Reviews, Congrats, and Virginia

[eldritchhobbit]

Since the year is half over, I thought I'd recommend my three favorite books read thus far in 2010...

3. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (2010)
Normally this "soft SF" young adult novel might not have appeared on my radar, but it received such terrific reviews from readers I trust that I gave it a try. I'm so glad I did. This beautifully crafted story depicts a "Groundhog Day"-type scenario in which a teen girl relives the day of her death over and over again until she uncovers the mystery behind her final moments. In the process, she discovers the long-reaching and unintended consequences of her actions -- and inactions -- on those around her. This is a remarkable meditation on the power we have to affect each other's lives and to reinvent our own. What might have become trite or melodramatic in other hands becomes a restrained and powerful story about the human condition that can speak to readers of any age. (Incidentally, with its theme, this book was the perfect companion piece to the series finale of Lost.)

2. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (2006)
This elegant novel nests stories within stories and invokes the best of Gothic authors such as the Brontë sisters and Daphne du Maurier. When a troubled bookstore assistant is invited by England's eccentric and reclusive best-selling author to write the woman's biography, the young heroine learns not only about her subject's past, but also her own. This is not a ghost story, it's not a mystery, and it's not historical fiction, and yet it is all of these things, as well as a study of the tales we tell and why we tell them (or hide them, or embellish them, or deny them). It's also a lovingly atmospheric tribute to the great novels that shape, haunt, and inspire us.

1. The Disappearance by Philip Wylie (1951)
The Disappearance represents speculative fiction at its very best. What if, one day, all the women on Earth disappeared, leaving men alone -- and, on a parallel Earth, all men disappeared, leaving women alone? This novel traces the fate of both worlds, and in so doing questions the foundations of contemporary governments, religions, sexual politics, and even family structures. Wylie asks the big questions about the ways in which we've ordered society and the unexamined assumptions that undergird these arrangements, all the while drawing three-dimensional characters and compelling plotlines. Fifty-nine years after its original publication, it remains an utterly fascinating and thought-provoking read.






* Thanks to all of you who've looked me up on Goodreads. If you haven't yet, please consider yourself invited!

* Hearty congratulations to Ann K. Schwader (ankh_hpl) for winning the Rhysling Award for Short Form Poem from the Science Fiction Poetry Association!

* Happy early birthday wishes to sunshinedew and knesinka_e. May you enjoy many happy returns of the day.

* From nakeisha:
If you want to play, post a picture in your LJ of your pet(s) happily snoozing away. New pets, long-time pets, former pets, cats, dogs, birds, snakes, ferrets, rats, fish, all are welcome. If you don't have a pet of your own, find a snoozy one on the Internet and adopt it for the day!

I never pass up an opportunity to post a picture of Virginia!




"That's it! When people believe that what they believe is the immortal truth there's not much you can do. They're born clay with a lovely tendency to become statuary. But some aunt, some mother, a sister, a schoolmate, a church, soon grabs them and bakes them into mean little bricks. And the bricks made a nation. And every brick is faulty and crumbly. And when the pile gets high enough it collapses. Every single nation did; and now, the world."
- Dr. Paula Gaunt in the "women's world" in The Disappearance by Philip Wylie

Comments

[agentxpndble.livejournal.com]

OMG, look at that adorable doggy! :::melts:::

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Virginia and I thank you. :)

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

Nice to see that Philip Wylie believes the collapse of civilization is all down to the influence of female relatives :) It rather puts me off the rest of his book!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Ah, perhaps I should've put that in better context. I just love the point about rigidity in thinking. In fact, that's a woman speaking to other women about the women's world, and how women were in part responsible for their position in it; it's an introspective moment. At this point in the book, men are quite out of the picture entirely. I assure you, men end up with a substantial helping of the blame for how humanity came to be as it is! (In fact, my students have been astounded at how contemporary Wylie's thinking seems to be at times, considering the date of the text.)

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

Yes, I shouldn't blame the author for the way one of his characters thinks, unless it's also the way all of his characters think :) (And I can't know that from the quote.)

All the same, I don't really approve of the idea that we all come into this world as shining stars of wonderfulness which are quenched by our elders. From my experience of my own children (and myself) we come into this world pre-equipped with the character flaws which will make our lives difficult in the future.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I agree with you about being pre-equipped with character flaws. (Children, far from being sweet blossoms of innocence, can be the cruelest creatures there are!) So you've got me there. :)

The quote jumped out at me because what it said about rigidity of thinking: when there is no intellectual humility, but instead only dogmatism, it's hard to have a meaningful debate that can go anywhere. If someone's convinced he/she knows the whole truth for all humankind forever, that pretty well ends the discussion. And far from making a person strong, that kind of rigidity only makes one "faulty and crumbly." I liked the way that the character of Paula (who represents just one of many perspectives in the book) phrased that. But I'll admit I don't buy her perspective wholesale.

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

I'm in total agreement that there can be no meaningful debate where one side refuses to entertain the possibility that the other side might have anything to contribute. I've run up against that in practice many times. And yes, all it does is make you scratch that person off the list of "people it's worth talking to." Debate can't really be communication if it's only two sets of people yelling at each other and nobody listening.

All the same, I also disagree that you would ever get to a stage where every person of every nation had the same kind of mental rigidity - people are too contradictory and emotional for that. But I do want to read the book now, so that's a win ;)

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

That's one sleepy dog.

So lovely.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you. She was indeed a sleepy girl!

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

Awww, Virginia! She's so cute. :)) Thank you for the book recs!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :) And you're most welcome - I hope they're useful.

[peadarog.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I like very much the sound of "The Disappearance" -- probably a "pop" of some kind.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

It really is a fascinating book.

[witchcat07.livejournal.com]

Ooh, the Thirteenth Tale! We read that in book club one month, and I think it is the one book I have loved the most that I did not pick myself. A little squicky in spots, but once you get past that it's excellent.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

What a great choice for a book club! I'm so glad you liked it, too.

[mizz-history.livejournal.com]

Aww. What a cute, sleepy Virginia :o)

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :) She's repeating that performance right now, as a matter of fact. Ha!

[abbie (from livejournal.com)]

You've made those three books sound so. good. Stop! You're making me want to read! I'll add them to my reading list, but you know it takes me all summer long just to read one book! Ugh.

That reminds me, I've had Children of God on my list for a while... by the time I get around to it I will totally have forgotten everything about The Sparrow and will most likely call upon you to reenact the whole thing. I know you will not fail to deliver a flawless performance.

"...and, on a parallel Earth, all men disappeared, leaving women alone?"
Too much of a good thing... is bad. ;) *quietly adds it to the reading list*

Last but not least, Virginia! Cuuuute.
Quite a while ago I made a video of Ariel snoozing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Q2vwQfIqY

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

What a fantastic video of Ariel! Thank you for sharing it with me.

Stop! You're making me want to read!

Mwahahaha! My evil plan, it is working...

Let me know if you need a refresher on The Sparrow. I'll be standing by. With sock puppets and a kazoo. :)

If you read The Disappearance, I'd love to know what you think of it!

[jadepilot.livejournal.com]

I've read the second one and I can't wait to try the other two you've suggested. Thanks!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

My pleasure! I hope you enjoy them.

[estellye.livejournal.com]

Oh Virginia, what would we do without your cuteness?

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

:D

[dodger-winslow.livejournal.com]

Virginia looks at once adorable and comfy.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you.

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

AWWWWWWW!!! Peaceful Virginia in front of a peace lily. So cute!!! My sis just got a Frenchie puppy, and I was thinking about getting one too, a friend for Ripley, but she and the little girl puppy didn't get along.

I'm glad you mentioned Before I Fall. I've been picking it up at the bookstore over and over, but I've never followed through with buying it.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Frenchies are so adorable. And they have such attitude!

Before I Fall really impressed me. If you read it, I hope you like it, too.

[curtana.livejournal.com]

In a happy coincidence, The Thirteenth Tale caught my eye at the supermarket today and I picked it up, having remembered your review and craving something new to read. It was, so far as I could tell, the only copy they had, and just happened to be sitting on the corner of the table where I'd see it as I passed by, so I was lucky :) I'm probably 2/3 of the way through it already, and loving it. Thank you!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Fantastic! I love it when things like that happen. I'm so glad you're enjoying it. It's a great book to curl up with and devour.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Before I Fall sounds intriguing. I think I'll have to pick up a copy. :-)

And what an absolutely adorable picture! I think this is one meme I may actually have to play with.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I never would have read it if I hadn't seen glowing reviews from others, and now I'm so glad I did.

Thanks for your kind words re: Virginia! She's our little sweetheart.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Have you seen this?
http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=10054

And this?
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/43793-terror-eternal-the-enduring-popularity-of-h-p-lovecraft.html

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Oh, that mug is a hoot! Thank you so much for posting that. And thanks for the article link, as well - I'd seen it, but I had forgotten to post about it. I appreciate the memory jog! You always find such interesting things.

Healthy Forum

[(Anonymous)]

[url=http://fhealthy.com/]Healthy Forum[/url]

Ralph Lauren outlet

[(Anonymous)]

[url=http://bloggate.altervista.org/activity/p/72685/]polo ralph lauren outlet[/url]

That so-called "Lookout Batch[url=http://www.yesjoinus.com.tw/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=173114&extra=]Ralph Lauren outlet[/url]
leaped dead horse" This particular declaring is just not this terrible, robust monk would possibly not look that aggravation, even so the overnight Chen plus depressed Xiaofan genuinely profound expertise!
My spouse and i noticed an infinite place Sword Hills, overlapping hills, a lot of layer high similar to Haitao Pentium lake emptying Peaks over this rich, like a Pictorial crest untold refreshing take off.


http://forum.pandlbox.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=209334

ghd hair straightener

[(Anonymous)]

Live television images for Turkey showed debris falling in the upper floors for the building, who is without a doubt built up as to residential apartments while offices, as fire crews brought this particular blaze under control. There were no reports from casualties. [url=http://www.ghdfactorysouthafrica.info]ghd prices in south africa[/url]
"It should be 't clear yet explanation why and it could be produced by where generally fire would be started. We will see when generally fire brigade's report could be finished. Those cause will be investigated," said Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas. [url=http://www.ghdfactorysouthafrica.info]ghd south africa[/url]
Patrick Henri Devillers, 52, have been detained last month throughout Cambodia, where that they had also been living for ages. Your man have been held around those behest with China and tiawan because off his suspected business links that will a new wife among deposed Chinese politician Bo Xilai.
http://www.ghdfactorysouthafrica.info

thomas sabo charms oslo

[(Anonymous)]

Hei Gjerne Generer you meg personlig møte de mange spytt. Det hodet i tre, god hans / hennes munn State men it at tre er ville løslate la gå. [url=http://www.thomassabocharmclubno.com]thomas sabo smykker norge[/url]
nesten nedsenket i en varm i koselig kjente følelsen i behandling de kontakten med folk plutselig CAM dukket den hans en forbundet med chips elementene i , da a Bang bråkete lyder støy og forbundet med dette akkurat hva ting fallende gjenstander maskin med gledeglede råde dominere fra den kjøkkenområdet forberedt måltid ha mat alle rask , men det likevel forbi mange konsept han no bør ikke bare slett deilig deilig, men også enda bedre absorbert fortærte ham opptatt for lang tid å gjøre for å gjøre en god en god jobb fortsatt venter ivrig prospektiv potensial gjorde oppstår, nå han eller hun er edru i disse dager flere overnattinger behandling siste oppnådde resultater utmerket godt. [url=http://www.thomassabohandle.com]billig thomas sabo sale[/url]
 hans / hennes dyktige hender fingrene og | Sheng typer matvarer mat fest nå bin kortholderen snudde til tok go utendørs føle utmerket tilfeldig. Men Men den plutselig at bratt if svimmelhet så han stasjon er også uholdbar, og Dual Card fingre Wen-relatert Nabu inne i i suppen sølt. Dette er hvordan den nikk at ånden av glorie vanskelig ah ! Oh strekning om kommer til å splitte oppføring 's color øret samtale. http://www.thomassabohandle.com

longchamp pas cher

[(Anonymous)]

Longchamp Pas Cher (http://www.longchamppliagesfr.com/)

The leading trend of the season Winter, Spring, 2009 - handbag carriers forever in hand. Regardless of if they haveSac Longchamp Le Pliage (http://www.sacslongchampsoldesfr.com/)
bags of grip and it size, clutch or perhaps a complete bulk bag. The exception may be the model for sports-style superdlinnom belt.
http://www.frlongchampspascher.net/ Sac longchamp pas cher