Honestly, I like my Austen like I like my Star Wars. Pure. Unaltered. So just as I despise Lucas' attempts at 'improving' and whoring out my childhood, I despise Austen fan fiction.
Enter Austenland by Shannon Hale. Granted the book isn't a continuation of our beloved Regency characters, it's a modern tale of a melodramatic single woman whose fixation on Mr. Darcy doesn't allow her to make an attachment to any man because he just doesn't measure up.
I could give you many reason to loathe the book. Mainly the large plot holes and inability to form complete sentences by the author; however, I inexplicably find myself drawn back to this book time and time again. It's downright embarrassing! I'm ashamed for guests to find this gem in my library--which leads to a host of other issues my therapist would love to get a hold of. Ha!
As I see it, Austenland is a fun read. Fans of Austen will enjoy as well as the casual fiction reader.
Task 21: a book that you would consider a guilty pleasure (read, and then realize that good entertainment is nothing to feel guilty over.)
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Austenland
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Mary, Bloody Mary
Imagine being Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry the VIII. Princess one day, afforded all the luxuries of high station, palaces, servants, gowns, and never-ending displays of loyalty and love. Servant, the next... cast out, separated from her mother and all those she knows, declared a bastard and forced to care for the next heir to the throne.
Carolyn Meyer's YA novel about the woman who would eventually claim her title as Queen and seek vengeance upon her enemies is perfectly written for the desired audience. Written in first person, Mary details her decent into servant-hood and the deadly game of 'chicken' she plays with Anne Boleyn.. The young Mary's perspective, although dramatized here, is spot-on enough to be a satisfying read for young people. This reader wants to know more and will use Meyer's book as the stepping off point.
As I see it, Meyer's Mary Tudor is pretty close to the real thing. There's enough intrigue, terror, sadness, and truth to keep you slack-jawed in amazement at how royal behaved. This is drama for the ages!
Task 11: A YA novel
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Five Quarts: A Personal and Natural History of Blood
Five quarts is the amount of blood found in the human body shares author Bill Hayes. And with that we begin tracing the history of blood. From the gladiators of ancient Rome who would drink the blood of vanquishes foes to the introduction of hemophilia to European royalty, Hayes writes a fascinating look into blood.
Early advances like Antoni van Leeuwehoek's microscopes and Paul Ehrlich's Nobel prizing winning discoveries in immunology are included. The author does wonderfully in explaining erythrocytes and lymphocytes to the layperson. Hemoglobin will make sense after this.
Amid the mythology and musings, is the author's very personal story of his committed relationship with an HIV-positive partner. He traces the discovery of the virus that causes AIDS and the early years of the AIDS scare. The love for his partner and the frustration behind the lack of a cure for this disease is very clear.
As I see it, Five Quarts is an interesting read. I wish it were more history and less memoir; however, it is a lovely work and a beautiful homage to his partner.
Task 5: A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ