Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Random Read: The Scarlet Pimpernel
As much as I love modern books, the classics make my heart sing. Today's post is about one of my favorite books, one that I'm surprised didn't make it on the BBC's big read, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy.
I first fell in love with the Scarlet Pimpernel as a little girl, watching the old black and white movie with my mom. This love was reenforced as an adult watching the musical preformed by a small professional theater group. Today this love was cemented. As one of the characters exclaimed in the book, "We ladies think of him as a hero of old. ... We worship him...we wear his badge...we tremble for him when he is in danger, and exult with him in the hour of his victory." Such is my love for the Scarlet Pimpernel.
The book is as great as the man! As you may have surmised, the novel revolves around a man who uses the pseudonym "the Scarlet Pimpernel." While a scarlet pimpernel is a common English flower, the man is anything but ordinary. He risks his life to save the lives of French nobility during the French Revolution. All of France is trying to catch him and everyone in England worships him. No one save his trusted followers knows who he is.
"We seek him here, we seek him there,
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
Is he in heaven?--Is he in hell?
That demmed, elusive Pimpernel?"
(Sir Percy Blakeney)
The Scarlet Pimpernel is well woven with rich emotions and depth of character seen often in the classics and rarely in modern books. It made me laugh, it made me angry, it even made me cry and I rarely cry when I read books.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun classic. It will meet (or even exceed!) your expectations.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Random Read: The Hollow City
I first was heard of Dan Wells right after his first novel I Am Not a Serial Killer came out. Someone mentioned it in passing and I thought "hmm, maybe I should read that," before getting distracted by other books. A couple years later I moved to Orem and became acquainted with Dan Wells' daughter. I was floored when I realized my young friend's dad was a published author of a book I'd actually heard of. (Most people I know who have published books have self published and no one has heard of them or their books). I promptly bought his first book, devoured it, and instantly became a Dan Wells fan.
The Hollow City surpassed my expectations. It is not merely a good book, it's words are intricately woven together to form a masterpiece. And I'm not saying this just because I know the guy. I may know Dan Wells, but I know books better than I know him. I would read this book again in a heartbeat and I can't say that about most of the books I read.
The main character of the novel, Michael Shipman, has paranoid schizophrenia. His entire world is full of people, sounds, sights, even flavors that don't actually exist. He believes faceless men are chasing him, can't remember two weeks of his life, and very quickly becomes the main suspect in a series of murders involving people from his past.
The book is not only intriguing, it rings true. While not a paranoid schizophrenic, I was placed on an antipsychotic as a mood stabilizer at the beginning of July. This is the reason I didn't finish the book until today. I got to the section where Michael is placed on medicines and his symptoms were like a carnival mirror version of mine--distorted and larger but recognizably like mine. It was simply too much to read Micheal's journey while I was traversing my own. So I waited until my symptoms died down and today I picked up the book again. Note how I'm reviewing it the same day I read the second half. It was that good.
It's a twisting journey through the mind of a man who can't tell the difference between what's real and what's not. I highly recommend The Hollow City. It will make you question reality, think deeper than you have thought in a while, and entertain you all at the same time. Journey with Michael as he discovers not all the monsters in his head are fake and as he discovers the answer to the question "who can you trust if you can't even trust yourself?"
Saturday, April 14, 2012
CHANGE!!!
Yes, you read the title correctly, CHANGE IS HERE!
As you may or may not have noticed, I have changed a few things about the blog. There's a new "about me" section. I also changed the header. Best of all, I've changed the entire purpose of this blog!!
No longer is this blog focused exclusively on the BBC's Big Read. I've broadened the horizons and will be including all the books I read. This will truly be an amazing book adventure! For those of you who don't particularly like change and are wondering why I would do such a thing , here are my 2 reasons.
1-The BBC's Big Read list was published in 2003. Thousand upon thousands of books have been published since then and hundreds of them are worth reading. Think about it: Only 4 Harry Potter books were published when the list came out. The 7th Harry Potter is my favorite of the entire series. If I only read and review the Big Read Books, you and I will both be missing out on hundreds of great books, some of which are yet to be published!
2-I love to read lots of different kinds of books. This means that while I am constantly reading, I can go months without reading any of the BBC Big Read books. If I only review those books, it may mean I don't post for several months at a time (note my last post date). If I only post once every few months, what we have is a very boring blog.
I'll still keep track of the BBC Big Read books, and that will still be one of the big focuses of the blog, but my reading and reviewing will not stop there! No, my friends, you are about to see how seriously addicted to reading I really am. I expect I will be posting about once a week, if not more.
My first non-BBC Big Read post will be up by the end of next week. Here's a hint: It's young adult fiction about a dystopian society and it was was written by a friend of mine. No, I don't know Suzanne Collins, even though I wish I did, meaning the post will not be about the Hunger Games.
Included in the post will be some special content you won't be able to find anywhere else. No joke.
Stay tuned for details...
As you may or may not have noticed, I have changed a few things about the blog. There's a new "about me" section. I also changed the header. Best of all, I've changed the entire purpose of this blog!!
No longer is this blog focused exclusively on the BBC's Big Read. I've broadened the horizons and will be including all the books I read. This will truly be an amazing book adventure! For those of you who don't particularly like change and are wondering why I would do such a thing , here are my 2 reasons.
1-The BBC's Big Read list was published in 2003. Thousand upon thousands of books have been published since then and hundreds of them are worth reading. Think about it: Only 4 Harry Potter books were published when the list came out. The 7th Harry Potter is my favorite of the entire series. If I only read and review the Big Read Books, you and I will both be missing out on hundreds of great books, some of which are yet to be published!
2-I love to read lots of different kinds of books. This means that while I am constantly reading, I can go months without reading any of the BBC Big Read books. If I only review those books, it may mean I don't post for several months at a time (note my last post date). If I only post once every few months, what we have is a very boring blog.
I'll still keep track of the BBC Big Read books, and that will still be one of the big focuses of the blog, but my reading and reviewing will not stop there! No, my friends, you are about to see how seriously addicted to reading I really am. I expect I will be posting about once a week, if not more.
My first non-BBC Big Read post will be up by the end of next week. Here's a hint: It's young adult fiction about a dystopian society and it was was written by a friend of mine. No, I don't know Suzanne Collins, even though I wish I did, meaning the post will not be about the Hunger Games.
Included in the post will be some special content you won't be able to find anywhere else. No joke.
Stay tuned for details...
Thursday, January 5, 2012
BBC # 47, A Christmas Carol
Once again, evidence of Charles Dickens' Genius is displayed in A Christmas Carol. The story follows Scrooge, a man who believes Christmas is foolish and serving others pointless as he is visited by ghostly visions that teach him the true meaning of Christmas and even our life on earth.
This story is one of the most widely known Christmas stories. More movie variations of it have been made than I can count. Every year thousands of theaters across America show off local and professional talent portraying Scrooge and Tiny Tim. It is a classic by definition.
This year I read it with my husband just before Christmas, finishing with the last chapter on Christmas Eve. I was amazed again by Dickens' greatness. He masterfully had me laughing and then close to tears in a single page. Without the need of a question mark he asked poignant questions about the meaning of life, our interpretation of God's will, and the consequences of our choices.
I've read it before and watched at least 4 of the movie versions, but never have I been so moved as I was this time! Maybe it was reading it just before Christmas or my own loss of a family member in the last couple years or a sign that I'm finally maturing, but this book held meaning for me that I will cherish.
And as Tiny Tim says, "God Bless us, Everyone!"
This story is one of the most widely known Christmas stories. More movie variations of it have been made than I can count. Every year thousands of theaters across America show off local and professional talent portraying Scrooge and Tiny Tim. It is a classic by definition.
This year I read it with my husband just before Christmas, finishing with the last chapter on Christmas Eve. I was amazed again by Dickens' greatness. He masterfully had me laughing and then close to tears in a single page. Without the need of a question mark he asked poignant questions about the meaning of life, our interpretation of God's will, and the consequences of our choices.
I've read it before and watched at least 4 of the movie versions, but never have I been so moved as I was this time! Maybe it was reading it just before Christmas or my own loss of a family member in the last couple years or a sign that I'm finally maturing, but this book held meaning for me that I will cherish.
And as Tiny Tim says, "God Bless us, Everyone!"
BBC # 52, Of Mice and Men
One of the most challenged books of the 20th century is Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. The story is about 2 bindlestiffs (migrant workers) named George and Lennie. George is smaller but with brains to spare. Lennie is big but has the mind of a child. Together they travel the country side trying to find work and dreaming of a piece of land for themselves.
The book goes in detail about the difficulties a mentally handicapped adult would face in the early 1900's. No one understood what was really going on with Lennie. The society they lived in had no rules for caring for handicapped adults, no acceptance of their problems, and no sympathy for their lack of compliance to social norms.
It also talks about a wealthy woman's role during that time period. She was expected to stay home, visit with other female friends, and spend her time on domestic tasks. Curly's wife (that's all she's ever called in the book) does not like the role she's been given. She's vain and self serving, but pitiful at the same time. She gave up dreams hoping for a better future and instead ends up being a rich man's plaything. Not getting the attention from him she wants, she attempts to get it from the hired hands. By refusing to comply to social norms, she instigates the main dilemma of the book.
It's a very quick read, I did it one afternoon, but is profoundly thought provoking. I understand why many people have a hard time with the book but I see it as a way to address the underlying social currents of the great depression.
Frankly, the book depressed me and I have no desires to read it again any time soon, but I would recommend others read it to gain a bigger understanding of the country we used to be and the profound power of dreams lost.
The book goes in detail about the difficulties a mentally handicapped adult would face in the early 1900's. No one understood what was really going on with Lennie. The society they lived in had no rules for caring for handicapped adults, no acceptance of their problems, and no sympathy for their lack of compliance to social norms.
It also talks about a wealthy woman's role during that time period. She was expected to stay home, visit with other female friends, and spend her time on domestic tasks. Curly's wife (that's all she's ever called in the book) does not like the role she's been given. She's vain and self serving, but pitiful at the same time. She gave up dreams hoping for a better future and instead ends up being a rich man's plaything. Not getting the attention from him she wants, she attempts to get it from the hired hands. By refusing to comply to social norms, she instigates the main dilemma of the book.
It's a very quick read, I did it one afternoon, but is profoundly thought provoking. I understand why many people have a hard time with the book but I see it as a way to address the underlying social currents of the great depression.
Frankly, the book depressed me and I have no desires to read it again any time soon, but I would recommend others read it to gain a bigger understanding of the country we used to be and the profound power of dreams lost.
BBC # 51, The Secret Garden
I've read this book at least 3 times so it won't surprise you that I highly recommend it to anyone!! Especially girls. For some reason girls seem to like it more--Probably because the main character is a girl.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a classic that I plan on reading to my children. The main character is Mary, a sour, spoiled little girl who cannot understand when everything doesn't go her way. After her parents deaths in India, she is sent to live with her uncle in England. England is nothing like India and she has to adjust to a different culture and climate as well as learning the world is larger than herself.
Mary becomes friends with sour old gardener Ben Weatherstaff, the robin redbreast, Dickon--the boy who can talk to animals, and eventually even with a child more spoiled and sour than even she was.
The book is one of wonder, of mystery, of taking life as it is and making it better. I loved it even more this read through than I did as a little girl.
This book belongs on every little girl's bookshelf (and pretty much everyone else's too!)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a classic that I plan on reading to my children. The main character is Mary, a sour, spoiled little girl who cannot understand when everything doesn't go her way. After her parents deaths in India, she is sent to live with her uncle in England. England is nothing like India and she has to adjust to a different culture and climate as well as learning the world is larger than herself.
Mary becomes friends with sour old gardener Ben Weatherstaff, the robin redbreast, Dickon--the boy who can talk to animals, and eventually even with a child more spoiled and sour than even she was.
The book is one of wonder, of mystery, of taking life as it is and making it better. I loved it even more this read through than I did as a little girl.
This book belongs on every little girl's bookshelf (and pretty much everyone else's too!)
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
BBC # 16, The Wind in the Willows
I'm really not sure how I feel about The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Honestly, I'm torn.
I couldn't focus on it. I would read maybe a chapter and be done. It took me 2 months to read. I've finished books I've hated faster. I didn't hate the book. Maybe that's why it was so hard for me to read.
It evoked no strong emotions in me.
Being a children's book, I expected an easy read. It was easy enough I guess. I read half of the book today. I had to force myself to read it that long, but it wasn't because it was hard. Just because I wasn't interested.
I kind of feel like Grahame took weighty ideas, tried to simplify them for children, and made them less deep and interesting. Maybe if I was still a kid it would be deep enough for me. But I'm not.
The only character I really cared about was Mole. I had minor interest in Ratty's well being. Toad just irritated me. The rest of the characters I was apathetic about. If the book had been about Mole, I think I could have read more of it faster. Instead it talked about all the animals and especially towards the end, it focused a lot on Toad. It also bugged me that Toad got away with so much--though the ending kind of made up for that.
I vaguely remember reading the book as a kid and I vaguely remember liking it, so take my review with a grain of salt. I don't think the book is bad. It just didn't hold my interest.
So, my final opinion on the book is: Good for kids, not good for me.
I couldn't focus on it. I would read maybe a chapter and be done. It took me 2 months to read. I've finished books I've hated faster. I didn't hate the book. Maybe that's why it was so hard for me to read.
It evoked no strong emotions in me.
Being a children's book, I expected an easy read. It was easy enough I guess. I read half of the book today. I had to force myself to read it that long, but it wasn't because it was hard. Just because I wasn't interested.
I kind of feel like Grahame took weighty ideas, tried to simplify them for children, and made them less deep and interesting. Maybe if I was still a kid it would be deep enough for me. But I'm not.
The only character I really cared about was Mole. I had minor interest in Ratty's well being. Toad just irritated me. The rest of the characters I was apathetic about. If the book had been about Mole, I think I could have read more of it faster. Instead it talked about all the animals and especially towards the end, it focused a lot on Toad. It also bugged me that Toad got away with so much--though the ending kind of made up for that.
I vaguely remember reading the book as a kid and I vaguely remember liking it, so take my review with a grain of salt. I don't think the book is bad. It just didn't hold my interest.
So, my final opinion on the book is: Good for kids, not good for me.
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