Christmas reads

It has become December, and thus my holiday reading list begins again. There are a few books I re-read every single holiday season, and with good reason. And indeed, it is quite nice to be able to read stories which I know and love during this season of warmth and joy.

1. A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.
     Kind of an obvious choice, I suppose. This is one of the greatest Christmas stories ever written, and everyone ought to read it at least once. There are many fantastic film adaptations, as well.

2. The Legend of Holly Claus, by Brittany Ryan.
     A very feel-good tale of the daughter of Santa Claus and her intense love for humanity and how love conquers all. There's nothing specifically Christian about this book, which may give some readers pause, but I encourage you to read it. I penned a short review of it here.

3. The Chimes, by Charles Dickens.
     Basically, any Christmas story written by Dickens should be required reading at Christmas.

4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis.
     I consider this a Christmas book because of the Narnian winter and the visit of Father Christmas.

5. The story of Jesus' birth in Luke 2.
     Because of course. His birth is the center of the Holy Day, and it wouldn't do to forget that.

*******************************

I also try to re-read a classic or two during this season. This year I have chosen Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I have not read Little Women in years, and it is definitely time to revisit it.

Do you have any must reads for the holiday season?

Mid-October Updates

Mid-October and I'm barely twenty pages into The Mysteries of Udolpho. I blame Supernatural and not without reason...I've been watching somewhere between three and six episodes a day playing catch up. I was doing so well with my reading and then I got myself hooked on this dang show. I'm in season seven so there's not too much more before I'll be able to watch season ten which is airing now. And then I'll get back to reading more. I can't help it, though. Supernatural is well-written and it's almost eclipsed Doctor Who in my list of favorite shows. (Sorry, Doctor!) It's weird to think that I love an American television show that much, but I digress.

I haven't blogged as much because I haven't been reading much, obviously. So we shall see what happens with the rest of the month. Even though I planned on reading Udolpho for RIP IX, I will definitely read it and aim to finish by the end of the year, along with all the other books on my reading list. Otherwise, I'm reading Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz, which also perfectly fits the spooky Halloween feel.

So even though the book I chose for RIP IX isn't receiving the attention it ought to, I've been watching Supernatural and reading another spooky book, so I guess I'm still working with the theme and feel of the month. Oh, and cooking with lots and lots of pumpkins and apples. :D

Follow Friday: Five blogs I love

Hey, hey, it's Friday. I don't have another book review just yet, though I'm so close to finishing The Titan's Curse. So I've decided to spotlight other blogs I like, mainly fellow book bloggers, but there will be the occasional other kind of blog in the list because I have diverse interests.

So it's Follow Friday, and here are five book blogs that I love!

*********************************************

The Classics Club
This is one of those sites that is more a community than just a blog. Basically you join and commit to reading a list of classics in a certain time frame, and there are memes and activities throughout the year, like read-a-longs and such. I officially joined almost two years ago and then totally forgot about it, but I did make a list which you can find here. I'm going to try to get back into it, starting with The Mysteries of Udolpho which I wrote about the other day here.

The Broke and the Bookish
This is the site that hosts the weekly Top Ten lists that I have done in the past. I haven't participated in a long time, but it's always a fantastic way to find new blogs and new books. Lots of reviews posted here, as well.

Behold the Stars
I have followed this blog for a very long time. I think it was even under a different name at one point. O is an incredible writer with a penchant for classics. She is so in-depth, and she also happens to live in England and has budgerigars as pets. She's just really cool and so many books have ended up on my to read list because she wrote about them.

Novel Readings
Beautiful blog written by an English professor. If I ever want something academic and yet also personal, this is the blog I turn to. It inspired me in my days at college, and it continues to inspire me now.

November's Autumn
I hesitate to include this blog, though it is a favourite. It has not been updated in over a year, and I am quite sad. Katherine would also blog about classic literature and also visual representations of said literature, mostly paintings. I have not even read all of her posts. Also she really loves John Keats, who happens to be my favourite poet.

The Forbidden Library

It's funny, because when I was a teenager, I found myself wanting to read the books in the adult fantasy and sci-fi section of the library. Now, I'm returning to the children's fantasy that I have always loved. I'm disillusioned with adult books because so many of them are just too inappropriate and weirdly amoral for my taste. That's not to say there aren't good ones, obviously, but I digress. The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler is a new kids fantasy book that I happened upon at the library a few weeks ago. It's relatively short; fairly large print and under 400 pages, so I ate it up in a day, three days ago. I have this bad habit of staying up way too late reading, but then at least I get lots of reading done! But on to the review.

**************************************

from Amazon.com

Alice Creighton doesn't believe in doing things halfway. Even if she dislikes something (such as algebra), she will work as hard as she can to become skilled. One night she is working hard on her algebra homework assigned by her tutor, Miss Juniper, when she hears her father arrive home from work. She creeps down the servant stairs towards the kitchen, but stops short when she hears a voice and a low drone she does not recognize.

Turns out fairies are real, and this one is a real monster-looking thing. He's yellow and black and is threatening Alice's father. She eavesdrops, which she knows she shouldn't have. Not long after this late-night encounter, Mr. Creighton leaves on a journey by ship. News comes back that the ship has gone down. Alice is sent to live with her uncle on his creepy and eerily silent estate, The Library.

Geryon is an incredibly old man that Alice thinks cannot possibly be her uncle. He also tells her that the actual library on the property is off-limits unless she is with someone. This library happens to be an unattached building away from the main house; it recedes into the woods, so one cannot get a sense of how big it actually is.

One night Alice decides to investigate the library alone, after she has been taken into it by the oddly bland servant girl Emma. She meets a talking cat, Ashes, and suddenly discovers that things are not at all as they seem. Geryon is a Reader, a type of wizard who uses the power of books and words as his magic. And he is in the midst of a small war. And Alice finds she, too, has these magic powers, which she realizes will help her find the fairy again and discover what really happened to her father.

****************************************

As far as I can tell, The Forbidden Library is actually the first in a series, and I have to say I am quite excited. Django Wexler tells this story so well, and he also uses the word susurrus twice so I kind of have to like him. Anyway, I give this book five stars (yes, I liked it that much) and eagerly await the next installment.

Top Ten Books I HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly list meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I've been reading others' posts for this meme for awhile, but this is the first time I've joined in. Hopefully I can keep up with it.

This week's list is all about those books that you just had to have but still haven't read them. Perfect for me, because I shouldn't be allowed in any kind of bookstore with any form of money. *evil grin*

Really, though, I think we all do this at one time or another. For me, I'm usually buying classics or kids' books that I've already read, but there are more than enough books on my shelf to write this list, so here goes.

1. War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy (I even pick it up once in awhile!)

2. Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (To be fair, I read most of this on my Kindle, but an e-reader is not in any way conducive to reading a super long and rather convoluted book. The two paper copies I own have been gathering dust for over a year now. Oops.)

3. The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

4. P.S. I Love You, by Cecelia Ahern (Yes, I love the film. I bought the book at a secondhand shop and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since. I just don't read contemporary romantic fiction that much....)

5. The German Genius, by Peter Watson (I include this because though I started it, that was over a year ago and I haven't picked it up since. It's a really long book! And I'm not much of a non-fiction reader, though I'm challenging myself to change that this year.)

6. The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling (Erm, so, this one I'm about halfway through, so maybe it doesn't really count. But it has been sitting on my shelf with a bookmark in it almost since I bought it. Just something about it wasn't working for me...but I still want to read it!)

7. Anthony Adverse, by Hervey Allen (Watched the film on TCM late one night and tracked down an old copy of the novel soon after, but there it sits.)

8. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke (I even carried this one around in my bag for awhile after I bought it three years ago. Hmm.)

9. The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe (What Jane Austen fan doesn't want to read this???)

10. The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrun, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Bought when it first came out, which was kind of a long time ago. Oops.)


There you have it; my list. In no particular order, mind you.

My 2013 Reading List

It's nearly a new year and you know what that means: My 2013 Reading List!
To be perfectly honest, I love making lists, but have a hard time sticking to them.
This is especially the case with books because I so easily get distracted by another book.
And another book.
And another book.
And so on.
But.
I'm hoping that this year I will be a little better about it.
For my Summer of the Classics, I did actually read a few of the ones on my list!
I was VERY happy with myself.
So now, I am keeping the books on my summer list that I didn't read, and adding to it for this year.
Since this is a year long list rather than just for summer, maybe I'll actually read most of these!
The first book I really should finish is The Casual Vancancy.

My 2013 Reading List

• Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (I am going to start this one over....)
• House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton
• Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen
• Anthony Adverse, by Hervey Allen
• From the Earth to the Moon, by Jules Verne
• Now or Never or, The Adventures of Bobby Bright, by Oliver Optic
• Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
• The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins
• Tess of the d'Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy
• Quo Vadis: a narrative of the time of Nero, by Henryk Sienkiewicz
• Ulysses, by James Joyce (Okay, this is more wishful thinking, because I have tried reading this before and just couldn't get into it....but I am so willing to try again!)
• Utopia, by Thomas More
• History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, by Henry Fielding
• Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell
• The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Bronte
• Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
• The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe
• The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux
• Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo

• A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin
• A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords, by George R.R. Martin
• A Song of Ice and Fire: A Feast for Crows, by George R.R. Martin
• A Song of Ice and Fire: A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R. Martin
• Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer
• The Arctic Incident, by Eoin Colfer
• The Eternity Code, by Eoin Colfer
• The Opal Deception, by Eoin Colfer
• The Lost Colony, by Eoin Colfer
• The Time Paradox, by Eoin Colfer
• The Atlantis Complex, by Eoin Colfer
• The Last Guardian, by Eoin Colfer
• Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
• Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
• The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
• The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey
• The Time-Traveling Fashionista, by Bianca Turetsky
• The Time-Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie Antoinette, by Bianca Turetsky
• Battle Royale, by Koushun Takami
• Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming (James Bond)

• The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary, by Simon Winchester
• The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin
• The Science of Star Wars, by Jeanne Cavelos
• Salt: A World History, by Mark Kurlansky
• Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis, by Michael Ward
• The Fire and the Staff: Lutheran Theology in Practice, by Klemet Preus
• Jane Austen: A Life, by Claire Tomalin
• Wanderlust: A History of Walking, by Rebecca Solnit
• Tea: The Drink that Changed the World, by Laura C. Martin
• The German Genius, by Peter Watson (A continuation of reading...)

*************************************

Note that I have separated the books out into sections. The top section is classics and old books. The middle is newer fiction, and the bottom is non-fiction. I have challenged myself to read ten non-fiction books in 2013. This will be difficult, because I have a really hard time reading non-fiction. But my list is all things that should really, really interest me.

The Legend of Holly Claus

When Christmastime rolls around, I break out what have become my favorite books and movies. I don't know about you, but those old movies get me every time. So good. And then there are those books that I adore reading at this time of year, as well. For obvious reasons, I read the Holy Bible; can't forget the Reason for the season, Jesus Christ.

But beyond that, my two favorites are A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittany Ryan. The first one is for obvious reasons, the second is a book that I discovered while working at the library and I fell in love with it.

*****************************
In the land of Forever, Santa and Mrs. Claus have no children. After all, this is the land of the Immortals. No children have ever been born there. But then, in Victorian New York, a young boy writes a letter to Santa that changes everything. Soon, Holly is born. A huge celebration ensues. But, alas, not all is joyful. An evil magician/warlock puts a curse on Holly. She, of course, once she learns of this curse, is determined to break it, and to do a good deed that will once and for all earn her her place in the land of Forever.
 *****************************

Okay, so that last bit smacks of works-righteousness. But it's a story. And the land of Forever isn't heaven, no matter what anyone might try to say. The point is that this is a gorgeous book that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside and really want to do good. And that's certainly a good thing. Helping others is a wonderful thing to do.

I re-read this book every single December. Not only do I love the story, but it's set in the Victorian Era, and what with that, Christmas, and magic...well, the only thing that would make this book more perfect would be if part of it took place in London instead of New York City. :)

Twitter-style book reviews no. 1

Greetings, fellow book lovers!
Because I haven't been on here in kind of awhile, I'm not going to attempt to write full reviews for the books I've read since my last review.
This, unfortunately, may become more of the norm than the exception, just because of priorities.
But, we shall see.

Now, if I can remember the books I've read since my last posting....

*********************************
Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices, by Frank Viola and George Barna.
    Umm, no. This book was badly researched and not really well-written. I will concede that they have a few good points concerning the practices that arose in the last couple hundred years, but the further back they go they just don't really have it right. Plus, both guys really seem to have a vendetta against the denominations that have structure, and that sickens me for many reasons. One star.

Spring Snow, by Yukio Mishima.
    Four stars. It was a good book, though difficult at times. Set in the 1910s in Japan, it gave me a wonderful insight into the Westernization of Japan.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.
    This was a re-read. I originally gave it five stars, and I stick with that. It's an excellent beginning to the trilogy.

The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic, by Allan Wolf.
    THIS BOOK. Five stars. Oh, I cried. I'm a sucker for anything Titanic-related, and this was so excellent. It's a novel in poetry, all thoughts from real people who were on the ship. It was sooooo good.

Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami.
    Four stars. Another Japanese novel, this one modern and magical realism. It was quite a ride and a metaphysical one at that. Some weird stuff, too...but it was well-written and I enjoyed the dreamlike quality of the writing.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J.K. Rowling.
   I have no idea how many times I've read this. Five stars, as always. I love the beginning of Harry's adventures so much. Such an endearing book. I hope Rowling goes back to children's lit...her adult novel isn't really that great. (I can't review it yet as I haven't finished it, but ugh.)

The Kissing Sailor: The Mystery Behind the Photo that Ended World War II, by Lawrence Verria and George Galdorisi.
    Awesome story, not so awesome writing. Well, okay, the writing was all right. It was written like a research paper. But therein lies the problem. Each chapter read like a separate paper, with no good connections in-between. So much was repeated on almost every page and some things were clearly not in the right place. Two stars, though I would still recommend it for the story.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows.
    I give this adorable little novel four stars. I would give it five, but I generally reserve that for life-changing books. While this novel-in-letters set in 1946 and revolving around the little isle of Guernsey off the coast of France didn't change my life, I absolutely adored it. It was just cute and a feel-good novel in the end, even though there were some details that were horrific (relating, of course, to WWII).

**********************************

There you have it.
The books I've read recently.

Currently Reading:
1. The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling. (She could have left out MOST of the expletives...)
2. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold. (I don't know who told this woman she could write, because she can't.)
3. Vanity Fair, by Thackeray. (Who would have thought it'd take me over a year to read this...)

[reading books that take you out of your comfort zone]

There will be another book review in the next few days; I have less than 200 pages left in Gone with the Wind. Excellent book, by the way.

But I wanted to write a little bit about how and why I choose certain books to read. Maybe not how so much, because it seems to me that it always ends up being more of a "random chance" type of thing than anything systematic. But why I read certain books is important, at least to me.

As all of you know (I hope), I am a Christian. Jesus Christ is the center of my life and I strive to make that obvious daily. Granted, this isn't possible, since no one (and I repeat, no one) is perfect, but because of Jesus, my sins have been and always will be forgiven. But this isn't a post to talk specifically about my faith.

Many Christians I have known in my lifetime will only read the Holy Bible and specifically Christian books, both fiction and non-fiction. Think Francine Rivers or Tim LaHaye or anyone like that.While this isn't necessarily a problem, I believe that we as Christians should not try to keep our world too holy. First of all, you run the risk of becoming arrogant and thinking you're better than everyone who doesn't only read Christian authors. Believe me, I've seen it and been looked down upon for it.

Second, there are "Christian" authors in name only who take the "I lived a bad life and now I'm converting" approach to writing and cram everything illicit and sinful into their novels and then give some miraculous conversion near the end. I've even read a few supposedly Christian books that seemed to think that because the couple was married it was okay to describe their sexual intimacy. In detail. Uh, no. Please don't. Not that I haven't read other books that aren't labeled as inspirational fiction that have sex scenes, but I usually try to skip those parts and I honestly don't want to be reading about sex in a book that I thought was going to be cleaner because it's Christian. Okay. I hope that makes sense.

Third, there are far too many Christian authors who just really can't write any better than most YA authors can. Poor quality writing is so annoyingly prominent today. It's probably partly do to the fact that it's super easy to get certain kids of books published, but still. In these inspirational fiction books I think the only requirement is that it's overly spiritual and inspirational. If you don't know how to make your plot and your characters something other than one-dimensional, then just stop writing. Now.

***************************

I'm not saying there aren't good Christian authors out there. I'm not even saying that Francine Rivers and Tim LaHaye are bad writers. (Though I do actually think Tim LaHaye can't really write.) But there are far too many superficial stories with poor writing that are published under Christian labels. And oh so many of them have terrible theology because I'm sure the writers aren't all that trained in certain aspects of the Christian faith.

My point is this: read other books. Even if you never read a contemporary novel, maybe check out the classics. Try Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, or something by Charles Dickens. Try some of the medieval legends about King Arthur. Try some of the children's classics like Alice in Wonderland or The Secret Garden. And if you've already read these (good job!), I can easily recommend more.

Honestly, I can recommend some contemporary novels, too. And if you're at the bookstore or the library and there happens to be a modern novel that isn't in the Inspirational Fiction section and you think that you might like it, try it! Seriously. I'm not kidding. If you think that maybe you'd like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, try it. Yes, that book deals with a lot that is in no way Christian, but you can learn something from it.

So, keep reading inspirational fiction. But check out the classics. And certainly don't dismiss all contemporary fiction. Or even fantasy and sci-fi. There's more good than bad in most of them. And remember this -- branching out in your reading habits can most likely make you a better witness for Christ in our woefully fallen world. My main reason for reading contemporary novels is that then I can see how non-believers look at the world and thus I perhaps understand them just a little bit more. My reasons for reading the classics, old novels that aren't necessarily considered classics, and the fantasy/sci-fi genres are pretty much only that they're generally well-written, well-plotted, and I enjoy reading them.

***************************

This may not be the best organized post I've ever made, but I wanted to get it out there. Read something out of your comfort zone once in a while. I'm directing this at Christians specifically, but this goes for other readers, too. I used to be one of those people who only read what I knew I liked. But then I began to branch out and read books that I'd never considered before. And you know what? I liked them!

Go to the library or bookstore and pick out a book that you wouldn't normally read. You just might find that it's your new favorite. (Just please, please, please never have anything to do with Fifty Shades of Gray. I haven't read it, nor will I. I hear that it's the poorest quality of writing, and it's too dirty for anyone to be reading...I don't care how popular it is.)

[my summer absence]

I realize I mention my absences from this blog kind of a lot.
And it's not even that I forget about it.
Okay, maybe a little bit.

But seriously, the weather FINALLY cooled down enough to actually enjoy being outside this summer. So that's mostly what I've been doing. That, and a couple of weeks ago my youngest sister stayed with me for a week and so we were busy, busy, busy.

The thing is, I have done a lot of reading since then, and I am behind on reviews!

I've read three books and am halfway through a fourth.

I read The Heroine's Bookshelf, which was basically a book on literary criticism that I picked up at the bookstore earlier this year. I probably could write a whole review on it, and since I don't have any non-fiction reviews yet, I think I will. But the book bugged me because it was SO feminist. More on that later.

I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which I kinda sorta absolutely loved, despite the sex, drugs, and other things. The voice of the narrator, Charlie, is so sweet and it's almost impossible not to love him. I empathized with him because in many ways he's a lot like me. More on that later, too.

I read The Thirty-nine Steps, which was a lot shorter than I expected and was a cleverly written tale of suspense and mystery set at the beginning of World War I (I believe). It was first published in 1915, and guess what, MY COPY IS FROM 1915. Yes, it is a First Edition. More on that later.

I am now reading Gone with the Wind, which I've been meaning to read for years, of course. Isn't this a typical response when someone asks if you've read That Super Long Classic Novel? Well, I'm finally doing it. Actually, for the last 4-5 years, I've been finally reading all those classics that I wanted to read for a long time. And the thing is, this is the best time for me to read them. I have finished college and have a lot of literature-learning behind me. Now I can apply it! Also, for the record, Gone with the Wind isn't really that old. It was published only a few years before they made the movie, so in the 1930s. Once I finish it, I will definitely be writing a long review because I am LOVING it.

*****************************

So that's what I've been doing.
I might not make it through my summer reading list, but that's okay because it can just as easily be a fall reading list and a winter reading list.

Now I think I will go shower and then take a walk because it's SO NICE out.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes

City of Bones was so incredibly corny that I couldn't help but read the next one right away.

And I had already checked out City of Ashes at the same time anyway.

So.

******************

Same old, same old. Jace and Clary still struggle with their feelings for each other even though they discovered that they are brother and sister. Okay. So I guess I get this now. It's an interesting plot point (especially in a YA novel, since romance and sexual tension tends to sell), because they didn't grow up together, so having romantic feelings isn't all that far-fetched. And then when you find out something so strange as your crush being your long lost sibling (and your father is an evil mastermind), well...like I said, makes for an interesting plot point.

I started to like the characters more in this book, though Clare's writing still majorly sucks. It still feels like she wasn't really trying to create her own material; it felt more like a glorified fanfiction. And she could still take out most of the similes and not lose anything. I mean, really, how many times can you use "like an iceberg" before you notice it???? (I think she used that one twice in City of Bones and twice in City of Ashes. Still too many times.)

I do have to give her credit for her world building, though. Her visions of Idris (the Shadowhunter country) and Downworld New York are believable. She also sticks mostly to fantasy convention in that her vampires and werewolves and even the faeries are familiar. Not like some books I could name. *coughTwilightcough* Then again, Twilight went out on a limb and created an entirely different fantasy world...those books are a guilty pleasure of mine because I pretend to hate them but they're actually not that terrible. But I digress.

Oh, and the demons that Shadowhunters are sworn to kill? They are TERRIFYING. Clare has a good eye for what makes you shudder, that's for sure. Especially when she writes about Agramon, the Fear Demon. Oooh.

*********************

I won't say anything more about the story; again, because of spoilers. I would rather not write a review that contains spoilers, and I only do it once in a great while. So, while this book was better than the first one, I still only give it 2 1/2 stars. Maybe 3.

At any rate, I think I'll leave Jace, Clary, Isabelle, and Alec alone for awhile and read something else.