Kat with a K

Margaret Atwood on Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables, one of my favorite books ever, is 100 years old this month. Margaret Atwood has a nice appreciation with some intriguing ideas.

So many books, so little time.

(I am, in fact, wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the above motto at this very moment. Because I'm a dork. In case you were wondering.)

So while I may be bored with all my knitting projects, I've having the opposite problem with books. I'm back in that mood in which I want to read EVERYTHING right NOW. (How is that different from my usual self, you may ask? Good question. I think it may just be a matter of degree.) I wander around the library and all the books are so pretty and they all want to come home with me and I get a bit despondent, because I know I will never ever be able to read all of them, and it's so sad. But at the same time, I have trouble focusing, because I want to read ALL OF THEM, so I end up being all scattered and not finishing much, and it's all very unsatisfying.

Sometimes I'm jealous of people who don't like reading quite as much, or who love to read but have more specific interests. Who know they like romance or sci fi or poetry or whatever, and can stay more on top of things. (Or just not care.) But there are very few books I'd say I didn't want to read, if you happened to ask me when I was in the right mood. There are some I want to read more than others, sure, but so many of them look so good! For example, when I was in the fiction stacks tonight looking for Jhumpa Lahiri, Nora Ephron, and Meg Cabot, I noticed an historical novel from 1960 about Disraeli's wife, and while that wasn't anything I was at all planning to read, it just had to come home with me. Sigh.

One of my friends deals with this book angst by consoling himself with the possibility that he will live forever, and everyone else will die (and therefore stop writing books) and so he will have time to catch up. Unfortunately, I think we'll all die - and then when we get to heaven we'll discover that all our favorite authors have been writing more books since their own deaths. Argh!

Happy Birthday, Wordsworth!

It's Wordsworth's birthday! Here's the beginning of one of my favorites of his, Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey:

FIVE years have past; five summers, with the length
Of five long winters! and again I hear
These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs
With a soft inland murmur.--Once again
Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,
That on a wild secluded scene impress
Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect
The landscape with the quiet of the sky.
The day is come when I again repose
Here, under this dark sycamore, and view
These plots of cottage-ground, these orchard-tufts,
Which at this season, with their unripe fruits,
Are clad in one green hue, and lose themselves
'Mid groves and copses. Once again I see
These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines
Of sportive wood run wild: these pastoral farms,
Green to the very door; and wreaths of smoke
Sent up, in silence, from among the trees!
With some uncertain notice, as might seem
Of vagrant dwellers in the houseless woods,
Or of some Hermit's cave, where by his fire
The Hermit sits alone.

Arthur C. Clarke has died.

The Times article is here. I hadn't known he lived in Sri Lanka. And because of the time difference, it appears in the article as though he died in the future. Appropriate, I suppose.

Books for January

Apparently I only finished two this month. Ah well; it's been a crazy busy month, and I'm currently in the middle of about four books, so February's list should be longer!

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah
Genre: Mystery, women's fic
Pages: 469
Rating: 4.5
Ellie is a small town police chief who is totally out of her league when a potentially feral child wanders out of the forest into her town. Her sister, Julia, is a top child psychiatrist whose glittering career is disrupted when one of her patients kills several other children and then herself. She returns to her hometown in disgrace to try to help Ellie and the child. Along the way, both Julia and Ellie are transformed. Some of the small-town characters are cutesy and cliched, but the main characters are all surprisingly complex, and the story of the child is riveting. This one gets extra points for making me cry - something that doesn't often happen with books. But don't worry, the ending is perfect.

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
Genre: Juvenile, fantasy
Pages: 202
Rating: 4.3
I'd actually never read this one before. I read three or four of the Narnia books as a kid, and liked them, but lost interest somehow and never finished the series. I recently decided to read/reread them all. The edition my library has start with The Magician's Nephew as the beginning of the series (anyone want to weigh in on that debate?), so I started with that this time. (I'd started with Lion, Witch last time.) I don't think this novel was Lewis's best, but it was definitely very good. I think reading these books as an adult makes the humor even better - I loved the running commentary about what a great day the housemaid was having, for one thing. And, of course, it was very interesting to read about the creation of Narnia.

Men of Austen

Choose your suitor. Hee!

Booking Through Thursday: Anticipation

Today's question:

What new books are you looking forward to most in 2008? Something new being published this year? Something you got as a gift for the holidays? Anything in particular that you’re planning to read in 2008 that you’re looking forward to? A classic, or maybe a best-seller from 2007 that you’re waiting to appear in paperback?

As I mentioned, I'm looking forward to reading lots of Austen. I am also looking forward to a few books coming out by favorite authors, including Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (April 1), Jane Haddam (April 15), Stephenie Meyer (May 6), Meg Cabot (several). I got a few books for Christmas that I haven't started yet, including The Rest Is Noise and The Amateur Gourmet.

2008 Goals: Reading

1. Post about all books I read. I did pretty well this year, but didn't quite manage all. (The December post is still on its way.) Even if I only write a few sentences about a book, I want to record them all.
2. Give away or donate at least one book per month. I have a bunch of books (mostly picked up at yard sales or given to me by friends) that I know I'll only want to read once and not keep, so I want to make a dent in these. I know one a month won't make that much of a dent, but at least it's progress.
3. Read and give back most of the books I've borrowed from various people. I have a bunch from my dad and some from various friends, and it's a bit out of hand.
4. Read Austen's six main novels. I'm embarrassed to say that I've only actually finished P&P and S&S. I'm going to reread those and read the other four. PBS says this is the year of Austen, after all, so who am I to argue?
5. Keep number of items out from library under 20 at all times. Preferably under 10. I know 20 sounds like a lot, but I take out videos and CDs and stuff too, so it adds up quickly. Anyway, I tend to take out a million things and then not have time to read them, so I'm trying to work on that.

Books for November

The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
Genre: Literature
Pages: 358
Rating: 4.7
This novel revolves around the interaction between a sex ed teacher and her daughter's soccer coach, and evangelical Christian. They initially clash and assume that they will hate each other, but they find they are somehow attracted to each other and things become complex, both in their personal lives and in their small New England town. Perrotta does a very good job of writing about both sides of the abstinence-only education debate without making it into a clearly "good guys vs. bad guys" thing either way. Some of the characters are quite cliched, but others are surprisingly complex. I couldn't put this one down.

On Strike for Christmas by Sheila Roberts
Genre: Women's fiction
Pages: 339
Rating: 4.3
Members of a knitting group feel that their families don't appreciate everything they do to prepare for Christmas and decide to go on strike. The local media hears of it, and the whole thing spirals out of control, with somewhat predictable results. I won't say that this was overly original or anything, but it was a cute, feel-good Christmas read and I'm a sucker for those. The writing was decent and I got attached to some of the characters. I'm hoping Roberts makes this a series.

Well-Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 414
Rating: 4.5
This is one of George's series of Inspector Lynley mysteries. These are traditional British mysteries at their best (although George is actually not British, contrary to popular belief). This one had a boarding school setting, which I always love. I definitely recommend this series - start with A Great Deliverance.

Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier
Genre: Mystery, cozy/holiday
Pages: 390
Rating: 4.4
This is a collection of Christmas mystery novellas. I hadn't read any of these authors before, but they all sounded interesting, so I figured I'd give it a try. I loved the one by Leslie Meier, and the Joanne Fluke was quite good too. The Laura Levine was okay but not great. Overall, it was a fun Christmas read, and has gotten me reading Leslie Meier's and Joanne Fluke's series. I've tried a few of the recipes included, and they're quite yummy.

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott
Genre: Juvenile, classic
Pages: 62
Rating: 3.5
This little book wasn't much longer than a short story. It is about a farm family in early 1800s New Hampshire - the mother is called away at Thanksgiving and the children decide to make Thanksgiving themselves. Alcott's writing is always fun to read, but this wasn't anywhere near as good as most of her work. I kept being distracted by the "country" dialect that Alcott gave her farm characters, to point out how they were so good-hearted despite their lack of education, I suppose. It just seemed unnecessary - but, of course, these things must be seen in light of their times, and Alcott is, if anything, more politically correct by today's standards than are most writers of her time. I thought this story was interesting in light of the effort in the late nineteenth century to create the "history" and tradition of Thanksgiving, given that this story was set decades before it was written.

Books for October

Apparently I was on an alphabet kick in October. (And apparently I was doing something other than reading much, though I can't remember what. Actually, I think I started some books in October that I didn't finish until November. Or didn't finish at all. Or something.)

The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson
Genre: Literature
Pages: 119
Rating: 4.3
This was a quirky but moving little novel. I often have trouble with books that are so studiedly "different" and "artistic," but I decided to try to let that go and just enjoy this one, and I succeeded, most of the time. It's the story of a man who finds out that he is ill and about to die, and he and his wife try to go to a place for every letter of the alphabet. The characters are surprisingly well-drawn for such a short book, and the ending had me in tears.

ABC by David Plante
Genre: Literature
Pages: 247
Rating: 3.8
My review is here.

Books for September

Yes, trying to catch up a bit before the end of the year. I know I still won't have posted about all the books I read, but I at least wanted to mention some of them from the last part of the year. I'll try to do better next year! :)

Jinx by Meg Cabot
Genre: Young adult paranormal
Pages: 262
Rating: 4.5
We all know how much I love Meg Cabot. This is another fun YA from her - as with many of hers (fantasy or not), the premise is pretty ridiculous, but as long as you can get past that, the book is a delightful read. It's probably more similar to Avalon High than to any of her others. Jean, or Jinx, is an unlucky 16-year-old who moves from small-town Iowa to the Upper East Side to live with her wealthy aunt, uncle, and cousins. Unsurprisingly, she doesn't fit in, and she and her cousin have all sorts of conflict about many things, including their family legacy of witchcraft. As with almost all of Cabot's novels, there's a great male lead and sweet romantic subplot. Highly recommended.

Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott
Genre: Mystery, academic/paranormal
Pages: 304
Rating: 3.9
I had mixed feelings about this one. I thought that Stott was definitely a good writer, and I was impressed by the way she demonstrated complex relationships and histories between her characters. But I was unimpressed by the actual mystery. There were many threads of the plot, both in present-day Cambridge and in the Cambridge of Newton's time, and they never connected the way I wanted them to, and thought they would. Most of the individual threads were resolved, somewhat, but the connections between them ended up being some sort of "Oh, look, everything in the universe is connected" thing instead of anything actually interesting or satisfying. Still, I'll probably give her next book a try to see if she improves.

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick
Genre: History, Colonial
Pages: 461
Rating: 4.7
I love love loved this one. I find the early Colonial period fascinating in general, and this book provided much more of the "real story" of the Plymouth community than is usually heard. Don't let the title mislead you - it goes far beyond the actual Mayflower voyage and covers King Philip's War, which was a fascinating conflict that I didn't really know much about. I definitely recommend this for anyone interested in that period of history.

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
Genre: Mystery, forensic
Pages: 411
Rating: 4.3
For those not as obsessed as I am: Kathy Reichs is the executive producer of Bones, which I feel is the best show currently on TV. Although the main character of Bones has the same name as the main character in Reichs' novels, but the show is actually based on Reichs herself, not her books. The character, Temperance Brennan, is, like Reichs, a forensic anthropologist who writes mysteries. ANYWAY. I knew all this going in, but since I love the show so much, I still had a hard time getting past the fact that this Temperance wasn't the Temperance from the show. Other than that, though, it was quite a good book, and I will be looking for more in the series. It is set in Montreal, so it included some interesting things about the law enforcement/criminal justice system there.

In praise of Latin

A very interesting opinion piece: A Vote for Latin

Booking Through Thursday: Rolling

This week's question:
Do you get on a roll when you read, so that one book leads to the next, which leads to the next, and so on and so on?

Sometimes. I will often do this by genre or subject - I'll get in the mood for a bunch of cozy mysteries, or classic children's lit, or things to do with a certain time period. But sometimes my reading seems pretty random, and I'm generally reading several things from different genres at once.

Booking Through Thursday: Preservatives

Today's question:

I'm still relatively new to this meme so I'm not sure if this has been asked yet, but I'm curious how many of us write notes in our books. Are you a Footprint Leaver or a Preservationist?

I do not generally write in books. I was known to do so in college on occasion, but I'm generally a Preservationist. I usually take notes in a notebook and/or put in bunches of small pieces of paper to mark page I want to revisit.

Holiday Reading Lists

I've been in the mood for holiday-themed books, so I thought I'd share a few links I've found that are good sources of holiday (not just Christmas) book lists.

Holiday Reading Ideas on MyShelf.com
Mistletoe Mysteries
Holiday Mystery Book List from the Cozy Mystery List
Holiday/Calendar-Based Mysteries
Wikipedia's Christmas Fiction Category
Christmas Novels Booklist

RIP Norman Mailer

From the Times: Norman Mailer dead at age 84. I have to admit that I've never actually read Mailer, but he's been on my "I really need to read..." list for years. And who can forget his appearance on Gilmore Girls?

Any of you Mailer fans out there? Which book should I try first?

Review: ABC

My review of ABC by David Plante is here. No, I don't know why it says Amy Diaz at the top - if you scroll down, you'll see that my name appears correctly at the end.

Victoria is back!

One of my favorite magazines ever, Victoria, has restarted! I'm so excited! Thanks to Charming the Birds from the Trees for the heads up.

Oh, hey, look!

A book review I recently wrote for a local paper is online!

"I saw eternity the other night..."

Madeleine L'Engle, one of my absolute favorite writers ever, died on Thursday. I am working on a tribute post, but for now, I'll go with lines from the Henry Vaughan poem from which she derived the name of her novel A Ring of Endless Light.

I saw Eternity the other night,
Like a great ring of pure and endless light,
All calm, as it was bright;
And round beneath it, Time in hours, days, years,
Driv'n by the spheres
Like a vast shadow mov'd; in which the world
And all her train were hurl'd.

Review: A Fountain Filled with Blood

My From the Stacks challenge review #2:

A Fountain Filled with Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.7

I loved this book. Loved loved loved it. Um. Okay. This is the second in the Clare Fergusson mystery series. Clare is a former army helicopter pilot turned Episcopal priest who has been assigned to a small community in the Adirondacks. She has to learn to adapt to the small-town life and deal with her mutual attraction toward the (married) chief of police. And, of course, solve mysteries. I read the first, In the Bleak Midwinter, shortly after it came out, but for some reason it took me a few years to get to this one. I had attempted it once before but not finished; now, I can't imagine why, because this time it grabbed me and I read the 320 pages in about a day. It's an interesting mystery with complex characters, and I definitely recommend the series. I can't wait to get the next one.

I'm looking forward to a lot of quality reading time this weekend, so I think I'm going to switch around as the spirit takes me between my three remaining challenge books and a book club book. Hope to have another review soon!

Review: Crowned in a Far Country

So on Thurday, Dewey and I made it home with no carrier escapes, thank goodness. But during the drive, I started feeling icky. I got home, unloaded the car, and basically collapsed. Fever, sore throat, etc. Since then, I've been doing little other than sitting on the couch eating popsicles. But at least I finished my first book for the From the Stacks challenge! (Yes, I'm behind, but January is a slow month so there's still hope. Or so I'm telling myself.)

Crowned in a Far Country by HRH Princess Michael of Kent
Genre: History, group biograpphy
Rating: 3.5

In this book, Princess Michael (herself a foreign royal bride) tells the stories of eight European women in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries who are sent to foreign countries to marry princes/kings/etc. The better-known subjects include Catherine the Great and Marie Antoinette; less well-known are Leopoldina and Maria Carolina. The women's lives are fascinating, but the short treatments given to each left me wanting more. The writing is serviceable but not particularly good. Chronologies sometimes become confused. All in all, though, the interesting subject matter helps the book surpass its technical difficulties. A fun read for those who enjoy reading about the royals.

Review: Bimbos of the Death Sun

Well, one "good" thing about being home sick for EVER (okay, it was just four days or so) is that I apparently get lots of reading done. (And we don't need to discuss how many episodes of Grey's Anatomy I watched.) At least now I can start my From the Stacks books!

Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 212
Rating: 4

I had read this (and its sequel, Zombies of the Gene Pool) a few years ago, and reread this one over the past few days in preparation for a book club discussion. This is a fairly traditional murder mystery - but set at a sci-fi/fantasy convention. In short, it's hilarious. I have to say that it is a bit dated, but no more so than other "contemporary" mysteries set in the '80s - it just sometimes seems that way because of the emphasis on technology. (The engineering professor has to explain to the police what a floppy disk is at one point.) You probably do need a bit of familiarity with fandom in order to appreciate much of the humor, although McCrumb manages to explain much of it by having a main character who is new to fandom. If you do have any interest in fandom or gaming or Star Trek, though, and like a good mystery, definitely give this one a try.

Review: Size 14 Is Not Fat Either

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot
Genre: Chick lit/Mystery
Pages: 344
Rating: 3.6

This is the second in Cabot's Heather Wells mystery series. Cabot is one of my favorite authors, but honestly, this isn't one of my favorites of her various series. I don't like Heather as much as some of her other heroines. The "former pop star" bit is getting old, although Heather does have some personal growth in this book, so there's hope. And the mystery plots aren't exactly complex. But I don't really read Cabot for her plots. I read her for her tone, which is pretty consistent between her books and characters. But this book was definitely fun, and I like how Cabot is drawing out the romantic tension in a somewhat believable manner. I will certainly continue to read this series.

Review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

I finished this one a few weeks ago, but realized that I'd never actually written up a review. Oops.

Twilight is one of the most-talked-about young adult books of the past few years, and it's one of those things that I'd been meaning to read forever. Well, I finally managed to read it, and it was definitely worth it. In some ways, it's a typical teen vampire romance: misfit girl moves to new town, meets alluring, mysterious boy, falls in love, finds out he's a vampire, etc. And I don't normally go for vampire romances. But this one was so well-written and atmospheric that it completely grabbed me. It's a nice, long, thick book, and Meyer does a great job of immersing the reader in her world. The other thing that I really liked was the complexity of the characters. Both the main characters as well as a wide array of side characters are well-drawn and truly complicated. And the vampire guy is, well, dreamy. Yeah. It's a great read for a cool fall or early winter weekend.

Note: There's a sequel, New Moon. I've heard mixed reviews, but I'll probably give it a try eventually.

Travel reading

(Note: I was going to link to an earlier post I wrote on the subject, but I guess it was at my old blog. Oops.)

As I mentioned, I'm going away this weekend: leaving tonight, coming back Monday. Among other things, this means that about a week ago I started worrying about what I was going to bring to read. I used to have a whole system worked out for trips, involving a book for each day, different genres, and strict mass-market-only format rules. My new One at a Time principle, however, means all that had to change. One book. For the whole long weekend. It was sort of a scary thought, but I knew that I wouldn't exactly have tons of time to read, anyway.

So. One book. My criteria had to be a bit different. Firstly, format wouldn't matter so much. I'd still prefer paperback, but since I'd only be carrying one, I wasn't too worried about weight or suitcase space. The "must belong to me" rule held, though; I've learned, finally, from the time I took a friend's book camping and got it rather damp, and the time I left a book borrowed from the store at my parents' house in Connecticut. Since I was only bringing one, it had to be engaging and fairly long.

The content criteria were a bit more nebulous. Whether we like to admit it or not, it's hard not to consider how the book we're carrying around will make us look to others. And I'm spending the weekend with a bunch of book people, so I felt like my best bet was something very new or obscure or both. (And yes, in case any of you are reading this, I'm aware that no one in this particular group will be judging me based on my reading material. I just think about things too much.) I'm going to be sharing a room with a friend, and spending most of my time with a group, so I needed something that I could pick up and put down and not worry too much about getting interrupted, but that would also hold my attention. Narrative nonfiction seemed to be the way to go.

But what? History? Biography? I flitted from book to book, but nothing seemed quite right. I even bought Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, which I've been wanting to read for a while, with the idea that it would work in a pinch. But it seemed so two years ago. (This is one of the hazards of working at a bookstore. I see everything as soon as it comes out - or before - but since I see everything, my reading list is hundreds of books long and I generally seem to be at least a few years behind.)

Then, finally, salvation. Last Saturday, I walked in to the back room at work and found an advance copy of Erik Larson's new book, Thunderstruck. Perfect: non-fiction that would read like a novel. Almost 500 pages. I haven't actually managed to read Larson's previous hit yet (see the above about being a few years behind), but I've heard enough good reviews of it to give him a try. And the new one isn't being released until the 24th, so it can't possibly be passe yet. Right?

Nick Hornby, will you marry me?

(This one-book-at-a-time thing? Totally going well. I started this book last Saturday, was totally into it, and finished yesterday. Not bad, considering the amount of homework/D&D work/TV/etc. I have going on. Also, I'm hoping that the one-at-a-time thing will make me more likely to actually review all the books I read here.)

If you didn't guess it from the subject line, let me just tell you that it's official: Nick Hornby is my new celebrity crush. If only he didn't smoke. And wasn't already, you know, married. But hey, no one's perfect.

I came to this book in an odd manner. It was on the "New Paperbacks" table at the bookstore where I work, and I was neurotically straightening the stacks of books, as is my wont. What attracted me first, actually, was the title: Housekeeping vs. the DIrt, which is really one of life's ongoing crises, plus also rather funny. And then I noticed that it was a book about reading. And then I noticed that it was by Nick Hornby. Now, either of those latter two elements would have been enough to make me pick up the book, but it was the title that originally grabbed me. Huh.

(I feel compelled to mention that I've never actually read one of Hornby's novels. I adored his book about music, Songbook, and I have enjoyed a few moives based on his books. But yeah, I realize I should actually read his books at some point. Seeing as how I'm apparently proposing marriage and all.)

Housekeeping vs. the Dirt is a collection of Hornby's "Stuff I've Been Reading" columns from Believer magazine. Each represents a month; Hornby lists the books he bought and the ones he actually read, and then talks about why he read what he read and what he thought about it. The concept is simple, but the execution is compelling and touching and hilarious.

There are many reasons to love this book. First and foremost is Hornby's down-to-earth and self-deprecating sense of humor. Then, of course, are all the books he talked about that I now want to read. And there's the window into his daily life that the column provides. And his reflections on the differences between Britain and the US. (Hornby is British; the Believer's audience is predominantly American.) But this line, in the introduction, was what really got me:

"And please, please stop patronizing those who are reading a book - The Da Vinci Code, maybe - because they are enjoying it." (17)

I've been trying to say that, to lots of people, for years. And a bit later:

"Read anything, as long as you can't wait to pick it up again." (18)

He gets it.

This just made my day.

Meg! Cabot! Manga! And a movie! Of my favorite of her books, even! Eeeeee!

Exciting news for kindred spirits!

Okay, maybe no one but Rachel and Courtney will get excited about this, but! There is going to be a Norton Critical Edition of Anne of Green Gables!!!!! It's being released right around LMM's birthday, too.

Also, according to Netflix, the 1975 BBC Anne of Avonlea is being released on DVD in September!

What's wrong with "literary"?

So I belong to a big discussion group devoted to mystery novels. Usually, I enjoy the discussions and get some good book recommendations from the reviews posted. But this time, there's a "discussion" that's bugging me enough to write about it.

I don't even remember how it started - maybe a discussion of the distinction between "mystery" and "literary thriller"? Probably something like that. Anyway, this became a discussion of what makes a book "literary," which is sometimes seen as the opposite of "genre." Now, I work in a bookstore; I understand that these sorts of labels often have at least as much to do with marketing than anything else. But I still don't think the term "literary" is meaningless.

A few people suggested reasonable definitions of "literary." But the majority said something along the lines of "badly written" or "incomprehensible" or "nothing happens." Some of the responses were even more extreme. Sure, some literary fiction is badly written, but that's true in any genre, and this went beyond that. This was saying that all literary fiction was bad, and perhaps that it was trying to be genre fiction and failing. Which seems absurd. What's going on?

Now, the people who said this were primarily self-identified mystery readers and/or writers. Is this just some kind of reverse snobbery? Genre fiction is sometimes looked down on as not "real fiction." So genre people say all literary fiction is bad? Hmm. That's part of it, I'm sure. But that doesn't seem to be enough to explain it.

Two other "definitions" struck me. At least one person (and these are all paraphrases, by the way; I'm not trying to quote anyone in particular) said that literary fiction is "about people you don't like," and someone else said it's "those books you have to read in school that no one gets anything out of because no one can relate to the characters." Hmm. First of all, I'd totally disagree with this, honestly; maybe this person felt he couldn't relate to the characters, but many people (myself included) have related to and gotten lots out of many "classics." Would this person insist that we're lying in order to sound intellectual? I'm not sure.

But I also wonder whether this is related to the explosion of "hobby/lifestyle mysteries." There are cat mysteries, dog mysteries, knitting mysteries, cooking mysteries, ice skating mysteries, antiques mysteries. There are mysteries for wine lovers and soap opera watchers and tea drinkers. And these series are often labeled right on the cover. More and more often, they are series that are deliberately crafted to BE "a needlework mystery," say, rather than having a character who is into needlework as genuine aspect of her personality. The idea, of course, is that people who are into the "concept" will buy the mysteries.

Is this spoiling us? In these series, the character is being written to relate to the reader, so the reader doesn't have to work very hard to relate to the character. Is this why literary fiction is "bad"? Because it (theoretically) depicts characters that are crafted for their own sake, rather than being designed for a very specific demographic? Do we only want to read about people who are Just Like Us? It seems like that would be very, very bad, both for literature and for society as a whole.

Debating the merits of the Clean Plate Book Club

Do you feel compelled to finish every book you start? I'm thinking about this right now in connection to the SRP (yes, you can still join!), but it's an issue that bothers me periodically anyway. As you can see in the sidebar (which really needs to be updated), I have a little problem with starting more books than I finish. But the books listed are all ones that I intend to finish, really. I think.

Now, I don't actually feel obligated to finish EVERYTHING I start. Occasionally I'll start a book and just hate it. More often, a book will have to go back to the library, and I won't be into it enough to locate it elsewhere right away or to keep it a few extra days and pay the fine, as I did with Into the Wilderness. Sometimes I'll write down the title and author so I can find it again later; sometimes I don't. It's not like I'm ever going to run out of things to read.

But for books without an external deadline, I have a hard time giving up on them, especially if I've gotten through a good part of it. In her delightful memoir of reading, So Many Books, So Little Time, Sara Nelson calls the compulsion to finish books the Clean Plate Book Club. She sees this as something to be outgrown, like the necessity to clean your plate at dinner. Being able to put a book down a quarter or half or even three quarters of the way in is a sign of maturity, apparently. I think there's something to that, but I'm not sure it's the whole story.

The act of reading requires the reader and the book to enter into an unspoken contract. The reader promises attention, an open mind, a willingness to learn and to be affected. What is the book's obligation? I think it depends on the book, and on the reader's intentions and expectations. Some books promise simple escapist entertainment, and that's fine, and necessary. Some promise knowledge; some wisdom. Some demand an emotional response. If the book does not deliver on its promises, it's reasonable that the reader might break the contract on his end as well, and stop reading. But what if what the book has to offer isn't what the reader thought it was? Maybe the reader expected mindless entertainment, but instead was made to think. Or vice versa. Maybe the reader disagrees with everything the book says, but it's still a good opportunity to clarify his own thoughts and views. So it may be a sign of maturity to stop reading a book that doesn't meet one's expectations, but I think it can also be a sign of maturity to keep reading and open oneself to whatever the book has to offer.

May Reads

(Explanation of the ratings)

18. Payment In Blood by Elizabeth George
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.6
Comments: The second Inspector Lynley mystery. I read the first a few years ago and loved it, but didn't manage to get to the second until now. These are great, but I'd recommend reading them in order and reasonably close together, because there is a lot of complex interpersonal stuff going on between the detectives and their associates, and I forgot some of the background between when I read the two books. I'm going to try to read the rest without such gaps. But these are classic complex British mysteries, riveting and intellectual. Highly recommended.

19. My Sister's Keeper by
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Rating: 3.6
Comments: I couldn't decide how I felt about this one. It was well-written and dealt wit hsome very interesting issues, but I agree with Rachel that the ending was a cop-out. I also found several of the main characters to be really annoying, which may or may not have been intended by the author. I loved Salem Falls, so I was a little disappointed with this one. But I'll keep reading her, at least for now.

20. Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
Genre: Chick lit
Rating: 4.2
Comments: As we all know, I love Meg Cabot, and this was her usual frothy fun. It started out a bit slowly, but then I got hooked, and it was a wild ride. I liked the main character, although she talked a bit too much about fashion for my taste (history of fashion was her field, though, so it was understandable). And the romantic interest was great. And, of course, it was hilarious.

Okay, I really feel like I finished something else in May, but I can't figure out what it was. That's what happens when I don't keep track as I go. Argh. I guess I'll add it in if I think of it later. Also, the unfinished books list is getting out of control. I'm going to clean that up in June. Really.

Randoms! On Wednesday!

1. My newest TiVo find: Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown. Favorite quote so far: "Well, hello! You must be an Alp!"

2. I know Rachel warned us, but I was still disappointed by the ending of My Sister's Keeper. Actually, the whole book was sort of annoying, but compelling at the same time. Hmm. I'll try to sort out my thoughts on it in time for the May Reads post.

3. Oh. I was going to say the weather was finally better, but now I hear it raining again.

4. Speaking of which, yes, I was in the flooding area, but yes, I'm fine. My usual route to work was closed for several days, and my kitchen ceiling is precariously close to dripping, but I'm fine. And check out Feminknit for some pictures.

5. I am going through soy milk withdrawal. (I usually put it on my cereal, but we got a free gallon of regular milk, so we're trying to use that before it goes bad, and so there's no soy milk in the house.) It's REALLY not fun.

6. Talking about soy milk suggests that I don't actually have much to say. Or at least don't have the energy necessary to say it.

7. Up next: NH S&W report and photographic evidence that I do still, in fact, knit.

April Reads

(Explanation of the ratings)

12. Bad Kitty by Michelle Jaffe
Genre: Young adult
Rating: 3.9
Comments: Cute! I've been reading Jaffe's blog since it started, so I was eager to read her first YA book. It was a bit far-fetched, and at times seemed a bit affected, but overall, I loved it. Silly and clever and fun.

13. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4
Comments: This series comes highly recommended by my mom (as well as various bloggers), but I'd somehow never read one before. So good! Mrs. Pollifax is absolutely hilarious, and there was all sorts of fun stuff about Cold War-era espionage, as well. It's a classic series and I'd recommend it to any mystery reader.

14. A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.8
Comments: I've been reading King's Mary Russell series for years, but this was the first time I'd read her Kate Martinelli series. This was her first novel, and it was great. King writes the contemporary setting as well as she does the historical, and I can't wait for her next book, which is going to combine the two series. (Except I have three more Kate Martinelli books to read first, so I'd better get going on that.)

15. Suspense and Sensibilityby Carrie Bebris
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.3
Comments: I gave the first in this series, Pride and Prescience, a good review, so I had high hopes for this one, and Bebris didn't disappoint. I loved the way she managed to combine characters from Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. As with the first, it did contain a supernatural element, but it was believable within the context of the story. The actual mystery wasn't terribly shocking, but oh, what a fun book.

16. My Cup Runneth Over by Cherry Whytock
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 3.5
Comments: Another cute YA chick lit novel, this one British. Tone is similar to Louise Rennison, or maybe a younger Bridget Jones. The main character, Angel, is realistic and likeable, if rather wealthy and a bit twee.

17. Hardscrabble Road by Jane Haddam
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.5
Comments: This is the newest entry in one of my favorite mystery series, featuring retired FBI agent Gregor Demarkian. Haddam has written over twenty of them, but the quality hasn't dropped off. My main complaint about this one was that my favorite supporting character was absent. Other than that, it was up to Haddam's usual standard. Fans of Elizabeth George or P.D. James should give this series a try. Start with Not a Creature Was Stirring if you're a whole-series-in-order person, or Somebody Else's Music if you want to start with something more recent and easier to find.

March Reads

(Explanation of the ratings)

9. Without a Net: Middle Class and Homeless (with Kids) in America by Michelle Kennedy
Genre: Memoir, sociology
Rating: 3.7
Comments: For some reason, I thought this was going to be more of a sociology thing, but it was basically just the author's story. Once I got past that misconception, though, it hooked me, because it's a fascinating story. The writing was a bit uneven and dragged in places, but I think it's definitely worth a read. A more theoretical section on how Kennedy's story fits into larger issues within society would have been interesting, but again, that wasn't really the point, so I can't complain.

10. Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Genre: Knitting
Rating: 5
Comments: Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Even better than I expected. Steph has a great way of making scary concepts seem doable and fun; I had several "Oh, now that makes sense" moments along the way. And, of course, it's hilarious. I think this one, along with her others, will enter my "To Reread Frequently" category, and I will definitely be recommending it to anyone I teach to knit in the future. But it's not just for beginners: I've been knitting for several years and felt like I learned lots from it. Go. Read it. Now. (Even if you don't knit.)

11. Babysitters Club Graphic Novel #1: Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier
Genre: Juvenile, graphic novel
Rating: 3.5
Comments: Babysitters Club. Graphic. Novels. Whoever came up with this idea is brilliant. Brilliant, I say. No, seriously, I realize that this is one of those things that appeals almost exclusively to people of my exact demographic and very few others. But wow, it's an exciting concept. It's decently executed: the dialogue is almost all straight from the book and the pictures are believable, although not of course quite the way I imagined things. And I was very happy to see that it hadn't been updated: the kids still play with G.I. Joe and Rainbow Brite (the first time around), not, oh, Pokemon and Bratz. Overall, well done, and I'll probably buy more in the series as they come out for the combined nostalgia/novelty factor.

If I blog it, I have to do it.

I'm feeling vaguely out of it today, and have been for most of this week, actually. Part of it, certainly, is a need for just a bit more sleep than I have been getting. And I just have no focus. I don't know. Maybe it's because of spring. And actually being fairly happy sort of leaves me at loose ends. I can't decide whether I want to go run around crazily in the sunshine or take a road trip or hide under the covers and read obscure British novels. So. Um, anyway, where was I? Oh, lack of focus, right. I think I've made my point.

SO. Anyway. My plan for the evening is to go home, get some stuff done, RELAX a little, and SLEEP. Early. Theoretically. And because we've seen how scattered I am today, I'm going to put my to do list right here so that you all can harass me about it tomorrow. Okay? Okay.

1. Clean a bit. Honestly, my main point with this one is to find my copy of Last Minute Knitted Gifts and my missing Netflix envelope, but I'm planning to look for them in a way that makes the room look tidier rather than messier.

2. Finish translating Lauren's diploma. Yay Latin!

3. Block Branching Out.

4. E-mail my professor about my final paper topic.

5. Work on the Call for Submissions for the new online magazine I mentioned yesterday. (Thanks for all the enthusiasm about that! More details soon!)

6. (Finally) finish knitting the second ball of Dave's Scarf. I think it has entered the black hole phase - I've been knitting and knitting and nothing has been happening. At least if I finish a freaking ball of yarn I'll feel like I'm making some progress.

7. Start a grocery list. I'm out of hummus and pita. This can't be good.

8. Finish reading Knitting Rules and Bad Kitty.

Okay. That's totally doable for an evening, right? And theoretically it will result in pictures of a blocked Branching Out for you tomorrow.

Quick Randoms

Because I was supposed to go to bed on time tonight, darn it! Argh.

1. Operation: Harlot was successful last night. I arrived at the store at 10:30, unpacked boxes for the first 15 minutes, and then realized that I had 15 minutes and about 25 boxes left and I had to go more quickly. So then I started just opening boxes. Blood was drawn. (Boxes are sharp!) But I found it. Wheeeee. It's wonderful. Better review after I finish reading it.

2. Clapotis = fun. And I haven't even started dropping stitches yet.

3. Watched the fourth Harry Potter movie tonight. Some of the exterior shots seemed oddly cartoony, but I thought it was good overall. Hermione is still my favorite, of course. As always, I found myself sort of wishing that they'd hurry up through the dragon/battle/whatever scenes and get back to the academics and interpersonal relationships and lovely boarding-schoolness. Maybe I should just go find some school stories to read.

4. Don't you hate it when something disappears right after you discover it? Last week, I discovered the green tea lattes at the coffee stand on campus. Now, I don't normally like green tea much, but these were all milky and melony and yum. Yesterday? They were gone. Bah.

5. Interested in reading or contributing to a free online knitting lifestyle magazine? Sort of Glamour meets Knitty, with a little Bust thrown in? Let me know.

I'm sure there was more, but I really, really should be asleep. Good night!

Oh, look. A Plan.

So I'm loving the Rule of Ten idea (well, except for this weekend when I was chomping at the bit to start Clapotis), but I'm apparently feeling the need to prioritize a bit more. Basically, what happened was that at some point last night I realized that I had all these vague ideas floating around in my head. Ideas like "You know, it was be awfully nifty if Birch was noticeably bigger when I bring it to Steph's next signing than it was at the last" and "If I wore Clapotis to NH Sheep & Wool, it would be easy for people to recognize me because it's so freaking bright." (Because you're all coming to Sheep & Wool and want to meet up, right? Right?)

So it seems as though it could be beneficial to write up a list of when I'd sort of like to have various things finished. None of these are hard and fast deadlines, per se - they're more just... goals. A Plan. I seem to attract Plans. Anyway:

April 16 (Easter/next time I'll see my family) - Dave's Scarf and Irish Hiking Scarf
April 21 (Steph's signing in Grafton) - Birch
May 13 (NH Sheep & Wool) - Clapotis and Salina
June 16 (roommate's birthday, so it would be nice if his Christmas present were done) - Campus Scarf
August 5 (family reunion) - Baby Aran
October 14 (Rhinebeck) - Rogue

I've been averaging three finishes a month of late, so that's all totally doable, even with my usual lack of focus. Well, April and May look a little cramped, but... we'll see. The main challenge will be convincing myself to knit anything but Clapotis. It's rather addictive. But today I left it at home and so I have high hopes of getting well into the third ball of yarn for Dave's Scarf at class tonight.

In other news, we're on Harlot Watch around here. The book is on the truck. On its way to my store. The shipment should get there this afternoon; they may or may not have time to unpack it. (I may or may not go unpack it for them after class.) Erica is supposed to call me with any news, but I'll be driving more or less by the store on the way to class (around 3:30) and on the way back (around 10:30). So. Unless Erica calls and tells me not to, I'll stop on the way down this afternoon - heck, I wouldn't mind a latte for the car anyway - and if there's no sighting by then I'll go back after class. And if for some reason that shipment doesn't make it there today, I'll go back after work tomorrow. Because, you know, what better to do on my night off than go to work? (Don't answer that.)

So many books...

(Note: The books I'm going to talk about in this post are all linked in the left sidebar, so I'm not figuring out links again. Look over there if you want more info on any of them.)

After putting up my current reading list yesterday, I started feeling like some sort of explanation was in order. Yeah. Eight books. A lot. Chris asked whether working at the bookstore was responsible for my literary polyamory. I'd love to blame it on that, but alas, I can't. Being around so many books all the time may contribute to the issue, but honestly, I've always been like this. If you've noticed, I'm not exactly good at sticking to one knitting project either. (For the record, this tendency does not carry over into my romantic life. Just saying.) Anyway, it's probably a combination of issues of convenience, lack of focus, and being too darn interested in everything.

To explain how this works, I'm going to give you a little summary of when/why/how I'm reading the eight books in the sidebar. Bad Kitty is on loan from the store, so it's sort of my "main" book, but since it has to stay in perfect condition it stays home. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax is a small, thin paperback, so it's the one I bring for riding the T to and from class. A friend at the store left The Willow Tree in my mailbox there for me to borrow, so I started it on my lunch break that night but haven't done much with it since because I've been trying to finish all these other things. I started rereading Pride and Prejudice after watching the movie. The Ice Storm and Boys Like Us belong to my roommate; The Ice Storm is my lunch break at the office book, and I've been reading Boys Like Us veeeery slowly for months - it's essays, so I tend to pick it up when I want to start and finish something quickly. I read an excerpt of Reading Lolita in Tehran for class and am slowly making my way through the rest of it. And The Birth of the Modern was my vacation book, but I haven't read much of it since. So. There we are.

As I said, though, eight is a bit much, even for me. I'm hoping to finish up a few of them soon so I can have more completed books for March than I did for February. We'll see.

On another note, I found the third ball of yarn for Dave's Scarf this morning, finally. Now, I can't say I wasn't a tad bit disappointed - I was starting to wonder whether I had actually bought three balls, and almost convincing myself that I only had two and therefore was much closer to done than I thought I was. Ah well. I'm meeting friends for drinks in Boston tomorrow night, and going to the aforementioned music thing in Marlborough on Sunday, so that will be a fair amount of mindless knitting time. I'll be heading to The Woolery on Saturday to either exchange the incorrect Jo Sharp yarn or get more of it so I can actually do something with it, and I think I need to pick up some Douceur et Soie as well - I want to make a coordinating Dayflower Scarf and Silk Sleeves from One Skein. (The CUPCAKES. Have you seen the cupcakes?)

Once I, you know, finish something.

Books and TV and blogs, oh my!

I was all conflicted this morning: do I post about Black. White. or do I do a book meme? Decisions! Luckily, Cate made the decision for me by starting a new group blog: Reality TV Sociology. Come read or blog along with us if you're so inclined.

So the book meme! This is from Carole, even though she forgot me in the librarian list. ;-)

Meme instructions: Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you've read, italicize the ones you might read, cross out the ones you won't, underline the ones on your book shelf, and place parentheses around the ones you've never even heard of.

The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J. K. Rowling
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story - George Orwell
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
1984 - George Orwell
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J. K. Rowling
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C. S. Lewis
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Atonement - Ian McEwan
The Shadow Of The Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Dune - Frank Herbert

Hmm. There are some that might be on my bookshelf but I don't remember that they're there. (Someday I will complete my inventory...) Or that I've borrowed. Yeah. The Atwood is on my night table, actually, now that I think about it, but it's not mine so I didn't count it.

Also, apparently I do not decide that I won't read books. I mean, I'd read pretty much anything if you put it in front of me. (Vickie, this means you.) Also, yes, I've heard of all of them. Lit degree + enough time as a bookseller will do that.

Oh, and I forgot to tag people. How about Erica and Rachel and Kristen? (Sorry if any of you have already done it.)

February Reads

Okay, apparently February was a bad month for reading. Chalk it up to my trip, Olympic knitting, and classwork. Anyway.

(Explanation of the ratings)

7. The Cat Who Dropped A Bombshell by Lilian Jackson Braun
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 3
Comments: I've been reading this series since middle school, so it's sort of like visiting old friends and I enjoyed it for its familiarity and coziness. That said, honestly, it wasn't very good. There was barely a mystery at all, and the quality of these books has definitely gone downhill. Ah well.

8. The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 3.8
Comments: This was a standard "group of teen friends" book with a twist: when one of the three girls is away at a summer academic program, the other two begin a relationship with each other. It was a good read, although it dragged in places. I really liked the way this ended on a helpful note but didn't tie everything together too neatly.

Oh hey, it's Wednesday!

I finally went to work today, after being out sick, so it felt like Monday, so I'm totally confused. Anyway, it's Wednesday, so that means randomness!

1. FIRST of all, do you like the new layout? It's March 1 (Happy March!) so I decided something bright and springlike was in order. It's a very slightly tweaked version of a template that the lovely and generous Becky made for us Pretty Posies members. Let me know if anything seems to be working incorrectly.

2. Based on the comments I got yesterday and what I've seen at other blogs, I think Post-Olympic Startitis should be declared an official disease. I've managed to stick to my ten, though. Aren't you proud of me? (Birch was added to the ten when I finished the Olympic socks. The first ten were in basically random order, but I'll be adding new items to the bottom as I finish things.)

3. I decided to add my LibraryThing widget to the sidebar even though only a fraction of my books have been entered so far. (All the cool kids are doing it.) I'm going to try to add a few each day.

4. I was on Morning Edition on NHPR yesterday, talking about the Knitting Olympics. Want to hear me?

5. It has been brought to my attention (thanks Chris!) that an all-cotton sweater, as I was discussing last entry, might not work so well. So that project is on the back burner for the moment, and I'm open to yarn suggestions for a DK cotton blend.

6. I am SO ready for spring. So why is it in the twenties out? Not fair.

7. I'm still sick. Sleeping plenty but exhausted all the time. What's with this?

8. Okay, enough complaining. Let's end with something positive. Umm... oh yeah! Have you seen The Daily Kitten? Say it with me... Awwwwww.

January Reads

Since I have a goal of 100 books this year, I'm going to start numbering them in the monthly lists.

(Explanation of the ratings)

1.
Genre: Women's studies
Rating: 3
Comments: Dowd had some interesting points and anecdotes, as well as some infuriating ones, but overall - well, I couldn't even figure out what point she was trying to make, never mind whether I agreed with it. It might have been Maureed Dowd Hates Everyone and Everything, or it might have been her answer to nosy relatives asking why she's not married, or it might have been all about Hillary Clinton. I just don't know. It would have worked better as a book of essays, I think. There wasn't the cohesion necessary to sustain a narrative.

2.
Genre: Mystery, chick lit
Rating: 4
Comments: The first in Meg Cabot's new mystery series for adults. Fun! Cabot's signature style and tone is great as always, both the main character and potential romantic interest were very likeable, and, to be honest, the mystery itself was pretty good for a primarily non-mystery writer. I did figure it out before the end, but not too much before. And the song lyrics were hilarious. A little suspension of disbelief is necessary, but I am eagerly anticipating more of this series.

3.
Genre: Young adult fantasy(ish)
Rating: 4.8
Comments: Oh my GOODNESS did I love this book. Arthurian legend, smart main character, wonderful romantic interest, medievalist in-jokes... I mean, what else would you need? My favorite of Meg Cabot's books so far, and that's saying a lot - but then, I'm a sucker for all things Arthurian. (Except that horrid Merlin movie I watched last night. Helena Bonham Carter, what were you thinking?) If you find it at all amusing that a girl named Ellie floats around on a pool raft all summer, go read this book NOW.

4.
Genre: Young adult chick lit
Rating: 4
Comments: I'd been meaning to read this series for a while, and finally got to the first one. It's British and snarky, basically Bridget Jones for young teens. The British slang was fun, although the main character's writing style (the book is in diary format) was occasionally a bit too cutesy. The plot isn't terribly memorable, but it's hilarious. I really did laugh out loud. A lot. And I'm planning to read the rest of the series soon, in order to continue laughing.

5.
Genre: Young adult
Rating: 4
Comments: Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite young adult writers, and I have now read all six of her books published thus far. I didn't like this one quite as much as some of her others, especially This Lullaby and Keeping the Moon - it was more of a "problem novel" and the supporting characters, especially the romantic interest and the parents, were less complex. That said, it was still very good, and I'd recommend it. Can't wait for her new one, Just Listen, coming out this spring.

6.
Genre: History, science
Rating: 4
Comments: Very interesting but a bit hard to get through. This was the second time I'd tried to read this book - I gave up about 150 pages in last time. I'm glad I persevered. The various information that Diamond gives about cultures around the world and their development is fascinating, but the narrative seemed to get a bit redundant - he had me sold on his main point by chapter two or so, so toward the end I was feeling a bit "Yeah, okay, I get it already." I will definitely be looking for more information on some of the issues he deals with, and I'm going to give his more recent book, Collapse, a try as well.

A Bloggers' (Silent) Poetry Reading

This midwinter poetry celebration is the brainchild of Grace's Poppies. This is probably my favorite winter poem, and it seems particularly apropos these days when I leave the house by eight and don't get home until midnight:

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

It's Robert Frost, of course, via the Favorite Poem Project.

December Reads

I know, I know. Better late than never, right?

(Explanation of the ratings)

Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality by Andrew Sullivan
Genre: Politics
Rating: 3.5
Comments: My roommate handed this to me with the words "This explains why all of the political arguments about it are wrong." And yup, it does. Very interesting, although a bit frustrating: a few times I wanted to ask Sullivan if there was anything he liked, or if he just disliked everything. Other than that, though, it provided a lot of context in a readable way, and convinced me that I need to learn more about Foucoult. Also check out Sullivan's blog.

So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading by Sara Nelson
Genre: Books about books
Rating: 5
Comments: This was a reread, or rather, a rereread, at least. I don't remember exactly how many times I've read it. I love this book. Obviously. Nelson, then book editor at Glamour and now editor of PW, tracks her reading and how it intersects with her life over the course of a year. She's on my "Can I be her when I grow up?" list for sure.

The Object of My Affection by Stephen McCauley
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Rating: 3.5
Comments: Honestly, I'm not sure what I thought of this. I really enjoyed the writing. And I wanted to shake the main characters because they were being so stupid. But it's worth a read, especially if you like the movie.

KnitLit the Third: We Spin More Yarns by lots of people
Genre: Knitting
Rating: 3
Comments: A fun read for any readers who have missed it so far. The quality is uneven, and I found myself getting bored/distracted a few times when I tried to read too much of it at once. I think it does best in small chunks. But there's some great stuff in there.

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
Genre: Juvenile mystery
Rating: 4
Comments: Fun! I loved this one. The characters were great and the plot was definitely a page-turner. And I'm a sucker for anything involving, you know, clues hidden in artwork or anything. The only thing that bugged me was there were important letters written in code, and I was trying to finish the book so I could go to bed, and decoding the code was slowing me down. But really, not a big deal.

Shadowland (The Mediator, Book 1) by Meg Cabot
Genre: Young adult fantasy
Rating: 4
Comments: I love Meg Cabot. She is also on my "Can I be her when I grow up?" list. One of the reasons I like her is that she writes in various genres - and it all works - but she doesn't lose her distinctive voice. This one was the first of a series about a teenage girl who sees ghosts and has to deal with them in various ways. Not necessarily my choice of subject matter, generally, but oh so fun. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

To whom it may concern:

Dear knitting,
Thank you for being reasonably cooperative thus far. Might I suggest that we step up the pace a bit?
Sincerely,
the knitter

Dear stupid coworkers in the neighboring department,
I don't think the word "gay" means what you seem to think it means. You might want to look it up before you yell something like "You all must think we sound really gay" over the row of cubes again, because at least two of us over here are about ready to throw big cans of soup at you.
Just a thought,
Kate
P.S. Boss, that goes for you too. Also? Stop with the jokes about women. Thanks.

Dear Chris Botti,
"Hallelujah" (yeah, the Leonard Cohen one) is not a Christmas song. Just no. I don't care if it has the same name as the Handel chorus. No. Have you heard the words? I know you don't sing them in your version, but please tell me you at least know what the song is about. Your muzak version really has no reason to exist, especially not on a Christmas album.
No love,
Jeff Buckley fan

Dear customers,
I know you for some reason think the online reserve thing saves you time, but it really doesn't. And here's a little secret: it just makes us really, really annoyed with you, although I do understand that it's not your fault that the system's so screwed up. But please. Call and ask us to hold your book. It works just as well, if not better. I promise.
Love,
The girl with the pager

Dear out-of-it teacher lady,
30% of $30 is not $10. It is $9. I promise. I'm not sure how many different ways I can explain this to you. You're a teacher. Aren't you supposed to understand things like that?
Frustratedly,
Your cashier
P.S. I was nice. Next time find your darn educator's discount card. Preferably before you get up to the register and start holding up the line.

Dear reading public,
No, The Da Vinci Code is not out in paperback. Neither is virtually any book published in hardcover in the past year. That's just not the way it works, and I promise, it's not my fault. It is also not my fault that you didn't decide until December 19 that you need to order an obscure book for brother-in-law. I can't magically make it appear. I know that you are probably angry at yourself and just taking it out on me. The holidays are stressful. I know. Please try to remember that it's stressful for me too.
Let's all smile and try to get through the next few days.
Your friendly neighborhood bookseller

Dear salespeople,
I know this may come as a shock, but when you send a request to my department that includes direct insults to my department, that does not make me feel especially inclined to hurry up and get it done for you right away. Just in case that hadn't occurred to you.
No love,
The data corrections girl

Dear Mr. Ledger,
Well done. Couldn't you have played both roles?
Much love,
Kate
P.S. Casanova looks cute too, if a bit historically debatable.

Dear readers,
Thank you to anyone who waded through all that. Something coherent (like a review of Brokeback Mountain) will be coming one of these days, but, honestly, it might not be until after Christmas. I will try to at least get some Christmas knitting pictures up soon.
Much love,
Kat

November Reads

Sorry this is a few days late. Things have been crazy, and I've been either happy but too busy to write or sad and therefore not feeling like it. Anyway. The mini-reviews might be even more mini this time, but it's something, at least. Again, five books for the month, which is not that bad, I guess, considering that I also worked two jobs, went to class, wrote a novel, and knit Christmas presents.