Rebecca Reads

The figure of my study is round, and has no more bare wall than what is taken up by my table and chair; so that the remaining parts of the circle present me a view of all my books at once, set upon five rows of shelves round about me. … ’Tis there that I am in my kingdom, and there I endeavor to make myself an absolute monarch, and to sequester this one corner from all society. …

Michel de Montaigne*

Where is your book-kingdom? What is your dream book-kingdom if you don’t have it yet?

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Sometimes I just need something light. Something that makes me chuckle. I’ve been reading a lot of old classics (which I love) and nonfiction (which fascinates me). But when I went to start another portion of my painting project, I needed something light and funny. I couldn’t concentrate on serious when I was doing a chore I wanted to procrastinate.

P.G. Wodehouse’s collection of short stories about Bertie Wooster and his butler Jeeves was simply perfect. It was my first foray into the world of Bertie and his witty butler, and these stories made me crave more.

The best part of the Jeeves stories is the interaction between the two. Bertie is a wealthy British bachelor who thinks quite highly of himself. He is ridiculous. Jeeves is, quite simply, a perfect servant and a genius. Jeeves takes control of situations and use things to his advantage all the while Bertie thinks he’s in charge.

Carry On, Jeeves has ten stories, including one about the first day Jeeves entered into Bertie’s services. A few of them take place in New York, but others are in England and Europe. Jeeves saves the day in all of them, in his own style. Bertie, of course, is ridiculous.

Much thanks for my library’s e-audiobook website. The version I listened to was wonderfully narrated by Martin Jarvis. I now know I have a perfect go-to when I need an audiobook like this!

What is your favorite Bertie and Jeeves story? I’m ready for more!

I only read one nonfiction book in January, so my library requests focused on the nonfiction for February. But I have still been craving fiction. I feel like I’ve been reading a lot this week, but I have barely anything to show for it. I’ve been working on Inventing English, which is quite fascinating, but I have still not finished. I guess I can only take so much at once. DNA has been boring me. I did not spend much time with it this week. It’s my monthly project book, so as soon as I finish Inventing English, it will be a priority.

In fiction, I spent a lot of time with A Tale of Two Cities this week. I abandoned it after 100 pages in October, so I forced myself to get through page 100 again, and it is much better once I passed that hump. Now I really want to know how it ends! East of Eden is my slow fiction read: I want to read it in a long stretch, but my goal is to take it slow and savor it. I started and finished a Wodehouse audiobook while I’ve been painting. It was lots of fun. And now I’ve begun some Jules Verne, which is very delightful.

Once again, I’m tempted to do a vlog but since I’m watching a friend’s kids this morning and my son needs to be fed and dress, I’ve got to run.  Besides, I’d like to visit your blogs a today too! How do you vlog-gers have time for it?! How long does it take? What technology do you use? I’m a bit afraid of it. Read the rest of this entry »

Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is creepy. Dorian Gray, as an innocent and attractive young man, in a fit of passion exclaimed:

How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June. … If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that – for that – I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that! (page 25)

And that is what happened. In the beginning, Dorian was fascinated by the painting: scowls (representative of his wickedness) immediately began etching itself on the painting, while he remained innocent and attractive looking in all respects. At times, though, the image of his soul disgusted him and he decided to abandon his life of sin, hoping his image would then right itself. But Dorian Gray found himself unable to stop embracing the life he’d created for himself, even when it disgusted him. Read the rest of this entry »

In 1934, an African-American doctor invented a surgical procedure that allowed black people to become white (specially, Nordic) in all respects. Black No More, Incorporated, became a highly profitable business, and the people of world were forever changed.

Such is the premise of George S. Schuyler’s Black No More. It caught my eye because of the science fiction/dystopian aspect. I don’t normally read science fiction, but to come across a Harlem Renaissance science fiction novel seemed so far out of the norm for that decade of African-American literature that it intrigued me.

I know I missed a lot of the humor of the era because of my unfamiliarity with most of the characters of the Renaissance. The novel’s pacing, characterization, and development also had plenty of flaws. But overall I loved the issues it raised about self image and society. It reminded me of issues today, especially the world’s obsession with body image. Today we have plastic surgery and liposuction to attempt to make everyone alike the world. Read the rest of this entry »

At first, I didn’t love Sense and Sensibility. The characters felt like flat stereotypes. The elder sister, Elinor Dashwood, was full of sense and Marianne (and her mother) was flighty and emotional (the “sensibility” of the title). These two acted in the extremes of their stereotypes, and I didn’t feel drawn in to the story.  I felt a little disappointed in Jane Austen, since Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite novels.

But it grew on me. The main reason is Elinor Dashwood. Although she is stereotypically serious and sensible, she also was realistic enough that I felt for her frustrations. Although the title captures the two personalities of the sisters, this is a novel about Elinor. Even as she comforts Marianne through her emotional upheavals, Elinor is strong in dealing with her own disappointments and doesn’t break down and whine. I really admired that. Read the rest of this entry »

I finished Sense and Sensibility this week, and I did end up enjoying it. But I read it so fast, that I finished it and wanted more. I watched the movie, and I still wanted more. It was disappointing to pick up the next book (Dorian Gray) and know it was not going to have the romantic ending of Jane Austen. Should I read Sense and Sensibility again? No, I’m not going to, but I do wish I’d read it a little slower this first time. There is only one first time to reading a book.

I also picked up East of Eden this week. I read East of Eden first when my son was a newborn, and as I read, I loved it so much I wished I could discuss it with someone. I read during my one-book-at-a-time days. (I can’t imagine doing that now.) It was beautifully written, and it was full of deep issues. It would be perfect for discussion. After I finished reading it, I wrote a post or two on my personal family blog. No one commented. I found some book-specific blogs that I could comment on, and I loved the idea of sharing about my reading. Because of my experience reading East of Eden and wanting to write about it, I decided to start my own books blog!

As I began it again this week, I found myself longing to savor the language as I hadn’t savored Jane Austen’s language. I gave myself limits: no more than 10 or 20 pages (or so) at a time. I’ve only read about 70 pages this week and I am looking forward to continuing to read the novel slowly. Since I know what will happen, it doesn’t seem an issue to take it slowly. And Steinbeck is meant to be savored, I think.

I also finished a few other books. These were not take-it-slowly reads. Dorian Gray was okay. It’s creepy and I think we’ll have a good book club discussion next week, but it wasn’t a favorite for me, and I hope I don’t have to reread it. Some of Wilde’s philosophy got a bit boring to me, but the story moved quickly when it happened. My Classics Circuit pick, Black No More, was an interesting satire, and I’m glad I read it. It also wasn’t a favorite: it’s more of a novel I read for historical value. It got me thinking, and I think that was the point.

I’m still enjoying Inventing English slowly, and I picked up a volume of essays (Reading in Bed) about reading that Stefanie has been talking about. Oh, I love it already! I plan on reading these slowly (the entire book is about 150 pages) and I will pick out some favorite quotes to share with you about the joys of reading.

Do you purposely slow down your reading? Why or why not? Read the rest of this entry »

I guess my good streak of wonderful reads had to end. I did not love reading Churchill’s History of the English-Speaking Peoples, although I don’t know whose fault that is: Churchill’s or the abridger’s. I do know I’m glad I didn’t attempt the 2000+ page version; 470 pages of Churchill’s assessment of military strategies and medieval politics from 1939’s perspective was enough.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m glad I read it. However, I wouldn’t call Churchill’s tome a scholarly history. Even after finishing, I’m still not all that comfortable with English history.

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The introduction to my volume of Zora Neale Hurston’s retelling of the Biblical Exodus calls this a “badly flawed novel” and I’m sure it is. Hurston is basing her novel on a Biblical tale that lacks strong women characters, and she’s trying to make it feel modern. The introduction also criticizes the stereotyped way in which Hurston tries to capture black speech. It’s not written in dialect, but it does capture idioms and mannerisms.

All that said, I really liked reading Moses, Man of the Mountain. I have a fascination with retellings of the Exodus.* Because of that interest, then, I liked Hurston’s novel simply because of the premise: tell the story of Moses and the Hebrews basing it on African-American folkloric practices (hoodoo and magic). Read the rest of this entry »

This is a “must read” book. There, I said it.

I am a suburban American stay-at-home mom. I have always been well fed and safe. I have 16+ years of education and I could get more if I felt like it. When I was 26, I delivered my first child naturally in a hospital with a nurse midwife present. I don’t feel I’ve ever been discriminated against because of my gender, and I’ve never been abused or beaten in any way.

I am pretty naïve about the state of women in the world.

Reading Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn was eye-opening for me. I had of course heard about sex trafficking in Asia. I had of course heard of maternal deaths in Africa due to improper medical care. I had of course heard about the atrocities against woman that occurred (and are occurring) as a part of national genocide in Africa. I had of course heard about lack of education for girls around the globe and corresponding gender discrimination.

But hearing something is different than meeting the people. The stories Kristof and WuDunn share about woman around the globe made these issues real to me. These Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists capture the issues and it is heart-breaking. But because each section ends with stories of success, I feel that change is possible in the future. There is hope. What will it take to turn the world around? I think being aware is part of the first step, and Half the Sky is a great first step for all to gain a little bit more of that awareness. Read the rest of this entry »