Thoughts on the Book Blogging Community

I'm going to post some rambling thoughts today, so I'm apologizing up front. I've been away from the blog for nearly two months. Work for me this time of year is insane. I do have some down time in the evenings, and I choose to use it to read rather than write. Writing doesn't come easily to me (more on that later) so I opt for something requiring less concentration and effort. Things have slowed down some in the past few weeks, but it takes a bit of time for me to recover.

I'm hoping to post some book reviews next week, but to be honest, it's been difficult to come back to the blog. I've missed it, but I'm leery. I'm sure most of you have seen the drama going around lately within the book blogging community. I don't really want to rehash it, but only mention it to explain where these thoughts originated. It's disheartening in two respects--first, that it happened, and second, the reaction. The vitriol that was spewed churned my stomach. I've been avoiding twitter ever since. I guess I was naive to assume that this community was one where bloggers supported each other. Instead, I found that many find joy in the failure of others. Sickening. The personal attacks, the name-calling, and the back-biting were appalling. I'm embarrassed to be associated with this group in any way.

A completely different topic (I told you I would ramble). I struggle for how I fit into this book blogging community. I do not have a degree in English Literature or in writing of any kind. I have degrees in Accounting--about as opposite as you can get from everyone else. I enjoy reading, but I don't approach reading in the same way as many other bloggers. I don't have the background or skill set to deconstruct a text. I'm not a moron (I totally rocked my AP English Lit test--as if that counts. Ha!), but for me, I read for pleasure. That's not to say that I don't read difficult books. I do. (Sometimes not having an English degree is to my advantage because I don't know enough to be intimidated by anything.) But ultimately, I want to enjoy what I read. I choose to write about some of what I read on this blog, but it isn't easy. I struggle to write every single post. Writing is far from natural for me, but I feel rewarded for the effort, inferior as the end result may be.

I read a post recently about a blogger's frustration with the lack of professionalism in the reviews of book blogging community. I don't know. Are we meant to be professionals? I've never proclaimed myself to be one nor have I intended to become one. This is a hobby for me. Does my lack of credentials preclude me from writing about books? I probably shouldn't call what I write "reviews" because they're really not. I write about my personal experiences as I read. I try to be fair, as I know that often times I disagree with popular opinion, but they're still my opinions. I try to be respectful in my reviews. I don't know if I succeed.

That said, I want to thank all of the bloggers whose blogs I follow (who happen to write about books or not) for not being dragged into the muck with everyone else. I'm happy that there are still bloggers who are above all of this pettiness, who write honest, thoughtful posts because it's what they enjoy doing. It's not about the numbers, or the authors, or publishers for them. I'm grateful that I have found a subset of the community that actually cares about other bloggers, and has created a feeling of support and inclusion.

I'm nervous to post this because it's very personal. I don't want people to think I'm fishing for compliments here; I'm not. I just wanted to get my thoughts out there in a hope that maybe I'm not the only one that feels this way.

I'm psyching myself up for those reviews yet to come. Wish me luck (and some extra time).

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita

by Vladimir Nabokov
published 1955
completed February 2012

Lolita and I have had an interesting relationship. Not being an English major in college, I only heard of it a few years ago when I started seriously looking for book recommendations. It was on many classics lists, but when I read the synopsis, my first reaction was "absolutely won't ever read that." Why would I ever want to read a book about a pedophile? Who would ever want to read a book glorifying a pedophile? Creeps, that's who.

After joining the book blogging community, I started to notice that many bloggers that I respected had read and enjoyed Lolita. I'm assuming they're not creeps so I figured that there must be something more to it. And there is. Much more. I'm glad that I convinced myself that it was okay to read it because my initial impression was completely wrong.

First, the writing is mind-blowing. I read a blog post recently where someone was criticizing Nabakov for being narcissistic in his writing of Lolita, to the point that it distracted from the story. I can understand why they felt that way because at times it was frustrating. I wanted the story to move forward, but I was trapped in this lyrical writing. I can't blame Nabokov for that; I can only blame my personal impatience as a reader. By the book's completion, I appreciated the style of writing and found that fit perfectly. It's written by the ultimate narcissist, not the actual author, but the narrator of his own strange story--Humbert Humbert. It was comical how highly he spoke of his good looks and cleverness.

I can't say that I really enjoyed being in Humbert's head, but it was incredible how Nabokov pulled of a first-person account of pedophile. Despite the subject matter, it's surprisingly not explicit. Much is implied (for which I was grateful). As expected, Humbert is the epimote of an unreliable narrator. The first half of the book, I felt awful because I felt myself sympathizing with him (not that I ever thought what he was doing was okay). As the story moves on, the facade is slowly cracking and you begin see that things aren't as rosy as he was previously painting. By the end the facade is blown wide open, and I'm sure as you'd suspect from this story line, things don't end well for anyone. The reality of it sits heavily.

This is one that I'd love to read again in a few years. I'm not ready to jump back in to the level of sordidness in Humberts mind for a while. It's an uncomfortable read (intentionally so, I think), but I'm hoping that the next time around I can enjoy the language more as I won't be distracted wondering what will happen next.

Classics Club

Jillian at A Room of One's Own posted about this fantastic idea for a Classics Club earlier this week. There was so much interest that she moved on it really quickly, and it's all set up! If you're a regular reader of the classics, check out her post and join us. It's up to you to set your own goal, and it's a fun way to interact with other readers of classics.

Start Date: March 9, 2012
Goal for completion: March 9, 2015
Prize for completion: Book buying spree (limit to be set closer to completion)
Books I intend to read (or re-read)*:

1. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
2. Persuasion by Jane Austen
3. Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë 
4. The Master and the Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
5. My Antonia by Willa Cather
6. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
7. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
8. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
9. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
10. Bleak House by Charles Dickens
11. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
12. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
13. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
14. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
15. Middlemarch by George Eliot
16. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
17. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald 
18. Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald
19. Howards End by E. M. Forster
20. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster
21. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
22. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
23. The Wind and the Willows by Kenneth Graham
24. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
25. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
26. Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy 
27. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
28. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston
29. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
30. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
31. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
32. Of Human Bondage by W Somerset Maugham
33. The Painted Veil by W Somerset Maugham
34. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
35. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
36. 1984 by George Orwell
37. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton 
38. Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger
39. Franny and Zooey by J D Salinger
40. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
41. Dracula by Bram Stoker
42. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
43. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
44. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
45. The Warden by Anthony Trollope
46. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
47. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
48. Night by Elie Wiesel
49. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
50. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

*The list may change at my discretion.

An Actual Blog Post

I wrote an insane number of blog posts (for me) in December and it burned me out. Being a CPA who does taxes, this time of year gets kind of hairy. Add in unusual amount of sickness in our home, myself included, and you get a recipe for lots of reading and very little blogging. So, I'm back. Kind of. I have so many books I'd like to post about, but I can't really wrap my head around writing something quite yet. Hopefully soon.

Instead, I thought I'd do kind of a random post. First, I wanted to update on my progress on C.B. James' TBR Double Dare Challenge. So far so good. I kind of padded my library books a little by adding a few extra to the hold list before the end of the year. Despite stacking the odds in my favor with a few extra from the library, I've finished all of my library books and have moved on to my own bookshelves. For some reason, that's more intimidating. I'm not sure why, but there are so many to choose from that I'm struggling to pick one.

I do have one of my March picks lined up already--Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I read it last year around this time and really loved it. I got so busy and never posted about it so I'm going to read it again so that maybe I can share my thoughts in a coherent manner. If anyone is interested, Melissa at Avid Reader and Care's Online Book Club are hosting a readalong for it. Come and join us. It should be fun. I hope everyone enjoys the book. It's pretty unique, in a good way (in my opinion), but some don't share the love. It seems like one of those love it or hate it books.

On to the questions. I'm not posting the rules since I think everyone else in the world has already posted on this. Everyone else has already been tagged as well so I'll just answer the questions and skip the rest. My blog, my rules, right? Here goes.

1. What's your favorite souvenir you've bought on a trip?
I'm not much of a souvenir buyer, but we always buy a magnet from wherever we are to put on the fridge. My kids love picking it. We try to select one that shows some of the places that we've visited. I take hundreds of pictures, though!

2. How many times have you moved? 
I lived in the same home until I went away to college. While in college, I moved five times. Since then, I've moved five times. So, never until 17, then ten times until 31! I hate moving, and I know I'll be moving again soon when we move home to the States.
 
3. What movie should win the Best Picture Oscar this year?
It's a shame, because I haven't seen any of them. With little kids and no family nearby it's tough to carve out that much time away from home. I really wanted The Artist to win, and it did. I love that it's a silent film in an age when everything seems to be moving forward so fast to something new. I'm looking forward to seeing it when it comes out on DVD. 

4. Do you have a dream job? What is it?
I can't think of a dream job besides what I do. Although sometimes it stresses me out, I love doing taxes. I know that makes me sound crazy (my husband agrees), but I totally am, and that's okay.

5. Favorite Girl Scout cookie? 
Thin Mints! I actually don't even like any other kind. I don't really like packaged cookies so it's a rare exception.

6. Guilty pleasure TV show you watch? 
Hmmm...probably the Vampire Diaries. It's very teenage angsty (that's not even a word), and I'm kind of embarrassed to even say that I watch it, but it seriously is so fast-paced that it's really kind of fun to watch. 

7. What question do you hate it when people ask you? 
If I'm going to have any more kids. Ugh! Worst question ever. It's so personal and it really drives me crazy because there's usually a judgment behind the question one way or the other. In a random thought, I loved how Tina Fey addressed it at the end of Bossypants. If you are wondering though, no, no more children for me. Three is plenty!!

8. Your favorite pet you've ever owned? 
I'm allergic to most pets, but I had a little hamster named Henrietta when I was about eight or so. I loved her!

9. What's the first book you remember reading? 
I know I read before then, but the first memory of a particular book is with Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. I had to read it for my gifted class and I was only seven. I was really gifted in math and wasn't really that far advanced in reading and I remember being so confused as to what the crap was going on in the book. It was rough. I've never picked it up again. (I just looked it up and it's a 9.6 grade level). Sadly, it blew my confidence in reading and it made me shy away from reading as much until I got into high school.

10. What's your favorite drink? 
Water! The only other thing I really drink is orange juice occasionally, but it must be not from concentrate.

11. What's one thing on your Bucket List?
Go to NYC! I've been to several countries and cool cities around the world but never NYC. We were supposed to go for our tenth anniversary, but living in Scotland at the time, we didn't have anyone to watch our kids so that put the kibosh on that. Some day! 


The rambles are over. If you've made it this far, I'm amazed. Hopefully a book review next week. I wanted to add some photos to make this rambling less boring, but blogger is being an idiot and won't let me. Sorry!

You're welcome to answer any of the questions as well. I think Melissa came up with some good ones! 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray

by Oscar Wilde
published 1891
completed November 2011


The Picture of Dorian Gray centers around Dorian Gray. Shocking, right? Basil Howard, a talented artist paints a portrait of Dorian. Lord Henry happens to visit during one of these sittings and Dorian is fascinated by Lord Henry's hedonistic lifestyle. Upon completion of the painting Dorian expresses that he would trade his soul for the painting to take the signs of his aging so that he could forever remain in his current state of beauty. His wish is granted.

The hedonism espoused by Lord Henry inspires Dorian to a life of narcissism and debauchery. People find difficulty reconciling Dorian's outward appearance with the whispering they hear about his personal life. It's thought-provoking to consider the affect of that kind of lifestyle. It seemed to snowball for Dorian. His depravity started out simple until he got to the point where nothing was unthinkable. Once someone goes down that road, how easy is it to go back to respectability? Dorian tried, and it seemed like he could, but inside he hadn't changed. He couldn't seem to evoke any true concern for anyone outside of himself.

I can't pretend that I understand all or even a small amount of what Wilde meant by this book. I found it dark and intriguing. Despite this being a novella of less than two hundred pages, it's a dense read. It took much longer for me to read than expected, but I did really enjoyed it (with the exception of one chapter detailing tapestries and jewels). Wilde's writing is superb, and as such, there are no throw away lines. It was a slow read for me as it took time to digest almost nearly every sentence. I look forward to reading this one again to hopefully pick up more insight into its meaning.


Have you read The Picture of Dorian Gray? What did you think? Any insights you'd like to share?

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

David Copperfield

by Charles Dickens
published 1850
completed December 2011


This book took me forever to read. I had good intentions of reading it with Adam of Roof Beam Reader when he hosted a readalong in July. I really did try. I got about 100 pages in then decided to shelve it for later. I read bits of it here and there over the next few months then finally finished it only a couple of weeks ago.

My choice to read it at such a slow and stretched out pace, detracted from the book for me. I really loved the second half, but I think my experience with the first half was lessened by my haphazard approach. I am my own worst enemy sometimes.

David Copperfield is narrated by Mr. Copperfield himself, and the story begins just before his birth. There is an enormous cast of characters, sometimes difficult to keep straight, taking part in numerous side stories. At first, I had difficulty making much sense of where the story seemed to be going and why all of these characters were being introduced. By the end, it all made sense. The conclusion of the story was perfect.

One of the many themes of David Copperfield was marriage. There are so many different examples of marriages, some of which work, and others that have devastating affects. Mothers also play an important role throughout the story, and again, we see many different types of mothers and the resulting consequences. Love in general was discussed towards the end, and David Copperfield ruminates on how it changes as we age. So true. Our first young love, all giggles and blushing, is much different than a more mature love of two people who are ready to share a life together.

The writing was wonderful, such a great mix of humor, and touching moments, both sweet and sad. By the end, I was underlining so many passages. As is typical in a Dickens novel, there are numerous memorable characters. Mr. Micawber was a favorite, with his passion for writing letters providing much of the comic relief. I also loved the descriptions of Traddles' hair. I loved Betsey Trotwood and her transformation throughout. Watching David Copperfield grow up and mature, was delightful. Earlier in the year I read Oliver Twist, and I had difficulty relating to Oliver because he seemed too perfect. David Copperfield is not perfect. He makes mistakes, gets taken advantage of, but learns from his experiences and becomes an amazing man and husband.

I completely understand why Dickens would consider David Copperfield his best. It was difficult to see where it was going, but by the end, I was amazed at how well all of the pieces of this well-crafted story fit together. It's a long one that requires a bit of attention during slower times, but I really enjoyed the journey of reading this one. Highly recommended for lovers of classics.

Fall on Your Knees by Ann Marie-McDonald

Fall on Your Knees

by Ann-Marie McDonald
published 1996
completed November 2011

This had been on my TBR list forever, so I was extremely excited when I found a copy about a year ago at a charity shop. It's a thick one, so I kept putting it off, but I added to my list for Roof Beam Reader's 2011 TBR Pile Challenge in an effort to force myself to delve in. It was worth it.

Fall on Your Knees follows multiple generations of the Piper family. I don't really want to say much about the plot because I think there is more impact in reading it as it unfolds. This is my kind of book. It's character-driven, and the writing is beautiful. Dealing with abuse, you'd expect it to be depressing. At times it is, but not because MacDonald manipulates you into feeling that way. It only felt depressing because I loved these characters and empathized with the situations in which they found themselves. What is truly heart-breaking is that these characters don't even seem to recognize how difficult a life they have. About half-way in, I had to put it down for a few weeks because it was weighing heavily on me. You have to be in the right mood for this.

One of the interesting themes that runs throughout is that of secrets. The Piper family is full of them. Francis particularly has a secret that is kept from the age of four or five. How horrifying to carry that weight. Each secret was kept with the assumption that they were protecting someone, but it only served to further divide an already broken family. Some secrets the reader is privy to, but one in particular mystery is carried throughout the book. The last hundred pages or so allow the reader to finally see the entire picture. The story is so incredibly well-crafted that the ending left me completely satisfied. Not happy, because it's not that kind of book, but in awe of the story that MacDonald weaved.

Its subject is dark, but Ann-Marie MacDonald writes an incredibly moving tale. It's quite the roller coaster ride with many highs and lows, but in all honestly, many more lows. If your heart can handle reading about abuse (never really graphic), in many horrifying forms, I would highly recommend Fall on Your Knees.

Have you read Fall on Your Knees? What did you think? Particularly about the ending?