My September/October To-Read List!!

Hello! Thought I would share the books that I'm hoping to finish this month! I've heard really good things about all of these titles. I think that they are all a little on the darker side, which is perfect reading for September. Transitioning from a boisterous summer, September lends itself those darker tones, and perhaps more melancholy reads. The air has started to get that fall chill and twilight descends a little bit sooner, making me want to snuggle up with a good book and a cup of tea. 

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel-- I'm particularly excited to start reading this historical fiction novel as word on the street is that it's being made into miniseries featuring Damian Lewis, who I have loved since he made me physically cringe in 'The Forsyte Saga'. For realz, this guy is good. But back to the book. Along with winning various awards for Wolf Hall, including the really prestigious Man Booker prize, Mantel is a complete bad ass and said that she would use the Booker award money on "sex, drugs, and rock and roll." She was 57 at the time. Mantel has followed up Wolf Hall with Bringing Up The Bodies, and there will be a third book in the series to come out next year.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt-- So, I may be a little late to the Donna Tartt party... With her most recent work, Goldfinch, receiving the Pulitzer Prize, I feel like I need to see what all the fuss is about. Apparently there are lots of English majors up to no good in this novel, so it will probably be similar to what my university experience was like... jk!

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson-- I feel like I may have already read this book... I can't remember. Besides from it's beautiful cover art, this book has a lot of good things going for it: love, racism, mystery, World War II... I'm excited to read/re-read this one

Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt-- I've actually already started this book and, so far, it is fantastic! Told from the point of view of a teenage girl in the '80s, the story revolves around the death of the girl's beloved uncle from AIDS and her struggle to come to terms with what happened. When I bought this at a bookstore, the cashier told me, "I actually bought this in hardback and I cried reading it!" Now, if that's not a glowing recommendation, I don't know what is! You don't waste your money on just any hard cover book!

"Sweet Evil" by Wendy Higgins

Eugh. Just don't.

I read this book hoping it would be one of those bad/good books. Knowing that the writing might not be that great, but at least it would be fun. A lot of folks in the book-tube world (video bloggers on youtube) were talking about this series, so I thought I would give it a try.

Sweet Evil is one of three books in the "Sweet" series. It centers around a girl who is half demon, half angel, and all stupid. The main conflict in the book is that she is falling for a boy from the wrong side of the tracks who is a half demon, half human. He is an "I can change him if I love him" male protagonist who, besides from his smoldering eyes and leather clad swagger, has as much personality as a pin cushion. As the main character, Anna, tries to navigate between her demon impulses and her angel impulses, she tries to escape detection from the rest of the demon society and resist the charms of the man-child she has fallen for. Or something.

This book has all of the things that can go wrong in YA fiction. Number One. Poor writing. Dialogue is superfluous and not well managed (Wait, who's saying what here? Oh, all of the inane things are being said by the lead female character? Got it). Number Two. Super duper anti-feminist. The lead character has absolutely no control over her own personality. Everything about her is predetermined from her demon/angel parentage. This kind of naturalism in writing really irks me. I didn't like it in Zola's Germinal and it still bugs me here. Characters that have no agency (one of my favorite words, remember?), and no control over the decisions that they make, fail to become dynamic characters. I'm looking for multifaceted and complex lead characters. I want them to struggle, I want them to evolve, and I want them to have personalities. I do not want my lead female character's worth to be hinged upon a very unhealthy love interest.

FOR EXAMPLE:
“Tell me you hate me,” he demanded. I felt the air of his words against my face.
“But I don’t hate you. I couldn’t.”
“You could,” he assured me, pulling me tighter. “And you should.”
“I’m letting you go.” My voice shook. “But only because I have to. I need to move on with my life, but I’ll never hate you.”

SPOILER ALERT, she doesn't move on.

Perhaps one of the problems in this novel in regards to the development of the personality of the lead character, is that there is a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. There is no nuance to the characters or to the dialogue leading the entire novel to feel very obtuse.

So, ya. I will not be finishing this series and I would really STRONGLY DISCOURAGE anyone from reading this book. Sorry, Wendy.

DISCLAIMER: I'm an adult who reads YA

Hi. My name is H and I'm an adult who reads a lot of YA.

YA stands for "young adult" fiction. Typically, YA is associated with "Twilight" and all things vampires and such. Reading YA as an adult can be an embarrassing admission even though YA is one of the fastest growing and most lucrative genres in the publishing industry due in part to the fact that many YA readers are adults. In fact, 2012 study suggested that over 55% of YA books are bought by readers 18 years old or older. So, I'm in the majority. But it's articles like this that make me, and I'm sure many others, embarrassed to admit what we read. It makes us ride the tube, subway, or metro glad that our reading material is disguised by the flat, black, demure cover of our e-reader (readers of New Adult fiction, such as "Fifty Shades" definitely know what I'm talking about).

I read YA for a couple of reasons. One, it's fun to read. A lot of the stories, whether contemporary or fantasy, are exciting. It can be totally escapist, running from the daily grind into a world that just seems a little more manageable despite the addition of dragons or wizards or evil dictators with a predilection for roses. 

The main reason I read YA, however, is because I am interested in becoming a librarian and working with teens. As former young adults, we all know that teenagerhood can be a rough time. There are so many changes happening. Not only physically, but mentally. Changes in friend groups, relationships both romantic and non-romantic, overwhelming pressure concerning The Future, school, college, etc. The right book at the right time for a teen can be life altering. It can take a teen's hand and show him or her that they are not alone. It can make the world a little more manageable. For all readers, not just teens, books expand our worldview by helping us to practice empathy. Books put us in the shoes of others and force us to experience a different perspective. This sense of empathy developed in an imagined world is vital to becoming a compassionate individual in the real world. 

As I read YA, I'm on the lookout for those rare and amazing and potentially life-altering books that could make a real difference in a teen's life. But I'm also on the lookout for fun reads. The literacy rate in America is not that great. If there is any book that I can recommend that would inspire a self-proclaimed non-reader to become engaged in a book, to experience the world through the eyes of another, or to go on a journey that not only transforms the main characters but also transforms the reader, I would consider that pretty much the whole point. 

So. To make a long story short, I will be reviewing a lot of YA books. Some of these books will be drivel. Some will be amazing. One of the reasons why I wanted to start the aforementioned failed book challenge, was to break free of the rut that reading lots of YA can sometimes put me in and to challenge myself. So I will continue to try and do that. 

Still with me? 

Good.

Book Challenge Update: Senior-itis isnt just for Seniors

So.... hi there. It's been awhile. Amidst changing jobs, a potential move, and a quarter-life crisis (don't worry, I've had, like, five of these. I know what to do.) the book challenge went kerplunk into the bucket of things I didn't get to. And while I didn't finish "The Red Tent" I did read a lot of other books.

First, thoughts on "The Red Tent":

One of the things that I enjoyed from what I read of "The Red Tent", was that it focused on giving women agency. "Agency" is one of my favorite words to use in regards to feminism. To me, it means power. It means being in charge of one's direction in life. It means having a voice. "The Red Tent" certainly celebrates giving women agency by giving a voice to one of the women in the the Hebrew Bible (or Tanakh according to Wikipedia) in the Book of Genesis. The traditional story focuses on the rape of Dinah, daughter of Jacob and Leah. "The Red Tent", however, let's Dinah tell her own story, a story that has been traditionally told through the voices of men. It also celebrates the communities that women form through sisterhood, motherhood, and friendship.

The lyricism of the text follows that of a religious text, or a story your grandmother might tell in order to impart some wisdom. And that was one of the things that I disliked about the book. While the story and narration paralleled the biblical story (which makes sense), it is so obviously crafted and aware of it's own device of imparting a story that I found it hard to connect to the characters. The writing seemed almost overworked to me in a way that prevented me from sitting back and letting the story speak for itself. The writer's hand was always in the foreground. Again, I didn't finish the book so maybe this impression would have gone away as Dinah's story progressed.  I think that this book would interest anyone who is interested in feminism  or interested in biblical history. There was a lot of research that went into this book and  I give the author a big salute for that.

Now, onto the stuff I did read....

JK. BEFORE WE GO INTO THAT READ MY DISCLAIMER.
Sorry for the shouting, but READ IT.

(Also, blogger is telling me that I'm spelling "amidst" wrong. I know I'm not, blogger. Stop telling me what to do.)

Week 1: The Red Tent

Book acquired! Total pages: 321

For this challenge, I will be getting all of my books from the library. Although I have an e-reader and usually download my books through *ahem* questionable means, I think that it's super important to support public libraries. In a society where the gap between the rich and the poor is increasing, libraries are one of the few places that are accessible to everyone no matter one's income. Libraries are important community spaces where exploration, learning, identity building and creativity can take place. But they are struggling in this e-book world, and I want to show my support. So I would encourage everyone to get a library card and to check out the cool stuff that's going on in your library!

Here's a great article by the author Neil Gaiman on the importance of libraries

A Book A Week?? Challenge Accepted!

I've started and deleted this book blog about 10 times, so this time, I'm going to start simple. Because this is the busiest time of year for me and I barely have time to walk my dog or feed myself, I've decided that it is the perfect time to start a book challenge. Makes sense, right?? I will attempt to read a book a week from now until.... TBA. At least a month. Rules: has to be a book. Has to be over 100 pages long. If I don't finish the book in a week... uh. Suggestions welcome? I'll do something odious (like do the dishes?) and post the proof here. Most of the books Im going to read are books that I've been wanting to read but have never found the time. I'll post thoughts along the way and then do a review at the end. My first book: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I've heard good, but vague things about this book. Something about history, something about feminism and I thought, hey, I like history and I like feminism....sooo.... Have you read it? Thoughts? Any thing I should keep an eye out for? I'll start the challenge on Friday and will hopefully have the book in my possession by then. Have any suggestions for books I should add to my list? Think more classic literature rather than contemporary as I'd like to seem intellectual here... Is there a book that you cannot have imagine life without? I have some of those. His Dark Materials series...Harry Potter...East of Eden.... Let me know some of yours and I will add it to the list. Wish me luck! (Seriously, I'm going to need it.)

P.S. If we're facebook friends, feel free to leave comments and suggests there