2010: The Year in Review

Wow, the first decade of the 21st century is over!  It completely flew by, didn't it?  And this past year flew by more quickly than all the rest.  I've had a lot of changes over the past year.  I moved to Michigan, started grad school, went camping for the first time, survived a quarter-life crisis... it's been an active year!  I also read a TON!  My count for the year is 100 books, which blows my 2009 record of 77 books out of the water!  This is, however, mostly due to the number of graphic novels and shorter stories I read this year.  Thank you to the Graphic Novel Challenge for pushing me to try this genre out- it was great and I'm so glad to be reading comic books now!

I also read more social history this year than ever before, and through that, got much more interested in fiction and non-fiction about women's lives and their struggles.  Thank you Women Unbound challenge for that!  I am so glad I read more about women's lives during the first half of this century in particular- it really brought to life how much the world has changed in the past 50 years or so, and how much more change is required.

Musings: The Monstrumologist

Rick Yancey's The Monstrumologist is the first book in a (currently two book long) series about Pellinore Warthrop, a monster hunter and his 12-year-old assistant Will Henry, in Victorian New England.  Warthrop took Henry in after his parents died in a fire, and since then, Henry has been helping the doctor in his research.  One night, a grave digger comes to their door carrying a terrifying beast, an Anthropophagus, and the doctor realizes that there are over 30 of these man-eating creatures living in his hometown.  He and Will Henry set off on a race against time to hunt these monsters before they attack the whole town.

This book was gory.  Very, very gory.  In a way that probably appeals to 14-year-old boys but definitely made me cringe and skim several paragraphs.  There is great description of rancid teeth, bone-crunching, brain-bashing, limb-tearing... whew.  It was much more than I expected.

But I don't want to give you the wrong impression.  The story was also wonderfully written.  Yes, this book is targeted at young adults (I assume), but Yancey does not write down to them.  There is impressive vocabulary in abundance- not limited to the monster name Anthropophagi.  The writing style, too, was very reminiscent of Victorian era horror or Gothic novels.  A lot of gloom and doom, tons of heavy foreshadowing, creepy and disturbing characters, and all the rest.  Maybe the monsters and blood and gore draw the pre-teen boys in, but the writing is what kept me going.  I do not enjoy horror stories.  They freak me out, they keep me up at night, they disturb my dreams and generally create an unpleasant ruckus in my life that I do not seek out.  But this one had such compelling writing and fascinating characters that I kept going.

Musings: The War Against Miss Winter

The War Against Miss Winter is one of the very few complete impulse buys I have made in the past few years.  I was walking to my friend's wedding reception and couldn't resist walking into the used bookstore that was on my way to the hotel.  I picked the book up off the shelf, read the description- it is a mystery set in WWII-era New York starring a girl named Rosie (ahem, like Rosie the Riveter).  And, I'll be honest, the cover was very vintage travel poster-esque and I wanted it.

What's it about?  Well, Rosie Winter is a down-on-her-luck actress in New York at the start of 1943.  To pay the bills, she also works as a file clerk in a detective office.  But one day, she finds her boss dead in his office closet, and one of his former clients arrives asking her to find a set of papers belonging to a reclusive playwright, Raymond Fielding.  Rosie's interest is piqued and she starts poking her nose around, with the help of her blond bombshell best friend.

This was a fun mystery novel and it certainly had the feel of 1940s crime fiction.  But, er, is it possible for a book to sound too authentic?  Kathryn Millar Haines clearly did a lot of research on WWII-era New York, from the clothing to the slang (God, did she research the slang) to the mobsters.  But it was dumped into this book in such copious amounts that it seemed a little too much for me.  Did people really go around calling girls "Dollface" that often?  Did mobsters really wear pinstriped suits?  If the word "scram" was used so often, how come it has nearly disappeared from usage in just two generations?  I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but all these stereotypes showed up quite a bit in this novel.  I appreciated the effort, but it seemed too forced to me.  As did the character of Rosie Winter.  She was supposed to be a tough-as-nails, indepdent girl who could hold her liquor and tell off a big scary man with a gun, but to me she came off sometimes as... well, slightly unstable.  She seemed to insult very frightening people in an almost suicidal manner and while I think she was supposed to come off as a female Sam Spade, she just came off as really confrontational to me.

I hope that doesn't brand me as some sort of anti-feminist.

Musings: Wintersmith

I wanted a seasonal read over winter break and while perusing my shelves, nothing seemed better suited to my mood than Terry Pratchett's Wintersmith.  It's the third book in the Tiffany Aching series (after The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky) about a young with on Discworld who is fabulously logical and kind and good, but has a wonderfully realistic bit of snark in her, too.

In this tale, winter is coming.  Tiffany and her witch-mentor, Miss Treason, attend The Dance to greet the change of seasons.  Tiffany starts tapping her feet, then snapping along, then swinging her hips and then, lo and behold, she's in the dance.  Except, she's not supposed to be.  To complicate matters, the Wintersmith sees her in the dance, promptly decides he's in love with her, and then sets about wooing her.  Except that Winter is not a person, and so has no concept of how to be human except to show his strength by making a miserable winter.  Tiffany must step into the role of being the goddess of spring to ensure that the seasons continue to cycle the way they are supposed to.

Musings: What Alice Knew

What Alice Knew:  A Most Curious Tale of Henry James & Jack the Ripper is Paula Marantz Cohen's first novel.  The plotline is luscious for any lover of historical fiction or mystery.  The three James siblings- Henry the mildly successful author, William the brilliant psychologist and Alice the keenly observant invalid- investigate the Jack the Ripper murders as they take place, trying to determine through psychology and social observation who must have committed the murders.

Sounds exciting, right?  And definitely right up my alley!  I was very excited to finally (and belatedly- sorry, Sourcebooks!) jump into this story.  Unfortunately, I don't think it was nearly as exciting as it could have been.

I admit I haven't read too many of Henry James' books, but The Turn of the Screw is one I read several years ago and still serves to give me a deliciously creepy shiver up and down my back when I think of it.  James was a master of the unreliable narrator and wrote amazingly well.  In this book, he was portrayed as an insecure, fat alcoholic who just wanted the approval of his elder brother.  It's possible that Henry James did feel insecure and maybe he was an alcoholic and quite possibly he wanted his older brother to like him.  But there was also keen insight, wittiness and a very real kind of genius in him and I don't think Cohen brought that out at all.  Nor does she allow us to see Henry's neuroses develop.  She tells us flat out exactly what Henry thinks.  For example:

Completed! BBC's A History of the World in 100 Objects

For several months now, I have been listening to the BBC 4 podcast A History of the World in 100 Objects.  It's a fascinating look at human history through the things we make and use- from a crudely shaped rock to a solar panel.  This is right up my alley, of course, being that I love history.  But I also think if you do not love history but just want to feel more informed about the world around you (or love to spout off random facts during conversation), this is a great way to do it.  The podcasts are all about 14 minutes long, so it's easy to listen to one or two on the go, on a commute or while cooking dinner.  They are also completely addictive.  Once you finish an episode, it is hard not to go immediately on to the next one (or the next five).  While it is unlikely you will remember all 100 objects, or even a fraction thereof, I think the program itself is fascinating.  It's a podcast.  You can't see the object that is being described.  And yet... it doesn't really matter as the thing is just a starting off point for a lesson in cultural history that puts the world in perspective for you.  How a Spanish gold coin started global currency.  How a South American llama statue symbolizes the fall of a great civilization.  How a painting helped open up Japan to global trade. 

It really is one of the best podcasts I've had the pleasure of listening to, and I highly recommend checking it out, if you're into that sort of thing.

If you're not, but just want to read about the stuff- there's a companion book!

Anyway, I feel quite accomplished for finishing the podcast series, so felt the need to share the news!

TSS: How important are FACTS to you?

Hello, Saloners!  You find me today on the glory of WINTER BREAK.  That's right.  No school for three full weeks!  I am hoping to get a good amount of reading done before next semester starts, but we'll see what actually happens.  First on the list?  A joint read with my blogger BFF Zibilee of The Hakawati.  I got the book in last year's Book Blogger Holiday Swap and haven't read it yet, so now is the time!  Carpe Diem and all that.

The other day I was listening to A History of the World in 100 Objects at the gym.  I am so close to done with that seriously addictive series, and I fully intend to post here when I get through it.  If you enjoy history, I highly recommend this podcast!  It's fantastic. Also, as we are all book lovers, there is also a companion book.  While listening to this glorious series, I realized that while I love history, it is not the facts that excite me, but the romance and possibility associated with history that I love.

Musings: Vietnamerica - A Family's Journey

Vietnamerica: A Family's Journey is a graphic novel by GB Tran about his parents' lives in and escape from Vietnam in the 1970s and their subsequent life as refugees in the United States. GB grows up in America, distant from his parents. They don't tell him much about their lives before coming to the US, and as much of their family is still in Vietnam, he has no way of learning more about them. His father is intimidating and unapproachable and his mother often threatens to leave him, but never does. He hears, so many times, "You will never understand" and it is only after traveling to Vietnam with his parents as a 30-year-old that he realizes just how much he will never know.

Book Blogger Holiday Swap Goodies!

I got my Book Blogger Holiday Swap goodies last week!  My Santa was the fabulous Jennifer of From the Mixed-Up Files of Jennifer Bertman.  I have never been to Jennifer's blog before, so I am very happy to have been introduced to her through the swap because let me tell you, she knows me.  Oh, sure.  She has never met me before and it is highly unlikely she ever will.  But she knows exactly what I like, particularly in relation to books, and that basically makes her soul mate material.

I came home from class last week to a happy USPS package on my doorway.  I tore open the cardboard to discover this:

First things that stood out to me?  ADORABLE chubby penguin card holiday card and scrumptious Ghirardelli peppermint bark.  Though I didn't know her yet, Jennifer was already high on my A-List.

Then I opened that beautifully wrapped package of books (after a twinge of guilt that my Santee will not be receiving a very nicely-packed package.  Oh, well.  Hopefully the contents will be enough) to find:

Yay!  I have heard so many good things about David Sedaris though I admit I've never read him.  I do look forward to laughing and snorting through Holidays on Ice soon!  And after reading so many positive reviews of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, I am so glad to have my very own copy to read!  Humor and historical fiction?!  Thanks, Jennifer!

Musings: Fannie's Last Supper

Fannie's Last Supper:  Re-Creating One Amazing Meal from Fannie Farmer's 1896 Cookbook is one of those books in the new-ish "food writing" genre.  It's written by chef Christopher Kimball of America's Test Kitchen about... well, recreating a meal from a Victorian era cookbook.

Except that he doesn't actually re-create a meal based on Fannie Farmer's best-selling American cookbook.  Nope.  He uses her recipes as a base, alters them pretty substantially, and then cooks them for a dinner party.  So while he shares a lot of interesting facts about cooking and its evolution, and about eating and the Victorian era... he doesn't actually deliver on the title of his book.

TSS: The good old days?

I’ve always loved history and often daydream about what it might be like to live in a different era.  People put more effort into their appearance, there was a sense of occasion for almost everything, the food was fresher.  People never claimed to be bored.  Any technological advance was greeted with awe.  It isn’t so much that I wanted to live in the past because I thought people had better manners or because life was grander- I’m not that naïve.  But I feel people these days are so inured to things.  There is no sense of astonishment or wonder.  When technology advances, we greet it with equanimity- we expect it.  But what must it have been like to see a train for the first time?  To first use a phone and talk to a loved one?  How did it feel to hear news of the first successful manned flight?  Or to hear Neil Armstrong talk from the moon?  I just wish sometimes that people today had that amazement factor.

And as I’ve become more and more into cooking and food, I really just want to go back in time a bit to see what it was like to eat.  I’ve been reading the book Fannie’s Last Supper (review coming soon), which is about a modern chef who tries to recreate a 12-course Victorian dinner from a cookbook written in 1896.  Glorious! I thought.  Now I can see what real cooking is like.