American Wife

When I first saw the ad for Curtis Sittenfeld's new novel, American Wife, I was excited. I loved how Sittenfeld was able to get inside a teenager's head in her first novel, Prep, and I could only expect that she would do the same with this one.

And I was definitely not disappointed. American Wife tells the story of Alice Lindgren Blackwell, wife of the American President. Following events that may lead to substantial trouble for the Blackwell presidency, Alice recounts previous times in her life that have led her to this point. From there, the story is split into 4 sections: Alice's teen years, her work life and first meeting her husband, life as a wife and mother, and finally, her time in the White House. The different sections were a bit uneven, as I found the second and third sections the most compelling. However, Sittenfeld definitely succeeds in capturing Alice's thoughts - as a shy teenager, a mostly-confident-with-herself woman, a wife, a mother, and a public figure. Definitely an engaging and fulfilling read.

There has been much discussion of this book in light that it is basically a fictionalized life of Laura Bush. Thankfully, politics is left out of most of the book - mentioned increasingly in subsequent sections, with the final section most obviously immersed in politics. The key point, though, is that the First Wife is not the President - they are separate people, with separate thoughts and ideas. Considering how little we have heard from Laura in the past 8 years, I found this an interesting take on the personalities within the White House.

Zombie Haiku

My brother, and by extension, all of our friends and I, have been into zombie stories for a little while now. We all enjoyed World War Z (we're still holding off on our book-club-like discussion until my roommate finishes it), loved Shaun of the Dead, and I have stopped myself from purchasing this zombie action figure set more times than I can count. So when I saw this book, Zombie Haiku, by Ryan Mecum, I knew I had to buy it.

The book is in the form of a man's journal, where he writes haikus about his life. Things start going strangely one day, though, but he keeps writing haikus about his life. When he suddenly finds himself a zombie, what else can he do but continue with the haikus?

My favorite one in the book was (and I'm paraphrasing this):
Brains, brains, brains, brains, brains.
Brains, brains, brains, brains, brains, brains, brains,
Artificial hip.

If you enjoy zombie humor (and really, who doesn't?), give this book a peek.

Huh, apparently zombie haikus are a thing? Look here and here.

A Trip to Edward Gorey's House

Edward Gorey's art is something you don't forget. Even if you can't remember his name, his style stands out. I was introduced to his work through the books of John Bellairs, which I read voraciously as a kid. In high school, I had a poster of the Gashlycrumb Tinies on my wall (my favorite is pictured above). So when my mother mentioned that he had lived on Cape Cod and his house was open as a museum, I jumped at the chance to visit.

The Edward Gorey House is located in Yarmouthport, right off route 6A. Tours are free and run about 20 minutes. Gorey was quite the collector, and the house is filled with his various collections, such as stones that he would pick up on his walks or large rings that he would wear. My favorite was the cheese grater collection, including the Greater Graters and the Lesser Graters. The best part, though, is that all of the Gashlycrumb Tinies are represented throughout the house, and they give you a checklist so you can make sure you've found them all. Some are easy (a little doll is literally falling down the stairs, for "A is for Amy who fell down the stairs") while others are only representative (like a box of tacks on a shelf for "L is for Leo who swallowed some tacks").

The museum houses a unique mix of personal items and career-related objects that makes it seem like very little was done to the place after Gorey's death. I'd heartily recommend a visit to anyone who finds themselves on Cape Cod, Gorey fan or not.

The Road

I love dystopian fiction - the grittiness, by definition, highlights aspects of human nature that don't often appear in other genres. So when I heard about Cormack McCarthy's The Road, I was excited - a man and boy walk towards what they hope is (relative) safety. Everything I've read about the book has hailed it as a post-apocalyptic masterpiece - it was even an Oprah book (which, in most cases, is a mark against in my book) and is being made into a movie.

So imagine my disappoint when I read something like this:

Whats that?
Where?
There. Theres a house.
I’ll go take a look. Take the gun.
No, I’m scared.
I know.
What if the bad guys come?
You can come with me youd like.
The man knew he wouldnt want to be alone.
Okay.
Okay.

Note that this is not the text of the book, but it's so damn close, it's hard to tell. I mean, I was expecting some great masterpiece, but all I got a rough sketch of a story with sporadic punctuation and meaningless dialogue. The most interesting parts of the story - mainly, when the man and boy encounter others - were also the most difficult parts to read, as adding more voices than the narrator, the man, and the boy without any indication of who was speaking made it much too confusing. And even if the story and dialogue had been stronger, I don't think I could have looked past the grammar - why use apostrophes in some places but not others! It's maddening, like McCarthy just simply couldn't be bothered to adhere to any rules.

Water for Elephants

I was never a big fan of the circus as a kid. There was always too much going on, too much noise, too much activity. But when I started watching Carnivale on HBO a few years ago, I loved the gritty, dirty feel of the Depression-era circuses. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen tells a similar gritty, dirty story.

Gruen’s research is what makes this story worth reading. The daily life of a circus is brought to life through the pages of Water for Elephants in a very compelling way. The story is interesting, but I was driven to read by the desire to know more about the time period. Even if you don’t think the subject matter would interest you, this book is definitely worth reading – it would be hard not to be interested in it by the end.

Breaking Dawn

It’s been a while since I have been quite so excited about the release of a book – I think Ellen Emerson White’s Long May She Reign (the continuation of a series that I read when I was actually a teenager) was the last book I couldn’t wait to get my hands on. So I let my inner 16-year-old girl out for the release of Breaking Dawn, the final book in the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer, and spent an entire day (my birthday, in fact, and an enjoyable birthday it was) just reading.

Was I right to get so worked up for this book? Yes… and no. The first three books (well, really just books one and three) totally captivated me. Just the fact that they were able to make me think like a 16-year-old again was a testament to Meyer’s writing. But with all the Twilight talk (both about this new book and the horrible miscasting of the upcoming movie), the book just couldn’t meet the hype.

The biggest problem that struck me was that the story read like fanfiction – stories written by fans who can’t give up on their favorite characters. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some excellent fanfic out there, but I expect a little more from someone so in charge of the story and from something I’m paying money for. Breaking Dawn even adheres to the fanfic tenant that the characters you love the most suffer the most – I mean, Bella has always been a little too clumsy, a little too breakable, but come on… really?

Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed the middle section of the book, told from Jacob’s POV. I was highly pissed off at the end of Eclipse, when the narration slipped to Jacob without warning, but in this case, I was relieved not to be in Bella’s head for a little while. And through Jacob, there was much to learn about the way the La Push pack operates.

Honestly, I couldn’t have cared less about the finale. There was so much build up for very little conclusion. But I guess that just means that I’ll have to turn to the real fanfic now to find some more good Twilight stories…

Duma Key

As a long-time Stephen King reader, I know that I'll eventually pick up any book that he writes. I've had Duma Key sitting around for a while - it's pretty thick, and I wasn't up for investing the time in it. But after hearing several times that it was his "return to form," I was ready to give it a try.

And in a way, it is a return to form. The scene is clearly set, the characters (bizarre backstories and all) are well defined, and the strange supernatural villain is creepy as all get-out. But it's also a little slower than his past works - the first two-thirds took me two weeks to read, while the final third was completely gripping and took only two days.

Edgar Freemantle, late of Minnesota, takes up residence on Duma Key in Florida following a disastrous accident. While there, he meets his eccentric neighbors, including the old woman who owns the island, and discovers an unknown talent for painting. But the paintings hold a strange ability to bring his ideas to life, dictated by the powers of the island.

There are many images, especially from the last third of the book, that will be sticking with me for a long time. King is still a master at describing a moment so creepy that it burns its way into your memory. And while I don't think I would recommend this as an entry point into King's repertoire, it is a solid piece of writing that won't be soon forgotten.

The Gargoyle

The setup of The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson sounds a bit like a Stephen King novel (especially his recent books that deal with convalescents) - a horribly burned man meets a brilliant gargoyle carver/mental patient who convinces him to come back to her place after he is released from the hospital. The narrator (our burned ex-porn star semi-hero) isn't sure about Marianne Engel (the artist/schizophrenic) at first, mostly because she claims to be over 700 years old and to have known him in a past life. But he begins to trust her and does eventually end up at her home, where he learns the story of their past relationship.

I really loved this book, but for reasons I can't quite explain. It's not like I have anything in common with any of the characters or their situations. I think it's more the "1001 Arabian Nights" quality of Marianne's storytelling that captured me - the narrator longs to hear more about the perceived relationship between himself and Marianne, but she keeps interjecting other tales of love lost. By the time he understands his feelings for her, though, those other stories are as much a part of him as they are of her. In fact, it was the past-life story, along with the other stories that Marianne told, that were the most compelling part of the narrative for me - I cared more about the lovers from the past than the horrors of the present.

I really enjoyed Davidson's writing style because it wasn't overly fancy. Rather, the story is told by someone who has had a lot of time to reflect on what happened, and as such, is described in very realistic terms. Such a strong narrative is hard to find in a debut book, and I'm curious to see what else Davidson can do.

Last Night at the Lobster

I picked up Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan randomly from my school library's small fiction collection, mostly because I find Red Lobster hilarious. See, there are no Red Lobsters in Massachusetts, and my mother gets in a rage whenever she sees a commercial for one on TV - "the closest Red Lobster is in Connecticut" she yells at the screen, "stop telling me about them!" So a book about a Red Lobster in Connecticut closing made me laugh.

I had never read anything by O'Nan, but I've heard good things. At first, I was a little turned off by his writing style - it's almost overly-literary for such a mundane topic. But it didn't take me long to appreciate it, as details are described in ways that make them completely true to life. O'Nan managed to make something as boring as a defunct chain restaurant beseiged by snow seem compelling. I'm not saying that Last Night at the Lobster is an earth-shattering book in any way, but it's an enjoyable, highly readable short novel. I'm glad that I've given O'Nan a shot, and I look forward to reading more of his books.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor the the Nation, Vol. 1

Octavian is raised in a world of science and is told from a young age that he is an exiled prince of a great African nation. However, when rumblings of revolt shatter the walls of the lyceum, the true nature of Octavian's birth and life are revealed.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party opens in a time and place which are unclear, but as the story unfolds, it is clear that it takes place in Boston just before the American Revolution. The writing style, mostly in the voice of Octavian himself, is therefore very florid and somewhat archaic, making it very hard to digest as a Young Adult novel. In fact, because of the writing style, I can't picture many young adults getting far enough into the book to discover the historical aspects of it. That's not to say that it's not a good book - just that it may be missing the mark a bit.

I did have another problem with the writing style - Octavian's narrative is interspersed with letters from various characters, which is fine, as they add another depth to the narrative. However, about two-thirds of the way into the book, the narration changes to letters written by one Patriot soldier, who happens to meet and befriend Octavian. Then, there is another abrupt switch back to Octavian's POV. This was terribly jarring to me and, while I realize that Octavian wasn't in his usual mindset during that part of the story, I felt a bit cheated to only get the soldier's side of the story.

Overall, I can't say that I recommend this book, unless you are really interested in historical fiction dealing with the American Revolution. For stories dealing with that time period, though, this is a breakthrough novel, both in terms of the narrator and in the narration style. if you enjoy this book, Volume 2: The Kingdom of Waves, will be released in October.

Queen of Babble in the Big City

Lizzie met the man of her dreams and found her calling in France. Now she's moved to New York to try to make both of those things work for her. She jumps into living with her boyfriend Luke, after only a few weeks together, and is forced to take an unpaid job reworking wedding dresses to make her career goals. Of course, things are less than stable, and Lizzie has to stand up for what she wants.

In typical over-the-top style, Queen of Babble in the Big City is an enjoyable, fast-paced chick lit novel. I mean, there's really nothing earth-shattering with this series, but Meg Cabot knows how to handle funny, self-deprecating, driven women. I prefer her books The Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, or even the Heather Wells mystery series (which begins with Size 12 Is Not Fat), but the Queen of Babble series is a good time. Book 3, Queen of Babble Gets Hitched, was just released, so I'm sure I'll be picking that up soon for a beach read.

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Wrap Up

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Hour 21 - I had just woken up from an impromptu nap and was having a hard time wanting to stick my nose back in a book.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley was hilarious, and each essay was fairly short, which kept things moving along. Also, if you like ancient mythology, all of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians series is a blast, and as children's books, just fly by.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
No, it was very well run.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Seperate posts each hour (on Dewey's site, as well as my own and of other readers) made it easy to know what was currently going on.

5. How many books did you read?
5+

6. What were the names of the books you read?
Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan, Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen, Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot, Best Food Writing 2007 (haven't finished it yet)

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley - I will now be recommending/buying copies of it for everyone I know.

8. Which did you enjoy least?
Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen - random musings of the author as he roamed around the country. It felt like there was a lot left out (because, obviously, 60 days on the road would leave you with a lot of material).

Also, Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, which is now my least favorite work of his... although, I still enjoyed it for the Chuck-isms - the pacing, the rhythm, the language...

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I was a Reader, and was quite focused on my books.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I'd like to, but if it's in October, school might be taking up too much time - maybe as a Cheerleader.

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 24

Whew! I made it (and it looks like a good chunk of other people did too!) This was a very light hour, as I'm just exhausted now. Time for a nap, then a shower, then vegging out for the rest of the day.

This hour
Book read: Best Food Writing 2007
Pages read: 15
Time spent reading: 20
Food and drink consumed:

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan, Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen, Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot, Best Food Writing 2007
Pages read: 1385
Time spent reading: 16 hours 23 minutes

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 23

Almost there!

This hour
Book read: Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot, Best Food Writing 2007
Pages read: 46
Time spent reading: 41
Food and drink consumed: popcorn, water

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan, Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen, Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot, Best Food Writing 2007
Pages read: 1370
Time spent reading: 16 hours 3 minutes

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 22

This hour
Book read: Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 69
Time spent reading: 53
Food and drink consumed:

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan, Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen, Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 1324
Time spent reading: 15 hours 22 minutes

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 21

This hour
Book read: Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 18
Time spent reading: 17
Food and drink consumed:

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan, Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen, Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 1255
Time spent reading: 14 hours 29 minutes

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 20

This hour
Book read: Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 32
Time spent reading:30
Food and drink consumed:

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan, Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen, Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 1237
Time spent reading: 14 hours 12 minutes

You fall asleep for half an hour, and then exciting things like winning a box full of books happens... ;)

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 19

This hour
Book read: Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 71
Time spent reading: 55
Food and drink consumed: iced coffee and macadamia nut cookie

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan, Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen, Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 1205
Time spent reading: 13 hours 42 minutes

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 18

This hour
Book read: Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 52
Time spent reading: 42
Food and drink consumed:

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan, Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen, Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 1134
Time spent reading: 12 hours 47 minutes

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 17

This hour
Book read: Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 42
Time spent reading: 42
Food and drink consumed: Peppermint stick ice cream

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan, Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen, Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Pages read: 1082
Time spent reading: 12 hours 5 minutes

Red Eye, Black Eye

Red Eye, Black Eye is an autobiographical graphic novel, chronicling K. Thor Jensen's 60-day, 10,000-mile Greyhound bus trip across America. There's no real story, just stops along the way, where he met people he only knew from the internet and basically just trusted himself to the road for two months. This is the underbelly of America - no shiny tourist spots (well, he does visit Disneyland... but then vows never to have fun again). It's a very quick read, and certainly not earth-shattering, but quite enjoyable.

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 16

This hour
Book read: Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen
Pages read: 242
Time spent reading: 42
Food and drink consumed: iced pomegranate green tea

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan, Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen
Pages read: 1040
Time spent reading: 11 hours 23 minutes

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 15

This hour
Book read: Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen
Pages read: 62
Time spent reading: 12 (graphic novel pages fly by)
Food and drink consumed:

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan, Red Eye, Black Eye by K. Thor Jensen
Pages read: 798
Time spent reading: 10 hours 41 minutes

Mostly, though, I've been trying to visit as many blogs as possible.

The Titan's Curse

The Titan's Curse is third in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Overall, the stories are getting a little repeatative, and yet, I couldn't put it down. I'm still totally enamored of the melding of ancient myths with modern life. The first book of the series, though, still holds the most magic for me.

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 14

This hour
Book read: The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
Pages read: 71
Time spent reading: 56
Food and drink consumed: more potato chips, water

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
Pages read: 736
Time spent reading: 10 hours 29 minutes

This hour's mini-challenge is to learn 5 interesting facts about the place where your current book takes place. Since I just finished The Titan's Curse, I'll take a look at Mount Olympus (although in these books, Mount Olympus can be found at the 600th floor of the Empire State building in New York...)

-Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, and it is amongst the highest mountains in all of Europe.
-Mount Olympus is noted for its very rich flora.
-Any climb to Mount Olympus starts from the town of Litochoro, which took the name City of Gods because of its location on the roots of the mountain.
-In the Iliad, Zeus says that if he willed, he could hang Earth and Sea from a pinnacle of Olympus.
-It was an abode of perfect blessedness:
"No wind ever shakes the untroubled peace of Olympus; no rain ever falls there, or snow; but the cloudless firmament stretches around it on all sides and the white glory of sunshine is diffused upon its walls" - Homer

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 13

This hour
Book read: The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
Pages read: 65
Time spent reading: 45
Food and drink consumed: water

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
Pages read: 665
Time spent reading: 9 hours 33 minutes

And while reading The Titan's Curse, I almost spit out the water I was drinking when the heroes end up at the Hoover Dam. When I was in middle school, my whole family (everyone on my dad's side) took a trip to Las Vegas, including a trip to the Hoover Dam. And the funniest part was that my cousin didn't want to go on the tour, so he went right to the cafeteria (called the Snacketeria there) and bought a hot dog. And what came with that purchase? A bumper sticker that read "I got a dam dog at the Hoover dam."

From The Titan's Curse:

“Let us find the dam snack bar,” Zoe said. “We should eat while we can.”

Grover cracked a smile. “The dam snack bar?”

Zoe blinked. “Yes. What is funny?”

“Nothing,” Grover said, trying to keep a straight face. “I could use some dam French fries.”

Even Thalia smiled at that. “And I need to use the dam restroom.”

“And I want to use the dam water fountain,” Grover said.

“And…” Thalia tried to catch her breath. “I want to buy a dam T-shirt.”

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 12

This hour
Book read: The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
Pages read: 46
Time spent reading:33
Food and drink consumed:

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
Pages read: 600
Time spent reading: 8 hours 48 minutes

And Vasily's mini-challenge this hour is to find a poem and post it. This is one of my favorites, from the appendix of Mark Z. Danielewski's amazing novel "House of Leaves."

You shall be my roots and
I will be your shade,
Though the sun burns my leaves.

You shall quench my thirst and
I will feed you fruit,
Though time takes my seed.

And when I'm lost and can tell nothing of this earth,
You will give me hope.

And my voice you will always hear.
And my hand you will always have.

For I will shelter you.
And I will comfort you.
And even when we are nothing left,
Not even in death,
I will remember you.

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 11

This hour
Book read: The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
Pages read: 66
Time spent reading: 50 minutes
Food and drink consumed:

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
Pages read: 554
Time spent reading: 8 hours 15 minutes

This hour's mini-challenge is Mid-Event survey:
1. What are you reading right now?
The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan - a great children's series

2. How many books have you read so far?
On my third!

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Red Eye, Black Eye, a graphic novel by K. Thor Jensen that I grabbed from my school's "Diversions" collection. It looks really interesting, and I should be able to fly through it.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Ha, no. Although, I suppose, my school readings might suffer a little tomorrow.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
The only interruptions I've had have really been more of annoyances - I have a ton of fruit flies in my apartment right now from our indoor herb garden. Know a good way to get rid of fruit flies? Other than that, my roommate is out, and for once, my pet bird is being quiet.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
How fast it's going by. It's really been 11 hours?

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Nope (not yet, at least... maybe after I've slept...)

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
Again, I'm going to need some sleep to gain perspective on this... ;)

9. Are you getting tired yet?
Can you tell?

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Picking different genres is a great way to keep interested, and children's books (like, the level before YA) or YA books are fast reads and can be quite captivating.

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 10

This hour
Book read: The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
Pages read: 62
Time spent reading: 48 minutes
Food and drink consumed: macadamia nut cookie, iced coffee

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, The Titan’s Curse (Book 3 of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
Pages read: 488
Time spent reading: 7 hours 25 minutes

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 9

This hour
Book read: I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 18
Time spent reading: 14 minutes
Food and drink consumed: brie and crackers, water

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 426
Time spent reading: 6 hours 37 minutes

I Was Told There'd Be Cake

I feel like I've found a sister and friend in Sloane Crosley. In I Was Told There'd Be Cake, her writing is witty and funny and full of things I wish I could come up with. She's like a female mixture of David Sedaris (for awkward family stories) and Chuck Klosterman (for pop culture references). This is definitely one of the best books I've read this year.

I've put a few quotes from the book in my last few posts, mostly because I'm alone in my apartment and, as with anything really funny, there's the desire to share it with someone.

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 8

This hour
Book read: I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 52
Time spent reading: 50 minutes
Food and drink consumed:

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 408
Time spent reading: 6 hours 23 minutes

Best quote of the hour? "In my lame pescetarian defense, it's very hard to be a girl and say you won't eat something. Refuse one plate of bacon-wrapped pork rinds and you're an anorexic. Accept them and you're on Atkins. Excuse yourself to go to the bathroom and you're bulimic. Best to keep perfectly still and bring an IV of fluids with you to dinner."

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 7

This hour
Book read: I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 46
Time spent reading: 50 minutes
Food and drink consumed:

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 356
Time spent reading: 5 hours 33 minutes

Best quote of the hour: "Life starts out with everyone clapping when you take a poo and goes downhill from there."

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 6

This hour
Book read: I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 29
Time spent reading: 30
Food and drink consumed: strawberry lemon bars, iced pomegranate green tea

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 310
Time spent reading: 4 hours 43 minutes

Snuff

Oh, Chuck, what have you done. Here I am, defending your last two books (which still remain my favorites), and you disappoint me. Snuff seems like only a sketch of what your other books are.

Snuff tells the story of porn star Cassie Wright, who wants to break records by being filmed with 600 men in one day. It will be her crowning achievement, and perhaps the definitive film in the genre. The story is told by three of the gentlemen (Mr. 72, Mr. 137, and Mr. 600), as well as Wright's (female) assistant. Unfortunately, unlike most of of Palahniuk's characters before this, the characters seemed one-dimensional in their quirkiness.

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 5

This hour
Book read: I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 56
Time spent reading: 52 minutes
Food and drink consumed: water

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 281
Time spent reading: 4 hours 13 minutes

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 4

This hour
Book read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 44
Time spent reading: 46 minutes
Food and drink consumed: corn, tomato, and avocado pasta salad, mini Kit Kat bar

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Pages read: 225
Time spent reading: 3 hours 21 minutes

Best quote of the hour: "Every time I open the drawer, it's a trip down Memory Lane, which, if you don't turn off at the right exit, merges straight into Masochistic Nostalgia Highway." Crosley is highly quotable and very funny.

This hour's mini challenge from Vasily asks for quotes from favorite books. I've written about it before, but the Dark Tower series by Stephen King is definitely on my list of favorites. The world he created is so realistic, and I feel like I really know the characters (from that world and from our own). My favorite quote runs throughout the series and is based on the idea that the gunslingers (knights, basically) hold honor in remembering where they have come from:

I do not aim with my hand. He who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father. I am with my eye.

I do not shoot with my hand. He who shooots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father. I shoot with my mind.

I do not kill with my gun. He who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father. I kill with my heart.

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 3

This hour
Book read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk
Pages read: 54
Time spent reading: 49 minutes
Food and drink consumed: water

Total
Books read: Penny Arcade, Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk
Pages read: 181
Time spent reading: 2 hours 35 minutes

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 2

This hour
Book read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk
Pages read: 60
Time spent reading: 46 minutes
Food and drink consumed: Trader Joe's Ridge Cut Red Bliss Potato chips

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk
Pages read: 127
Time spent reading: 1 hour 46 minutes

Mini-Challenge
Check out a web comic for at least 10 minutes
Nymeth's challenge included links to a bunch of different web comics, including Penny Arcade. I have a couple of friends who read that quite often, so I thought I'd give it a try. Overall, very amusing, but I'm not sure I'm geeky enough for it (don't get me wrong, I'm very geeky...). This was my favorite out of what I read, because a friend keeps trying to get me to read the series, and I keep saying "but the first one is boring..."

My favorite web comic? xkcd

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Hour 1

This hour
Book read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk
Pages read: 67
Time spent reading: 60 minutes
Food and drink consumed: Ice coffee

Total
Books read: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk
Pages read: 67
Time spent reading: 60 minutes

Hour 1 Mini-Challenge
Where are you reading from today? Brookline, Massachusetts. It's rainy and gross, so a perfect day to stay inside, curled up with a good book.

3 facts about me …
-I'm new to this whole book blogging thing... I'm much more comfortable writing about food, as I've been blogging on that topic for over a year.
-I'm in library school right now, focusing on archives, and in the grand scheme of things, I'd love to work in an archaeology archives some day.
-I've written two novels (both awful), and I'm looking forward to working on some other ideas I've got, because they've got to be better than what I've already done ;)

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
Too many. My friends have been acting as my pushers for the past couple of weeks (I've been doing the same for them, though), so there's plenty on hand. In fact, I'm probably going to have a hard time deciding what to read next.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
My goal is to read a variety of different books - at least one popular lit, one kid/YA, one memoir, one graphic novel... vary it up.

Let's Get Ready to Rumble!!!!!! (I mean, read...)

Well, it's time! Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-thon starts now. My friends (hi, guys) think I'm a little crazy (ok, more than a little), but I'm really looking forward to it. I love reading, and I love exploring new blogs and meeting other bloggers, so this is going to be a good time.

I'm starting off with Chuck Palahniuk's new book, Snuff. I love his writing, although my favorites (Haunted and Rant) have received quite a bit of critisism (especially Haunted, which I think is much more fully realized than most people think).

And for the rest of the day? Well, my To-Be-Read pile has always been large, but my friends have been plying me with books in preparation for this, so I have more on hand than I can handle. Popular literature, graphic novels, chick lit, food writing, fantasy, sci-fi, YA, and whatever else falls on my plate.

And since my first blog is about food, I had to cook up some exciting stuff to have on hand. Most notably, I made some tasty strawberry lemon bars for that much-needed sugar high, and I've also got lots of iced tea and awesome iced coffee on hand. Oh, and a yummy, fresh pasta salad and chocolate.

All right, enough typing. Time to read...

Eclipse

I finished Eclipse, the third book in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, a while ago and just forgot to post. I have to say, I was quite happy with this book, as it was much more exciting than New Moon. That's not to say that Bella wasn't whiny or didn't pass out randomly... Rather, I enjoyed the love triangle more having all three people in the same place, and I liked the uneasy truce that Edward and Jacob come to in order to protect Bella.

**Here be spoilers**

I found the battle with Victoria and her babies very exciting, and learning the details of the main battle in the field only after the fact made it seem more intense.

One thing that bothered me, though, was the last chapter told in Jacob's POV. I can understand wanting to show his emotions over the impending wedding, but to go three whole books with Bella and then suddenly be with Jacob really threw me for a loop...

**There be spoilers**

And I'm still on Team Edward... although, after Jacob acting as a warming blanket in the tent, I'm beginning to see the light on the whole Team Jacob thing...

Pomegranate Roads

I'm a huge fan of pomegranates (a passion that predates the whole Pom hoopla) and I often run Amazon searches just to see what will come up. While running one of these searches, I came up with Pomegranate Roads, A Soviet Botanist's Exile from Eden, by Gregory M. Levin. Levin is a punicologist, or pomegranate specialist, who spent over 40 years at Garrigala, the Soviet botany research station in Turkmenistan. During his time there, he traveled widely and collected over a thousand different pomegranate varieties. Sadly, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Levin was forced to emmigrate, leaving his pomegranate collection to fate.

This book chronicles Levin's research, including many expeditions in search for more plants. Some portions of the book read like an adventure tale, with him surviving car wrecks and treacherous journeys. Other portions, where he focuses on people he worked with over the years, can be a little tedious, although it is sweet that he is paying homage to his colleagues. And as always, I wanted to know more about the mythology behind the pomegranate (although I was happy to read that both Levin and publisher Barbara Baer share my thoughts that the pomegranate was the "apple" that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden).

This is, overall, a fast and enjoyable read. If nothing else, it made me want to live in California so I could have my own pomegranate tree, something that won't happen here in Boston.

To hear an interview with publisher Barbara Baer, visit the Pomegranate Roads website.

The Lace Reader

I managed to snag an advanced copy of The Lace Reader from a blog at my favorite local bookstore, Brookline Booksmith. I'm always up for a book that takes place in Massachusetts, and the Gothic nature of the story sounded fascinating. I have to say, I wasn't let down by this book at all.

Towner Whitney comes from an established Salem family - the men were traders and merchants and pirates. And the women? Psychics and readers - especially lace readers. Towner comes back to Salem after the disappearance of her great-aunt, Eva, who gave lace readings to locals and tourists alike in her tea room. Towner's mother, May, always an eccentric, takes in abused women and children and teaches them to make lace. But Towner herself has been avoiding lace since her twin sister committed suicide as a teen after a lace reading.

The book is itself a piece of finely crafted lace - read it patiently and all of its secrets will appear in time. Keep in mind that Towner's first paragraph includes the line "Never believe me. I lie all the time." Bit by bit, the details behind Towner's past materialize, knitting a web of overlapping truths and lies, light and darkness, as she herself comes to terms with what has happened to her.

Not only did I love the atmosphere and the story, but I fell in love with the lace as well. This book made me want to take up lace-making, and I've tried my hand at coffee reading, so why not lace reading as well?

Also check out the website for the book, which includes the first few chapters to read, tips of reading lace, and a great map of Salem which includes spots in the book.

Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?

I'm a sucker for promotional marketing, and I'm a big Indiana Jones fan, so you know these last few months have been rough on me. There's Indy paraphernalia everywhere, and I have to fight with myself not to buy it all. I was accosted by a table full of Indiana Jones books, and I limited myself to one and went with Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?

The book attempts to dissect each movie in order to discuss the scientific fact behind the parts of the story. Does it succeed in doing that? Yes, definitely, but not necessarily in a way that makes it enjoyable or readable.

Reading this book was a lot like reading Wikipedia, but not in the fun way, where you link from topic to topic in a logical string of connections. Instead, topics are broached in the order that they appear in the films, making for pretty disconnected reading. First you're reading about South American native tribes, then about how bullwhips work, then about Nazi airplanes and submarines, ending with a section on Judaism. Yes, all of that is central to the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but reading about them in that order makes the book hard to handle.

World War Z

After a zombie uprising that leads to a ten-year struggle between humans and zombies, a journalist is sent around the globe to conduct interviews and put together a report based on the events of World War Z. This book (subtitled "An Oral History of the Zombie Wars") is told through the talking-head-style interviews and tracks the path of the zombie uprising and the eventual human victory.

It is a very realistic book - there are many passages where the word "zombie" could easily be replaced with any other foe. With the vivid descriptions in this book, it feels like these events could really happen (which is why it's a good thing Max Brooks also wrote The Zombie Survival Guide, to help us all through the tough times).

I'm personally a huge fan of the talking heads writing style. Last year, I was totally captivated by Chuck Palahniuk's Rant, which uses the same narration style to tell the life story of Buster "Rant" Casey. From what I've heard, many readers have a problem with essentially "starting over" with a new narrator every few pages, but I've found that having all those different points of view make the description of something as global as a World War that much easier to understand. If it were told by one person, the grandiose nature of the story would be minimized from only hearing one side of the story.

Brooks, a former SNL writer, did a fantastic job with this book, and I'd love to see what else he could bring to the page.