Elle Ewok's Reading Goals for 2012

All my goals for 2012 generally relate to being a more productive person. I thought it would be fun to memorialize my reading goals for the coming year and see how I do come this time next year...

Reading Goal #1: Finish the 4 partially read novels that have been sitting on my nightstand for years. The sad part is these are not books I have purposefully abandonded. I have really like them so far and I'm not sure why I haven't finished them yet.

• Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand (1957)
• In the Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss (2007)
• A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin (2005)
• The Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone (1961)

Reading Goal #2: Read the following Novels:

• The Slynx, Tatyana Tolstaya (2007)
• A Dance With Dragons, George R.R. Martin (2011)
• In Cold Blood, Truman Capote (1966)
• Pale Fire, Vladimir Nabokov (1962)
• Enders Game, Orson Scott Card (1985)
• The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (2008)
• Song of Kali, Dan Simmons (1985)
• The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner (1929)
• The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie (1988)
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey (1962)
• Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein (1959)
• Dune, Frank Herbert (1965)

Reading Goal #3: Read at least 5 Non-fiction Books TBD.

Reading Goal #4: Read 2 short story collections preferably Nabokov and Flannery O'Connor.

Now look at how cute Gimli is:

Thunderstruck, Erik Larson (2007)

Reviewer:  BeezusKiddo

Rating:  3 Pierogies

Review: Erik Larson knows he's got a formula that works, and he employs it with success time and time again. Like The Devil in the White City, in Thunderstruck, Larson juxtaposes important historical events with a grisly story of murder.

 

  would have liked Thunderstruck a lot more, if I hadn't read The Devil in the White City less than a month ago. The tone and pacing of both books is identical. All you do is swap out the historical facts, and you've got essentially the same book. Don't get me wrong, Thunderstruck is well written and engaging...I just don't recommend reading the books back to back, as it becomes tiresome.

Thunderstruck tracks Gugliemo Marconi's development of radio transmission technology alongside the story of Hawley Harvey Crippen, a meek, mousy doctor with a detestable fame-seeking wife. It's no secret Crippen is involved in murder (it says so on the book jacket), but the book hardly gets around to the murder part until the very very end. With the buildup in the description, I expected more gore. It wasn't scary, and I'm obviously watching too much American Horror Story, because I didn't even think it was that gruesome.





The last part of the book is pretty exciting. Scotland Yard begins investigating him, he tries to flee, and an exciting cat-and-mouse game ensues involving Marconi's radio technology. It's an interesting connection, even though I didn't find the Marconi storyline very interesting.

This book isn't a bad use of your time if you have some time to kill in an airport, but if you have something else to read that you're really excited about, I'd read whatever that is first.

Books that Blew Our Minds: Spudbabe

Kindergarden-4th Grade:

Polar Bear Brothers, Ylla (1960)

I couldn't take the pressure of picking a new book in 10 minutes every week during Library class.  So most weeks I would panic in the last 20 seconds and take out Polar Bear Brothers.  It's about two polar bear brothers who play together-ADORABLE!!

Elementary School (when I wasn't reading Polar Bear Brothers):

My Brother Sam is Dead, James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier (1976)

I'm pretty sure this had a traumatic effect on everyone who had to read it at that age.  Seriously though, who has 9 year olds read a book that has a young boy watch his older brother get executed at the end?  Those teachers were a bunch of sick F-ers. 

Middle School

Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (1961)

This is a traumatic book for EVERYONE who reads it regardless of age/sex. 

  

Junior High School:

Catcher In The Rye, J.D. Salinger (1951)

Because 13 year olds are retarded. 

High School

Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell (1936)

I still don't understand why Scarlett was so in love with that fruit loop Ashley over Rhett.  Rhett was sexy and wonderful (marital rape aside) and loved her so much!!!!  And I just started crying...  

College 

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien (1937-1949)

I at first refused to read any of these books or watch the movies because they're for dorks.  Then Elle Ewok rented the first movie and made me watch it with her.  We then watched it 5 more times that weekend.  Then I read all the books, watched the first movie 20-30 more times, stood in line to see the other two movies, bought all the extended release DVD's and watched them multiple times, bought the action figures.....so without those books and movies, it could have been many more years before I realized I was a complete Dork too.
 

20 - Something:

The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand (1943)

I just can't speak highly enough of this book.  I absolutely LOVED it.  It came into my life at a time when I was starting to grow up (a little bit) and was trying to form my political beliefs in a more solid way.  Up until then all I knew was that I didn't like responsible people paying for losers and that George W. Bush had a cute butt.  I still feel that way, but reading the Fountainhead helped me to refine my beliefs and had a sexy romance in it to boot. 

SLYBC Question of the Day: What is Your Favorite Pilgrim Tale in Hyperion?

Elle Ewok: One thing most members of Yinzer Book Club share in common is our desire to make out with Dan Simmons because we love his books so much.

Hello Sexy!

As noted in "The Books That Blew My Mind" post below - Hyperion (by Dan Simmons) is one of my favorite books of all time. It is structurally based on The Canterbury Tales in that the book tells six independant stories (each of which can stand on its own as a great short story) and connects them all together via the main (but separate) plot line.

In Hyperion six pilgrims travel to a far away planet to meet THE SHRIKE. If the Shrike is not the coolest horror/villian/monster ever written I'm not sure what is. It is pretty much guarenteed that they all will die horrible horrible deaths at the hands of The Shrike and there is only a small chance that one of them might survive and have a wish granted. Yet, they all go. Why you ask? What would compel a person to do such a thing? Well that's what the short stories are for. To reveal the motivations behind the Pilgrims' suicide mission.

Each of the short stories are fantastic. But some are better than others and some are truly exceptional. I asked SLYBC members and friends to nominate their favorite Pilgrim Tale:

Elle Ewok: The Priest's Tale - "The Man who Cried God" (Part 1)

Elle Ewok: "This is the best short story I ever read. EVER. Horrifying and deeply imaginative."

Spudbabe: The Priest's Tale - "The Man who Cried God" (Part 1)

Spudbabe: "I hate picking the same thing as Elle Ewok."

Trixie Beldon: The Scholar's Tale - "The River Lethe's Taste is Bitter" (Part 4)

Trixie Beldon: "So good!!! And sad!!!"

Spudbabe's Fiance: The Scholar's Tale - "The River Lethe's Taste is Bitter" (Part 4)

Spudbabe's Fiance: "Um I forget. Probably the dude with the baby."

Cock-eyed Bobby Eff: The Soldier's Tale - "The War Lovers" (Part 2)

Cock-eyed Bobby Eff: "Very tough question. I could spend an hour discussing each. I'll go with the colonel. I always dig stories of warriors who get the girl. But the Keets story is right up there."

Books that Blew My Mind: BeezusKiddo

The tricky part of making this list for me is that I haven't read most of these books for a long time, and I remember little more than that I loved the book...so bear with me through my feeble reviews... Elementary School: Matilda, Roald Dahl (1988).



I loved everything Roald Dahl wrote. I think I've probably read all his books, including the books he wrote for grown ups. I think I read Matilda 10 times as a kid. Matilda was neglected, even loathed, by her parents but she found happiness in books. We were kindred little spirits (except my parents didn't hate me, they thought I was ok).

Junior High: Helter Skelter, Vincent Bugliosi (1974) and The Thief of Always, Clive Barker (1992)


Neither of these books are good. They're both garbage. I went back and tried to read The Thief of Always when I was in college, and thought "I was obsessed with this?" Yes, I was a morbid, dark kid in Jr High (and some of high school). I searched for books as demented as possible. I loved these books, and for a brooding kid in a podunk town, these were amaaaaaazing. Thank goodness I developed some taste as I grew up.

High School: The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck (1939)

 

This is when I finally started to "get" literature. The Grapes of Wrath is my all time favorite book. It holds a special piece in my heart because this is where I cut my teeth on reading critically and learned how to interact with a book. Chapter 2, the chapter about the tortoise crossing the highway, is the most perfect chapter in all of American literature. It is the whole book, the whole era, all the feelings, all the thoughts, all in one little tortoise.

College: One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1967)


It has been almost 10 years now since I read this book, so I suppose it's excusable that the only things I remember are that (1) this book is really hard to read, and (2) it is so worth it. It is amazing and mindblowing, but don't ask me what happened, because I don't remember. I just remember that everyone had the same name. After revisiting favorite books from my past and finding out they were actually terrible, I'm now more hesitant to go back and revisit favorites...but Oprah loved this one and put it on her favorites list, so it must be good for reals.

Law School: The Series of Unfortunate Events Books, Lemony Snicket


Law school involves reading all day and reading all night (followed by a career of reading all day, and reading all night). During leisure reading time, I needed a break. During those 3 long years, I read a lot of young adult novels. They're fast, easy reading, and a lot of fun. The Series of Unfortunate Events books are intelligent. Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) is a master at cross-writing his works for audiences young and old. While the stories are enjoyable for little ones, they're also full of sharp literary and political wit for grown-ups. Yes, you may feel silly checking books out of the children's section of the library, but check these ones out, they're well worth it. YA may well be my favorite genre. Other YA series you should NOT miss: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, and The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.

20s: The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger (2003)

 

Over the last few years, I've been reading a lot of fiction bestsellers. It's easy enough to pick one up at the big fancy display at the library, or Costco, or the airport, or wherever I happen to be. I can't say that The Time Traveler's Wife is a work of timeless literature, but it is a really, really good read. I love having that feeling where I want to keep reading, where I want to put everything else aside and just read this book, because I'm really enjoying it, and I want the whole rest of the world to just disappear. I think I got through this book in like 24 hours, and yes, I cried a few times. Do yourself a favor and skip the movie, the movie is terrible. The book, though, is fantastic and it is well worth it to set aside a weekend to get lost in it.

Honorable Mentions: In Cold Blood, Truman Capote (1966) and No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy (2005)

 

I still like crime books, but unlike my Jr. High self, I now actually have taste. Each of these books are amazing. They juxtapose smooth prose with unspeakable horrors. The effect is enchanting. These are the books where I get to the end, and I am so sad, because the book was so amazing and now it's over.

Books that Blew Our Minds: Elle Ewok

There a certain books you read in life that really affect you and stick with you over the years. Perhaps it was the time in your life you read them, or maybe they actually taught you something about the world. Maybe you don't even know why that affected you so much. I've asked SLYBC members to share the books that "blew your mind" over the years.

Books that Blew Elle Ewok's Mind (why does that sound dirty?):

GRADE SCHOOL:

My Brother Sam is Dead, James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier (1976)

I read My Brother Sam is Dead at a very young age even though is technically fits in the "young adult" cateogry. Perhaps I was too young to read it because it affected me probably more than any book I have ever read in my life. It was the first time I had ever read a story that didn't have a happy ending. It was the first story I read where something horrible happened to a good person. It was the first story I ever read that included death. Up until reading this book it had not occured to me that the world could be a cruel and senseless place. It was devastating. I remember being physically nauseous I was so upset. I read this book 25 years ago so I can't say whether or not it is a good book - just that I will never forget how much it affected me.

MIDDLE SCHOOL:

Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (1961)

I have never cried so hard in my entire life than when reading the end of this book. I remember exactly where I was, I remember the color of the bedspread I was laying on even though it was 20 years ago at least. My love for animals, I feel, is one of my defining characteristics and Where the Red Fern Grows had a big part in propelling that lifelong devotion.

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith (1943)

I have yet to meet a female (woman or girl) who does not LOVE this book. I was 14 and at choir/music camp when I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. In any free moment I could find, I would race back to my dorm room to read this 528 page perfect novel. This IS the coming of age story for girls and it is fabulous. It was the first book I read that showed me what a great novel can accomplish as it relates to character development and describing interpersonal realtionships. A book to be adored.

HIGH SCHOOL:

Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1866)

I read Crime and Punishment my senior year in high school as it was part of my English curriculum. We read many great works that year but Crime and Punishment took the cake. It also spearheaded my deep devotion and obsession with Classic Russian Literature which consumed about 4 years of my life and still has a significant hold over my mind and heart. It is probably why I ended up marrying a man of Russian descent in the Russian Orthodox Church! Maybe not ;) Crime and Punishment was the first time I realized how truly significant, profound and monumental a novel could be (although I must confess I didn't love the end). Nevertheless, it will always hold an extremely special place in my heart.

COLLEGE:

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien (1937-1949)

I read The Hobbit is grade school and didn't like it so I never bothered with Lord of the Rings until I was in college. My mistake. The Lord of the Rings is absolute perfection. It is my desert island book. Not only is its scope mind-blowing (Tolkien created actual languages for God's Sake!) but its themes of courage, friendship and sacrifice are inspiring to all people of all times, ages and cultures. It is the perfect adventure fairy tale. I literally get goose-bumps just thinking about it. My husband and I named our cat after a character in The Lord of the Rings!  (Gimli). I have been a fantasy freak ever since reading this book/s.

LAW SCHOOL:

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, David Simon (1991)

One of my law school professors was an adjunct from Chicago who was an Assistant United States Attorney. This book was on his "recommended but not mandatory" list of course materials. Homicide describes the year Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon spent with the detectives of the Baltimore Police Department homicide squad. It was later turned into a tv series. I read the book because my Grandfather was a homicide detective in NYC and I idolized him right up until he died when I was 14. I thought this book would let me in on what his life and work was like. I wasn't expecting much though. I remember this book because I had never been so pleasantly surprised by a book before. To say I loved Homicide would be an understatement. Homicide is probably the best non-fiction book I have ever read. It was dramatic, suspenseful, horrifying, inspiring and even incredibly funny. This book included some of the most disturbing things I have ever read along with some of the funniest things I have ever read. It basically perfectly reflects the juxtaposition of how horrible, wonderful, hilarious, disgusting and ridiculous life can be.

20-SOMETHING:

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke (2004)

This is the book I wish I had written. A grand tale full of adventure and myserty and dark magic written with such artistry that it makes me want to cry. To me, at the time I read it, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was the perfect combination of imaginative story-telling and perfect writing. Although this book is over 1,000 pages I literally made my self slow down while reading it because it made me sad when I realized it was coming to the end. I have recommended this book to everyone and it seems no one loves it as much as I do but I don't care. This book is absolute perfection in my mind and it is my dream-fantasy in life to one day write something comparable.

30-SOMETHING:

Hyperion, Dan Simmons (1989)

I have been Dan Simmons' book-slave ever since reading Hyperion. I will literally buy anything this man writes for giving me this book. Hyperion was the first science ficiton book I ever read which is amazing because I am such a fantasy dork and the genres are so closely related. That said, Hyperion really affected me because it was the first time the power of someone else's imagination really knocked my socks off. I used to think I had a good imagination. Not so much anymore after reading Hyperion. I was literally in awe of the originality and cleverness of this book. It was also profound and moving. Hyperion is horror, science-fiction and fantasy rolled into one that makes meaningful commentary on the horrible-beauty of life.

The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern (2011)

Reviewer: Elle Ewok

Rating: 4 Pierogies

Review: I was psyched when BeezusKiddo chose The Night Circus as our next book in our non-SLYBC Book Club. I LOVE stories about dueling Victorian-Era magicians. Yes - there are numerous books and movies on this topic (e.g. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell; and The Prestige etc)

The Night Circus is about two magicians who are bound to compete against one another in a magical contest created by elder magicians that they neither understand nor really care about. Chosen as children, one maintians natural magical talents while the other is taught to perform magic. The stage for the duel is a magical mystery circus that operates only at night and has mind-blowing magical attractions. The magicians duel by trying to outdo one another with circus attractions. To the surprise of absolutely no one, the magicians fall in love. As such, their contributions to the circus mainly become love-tributes to one another.

I could not help but compare The Night Circus to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell as they are both about dueling victorian-age magicians.  Obviously, The Night Circus suffered by the comparision. It simply cannot hold a candle to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell. That said, it is not a fair comparison because Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is a goddamn literally masterpiece. While Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell made me want to shave my head and join a convent so I could devote my life to writing something half as good, The Night Circus made me want to eat a caramel apple and go to a carvnival. One is serious and signficant literature while and the other is a lovely story. That's not to say The Night Circus is not good, however. It is very good for what it is.

The Night Circus doesn't provide much in the way of character development or plot line. While the premise of the book is certainly clever there is no driving narrative. There can't be as there really is no conflict. No one seems to care that much about the "Duel". At all. Furthermore, the characters were undeveloped and one-dimensional. I could care less about any of the characters and what happened to them. That's okay though because this book is about stunning and vivid descriptions of magical feats - and that is enough. The circus is the main and only true character in The Night Circus. The attractions at the circus were imaginative and described beautifully. I was perfectly content to travel through the circus tents and "observe" even without a real plot line or any notable character development. Outside of the circus, the book focuses on elaborate descriptions of the victorian era clothing and food and dinner parties. Yes, it sounds boring and superficial but everything is described so well I didn't care.

Obviously to enjoy this book you have to make peace with the fact that the magical individuals use their extraordinary abilities to make a really cool circus rather than....oh I don't know... curing cancer, or flying or world domination. But I was content to ignore this glaring absurdity and enjoy the circus.

I enjoyed The Night Circus very much but it certainly is not for everyone. My husband would never forgive me if I told him to read this book for example. Somehow I doubt he would enjoy reading about victorian party dresses and exotic flavored creme brulee.