Sword of Honour

     The latest book I listened to was Sword of Honour by Evelyn Waugh. It was my first experience of Waugh's writing, and I greatly enjoyed it. Apparently the book is actually a trilogy of novels, but the edition I listened to seamlessly connected them and I didn't even notice. 

     The plot follows Guy Crouchback (lovely name, I know) and his experience as an English soldier during World War II. Most of the action takes place in a military setting, which is usually boring to me, but Waugh does a wonderful job of being just technical enough--but not too technical--that it's both informative and engaging. My favorite part of the book (as usual) is the array of gloriously diverse characters. Despite the complete absence of physical descriptions, I felt as though I knew each character personally and could picture each one with ease. I was laughing out loud countless times while sitting at my computer at work. The close of the story is not as satisfying as I would like, but I can't think of a single book ending I did enjoy completely! 

     Sword of Honour definitely got me interesting in reading more Waugh. Especially if all his books are so hilarious! It is a great story, with a wonderful balance between plot and character. A must-read for anyone who enjoys British literature!

The Brothers Karamazov

     I recently read The Brothers Karamazov by the Fyodor Dostoevsky. On the whole, it was very interesting and I enjoyed it, despite the fact that the plot was difficult to follow most of the time. There was a distinct lack of likable characters (only one to my count), but that doesn't usually stop me from enjoying a story, and it didn't this time.
     The story follows the Karamazov family: Fyodor Pavlovich, the dissolute father; Dmitri (Mitya), the military son who follows somewhat in his father's footsteps; Ivan, the atheist and scholar; and Alexei (Alyosha), the kind and quiet would-be monk. Relations among all the members of the family are strained, and there is talk of theft and mental illness--especially when Fyodor Pavlovich is murdered.
     A good chunk of the story is a murder mystery, but with one downfall: you never find out beyond doubt who the murderer is. Woven into the seams of the mystery are many tragic, frustrating, funny, and entertaining encounters between characters. I know this book is considered great literature by many people, but if there is a deeper underlying theme, I definitely missed it. Wouldn't be the first time, either. I'll leave the analysis to the scholars.
   Anyway, this is a book I would recommend to anyone who knows what to expect from Russian literature and is looking for an entertaining and not-too-deep story!

Gone with the Wind

     This week I finished listening to Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell for the second time. I loved it just as much as I did the first time (and still hate the ending). It is often called the "great novel of the South," which I think is an apt description. Reading it definitely made me more interested in the Civil War and the way it changed day-to-day life for both the North and the South.

     For some reason, I tend to enjoy books whose main characters are not likable...Gone with the Wind is definitely an example of that. In fact, you could argue that there isn't a single likable character in the entire novel. But somehow that makes it more enjoyable, more compelling. Vain, manipulative Scarlett O'Hara; coarse and unpredictable Rhett Butler; maddeningly sweet Melanie Hamilton; ineffectual Ashley Wilkes...they're all obnoxious in their own ways, yet somehow the reader can't help but love them. Or at least care what happens to them.
     One nice aspect of this book is that no character's actions are all good or all bad. (Not even Melanie's!) They're much more human in the way they all make mistakes and all have moments of goodness. There are misconstrued motives, miscommunications, volatile characters, stubborn characters, some who are both stubborn and volatile. It's easy to be pulled into a book which is so like real life. Pulled into it enough to stick with it through the entire lengthy saga.
     I listened to Gone with the Wind as an audiobook. The whole thing was just over 49 hours long. (For comparison, Les Miserables is over 60 hours and War and Peace is almost 62.) It's an exciting 49 hours! Murders, romances, parties, escapes, danger, death, humor, history...it all happens between the pages of this book.
     There is an old and very famous movie of Gone with the Wind starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. It was made in 1939 and is the highest-grossing movie of all time in Canada and the USA. It was the first major film in color, too. It's more than four hours long, but man they had to cut a lot from the story! The original cut of the movie was over seven hours. I wonder if even that was time enough for the whole story. Anyway, it's a very well-done adaptation. It would be interesting to see a newer version of it (now that film in color is no longer a novelty), but it seems that no one has undertaken the task since 1939. Ah, well, perhaps for the better.
     The main downfall of the book is its abysmal ending. Talk about no closure whatsoever! Remind me never to write an ending like that in one of my books.
     So anyway, I really like Gone With the Wind. I know some people who hate it, which I can understand. But I'd say it's worth a try for anyone who's interested in a great civil-war romance!

The Queen's Thief

Recently I finished the Queen's Thief series by Megan Whelan Turner. I'd read them on the recommendation of one of my writing group members, and I'm very glad I did. The books were different than what I usually enjoy, but they were very well-written and the setting reminded me of one of my books, so it was interesting to see how the setting affected the story.

The books are in this order:
The Thief  (Newberry Honor) - it took me a while to get into the rhythm of this one, but it had an intriguing plot that made me pick up the second one when I finished it.
The Queen of Attolia - this was the book that really got me hooked on the series. It focused heavily on character development (I approve) and there was plot twist after plot twist...I couldn't put it down!
The King of Attolia - in choosing my favorite book of the series, I can't decide between this and the second book. Its heartbreaking plot, fabulous characters, and epic action sprinkled with humor dazzled me.
A Conspiracy of Kings - I have to say, this one disappointed me a bit after the third one. It's still really well-written and has lots of great elements, but the plot seemed relatively scattered, and I was left with a lot of questions after finishing it. That being said, it supposedly isn't the intended "last book" for the series, so there's still hope!
Overall, these books were very good. The plots were complex, fast-paced, and surprising, the characters were never static, the worldbuilding was excellent, and the writing was unique and beautiful.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a debut novel by Alan Bradley which one six different awards. My friend gave me this book for my birthday, and I absolutely loved it!
Aside from its great title, this book has pretty much everything I love in books. A daring, intelligent, and lively protagonist, a historical setting  (1950s England), a murder-mystery premise, numerous references to all sorts of literature and other random knowledge, and fabulous, hilarious writing.

One thing that particularly struck me about Sweetness was the use of a unique narrative voice. Told from the first-person perspective of an unreliable but precocious narrator, the straightforward descriptions and blunt internal monologue couples with a conversational tone to make for a very entertaining read. Mom can testify to how many times I laughed aloud while reading. The style reminded me of a younger, slightly-modernized Agatha Christie with different focus. And the plot was compelling, as an added bonus. The only problem with this book, I would say, is that it interfered with my schoolwork because I didn't want to put it down.
And, happily, there are six others in the series!
Thanks Maren! I can't wait to read the next one.

Phantom of the Opera

In April our choir is going down to Omaha to see a production of the show Phantom of the Opera. So I thought I'd read the book before we went. I really enjoyed it. It wasn't what I was expecting from the novel that inspired my favorite Broadway show, but in most ways it exceeded my expectations. The story is told almost completely from Raoul's point of view (yes, he has a personality in the book). There are some great characters who didn't make it into the musical, and some other characters were changes somewhat, but the musical gets the basic plot right. One of the fascinating things was all the details in the book about the Paris Opera House, how it has five underground cellars and a lake at the bottom, the infamous Box 5, and all the rest. And it's all real! The Opera House, the five cellars, the lake, box 5, it all exists and you can go visit it in Paris. (Which is now on my bucket list.) I thought that Gaston Leroux had made up a lot of it for the book, but it seems the only things he made up were the various trap doors and fake walls the Opera Ghost used to scare people.

the Paris Opera House

cross-section of the opera house

the underground lake!
(All photos from Google Images)

The story does a good job of explaining the backstory of the Opera Ghost (which both the musical and the old movie I've seen get wrong) and it's compelling and almost creepy at times. The book I borrowed from the library included at the end some speculative writing about Sherlock Holmes investigating the case of the Opera Ghost, which was entertaining.

All in all, a good read! Especially if you really like the musical but feel like it doesn't have the whole story. It doesn't. There are a lot of additional juicy details the book includes. I'm glad I read it before seeing the show on stage!

Sorcerer to the Crown

I just finished reading a new book--and it may be a record for me, because it was published within the last six months. (What?? Maria is reading a new book??) Before you get all excited, I've got to say that this book, despite being new, is set in the 1700s.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The name of this book is Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho. It's the first book of a trilogy. And yes, as the title would lead one to expect, it is a fantasy novel. Now, I don't normally enjoy reading fantasy, simply because my preference lies in historical/realistic fiction. But this book was recommended on my writing podcast (yes, I listen to writing podcasts), and was noted for being a fantasy novel set in Regency England. Well, I thought, I'm willing to give that a try. And I'm very glad I did.

A short summary: Magic is the norm in this world, and being a sorcerer or "thaumaturge" is a valid career choice for British subjects. But England's magic supply has been waning, and the newly-invested Sorcerer Royal decides to find out why. Along the way he meets an unusually magically-talented girl, who soon changes the future of English sorcery—and his own life.
The main thing I would say about this book is that it's funny. I found the humor similar to P.G. Wodehouse at times, sometimes leaning more toward that of Jane Austen. The author has a lovely witty style, simultaneously blunt and playful.
The plot was intriguing, especially due to the detailed and careful worldbuilding, but for me (as always) the characters made the story. I loved the relationships between the protagonists, the humorous antics of the supporting characters, and the surprising twists some of their arcs take.
I was definitely wary when I began Sorcerer to the Crown, but I'm glad I decided to check it out from the library because it proved a fast and entertaining read. I can't wait for the next Sorcerer Royal book!

Mara, Daughter of the Nile

I've just finished reading one of my favorite books for the fifth time. (If you haven't figured it out already, I'm a firm believer in re-reading.) And it is still one of my favorite books. Perhaps no longer the very top of my list (it was for quite a while), but still up there. Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.

This is a historical novel set in ancient Egypt. I've read it's historically inaccurate, but it was written in 1953 so we mustn't be too shocked about that. And, frankly, does it matter? The worldbuilding is excellent. Even if the author maybe didn't know all there is to know about ancient Egypt, she creates the atmosphere with authority.

I am still not certain why I like this book so much. Certainly it has a compelling plot and interesting characters, but so do lots of other books. This time around, I paid special attention to the descriptions, and I realized McGraw is a master at description. Take this passage, which occurs toward the end of the book:

 Nekonkh bellowed an order, waved his hairy arms. As the crew swarmed down the ladder, chattering like monkeys over their unexpected liberty, Sheftu walked to the far side of the deck and stood there, feeling the warm sunshine beat down over his head and shoulders and the backs of his hands where they lay clasped on the rail. The very air smelled of heat and sun and water this morning. A fleet of fishing boats traced in gilt skimmed across Sheftu's line of vision, their sails pure light and their shadows ink puddles. Two barges moved ponderously upstream. Far across the river a hawk flapped up suddenly, curved and soared and dwindled to a speck in the cobalt sky. (Mara, Daughter of the Nile, 218)

Don't you just live in the scene? Four of the five senses appear in this short paragraph, making for a full experience of the scene described. I was very tempted to give another example, but I don't know how much of this book I'm legally supposed to quote, so I'll leave it at that. But guess what. This caliber of description happens throughout the whole book. It's like reading-candy, it's so beautiful. I am especially in admiration, as description is something I constantly struggle with.

Now, couple this amazing description ability with an action-packed and fast-paced plot, intriguing characters with unique arcs, and the historical setting of Ancient Egypt, and there you have a fantastic book.
But don't take my word for it. Read it yourself.
P.S. I didn't bother summarizing the plot because it's easy enough to look it up on Amazon and get a summary there. ...Plus I don't like summarizing things I feel strongly about!

Les Misèrables

I just finished reading Les Misèrables by Victor Hugo, and I loved it. (If you're thinking, but the musical was so boring and plot-less, that's because the musical has like 11.2% of the plot in it.)
There's a lot I could say about this book...first of all, that it is not for the faint of heart. This was 1200 pages jam-packed with compelling plot and character development, generous amounts of philosophizing and going off on tangents (what is it with Hugo and the Battle of Waterloo??), fascinating descriptions, and understated eloquence. You name a subject, Hugo probably mentions it in Les Misèrables. This is a book of epic proportions, especially theme-wise. He covered everything from street slang in Paris to the history of the sewer system, from life in a convent to the romanticism of poor law students. All within the frame of a thrilling plot about love, death, vengeance, justice, and redemption.

Some interesting points about Les Misèrables:
It's long. I know I already said this, but it merits saying more than once. It took me months to read, and not because I lacked interest. Surprisingly, though, it's not lengthy because it was serialized, like many books were.
It was written over a space of about twenty years. Victor Hugo finished the first draft in 1848, then didn't touch it for twelve years. It was finally completed in 1862. Within the novel you can see how the passage of time served to let the author's ideas mature and his writing develop into a uniquely concise and keen eloquence.
It's sprinkled with scores of perfect quotes. One peculiarity of Hugo's writing style is that sometimes (actually rather often) he ends a paragraph with a brief but incisive statement, thus leaving the present topic. It makes for numerous little gems and a lot of food for thought. Often I read one of these, put the book down, and pondered on just that one sentence for a while. I tried to find an example, but it's hard to wade through that much writing.
It has an overarching theme of hope, which Victor Hugo expertly lets bleed through every incident in the novel. It is called Les Misèrables, but it does not by any means give an impression of despair. Quite the contrary. Hugo was a master at theme.
It is incredibly detailed. As stated above. Have you ever wanted to know the life story of the bishop who has about three minutes of screen time in the movie? Did you ever wish you had a 50-page report on the Battle of Waterloo, emphasizing the role of the weather in the outcome of that battle? Or wondered about the Argot slang of Paris's criminals? Or wanted to know the history of Paris's sewer system, plus be treated to the author's opinion on said sewer system? And let's not even mention the smaller deviations. In fact, these feats of un-plot-related treatise earned themselves a T-shirt.

The chapter names are priceless. Some of my personal favorites:
     Excess of zeal on the part of Gavroche
     What to do in a bottomless pit except talk? 
     Questions that may be contained in a revelation
     An aspirant centenarian
     The goblin appears to Marius
     The hatching of crimes in the incubator of prison
     A group which nearly became historic
Just a sampling.
The plot is dramatic. For those of you who have seen the movie, you may be of the opinion that the drama was supplied entirely by the music and the cinematography. And you'd be right...about the movie. But the book is a different story. (See what I did there?) I especially remember one episode which I thought would make a great movie on its own. But the writers of the musical seemed to think it unnecessary.
It's worth the commitment to read. If you're going to read Les Misèrables, please don't flake out and skip all the random stuff. (See above.) It may not technically add to the plot, but it's fabulous writing nevertheless, plus it gives a great picture of 19th-century France and Victor Hugo's opinions on, well, everything. You won't regret slogging through that 50-page account of Waterloo when you get to the end. One of the things I like about the fact that it's such a commitment to read, is that it gives you a sense of going through it all with the characters. The plot spans decades, and reading all 1200 pages ensures you don't miss a minute of those decades. Plus, why not read more great writing? More room means more worldbuilding, character development, and plot twists.
You should read it. You may not have known this when you started reading this blog post, but it's true. I don't know why teachers don't make their students read Les Misèrables in literature class. It's certainly got enough substance. In addition to being entertaining, didactic, thought-provoking, and cathartic.

Crime & Punishment

Today our Russian Lit class will finish discussing Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting to--it was fascinating, intense, unpredictable, and so different from anything I had read. The story focuses a lot on the inward state of the characters, because that is the real driver of the plot, but that's not to say it doesn't have its share of action.
I loved how much it emphasized the fact that no one is either all good or all bad; rather, all the characters lay in varying levels of the gray area. Even the most virtuous characters have their moments of questionable decisions and moral ambiguity. Despite this, it's easy to tell which characters are bad news. Dostoevsky's characters are incredible nuanced. Each of the icky characters is icky in his own unique way, and the reality of their ickiness makes you cringe.
The entire host of characters is varied, human, and rigorously alive. Dostoevsky manages to dig deep into each character's soul, sometimes bypassing such trivial things as physical description, and brings the character's true motives into the light in very few words.
And then we come to the plot. The story is heavily introspective. Every plot point that occurs has something to do with the mental, emotional, or spiritual state of those involved. Moments of discovery, redemption, or tribulation are shown mainly through the thoughts of the characters. I expected to get tired of this, but I didn't. Nowadays everyone tells writers to "show, don't tell," but look at what Dostoevsky has crafted by putting action secondary to character development. It is one of those few stories in which the plot is driven by the character development, rather than driving the character development.
Dostoevsky doesn't gloss over things. His descriptions are blunt, straightforward, and sometimes brutal. He makes you feel what the character is feeling, often down to physical sensations. The mood of each scene is revealed in the way it makes the reader feel, as much as in the way it makes the characters feel.
I didn't really like the epilogue, but that's personal preference. I wanted to read more!
If you're looking for a book that challenges your intellect through the lens of vivacious characters, an impelling plot, and wonderful writing, read Crime and Punishment.
(Oh, and if it sounds a bit somber for you, I promise there are funny parts!)

Wintery-ness and school-ish stuff

Snowstorms, extremely low temperatures, whiteout conditions...looks like South Dakotan winter is back. That lull of warmth and very little snow over Christmas was strange indeed.
We've been slowly getting re-accustomed to the school year, which has been more difficult than usual with almost a week of schools letting out early and starting late. Tessie has had comparatively little school homework to do, but for homeschoolers snow days don't exist! We save our days off for when we actually want to be outside.
All of my classes have restarted except writing and French, which begin next week. Soon I'll have to pick another novel to read in French. Also Latin was cancelled on Thursday due to the weather, surprise surprise. But I'm trudging along through book II of the Aeneid all the same.
During the slight gap of school-not-being-on-full-force-but-break-is-over, what else would there be to do but read? I am rereading The Rosary by Florence Louisa Barclay, and also listening to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey again for some new insights. I always like books better the second time around. (Or the third, or fourth...)
Apart from reading, I've been doing a lot of writing as well. One of my New Year's resolutions is to write for at least 30 minutes daily (because, as my writing teacher puts it, writers sit in the chair and write!). My goal is to finish the first draft of the book within 2015. I'm also dabbling a bit in my other story (remember Sebastian and Antonio?), trying to come up with the perfect way for my two protagonists to meet. I still don't really have a plot yet for that story...but I have a while to decide, as I'm focusing on Helena right now.
Ah, what else is there to say? We've been mailing lots of packages to siblings who forgot half their possessions here (it seems like) and talking to others who accidentally took stuff that wasn't theirs (namely Claudia, who is inaccessible by post in Morocco)!
Also I've been having some reeeeeealllly strange dreams lately. One of them involved living in L.A. and traveling to London by train in 3 hours. Weird.
That's all for now. I think.

Jane Austen

Have I ever mentioned Jane Austen before? I certainly hope so. Mom and I love to listen to the books and watch the different movie versions of her novels. We've listened to all seven of her novels. My favorite is Emma, because it's lighthearted and hilarious, but I think Mom prefers Pride and Prejudice, which is my second favorite. There's something so universal about Jane Austen's books. Even though they're very culturally specific, the themes and issues are close to home for everyone. That must be one of the reasons they're still read today. 

I watch Pride and Prejudice every once in a while as a matter of course. We own both the newer version and the BBC miniseries. While the BBC version is far truer to the book and therefore somewhat more enjoyable for someone who has read the book...

...the newer one is still delightful. I actually watched it last night. :-)

Two days ago Mom and I watched the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility, which we hadn't seen for quite a while. It's not one of my favorite Austen books, but still a great story.

BBC did a wonderful miniseries of Emma which I love. It's much better than the movie. 

Mom and I have also watched versions of Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and Northanger Abbey. The latter is a bit silly but an entertaining read. You can tell Jane Austen was young when she wrote it. 

Lovely, all this Austen stuff. I'm so glad there are good movie versions of the books. They're some of the best movies I've watched.

(PS is there some copyright thing I'm supposed to say when I use a photo from a movie?)

The Rosary

     Today I finished a book for which the fittest word would be lovely. It is called The Rosary by Florence Louisa Barclay. It is set in England in the early 1900s/late 1800s, and the central characters are part of a fairly high class of society, or "set," as they call it.
     The main character is The Honourable Jane Champion, niece of the Duchess of Meldrum. At the beginning of the book she is 30 years old. Jane is known for being very kind, frank and amiable. She has piles of friends, and is well loved in her circle.
     The book is called The Rosary for a reason you would not expect. ...And that's all I shall say, because I think you should read it and find out yourself.
     I actually read this book because my mom had gotten it for me on Kindle, at the recommendation of my aunt. I was delighted with it! I read it in three days. It's an easy and quick read, but by no means light in content. It is full of emotional growth, healing, pain, and ecstasy. There is wonderful character development and plenty of unexpected plot twists! I shall have to tell my friends about it. Thanks, Nina!