I’m not dead, just busy…

I haven’t posted in awhile, but I have been reading. The latest and greatest:

 

 

(about time, I know.)

Also took a long-awaited trip to Portland (and thus, the Greatest Bookstore Ever)… hope to have reviews and recaps soon!

Be The Match Marrowthon (160 x 250)

Booking Through Thursday: The more, the better

 To add a bit of structure to this blog, my first Booking Through Thursday entry!
Here’s the question:

Some people read one book at a time. Some people have a number of them on the go at any given time, perhaps a reading in bed book, a breakfast table book, a bathroom book, and so on, which leads me to…

1. Are you currently reading more than one book?

Yes. It’s not that I don’t have any attention span, it’s just that I get really excited about some books and have to start them at once, even if I’m in the middle of something else. And of course, all the good ones seem to come in the mail/library at the same time. 

2. If so, how many books are you currently reading?

Recently finished The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Just finished The Reader
Half-way through a re-read of Song of Solomon
Half-way through Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Half-way through Possession - though I might have given up on this one

3. Is this normal for you?

Yes

4. Where do you keep your current reads?

Bedside table, couch, coffee table, kitchen, car, gym bag, purse, and under the bed (I don’t know how they end up there, but they often do. That’s where a large majority of the library fines are born.)

I don’t know anyone who has a certain book for a certain place or time of day, i.e. bed book, breakfast table book, bathroom book. Do you?

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane: A new twist to the story of the Salem witch trials

We all know about the Salem witch trials of 1692, but Katherine Howe — whose ancestry traces back to two of the women accused as witches — brings a new twist to the story. As The Dante Club author Matthew Pearl says of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, 

Our society has always asked what drove the accusers to ruin so many lives. There’s another question we don’t dare to ask: what if the women really were witches? 

Connie Goodwin, a Harvard PhD candidate, plans to spend her summer researching her dissertation when she is tasked with cleaning up and selling her grandmother’s abandoned house in Marblehead, Mass. (about 10 minutes from Salem). While exploring the house, Connie finds an antique key between the pages of an old Bible, and inside they key is a tiny, rolled up piece of parchment on which is written: Deliverance Dane. Believing the name could lead to the primary source Connie needs for her dissertation, she embarks on a research journey that changes her in ways she never imagined.

Interspersed with Connie’s story are “interludes”, chapters focusing on Deliverance Dane and the “cunning” women of her family in 17th-century Salem. As a student of colonial America, Connie knows much more about the history and culture of the time period than common readers; the interludes allow us to experience the characters, scenes and events rather than learn about them through Connie’s explanations. The jumps between centuries are never distracting and Howe, herself a student of American and New England history, provides wonderfully detailed descriptions of the time, especially clothing and rooms. 

Soon, Connie’s research directs her to Deliverance’s lost “physick” book of recipes and spells, an exciting primary source possibility. But as Connie starts having strange waking-dreams of her grandmother, and her academic advisor grows increasingly insistent that she find the book, she begins to suspect it of holding much more than material for her dissertation. Her quest to find the physick book of Deliverance Dane leads her to discover not only the woman behind the name, but a greater truth behind the Salem witch trials, her own ancestry and herself. 

My only (minor) frustration with the story was that at a few points in Connie’s research, her next step was clear to me pages before she figured it out herself. And since Connie is a very bright student and skilled researcher, it’s extra painful waiting for her to catch up. 

Nevertheless, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is a spellbinding tale infused with history, discovery, and magic — an enormously entertaining book that I couldn’t wait to start and then couldn’t put down. 

What makes the book an even greater read are its physical features. I love the cover, which invokes mystery, history, secrets, botany, manuscripts, time…

The inside flap started to get in the way about half-way through (I assume the flap is only on the ARCs) but I liked the slight texture of the cover and the thick, sturdy pages. 

The book isn’t for sale until June, so keep your eyes out for some marketing goodies – a Web site (rather sparse at the moment, but it says more content is coming soon), advance reading promotions (which is how I landed a copy), a Facebook presence (so far, only a profile for Connie that you can’t access unless you friend her), an author video (they should really get this up on the Web site) and a widget (apparently yet to come, unfortunately. I’m really curious to see it). 

Verdict: Put it on your to-buy list and start planning a trip. If you’ve never been to Salem (or, even if you have), this book will inspire a visit.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Happy Birthday, Hungry Caterpillar! Love, me and Google

Google is my search engine of choice and I absolutely love watching as the logos change to celebrate holidays, seasons, birthdays and events. I was so happy this morning to open my internet and see this:

A tribute to Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar (40 years old today), a beautiful picture book loved by me and by the world. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of those basic picture books, along with the likes of Goodnight Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, and Strega Nona, that come to mind when you’re buying a present for a new baby. But then you don’t buy it, because the baby already has three copies, because everyone loves these books and wants to share them. 

Read more in this great article on Carle from last week’s The Guardian.

Google’s logo got me wondering, what other authors or books have graced the Google pages? I remembered a few, such as this one from earlier this month in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday:

Here’s what else I found:

for Beatrix Potter’s birthday in 2008

 

for Paddington Bear’s 50th birthday, Oct 13, 2008

 

for Cervantes’ birthday in 2008

 

for Roald Dahl’s birthday in 2007

 

for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s birthday in 2006

 

for National Library Week in 2005

 

for James Joyce’s Bloomsday, in 2004 

 

and, while not my favorite, perhaps the most interesting: 

for Valentine’s Day in 2007. Probably the first thing you notice is that it appears that Google forgot how to spell its own name. Whoops? Nope. Google’s blog says that:

Strawberries are red, stems are green…

and that 

those with true romance and poetry in their soul will see the subtlety immediately.

Sorry, Google, I don’t think it works. I much prefer this guy’s theory that it’s a clever reference to 16th-century poet Barnabe Googe, best known for the line: 

I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die.

 

Do you remember any other Google literary-inspired logos? What’s missing? I would love to see one for the next Banned Books week incorporating characters from some controversial books. Or a “Google” drawn by Harold and his purple crayon – that could be great. If you could pick one book or author to be Google-ized, what/who would it be?

New French title for The Graveyard Book

Did you know that the French translation of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book has a different title?

     

The Strange Life of Nobody Owens

Personally, I like “The Graveyard Book” much better. Along with the U.S. cover art. 

I wonder who gets to make a decision like changing a book’s title? Or why it was made? Did Neil Himself (ha,ha for Twitterers) have any say in the decision? I know this happens quite often – a great example is Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which was changed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone here in the U.S. But I’ve never really stopped to think about what role, if any, the author has in that change. 

    

Train of thought leads me to something I just remembered from the Marilynne Robinson reading I attended in October. Marilynne’s Gilead - one of my favorite books – is told in first person as a man writing letters to his son. While the title and author are printed at the top of the every page in many books, the publishers decided to leave this information off of the pages of Gilead, in order to maintain the feeling for readers that they are reading personal letters/a journal and not a published book. What an excellent decision. But, when I checked the copy of Gilead that I bought in the U.K., the title and author were there. 

 

Off to continue my lazy Sunday and finish The Red Tent. You might notice I’ve added a blogroll. There are so many great blogs out there that I get overwhelmed seeing blogrolls of 10, 20, 30 blogs, so I just added a couple that I really think are worth checking out.

This weekend’s read: The Road

I read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road yesterday (it was that good) and wish I had savored, instead of devoured, the story so that I would have something to read today. The Road is one of those books where, once finished, leaves you at a loss for what to read next. You need time to reflect on your experience, and chances are about 99% that whatever you pick up next won’t be as good. Perhaps that’s why I’m blogging again after a lengthy absence. 

The Road is a story of a man and a boy, father and son, fighting to survive in a post-apocalyptic, death-filled world where nothing grows and humans, the only species remaining, have abandoned all ethics in order to live. Barely alive, scavenging for any type of food or clothing, the man and boy travel south over a period of months on the road, hoping to find – what? food? other “good” people? anything left of civilization? what exactly they hope to find once they reach the coast is never clear, along with most of the story’s history, such as names, ages, the event/catastrophe/disease that caused the death of the world, or how long the world has been in its current state (years, at least, we know). Not knowing these details, however, only enhances the story by adding to its uncertainty. And in the post-apocalyptic world, these details of the past don’t really matter, because all that matters is the here and now – the next safe place the man and boy can find to sleep, the next meal, the next morning that they are still alive. 

Dialogue in The Road, mainly between the father and boy, is minimalistic, often stripped  of common punctuation, often poignant, and perfectly fitted to the situation. In few words, McCarthy covers the range of emotion between the father and son: uncertainty, protectiveness, fear, guilt, hopelessness, understanding, impatience, and a powerful, sacrificing love. 

There are other good guys. You said so.
Yes.
So where are they?
They’re hiding.
Who are they hiding from?
From each other.
Are there lots of them?
We don’t know
But some.
Yes. Some.
Is that true?
Yes. That’s true.
But it might not be true.
I think it’s true.
Okay.
You dont believe me.
I believe you.
Okay.
I always believe you.
I dont think so.
Yes I do. I have to.

What could easily have been a monotonous, repetitive “Man and boy hide in the woods / man builds fire while boy sleeps / man and boy are starving / man and boy find abandoned house / man and boy find food in house / man and boy run from dangerous people / man and boy hide in woods…” plot line is instead a gripping, haunting, and emotional story of father and son, and of humanity, reduced to its barest instincts. 

I loved The Road and know it’s a book that will stay in my thoughts for awhile. A must-read for anyone who likes apocalyptic literature. I can’t wait to share this one with the boyfriend. 

A movie adaptation starring Viggo Mortensen is in the works. As far as I can tell, there isn’t a trailer yet, nor a set release date (though I hear it will be this year). If anyone has any more detail, I’d love to know.

What’s on your nightstand (Jan09)?

Currently on my nightstand: 

1. Possession, by A. S. Byatt. Half-way through and really enjoying it. Review to come.

2. Friend’s Yet-Unnamed-Manuscript. Have read and am now finishing up editing. 

In the immediate queue: Neil Gaiman’s Coraline

I haven’t yet reviewed the books that were on my nightstand last time, so looks like I’ve got some catching up to do. 

And now, checking back in with R.H.A. and C. LaMotte…

And the winner is…

I haven’t posted for some time – life caught up with me – but this is important. Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book won the Newbery! 

I don’t think I’ve read any of the contenders, but I’m still excited, as I thought The Graveyard Book was wonderful. 

2 things I just learned, while reading the news:

1. Gaiman also wrote Coraline – his first children’s book, actually – which is due as a claymation Tim Burton film on Feb. 6 and looks fantastic. The Graveyard Book is the only book of Gaiman’s that I’ve read, but I’m going to have to check out his other works. 

2. The idea for The Graveyard Book was almost 20 years in the making. So, maybe there’s hope for me as a writer yet  

Have you read The Graveyard Book? What did you think? Is there a different book/s that should have won?

BBC puts on radio play of Pullman’s His Dark Materials

Just heard about BBC radio 7’s broadcast of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials – The Subtle Knife is playing right now (too bad I missed The Golden Compass / Northern Lights). Just ended – dang. Searching the site but can’t find any replays. But, listen in for The Amber Spyglass on Jan. 10 or 11 (and remember, UK times on the web site are 6 hrs ahead of U.S. Central time). 

Better than an audio book because of the different voice talent and sound effects, and – only 30 seconds in – far better than the movie

[Edited 1/3/2009]