The Good Earth

Wang Lung works to give his family a better life. He has a love of the land that his sons never grasp. Did the better life he created also create a distance between the sons and their heritage? Was that the nature of family life in China?

Pearl S. Buck grew up in China. Her parents were missionaries, who only returned to America to have her. When she was three months old, they returned to China. Buck then only left China to go to university. She was forced to permanently leave in 1933 because of war. A short biography of her life can be read on Wikipedia. There is also more information about her and the foundation she started at the foundation’s website.

I did not expect to be so thoroughly engrossed in The Good Earth. It was fantastic! I connected with these characters more than I expected. Their world is so different from the one I inhabit. Their emotions feel so real; it is that deep emotional connection that pulls you into the story.

Buck's life was deeply connected to China, its people and culture. She writes about the farmer, Wang Lung with a true realism. She even says that she writes about China because that’s all she knows. The Good Earth really reflects that. The story reads as though it was someone close to Wang Lung who wrote it.

One of the first things that struck me on a personal level was the treatment of women in Chinese society in the early 20th century. When a girl child is born, it’s called a “slave”. The child is raised essentially to leave the family and be some man’s wife. Once they are married, there is likely no more contact with parents or siblings. Boys are what they hope and pray for. Boys carry the family forward and take care of aging parents. O-Lan is a slave Wang Lung’s father buys to be his son’s wife. She is not pretty, but she is strong. Though for a time he forgets, Wang Lung knows that he would not be where he is in life without the quiet O-Lan. Wang Lung is good to the women in his life, though within the confines of the society he is born into.

The Good Earth is set during pre-revolutionary China, though there is always some far off war happening. By the end of the novel, the edges of war has come through Wang Lung’s home. War is ever growing closer. It makes me wonder what will happen to the life that Wang Lung has created for his family. His sons also smile behind his back. It makes me wonder what they will do to the legacy as well.

Something I learned, as I read a bit about Pearl S. Buck was that The Good Earth is part of a trilogy. Though I had often heard of this book, I’d never heard of its sequels. Sons is the second book and A House Divided is the third. As much as I want to know what happens to Wang Lung’s family, I’m hesitant to read these two books. It’s difficult to even find them.

One thing I do know, The Good Earth is worth reading. It might be one of those rare books I read twice. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope everyone who reads it loves it as much as I do.

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books. This is my second time participating and I can’t wait to see what new blogs I’ll discover this week.

In answer to this week’s question, I do like listening to music while I read. It doesn’t usually matter what. Just whatever mp3’s are on my computer or whatever the radio is playing is fine with me. I don’t like the quiet, I actually find it distracting.

If you’re hopping by, leave a message below and I’ll come by to say, Hi!

Word of the Week!

I only have one entry this week. I’ve had a pretty busy week. There’s been a lot of family time (my daughter is growing up so fast!), a lot of visiting and getting things done around the house. I’ve still been reading, but not a lot of new words have come my way. I chose this one, because, while in context I knew what it meant, if I had to give a definition, I don’t think I’d be able to.

This week’s only entry is from Stephen King’s Under The Dome.

Shambled: The past tense of shamble. To walk in while shuffling or dragging the feet. To walk slowly and awkwardly, without lifting your feet correctly. The definitions are from Wiktionary and the Cambridge Dictionary. Junior Rennie is shambling his way home after doing something rather bad. He’s so self-involved, he doesn’t even know the Dome exists yet.

Anne Rice Quits Christianity

She keeps going back and forth, doesn't she? Maybe this means we'll get more vampire books!
Anne Rice Quits Christianity

Word of the Week!

This week, we have an interesting word from what I thought would be an unlikely source. The other words are dual sourced. They’re from a book I read a long time ago and just re-discovered the words as I was reading another’s book blog.

The first is from the blog Stargazing written by Malene Arpe, a columnist at the Toronto star.

Ameliorate: To make a bad or unpleasant situation better. Malene used it in the past tense. She ameliorated a situation. The original post can be found here. The definition is found here.

The next three were re-discovered while reading Teadevotee’s blog at amused, bemused and confused. She was posting after having just read Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre was such a fantastic story, something I could never forget, but apparently these three words have slipped my mind.

Blent: An archaic or literary term. A past tense or past participle for blend. Definition can be found here. [Side note: Google tried to suggest “blunt” as an alternative.]

Cachination: Raucous laughter. Can also be used to describe inappropriate laughter, sometimes found in schizophrenia. Even though I don’t remember it, I’m pretty sure Charlotte Brontë was using that to describe the wife. Definition can be found here.

Moiety: A half. One of two parts of divisions of something. Definition can be found here.

Which word do I like the most? Which will actually make it into my usage? Well, I can see myself accidentally saying “blent” instead of “blend” and no one really noticing anyway. Maybe I’ll do it on purpose, just to test the theory. Maybe that will ameliorate any tense situation I could find myself in.

Book Blogger Hop

This is my first time participating in the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Crazy for Books. It’s a great way to discover new book blogs and new book people. I ready a little of everything. I just enjoy books.

In answer to this weeks question, I’m currently reading The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. It’s amazing! I’m about 200 pages in. I’m having a hard time putting it down. I’m mad at the main character, but in that good way where I can’t wait to see what happens next. What does the future hold for Wang Lung and his family.

These are blogs I’ve visited through the Hop this week:

The Lost Entwife
http://thelostentwife.net/

Love To Read For Fun
http://www.lovetoreadforfun.com/2010/07/book-blogger-hop-and-follow-friday.html?zx=779d7a7bc4d4af1

Teadevotee
http://teadevotee.com/

One Book At A Time
http://onebooktime.blogspot.com/2010/07/book-blogger-hop-and-follow-my-book_23.html

If you’re stopping by because of the hop, leave a comment below and I’ll talk to you soon.

Word of the Week!

I am starting a feature on my blog. I’ve decided to highlight any news word that I’ve discovered in the previous week and share them. They will include regional terms, colloquialisms and in the case of this week, food. They will hopefully be fun and interesting. What is the best of the new words of the week? We’ll have to look at each one and find out.

The following three are all from Ali Smith’s Girl meets boy

Borhani: A specialty Bangladeshi drink. It is served during celebrations and is most often paired with Biryani. Recipes for Borhani can be found here:
http://khauwardol.blogspot.com/2008/08/borhani-for-your-biryani.html
http://khanapinaa.com/rapidrecipe/borhani.html.html

Epithalamioned: Epithalamion (or Epithalamium) is a form of poem specifically written to a bride. It is made into a verb by Anthea on her wedding day.
Wikipedia gives a detailed explanation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epithalamium

Shavey: So I actually couldn’t find the meaning of this word. The term kept popping up in the novel. Anthea keeps referring to her coworkers as ‘shavey’. What does it mean? If anyone knows, could you tell me? Speculation: does it mean clean-shaven, cookie-cutter worker? That’s my best guess.

From Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth

Gourmand: Describes a person who takes pleasure in food. It is different from gourmet, which denotes a person of refined palate. A gourmand just likes to eat.
Wikipedia gives a brief history of the word.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gourmand

Which word do I like the best? Well, I’ll eliminate shavey right now, since I don’t even know if I’m pronouncing it right. All the other words are interesting. I’m tempted to actually try and make Borhani with some Biryani. Of the three, the one I think I might actually use in real life is gourmand. For example, “Look at all the gourmands at the Mandarin tonight.” Or, “Jason is a real gourmand. He’s totally enjoying those wings.”

Hope you’ve enjoyed! If you’ve learned any new words this week, please share them.

BP Themed Board Game

Have you seen this?  Check out the article.  http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/07/06/4621357-bp-board-game-foreshadows-gulf-disaster?Gt1=43001
It's a BP themed boardgame about an oil spill!

Girl meets boy

Girl meets boy is another installment in the Canongate Myth Series. In 2007, Britain’s The Independent named Girl meets boy one of the best books of the year. The characters not only discuss the nature of myth, but they also take on gender equality, gender identity and capitalism. Ali Smith deals with these themes in a mature, intelligent manner. When I picked up the book, I was excited to read it.

I almost didn’t finish it. The first 49 pages were so frustrating, I almost shelved the book and moved on to something else. Being only 160 pages, I pushed myself to the end. I’m glad I did. I finished with a feeling of accomplishment. What I didn’t finish with is that feeling of satisfaction I often get when completing a novel, or that feeling of wonder, or the feeling of the story staying with you once it’s done. I don’t even know if I’ll remember what this book was about in a year.

I found Girl meets boy difficult to follow. There were no quotation marks anywhere. I’ve read other novels that did not include this particular piece of punctuation (for example: Michael Ondaatje). I’ve read books that didn’t conform to accepted styles and enjoyed them. These novels were at least structured so that I could follow along. I found conversations a jumble and I had to re-read passages in the first section more than once, just to make sure I had it right. When the story moved from the first sister to the other, it became much easier to follow and a bit more interesting. I can understand how other readers would enjoy this book and I did like parts of it. It’s just not something I would recommend.

The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner

Stephenie Meyer’s The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner was a quick, fun story, like the rest of the Twilight series. Is Bree Tanner fluff? Yes. It’s a piece of young adult fiction that a Twilight fan can read and enjoy. The story will become part of that landscape. It’s easy to enjoy, then put away and move on the next story… or re-read the end of Eclipse to compare the two stories.

I liked that Stephenie Meyer expanded on the world of Twilight without making the story about Bella and Edward. It had a behind-the-scenes sort of feel. Meyer created a likeable character, who may have killed many humans, still had the power within her to learn and change. Too bad she never got the opportunity. In a group of twenty blood-thirsty killers, three were different, Bree being one of them. Being different isn’t what gets Bree killed, it is perhaps, not seeing that she is different sooner. It’s a world she doesn’t understand and that she was forced into.

One thing that I didn’t like had to do with structure. There were no breaks. I know it’s a novella, not a novel, so it doesn’t “require” chapters. However, an asterisk or an extra space between paragraphs would have been helpful. Everything is happening from Bree’s perspective, but a break between her thoughts would give the reader a nice place to take a break themselves.

… I wonder when Fred is going to show up again…

Is The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner a groundbreaking piece of fiction? No. But it is a good story for the fans of Twilight and Vampire Young Adult fiction.

Wonder Woman, 69, Has Style and Mythos Makeover - NYTimes.com

I'm very much in favour if superheros wearing pants. Check out Wonder Woman's new look at the New York Times.

Wonder Woman, 69, Has Style and Mythos Makeover - NYTimes.com

Another’s Review of Waiting for Godot

I read Waiting for Godot while in University. It was fantastic! I can’t express how much I loved this play and the discussion in class that followed. As part of the class, a few students preformed a scene. I also had the pleasure of watching a video of the whole play. Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is an excellent example of the Theatre of the Absurd. Read a great review by John Mutford atThe Book Mine Set.

http://bookmineset.blogspot.com/2010/06/readers-diary-624-samuel-beckett.html

Buffy The Vampire Slayer And Philosophy: Fear And Trembling in Sunnydale

I’ve been slowly moving through a Philosophy and Pop Culture series from Open Court Publishing. The series of books take different pop culture phenomenon and apply philosophical thoughts to it. You can find books on The Simpsons, Harry Potter, Transformers and many more. Some choices, like The Matrix I can understand its philosophical aspects. Others, like iPod, I don’t. Either way, I can definitely see myself reading many more of these books.

I really enjoyed Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Philosophy. I was a pretty big fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer throughout high school and university. Since I’m also a fan of philosophy, when I saw the two combined, I couldn’t resist. BtVS and Philosophy was an interesting read. The various philosophers applied the philosophical thoughts of Plato, Aristotle and Kant to Buffy and her life. They discussed Morality, Ethics and Religion. Some of it was brilliant, some of it was far-fetched.

One thing that put me off the book a few times was the repetition. Almost all of the authors thought it necessary to discuss season 4 and “The Initiative”. “The Initiative” was a government run elite group of soldiers trained to fight demons. These young men weren’t like Buffy and her mystery solving friends. In contrast, they were the follow orders, shoot first types. I can see why this season would be so appealing to discuss when dealing with issues like Morality and Ethics. After a while though, I had to take a break from the book when I felt like “The Initiative” was all anyone could talk about.

Once I got to the last section of the book, my enjoyment of it returned. The last three essays were fantastic. I couldn’t wait to discover what these authors had to say. The choice of the final essay was interesting. I felt like it was inflammatory to those who read the entire collection of Buffy essays and appreciated them. It ran opposite to what pretty much all of the other authors were saying. It was almost like it was trying to undo everything. I enjoyed that I could hate it. Of the entire collection, I really enjoyed the first few essays and the final few. It was the repetition of the middle that became frustrating. Of course, because this is a collection, you don’t have to read all of them or read them in order. Skip the ones you don’t like and move on the exciting ones.

Hardcovers Versus Paperbacks

Which do you prefer?

The Book Mine Set: The Great Wednesday Compare #6- Hardcovers VERSUS Paperbacks

Something Random - Unicorns and White Meat

Some people are so ridiculous. It's a joke. Unicorns don't exist and if by some miracle they did, I don't think anyone would eat one. Check out the link below.

Stargazing blog by Malene Arpe

Android Karenina

I’m not sure where to begin with Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters’ Android Karenina. Forty pages from the end, there was a big twist and I thought I knew what I was going to say, where the rest of the story was going and how it would all end. That twist was just the beginning. I don’t want to give away the ending. The whole story comes together, unravels and come together again in these final pages. I want to say so much, but it wouldn’t be fair to everyone who hasn’t read it.

I do think everyone should read it. Unlike its Quick Classics predecessors, I haven’t read Anna Karenina. I decided that this time I would follow my own advice. I read first, to see if it would spark my interest in reading the Tolstoy original. It definitely has; it’s on my bookshelf waiting. I enjoyed Android Karenina. I think Winters did a great job of melding the past with robots, aliens and mad scientists. The story has a “what if” feel. “What if” this Miracle Metal, groznium was discovered? Is this what Russia in the 19th century would have been like? It takes the Industrial Revolution to a whole new level.

I also think Winters is an Isaac Asimov fan. Early on in the story, the characters talk about the “Iron Laws” which govern the behaviour of robots. Princess Betsy even puts them to a horrible test (in this scene you can see Anna leaning more towards robots than humans). About halfway through the novel, the characters finally bring up “Osimov”, a machine theorist, whose ideas brought about the Iron Laws. I found myself thinking of I, Robot occasionally.

For me, it’s Levin who is the hero. He begins as a shy man, turned down by the woman he loves. He grows, marries that woman and turns into a leader. His ideas and strength are a force upon this story. I know Anna and Vronsky are supposed to be the couple at the centre of everything, but Levin and Kitty steal their spotlight. Anna is a tool and Vronsky is selfish. Levin is the man, who in the end has everything, Vronsky has nothing. If you look closely, it’s even Levin who has Android Karenina. Not Vronsky, not even really Anna. I come out of the novel really disliking Vronsky, though I wonder, what is wrong with his tooth? If you like Russian literature or robots or both, you should pick up Android Karenina and find out what happens to these four characters.

Check out Android Karenina at Quirk Classics.  They have a sample chapter up.  Comment on the chapter, blog posts and let them know you read about the book here.

The Great Wednesday Compare #5- George Eliot Versus Robertson Davies

I'm having a difficult time deciding.  Who do you like better, George Eliot or Roberston Davies?

http://bookmineset.blogspot.com/2010/06/great-wednesday-compare-5-george-eliot.html

Empty Joys

I decided to dive back into the world of fantasy through my short story this week. Empty Joys is by one of my favourite fantasy writers, R. A. Salvatore. As you may have previously read on my blog, Salvatore has created one of the most famous characters in Forgotten Realms and potentially in the fantasy genre. Empty Joys, however, is not about Drizzt, though I miss him and hope to see him soon.

Empty Joys is the last story in the Forgotten Realms collection The Best Of The Realms: Book 1. It tells the story of one small adventure had by two former enemies of Drizzt Do’Urden, Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri. Jarlaxle and Entreri are on the road, though they have no destination. Once villains, the reader finds the pair saving innocents from a band of merciless highwaymen.

The story is a stopover or a peek, into the happenings betweens books. It’s a quick punch of adventure, fast-paced and exciting. In its thirty pages, the story gives the reader insight into the main characters. It functions as a short story more than I thought it would. It still felt like part of a larger story, especially with Jarlaxle secretly meeting with his Underdark lieutenant. Empty Joys [thankfully] doesn’t read as a misplaced chapter of a novel, it makes you eager for more of the Forgotten Realms and these characters.


Thanks to John at The Book Mine Set for hosting Short Story Monday.

Robert Munsch's Admission

I just reviewed The Paper Bag Princess.  This doesn't change my opinion on it or any of this other books.  He's still a great writer.  I wonder why he came out with this now.  It's not like there was some scandel.  Was it because of his stroke?  Did he want to clear the air?  Is he trying to set an example?  It's okay to admit your mistakes?  I think he could have continued to go on with his career and no one would have ever known.

A NOTE TO PARENTS – The Official Website of Robert Munsch

The Paper Bag Princess

Since I had my daughter, it seems that I’m slowly re-reading stories I read as a child. The result wasn’t favourable in one instance. Since then, it has made me a bit weary. There’s no reason to be with The Paper Bag Princess. I loved it as a child. As an adult, whenever it came up, it still gave me a good feeling, though I couldn’t remember exactly what it was about.

Well, let me tell you… It is about a girl, Princess Elizabeth, who is brave, resourceful and intelligent. Robert Munsch did an incredible job in creating a princess who is not a “damsel in distress”. When Princess Elizabeth’s belongings are destroyed and her fiancé kidnapped, she finds something (a paper bag) to wear and goes to rescue him. She doesn’t fight the dragon with a sword and kill him. She uses her mind and tricks the dragon. She rescues the prince, but all he seems to care about is how she looks; he’s not even grateful for being rescued. Well, the princess decides he’s a bum (or a toad if you’re in England) and doesn’t marry him.

I think Robert Munsch sets a great example for young girls. The girl can be the hero. You don’t have to use violence to defeat the bad guy. Just because a guy is good looking, you might think he’s a prince, but he could actually be a terrible person and you don’t really want anything to do with him. These are messages which are often lost on young girls.

I hope I’m not gushing. I love this book. I have nothing bad to say. The story is wonderful. The illustrations are great. They’re signature; they let us recognize The Paper Bag Princess without words. Every parent should read this to their children, sons and daughters alike.

*A note on the edition:

I bought a couple copies of The Paper Bag Princess for the loot bags for my daughter’s first birthday party. The Paper Bag Princess along with a few other of Robert Munsch’s books are available in mini-editions (3.5x3.5 inches) from Chapters.Indigo for about $1.99. You can’t seem to order them online, but trust me, there are a bunch in the stores. You can order a few online at Amazon (for $1.99), but not The Paper Bag Princess, sadly. I just think they’re great for travel, so you always have a cute little story for your cute little baby.

DRM, e-books, and Fictionwise

Inkygirl is having a problem with Fictionwise's ebooks. They're a Barnes and Noble company. It's been going on for a month. When are they going to fix her problem? It makes me not want to buy ebooks.

DRM, e-books, and Fictionwise/B&N Removing Access To Books *I Have Already Paid For* Inkygirl: Daily Diversions For Writers

The Beggarwoman Of Locarno, by Heinrich von Kleist

The Beggarwoman of Locarno is a short story by Heinrich von Kleist. Kleist is more famously known for his stories Michael Kohlhaas and The Marquise of O–.  He was a German Romantic, first making a name for himself with his plays; he was also a poet and novelist.


The Beggarwoman of Locarno is surprisingly, a ghost story. I didn’t know it would be. It was a great little story about the punishment suffered if you don’t show charity to the poor. It was an easy read, which I did expect, having read The Marquise of O—. As I mentioned in a previous post, I don’t know if the likability of the writing style comes from the author or the translator. What I do know is that I enjoyed the story immensely. I hope, with this story, Kleist was able to teach a few rich men how to be nicer to the poor.

A copy of the text can be found here.

The post was written in conjunction with Short Story Monday hosted at The Book Mine Set.

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 was fantastic. My husband read in the Toronto Star that it only received 2.5/5 stars. So when we went to see it last night, I didn’t have very high expectations. Today, I check Rotten Tomatoes which has it “Certified Fresh” with 74%. That’s more like it.

If you like action movies with an underlying current of comedy, you’ll love Iron Man 2. It’s full of fantastic explosions and armoured fights. It’s also full of comedic exchanges between Robert Downey Jr. and his co-stars. The movie touches on Tony Stark’s self-indulgent, self-destructive tendencies, which I thought added a bit of realism to the movie. He drinks too much as is narcissistic and he thinks he can single-handedly save the world. The movie was funny and exciting. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I could go on about what I loved, but really, just go see it.

One more thing, there’s an extra scene after the credits. I think it’s a bit of marketing for the filmmakers, but it’s still interesting.

The Book Mine Set: The Great Wednesday Compare #5- George Eliot VERSUS Joseph Conrad

Vote for your favourite!

The Book Mine Set: The Great Wednesday Compare #5- George Eliot VERSUS Joseph Conrad

Check out: "Android Karenina Review Copies - Calling All Bloggers! | Quirk"

To any bloggers who also review books: Quirk is giving away free copies of Android Karenina.

Android Karenina Review Copies - Calling All Bloggers! Quirk

Confessions Of A Jane Austen Addict

By the second sentence of Laurie Viera Rigler’s Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, I was hooked. Rigler’s main character is Courtney Stone, a twenty-first century, working, independent, thirty-year-old woman, who is obsessed with Jane Austen. Courtney’s mind is somehow transported into the body of a woman named Jane Mansfield. Jane lives in the nineteenth century, in a year when only Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice have been published. These two novels become Courtney’s only connection to her former life as she is forced to live Jane’s life.


Rigler’s writing was inviting, a smooth combination of contemporary writing style and “Regency” language. One of the first things that struck me and was maintained throughout the novel, is the realistic portrayal of life in the 19th century. The first problem Courtney is faced with is having to pee, which, as far as I can remember, is never addressed in any book or film about that time. There’s the lack of hygiene (Courtney has to insist on bathing twice a week), farting in church and a woman’s “monthly courses” which means she is “indisposed” until it is over. Courtney even comments on how the era is romanticized. She is frustrated by how little freedom women have and how a woman of thirty is practically over the hill. I suppose I would be too if I found myself in that era. Courtney’s observances only add to the plot of the story.


Just like in an Austen novel, nothing is what it seems in Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. There are misunderstandings. Hidden meanings. There are circumstances that Courtney laughs at, though if it were Lizzy Bennet, she might be disgusted. There are terrible people who pretend to be friends. There are marriages of convenience, while there is also the search for love. Laurie Viera Rigler’s first novel has left me happy; wanting to know more, yet satisfied with the ending.

Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell

I’ve just finished Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.  It is 782 pages of dense, DENSE, DENSE writing and I think I am unsatisfied by the ending. My brain may explode. I kept expecting the ending to be more… romantic? Strange does all this work to free his wife, but doesn’t go to her immediately. Part of him seems to want them to be together, but another part rather be with Norrell.

[This might be an irrelevant question, but why don’t the Stranges have any children? They were married for many years, around ten, I think (though Mr. Strange spent three years in the war). What kind of birth control did they have back then? Just something I find curious.]

I liked the rest of the ending. All the important characters are dealt with. I think most get what they deserve. I felt pity appropriately and was quite happy with the outcome of some of the characters, like Childermass and Stephen Black. I do wonder what happened to Lady Pole though.

The pacing of the novel made it a bit difficult to get through. I found the beginning section that just focused on Norrell immensely slow. Once Strange was introduced however, it moved quickly. Once Strange got back from the war, I was having a difficult time again. Then, the final section, with the disappearance of Mrs. Strange, it was back to quick and exciting. I think I would have liked the story better, if it were either shorter or maintained the same quick pace throughout. I think part of what made it at times difficult is the “regency” style language it was written in, as if the author was a contemporary of Jane Austen or Charles Dickens.

In the end, I mostly enjoyed the novel. Would I recommend it? Absolutely, but I think you have to be a fan of two things. The first would be Austen or Dickens (or their contemporaries), because this isn’t the language of the twentieth or twenty-first centuries. The second, you have to enjoy a little fantasy. There are magic and fairies and people brought back from the dead. This isn’t Dungeons and Dragons fantasy, but the fantasy of a “lady” or “gentleman”.

why is he ...

At first, I thought this was a joke. But it's not. I tested it. It's so sad.

The original post can be found here:  Stargazing blog by Malene Arpe

...BUT if you type in "why is she" you get similar sad results.

The Giants In The Parkade

Does Franz Hohler’s The Giants In The Parkade count as a short story? It’s only six sentences! It was translated from the German by Jeff Kochan for the Winter 2009 issue of PRISM international. This is one time where I am sure the translation is accurate and couldn’t really affect the feeling of the story. I re-read the story a couple times (it being so short, it really wasn’t inconvenient.) Hohler packed a lot into six seemingly simple sentences. The giants had purpose and resolution. The reader could actually get a sense of who the giants were.

In the same issue of PRISM, there is another story of Hohler’s, The Creation. This story is a whopping eleven sentences. Somehow it felt more like a story than Giants In The Parkade. These two extremely short short stories got me to thinking, with stories this short, how many does he have to write to publish a collection? Or do they get mixed in with his novels and poetry? I wish that Wikipedia had more to say about him. His website is entirely in German, so I can’t find easy answers to these questions.

[This post was written in conjunction with Short Story Monday hosted by The Book Mine Set]

"Shakespeare may be dead, but he's still smarter than you"

From the Stargazing blog by Malene Arpe. Apparently, according to statistical analysis, Shakespeare knew six-times as many words as the average person. This is sure to make the Shakespeare lovers happy.

MOST AWESOMEST THING EVER

So, the MOST AWESOMEST THING EVER is a website that is searching for The Most Awesomest Thing. Ever. It's pretty funny. When you vote, the choices can be really odd. Sometimes both choices are terrible, but you still have to vote. It's a great tool for procrastinating.

The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home

Yesterday I finished The Long Road Home the second graphic novel added to Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. Even though the series of novels I complete (supposedly complete, I read that King has an idea for an eighth book) there are still stories to be told, question that want answers. The first graphic novel, The Gunslinger Born is a condensed version of part of the novel, Wizard and Glass. The Long Road Home continues that story. King’s novels don’t tell the reader how Roland got from Hambry back home to Gilead. There is much of Roland’s life left to tell.


With King as a creative editor, Robin Furth, Peter David, Jae Lee and Richard Isanove hope to give fans stories worth reading. The Long Road Home certainly was. I couldn’t put it down. I was excited to see the glimpse into Roland’s future and the revelations given by the Crimson King. This installment is full of energy, breathing new life into a series though to be over.

Telephone, by John Fuller

Telephone is a funny little story by English writer John Fuller. Fuller is Fellow Emeritus at Magdalen College, Oxford, which I had to look up. Emeritus means he’s retired. He writes primarily poetry, but also short stories and novels. After reading Telephone it makes me interested in reading more of his work. What I found most interesting about him was that he started a small press, the Sycamore Press, which he ran out of his garage. It was in operation from 1968 to 1992. He helped establish authors like W.H. Auden.

In Telephone, the unnamed narrator has made himself at home in a friend’s apartment. He is sitting on the sofa drinking a substantial vodka tonic. His friend Dickie, is away, so the narrator is alone. He is left to his own imagination. You get the feeling that more than his day was boring. The narrator seems to need more fun in his whole life. John Fuller gets a lot into just two pages; you get a sense of the character as a whole. I enjoyed every bit of this very short work.

Inglourious Basterds

Is Inglourious Basterds what would have happened if Quentin Tarintino was in charge of ending World War II? I finally got around to seeing Tarantino’s film this weekend. (It seems like I’m finally getting to see a lot of movies that came out just after my daughter was born.) Inglourious Basterds is a film I really enjoyed. I had fun watching it, though I fell like it’s one of those movies I’d have a difficult time sitting through again knowing what happens. It’s not that there is anything too upsetting or graphic. It’s more about knowing the result of the scene. Having seen it already, the mystery and anticipation is gone.

Brad Pitt was amazing. Lt. Raine was so different from other roles he has played. The entire cast was amazing. I loved Shoshanna. I really appreciated that we get to see past Private Zoller’s handsome front before the end. I did not expect to see Mike Myers either. It was a great surprise. Christoph Waltz tied the whole movie together. Tarantino’s style is all over his film, so you should appreciate his work, but this isn’t just for his fans, it’s for everyone who likes a good story.

The Book Mine Set: The Great Wednesday Compare #5- Margaret Wise Brown VERSUS Maurice Sendak

Two great children's authors go head-to-head. Who will win? I'm voting for Margaret Wise Brown, but Maurice Sendak is pretty amazing too.
The Book Mine Set: The Great Wednesday Compare #5- Margaret Wise Brown VERSUS Maurice Sendak

Avatar

So last week, my husband and I got a babysitter and finally made it out to see Avatar. It was a visually impressive movie. It had a great story. The actors were fantastic. The 3D was great. I really liked it. I didn’t think it was the best movie ever, but I’ll definitely be getting the Blu-Ray when it comes out. Maybe they’ll have it in 3D too.

Here is my problem. It has nothing really to do with the movie itself. It is the same problem I had when I went to see Watchmen just over a year ago. The movies themselves aren’t really anything alike, but when I’m watching a movie and there is a small child making sounds of unhappiness it is very distracting. You can read what happened last year at Watchmen in my previous post. At Avatar there was a five-year-old girl watching the movie, presumably with her parents and she didn’t seem very happy about it. Avatar isn’t a super violent movie, but a guy does get shot through the chest with a giant arrow in a very obvious way. There are battle scenes and people die. One year later I am asking again. PLEASE, do not take your children to movies that are going to scare them. I can speak from experience; your child will have nightmares. It also disturbs other people in the theatre. If your child starts to cry it should be obvious that they’re not enjoying themselves. It makes me so angry; it taints the movie for me.

The Book Mine Set: Thoughts on Canada Also Reads

The Book Mine Set: Thoughts on Canada Also Reads

Now I Lay Me

Now I Lay Me is the last story in Ernest Hemingway’s collection, Men Without Women. The collection is one of Hemingway’s earliest works and his second book of short stories. Hemingway was one of the most influential writers in American literature; some even see him as the ultimate American writer. Hemingway was not one for long, flowery passages describing a summer day or a cottage on a hill. He used quick exchanges and short sentences. Now I Lay Me is a great example of his ability to create forward momentum. Hemingway also wrote what he knew; this story deals with a shell shocked soldier from the Great War (aka World War I, when he published this story in 1925, there was no World War II.) Many have said that Hemingway wrote a fictionalized version of his own life, a “what if” idea. If you know anything about Hemingway’s experiences as a soldier and as someone who was involved in more that one war, you can see that reflected in his work. This story and the entire collection is a must for any Hemingway enthusiast or even a beginner wanting to ease into his work.

The Gum Thief

The Gum Thief was brilliant. Douglas Coupland has amazing skill at creating such great characters. Roger and Bethany feel like real people. Even the secondary characters have a reality about them. Doesn’t Kyle remind you of someone you dated? You can see DeeDee as someone’s mother. Roger and Bethany are not generic. They are individuals who are shaped by their circumstances.

It took place (mostly) in Staples! It’s one of the things that drew me to the novel. I worked at Staples a long time ago. I’m sure employees of the big box stores can relate to what Bethany and Roger say. Maybe everyone else will discover something. When a customer goes in, they don’t know that their sales associate is a budding novelist. No one knows who’s divorced, who has children or who has lost a loved one. Box store employees are anonymous. I think it was a wonderful idea to have a non-generic setting. Having such a specific location really makes you think about the people there.

I don’t think I have anything negative to say. I enjoyed the letter writing style. I thought Roger’s Glove Pond was strange and funny. I liked how “real life” events were making their way into the fictional novel. I even love to hate the person who gives Roger a C-. She hates all the things that make this novel wonderful. In case it’s not obvious, I loved The Gum Thief.

The Host

The Host is the “other” novel by Stephenie Meyer. It’s not about vampires and has nothing to do with werewolves. The Host is about life post-alien invasion. It was an invasion so quiet, humans didn’t realize it was happening. Once they did, it was too late. The Host doesn’t focus on the invasion itself, that’s the past. It deals the present and the future.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the novel. Friends had warned me that The Host wasn’t as good as Twilight. Maybe they spent too much time comparing the stories. They are different in content, as well as characters. I don’t think there is anyone like Uncle Jeb in Twilight. I don’t know if someone who really likes vampire fiction is going to like a story about aliens. Though, on her website, Stephenie Meyer says that The Host is science fiction for people who don’t like science fiction.

If you’ve read her other books, however, you can’t help but make a comparison. There is a love triangle, though it might be more of a square. There’s a family member that Wanderer, the main character, is concerned about. Meyer’s quick pace and eventful plot keeps you racing through the [over] 600 pages. The Host is more mature in its language, though it has been a while since I read her other books. I like Wanderer more than Meyer’s other heroine. Wanderer has a strength, determination and conviction that Bella lacked, though maybe the movies have coloured my view. Yes, she a lot of what she does is out of love, but she also thinks of the greater good. Wanderer has a great altruistic quality.

Would fans of Twilight like The Host? I certainly do. I suppose it depends on how diverse their tastes are in books. It’s being made into a movie, so I’m sure Meyer and the people producing the movie hope so. For those who have never read Meyer’s other novels, The Host is a great story about an alien’s quest among humans and human survival among the aliens who now inhabit the Earth.

Divisadero

I just finished Divisadero, the latest in fiction by Michael Ondaatje. Divisadero is a beautifully written novel. The language is fluid and emotional. Perhaps it is too emotional or sentimental, at least with the last third of the novel. The first part of the novel introduces the reader to Anna and her family in the 1970s and it takes us from their childhood, through their personal evolutions after the family is splintered. I spent the second part of the book longing to know what happens to Anna, Claire and Coop.

In the second section, Ondaatje takes us into the life of the author Anna is studying. The life of this author is connected to Anna’s current lover, who knew him as a boy. It’s an interesting story. The style changes here, the story seems to float along, moving away from the excitement and urgency evoked by the first section.

I feel as though Divisadero should have been two novels. They can remain connected, like In The Skin Of A Lion and The English Patient. There are definite parallels between the life of Anna and the life of the author she studies. There are fractured families, secret love affairs and solitude. The narration changes throughout the entire novel, but that’s easy enough to follow; each character has their own voice. It’s the two stories, yes connected, but not necessarily needing to be in the same book. I might have liked it better it the story came back to Anna, Claire and Coop in a more decisive way. Though I liked it, I find myself unsatisfied with the ending.

The Book Mine Set: The Great Wednesday Compare #5- Louisa May Alcott VERSUS Thomas Hardy

Vote for your favourite. I'm going with Thomas Hardy personally. Is it bad that I've never read Little Women?

The Book Mine Set: The Great Wednesday Compare #5- Louisa May Alcott VERSUS Thomas Hardy

Escape to Etobicoke

“Escape to Etobicoke” is a short story in the collection The Book of Ifs and Buts by Rabindranath Maharaj. I was drawn to this collection for a couple reasons. I liked the title. I liked the book cover. I liked the name of the author. After reading the little blurb about him on the back, I thought he was someone I could relate too. (Maharaj immigrated to Canada from Trinidad, just like my parents.) Therefore, I had to buy his book of short stories.

Like other stories in the collection, “Escape to Etobicoke” is about the issues immigrants face when moving to Canada. The main character, Robert, was journalist at a prominent Trinidadian newspaper. Now he tutors a boy in English. He tries to make his life work here. He talks about the relatives he stayed with, also immigrants, formerly teachers. Now they’re shift workers. He talks about their children, who are Canadian, who speak differently, act differently from their parents and what that does to their family. He faces difficulties trying to make this new life for himself and refuses to go back to Trinidad.

The story takes the form of a letter to a friend. I’m never sure with letters-as-short-stories. Is this really the way someone would write a letter? I don’t think so. Maharaj actually seems to address this issue. In the letter, the writer, referring to the language that he’s using, says that he’s not a poet. The reader remembers that he is a journalist and so then presumably has a way with words.

I like that the main character describes what he has come to learn as the difference between Americans and Canadians. I also like the way he describes the hardships faced by immigrants. He does this without being melodramatic or begging for sympathy. It’s a description of his experiences. You get the feeling that perhaps “Escape to Etobicoke” started as an actual letter that Maharaj wrote to someone back in Trinidad. I suppose there's a lot I like about this story and the collection it comes from.

The Book Mine Set: The Great Wednesday Compare #5- Louisa May Alcott VERSUS Sylvia Plath

The Book Mine Set: The Great Wednesday Compare #5- Louisa May Alcott VERSUS Sylvia Plath

The Helmet of Horror

I’m not even sure where to begin. I finished The Helmet of Horror a lot faster than I thought I would. It only took two days; I couldn’t put it down. I could have read it in one if I had the time. I’m thinking about it now, even considering re-reading it. There’s so much symbolism and philosophical thought I’m certain I missed. I’m never sure with translations, whether to attribute the readability to the author or translator, but the language was engaging and easy to follow. The concept however, is all Victor Pelevin.

The Helmet of Horror is a modern re-telling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. For those that don’t know, Theseus has to find his way out of a labyrinth while being pursued by a Minotaur. He uses a magic ball of string to find his way out and kills the Minotaur. There’s more to the myth that you can find here.

The novel is written entirely in dialogue, but without any of the characters actually speaking to each other. It takes place in an internet style chatroom. I say “internet style” because they actually aren’t on the internet; they can’t access anything with their computers except the chatroom. Their only interaction with anyone is through the computer screen; there are no voices or faces. They can’t share any personal information, not even their names. Each person is assigned a pseudonym, which they can’t change.

ASIDE: You can see what I mean with a preview from Google Books. I just discovered it as I was looking for an image of the front cover to add to this post. I tried a few other books out. It has previews for quite a few. I think I might use this in the future. I vaguely remember some kind of legal thing in the news about Google and publishers. Well, hopefully they’ve solved that problem.

There are mysterious moderators. There is a search for Theseus. Who is Asterisks? There is religion, philosophy and an incomprehensible Helmet of Horror. There is no proof than anyone the characters “speak” with is real.

Victor Pelevin’s The Helmet of Horror is a great addition to the Myth Series. Unlike the last Myth book I read, this one makes me eager to read another.

Rhyme Stew

Rhyme Stew is a great little book of satirical poetry by Roald Dahl. It was given to me with a few other books for my daughter. Like I do with other books, before reading this to my child, I read it for myself. I’m glad I did. The cover of Rhyme Stew has the recognizable Quentin Blake illustrations. On the side of the cauldron it says, “WARNING Unsuitable for Small People.” It really is. For example, the short poem, St Ives:

As I was going to St Ives
I met a man with seven wives
Said he, “I think it’s much more fun
Than getting stuck with only one.”

I thought it was hilarious, but would I read it (then have to explain it) to a small child? Not likely. This isn’t even the most inappropriate one. There’s nudity, a vicar feeling the thigh of a woman, cat kicking and thievery. This book should be rated at least PG-13. I was quite surprised by the content. Though I enjoyed it, I think it’ll be a while before I let my daughter read it.

The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

I’ve finally finished Stephen King’s Dark Tower series (not including the graphic novels). I think I read the first book, The Gunslinger when I was thirteen, maybe fourteen. Let’s just say that was a very long time ago. How do I feel now? I don’t know. Happy to know how it ends, definitely. I’m not sure what I think of the ending. To those who have read the book: The horn makes it different, right?

At the end of The Dark Tower (and most of the others in the series) King includes an “Author’s Note”. In it, he asks that readers not send him angry letters; he won’t answer them. I could have been happy if he had just ended after the “Prologue,” but no, he writes something that could make a lot of readers angry. Before what he titles “Coda,” King includes an appeal of sorts, telling the readers they have a choice, they don’t have to read this part. They can enjoy the end as it is. Does he really think people won’t read the last few pages of the book? At least it’s an ending with a little glimmer of hope.

The Dark Tower is a long book. The copy I have is 845 pages. As much as I like this novel, I have the same problem with it that I’ve had with the last three in the series. The beginning starts great, but then it hits a chunk of story that’s too much talking, too much explaining of things that I don’t think matter. Then, when you get to the second half, it moves quickly and the story picks up an amazing flow. I think I might have said this with the last book of his I read, the book could have easily been a hundred pages shorter. Does this ever stop me from reading his books? No. They are exciting stories that I enjoy.

A Haunted House

Inspired to read, A Haunted House by Nan’s review last week, I dove into my collection of Virginia Woolf’s short fiction for this week's installment of Short Story Monday. It wasn’t a very deep dive since A Haunted House isn’t even two full pages long. It is however, Woolf’s distinct “stream of consciousness” style. The reader moves along with both couples, living and dead, as they search and go about there day. I love the end. A Haunted House isn’t a scary ghost story. It’s sweet, with just a touch of creepy. It’s perfect for a Woolf lover or a Woolf beginner.