Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman + Giveaway (Used Book)

Although Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a slim book (124 pages), the issues raised are relevant today. I wouldn’t say Gilman’s writing is stunning or beautiful. The plot is not engaging or page-turning. It is predictable and overly “convenient.” The characters are stereotypes on steroids. But rather than expecting any of those other things, the reader of Herland should expect an issue book, and Gilman manages to address a number of issues in its pages.

Herland is nearly 100 years old, but the fantasy-adventure story of three men discovering a country of women still has some relevance. In some aspects, its age shows, but I’m glad I reread it ten years after my first read so I could get a fresh perspective.

I’m also willing to send you my twice-read, still-in-good-condition, ten-year-old Dover Thrift Edition so you can read it for yourself.

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A Stop in South Africa (Two Novels by Alan Paton) + Giveaway

In November, I reread Cry, the Beloved Country for my book club and then, because I loved that book so much, I read Too Late the Phalarope, also by Alan Paton.

Although I am glad I had a second experience with Paton’s South Africa, I still much preferred the first novel. I’d be happy to send you my lightly used copy of Too Late the Phalarope. See below for giveaway information. Continue reading »

Like Water For Chocolate Winner!

I’m back to blogging after a busy family-filled weekend. My brother got married on Saturday. The bride was beautiful, and it was a wonderful day (and weekend) overall.

I wanted to write a post with the BBAW meme, among other things, but I just spent more than two hours going through Google Reader and reading and commenting on blogs. Instead of staying up later, I’m going to dispense with the meme for now and give you a winner.

The winner of Like Water for Chocolate is….

Brittany of Deckled Edges!

I’ve sent you an email; please send me your address and I’ll get that to you this week.

My First Year of Blogging: A Contest with a Giveaway

Last May 1, I officially started Rebecca Reads. I had been tinkering with a site for a few days and I post-dated some pseudo-reviews that I’d written for a personal site, but it wasn’t until May 1 that I opened the site to Google and started linking to it when I commented on your sites.  I hoped to have a few books reviewed a month, and some meme answers. I hoped someone would read it. Continue reading »

Abandoned Book and Giveaway: Bridget Jones’ Diary

I don’t often read modern fiction, but when I heard Bridget Jones’ Diary was a “modern day retelling” of Pride and Prejudice, I thought I’d give it a try. I was lucky enough to find a fairly new, nice-looking copy on a library cart for (probably) a quarter a few months ago, so I thought I’d give it a try.

From the beginning, however, I’ve found Bridget to be annoying. While I loved Elizabeth Bennett, Bridget just seems whinny. Besides, with a large prevalence of crude language, this really is not my type of book. Further, I often have found that modern day “chic lit” stories are more entertaining as 2-hour movies, not as 300-page novels. There have been some amusing references to Darcy and Pride and Prejudice but I don’t think I can stomach any more of this novel in order to get to the happily ever after. If I ever feel curious again, I’ll watch the movie.

There are too many copies on Bookmooch for me to get it off my shelf, and I’m sure there is someone out there that wants to read it, crude language and annoying, whining Bridget notwithstanding. Therefore, I’m happy to send it to a randomly selected person.

Leave a note in the comments if you want to be entered for the drawing. I’ll select a winner in a few days.

Have you read this book or watched the movie? Does the crudity bother you? Why or why not?

Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dogs by Kitty Burns Florey + Giveaway

In Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dogs: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences, Kitty Burns Florey sets out to tell why diagramming sentences is so much fun and the brief history of the art of diagramming sentences. To some extent, I felt Florey’s book was more memoir and humor than it was history. Yet, I highly enjoyed the brief tribute to diagramming because I was one who was fascinated by the month I spent in seventh grade learning to diagram. Continue reading »

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov + Giveaway

I loved reading Vladimir Nabokov’s short stories a few months ago because his control of language is so powerful, although I did feel that some of his stories were rather odd. Nabokov’s novel Pale Fire is similar in that it is both odd and powerfully written. It is a masterwork of creation: who but Nabokov would have thought to write a book like this? In fact, Pale Fire is so odd, I have a hard time calling it a novel.

Pale Fire has two main parts. One part is a 999-line poem (about 30 pages) by the recently deceased (fictional) John Shade. The other part is (fictional) Professor Charles Kinbote’s commentary on the poem (about 185 pages). Nabokov has expertly woven a completely unrelated commentary in with a fairly coherent poem. Trust me: it is funny, in a subtle way. Continue reading »

Really Old Classics Mini-Challenge Round-Up

A number of people got some Really Old Classics read by the end of February. I’m sending a lucky winner a book of your choice. But first, here’s who participated in the first half of the Really Old Classics Challenge. I’ve formed it like a mini-blog carnival so you might get an idea for your next Really Old Classics read. Continue reading »

Really Old Classics Mini-Challenge + Giveaway

It’s the new year! New challenges are beckoning us, as are new books. But let’s not forget the really old ones!

How about a mini-challenge (with a giveaway) to remind you?

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The Book That Changed My Life, edited by Roxanne J. Coady and Joy Johannesson + Giveaway

To my surprise, I greatly enjoyed reading The Book that Changed My Life, edited by Roxanne J. Coady and Joy Johannesson.

The Book that Changed My Life is a collection of essays by writers, and since I don’t often read modern fiction, I didn’t expect to recognize many of the authors highlighted, much less did I expect such a variety of classics and modern classics highlighted as favorites. Yet, both fiction and nonfiction authors share the books that influenced their life, from Julius Caesar to Mary Higgins Clark. Continue reading »