once I did, I enjoyed it. Catherine and Heathcliff are very unsavory characters and, as Bella Swan said in Eclipse, their only redeeming factor is their love for each other, and even that takes a dark turn. I'm not one of those girls who is obsessed with Heathcliff (give me Mr. Rochester any day of the week), but he was an intriguing character. It makes me wonder how exactly he turned out the way he did and how he actually perceives himself, because we only see things from the point of view of two outsiders, which is admittedly biased, though it makes for a wonderful classic. This is not my favorite classic, but I will probably reread it one day. (400 pp.)

34. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Grade: A+)
I loved this book. I loved it because it had fantasy elements, but it was not just a fantasy novel. I loved it because it had romance, but not the sickly sweet romance that never has problems, but a romance where they had to work at what they had and work through their issues. It was realistic, showing the life of a miller and how Charlotte had to work very hard in order to keep the mill running. The book was complex, sifting through many different issues in a realistic way. I absolutely adored it. (400 pp.)

35. Love's Pursuit by Siri Mitchell (Grade: B)
I had high hopes coming into this book, because it intrigued me, the way it expressed both sides of Christianity: the more religious- and church-based part, a la Catholicism, and the grace-centric side. It provided a balanced view of Christianity, and expressed some of my core beliefs in a quick, eloquent way. The relationship between Susannah Phillips and Daniel Halcombe was written well and realistically, even though (and this is the last I'm going to say, because I don't want to spoil anything) it made me cry. The only reason this book did not get a higher grade is because the ending thoroughly depressed and slightly disappointed me. (336 pp.)

36. The Naming by Alison Croggon (Grade: A-)
There was a month and a half gap between finishing Love's Pursuit and finishing this one. Thankfully, this book got me back into reading on a regular basis. I bought it at the end of July/the beginning of August, started reading it while my cousins were here, and finished it a few days after. It struck me as a bit like the traditional fantasy novels: you know, the whole "orphan girl is in a terrible situation, someone gets her out, she goes to the epicenter of magic, learns that she's the Chosen One, goes on a quest to save the world from Teh Ebul Darkness" plot, but Alison Croggon puts her own spin on it. Yes, it is rather cliched in some spots, but in others, it was very original. Maerad is a strong-willed, passionate woman who really starts to grow into her own, and Cadvan is just intriguing. It is obvious that something is going to happen between them in the next book, and I can't wait to see what that something is. The action was just picking up when the book halted, and after reading the little snippet of a chapter of the next book in my copy, I can't wait to read the next one. (466 pp.)

37. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling (Grade: A)
Reread. I can't believe this is my first reread of this book. Although this is not my favorite in the series (that would have to go to PoA or OotP), it was still very good. It is interesting to read through this book, knowing what's going to happen in the end. It puts a new twist on Snape, and makes him not seem altogether bad. I found myself noticing things I hadn't noticed in the first read-through -- which is why I love these books. You always find something new in the pages. Parts of the book I didn't like, though. I did find the whole Harry's monster thing rather contrived and unrealistic, but the Harry/Ginny relationship on a whole pleased me. Ron and Hermione are rather immature, yes, but it is understandable, as they are only sixteen or seventeen. The ending of the book made me sad, as usual, and I got rather choked-up, even though I knew it was going to happen. (652 pp.)

38. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Grade: A)
I finished this book in a day. At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I ended up enjoying it. The religious overtones did bother me slightly, but it didn't prohibit me from liking the book. As you can see, I couldn't put it down. Lily was a very likeable main character. And although I hate bees, this book almost made me like them. :D (336 pp.)

39. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks (Grade: C+)
This is the first time I have ever said this, but I have to admit that... I liked the movie better than the book. The movie was sweet, sensitive, and touching, and while the book was these things as well, it just didn't move me as much as the movie did. This was partly because of the writing and partly because the book was so darn short and disjointed. The ending did move me a little, but there were no huge, moving paragraphs, no big touching moments, and that disappointed me. Maybe the book version of The Notebook will be better. (224 pp.)

40. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Grade: A)
Now here was a moving book. I found myself at eleven last night, bawling my eyes out at the ending of this complex, multi-faceted novel. It was everything people ever said it was and more. I couldn't help loving both Anna and Kate, and this made me very conflicted. This book brings up many different questions -- about life, ethics, medical emancipation, donors, morals, and just what is right. Even I am not sure what I would do in Anna's position or Kate's or Sara's or Campbell's. All I am sure of is that I loved this book, and will probably pick up another Picoult novel soon. (500 pp.)

Progress (pages): 16,088/15,000 (+100%)

Well, look here. I finished my progress in pages already. How about I kick it up a notch and have my goal be 22,000 pages by the end of the year? That seems doable, if I have 10 more books left before I reach 50.

Wow, I'm on a roll! Now I just have to pick up a book to read quickly before I lose my momentum. Am thinking I'll read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban just to keep up the momentum until my books through interlibrary loan are in. And then I'll get Drums of Autumn!

( Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier )

( On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan )

Wow, it feels so weird to be able to write that once more. It seems like just yesterday I was typing it for the first time on my old rickety desktop, and now I'm writing it once more, at the start of a new (hopefully marvelous) year, 2009, on my old rickety laptop.

As I've said elsewhere, my goal for this year (bookwise) is to read 75 books and over 15,000 pages (as expressed by my new section that tallies my progress in pages). I want to read more female authors, and read more nonfiction. Other than that, anything goes, although I should try and make a dent in my TBR list.

Book: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Genre: Mystery
Length: 609 pp.
Progress (pages): 305/15000 (I read 304 pages in 2008)
Grade: A+

Amazon Summary: "There in the middle of the broad, bright high-road—there, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heaven—stood the figure of a solitary woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments." Thus young Walter Hartright first meets the mysterious woman in white in what soon became one of the most popular novels of the nineteenth century. Secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and locked asylums, and an unorthodox villain made this mystery thriller an instant success when it first appeared in 1860, and it has continued to enthrall readers ever since. From the hero's foreboding before his arrival at Limmeridge House to the nefarious plot concerning the beautiful Laura, the breathtaking tension of Collins' narrative created a new literary genre of suspense fiction, which profoundly shaped the course of English popular writing. Collins' other great mystery, The Moonstone, has been called the finest detective story ever written, but it was this work that so gripped the imagination of the world that Wilkie Collins had his own tombstone inscribed: "Author of The Woman In White. . . "

My Thoughts: I spent the last day and a half reading the last 450 pages or so of this book, barely putting it down for anything, not even food. There are some books that just grab you from the instant you hear the title, and this was one of those for me. As soon as I heard of this book, I knew I had to pick it up at the first available opportunity. I was not disappointed by its content.

Before I checked it out of the library, and while reading it, I heard it referred to as one of the first (and finest) mystery novels ever written. This opinion is fully supported by me. From start to finish, I was intrigued, and at times, I was giving myself a headache, trying as hard as I could to figure out the big mystery, the big "WHY?" just lurking in the background—and yet I never could.

Just when you think you've finally figured it out, Collins pulls you in the exact opposite direction. Just when you say, "I just need a few more pages of this character's narrative, or this character's conversation with that character, and I'll figure it out," Collins pulls you into another character's narrative, or brings the conversation to a surprising end that gives away nothing of what you wanted him to, and then the cycle starts over again.

There are so many aspects of this book that surprised and thrilled me. The characterization is some of the best I have ever seen (in just a couple of pages, you know exactly what Hester Pinhorn is like), the descriptions are bright and engaging and, just as I said, when you think you've figured something out, the plot moves in the exact opposite direction.

Walter Hartright and Marian Halcombe, the two main narrators of this fabulous novel, perhaps pulled at my heartstrings the most. Through each word of their narratives, you could feel the love they had for Laura, the curiosity they had about the woman in white, and the immense distrust (no pun intended) of Count Fosco and Sir Percival Glyde. They moved the story along with their witty expressions, their unexpected actions, and their devotion to Laura.

Sir Percival Glyde and Count Fosco, though, are perhaps some of my favorite fictional villians of all time. The ill-tempered and devilish Sir Percival made me want to throw something at him, but when a certain event occurred, I felt sympathy rise up despite myself—and then disappear just as I realized just what he had done. Count Fosco, that rotund and (in my view) contradictory man, is truly one to loathe, but grudgingly admire. As Marian said, I would not want to have him as my enemy. My inner feminist also cries out at the way he changed his wife so dramatically over the years, how he now makes her do his bidding without any protest from her.

There is really no criticism I can say I had for this book. Although it is toted as a mystery novel, there are many elements of the Gothic in this novel, and for that, I appreciated it all the more for being able to recognize some of them. The twists and turns in the narrative, the richly layered plot, and the characters that sprang to life in my mind have all made this book the perfect one for starting out the new year. May this new year of reading present more gems such as this one!

Highly, highly recommended.

Next Up:
Either Saturday by Ian McEwan or The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson. Am leaning towards the latter, although Good Omens is lying on my bed right now and I have the strangest urge to pick it up...

Book: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Genre: Dystopic fiction
Length: 295 pp.
Grade: A

Amazon Summary: In a startling departure from her previous novels (Lady Oracle, Surfacing), respected Canadian poet and novelist Atwood presents here a fable of the near future. In the Republic of Gilead, formerly the United States, far-right Schlafly/Falwell-type ideals have been carried to extremes in the monotheocratic government. The resulting society is a feminist's nightmare: women are strictly controlled, unable to have jobs or money and assigned to various classes: the chaste, childless Wives; the housekeeping Marthas; and the reproductive Handmaids, who turn their offspring over to the "morally fit" Wives. The tale is told by Offred (read: "of Fred"), a Handmaid who recalls the past and tells how the chilling society came to be. This powerful, memorable novel is highly recommended for most libraries.

My Thoughts: Atwood has already become one of my favorite authors. For the first time in what seems to be ages, I've come across an unputdownable book. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down, grabbing moments in between classes and even during classes to read (thankfully I never got in trouble!). I am so glad I didn't have to wait until Saturday morning to finish this book (as I had suspected I might), because it was so tremendous.

One of the aspects I liked the most was the nonlinear style. I loved the way Atwood broke up the story, going from the past to the present. It transitioned easily, almost effortlessly, and I found myself turning the pages so fast, because I had to know what was going to happen or, of course, what had happened.

As for Offred, I found her a compelling character. Although she was strong, she was not overly so. She was also clever and intelligent; she knew what she had to do in order to survive. I felt as though I could relate to her, even though our situations are as different as can be. And her perspective was so unique. The way she told her story made me want to continue reading.

I have to be honest, though.

I had the same reaction to this book's synopsis as I did with His Dark Materials. I read it, said, "Oh, this is another book that paints Christianity in a bad light? Looks like I won't be reading this after all" and put it down automatically. That is just another one of those (many) reasons why you should not judge a book by its cover.

Because this book was not offensive at all. It didn't make claims on Christianity, as the His Dark Materials series did. It made me think, not get offended. It was one of those novels that truly surprised me in how much I enjoyed it, even though it shouldn't. After all, it's Atwood, one of those classic "you must read her" authors, and I certainly see why.

Unfortunately, I see what people mean when they say that Atwood's endings are not as good as the rest of the book. The Handmaid's Tale just seemed to... end, leaving loose ends hanging all over the place. Maybe I've just read too many series, but it felt as if there should be another book after this. There are so many things I desperately want to know!

Regardless, though, this book was great. Not the best I've ever read, unfortunately, but still great. I will definitely be checking out another Atwood book (either Oryx and Crake or The Blind Assassin) when I go to the library again.

Highly recommended.

Currently Reading:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (reread - for school)
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain