The Horse and His Boy

The Horse and His Boy is the fifth/third book in C.S. Lewis's, The Chronicles of Narnia.  It was a lot of fun, giving us a glimpse into the rule of King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund and Queen Lucy, though they aren't the central characters of this tale.  We also get to see what life is like in a couple of the countries around Narnia.  There was a lot of action in the book, which made it easy to read. I really like the scene where the girls were hiding behind the couch.  I thought the four main characters were fantastic.  Shasta/Cor, Aravis, Bree and Hwin were all well developed, going through personal changes and growing in this short children's novel.  This book was a lot of fun and I look forward to reading the last two books in the series.

That being said, I have two problems with The Horse and His Boy.  I'm going to attribute both these issues with the fact that Lewis was writing in a different era.

Why are the Calormen described as "dark-skinned"?  From the description of the country and the dress of the people, it seems based on the Arabian or Persian regions.  Lewis isn't the only British author of the period to make the villains a dark-skinned people.  I'm sure it's just a product of the times, but it still bothers me.  

The other issue I have is one I've mentioned before after reading other Narnia books.  It has to do with the inequality of the male and female Pevensie siblings.  Prince Corin says that Susan never rides to war, essentially because she’s a “lady”.  Then it is also stated that she is an excellent archer.  Is that to somehow make the previous statement okay?  Then Corin says that Queen Lucy is riding to war with King Edmund because she’s “as good as a man, or at least a boy.”  What does that even mean?  Is it just differentiating the characters of Lucy and Susan or is this saying that finding a woman who is as good as a man is a rare thing?  It’s one of the changes I liked about the movies of the other Narnia books.  They made the girls equal to the boys; they fight in battles and have equal say in what happens.

I understand why Lewis writes these things.  I don’t know that everyone even notices them when they read the Narnia books.  They are so minor compared to the overall story, that I would never discourage anyone from reading these books.  I’ll even let my children read the books one day, but I might either skip a few sentences, if I’m reading it to them, or explain to them that C.S. Lewis was writing in a different time.

I hate to end my comments on The Horse and His Boy on such a negative note.  It was a good book, filled with good stuff; it just also had a few troublesome sentences.  I thought it could be a stand-alone book; you don’t need to have read the other Narnia books to enjoy this one.  I liked Shasta running to Archenland.  I loved how Hwin grew to be stronger and more confident.  I liked how Bree and Aravis both learned more about themselves.  I liked the first time the boys meet.  I thought the end was lovely.  I loved Aslan.

Moral Disorder

I wasn't sure how I wanted to review this book.  Margaret Atwood's Moral Disorder is a collection of intertwined short stories.  How connected are these stories?  Did I want to comment on each story individually (as I like to do with short stories) or do I want to talk about the book as a whole?  I decided that I'd do a combination.  I have a few sentences for each story, then I'll comment on the book as a whole, which I have to say, I really enjoyed.  So here goes:

The Bad News

The Bad News is the first short story in Moral Disorder.  It is told from the perspective of an older woman.  She seems to be preoccupied with her end and the end of her husband. She repeats the phrase 'not yet'; the things that are coming for her are not yet there.  She is more concerned with her life than the deaths in the news. Aren’t we all? Is that the disorder of our morals?

The Art of Cooking and Serving

It is a story about being stuck and escaping.  The main character imagines a different future.  There is always a sadness when a child is force to grow up too early.

The Headless Horseman

The Headless Horseman examines siblings/sisterhood over the years. I found it very connected to second story.

My Last Duchess

Move on.  Do not be a dumb bunny.

The Other Place (vague spoiler)

I know who the girl is.  For some reason, I thought she might be the daughter of the old woman, but I'm coming to recognize her voice.  Her past isn't just in the lady; it's leaving clues to the future too.

Monopoly

Monopoly is the first story to feel unresolved and like a middle or explanatory chapter rather than a stand-alone story.  It was good though, because we learn more about Nell and how she came to be with Tig.  So, I appreciated the explanation, not that it felt like an “explanation,” just a chapter in a novel.

Moral Disorder

This was another story that also had a "middle chapter" feeling.  Maybe that's just what happens when you put together intertwined short stories.  If I read Moral Disorder or Monopoly alone, out of this context, perhaps my feelings would be different.

White Horse

White Horse gives you the feeling of a separate story again, which is nice.  We get a good look at Nell and Lizzie as people, their past, present and future.  It gives them more dimension.

Entities

Very quick, fast-paced read.  I liked that Lillie was the focus.  It gave Entities that short story feeling that some of the other stories were missing.

The Labrador Fiasco

The father is Nell’s right? No names are used, so you're left to assume. It gives you the feeling of the book coming to the end, which is appropriate since it's the second last story of the book. It’s very sad, but well crafted and home to some fantastic characters.

Boys at the Lab

On page 205 a comment was made that reminds me of Doctor Who, "bigger on the inside than it was on the outside.”  I kind of loved that line.  Was that done on purpose?  Does Margaret Atwood watch Doctor Who?  I hope someone reading this knows what I'm talking about.

Definitely had the feeling of conclusion. I assume that the daughter is Nell, but the main characters are not named. Boys at the Lab is possibly the best story in the entire collection. 

The Whole Book

Moral Disorder is a fantastic collection of Atwood tales. I did come away thinking that Moral Disorder is part novel, part short story collection. The stories are more than “intertwined” and exist as individual entities to varying degrees. Some definitely have just the feeling of being able to exist on their own. Other stories feel like chapters, though I think part of that feeling comes from the stories being put together in one volume.  Moral Disorder contains some interesting, unique characters. I can't believe I waited so long to read it.

The Hunger Games - Reread

I know I talk about this book often after reading it last year.  I decided to re-read The Hunger Games since the movie is about to be released and I knew it would only take me a couple days to get through the book.  It would have only taken me one if I didn't have the kiddies to look after.

Re-reading this book, I found that my emotions still ran high throughout.  In some cases more than before.  I dreaded having to read the scene with Katniss, Rue and the flowers.  I teared up a bit, but held it in.  (I think it’s the song.  It adds to the emotion of the scene.)  I knew what the final scene with Katniss and Peeta was going to be, but I still felt sorry for Katniss and Peeta. Also, a few things came to my attention that I didn’t really take in the first time around.

I read a review recently of The Hunger Games, though I’m sorry, I don’t remember whose blog it was.  In the review, the blogger complained that it wasn’t believable that Katniss and Gale would be the only ones in District 12 who would venture beyond the fence to hunt and forage in the woods.  After reading that in the review, I thought that was a good point.  However, upon reading the book again, right at the beginning on page 5, Katniss mentions “the few of us who hunt.”  Katniss and Gale do not make a few, so presumably, there are others, (Tiny Spoiler) we just don’t meet them in the first novel.  Then just a few lines later, on page 6, Katniss talks about apple picking in the orchard, making it seem like a larger amount of District 12 residents participate.  Though Katniss knows about other hunters, it is only Gale who she partners with.

(Bigger Spoilers)I’ve also read several reviews that have criticized the romance/love-triangle in the book.  I think the romance between Peeta and Katniss is a necessary part of the plot.  Without it, we wouldn’t get the star-crossed lovers double-suicide at the end.  It is the act that defies the Capitol and the most dangerous thing Katniss does in the entire Hunger Games.  Their “love” changes the Games and the Capitol can’t have that.I think that’s it for spoilers

Do I think the “romance” between Gale and Katniss is necessary?  No.  Not in the first book.  Katniss could just say at some point that she thinks of Gale as a brother or something and that could be it.  But this is still a Young Adult book and apparently has to have some kind of love triangle.  At least it’s not the boys fighting over the girl.  It’s about the girl understanding her own emotions and the person she’s become before she can resolve her feelings about the boys.

I loved reading The Hunger Games again.  Suzanne Collins managed to suck me back into Panem.  I’m resisting the urge to re-read the rest of the series.  I’m going to save Catching Fire and Mockingjay for when the other movies come out.  I’m looking forward to them already.  Unfortunately, I won’t be able to see The Hunger Games movie this weekend.  But my husband is taking me next weekend, when we can have a nice little date without the kids.  I’m not dragging him to see it either.  He’s actually looking forward to it too.

Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can’t Avoid

Horseradish was just what I needed after some of the books I've read lately.  Lemony Snicket put together a collection of quotes from his Series of Unfortunate Events along with a few other thoughts.  It was great and some of the quotes brought me back to those books.  I've been feeling in a Snicket sort of mood and Horseradish hit the spot.

The "Introduction" at the beginning of the book might be my favourite part of the whole thing.  It's a great, quirky story completely in that Snicket tone with an odd ending.  It was curious and funny and a little sad.  I've had this book for ages, I don't know what took me so long to read it.  If you're a Snicket fan, you should read it too.

Thirteen Judy Blume Novels to be Released as Ebooks

I know this is old news, but for those who don't know, you will now be able to get thirteen Judy Blume books as ebooks.  Enjoy!

Thirteen Judy Blume Novels to be Released as Ebooks

If you liked my Avengers' picture...

You'll appreciate this:

(c) Cynthia “Thea” Rodgers

I found this on the Feminist Philosophers website.  The site links to a great article and more great pictures.

If you didn't read my Avengers' Butts post, see here.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

I'll get straight to the point, I loved it.  If you're a zombie fan, you have to read World War Z.  If you're not a zombie fan, I'd still recommend this book.  Max Brooks creates compelling characters who speak about how they suffered and survived the Zombie War.  Their stories are our future.  Many of the characters reference World War II, Castro and allude to President Obama and Nelson Mandela.

In the Blame section of the novel, there is a lot of talking about the recent American administration and recent wars.  The characters don't name anything specifically, but it seems that Brooks is referencing the Gulf/Afghanistan/Iraq and possibly also the previous Bush administration.  I think there are some serious comments made about big business's preconceptions of the American people (its consumers) and capitalism. 

You shouldn't think of World War Z as just another zombie book.  Brooks' writing is amazing.  The characters each have their own voice and there are a lot of characters.  Their stories are similar, yet different, changing with their age, status in life and cultural background.  I think some serious research went into finding out about the different cultures of the world.  The quality of the writing was just brilliant.  I don't know if I can say enough good things about this book.

spoilers

The social commentary is brilliant.  Universal healthcare.  Cuba having the most desired economy.  The Chinese civil war in the midst of the Zombie War.  The fake drug.  I could keep going on and on, but this is a blog not a book report or essay.

I also have to mention that I loved the surprise at the end of the Redekker section.

No more Spoilers

Apparently there is a movie coming out this December.  I wonder how the book is going to translate onto screen. In flashbacks?  There are so many characters and locations, how did they pick what to keep and what to leave out?  I'm excited and nervous about the movie.

In the end, I just want to say, read it.  Read it!

Could You Survive The Hunger Games?

I got this from Brenna at Literary Musings.

The Young Girl, by Katherine Mansfield

I know it has been a long time since I participated in Short Story Monday.  Now that my baby is older, I’m getting back some of my life, my usual habits and that means I want to read more and Short Story Monday encourages reading.  I'd like to read a new short story every week, but realistically, I'm going to aim for every other week.  So for my first Short Story Monday since my son was born, I thought I'd read an author I've never read before, but have been wanting to for a while.

Katherine Mansfield's, The Young Girl is a curious little story.  Were young socialites really like that back then?  Of course, after I think about it, is she acting any different than someone like Paris Hilton or Heidi Montag or any of those young famous girls that are famous for being famous? (I don't pay a lot of attention to the new batch of famous for nothing people.  Who's the new Paris Hilton?). Also, I thought it was interesting that The Young Girl's mother seems to have a gambling addiction.

I found some of the story a little vague.  I didn't know how young two of the characters were until far into the story.  I had a couple other confusing moments, but I found they didn't really matter.  I enjoyed the story.  It was a "slice of life" that I enjoyed reading about.  I liked the Girl's reaction at the end.  It showed that she wasn’t two-dimensional.  It was a good story and I'm looking forward to reading more stories by Mansfield.

Flight, by Marianne Villaneuva

I usually try not to have any SPOILERS, but this time, it was too difficult.

I was surprised by how much I liked Marianne Villanueva’s Flight.  I found it in this month's issue of PRISM International.  The story is only four pages long but it is full of surprises. At first it seems like a straight fiction story of a child growing up in the Philippines (or some island).  Then elements of fantasy are thrown in.  At first, they could be construed as symbolic, then you begin to feel they are real.

I am so intrigued by this story I want to look up more of Villanueva’s work.

*Rant:  I know it's not a long post, but I'm busy this weekend and was busy last weekend and my daughter is refusing to nap and my son has forgotten how to sleep through the night.  BUT, I really did enjoy this story so I wanted to get it out there. *End of Rant.

I Joined Goodreads and A Few Days Later 49th Shelf

I wasn't sure about joining Goodreads for a long time. I'm still not sure. I'm wondering if I'll eventually find that I'm too busy to maintain my Goodreads account as I have with previous non-blog bookish endeavours. Why then, if I'm concerned that I'll be too busy did I end up with a Goodreads account? One simple reason: the Goodreads app. Do you know that the Goodreads app has a barcode scanning feature? So, instead of having to manually enter my books, all I had to do was scan the barcode with the camera. Is is weird that I thought of barcode scanning as fun? Probably, but I don't care. I really liked that I could scan the book and a picture of the cover would pop up. It made joining Goodreads worth it.

There are other reasons I joined, like finding my blogging friends on Goodreads and entering giveaways. I like the Recommendations feature and the quizzes, browsing them are an excellent time waster.

Will I stick with Goodreads? I think so. Now that I'm on there, it seems pretty easy.  We'll see what happens.

The other site I've joined is 49thShelf.  It's a Canadian Book site.  I actually signed up ages ago, but never did anything about it.  Then, after joining Goodreads, I thought, I could join this one too.  It's Canadian and I'd like to help out my local indie authors if I can.  Plus, I'm always going on about Margaret Atwood, I enjoy Michael Ondaatje and Alice Munro and so many other great Canadians, it seemed natural to sign up here .

So, here I am.  I used to say that I wouldn't do any other book site besides my own blog, but now I've gone and joined two.

What was I thinking?

I've linked to both sites on my sidebar over to the right.  I know many of you are either already on Goodreads or at least know what it's about, but you might not know about 49thShelf.  Both sites are worth a visit.

*I couldn't resist using that picture.

New JK Rowling Novel

Is it going to be hated or loved?  They haven't even given an expected release date.  Come on!

JK Rowling announces new novel - for adults Books guardian.co.uk

It’s Getting Hot In Here!

I’m putting this one out fast.  It’s going to be a busy morning with the kids, but I was thinking about this topic all week.  So quickly, from The Broke and The Bookish, here are the Top Ten Books I'd Save If My House Was On Fire.  In no particular order: 

1. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
2. The MadAddam Trilogy, by Margaret Atwood (I know the third book isn't out yet, but I'm sure I'll want it.)
3. The Hunger Games Series, by Suzanne Collins
4. The Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling
5. The Legend Of Drizzt, by R.A. Salvatore
6. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
7. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
8. The Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Series, by Charlaine Harris
9. Sense and Sensibilities, by Jane Austen
10. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire

I know there are a lot of series on there.  I couldn't help it.  I love books so much, I’d have a hard time just picking ten.  I’d actually, probably grab the King, Atwood and Rowling books first and then try to get the rest.  My husband would be grabbing the Salvatore books too.

Chronicle

It had been way too long since I saw a movie in theatres.  Babies keep you busy.  But my husband decided we should go out, so the easiest thing for us to do was see a movie.  What movie should we see?  Well, we didn't really know.  We looked at what was playing at our local theatre, then turned to Rotten Tomatoes.  That brought Chronicle to our attention.

I hadn't heard much about Chronicle.  I'd seen one trailer on television after it had already opened and that's it. I knew what it was generally about, some guys gain telekinetic abilities and we see what results from that.  On its own, it didn't seem particularly appealing, but when saw the 84% Fresh rating, my curiosity was piqued.

Chronicle was fantastic.  I really enjoyed this movie that I had no clue about two weeks ago.  Chronicle is told through various video cameras, mainly the camera of one of the three teenage boys, who decided about a week before they got their powers to video his whole life.  Thereby, the boys getting their powers is on video.  Occasionally there are other videos that come into play, a blogger's videos and various security cameras.  It give the movie a unique feature as the quality of the videos changes with the individual camera, so the quality of what we see changes too.

I really enjoyed how the boys grow and develop individually and together with the fun and responsibility of this new ability. It is a short movie and I was pleasantly surprised at how much action and character development they packed into an hour and twenty-three minutes. Some of what happened was a bit predictable once the beginning laid everything out, but some of what happened wasn't. Though there were a few predictable moments, there wasn't a part of this movie I didn't find entertaining.  If you are looking for something to watch the next time you got to the movies, go see Chronicle.

Goodbye Books Giveaway

I'm giving away some books; I was looking at my bookshelves and decided there were a few books I didn't need to keep, for various reasons.  So, I’m parting with them even though I'm a crazy book hoarder.  I'm going to giveaway one book a month, telling you a bit about the book and why I'm giving it away.  Some of the giveaways will be international, some not, because of how much it would cost to mail that book out.

The first is The Red Badge Of Courage, by Stephen Crane.  I'm giving this one away because I have another copy.  It's nothing fancy.  The copy up for grabs is the Dover thrift edition. I don't think I even read this copy.  I'm pretty sure I bought it while in school, forgot I had it and bought it again.  I enjoyed it and I don't tend to gravitate towards war stories.  Since blogging, I reviewed another of Crane's stories, A Poker Game.

This one is international, so if you'd like it, leave a comment below.  I'll choose someone at random on February 29th.

Heart Breakers! (Books Not Boys)

SPOILERS!!  (sorry)

The Broke and The Bookish are going anti-Valentine’s Day this year.  They want to know who our top ten heart breakers are.  These books are all heart breakers for different reasons.  I’ve tried to explain without giving too much away, but it can't be helped.  In no particular order:

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Houseinni – I know it’s a book I mention a lot, but I just hoped for Miriam so much.
2. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood – Another book I mention a lot and another woman who deserved better than she got.
3. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins – Yet another book that is often found on my lists.  I know it’s not the same as the first two, but I was so sad for Katniss (and Peeta) as they got off the train in District 12.
4. The Chaos Curse, by R.A. Salvatore – After all their battles, it seems like Cadderly is going to die!
5. The Dark Tower 7: The Dark Tower, by Stephen King - I really wanted Roland to find his friends and family and happiness at the end of the journey.  At least there is hope.
6. Eleanor Rigby, by Douglas Coupland - A brilliant story, with a very sad ending.  You really think for a while that the reunion will be enduring.
7. Confessions of an Ugly-Stepsister, by Gregory Maguire – This really is the stepsister’s story and it’s her that you feel for.  You want her and her sister to have a happy life.
8. 1984, by George Orwell - I just hoped their love would win out.
9. The Helmet of Horror, by Victor Pelevin - They were connected, they hoped to find each other, only discover that they couldn't.
10. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker - One heart-breaking moment after another.  You long for Celie to pull through and finally win.

What book breaks your heart?

Roots Day #6 or Getting Excited About Sleep

I can't believe I've done six of these Roots classes already.  The time goes by so fast.  We measured my son in the class today.  It is something that is done three times over the course, beginning middle and end.  The kids were so excited to see how much he's grown.  They were also excited to see how much more he was moving around.  Conveniently for the class, my son started using rolling over as a means of transportation on Tuesday.  So he was moving all around his green blanket.  The kids were excited that he was "coming to see them".  Maybe the next time they see him, he'll be doing more.

The theme for this unit was sleep.  We explained to the kids what his preferences were.  He doesn't sleep with a nightlight.  What kind of blanket does he use?  Dies he sleep with a stuffed animal? - He's too young to sleep with a stuffed animal, plus he doesn't want one.

It was an interesting class; definitely better than the last too.  Now, I'm back to looking forward to the next one.

Will We Have To Defend Ourselves From From A Robot Spider Army?

For the Sci-fi geeks: It's a Replicator!



I don't know what they're actually going to call it.  They have a naming contest going on.  I'm not entering because all I can see are those metal bugs from Stargate.  To go even geekier, the Replicators were initially toys too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o57yDmfw8w

The Hobbit (Graphic Novel Adaptation)

It has been a long time since I read J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit.  Influenced by a review I read at The Book Mine Set, I decided that I would read the graphic novel adaptation of The Hobbit, by David Wenzel and Charles Dixon.  After all, it was just sitting on a shelf.  (I bought it for my husband about four years ago.)  Some of what John at The Book Mine Set said, plus my own memories of the original novel, made me want to see (read) for myself.  Even though I had been planning on reading something else, it was a graphic novel and those don't take long.

I think The Hobbit adaptation is the longest graphic novel I've read.  I haven't read a lot, but I've been reading a few each year for the past while.  Enough to think that at 134 pages, it's long.  It wasn't even just the page count.  There were a lot of those descriptive/narration boxes everywhere (I don't know what they're actually called).  I'm used to the pictures telling the story, with dialogue bubbles and the occasional box.  It didn't make the novel bad, it just made it take a lot longer than I thought it would.
Reading The Hobbit graphic novel, I found myself having similar issues to the ones I had with Dracula.  It was a combination of knowing what would happen, plus not being sure if i was remembering it right and wondering if there were changes made in the adaptation.  It's been over ten years since I read The Hobbit.  It looks like I might have to read it again.  Especially with the movie coming out in December, I want to make sure I remember it right.

One, possibly minor problem i had while reading it, Why did I keep expecting the drawings to look like the actors from the movie, especially Elrond?  The book is separate from the movie.  Maybe part of that issue was that I expected the elves specifically to look different.  Not necessarily ethereal or wispy, but they looked so much like humans, that I had a difficult time identifying them immediately.  Otherwise, I thought the art was just fine.

If you like Tolkien's The Hobbit and you like graphic novels, you may like this book.  I liked it, but I don't think it really changed or enhanced my connection to the original story.  Would I read it before or instead of the original novel? No. It's good, but no way that good.  It was an okay little diversion and reminder of a great movie to come.

When is a quote not a quote?

I hate this misuse of quotation marks.  It annoys me every time I see it.  Click the link below for more pictures.

Stargazing blog by Malene Arpe