110. Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

An old fisherman wakes up one morning and goes out to sea, hoping to catch a big fish since it’s been 84 days since his last catch. He says goodbye to his friend, a boy whom he taught how to fish, and sets out. After several hours of waiting, the old man hooks the biggest fish he has ever seen, and he must pit all his strength against it so that he can kill it and bring it back to shore.

I chose to read this book because, by some fluke, I never got assigned it in school. I can definitely see why it’s such a popular choice for a curriculum: it’s short enough to hold students’ attention (theoretically!), and there’s lots of symbolism to explore. What does the giant fish represent? What about the other animals observed by the old man – the sharks, the birds, the flying fish? What happens to the old man at the end of the book? Truthfully, though, I just couldn’t get into the symbolic speculation. I was actually more interested in the literal level; the buildup of tension as the novel progresses had me genuinely concerned about whether the old man was going to catch the fish or not. I would definitely recommend this – it’s just over 100 pages, so why not? – but I’m not planning to read it again.

109. Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes

In this Pulitzer-winning memoir, Frank McCourt tells the story of his childhood in Limerick, Ireland. He writes about the grinding poverty, the constant hunger, the illnesses, the death of two brothers and a sister, his father’s alcoholism, his mother’s begging to make ends meet. He tells stories about his days in school, the odd jobs he takes to make ends meet, and his dream of going to America to have a better life someday. His picture of Ireland is a grim one, yet it’s clear that he loves the country and the people. And, despite all the suffering in his childhood, McCourt’s sense of humor and joy still comes through.

I guess it’s obvious that I enjoyed this book very much. :) I liked how McCourt narrates in his childhood voice, and especially how he includes all the uniquely Irish phrases. I was also especially interested in his first encounters with literature: reading to an old blind man down the street, hearing the words of Shakespeare for the first time, writing a composition for school entitled “Jesus and the Weather,” etc. Anyone with Irish blood in his or her veins should enjoy this book, as well as anyone looking for an enjoyable, interesting memoir.

The basic idea here is to read at least five fairy-tale retellings in 2010. Click the picture for more details at the Crazy Book Slut blog.

Since I'm already doing a "fairy tales, myths, and legends" category for my 1010 Category Challenge at LT, this should be no problem! Here are my five books, subject to change:

1. Jane Yolen, Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty)
2. Elizabeth C. Bunce, A Curse Dark as Gold (Rumplestiltskin)
3. Juliet Marillier, Heart's Blood (Beauty and the Beast)
4. Pamela Dean, Tam Lin (Tam Lin)
5. Jessica Day George, Princess of the Midnight Ball (The Twelve Dancing Princesses)

108. Norman Mailer, The Executioner’s Song

This monumental “true life” novel tells the story of Gary Gilmore, who was executed in Utah in 1977 after killing two men. Because the Supreme Court had suspended the death penalty in 1972, there had been no executions in the United States in five years; thus, Gilmore’s sentence caused a national uproar. Gary Gilmore had been in and out of prison for most of his life, but this book focuses on the period from his release from an Illinois prison, when he went to live with relatives in Utah, until his execution about nine months later. Although it is technically a novel, the book closely follows the real-life people and events involved in Gilmore’s execution. Information came from Gary’s family and friends, his girlfriend Nicole, lawyers, judges, journalists, prison guards, fellow inmates, clergymen, and citizens from all over the country. This book includes it all, striving to give a comprehensive picture of Gilmore and his lasting effect on history.

I was not alive in 1977, and I didn’t really know who Gary Gilmore was until I started reading this book. Now, having read it, I feel like I was there while it all happened, reading the newspapers and watching the TV reports to get the latest news about Gilmore’s sentence. The book really does include every possible bit of information and testimony available, which made the 1056 pages hard for me to get through. As I was reading, I kept thinking, “Do we really need to get inside the head of this random ACLU lawyer who wrote one brief in one of the many court proceedings related to Gary Gilmore?” It just seemed like too much. But now that I’ve finished the book, I can understand why so much was included: it shows how important Gilmore’s execution really was at the time. Although its sheer length made it difficult to get through, I’m glad I took the time to read this book.

Halfway through The Executioner's Song now! In one of Gary Gilmore's letters to his girlfriend Nicole, he quotes from "The Sensitive Plant" by Percy Shelley:

And the leaves, brown, yellow and gray, and red
and white with the whiteness of what is dead,
like troops of ghosts on the dry wind passed;
Their whistling noises made the birds aghast.

[...]

I dare not guess; but in this life
Of error, ignorance, and strife,
Where nothing is, but all things seem,
And we the shadows of the dream.

I'm making some headway with The Executioner's Song: currently I'm on page 430 out of a total 1056. At this rate I should be done by...mid-November? Gah.

In other news, I just read this review of Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale, and it reminded me of how much I loved the book. It's a wonderful gothic story (perfect for Halloween, hint hint) in the tradition of the Brontes, and there is some absolutely lovely writing. One of my favorite passages is printed on the back cover of the hardback edition:

My gripe is not with lovers of the truth but with truth herself. What succor, what consolation is there in truth, compared to a story? What good is truth, at midnight, in the dark, when the wind is roaring like a bear in the chimney? When the lightning strikes shadows on the bedroom wall and the rain taps at the window with its long fingernails? No. When fear and cold make a statue of you in your bed, don't expect hard-boned and fleshless truth to come running to your aid. What you need are the plump comforts of a story. The soothing, rocking safety of a lie.

I'm currently reading The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer. I just started it, and I'm finding it extremely daunting. Why? Because I'm 46 pages down, 1010 to go. That's right, the book rivals the monolith from "2001: A Space Odyssey" in size. I used to have no problem reading extremely long books...when did I get so jaded?

This sentence did amuse me, however: "Brenda was accustomed to men taking quite a while to say anything to each other, but if you were impatient, it could drive you crazy."
 

107. Gail Carriger, Soulless
 

Alexia Tarabotti is a young lady living in Victorian London – but it’s a Victorian London where supernatural creatures are publicly recognized and integrated into society. Vampires and werewolves are the most common types of supernaturals, and their special powers arise from an excessive amount of soul. Alexia herself is rather unique; she has no soul at all and is therefore a preternatural, capable of neutralizing a supernatural’s powers through touch. In addition to this social handicap, Alexia also has an unfashionably dark complexion and is considered, at 25 years old, to be a spinster. As if these hardships weren’t enough, a vampire rudely attacks her in the middle of a ball, an unknown creature keeps trying to kidnap her, and the handsome werewolf Lord Maccon is constantly picking fights with her. What’s a soulless girl to do?

This book is just tons of fun. It’s a mixture of historical fiction, urban fantasy, romance, and steampunk, with some rollicking humor thrown in. One thing I really appreciated was the manageability of the plot: it was complex enough to hold my attention, but I managed to remember all of the key threads so that I wasn’t hopelessly confused at the end. Alexia is a great, fun character, and her interactions with Lord Maccon are especially entertaining. My favorite aspect, though, was the world-building; I think it’s a unique and creative universe with lots of potential, and I especially liked the treatment of vampires and werewolves. Aside from a little head-hopping and a few completely unnecessary references to the Templars, I have no complaints about this book. I’m very pleased that a sequel is coming out next year, and I definitely plan to continue with the series!

106. Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables

The house of the seven gables has belonged to the illustrious Pyncheon family for generations. Yet, rather than being a status symbol for the proud family, it signifies doom and decay. The original Pyncheon who built the house obtained the land through falsely accusing its former owner, a common farmer named Maule, of witchcraft. Ever since the house was built, therefore, it has been under a curse, and several of the owners have died in mysterious circumstances. It is now occupied solely by an old spinster, Hepzibah Pyncheon, and a young daguerreotypist who lodges in one wing of the house. But when Hepzibah’s brother finally returns after a long absence, and a young cousin named Phoebe comes to visit from the country, a fateful chain of events, which could either trigger the curse or break it, is set in motion.

For a book that contains a curse, several mysterious deaths, a secret passageway, ghosts, and hypnosis, this novel is astonishingly unexciting. I enjoyed Hawthorne’s writing style overall, but it took him way too long to get to the point! Instead of telling a story, Hawthorne simply created little individual scenes, which he set up and described in excruciating, mind-numbing detail. For this reason, I felt like the plot really suffered; although the actual events are quite interesting, most of them aren’t introduced until the last chapter or two. In addition, I was dissatisfied with the ending, which seemed incongruous given the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the rest of the novel. I would actually have preferred a darker, less happy resolution! (I’d be more specific about this, but I don’t want to spoil the novel for anyone.) Overall I was very underwhelmed, and I won’t be reading this book again.

On the up side, though, I get to start Soulless now! :)

I'm reading The House of the Seven Gables right now. I'm about halfway through, and so far I've only seen about two plot events. Hawthorne's writing is great, and I'm enjoying the book, but when are things going to start happening?

In other news, this cartoon won a Pulitzer Prize in 1932:

105. Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto

In the first chapter of this novel, a giant helmet falls on a prince’s head; after that, things start getting weird. Manfred is the impetuous and tyrannical prince of Otranto, and his family is living under a curse: if he cannot keep his family line going, he’ll be stripped of his title and ousted from his lands. He hopes to marry his son Conrad to Isabella, the daughter of a rival claimant for the land of Otranto; but after the giant helmet kills that dream, he decides to divorce his wife and marry Isabella himself. This decision is not very popular with anyone else in the story, and it leads to many dramatic and supernatural consequences, including: ghosts, secret passageways, duels, lost heirs, talking skeletons, and (of course) death.

The Castle of Otranto is widely acknowledged to be the first gothic novel, so I was excited to read it for its contributions to the genre. It’s certainly not a very good novel from an objective standpoint. The characters are mostly cardboard cutouts: the wicked usurper, the beautiful and virtuous maiden, the noble and chivalrous youth of deceptively humble origins. The plot, too, is so wildly improbable that it’s more hilarious than scary. However, I suspect that the humor might have been intentional; and regardless, I found the novel very enjoyable despite its ridiculousness. It’s also interesting to see the origin of so many conventions of the gothic novel, like past secrets, big scary houses, threats of sexual danger, and supernatural occurrences. Anyone who’s interested in the literature of the time period (as well as anyone who wants a good laugh!) should read this book.

 

• Grab your current read
• Let the book fall open to a random page
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

"That excellent lady, who no more than Manfred doubted of the reality of the vision, yet affected to treat it as a delirium of the servant. Willing, however, to save her lord from any additional shock, and prepared by a series of grief not to tremble at any accession to it, she determined to make herself the first sacrifice, if fate had marked the present hour for their destruction."

   -- Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto   p. 45
 

I am very angry with Amazon right now. Allow me to explain...

Back in July, I got an Amazon.com gift certificate for my birthday. I decided to buy three books with it. Two of them had already been published, so there was no problem with their availiability, but the third, Soulless, wasn't coming out until this month. I elected to use "super saver shipping" and group all three selections into one shipment, so Amazon informed me that I wouldn't be getting any of the books until October.

Okay, fine. So I waited and waited, and last week I got my shipment...but it only had two books in it! Soulless didn't arrive in the package...which means that Amazon could just as well have sent the other two books IN JULY when I ordered them! If they were going to be shipped in separate packages anyway, why make me wait until OCTOBER for them?!

The other annoyance is that Soulless STILL hasn't arrived yet - despite the fact that it's been in stores for several days now! What's more, promotional materials for the next book in the series, Changeless, have started showing up on the internet...which means I'm looking at spoilers for Soulless before I even get the chance to read it!

I am so irritated right now. This book better be damn good!

104. Sharon Shinn, Summers at Castle Auburn

Lady Coriel, nicknamed Corie, is the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman in the province of Auburn. As such, she has two lives: she spends most of the year with her grandmother learning plant lore and herbal remedies, but every summer she goes to visit her royal relatives at Castle Auburn. When the novel opens, 14-year-old Corie is thrilled to accompany her uncle Jaxon on a hunt for the fairy-like aliora, who will be sent to work as slaves in the castle when captured. She’s also excited to spend time with her beautiful half-sister Elisandra, not to mention the handsome, impetuous prince Bryan. But as Corie grows up, she begins to feel pity for the aliora and to realize that everything she thought she knew about the castle is infinitely more complicated and difficult than she thought.

I stayed up until an inappropriate hour to finish this book. :) Though characterized as a fantasy, it’s much more of a straightforward coming-of-age novel in a fantasy setting. The aliora storyline is not central to the story, which is all about Corie’s maturing and the life choices she must make. However, I did like the way Shinn incorporates traditional fairy lore into the story; it’s not obtrusive, but it gives the whole novel a magical feeling. Corie is a very likeable character, and I enjoyed the way she interacted with otherwise “forgotten” inhabitants of the castle, such as the aliora and the guardsmen. The romance angle was sweet and overall satisfying, though the declaration-of-love scene seemed a bit flat to me. There’s also a bit of political intrigue, which I thought could have been developed further. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book, and I would definitely recommend it to fans of romantic fantasy.
 

103. Henry James, The Turn of the Screw

A merry group of young people at a house party start telling ghost stories, but the spookiest one of all is the tale of a young governess sent to care for two small children at Bly, an English country estate. At first, the (unnamed) governess is thrilled with her position: the children, Miles and Flora, are beautiful, clever, and angelically well behaved. However, her peaceful existence is shattered when she sees a strange man on the grounds—a man whom the housekeeper later identifies as a former servant who died. Is the governess merely seeing things, or are there ghosts at Bly? And if the spirits are real, what do they want from the governess and her young charges?

This little ghost story was a quick read. It wasn’t terribly spooky for me, but it did make me think a lot about what was going on. James doesn’t give the reader any clear answers about what the ghosts are up to, or even whether they really exist. I definitely have my own ideas, but I think what makes the story interesting is that everyone’s going to have a different interpretation. By leaving the danger as vague as possible, the reader is free to imagine his own scenario of evil. Overall, this novella was not really my taste, but it’s definitely an atmospheric read for anyone who wants to go gothic this month!
 

I colored these pictures as a challenge entry for lit_library. I had a surprising amount of fun doing it! Adults should color more often.




The only problem is, because I used colored pencils, the colors are really muted. For example, the girl's dress is actually a light green, but you can barely see any color at all. Oh well - live and learn!