Judging a Book By Its Cover Again

I wrote the other day how I visited the library and got a number of novels.

• Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• The Handmaiden’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
• The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
• Possession by A.S. Byatt
• Atonement by Ian McEwan

I am very interested in reading all of them. I’ve only heard great things about them. I couldn’t decide which one to get from the library first, so I got them all. And yet, the reason I chose to start the one I started surprised me. Continue reading »

Speak, Child: The Illiad as the Infancy of Children’s Literature

In his first chapter (“Speak, Child”) of Children’s Literature: A Reader’s History from Aesop to Harry Potter, Seth Lerer discusses the “infancy” of children’s literature. Such a study requires a review of children’s education, as that is the basis for children’s literature. Lerer discusses the classics (the “really old classics,” as I’ve dubbed them on this blog) that were the basis of education in the ancient world.

I took note of two elements within his discussion of the classics. First, children’s education was based on recitation and memorization. Also, children learned from extracts of The Illiad and The Odyssey, and later The Aeneid, works that even then were “adult” literature. Continue reading »

Reading Journal, October 6

Lately, I’ve found myself starting books (particularly nonfiction), and not finishing them before picking up the next. There are so many books out there, and I am struggling to decide which one to read now, and next, and next year!

Maybe, I thought, if I write on my blog what I’m going to read this week, and don’t pick up anything else, I’ll get things read. So, anyway, here is my reading journal, and plan, for this week. Continue reading »

Quote from Flaubert: Pleasures of Reading

“And indeed, what is better than to sit by one’s fireside in the evening with a book, while the wind beats against the window and the lamp is burning?” …”One thinks of nothing,” he continued; “the hours slip by. Motionless we traverse countries we fancy we see, and your thought, blending with the fiction, playing with the details, follows the outline of the adventures. It mingles with the characters, and it seems as if it were yourself palpitating beneath their costumes.”

Monsieur Leon, in Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, Part II, Chapter 2

(I’m almost done with Madame Bovary … and I’m loving it! Review to come soon!)

Where do you enjoy reading?

What Are Banned Books? (Do I Favor Book Banning?)

A recent blogging discussion has prompted me to ask the question: What is book banning? I’ve never thought it right to ban a book, but since I’ve recently been accused of doing just that, I thought I’d ask all of you what you think. Do I actually favor book banning? I’m stumped here. Continue reading »

The End of Publishing?

Chris at book-a-rama brought a most interesting article to my attention.

“The End: Have We Reached The End of Book Publishing As We Know It?” is a fascinating look at the publishing industry and struggles it is facing. While I don’t think publishing is going to ever end,  I thought the article had some great insights into book publishing. This article reminded me of some things I’ve been thinking about recently; that is, why do we read what we read? Continue reading »

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

I was dressing my 10-month-old son on his bedroom floor the other evening when he started reaching up. I saw his fingers brush the edge of the orange cover of Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, which was on the edge of the second-lowest shelf. Once he was fully clothed in pajamas, I sat him up and pulled the book off the shelf.

“In the great green room,” I began, setting him on my knee.

He stopped squirming and clapped his hands together, ready for his story. Continue reading »

Judging a Book by Its Cover

It’s not Maupassant’s fault, but I have a grudge against him already: his book stinks.

The librarian had to retrieve it from The Stacks. The first thing I noticed as she returned was its size. At more than 1300 pages, it thudded on the counter. Then, as she swiped my library card and pushed the book toward me, I smelled it. Musky. Old. Like a 1950s house that hasn’t been aired out in decades. Like puke-colored green shag carpet.

The cover itself isn’t too bad: the top two-thirds has the long title and subtitle and editor written in plain print across a faded (and stained) orange background. Bizarre green faces stare at me from the bottom third of the page.

Then I opened it. The text is about 8 point font. A story ends and the next begins on the same page (that bothers me: a story should stand by itself). And each page is as thin as skin. The book is probably 11 inches tall and 5 inches wide, so with 1300+ pages, a heavy cover, and Bible-thin pages, it’s kind of hard to curl up in bed for some comfort reading. Continue reading »

Sick Day and Author Weekly Geeks

My husband, my ten-month-old, and I have all been sick this weekend. To my surprise, I couldn’t bring myself to finish my book and post the review as I’d planned. Every time I started to read, my eyes would close. I also usually read a book aloud to my son as he plays and my husband and I read a book aloud together. But neither of us have our voices, so I didn’t do that either. It’s amazing that I haven’t read much at all! My husband and I zoned out watching a movie all day Saturday, while our son crawled over us. That’s not like me.

Do you find your reading changing when you’re not feeling well? Or am I weird to be reading less?

Anyway, in lieu of a review, I’ll do Weekly Geeks this week, which is all about authors. (I don’t have energy to write up my thoughts about the book I just finished today, but I can do a few photo searches!)

So, the idea is, you guess in the comments who the authors are. I wish I could give you a reward if you get them all, but my budget really can’t right now. I will write a nice post linking to you. Is link love enough? Continue reading »

Why ARCs?

A few weeks ago, a publisher contacted me: Would I like to review ARCs for my blog?

I’ve only been book blogging for a few months, so I was flattered they found me. I have an online presence! The publicist was able to answer my questions about ARCs, mostly. But I’m realizing that I don’t really want just any free books. Continue reading »