Untying One's Cravat

As you can guess, the title is a bit of a joke... I lent my friend a book and we are counting the times the word "cravat" was used.  (Multiple times, apparently.) Anyways, surprisingly I have not read as much as I would have liked since school ended.  I am having a hard time finding a book that provides the type of escape I am looking for.  So I have decided to start the perilous work of writing the books I would like to read.  But don't ask about my startling protagonists or I shall bite you. Writing is tedious work and is worth little unless someone else reads and enjoys it.  So wish me luck instead!  I'm starting off by filling a character sheet to build up my characters' personalities.  I will post one up when I am finished.

In the meantime, here is a rundown of the books I have read:
Poison Study by Maria Snyder - A- I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to reading the sequels!  It was YA fantasy (dare I say, slightly trashy?) but very interesting.

Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede - A I want the next one to come out! I was hooked on it from the start. I really think the whole controversy about leaving out the Native Americans was rather stupid; allow her to finish the series people!

Fire and Hemlock by Dianna Wynne Jones - B The ending made no sense.  I cannot stand it when endings do not make sense! I liked the rest of the story however.  Not my favorite by Ms. Jones.

Ehehe

I bought three more books today.  Only one week of school left.  The countdown begins... haha.


1. Leviathan by Scott Westerfield
2. Soulless by Gail Carriger
3. Her Awful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenger


How I wish it were Friday of next week!

Bookish Delights

Oh, I am so lucky to have been given so many bookish delights for my birthday... I got a bibliophile tattoo from my fiance, a Murakami book from Trish and Brian, and almost $150 in bookstore gift cards... Sigh... How I long to just have some time to read!  Well anyway, after I finished my hellish second TPA last night, I decided it was time to buy some books, even if I can't read them yet.  To make a long story short, I ended up buying 8 books last night (and still have gift card to spare!), and now I have quite a few novels to read this winter break. They are, in no particular order:
Going Bovine - Weird plot, but I like her work, so I'll give it a try.
The Fairy's Return - Totally a kid's book and I don't care.
Our Dumb World by the Onion (I'm already working on this one, LOL!)
Through a Glass Darkly - French courtier life.  Sounds juicy.
Thirteenth Child - Pretty controversial as she apparently made Native Americans disappear out of history, but sounds interesting.
The Grand Sophy - I just like Regency-era stories...
Poison Study - Juicy YA novel about a food taster, haha.
What I'm Talking About When I Talk About Running - My dearest Murakami! Thanks Trish and Brian!
The Lost Symbol - I read the first two, got to do the third, despite his dramatic writing style.
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Sounds good, but we'll see. I wasn't too impressed with the beginning.
Eve, Novel of the First Woman - Not sure why I picked this one, but I think it will be interesting to say the least. Let's just get this straight - it is fiction, and not inspirational fiction either. I believe quite a few Christians were unhappy with this book.
Fire and Hemlock - Love Ms. Jones, her books just take me away!
Picking Bones from Ash - Sad Japanese mother/daughter story... the kind of book I like to read to make myself miserable.
The Girl from Junchow - sequel to the Russian Concubine.  Wanna know what happens to the characters, even if it is slightly trashy.
The Children's Book - Curiouser and curiouser.
The Lightening Thief - I want to read this before the movie comes out and ruins everything!
The Concubine's Daughter - Sad Chinese book... I just like reading them... don't know why.


I also am trying to finish The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which still turns me off with its nasty language and Spindle's End which I began and have not been able to pick up.


Whew. Not bad. I also picked up "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith because I loved it so and had to have a copy.  


Time, I order you to pass quickly!

What makes a book unreadable?

I'm currently reading "the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz, and this question came to mind.  The book, a Pulitzer prize winner, is about a Sci-Fi/fantasy geek; a fat, Dominican, ghetto-nerd and his love-seeking adventures.  I picked up the book after seeing it many times, and was really looking forward to enjoying the story... And so far I'm not really into it. Why? Because of the language.  I'm not a linguistic prude by any means; I curse like a sailor on a regular basis.  But, I am having a hard time getting past the words. The book is in third person, not narrated by Oscar himself, and I believe there is a big disconnect between how I feel he would speak and how the narrator talks.  And it just disturbs me! A ghetto-nerd sounds so innocent, and his language is downright filthy.  Needless to say, I have not really gotten that far in the book, which is disappointing, because the story is good.  In the end, I think I'll plod through, for the story's sake, but I got to thinking, "What makes a book unreadable?"  Here are the reasons I have stopped reading a book:

1. Writing Style

A lot of time when I read, the author's writing style affects my mind.  I mean, I read their writing and I begin to think in that way.  If the writing style really doesn't jive with my thought processes, I can't continue reading.  I especially cannot stand authors who seem to be using big words just for the sake of using big words.  You don't need to show me that you can use a thesaurus.

2. Redundancy 

I cannot stand hearing authors repeat themselves over and over again.  I remember what you said the first time!  I almost dropped "The Sugar Queen" for this reason. I think that being repetitive shows a lack of writing skill as well as poor editing. Inexcusable. 

3. Disgusting Content

Again, I am not a prude.  I can read about revolting things, but I have to draw the line sometimes.  For example, I can read about killing cats, like in a certain Murakami book, but I couldn't finish the third story in the novella "Raise the Red Lantern" after the author started discussing the collection of bodily fluids in jars.  Ewwww.

4. Weak Main Character

If I don't like the main character, I don't like the book.  It just doesn't work. I hate when a main character is whiny and annoying through 2/3 of a book and then suddenly becomes strong.  Try again, author, try again. Example: Bella Swan from Twilight. Oh, Stephenie Meyer, you are so lucky we like Edward, or your books would not have been read.

There are probably many other reasons I end up not finishing books, but I feel that these are the most obvious examples I have found so far. I think that reflecting on this is good for me as a reader but also as a writer.  I'll keep it in mind. :)

What makes a book unreadable to you, dear reader?

Oops, I did it again.

I finished "Forest Born"... Sigh.

Illicit Books...

Yes, I have broken the rules.  I have been buying books even though I'm supposed to be packing them.  I have been reading books that are not textbooks and then complaining my homework is not done. 
I am hopeless...ly addicted to buying books. Sigh, I hope my grandma decides to give me a Barnes & Noble gift card for my birthday... simply for the excuse. 
On a less guilty note: I finished reading River Secrets (Books of Bayern #3) by Shannon Hale.  So good! I love her writing so much, I don't care if her books are for kids. I had to run out to buy Forest Born (Books of Bayern #4) as soon as I was done... oh, no, feeling guilty again... no wait, I'm not guilty! I donated a book to a needy child while I was there! I donated "Blubber" by Judy Blume, one of my favorites as a child and according to the American Library Association, a frequently challenged book! That balances everything out quite nicely if I do say so myself. So from then on, I pledged I will not buy another book until I have gotten settled in my new bedroom at G's mom's house and surveyed my bookshelf situation.
And then I checked my email yesterday morning and found a coupon for an extra 25% + my bn discount off any one book this weekend... Sometimes I think the world may be conspiring against me. 
- Catrina

This Year's Books...

Last year my best friend Ai and I began discussing how nice it would be to have a list of books we want to read when going to the bookstore.  (We're pretty much too lazy to write it down ourselves...)  Then, in January of this year, she discovered goodreads and we basically went hog-wild on marking books we've read and are interested in. Once school started I realized how little I was able to read for pleasure and tried to read 50 books over the summer. Sadly, I only read 35, but have so far found great pleasure in keeping track of the books I spend time with.  So, (drumroll please) below is the list of books I have read this year and my rating next to them. I'm practically a teacher so I'm giving letter grades, here is my grading system:  A=Awesome, B=Better than Bad, C=Cheesy, D=Disappointing, F=Fail.  

January

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark - B+

Consuming Kids: Protecting Our Children from the Onslaught of Marketing and Advertising by Susan Linn - B

February

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - A

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami - A-

Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo - B

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray - A-

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray - A

March

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw - A-

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray - B-

April

Food Politics by Marion Nestle - B for a bit boring

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - A+ - Hands down, favorite series of the year.

The Poisonwoood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - B+ for boring ending

The Princess Bride by William Goldman - A for "As you wish..."

May

Mindless Eating: Why we eat more than we think by Brian Wansink - A (Really frightening, actually...)

Fat Families, Thin Families: How to Save Your Family From the Obesity Trap by Amy Hendel - C- (BORING)

Turning Japanese by Cathy Yardley - C- (Zero research done... Seriously.)

Peony in Love by Lisa See - A-

Austenland by Shannon Hale - B

The Giver by Lois Lowry - A+

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - B  

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale – A 

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – A   

June

The Last Empress by Anchee Min – B+  

Bad Bridesmaid by Siri Agrell - C - Meh.

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho – A 

The Piano Teacher by Janice Yee – B  

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry – A 

Totto-chan, Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi – A

Ever by Gail Levine – A

Messenger by Lois Lowry – A

Not Another Apple for the Teacher – B

Memoirs of a Bookbat by Kathryn Lasky – A      

July 

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See – A

The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James – A

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich – B

The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans – A

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith – A

Educating Esme by Esme Raji Codell – B

With Violets by Elizabeth Robards – B

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – A-

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen - B-

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale – A

  

August

Eyes Like Stars by by Lisa Mantchev – B+

Captive of My Desires by Johanna Lindsey – B

The Help by Kathryn Stockett – A

The Lacemakers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri - B-

If I Stay by Gayle Forman – A

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale – A

House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones – A 

The Favorites: A Novel by Mary Yukari Waters - A

September

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - A+ (Can't wait for the third one!)

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Di Camillo - A

Midori by Moonlight by Wendy Tokunaga - B

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast - A

Beauty Sleep: A Retelling of Sleeping Beauty - B+

October

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - B+  I couldn't sleep after reading it!

Graceling by Kristin Cashore - A

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata - B+

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell - A-

Fire by Kristin Cashore - A-

November

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George - A like her stuff, want to read more!

When My Name was Keoko by Linda Sue Park - A-

Over 60 books this year... not bad, if I do say so myself.  I tend to grade pretty nicely, but there is a reason for that-- I don't finish books I absolutely despise.  So I might have started a few books this year that didn't make the list. (Too bad.)

I wonder if I can end this year with 100 books? School is a big roadblock, but I can certainly try.  

Off to read more books!

- Catrina

In the beginning...

This is my first post for this book blog, where I basically want to keep track of books I've read and how I felt about them. I am creating this blog for my sanity, while trying to balance my overwhelming need to read with the rest of my chaotic life with work and school. My next post will be about the books I have read this year so far -- the winners and the losers.

To anyone who decides to take a peek; I thank you. May my pitiful thoughts entertain you.

-Catrina