Sam's Magical Book Club

The ending wasn't quite as good as it could have been in my opinion, but I do have to give it a solid 3 stars because it was part of a really original, really engaging series. The book was still great, don't get me wrong. I didn't get bored or anything. I still buzzed through it eagerly.

Great books build up high expectations for me, and I just expected something a bit more... wondrous than your typical, no-fail, world-changing revolution. I guess I missed the mystical quality that existed in the first book, and that's just me.

Still, a highly recommended series. Can't wait for my sisters to read it and tell me what they think.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One word can sum up the expectations I had for this book:

Yessssss.

I loved everything about The Maze Runner - intriguing characters, exciting story, creative, provocative... and I get to live in the story for a few more books!

Through Thomas's eyes, the small civilization in the middle of a maze is confusing, fascinating, and strangely familiar even though he has no memory of his former life. Some of the characters are mysterious, some are funny, but all of them have an important purpose in solving the dangerous maze they are trapped in. Thomas's part is the catalyst to discovering the mysteries of the maze; things become more interesting as his role - and the role of the only girl in the maze - unfolds.

I take it as a good sign that the 1st book in this series was able to sort of resolve one conflict and introduce a whole new dimension of mystery that builds on what the characters just went through. I'm excited to see what the characters go through next - whether they get their memories back, whether Thomas and the girl find out what their past was together, whether the young will once again outsmart the controlling adults in their world...

Yes! yes! yes! Many thanks to my dentist for telling my husband he had no cavities (hopefully you will tell me the same thing when it's my turn again) and for recommending The Maze Runner! :)



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Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One of those sweet and intriguing stories that makes you feel torn between whether you like reading the flashbacks better or the present. And you gotta love twists at the end.

I loved the mystery surrounding the fortune teller/story teller and how in the end, most of the narrative turns out to be her story. Was that too much of a spoiler? I hope not.

Being the English major/writer nerd that I am, I have to put a plug in for the narrative itself. There are multiple layers of story. Each character has a story that weaves throughout all of the others. It's intricate, it's...Dickens-esque, even. You get the spunky girl on the cover telling her story, you get the fortune teller, you get the news writer, you get the soldier writing home, and... you also get the ultra mysterious Jinx character, who I believe never actually tells his story from the 1st person, but who you can't help but identify with in some degree.

(*Slight spoiler alert here.*)



I thought there was just 1 sort of "elephant in the room". We don't get any back story on how the girl's mom and dad met? Really? That was the only bummer for me because I loved the dad character and was sort of waiting to see how he came to have such a cute, spunky daughter. Also, I'm a bit of a romance junkie. In my world, you can ALWAYS fit in a little love story. Always. Nevertheless, it still pulls an easy 4 stars.

It was fun, charming, and definitely worth that little gold badge on the front cover. Thanks Annie, for recommending.



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First of all, how can you not automatically like someone with the last name Twist? What if my name was Sam Spin? Or Sammy Shout? Dickens is totally the pioneer of making up cool last names.

Other things to love about Dicken's Oliver Twist:

1. The boy is adorably, heart-breakingly innocent.
2. He wants so badly to please people.
3. Did I mention the cool last name?
4. The book spawned a musical which I am seeing in November.
5. The book has also inspired several movies and spin-off's, including 1 magically moving film that is absolutely beautiful, musical, romantic, happifying, and a must-see: "August Rush." Just trust me. It really is magical. And that's what this blog is about, after all - stories that are magical.
6. The novel is a Dicken's classic, for heaven's sake.
7. Second only to the last name Twist is the name given to the spunky, independent pock-picket, The Artful Dodger, also called simply The Artful. You have to say it out loud with an English accent to get the full effect. Just try it. 
8. The book gets me thinking about the human element in my own writing. How some characters really are "all bad," but some are not.

I think I picked this up ultimately because I may or may not have seen my 14-year-old sister reading it and thought "Okay, yes, I'll give it a try and then if we agree maybe she'll come to me for more book recommendations and thus will begin a lifetime connection of literary exchanges and shared passion..."

But anyway.

It had some interesting insights when it provided possible explanations for the omnipresence of spirits, the spooky sensation of feeling watched, and a land of limbo. Pretty good job with character development for the short space, though I personally would have liked more.

The ending was a bit anticlimactic. And many of the scenes were mostly interesting to me because I kept thinking, "ooh, I hope Huntley wraps up the significance of that scene." But most of the scenes didn't have that tangible sort of "ah" moment where it all comes together.

Still, no shame in recommending for juvenile avids.

Don't read

 I wanted something flighty and fast and that's what this is. Plus it reminded me distantly of the Newberry Honor book by Gail Carson Levine Ella Enchanted, which was my favorite book in middle school before the movie absolutely destroyed it.

I guess that's what Haddix was counting on. Riding on the misplaced associatons with another book. But the coattails of Ella Enchanted would not be ridden.

Decent female narrator voice. But, under-developed plot, overly predictable characters, and only a cute-ish romance that tries too hard to be... real.

I'd recommend it only to 13 year old girls. Maybe. But I think even they will get a much more rewarding reading experience from Ella Enchanted. Now there's a cute, chick-flicky book with some sass and just enough depth.

READ

Wow! This series is a-maz-ing. I wish I could say something to convince everyone to read it. I'm basically obsessed. 

You know those books that reach out and pull your nose in from page 1 and you think about it even when you're not reading it and you can't wait until you get a moment to read it again and you wouldn't know if everything was burning to ash around you while you're reading and then when you finally finish, instead of being relieved to have your life back you just feel depressed that it's over?

The ending was everything you hope for in endings and more.

Patrick Ness is a genius. 

He makes me think about the power of language, of perspective, war, madness, love, growing up, having hope, changing the world, how the past affects the present, how there's so much wonder in life... and how a story as captivating as this one can feel so original yet so much like an echo of reality.

The book broke my heart and patched it up over and over again. Patrick Ness takes good care of his readers. 

Trust me.

Read it.

Yeah, it was good, whatever. 

Don't try to read or listen to Game of Thrones on audiobook at the same time as you're reading the "Chaos Walking" series because you'll end up tossing this over your shoulder so you can just focus on gobbling up the last book in Patrick Ness's "Chaos Walking" series. 

This is turning into a review for the wrong book, but that's probably because I was thinking about the wrong book while I was reading the wrong book.

Wow. Just...wow.

This new world where men's thoughts are not their own comes alive instantly. And so does the troubled and innocent boy who takes a heart-breaking journey that I just know will change the world he lives in forever. 

This is so much more than a coming-of-age story. For a story to be this consuming, it's gotta have too-real characters (both the villainous and heroic variety) and a heart-pounding story. Which it does.
Wish I could say more but I'd rather just get on with the 2nd book already.

I just loved this. 

Delightful. Fun, fun idea. 

Shannon Hale had me squealing like a little girl at the end with the excitement of romance. So obviously I'm moving on to Midnight in Austenland then...

I haven't finished it yet, so this review is a little premature, but nevertheless I have already formed an opinion.

It's an interesting story with some potentially intriguing ideas, I just don't know how well it's executed.

You know some books, like (take an obvious one) Harry Potter, can draw you into the story world right from the start and you feel like you're living in a place where muggles, and Hogwarts, and Quidditch are real? Well, this young adult fantasy/dystopian tale doesn't quite do that.

Not to be too much of a downer, it is an interesting read and it's keeping me entertained just fine. I'm just not getting that sense of urgency near the end of the book that gets me thinking, "Oh no! I just have to get the next book in the series! I need to keep this story going!"

Know what I mean?

Maybe it's because the characters narrating the tale are a little too juvenile in their narrations. Could be that I can't relate to them or they just aren't giving me enough detail or emotion or complexity. I dunno.

Could be that the supporting characters aren't overly intriguing or complex either.

It all comes down to details, I suppose. Details equal richness of story.

But everyone is not supposed to agree with my take on Witch and Wizard. If you have some reasons you think would convince me to read on in the series, I'm open!

Just because I haven't posted in a while doesn't mean I haven't been reading.

And just because most likely no one even looks at this blog doesn't mean I'm not going to post in it again.

In other good news, if anyone has been checking on this blog from time to time, you may have seen all of my updates over in the right sidebar there, feeding from Goodreads.

Thank goodness for audiobooks. If not for audiobooks, I probably wouldn't be reading. (Let alone writing analytical reviews of everything that I read.)

So this post is more like a check-up, really. Because, being totally honest, I don't have what it takes right now to write eloquent literature reviews. My reading/listening hobby has become what many people like to call "escapism."

I hate that term. I'm not really sure why, but it seems like some high-brow readers use the term in a derogatory way to describe people who read for fun instead of for intellectual advancement.

What's so wrong with that anyway?

Last time I checked, even the most simple, pure-for-the-entertainment-of-it novel was a gazillion times more enriching than the latest episode of "we beat the dead horse of reality TV again for the 5th straight night." If it takes escapism to get away from depressingly awful TV (or a long and lackluster commute with only construction cones for scenery), then so be it.

Can we just call our reading habits something else? How about "adventurism"!?

Who wouldn't rather be called an adventurist? (Note the difference between 'adventurer.' I like to be an 'adventurer' too, but when it comes to book-clubbing, then I put on the 'adventurist' tag. Make sense? If you're just joining this blog, remember, I make up words.)

I have several up-and-coming adventures that I'm pretty excited about. When you drive 45+ minutes each way to and from work, you tend to get excited about series(es) that promise to be spine-tingling, imagination-exciting, and mind-occupying.

• Game of Thrones
• The Knife of Never Letting Go
• The Maze Runner

 I'll start at least 1 of these series next month, and hit up a 2nd if I finish it.

Good thing there's way too many novels in the world for me to run out of commuting adventures.

What an amazing story of adventure, struggle, love, liberation, and becoming your best self! Like I anticipated, it was sort of a combination of Life of Pi, Born to Run, and Man's Search for Meaning, taking many of the same elements of being a runner, a castaway, and a prisoner of a war camp. But it also had something else I hadn't expected: a triumphant revival of human spirit with grateful moments along the way that made the hardships worth it.
It's hard to not be too judgmental of characters' actions during and after the war, but I appreciated the way Hillenbrand was subtly objective at certain points. She allows people to imagine and question what any given character is thinking in a situation, rather than stereotyping them. Most of the time, we relate to Zamporini, but there's plenty of other great choices to be interested in, too.

Well, this should feel a little familiar. And yet, with its unique combination of elements: unique.

Unbroken, from what I can tell from reviews, is not just a story about World War II, but about a man. Part P.O.W., part Odysseus, part runner, and part Pi (remember Life of Pi?),  Zamperini promises to be a very rich character to read about.

I've recently read a few other books that make this description of Unbroken seem weirdly similar: Life of Pi, Born to Run, and (okay, not that recently) The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. 

(Incidentally, did you know that "The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" movie is being made with Kate Winslet starring? If that's not a clincher, I don't know how else to sell it!)

Anyway, back to topic. Unbroken seems to have a lot of  deeply original episodes for being a story about the much-written-about World War II.

I'm usually not gung-ho for biographical or historical type books.  The appeal of reading for me is more about The Escape. You know. From life, from stress, from troubles, from boredom.

But, yes, occasionally I do find biographical books that are intriguing enough to trigger this same sort of Escape effect. So I'm going to read it. So there.

I'm back! Sorry about the prolonged hiatus, peeps.

I don't have any original excuses. Same old business: work, working with the Young Women, trying to write a book, helping sisters plan for weddings this summer, training for the Salt Lake half marathon. Yadda yadda.

About The Thirteenth Tale. It was part mystery, part romance, part tragedy, part drama, and part horror.

I actually prefer this cover much more than the one I posted at the top of the blog. This image captures the feel of the story a bit better.

Do you ever find yourself identifying with certain characters or narrators in a story? Of course you do; the stories are rigged that way. But do you ever feel more inclined to identify with certain characters? Maybe you've come across a fictitious individual that is startling similar to you.

The narrator, Margaret, is obviously the one to identify with in this novel. Told from her perspective, you feel all the mystery and questions and gaps in the story that Margaret also feels. It's kind of creepy, actually.

I did pick up on one clue that Margaret misses until practically the end of the book. And it wasn't the Jane Eyre clue that you'd expect (Jane EyreI is still on my "to read" shelf, actually).

The story's about twins, but there are a lot of mysteries surrounding them. Do they really have bipolar-like personalities? Is their house really haunted?

Spoiler:


I realized before Margaret did that there had to be somebody else in the house. I thought that the characters were probably triplets, until Margaret arrived at the truth and explained that the mysterious third "ghost" was a half-sister/cousin.

That sentence probably sounded super bewildering unless you've read the book. It is an intriguing story, so I recommend it. (But not to the prudish of heart, because it contains some risque material. How else could you correctly refer to a character as the "half-sister/cousin"?)

I don't remember when I picked up that "third sister" clue, exactly. I think my suspicion sort of solidified during the incident of the ladder-murder of John the Dig.

If anyone else were reading this book or this blog with me, I would ask how you fared with the "mystery" element of this story and how you liked it..

The Thirteenth Tale had several layers of narrating, which I LOVE. Reading the different voices of several characters is always so intriguing for some reason.

So it's a given fact that I'm ALWAYS ALWAYS going to like the book better than the movie. I don't know if I've met a movie yet that I liked better than the book it was based on.

Simple fact.

So, with that in mind, I DID like the new "Hunger Games" movie.

I was a little discouraged when one reviewer in Friday's newspaper said that the movie wasn't great as a stand-alone original, but seemed more like a prequel of things to come. Well, obviously the movie was based on the first book in the Hunger Games series, so that's to be expected, BUT... the first book was the best in my opinion, so I was hoping the movie would do it justice.

After seeing the movie, I doubt whether that particular movie critic had read Hunger Games at all, because the movie obviously followed the plot line of the book. And it was fine. Still a great story by itself.

Loved Katniss. I thought Jennifer Lawrence did a great job, and is a far superior actor (I hesitate to even mention the name, but so many comparisons are already being made) to Kristen Stewart as Bella in the "Twilight" movies.

The Hunger Games books definitely have the same sort of star-crossed love triangle that also exists in the Twilight books, but for some reason I was not as annoyed by it in Hunger Games. Probably because it was a little less dramatic and contrived. Yep. That's probably why.













In other words, Katniss's relationship with both Gale and Peeta seem grounded in believable events and experiences that they undergo. They're not just another angelic face that induces instant true love.

Ahem. That said, Liam Hemsworth playing Gale is a total hunk. I didn't even realize he is the brother of Chris Hemsworth ("Thor") until my husband saw the last name match! How did I miss that?

If you liked the book, then I am happy to say you will probably also like the movie.

"Hunger Games" seems to be making enough money that they will probably get to do their sequels, so we can finally replace the "Twilight" craze with something a little better! (Did they really need to split "Breaking Dawn" into 2 parts? No, thank you.)

If anyone would like more  of a literary review of Hunger Games  or if you want to nominate it for our monthly read, just let me know! I'm happy to re-read books, especially ones that read fast anyway. :)                       

Hm, yes please! Sign me up.

That would be for The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. It is the overwhelming winner for April's book club read with an astounding 1 VOTE! Amazing.

And it was my vote, too.

I might have to rethink the premise of this blog seeing as how it's not really a book club and more like a "see what Sam's reading these days and what she has to say about all these books" blog. Which is fine, of course. I'm all for calling things what they are.

Speaking of which, I've been on a reading binge lately, what with plenty of time in my car to listen to audiobooks. So check out my goodreads profile on the right sidebar if you're interested in more book suggestions. I've recently read Clockwork Angel, Born to Run, Fire Study, and I'm in the middle of The Clockwork Prince and The Lightning Thief on audiobook.

The official April read is still The Thirteenth Tale  and I'll probably just make Unbroken the official May read. Just because I can.

Feel free to vote or suggest any other books, because I'd love, you know, some interaction.

Primary thoughts about the 2nd book, Magic Study: I resigned myself to the fact that it was no longer about a love story and more about a complex fantasy world where the main character, Yelena, has to learn to use her magic. I was okay with it, because it was still an interesting story.

Goodreads rating: 3/5 stars

Main thoughts about Fire Study: Totally disappointed that there was nothing too original in the 3rd book and that it in fact seemed to really drag. A lot. Especially through the middle. I skimmed over a lot of the pages and found  that in so doing, I really didn't miss much. So I would advise you to do the same.

Goodreads rating: 2/5 stars

Go to my Goodreads link on the right-hand sidebar if you want to check out Goodreads reviews by me and others.

The library did not have an audiobook of Poison Study, so I had to go back to reading hardcopy. I was a little worried about having time to read, but it turns out it wasn't a problem.

I blazed through this book.

It was easy reading, but that's not to say it wasn't also intelligent.

An intriguing idea - the comparison of love to slow poison. Or is being in love only like slow poison until you confess it, share it, and find out it is returned; then is love the antidote?

Yelena, the main character, is likeable for a number of reasons. She's a bit gritty with some dark history and bleak sentiments - making her similar to what a real person might be like who undergoes what she does. I liked that about her.

She is believable as a jaded character but not in a whiny or cheesy or one-dimensional way. In fact, Yelena is actually quite... decisive. And...

Dynamic. That's the word.

I'm still deciding about the love story.

On the one hand, I loved that it started out subtle. You don't realize that you've already met the love interest until, well... you start looking for him. And then you start reading into small reactions a little bit more.

But then once the love story started to gain steam, I felt like a few things happened a little too fast.

*SPOILER ALERT BELOW*


 1) Another character pointed out the supposed obviousness of their feelings before Snyder had built up enough tension to convince me that strong feelings existed. This is a classic blunder that we writers refer to as "telling" instead of "showing."

2) The relationship was consummated a bit too hastily (even though it was near the end of the book). Let's leave room for some tension for the 2nd and 3rd books, shall we? I also wanted to see the brave but emotionally fragile Yelena struggle a bit more to reach the point where she was ready to be with him. (Part of her dark history included rape, after all - so I would have believed more readily in hesitance as opposed to haste.)

3)The lover seemed a little too easily accepting of her magical abilities, especially for an assassin's history of killing anyone with magical demonstrations. I just thought Snyder could have played with that tension a bit more too.

But maybe we'll see more relationship strain in the 2nd book. I have reason to believe we will.

Aside from those smallish criticisms, I'm enjoying the series and have already begun tracking through Book 2. Hope you're liking it too!

Let's think about how genius it is - just for a second - that Yann Martel managed to give an Indian boy a French name that was metaphorical not just for the ocean of his Rite of Passage but also for the infinite cycle of narration in this novel.

A moment of silence, please.

Ah, there.

Piscine = a pool, a body of water.
Pi = a Greek symbol, a never-ending decimal beginning 3.14...
Pi, the character= the first layer of narration in this novel which leads to almost endless possibilities of what you can take from this story.

It's brilliant, really.

Okay, this post is going to have spoilers. That's the only way I get to ask you what you thought about the conclusion!

You may also get a better idea of why I was an English Major. Because I could easily write up a squeaky neat  analysis paper on this book. Nevertheless, you will get the informal layout of what I want to say!

(Click "read more" if you have finished Life of Pi.)

I love twists at the ends of books. Only if they're good ones. Or thought-provoking ones. And Life of Pi totally blew them out of the water! (Excuse the awful pun).

START OFF THE DISCUSSION
The question I want to ask is (well, there are many) - but did you find yourself relating to the Japanese investigators at the end of the book who wanted to know how the ship, the Tsimtsum, sank but didn't believe all the details of Pi's story of being at sea?

I was like the investigators, because even though I love to suspend my disbelief when reading stories (or watching movies) I, too, would have liked to know whether it was all true. Pi certainly tells the story as if it really happened.

But then he gives us a second, more realistic version, which is surprisingly metaphorical to the first version. Did you find yourself believing the second story more readily... but not wanting to?

If so, then the job of the Japanese investigators was truly done well. They exposed hard, cold realism without the warmth and richness that Pi gave them... then realized that they preferred Pi's first story.


THE CONSTRUCT OF NARRATION
Looking back on the entire novel, it becomes obvious how it was a constructed story of metaphors and symbols. The end of the book is where you get to appreciate the layers of narration. And in Life of Pi, there are several.


LAYER 1
Remember all those chapters talking about animal nature as it related to the zoo and human nature as it related to religion?  It turns out that those subjects become metaphors for each other in Pi's mind.

Telling the story to the Japanese investigators - you know, of all of those months at sea - was only 1 layer of narration that uses a story of animals to illuminate some fascinating points about human nature... especially when under duress.

Did you like that Pi was the tiger? I did. There's a whole world of analyzing there, if you want to go there.

LAYER 2
What about the telling of Pi's story to the Narrator whom we're introduced to at the beginning of the book? You know, the one who writes the "Author's Note" but isn't really Yann Martel, the author?

We have evidence along the way that this is a narrative layer as well. When "the author" meets with Pi, doesn't Pi cook up rich Indian dishes seasoned with spice and various sides?

Doesn't Pi have a natural tendency to embellish, or even just to appreciate details and revel in the richness of life as well as in his spicy Indian food?

LAYER 3
I truly admire anyone still reading this utterly English Major analysis at this point. Thanks a million!

Finally, what about Yann Martel himself? Isn't this Layer 3 of narration? Doesn't Yann Martel too like to "spice up" his story (the novel) and embellish it with elaborate descriptions? (Which I'm pretty sure I spent an entire post gushing over.) Doesn't he also discreetly present "the author" as if it were himself?

Before I read Life of Pi, I had actually spoken to someone who read it and thought that it was all a true story. That the author Yann Martel and "The Author" of Pi's story were one and the same.

It's not true. There are 3 storytellers in this novel. Yann Martel, The "Author", and Pi Patel.

So there you go. Suddenly the whole book turns into a neatly contrived story of 100 precise chapters that could be a metaphor for just about anything.

Well. :) I take that back. It's most likely about animals and humans. And storytellers.


STORYTELLING LOVE
Oh yes, I love the whole idea of storytelling and layers of narration. My overall assessment of Life of Pi is that it was expertly done. I was moved, at times I was convinced, the metaphors were subtle, but they were also unmistakable.

And I loved the descriptions! Contrived tool that they are!

Thanks for sticking it out with this post. I hope you appreciated Life of Pi as much as I did after analyzing just a few aspects. :)

I have decided to go with Poison Study, based on numerous recommendations. Starting with book #1, I will likely try to complete the series via audiobook while becoming increasingly familiar with every bump and swerve on I-15 between Salt Lake City and Provo.

So is Poison Study okay? ...okay?....kay?...ay....

Ah, the echoes of cosmic web obscurity.

If I were to ever become a manager in a business setting (which I never would because I hate telling people what to do) I would probably be one of those people that needs the input of at least 3 different people before making a decision.

This whole choosing-my-own-book-for-the-book-club business is anxiety-inducing.

In light of that confession, it's never too early to decide on April's book!  What do you think about:

• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John LeCarre
• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Let me know!

As always, feel free to suggest other books you're interested in or if you happen to be a member of another book club and you want to consolidate your monthly assignments into 1! (Like I said, I'm a bit of a push-over.)

I have to issue a small warning about Life of Pi: Don't read this book while you're eating - especially if you've reached the part where Pi is at sea.

Unless, of course, you do not find the animal habits of eating, killing, or other bodily functioning unsettling. Because I do find them a little bit disagreeable when I am eyeing the food that I am about to bring to my mouth.

I know it seems like it takes a while for Life of Pi to get going. The first several chapters give beautiful descriptions of Pi's life and family and religious curiosities, but it kind of leads us to ask "so what?"

Once you come to the "inciting event" where Pi suddenly finds himself at sea with no one but a bunch of wild animals, you realize that all of those explanations were prepping you for this phase. Suddenly, the descriptions of animal mentality and interactions are super relevant to Pi's survival.

I do actually find this story interesting and sort of hair-raising (yes, even though there is no romance or magic). Yann Martel is a good describer of scenes and emotions. The way Pi describes being thirsty, for instance... didn't you suddenly start absolutely craving water? I did.

Being about halfway or so through the novel, what do you think? Almost at the end yet?

No, I don't think I'll be done by the end of February, either. ;) Though I am much closer now that I am listening to it every day during my commute.

What other descriptions or emotions stood out for you?

I also thought the description of the hyena was pretty vivid, even if it did give you a sense of abhorrence for the creature. There's more, but I can't think of them right now.

The reason I talk about the descriptions is because I suspect that they may be what I remember most about my experience with Yann Martel and the narrative voice. The insightful descriptions. He has a pretty distinct voice.

What stands out to you most, or what do you appreciate, about the narrative voice?

Book clubbing is for discussion, after all!

My dentist in South Jordan recommended a book to me today, once he learned that I am an English major and a Book Hugger. (I just feel like my invented term should be capitalized for some reason.)

I love my dentist. Too weird to be a credible statement? Then I'll put it this way: I love that my dentist is also an avid reader and actually asked me for the web address to my magical book club!

He recommended a book that "we" (notice how I assume that this blog is not a one-man show) have already been considering: Poison Study. Apparently it is a series worth reading! I will officially submit my vote for March's read: Poison Study, including book 1 or the entire series, whichever you prefer.

Of course I'll still factor in everyone's votes. Everyone who does vote. (Wink wink.)

Otherwise I will probably save The Thirteenth Tale or another choice for April. I've also been recommended Unbroken and I do love to follow-up on recommendations.

I'm using the word "love" a lot today and I'm guessing it's the lingering after-effects of Valentine's Day yesterday. (Thanks for asking - my day was lovely.)

Sorry to put off discussing Life of Pi for another week, but I have not had much chance to sit and read lately. We're all human, right? The good news is that my audiobook is reserved for me at the library and I'm picking it up today so that I can start listening during my long commute! Yay!

If you have any interesting thoughts or questions about Life of Pi you want to discuss, let me know. There's plenty of February left. And I...love...discussing literature and analyzing! (Must be an English major thing.)

Hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day!

I have. And so far Life of Pi by Yann Martel is rather slow-going. But that's okay, because I've talked to others who have read it and they say that it picks up.

So hang in there with me.

You may want to keep this interesting tidbit in mind:
Apparently, the story is not as true as it would lead you to believe. Even the "author's note" at the beginning is all part of the overlaying narrative. However, this should not be a deterrent from appreciating the adventure.

(I could go into an abysmal exploration of how the different layers of narrative affect the story experience - I wrote an interesting paper about narrative voice in college. Interestingly enough, that paper was about Ian McEwan's Atonement. I will forbear torturing you with geeky analysis, for now.)

I am still very near the beginning, but I have already found a few passages that I just love.

As a writer, I like to pick apart how other authors build their story and their characters. For instance, chapter 3's primary focus seems to characterize the man called Mamaji by the narrator. Yet, we also get a few quirky little nuggets that teach us about Pi's family and himself.

For instance, I am inclined to think Pi's father is a comical character. Pi says, "It was the talk that Father loved. The more vigorously he resisted actually swimming, the more he fancied it" (chapter 3, page 10). Does this sound like someone you know?

And in chapter 4, when Pi describes his father's zoo.... what a wonderful description! He not only gave me an original perspective on zoo animals, he made me appreciate the sensory experience.

And I am not just referring to what is probably a pungent smell.

Pi pummels us over the head with detail after detail. We get colors, sounds, and exotic animals listed with almost a feverish excitement. You can almost picture Pi waving his arms as he is describing the zoo to you and becoming more and more excited - trying to convey all the wonderful and intriguing details.

The abundance of imagery in words represents the abundance of sensory experience in person. Doesn't it make you feel like you are there, looking around you in wonder as fast as you can, trying to take in as much of the zoo as you can? It's almost overwhelming. It reminds me of how a child might feel upon entering Disneyland for the first time.

I told you I haven't gotten very far. How is it going for you?

I promise to maintain this most magical book club blog - I could not stand for the book club to fall off into oblivion - since I recently went back to working full-time. I did the freelance article writing thing for a while and it was great for the experience, but not a permanent thing.

To the fortuitous fulfillment of my career hopes, I am now a full-time, salary copywriter at a marketing firm for fitness and beauty products. I know - it's SO me.

Anyway, I am now making a 45-minute commute to work (90 minutes total each day) and I might just be listening to our February read, Life of Pi, instead of reading it. I've got the hard copy at home until I can get an audio version for my i-pod.

It got me wondering - How do you prefer to read your books? I'm usually all for holding a book in my hands. I love the smell of bound paper, the feel of a book in my lap, the excitement of flipping pages... but that's me - The Book Hugger Forever. Feel free to answer the poll (above left).

Don't worry - I will still drive safely while listening to books in my car. I'm a fabulous multitasker.

It's already February 2 and we have a shorter reading month than usual, but I do believe we can manage. It is Leap Year after all.

Oh, and, I thought I would throw out some book club ideas for March, just so I can update my lovely book club images at the top of the page. How about:

• The Thirteenth Tale
• Poison Study

 ...for starters? As always, feel free to suggest books that you'd like to read or discuss.

Happy reading with Life of Pi!

Coined a new phrase today on facebook. I can honestly say I have not heard it before and it is totally MINE. Not to brag (ok so maybe a little), but it completely captures a very important aspect of my personality and maybe yours too:

Samster's official definition -

"book hugger:
a) one who loves reading books, holding books, buying books, and living within the story-world of books;
b) one who unabashedly gushes about their obsession for reading and books;
c) one who prefers books to most other kinds of media, especially when comparing an original novel to the movie that was produced based on it;
d) a person who cringes and cries at the mere thought of any person trashing, burning, or disappreciating books in any way.
"Synonyms include: bookworm, library rat, book clubber, book geek, aspiring writer, closet poet, page turnee, word nerd, scholar, student, book store bum, speed reader.
"antonyms: book hater, ignoramus, vegetable, dictator, Nazi.
"see also: GENIUS."

Are you a book hugger, too? If you think are, let me know why you would call yourself this.

Okay, I admit. I finished the Mortal Instruments series.

I'm serious! I turned into a reading zombie this past week and stayed up late reading and I could not wait to know what happened.

After City of Bones (book 1), I had to read the City of Ashes (book 2), and then I just had to finish City of Glass (book 3) because I could not concentrate on folding laundry, making dinner, or getting anything done as long those books were unfinished.

I'm comparing this series to the best, star roller-coaster attraction of the paranormal genre. It was... amazing.

Here's my goodreads review of the last book. I promise I don't give anything away.

My obsession with the rollercoaster ride continues! This series seriously restored my faith in paranormal literature.  

The plot progresses in that action-movie-like way that you can't put it down, the characters develop at just the right pace and somehow manage to get more interesting in the 3rd book, and of course the love story keeps you pulling at your hair from one page to the next (in a good way). There is just enough dangling frustration mixed with satisfying moments.  

I blazed through this in about a day and was instantly depressed that it was over. (There is a fourth one, but it takes a tangent into another character's story). I also immediately wanted to read them again - a good sign that this book has that X factor, like really great classic movies, that makes you want to live the story again because you know the journey will be tantalizing even when you know the end.

If anyone makes this into a movie, it better be Christopher Nolan or Peter Jackson. I don't think I could bear to see this story butchered.

Yes I believe this series is movie-adaptation friendly.

But mostly I hope you like the books as much as I did.

When I got to the end of the first book (as you could tell in my previous post) I was already hooked. I was. Cassandra Clare had me dangled - no, caught - in the grips of unanswered questions and the desires of the characters.

One of the unexpected perks of reading this series is that it started to give me serious ideas about my own book. Fantasy-adventure is in my soul, and I'd already decided that my story was going to be in that genre. But I'd lost some faith in recently published books and I needed a flare to get me excited again.

These books were it. The flare.

Your turn to let me know your review...or at least your observations up to whatever point you're at. Don't worry - you still have till the end of January to read 1 or all 3 of the Mortal Instruments books.

I will post about them again, too!

I stayed up late reading in bed this weekend and I finished City Of Bones. I couldn't help it!

Question for you, when you get to the end: What did you think about the twist?

It was definitely startling. I didn't see it coming; I am not ashamed to admit. It definitely "thickened" the plot up nicely and gave you a reason to pick up Book 2.

However, the twist was a little disturbing. Much of the book was spent in building up a certain "tension"...until the end, when it's sort of yanked out from under you.

As a writer, I have to appreciate that Clare has constructed a very clever plot with a cliffhanger that you cannot disregard. As a reader, I'm not so sure that I have accepted the ending twist yet, and I'm mostly reading on in the hopes that the twist will unravel again. If you've read it, you know what I mean.

So you might say that Clare is now in danger of losing my interest... unless she can somehow validate the tension of the first book. Really soon. I've already started book 2, and... I'm waiting.

Have you started reading City Of Bones?

Well, I have and I am loving it. I always love a magical and action packed plot. Who doesn't? But after reading a good share of cheesier and cheaper books in the same genre, I also have a very healthy appreciation for an original storyworld and fascinating characters.

It is seriously hurting my productivity. I am nearing the end of  Book 1 and I have no doubt I will have to read on.

Which leads me to my next point of business. If anyone else is becoming equally engrossed in City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments Book 1 then you have probably realized that it's not entirely reasonable to expect to finish the whole series in one month. They're meaty books. I don't think even I could finish four of them by the end of the month.

So, we may be making February an optional month for choosing to read either Life of Pi, or just to finish The Mortal Instruments series. Just as an FYI.

And just for the record, I think City Of Bones would be wildly successful as a movie. If you thought Twilight was successful... well... I'm just saying that City Of Bones would be one that I would not have to be embarrassed to go see. :)

Let me know what you think of the book if you've started it! I hope you like it as much as I am.

Just in case anyone else out there has recently finished the Uglies series and wants a few more thoughts about it, here ya go!

I thought a lot about the interaction between the main characters in the books. Specifically, between Tally and her best friend, Shay. It seemed a little... ironic... to me that their friendship lasted only a short period of time before the conflict of their world pulled them apart.

To recap, they became best friends during just a few short months before their scheduled "pretty surgeries," in the first book, Uglies. Near the end of Uglies, they had a falling out that lasted all through the second book, Pretties, and even resonated into the third book, Specials.

Of course you could argue that when Tally and Shay both became Specials in the third book that they were technically aligned on the same "team" once again. They acted civil towards each other, right? Yet to me it seemed like the tension between them never fully dissipated.


Did anyone else feel the same way? Or did you feel like Tally's and Shay's differences were happily resolved and you had no regrets?

Near the end of the third book, they both were able to gain their independent minds back after the many surgeries that had gone through and seemed to come to terms with each other. But it still seemed like they had to fight for it, and work at it continuously. Do you think Westerfeld did that on purpose and is that true to life?

I think Westerfeld is a good writer, a good storyteller, and did a really good job of characterizing Tally and Shay. He  wrote from Tally's  point of view convincingly, and he gave them believable, very human emotions and flaws. So to anwer my own question: yes, I think he did it on purpose.

There's some lessons about friendship and leadership mingled in there somewhere.

Also, as a writer myself, I think it was also one of the story questions, or conflicts, that kept me coming back as a reader. In other words, did you want to keep reading because you wanted to see them become friends again?

First, Westerfeld has to make you believe in their friendship - that they are real people who need friends and they care about each other. Then he has to get you emotionally invested in their friendship, so much so that you are sad to see them fall apart. Then Westerfeld has to keep you reading by making you believe that they can become friends again but that there is an interesting and difficult journey to get there.

It's good story writing. And I thought it was good reading too.

I got my "happy ending" but not in a bland, contrived way. In other words, maybe it's a good thing for humans to feel a little regret because it encourages us to do better next time. Westerfeld made me appreciate that some relationships could not be made perfect, or forced to revert back into what they were before, but that they were still worth working for.

Alright, thanks to everyone who gave feedback about January's read. From what I can tell, it looks like we had about 3 votes for City of Bones (including comments) and 2 votes for Life of Pi in the poll. Since I definitely want to read both books and I don't want to leave anybody out, let's go ahead and start reading City of Bones for January and schedule Life of Pi for February.

Sound good?

This means if you voted for Life of Pi and you want to get a head start, then by all means you can go ahead and start reading it now. I just won't start discussion on it until the end of February.

Hit the libraries, the bookstores, Amazon, or wherever else you go to get your books. Hopefullly we'll all have plenty of time to reserve the book we want and read it before the end of the month.

Just a reminder about City of Bones: It is the first book of a series - the Mortal Instruments - so if you want to read on in the series, try to squeeze it into January if you can since we will start with a new book in February. I may try to read the whole series as well.

Once again, feel free to let me know if you read Uglies, Pretties, or Specials and what you thought of the series. I have one more post coming up later this week about the series, and more specifically, about the character interaction.

Happy reading!