PS-Am I the only one excited for Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters?

Well then, Goodreads is the place for you. On this brilliant website you can keep track of the books you’ve read, want to read, and are reading, and rate and review them all. No longer will you forget the list of ten books that you’ve been dying to read, because you can keep track of them all on Goodreads. Curious about a new novel but don’t trust the New York Times review? Consult the gajillion reviews on Goodreads to get a better idea of what the book is all about.

Interested? Join up and friend me — I’ll be there all evening.

A lifesaving little number I came across is called My So-Called Freelance Life by Michelle Goodman. Complete with business plan advice, tips for creating a web portfolio, an index of helpful resources, and other hints from “an old salt,” as Goodman calls herself, this book has successfully stopped my regular nightly panic attacks. Goodman covers all of the basics of starting a freelance business, whether you’re writing and designing like moi, or coding, building, and gardening, her advice applies to any and all self-started businesses. She is, however, a freelance writer herself, so it seems to me that there is an extra-awesome amount of tips that are specific for writers.

I can’t seem to get enough of Goodman’s super-helpful, and also super-funny advice and anecdotes. Luckily she has another book, The Anti-9-to-5-Guide, and a blog which she updates regularly (the link is also found in my blogroll). Hopefully with Goodman’s help, I’ll be cranking out freelance jobs in no time!

Many teen girls, and increasingly their mothers, fancy themselves in love with Edward (or the actor that plays him, but what’s the difference?) and romanticize his relationship with Bella.  As Robert Pattin (who plays Edward Cullen in the film) remarked during a New York Times interview: “The connection that I am an actor playing this character is sort of skipped. They [fans] are in denial. They think I am Edward Cullen.” The article continues, “Mr. Pattinson, 22, said he had no idea what to make of his situation, about to meet thousands of teenage girls — and many of their mothers — who were flat-out in love with him.” (Read article here.)

So what does this obsession mean for girls who are just learning about themselves, relationships, and love? Have they found a good relationship role model depicted in the Saga, or is something more sinister disguised in Bella and Edward’s affair? And even if the story is depicting a less-than-perfect pair, how far will teens go in emulating their supernatural hero and heroine ? I’m still making up my mind, but I’d love to hear your thoughts.

For more fascinating reading about Twilight, check out this article from Bitch magazine that examines the series through a feminist lens.

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Author Kate Emerson has picked the Tudor Court during Henry the VIII’s reign as the setting for her novel Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace. I absolutely adore historical fiction (former Dear America junkie here) so the premise for this book was quite appealing. However, this book is an example of the good idea that’s needs better execution (perhaps on the guillotine, non?).

For starters, Emerson could have tried harder not to give away the love interest of her main gal Jane Poppyncourt on page 2 of the book. As soon as I read about the young girl’s love for her friend (including the poetic description of the color of his eyes — can you guess who it is?) it became obvious that he would be Jane’s happily ever after.

Further features of the book that irked me were Emerson’s repetitive recaps. Jane would experience something (for example, the flight from France with her mother), and then later in the book describe it to the reader as if the reader hadn’t been through said experience WITH Jane earlier in the novel. It made the book read as if it were written for a young adult audience suffering from ADHD.

My final complaint regarding the novel is that I always felt like I was two steps ahead of Jane in discovering the so-called secrets of the Tudor court. As Jane expressed her shock in the discovery of her lineage, all I could think was “Duh! You’re just now figuring that out?”

Overall, the novel was predictable and there wasn’t really anything special about Jane. The piece of the book that I found redeemable was it’s view of Henry VIII as a child and young king, before he became infamous for beheading his wives. Emerson brought a new part of his character to life that I hadn’t previously considered and deepened the complexity of Henry’s character. A lighthearted read with some intrigue, Secrets of the Tudor Court is definitely worth a look, but don’t expect to be dazzled by brilliant plot twists.

View all my reviews.

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Perhaps I’m easily amused, but in my mind, Jane Austen + zombies = amazing. At least that’s what my instinct told me when I saw the new hit Pride and Prejudice and Zombies at Barnes & Noble. Luckily, that gut-feeling was correct, and when I started this gory-mayhem meets snooty-society novel, I simply adored every page of it.

I’m a great lover of Jane Austen, but I must sadly admit that I’ve never read the original Pride and Prejudice. However, I think I was able to spot nearly all of Grahame-Smith’s additions because 1.) his writing style is quite different from Austen’s, and 2.) it is unlikely that Austen made sex jokes or references to the Orient in her work.

That being said, I feel confident that I would have loved Pride and Prejudice in it’s earlier evolution, but Grahame-Smith’s additions turned a brilliant work of literature to a more accessible level.

My only concern after reading this book is that upon hearing someone make a reference to Pride and Prejudice, I might mistakenly join the discussion with, “And wasn’t that a relief when Mr. Collins killed himself?” Austen must be turning in her grave. But in that case, wouldn’t she be a zombie?

View all my reviews.

About two weeks ago Rochester had its fourth annual Teen Book Festival, and lo and behold, it was held at Nazareth College where I’m currently a senior. Although the event was geared toward teens I stopped by to check it out (despite the torrential downpours we were having that day).

Authors like Jenny Han, David Levithan (of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist), Robin Brande, Ellen Hopkins, and Terry Trueman spent the day at TBF answering questions at author panel sessions, signing autographs, and meeting their teen fans. The Nazareth gym was packed with people (parents giving up seats for their excited children) thrilled to see their favorite writers in person.

I also spent some time carousing the bookstore which was stocked with goodies by TBF authors. Daphne Grab’s Alive and Well in Prague, New York, a story about 16-year-old Matisse Osgood who gets uprooted from her home in New York City to live in the boonies, grabbed my eye as something I would have loved at fourteen.

Alive and Well was an adorable and angsty tale of Matisse’s transition to Prague and how she deals with her father’s struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. Poignant at times with cute details (Matisse’s daily fashion, for example), I had a lovely afternoon devouring this teen drama. If you want a fun, easy, happy-ending kind of read that takes you back to those awkward high school days, check out Alive and Well.

Bernard Schlink’s The Reader recently completed the predictable best-seller life cycle as it morphed from a hit book into a must-see movie. As a stubborn believer that the book is always better, I’m ashamed to admit that in this instance I saw the movie first. Alas, I was compelled to pursue Schlink’s original novel in the hopes of having a few key questions answered, such as, is this taking place in 1900, or 1980? Was Hanna hit over the head as a child? And, why is adult Berg (played by the amazing Ralph Fiennes) being such a baby? Thankfully, the book filled in a few holes.

Both versions begin with our young hero, Michael Berg (David Kross), a fifteen-year-old German schoolboy, puking on his future ladylove’s doorstep. Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslett), a stern woman of 36, comes to the rescue, briskly washing away the mess and escorting him home. Months pass in which Michael is sick with hepatitis, but upon his recovery he visits Hanna to thank her. Michael loses his virginity to Hanna soon after, and they develop a daily routine: they wash (Hanna is a clean-freak), they make love, and then Michael reads aloud to Hanna, beginning what will become a lifelong romance for them both.

A year or two later Hanna ends the affair by simply disappearing, not to be seen by Michael for years. Their lives cross again when Michael, now a law student, becomes interested in a trial investigating Nazi crimes. Hanna is one of the accused. At this point, Michael finally puts two and two together and discovers that Hanna took her S.S. guard job to hide that she is illiterate. Her admittance to this fact could save her from a life in prison, however her pride, and Michael’s unwillingness to reveal her secret, land Hanna in the bighouse.

Frustratingly, Michael stagnates and spends his time after college and the trial comparing every woman he meets to Hanna, eventually having a child, getting divorced, and then spending his time recording books on tape to send to Frau Schmitz in prison. His lack of personal growth is distracting and confusing. Sure, he met some woman who he loved when he was fifteen and they broke up. Sad, tragic, yeah, yeah.

Get over it.

In both versions I wasn’t buying the picture of love that Michael and Hanna painted—and it doesn’t help that their affair begins with statutory rape. Hanna is selfish, harsh, and she uses Michael in ways only a young, inexperienced man would allow. Michael’s obsessive behavior is forgivable in the beginning of film and book, but as time passes, his apathetic self-pity doesn’t come across as tortured or believable—it’s angsty and annoying.

Hanna’s role only becomes marginally likeable during the time she’s standing trial and tells only the truth (except for that little part that she can’t read or write). She becomes frustrated during the questioning of her motives for joining the Nazi party, finally breaking down and asking the judge, “What would you do?” While this does provoke a moment of pity for Hanna, the supposed bad guy, I wonder if this emotion is warranted.

Plenty of movies and books in recent times have asked the viewer to understand the difficult position in which some Nazis were put, but haven’t we felt sorry for them enough? Sure, they suffered during WWII, but not even close to the proximity of what their prisoners experienced. It is somewhat admirable to see Hanna take responsibility for her crimes, but she only does so because to her, coming out as illiterate is more shameful. She would rather go to prison for horrifying crimes against humanity, rather than admit she is unable to read and write. Not feeling the pity.

As far as contrasts between book and movie, there was one major difference that I spied. During the movie, Michael’s relationship with his daughter is apparently fraught with tension, and the two plus hour film allows the audience only a small glimpse as to why. The director may have had good reason for punching up the importance of Michael’s daughter, but it only added confusion. I was left wondering what happened in their history, and gave their relationship more importance than it was due. I had hoped that the book would develop this piece, however, it took the opposite route and barely discussed the daughter. There was no problematic relationship. There were no issues to be resolved. The director chose to invent more drama, which had no place in the book, and ended up developing it poorly. Rather a bad choice I think.

Overall the film and novel were similar, containing the same highlights and complexities. Schlink’s work is simultaneously beautifully simply and poetic, mixing sections of dialogue and action with Michael’s older and wiser philosophic observations about love, life, and what it means to be part of the generation of Germans dealing with the mess of the Holocaust. Kate Winslett, David Kross, and Ralph Fiennes give compelling and consistent performances, capturing the essence of Schlink’s characters. Despite the confusing timeline (which I have yet to figure out), and occasionally frustrating moments, The Reader flows beautifully and keeps its readers interested in the fate of Michael and Hanna.

Interested? Please don’t make the mistake I did. Go read the book.

Check it out here: http://www.naz.edu/now/archive/butterfield.cfm

To see the other pic of me visit the homepage (http://www.naz.edu/) and toggle through the NOW@Naz slideshow–I’m the fourth pic, “Preparation”.

Besides the “epilogue” being up to par, I enjoyed how the story really came together at the end. There was planning, and plotting, and lots of interweaving, kind of like a spider’s web (how perfectly convenient!). To be more clear, the end was full of “Aha!” moments, where something that made no sense before suddenly made sense; for example Charlie’s mysterious relationship with his brother, Anansi’s love of karaoke, and the seven-legged spider featured on the cover. Want to know exactly what I’m talking about? Go read the book!

Don’t be scared of it just because it’s in the fantasy section at Barnes & Noble. There’s such a mixing of genres in the story, including fantasy, myth, comedy, romance, and even a touch of horror. What has this taught me? That you can judge a book by its cover, but not by its genre.

What more can I say about Anansi Boys? It’s a lighthearted, happy-ending, grown-up, thoroughly enjoyable read. It won’t shake you to the core, but it will make your heart pound in places, make you laugh in others, and stretch your imagination even after you’ve finished reading.