Abandoning a Book

I just got a new iPhone, so haven't been doing as much reading lately as I usually do.  Before I got the iPhone, though, I was reading a book which I unfortunately gave up on.  I usually don't give up on a book,  but this was one the was just boring me to tears.  About halfway through, I remembered my wonderful Content Area Reading professor from Wichita State, who advised us that if we are reading for pleasure, it should truly be pleasurable, and not to force yourself to read something that you just aren't enjoying.  I thought to myself, "Stephany, what are you doing?"  The book was An Unsuitable Attachment by Barbara Pym.  I just didn't like any of the characters, let alone care whether any of them had happy endings.  In fact, none of the characters in the book seemed to even like each other.  If the characters don't like each other, how am I supposed to like any of them?  I did peek at the ending (maybe I did care a little?) but abandoned the book.  Now I am reading Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, a YA novel.  I am enjoying it much more than the Barbara Pym novel, although I am not getting through it much faster, because of the new iPhone discussed above.  I love the Kindle app!

Best Middle Grade Books

Check out this link for 100 recommended middle grade books from the last century and 10 from this past decade. I loved this list. And I love the name of the blog...The Book Aunt. That's kind of how I see myself. I'll have to add it to the blogs I follow.

Tips on Giving and Receiving Books

I am linking to this article that I found really interesting.  As a reader, I love to give books for Christmas, but don't always know how to go about it.  Not only does this article discuss choosing books as gifts, but also gives tips on receiving books graciously.  I know I have been guilty of the last item on her list.

More Gift Ideas for Book Lovers

I found another list of great gifts for readers.  This is part #5 of this blogger's list of gift ideas.  If you read through the list to the bottom of this post, there are links to parts #1- #4.  It is so fun browse and "window shop" on line.

Working Out the Bugs

Grrr....I am having trouble posting images.  What is the deal?  I posted images of the covers to a couple of books I blogged about, but on subsequent days, they won't load.  I hope I figure this out soon or I may move this blog.  I'll post the new address here if I decide to move it.

Georgette Heyer

I had heard from several friends that Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to Jane Austen and I am starting to believe them.  I gather that she is considered to have established the genre of the Regency romance novel.  Since she was not writing about her own time period, as was Jane Austen, she had to do extensive research and included many details about Regency life in her novels to help her readers better understand the plots.  I find the novels richer for these details.  From what I've read about Georgette Heyer she was meticulous in her research and rarely made a mistake.

I read Devil's Cub last week and just finished its prequel, These Old Shades, today.  They were both charming, delightful, funny and romantic.  These Old Shades especially picked up the pace the further I got into the novel and if I weren't reading in the bathtub, I would have been on the edge of my seat  during the climactic confrontation between the hero, the Duke of Avon, and the villain, the Comte de Saint-Vire (or that "pig-person" as our heroine, Leonie would say).  Previously I had read The Reluctant Widow and enjoyed it, but maybe not as much as these two I just finished.

So today, I went to Barnes and Noble and ended up buying a copy of the four Regency romances that were currently available at the store.  When I first heard about Georgette Heyer, her books were no longer in print, but many have been re-issued and are now available.  I am hoping that the same thing happens with D.E. Stevenson, another recent personal discovery.

Books for Boys and Young Men

As the mom of only boys, I am always on the lookout for books geared toward the male gender.  Here is a post of reading suggestions for boys that I found interesting.

Great Gifts for Readers

I found this list on another book blog.  It gives some great Christmas gift ideas for the readers and writers in your life.  Make sure to go to the bottom of the list where you can click on last year's suggestions.  This second list includes a whole section on ideas for Jane Austen lovers.

Books About Books

Next to reading fiction, I like to read books about books.  Here are some of the ones I have read (I own all but the last one):

1. Book Lust and More Book Lust by Nancy Pearl.  Nancy Pearl is a librarian, an avid reader, and I think occasionally appears on NPR.  She is well-read and is able to recommend books in just about any category, including chapters like "Horror for Sissies," "Tickle Your Funny Bone," "Cozies," "A...My Name is Alice," and various authors she considers "Too Good to Miss."  I gave these two books out to almost every adult on my Christmas list last year.  I had placed an order on Amazon through my cell phone, but somehow placed the order twice.  Rather than send back the extra books, I just handed them out too.












2. Book Crush by Nancy Pearl.  Like the books above, but for children and teens.









3. Great Books for Every Book Lover:  2002 Great Reading Suggestions for the Discriminating Bibliophile by Thomas Craughwell.  I think this is out of print now, but gives a lot of down-to-earth suggestions.  Chapters include "The Book Is Always Better Than the Movie," "British Classics," "Children's Classics," and "Shakespeare--In a Class by Himself."

4. Beowulf on the Beach:  What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits by Jack Murnighan.  I recently read this and found it fascinating.  I am now at least a little familiar with many classics that I will probably never read, but are nonetheless part of our Western Civilization and heritage. Because of this book, I am also interested in reading some works I never though I would.  For example, I just picked up a copy of The Canterbury Tales in a used bookstore.  I had no idea it would be so full of humor.  Chapters cover authors such as Shakespeare (of course), Homer, Dante, Milton, Jane Austen (I wouldn't have bought this if it didn't), Dickens, Hemingway, Cormac McCarthy, and many others.

5. 501 Must-Read Books, published by Bounty Books.  This is sort of a coffee-table book that I could leisurely thumb through or get lost in for several hours.  There is a picture shown for each book discussed, and I suspect that most of the pictures are of first-edition covers.  Books from the following categories are discussed:  children's fiction, classic fiction, history, memoirs, modern fiction, science fiction, thrillers, and travel.




6. Defining Moments in Books:  The Greatest Books, Writers, Characters, Passages and Events that Shook the Literary World, published by Octopus Publishing Group, Ltd.   Another coffee table book.  This one covers more cutting edge or controversial books and is divided by decade starting with 1890 and ending with 2000.




7. The Book of Great Books:  A Guide to 100 World Classics by W. John Campbell, Ph.D.  A compilation written in the style of Sparknotes or Cliff's Notes.  Gives short and interesting synopses of plot and characters from such works as The Scarlet Letter, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Of Mice and Men and Jane Eyre.

8. How to Read and Why by Harold Bloom.  In different sections, he discusses reading short stories, poems, novels (here, what I would call "classic novels" including Emma by Austen and Great Expectations by Dickens), plays, and novels again ("modern" novels including Moby Dick by Melville and Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison).





9. The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived:  How Characters of Fiction, Myth, Legends, Television, and Movies Have Shaped our Society, Changed Our Behavior, and Set the Course of History by Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan and Jeremy Salter.  This title pretty much says it all, but here are the categories that the authors cover:  Greek and Roman myths, folktales, legends, monsters, stereotypes, adventure, crime, Americana, literature, children's literature, theater, movies, women's liberation, comics and animation, commerce (i.e., The Marlboro Man), propaganda and television.  This is another book that is fun to page through and which you don't have to read straight through to enjoy.  This was  a gift from my mom, who knows I love to read, a couple of years ago.

10.  The Book Whisperer:  Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller.  Written by a teacher for teachers, but there is lots of good info for parents too.  There is a list of suggested reading written by her students.  I did pass my copy along to a teacher, but if I were in charge of a classroom, this book would be a must-have.  She is truly concerned with getting kids to love reading rather than forcing them to read.  This book is also where I learned about my favorite  book blog, Jen Robinon's Book Page.    Check her out at http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/.


11.  The Man Who Loved Books Too Much:  The True Story of a Thief, a Detective and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett.  OK, this book is totally different than the rest on my the list, but it is about books and it is so engaging.  It is a true story about a rare-book thief.  I loved glimpsing the criminal mind without having to read any blood, gore, or violence.  Plus, I learned about the rare book world.

A Truth Universally Acknowledged

I just found out about this book:  A Truth Universally Acknowledged:  33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen.  I am looking forward to reading it.

Perusing my Bookshelf

I thought I would talk about some of the books that didn't make my all-time favorites list but which I have thoroughly enjoyed (4 - 4 1/2 stars out of 5).  I will just let my eyes meander over my shelves, looking for books I couldn't part with...no particular order.

1. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen...falls somewhere between a murder mystery and romance.  I did not guess who turned out to be the murderer.  It was a clever surprise.

2. The Princess Bride by William Goldman...book on which the movie was based.  Purports to be edited down from the original by S. Morgenstern by William Goldman.  Had the hardest time deciding whether this was a joke.  What do you think?  Such a tender love story.  Sigh.

3. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith...coming of age story written by the author of 101 Dalmatians.  Was out of print for quite a while, but recently (within the last 5 or so years) re-issued.

4. My Lori Wick books, especially Sean Donovan and The English Garden Series.  One of my favorite Christian romance authors.  I read her books whenever I need a comfort book and/or easy read.

5. The Giver/The Messenger/Gathering Blue Lois Lowry...YA books with a creepy dystopian plot.  Give me the shivers.

6. The Hunger Games/Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins...also YA books, along the same lines of the Lois Lowry books.  This author is a new discovery for me and I am eagerly awaiting the third installment of this series.

7. Anything by Ann Coulter, but only if you are a conservative.

8. The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini...despite the cruelty portrayed, these are beautifully written books.

9. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb...it's been a long time since I've read this, but I remember being completely absorbed.

10. Bridget Jones' Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding...Bridget Jones was the book that led me to Jane Austen.  The first one is a rework of P&P and the second one of Persuasion.  The scene where Bridget Jones interviews Colin Firth in the second book is, I think, the funniest thing I have ever read.  Warning:  these are books for grown-ups.

11. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian...I read this before it was an Oprah book.

12.  Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett...also read this (long) before it was an Oprah pick.

13. This Present Darkness/Piercing the Darkness...by Frank Peretti...exciting books about spiritual warfare.

14.  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows...just read this and loved it.  Epistolary novel set just after the German occupation of Guernsey.  Romance, heroics, and just plain good characters.

15. D.E. Stevenson's books, including Celia's House, Listening Valley, Still Glides the Stream, and Shoulder the Sky.  Just discovered this author from Jen Robinson's Book Page.  The books are out of print and difficult to find, but well worth the effort.

16. The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson.  This includes The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  The "Girl" in question is Lisbeth Salander, one of the most interesting heroines I have encountered.  I don't think I would like her in real life, but I sure root for her on the page.  My Aunt Susie called to say that she was so mad at Stieg Larsson for dying [after he submitted the three books to his editor].  Savor these three books because there are not any more coming.

17.  Any Regency romance by Georgette Heyer.  After Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer is the best Regency period writer out there.  She is known for her detailed research into the Regency era as well as her sense of humor.  See especially her first book written at age 15, The Black Moth, and it's two sequels written later in her life, These Old Shades and Devil's Cub.  Note that Heyer changed the names of many characters between the first two books.  I had to make a key.

18. All Creatures Great and Small and All Things Bright and Beautiful.  My Grandma Gilliland read and re-read these stories during her last days.  Enough said.

More to come...

Stephany's Favorite Literary Adaptations

I'll save a list of my favorite movies for another post, although there may be some crossover.  This is a list of what I consider to be the best literary adaptations.

1.  Pride and Prejudice (1996 Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version)...Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy.  Enough said.

2. Little Dorrit (2009)...this ran on PBS.  I have not read much Dickens, so this story was unfamiliar to me.  The character of Amy Dorrit is so fundamentally good in every way.  You will ache for her and love her has you see how unappreciated and humble she is.  There are many lighthearted moments as well.  How can you not think of modern government offices when you see the going-ons at the Circumlocution Office, one of the most comic creations in literature?  And if Edmund Sparkler doesn't make you laugh, you have no sense of humor ("there's no begod nonsense about her").  My one complaint was that the climax scene where the big family secret is revealed is confusing.  In fact, I'm still not sure what happened.  In defense of the movie makers, though, the secret, as written by Dickens, is quite complex and there is much discussion of the confusion on the internet.

3. Sense and Sensibility (1995 Emma Thompson/Kate Winslet)...quietly beautiful.  I think I enjoy this movie even more than the book.

4. Much Ado About Nothing (1993 Kenneth Branagh/Emma Thompson)...my ultimate feel-good movie. This is such a joyful Shakespearean comedy, partly because it almost comes to tragedy, but all's well that end's well, so to speak.

5. Persuasion (1995 Amanda Root/Ciaran Hinds)...every time I watch this I am amazed at how well the filmmakers captured Anne Elliot regaining her bloom.  Amanda Root, as Anne, transforms from dowdy and tired to young and beautiful, just as described in the book.

6. Emma (1996 Gwyneth Paltrow/Jeremy Northam)...I enjoy this one more than the Kate Beckinsale version.  Jeremy Northam is very dashing.

7.  Bleak House (2005 Gillian Anderson)...another Dickens adaptation.  Wonderful Dickens characters; excellent acting.  The lawyer in me thoroughly enjoyed this lambasting of the legal system.

8. Pride and Prejudice (2006 Keira Knightly/Matthew Macfadyn)...I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would.  I went to the theater with very low expectations, because how could any P&P adaptation live up to the 1996 BBC version?  Because I expected to dislike it, I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely not in the same league as the BBC miniseries, but enjoyable in its own right.

9. As You Like It (2007 Bryce Dallas Howard/Brian Blessed)...another Kenneth Branagh adaptation, although he is behind the camera for this one.  Not sure about the feudal Japan setting, but I like the movie nonetheless.

10. Twelfth Night (1996 Helena Bonham Carter)...see if you recognize the actress playing Viola.  Hint:  she also appears in Sense and Sensibility.

11. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999 Kevin Kline/Michelle Pfeiffer)

Stephany's Must-Read Books

I thought it would be appropriate that my first post be about my all-time favorite books. When I contemplate this list, strangely it is usually in the context of my own funeral. I want the In Memoriam booklet to list the books I have loved and urged my family and friends to read throughout my life. Here is the list as it now stands:

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen...one of Jane Austen's early novels. Sparkles with life and laughter. Can't believe I didn't discover this until my 30's. My all-time favorite book. Ever.

2. Persuasion by Jane Austen...last completed novel by Jane Austen. More mature than P&P and achingly beautiful. Awakens that sweet longing in the spirit for something unknown and beyond.

3. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis...this is a series rather than one book, but how could I ever choose? These books have shaped my theology from a very young age, especially the picture Lewis paints of Jesus/Aslan in all seven books and his joyful and fully physical vision of heaven in The Last Battle.

4. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers...retelling of the book of Hosea in the Bible, set in during the Gold Rush. Made me understand Gomer (Angel in the book) in a way I hadn't before.

5. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand...made me look at the world differently. She was an athiest, so she didn't get everything right, but she understood politics and economics.

6. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy...swashbuckling hero and romantic, romantic, romantic.

7. Emma by Jane Austen...yes, another Jane Austen book, but every time I read this I am amazed by her cleverness. Caveat: in my opinion you have to read this book at least twice to get the full impact. You don't see Emma's blunders coming the first time through because Jane Austen wrote the novel from Emma's point of view (even though it is in third person), and therefore you don't see much humor. Upon subsequent readings, though, you see all the hints Jane Austen drops along the way and realize that she is a comic genius. Tip for your first time through: Emma is almost always wrong and Mr. Knightly is almost always right.

8. The Mitford series by Jan Karon...I love Father Tim and all the other residents of Mitford.

9. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith...though the setting is Botswana and entirely different than the small-town America setting, this series reminds me of the Mitford books and their character, rather than plot-driven stories. If I were in a bind, I would want the "traditionally built" Mma Ramotswe in my corner.

10. The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich (One for the Money, Two for the Dough, etc.). These books make me laugh. Hard. Seriously, I think I have almost injured myself and/or passed out from lack of oxygen.