Review: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

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The Girl Who Chased the MoonSarah Addison Allen, The Girl Who Chased the Moon

When 17-year-old Emily’s mother dies, leaving her an orphan, Emily moves in with her grandfather in her mother’s hometown of Mullaby, North Carolina. Almost immediately, Emily begins to notice strange things about the town — starting with the fact that her grandfather is literally a giant who stands over 7 feet tall. Then there are the mysterious lights that appear outside her window at night, which nobody seems to want to talk about. But most importantly, Emily soon discovers that the entire town is hiding a secret about her mother, something that has the potential to change Emily’s life forever.

I’m starting to suspect that Sarah Addison Allen is a sorcerer of some kind; her novels all have this luxurious, magical quality that transcends ordinary experience. Or to put it less pretentiously, I love her books, and this one is no exception! I enjoyed the glimpse of life in a small town, with all its idiosyncratic personalities and inexplicable traditions. My favorite character was Julia, Emily’s next-door neighbor and the best baker in town. There’s plenty of romance and mystery in this book, and it’s a perfect read for a lazy summer afternoon. This is not my favorite novel by Sarah Addison Allen — that would be The Sugar Queen — but it was still a lovely experience. Can’t wait for her new book, which is coming out next year!

Bookish Update: July 2013

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bookish updates july 2013

Currently reading: Jennifer Echols, Dirty Little Secret

Books read in July:

  1. Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers
  2. Judith Martin & Jacobina Martin, Miss Manners’ Guide to a Surprisingly Dignified Wedding
  3. Etgar Keret, Suddenly, a Knock on the Door
  4. Sophie Kinsella, Wedding Night
  5. Sarah Addison Allen, The Girl Who Chased the Moon
  6. Stefanie Pintoff, In the Shadow of Gotham

Favorite book of the month: I have to go with The Girl Who Chased the Moon. It’s not my favorite book by Sarah Addison Allen, but it’s still lovely and magical!

Least favorite book of the month: Probably Wedding Night — it was a decent fluffy read, but nothing particularly special or interesting.

Books acquired in July:

  1. D.E. Stevenson, The Young Clementina

E-books (all FREE except for *):

  1. Fanny Burney, Camilla
  2. Fanny Burney, Cecilia
  3. Fanny Burney, Evelina
  4. Willa Cather, O Pioneers!
  5. G.K. Chesterton, The Ball and the Cross
  6. G.K. Chesterton, Eugenics and Other Evils
  7. G.K. Chesterton, Irish Impressions
  8. G.K. Chesterton, The Superstition of Divorce
  9. Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White
  10. *Chris Dolley, What Ho, Automaton!
  11. Maria Edgeworth, Belinda
  12. Elizabeth Gaskell, Life of Charlotte Brontë
  13. Sarah Orne Jewett, The Country of the Pointed Firs
  14. Charlotte Lennox, The Female Quixote
  15. L.M. Montgomery, Kilmeny of the Orchard
  16. Baroness Orczy, I Will Repay
  17. Baroness Orczy, The Elusive Pimpernel
  18. Baroness Orczy, El Dorado
  19. Baroness Orczy, Lord Tony’s Wife
  20. Baroness Orczy, The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel
  21. Baroness Orczy, The First Sir Percy
  22. Baroness Orczy, The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel
  23. Baroness Orczy, The Laughing Cavalier
  24. Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe
  25. Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy
  26. Gene Stratton-Porter, Freckles
  27. Ella Cheever Thayer, Wired Love: A Romance of Dots and Dashes
  28. Anthony Trollope,  Barchester Towers
  29. Anthony Trollope, Doctor Thorne
  30. Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage
  31. Anthony Trollope, The Small House at Allington
  32. Anthony Trollope, The Last Chronicle of Barset
  33. Jean Webster, Dear Enemy
  34. *Patricia C. Wrede, the Lyra novels

As you can see, I finally succumbed to the lure of the e-reader! Thanks to those of you who left comments on my earlier post. I definitely took them all into consideration, but at the end of the day I decided to buy a Nook Simple Touch. I was able to get a good price, and ultimately I wanted to be able to get e-books from more places than just Amazon. (As you can see, I went a little overboard this month!) In the coming weeks, as I get more used to the Nook, I’ll post again on what I’ve learned and what I think the pros and cons are. In the meantime, I’m enjoying my new toy!

Review: Wedding Night

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Wedding NightSophie Kinsella, Wedding Night

Lottie Graveney is certain that her boyfriend Richard is going to propose, so when his “big question” for her turns out to involve frequent flyer miles, she’s absolutely devastated. Still reeling from the subsequent breakup, she gets a call from her ex-boyfriend Ben, with whom she once spent an amazing summer on the Greek island of Ikonos. Ben is still as gorgeous and fun as Lottie remembers, and he even says he wants to get married. So Lottie and Ben decide to have a quickie wedding and fly to Ikonos for a whirlwind honeymoon. But Lottie’s older sister Fliss thinks this is a terrible decision, and the only solution is to follow them to Ikonos and stop them from consummating the marriage. Can Fliss prevent Lottie from making the biggest mistake of her life without losing her own chance at happiness?

I normally enjoy Sophie Kinsella’s light, breezy brand of chick lit, so I was excited to get my hands on a copy of this latest book. It was a fun, fluffy read, but ultimately I didn’t like this one as much as I wanted to. Lottie and Fliss take turns narrating the story, and I think the novel lacks focus as a result. There’s just so much going on, between Lottie’s romantic turmoil and Ben’s questionable motives and Fliss’ difficult divorce and Richard’s change of heart…it was just too many threads to keep track of, especially in such a fast-paced novel. There are ultimately two romantic plotlines, and neither of them is sufficiently developed. Also, I had a lot of trouble with Fliss’ character; while her original intention of protecting her sister is good, she uses a lot of underhanded methods to get her way. Another character does call her out for this behavior, but that didn’t stop me from being frustrated for a big part of the novel. All in all, this is a decent beach read, but I’m glad I didn’t spend any money on it.

Tune in Tuesday with Katelyn: Ain’t that perfection?

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Tune in Tuesday with KatelynMy pick for this week’s Tune in Tuesday is once again taken from a TV show. This time it’s “Bunheads,” a charmingly quirky ABC Family dramedy that has unfortunately been canceled. (Side note: ABC Family, whyyy? Do you really have anything else going on?) This is actually quite an old song — originally published in 1927, according to Wikipedia — but I really like this performance in particular! Here’s the Beatles with “Ain’t She Sweet”:

Review: Suddenly, a Knock on the Door

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Suddenly, a Knock on the DoorEtgar Keret, Suddenly, a Knock on the Door (trans. Miriam Shlesinger, Sondra Silverston, and Nathan Englander)

This collection of short stories is a strange mixture of realism and fantasy, comedy and tragedy. Keret is an Israeli author, and several of his stories reflect the current struggles of that country; one of them begins with a conversation in a restaurant and ends with a suicide bombing. But there is no grand political pronouncement in these stories, and ultimately they’re not about politics. Rather, they depict universal human experiences like sex, friendship, death, love, loneliness, chance, and fate. My favorite story in the collection (“What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?”) starts with politics but ends somewhere else entirely, as a documentarian interviews both Jewish and Arab residents of Israel and meets a man with a magic goldfish. Most of these stories are dark, and many are surreal, but all of them offer a fascinating perspective on the human condition.

I don’t often read short stories, and I’d certainly never read anything by Keret before, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this collection. Keret’s style is very understated and direct, which works well in his fantastical stories especially; it’s as though he’s telling a joke with a completely deadpan expression. I also think the stories as a whole are very well-crafted, with endings that are resonant and satisfying but don’t necessarily tie everything up too neatly. I definitely teared up on more than one occasion! As usual, a few of the stories didn’t quite work for me — the titular story in particular was a bit too clever for its own good — but overall I was very impressed with this collection and plan to read more by Etgar Keret.

Review: Miss Manners’ Guide to a Surprisingly Dignified Wedding

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Miss Manners' Guide to a Surprisingly Dignified WeddingJudith Martin & Jacobina Martin, Miss Manners’ Guide to a Surprisingly Dignified Wedding

In this book, which is apparently a revised and updated version of her earlier books on the subject, Miss Manners tackles the fraught subject of wedding etiquette. The modern wedding industry tends to use the term “etiquette” to justify a countless number of expensive, stressful, time-consuming tasks. But Miss Manners maintains that etiquette is just a fancy word for treating people with respect — and it has nothing to do with save-the-dates, unity candles, or wedding favors. Using her trademark saucy style, she answers questions on a variety of wedding-related topics and explains that a truly proper wedding is one that leaves both the betrothed couple and the guests as relaxed and joyful as possible.

I had never encountered Miss Manners before, and she definitely has a very distinctive style — sort of a tongue-in-cheek Austenesque tone. I can see how it would get on some people’s nerves, but I absolutely loved it! I also learned a lot of really interesting things about so-called wedding “traditions” that were unheard-of a generation ago. For example, here’s Miss Manners’ remark to a bride who was concerned about wedding favors: “Who told you that you had to give out wedding favors? Etiquette has never thought of weddings as comparable to children’s birthday parties where the guests might need consolation for not being the center of attention.” The problem is, even if favors are unnecessary, most people expect them and will think you’re rude if you don’t provide them. So I’m not sure how useful this book ultimately is…but it’s still a very entertaining read!

E-readers: Yea or nay?

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First of all, I have to apologize for getting so far behind on reading blog posts and responding to comments! I blame a combination of real life busy-ness and decreased motivation to blog on a regular basis. I would like to get back into the swing of things, though, so stay tuned! I have several reviews to post in the coming days…hopefully I can get my act together!

In the meantime, I am pondering an e-reader purchase, and I need help! I have resisted the lure of the e-reader for a long time. I really love my collection of paper books (over 1,000 now, although I know that’s chump change compared to some of you!), and I definitely don’t want to stop purchasing them in favor of e-books. Basically, I’m thinking of getting an e-reader for (1) free books, like classics that are in the public domain, and (2) books that are only available in e-book form. I’m not interested in a fancy tablet; I don’t particularly want to use the device for anything other than reading.

So basically I am trying to decide between a Kindle and a Nook. In both cases I’m looking at the simplest, most basic version. I’ve been trying to weigh pros and cons in my mind…for example, I know that the Kindle only supports books purchased from Amazon, while the Nook can read any e-book in epub format. This definitely makes the Nook sound better, but then again, Amazon does have a vast selection! And what if Barnes & Noble eventually goes out of business (perish the thought, but it may happen)? I don’t particularly want Amazon to take over the world, but I don’t want to be stuck with an e-reader I can’t use, either.

Long story short, here’s what I want to know: Do you have an e-reader? Is it a Kindle, a Nook, or something else? Do you like it? What would you advise me to purchase? For my purposes, is buying an e-reader even worth it? Any and all advice is welcome!

Review: The Three Musketeers

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The Three MusketeersAlexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers (trans. Richard Pevear)

This classic novel, whose title is somewhat misleading, follows a young solider named D’Artagnan who travels from his native Gascony to Paris in order to join the musketeers, an elite military force that serves the king. D’Artagnan naively believes that he will swiftly realize his dream and make his fortune, but his simple goal soon becomes much more complicated. Through a series of accidents he befriends the three most prestigious musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. He also becomes involved in the struggle between King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu, the two most powerful men in France. As a would-be musketeer, D’Artagnan is the king’s man, but his loyalty wavers when he meets the beautiful Milady, one of the cardinal’s most influential spies. With the help of his three friends, D’Artagnan must foil Milady’s sinister plot while fighting his own attraction for her.

I actually read this book when I was 12 or so, but I’m very glad I read it again now that I have at least some knowledge of the historical context! I find it very interesting that Dumas, who was writing in the 19th century (shortly after the Napoleonic era), chose to set this story during the 17th-century wars of religion, a similarly tumultuous time for France. But even without the bigger picture, this book is quite simply a rollicking good read! It’s a long book, but the story is gripping and seems to fly by. The strength of the book is definitely its plot; by contrast, the characters aren’t developed very well. It’s fun to watch D’Artagnan and the musketeers interact with each other, but they’re essentially stock characters (Athos is the noble one, Porthos is the buffoon, etc.). And Milady is an extremely flat villain who is Pure Evil ™ through and through. In my opinion, the scheming cardinal is by far the most interesting character! Regardless, I really enjoyed this book and would love to read the rest of the series…one of these years!

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors you should be reading

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Top 10 TuesdayDespite the wonderful diversity of the bookish blogosphere, at times it seems as though everyone is raving about the same popular author or hot new trilogy. So this week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a great one, I think: name ten authors who deserve more recognition. I’m attempting to limit my list to authors who are currently alive and writing, so I’m not sure if I’ll get to ten, but here goes:

1. Anna Dean — She writes mysteries set in Jane Austen’s England, and her style is spot-on! Try Bellfield Hall, the first book in her series featuring spinster/sleuth Dido Kent.

2. Rachel Aaron — I picked up the first Eli Monpress book, The Spirit Thief, a couple years ago, and it absolutely knocked my socks off. I love fantasy novels of the sword-and-sorcery variety, but they often seem derivative and formulaic. Aaron breathes new life into the old tropes, and I highly recommend the first three Eli Monpress books especially.

3. Jasper Fforde — Okay, so Fforde is probably too well-known for this list. He definitely has a large following, but I think it might be a little isolated from the mainstream, so I figured I’d mention him. 🙂 Do you love literature? Do you enjoy wildly wacky plots set in an alternate universe? Do ridiculous puns cause you to cackle hysterically? If so, you should definitely give the Thursday Next series a try! Start with The Eyre Affair.

4. Rainbow Rowell — Again, perhaps too popular for this list? It seems as though Eleanor & Park has already gotten significant Internet buzz, but let’s keep it coming! And don’t forget about her first novel, Attachments, which is equally swoony and romantic!

5. Jude Morgan — Yes, I’ve mentioned him before, but I’m going to keep mentioning him because he’s great! If you love Austen and Heyer but don’t know where to go next, look no further. Try A Little Folly, An Accomplished Woman, or Indiscretion.

6. Carol Berg — Another fantasy writer of the sword-and-sorcery persuasion. I first read her Lighthouse duet, Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone, and was very impressed with it. The pacing is slow, but the world-building and characters are very solid. Definitely recommended for fans of this genre.

7. Julie James — Her novel Practice Makes Perfect was my introduction to the contemporary romance genre, and it convinced me that not all romance novels are ill-written drivel. I’ve really enjoyed all her books so far, though I have yet to read her latest, Love Irresistibly. The great thing about James is that she actually succeeds when she tries to be funny!

And, uh, that’s all I can think of right now. So you tell me: what other authors should I be reading?