Dana Swier Huff's Blog, page 63
August 17, 2011
WWW Wednesdays—August 17, 2011
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you'll read next?
I am currently reading a wonderful book by Sharyn McCrumb called The Songcatcher. I am so in love with this book! It's definitely running on five stars and is, so far, one of my favorite reads of the year. I keep thinking it would make a great movie along the lines of Cold Mountain or Coal Miner's Daughter. I'll tell you one thing: It gives me even more appreciation for my ancestors who settled in North Carolina, Georgia, and points west when it was truly wilderness.
I recently read Adam & Eve by Sena Jeter Naslund (review).
I think I am going to dive into The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb next, as I am loving The Songcatcher so much. Her latest book, The Ballad of Tom Dooley will be out before too long. I can't wait to read that one.
What about you?
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Post © Dana Huff
WWW Wednesdays—August 17, 2011
August 15, 2011
Adam & Eve, Sena Jeter Naslund
Sena Jeter Naslund's novel Adam & Eve takes place in the near future, from 2017-2021. Protagonist Lucy Bergmann, recently widowed, finds herself in possession of information that will rock the foundations of the three Abrahamic religions: 1) we are not alone in the universe; and 2) Genesis may not have happened the way it's recorded. A secret organization called Perpetuity is determined to prevent this information from being released; meanwhile, Lucy herself goes missing in a modern-day Eden when her plane crash lands, and where Lucy meets a naked man who calls himself Adam. Adam is a former soldier and may be mentally disturbed.
Where to start. I didn't like this book, especially the last third. I never empathized with any of the characters. The story starts with the death of Lucy's husband, which reminded me of nothing so much as Wile E. Coyote's misadventures in Looney Tunes. If you read the book, you will see why. Lucy seemed to be the most incurious person I could imagine. If my husband left behind a top secret flash drive with all his research and dropped the bombshell that he had discovered extraterrestrial life, then died, I would look at every single file on the flash drive to see what there was. But not Lucy. She just wears it around her neck like some kind of talisman. In fact, I can't recall she ever used a computer at all with the exception of when other people used one around her to show her something. And even then! Even then! She showed no further curiosity, even when this other bombshell is possibly dropped (because Lucy is not curious enough to verify whether it is true or not), she does not look at the flash drive again. Lucy is the most developed character, and that is saying something when she comes across as flat on the page.
The last third of the book was difficult to follow. I am a fairly close reader, but I found myself confused and wondering if I had missed something. The threat of Perpetuity never seemed all that real, and I couldn't bring myself to be afraid that a group like that would really be all that concerned about Lucy's news, even if it did exist. The rewritten Genesis, when the reader finally gets to read it, is just kind of boring, and the reader never really gets a good look at Lucy's flash drive because, as I said, she is not curious. She drove me nuts with how incurious she was. It was ridiculously easy for other characters to hide things from her or to trick her.
What makes me sad about this book is that Sena Jeter Naslund's novel Ahab's Wife is absolutely brilliant. It's one of the best books I've ever read. I fear that readers who read this book might never move on to discover Ahab's Wife because they are put off by this book, which tries to be an allegory but winds up just being kind of a confusing mess. This book might do better if it were marketed as science fiction instead of literary fiction, but even so, I'm afraid it didn't hold together for me. If you have not read any Naslund, please do not let this review dissuade you from trying her because she is brilliant! Just not in this case. Read my review of Ahab's Wife and give it a try, but skip this one. To be fair, all of the other tour members seemed to like the book better than I did, so your mileage may vary, but do read the reviews on Goodreads and go into this one with your eyes open.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to participate in my first book tour. Full disclosure: The publisher provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
You can visit other stops in the tour for Adam & Eve.
Tuesday, July 26: Wordsmithonia
Wednesday, July 27: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Thursday, July 28: Life In Review
Monday, August 1: A Fanatic's Book Blog
Tuesday, August 2: Broken Teepee
Wednesday, August 10th: The Scarlet Letter
Wednesday, August 10: Man of La Book
Thursday, August 11: Rundpinne
Thursday, August 11: Wandering Thoughts of a Scientific Housewife
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Post © Dana Huff
Adam & Eve, Sena Jeter Naslund
August 11, 2011
Booking Through Thursday: National Book Week
This week's Booking Through Thursday prompt: "It's National Book Week. The rules: Grab the closest book to you. Go to page 56. Copy the 5th sentence as your status. (We've done something similar to this before, but it's always fun, so … why not?)"
Yes, his body remembered how it curled before he hit the hard-packed sand—how they lifted his feet up and over his head and he spiraled out of the open-ended truck.
Adam & Eve by Sena Jeter Naslund
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Post © Dana Huff
Booking Through Thursday: National Book Week
August 10, 2011
WWW Wednesdays—August 10, 2011
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you'll read next?
I'm currently reading Sena Jeter Naslund's Adam & Eve for a TLC Book Tour. I am about halfway through. I have to say that so far, it's not bad. I wouldn't have chosen the book if I had not been asked whether or not I wanted to participate in the tour, but I have read a lot of reviews that pan the book, and it's averaging three stars on Amazon and less than that on Goodreads, so perhaps it spins out somewhere in the second half. I'm keeping an open mind.
I recently finished A Room With a View by E.M. Forster (review), which I truly enjoyed. Great read!
I have a large TBR pile, and I plan to pull one of the following books next:
The Songcatcher by Sharyn McCrumb
The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
The Widow's War by Sally Gunning
Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier
I'm leaning to the Sharyn McCrumbs just because her ideas about using old Appalachian murder ballads and stories appeals to me. I come from old Appalachian hill folks on my dad's side, and something about Appalachians has always spoken to me.
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Post © Dana Huff
WWW Wednesdays—August 10, 2011
August 9, 2011
Top Ten Underrated Books
This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is the top ten underrated books. I elected to choose just books I've read and absolutely loved, but don't hear much about from others, whether book bloggers, Goodreads users, or just the general populace. I don't understand why these books aren't more popular than they are.
A Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich (review). This multigenerational epic is one of the best books I've ever read, but it's not the first book anyone thinks of when they think of Erdrich. It's a beautiful book and would be great for book clubs. I don't know that many people who've read it, though.
The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz (review). This novel is based on current Japanese imperial family. It's an interesting look at this traditional if widely ceremonial institution. I wouldn't have ordinarily read it, but it was mentioned on one of my favorite GPB radio programs, which convinced me to try it. Really good book, but no one I know has read it.
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (review). I think this novel is eclipsed by Speak , which is phenomenal, but I truly learned a lot about eating disorders from this other, lesser-known novel of Anderson's.
Persuasion by Jane Austen (review). Most people think of Pride and Prejudice , Sense and Sensibility , or even Emma before they think of Austen's last work, but it's my personal favorite. I love Anne Elliot's steadfastness and good sense, the naval officers, the Cobb where Louisa Musgrove fell, Bath, all of it. What a tightly written, fantastic book.
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume. We hear a lot about her other classics, like Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret , the Fudge series, maybe even somewhat scandalous books like Deenie or Forever , but sometimes I think people forgot about Tiger Eyes. It's my favorite Judy Blume book, and I read pretty much all of them published up through the early-to-mid '80′s. I was a huge fan of hers. I just loved the heroine and the setting. So many YA books in my youth were set in New York. I started to wonder if YA authors realized people lived other places. Davey lived in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but most of the book takes place in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where her aunt and uncle live. As a kid living in Colorado, it was nice to read about a state closer to home, with physical attributes (such as mountains) more like my own home.
The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. Do kids read these books anymore? I loved them. They might have suffered from a really poor Disney adaptation. They are such good books, though. You just never hear about them anymore. My fourth grade teacher read us The Book of Three , and I remember her telling us that just because there was a guy with a skull for a head with antlers sprouting from his, well, skull, that we girls should not be put off because it was a really good book. I was skeptical, but I gave it a shot and immediately had to read the next book in the series, which might be even better than the first. I even liked the one book in the series that my teacher said wasn't as good as the others.
Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland (review). Perhaps because it is one of her earlier books, it doesn't seem to have gained the same sort of traction as, say, Clara and Mr. Tiffany . I have a real love for this book, which begins with a novel concept: tracing the ownership of a painting from the current day back to its moment of creation. Plus, Vreeland introduced me to the artwork of Vermeer before I read Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.
Arthur Phillips's The Egyptologist (review). Sometimes I think I am the only person who liked this book, but it's chock full of some black humor that I thought was hysterical. I loved the ending, especially, which was so comically horrible I didn't know whether to feel bad I thought it was funny, or feel good that the antihero had his comeuppance. It's hard to feel good because of a certain major twist that makes you feel sorry for him, but still.
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (review). How come everyone isn't reading this one? It's been my favorite read of the year, and I never see anything about it anywhere, even from people who read more YA than I do. It's such a great book.
I Am One of You Forever by Fred Chappell. OK, granted, this one is published on a small press, and I would never have heard of it if I hadn't been required to read it for Southern Literature in college, but it's an amazing book, especially if you like magical realism and Southern literature. I have described as a book that drilled a hole right through my heart when I read it.
What about you? What books do you think are underrated?
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Post © Dana Huff
Top Ten Underrated Books
August 6, 2011
A Room with a View, E. M. Forster
E. M. Forster's classic novel A Room With a View has a whisper-thin plot: Lucy Honeychurch travels to to Florence, Italy, with her cousin Miss Bartlett. While she is staying in the pension, she meets a father and his son, the Emersons, whom everyone else at the pension thinks are coarse and crude. Desiring some independence and frustrated with her companions, Lucy goes out on her own and witnesses a murder in the street. George Emerson, the son, is there to assist her. Emerson falls in love with Lucy and kisses her. The next morning, her cousin, feeling she has failed Lucy and her mother as a guardian, whisks Lucy away to Rome. When they return to England, Lucy becomes engaged to Cecil Vyse, a man whose previous two proposals she has rejected. Cecil does not much like Lucy's family, but he sees her as something of a project, a sort of Galatea to his Pygmalion. Meanwhile, the Emersons become the Honeychurches' neighbors when they let a cottage nearby, and Lucy must determine how she feels about George Emerson and Cecil Vyse.
A Room with a View is actually interesting as a character study. In a short book without a tremendous amount of action, Forster manages to capture human nature very well. I found myself surprised at how easily I could picture everything Forster described, and it was not as though he labored over the descriptions. Instead, he captured characters so deftly in their dialogue and in their bodily movements that not much description was needed in order to convey the scenes perfectly. I especially liked Miss Bartlett's character—I didn't like her personality, but as a character, she was well-drawn and so believable. Some of the things she said and did made me think of Dame Maggie Smith, so I began picturing Smith in the role. Finally, I checked IMDb, and I discovered Maggie Smith had indeed played the role of Miss Bartlett in the 1985 production (which has an outstanding cast—I plan to see it as soon as I can). Certainly doesn't surprise me that the book was made into a film—it read almost like a film. The book also contains some humorous instances of fourth-wall breaking and gorgeous observations about humanity. For this fan of Downton Abbey, it was a treat to read, and I will definitely read more of Forster's books.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
I used the What Should I Read Next tool to decide on this book (I had already had it on my Kindle for ages), mainly so I could complete Challenge 7: What Should I Read Next Pick for the Take a Chance Challenge. I picked A Room with a View from the list of books that appeared when I searched for the last book I read (and reviewed), The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley.
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Post © Dana Huff
A Room with a View, E. M. Forster
August 5, 2011
Friday Finds—August 5, 2011
I started back to work this week and didn't spend as much time scouting for books to add to my TBR pile, but I did find a few.
I came across Yankee Doodle Dixie by Lisa Patton at Peeking Between the Pages. What a beautiful, beautiful cover. I love the green in the dress next to the pretty peaches. Sort of a Twilight-esque cover, I guess, but prettier. I discovered this book is actually a sequel to Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter, which is on sale on Kindle for just $2.99 right now. I snapped it up. Both books are now on my list.
I also found On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry, which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
Did you find any potentially good books this week?
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Post © Dana Huff
Friday Finds—August 5, 2011
August 4, 2011
Booking Through Thursday: Anticipation
This week's Booking Through Thursday prompt asks:
What's the last book you were really EXCITED to read?
And, were you excited about it in advance? Or did the excitement bloom while you were reading it?
Are there any books you're excited about right NOW?
I think the last book I was really excited to read was probably Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (review), which I read last September (almost a year ago!). I had just finished the first two Hunger Games books, and I just couldn't stop turning the pages. I suppose the last time I enjoyed a book so much might have been Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I didn't really have enough time to be excited about it in advance because by the time I became intrigued enough by Hunger Games to read it, the third novel had already been published. I bought it at the Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, and I remember carrying it around that day at the Decatur Book Festival, anticipating cracking it open when I went home later.
I am excited about some books coming out or in my to-read list. I really want to read The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb. I'm also looking forward to the R.I.P. Challenge, when I plan to read Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I am excited for Katherine Howe's next book (I read and reviewed The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane). I follow her on Twitter, so I know she's editing it right now. I'm also excited for the sequel to Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches (review). I'm also looking forward to The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston. It's not a book, but I'm mad with anticipation over the unveiling of Pottermore. I managed to get a beta registration, and I'm waiting on tenterhooks for my welcome email saying I can officially get in the site.
[image error] photo credit: Lori Greig
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Post © Dana Huff
Booking Through Thursday: Anticipation
August 3, 2011
WWW Wednesdays—August 3, 2011
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you'll read next?
I'm currently reading A Room With a View by E. M. Forster. It's not much like anything I've ever read before. The characters are perhaps the most realistic characters of any books I've read recently. I'm liking it.
I recently finished The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley (review). I enjoyed it. A nice book to finish my summer on. Our new school year starts on the 15th, but I came in this week to prepare some technology training materials for faculty. I expect my reading will slow down, now.
The next book I will probably read is Adam & Eve by Sena Jeter Naslund. I have to admit I'm nervous about it. I agreed to read it for a book blog tour, but it has pretty low ratings, and most of the reviews read something along the lines of "What was she thinking?" and "I loved Ahab's Wife, but what is this?" I actually really loved Ahab's Wife (review). We'll see.
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Post © Dana Huff
WWW Wednesdays—August 3, 2011
August 2, 2011
Top Ten Trends I'd Like to See More/Less Of
More, Please!
Supporting indie bookstores. I don't have a good one nearby, but if I did, I'd be there all the time. We used to have a really cute one called Coffee Buy the Book, but they closed (not shocking, but sad). Very cute little store, and really convenient to my house. There is an awfully cute one in Decatur called Little Shop of Stories, but dang, that's far away clear on the other side of all that Atlanta traffic. Sigh. We always go when we hit the Decatur Book Festival, though.
Great book blogs. The more the merrier! I love reading about other people reading.
Including book bloggers and Goodreads members in ARC's, galleys, and free books like other reviewers. I love to read, and I review every book I read. Sometimes it's nice to get a free book. It doesn't influence my reviews, but it does ease the strain on my pocketbook.
Witches. I love books about witches. Keep writing them, writers! Witches are so cool, whether they are witches with real powers or just misunderstood women accused of witchcraft in historical fiction. You know, Salem was kind of kitschy with the witches, but I would totally live there if it were feasible. I loved it.
Pottermore! It's fun to once again be waiting on tenterhooks for new stuff from Jo! I scored an early registration. Have you tried to get one yet? I think you have four more chances!
No, Thanks!
Vampires with no fangs. Vegetarian vampires? Really? I don't mind scary vampires who actually suck blood and might be dangerous. But vampires would wouldn't hurt a person because they suck animal blood? Meh. That's weak. I understand it. You don't want your hero to be evil. But sucking blood is evil! Make it a plot point, like Lestat and Louis, who wrestle with their consciences about being vampires (a little bit—Louis, more than Lestat).
Harry Potter fanfic pr0n. Don't get it, never will. Slash or straight or whatever, it's not right, especially when students are paired with teachers.
Overpriced Kindle books. Kindle books used to be reliably cheaper than paper books. Now publishers are driving up the prices. Having manufactured a Kindle book myself, I can tell you it involves almost no cost. I am all for supporting the authors, but somehow I don't think they're the ones profiting from the high cost of Kindle books.
Amazon hate. I understand it. I think I know where it's coming from. I know folks blame stores like Amazon for Borders closing (Borders made several mistakes that contributed). I know supporting independent stores or even chain brick-and-mortar stores is good. I would do more of it if I had one nearby, but I have to drive quite a ways to reach one, and I live in the suburbs of a large metropolitan area. If brick-and-mortar stores could offer me the same services as Amazon, I might be a more frequent customer. Amazon, however, offers me free shipping (most of the time), allows me to download books instantly on my Kindle, replaced my Kindle with no questions asked when I broke it, and gives me a small commission in gift certificates as an Amazon Associate (which helps me support my book habit). They have been good to me, and I've been doing business with them for about thirteen years or so.
Book banning and censoring. You heard that Wesley Scroggins managed to have Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five and Sarah Ockler's Twenty Boy Summer removed from school curricula and libraries in Republic, Missouri, right? He is far from alone. I absolutely support a parent's right to make decisions about what his/her own children read, but that parent has no right to tell me what my kids can read. Teachers always, always, always provide alternatives to individual students who cannot read a book either due to parental objections or their own. As Vonnegut himself said about censorship:
And on the subject of burning books: I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength or their powerful political connections or their great wealth, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves, and have refused to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles.
So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.
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Post © Dana Huff
Top Ten Trends I'd Like to See More/Less Of
