I'm Back!

Well ladies and gentleman, let me just apologize profusely, once again, for my extended absence. The details are quite boring but it basically boils down to a few birthday celebrations, a wildly erratic work schedule, and a yucky lingering cold. Hopefully, though, this will be the end of my unexplained absences from the blog, as I've just secured a new job and have much more free time for reading.

One thing that will be changing now that I'm back though is the posting schedule. I actually have normal hours now (yay!) and I have the weekends off so you guys should expect regular postings on Sundays or Mondays, as well as maybe a few bonus posts during the week if I blow through more books than usual.

Thank you guys once again for sticking through this with me. I know how frustrating it must be to expect postings and be repeatedly disappointed, and I apologize. From now on I should actually be able to keep up with my reading and keep you guys posted.

All the best,
Kelly

Make Sense of Animals: Animals Make Us Human

So my review this week is for all you animal lovers out there. Well, I guess you don’t actually have to love animals to read this book, but you should probably be at least mildly curious. After all, Temple Grandin’s (and Catherine Johnson’s) Animals Make Us Human is all about, what else, animals.

Anyway, let’s touch on some of the Pros and Cons of this book.  Pro: it gives you a great look into the behavior of domesticated animals—the ones we’re more likely to interact with on a daily basis. I mean honestly, for the average person, knowledge of giraffe behavior probably isn’t as useful as knowledge of dog behavior since it’s pretty unlikely you’re going to run into a giraffe just strolling down the street. That being said, this isn’t really a book that will teach you how to train your dog—though I personally think it’s great supplementary reading when you’re training your pets because it explores the motivations for why animals respond to certain types of training.

I will let you know up front though, this isn’t technically a “just for pleasure” read. If you have no use for more knowledge about animals, then you might want to skip this book (though, as a pretty serious animal nerd, I personally feel you’d be missing out).  If you do need to learn about animal behavior, for a class for example, this is probably a good book to check out, though you may have to supplement it with other, more extensive studies if you need to know more about a particular species. The people this book is perfect for are the people like me who, as I’ve mentioned before, just have a thirst for more knowledge about the world. It’s just detailed enough so you’ll know more than the average guy off the street, but not so much that you have to have a Ph. D. in animal science (like Temple Grandin does) just to understand it. I learned a whole bunch about animal learning and behavior that I now like to share with my friends, family and pretty much anyone else who will listen or pretend to listen (and all of whom probably couldn’t care less).

So, let’s just assume you’re either sort of like me, or you have a vested interest in animals. Why is this book for you? Well, for starters, the book is organized really well. Since Grandin and Johnson are dealing with a variety of domesticated animals in this book, they appropriately split it up into subcategories. While reading, you start with dogs, go on to cats, then horses, cows, pigs, poultry, wildlife, and zoos. This makes it a lot more manageable than some other books on the same subject because you can read about one species at a time rather than getting overwhelmed by a jumble of general animal behavior information. Plus, if you only want to learn about one of those categories and don't really have time to go fishing through the whole book, it's really easy to find and read just the section you're looking for.

Then, to make the book an even more manageable read, each section is also split into smaller sections so that you’re not just reading a huge blob of text. You get to look at each species and their behavior on a few different levels. And at no point did I really feel like I was drowning in excessive animal science jargon because another huge plus for this book is the writing in general--Grandin and Johnson take concepts that are quite difficult and talk about them in a way that is really easy to understand. 

Perhaps my favorite part about this book though, is that once you’re done you feel so much better able to understand animal behavior. Now I totally know what my cats are thinking!…yeah but on a less crazy-cat-lady note, it is nice to have a general idea of why cats, dogs, horses, cows, pigs poultry, wildlife, and zoo animals do what they do. Because you may think you're not really interested in what a pig has to say, but let me tell you, you'll find yourself intrigued anyway. I picked up the book mostly to learn about dogs and cats because I intend to own both throughout my life. A great part of the book for me was that it made me want to know more even just about animals I probably won't have in my lifetime. The knowledge of how one species communicates kind of informs our understanding of how the other species do. It reveals our expectations for how we think animals should communicate, and then shows us why we're wrong to simply assume that cats should behave like dogs, or pigs like poultry--they're each a whole separate species with different biological and instinctual motivations. And as far as practical applications go, knowing all this allows you to tailor your behavior so as to make both your own pets, and other animals more comfortable around you (and, I'd say, it also makes you more comfortable around them).

So basically, if you want to know what your pets are thinking (well, not really, but sort of) then this is definitely a book you’ll want on your shelf.

Indulge Your Inner Rêveur: The Night Circus

Yes, I realize I’ve been MIA the past two weeks, and I apologize profusely. I was dealing with some dental and medical issues that rather distracted me from reading and writing in general, and I was therefore temporarily poorly adapted for a blog that’s main premise is both of those things. I realize that many of you may have stopped following the blog in frustration, but I hope that you will, as I have, return with renewed vigor.

So, to start off my valiant return, we’re going to take a look at Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus. I could try to come up with a cute and amusing pun about how this book is appropriate for a valiant return because of its reoccurring appearance in various towns and it’s rebirth at the end, or something of the sort, but let’s not just throw ourselves back into things—it’s been a while, I’d better get warmed doing anything truly strenuous.

So, about The Night Circus: My overall impression of this book is that it’s definitely worth reading. Morgenstern starts off on my good side simply because of the fact that, although her book is technically about magic, she pulls a fast one on us by focusing on magicians rather than witches, wizards, faeries, or any of those other whimsical creatures who are typically enjoyable, but pop up way too often to be entirely original. Magicians you don’t come across too often and, as a fan of the movie The Prestige, I was immediately intrigued (though a little worried that the book would be too similar to that movie’s plot—I mean c’mon, magicians locked in a competition of skill? Sounds a little familiar). Morgenstern does not disappoint though—she builds a wonderful and unique circus, the appropriately named Le Cirque des Rêves (The Circus of Dreams), where two magicians are bound to compete, pitting their different magical styles against one another in an archaic, but hauntingly beautiful struggle.

Morgenstern’s writing is solid. The style of it helps perpetuate the mystery of the circus that she’s describing. She aptly chooses a third person narrator who is only partially omniscient so as not to give away too much. Morgenstern also employs the little used second person narrator in certain sections describing the circus, using the pronoun “you” to effectively pull you, the reader, into the story as though you are also a spectator at Le Cirque des Rêves. Meanwhile, she does a phenomenal job in general of relating the various scenes within the circus with enough detail to provide a framework of the circus’s appearance while still leaving room for the reader’s imagination to embellish. 

Thematically, the treatment of eternity and eternal life in this book is interesting and well done. The characters are trapped in this circus by the magic that makes it so mysterious and wonderful. Instead of reveling in their eternal youth, however, the lack of aging and changing is seen more as stagnation. Being stuck forever at one age, in one mindset, and not knowing why or how nearly drives a few of the characters mad. I think just throwing that idea in there—the exhausting nature of forever—strengthened the depiction of the circus as a whole. It showed the reader that even if you’re part of something amazing, and with amazing people, you still have to move on eventually—it is a curse to not be allowed to grow and change.

There are only two faults with this story that, I thought, kept it from being truly great. One is the pace. Morgenstern has so many characters and so much time to work with in her story that I think she got a little carried away. She jumps from character to character, time to time, in such a way that it can be hard to figure out when in the course of the plot what you’re reading takes place. The time jumps do accomplish some foreshadowing of certain events, but with a few characters who can tell the future, I’m not sure it was entirely necessary for accomplishing that. What I think she was mainly trying to impress upon the reader was the timelessness of the circus—that time itself does not function the same way surrounding the circus. But I think she forgets that we, as readers in this day and age, are usually pretty preoccupied with time. So removing it and jumbling it up causes confusion. The pace of the book is jarring and somewhat irregular—like a person skipping—it makes a sudden jump in time and then pauses there momentarily before suddenly moving on. And even though you’re making jumps in time, this pace actually makes reading the book a little slow, because you get caught up so often in trying to figure out when you are.

The other aspect of this book that could have been better is the characters. Morgenstern creates so many characters who catch your attention right off the bat—especially, in my opinion, Bailey, Chandresh, Tsukiko, and Freidrich. But unfortunately she doesn’t follow through and develop any of the characters enough. Because there are so many characters there wasn’t time to develop them all and Morgenstern didn’t sit down, recognize that, and pick the ones she could develop. Plus the circus itself is so much of a character that it almost took the spotlight away from the people. In particular the main characters, the magicians, Marco and Celia, were the most disappointing. There is so much more Morgenstern could have done with Marco and Celia. At the beginning of the book I even thought she might make them quite interesting. For example—as a child, Celia exhibits issues with anger and control. Throw in an overbearing and abusive father, and you’d have a character with anger issues who might sometimes snap and do very scary (and potentially much more interesting) things with her magic. Instead, Morgenstern keeps Celia as this character who is, in general, in control and passive, with only small outbursts and bitter remarks to indicate that she has any negative emotions whatsoever. 

Meanwhile, Marco really intrigued me because he is not really the nicest, most likeable guy (which, ironically, makes him a more original and likeable character). He is completely isolated from other people for pretty much all of his young life—which would leave him socially crippled and probably lacking in empathy. Fortunately, Morgenstern touches on that lack of empathy in the way Marco treats Isobel. The woman is completely infatuated with him and for a time, when it’s convenient for him, he indulges her. But we begin to see how badly he treats her—how little concern he has for her at all, in fact. Instead of cutting her loose, in an act that would be painful, but ultimately merciful, he lets her hang around doing his bidding until pretty much the last second when out of the blue he tells her he’s in love with someone else. This is the Marco I would have liked to see more of—a character with his upbringing, who would treat a woman like that, would also exhibit other, more severely self-centered behavior. I feel Morgenstern copped out a little by eventually showing him in a more positive light at the end because of his love for Celia.

Finally, Poppet and Widget are perhaps the most frustrating characters because they feel so one dimensional. At least Bailey has some hopes and dreams and concerns and confusion—though he would probably be even more interesting if we could see him in the future. Poppet and Widget, his friends from the circus, feel more like they came out of a children’s book than something young adult. They really only seem to serve as Bailey’s guides rather than their own characters, despite their momentary stand-alone status in other parts of the story. They are, however, partially redeemed by what they do bring to the table: the promise of a new generation of the circus. Though it might have been more interesting to learn a little more about Bailey, Poppet, and Widget, I can recognize that they are young and were not the focus of this story—they are simply the hint of the future, which makes their lack of growth almost excusable.

Don’t let my negativity towards the end fool you though, this really was an interesting book. Definitely worth reading, especially if you’re looking for something topically different. Plus, although she might have gotten a little carried away with a plethora of characters and some issues with timing, I commend Morgenstern for trying to share with the reader all aspects of the circus. She’s certainly not a lazy writer—she shows Le Cirque des Rêves not from only one perspective but many—touching on the experience of not only those behind the scenes of the circus, but also the general circus goers, the dedicated fans (the rêveurs), and the next generation. So, I think, because of my limited shelf space I will have to put this book in the box just to make room for others that might be more impressive, but it’s a good read and you may find it deserves a space on your shelf.

Inter-esting: Intertwined

Okay boys and girls, this week I'm actually in California on a nice (and MUCH needed vacation). So This post might be a little short. I was hoping to finish the book I've been reading while I was at the airport, but I got distracted by a few Stephen King short stories in Full dark, no stars (I guess the length was just more appopriate for a busy day of traveling). Unfortunately, I haven't read much else by Stephen King yet so I'm not going to review that book yet because I want to read more of him for reference first.

So instead, this week I'm going to review a book that gives me mixed feelings (don't they all?)--which I guess is appropriate since the main character is basically a guy with a magical version of multiple personality disorder. The book, Intertwined, is a fairly recent young adult title from an author who's been around a while: Gena Showalter. She's usually known for her romance novels, and actually, if you're looking for some great fantasy romance novels you should definitely check her out. If you think Fifty Shades of Grey dealt with some sexual deviancy issues you'll wanna try out her Lords of the Underworld series--definitely an interesting take on Pandora mythology.

Anyway, I guess she decided to expand her fan base, and what we got out of that was Intertwined. Most of the downfalls of this book have to do with the fact that it's a Popular Young Adult book. Basically the fact that it's Young Adult restricts the difficulty of the reading level. Showalter's writing always flows well and the dialogue, though sometimes a little too rapid-fire witty to be completely beleivable, is nice to read. That being said, Showalter has never been a writer I would describe as intellectual--she's a romance novel writer, she's not exactly a writing pioneer. I personally don't really fault her for that, considering that reading what she writes is enjoyable. Just keep in mind that if you're looking for Literature this isn't the place you'll find it.

As for the story, this is definitely something I haven't seen too often, especially in Young Adult fiction. The main character, Aden Stone, is inhabited (possessed, haunted, whatever you want to call it) by three ghosts--and this isn't exactly Casper-the-friendly-ghost we're talking about. These ghosts make his life harder not only because of their constant chatter in is head, but also because of the magical powers they had in their previous lives that they've now transferred to him. It's a lot harder to make friends in high school when you're talking to voices no one else can hear and waking the dead any time you walk by a graveyard. This story is refreshing because even though the framework of the story is familiar, the problems Aden faces aren't the same hackneyed fantasy issues you find all the time in Young Adult fiction. But, again, it's still Young Adult, so you'll still run into some cliches common for the genre. Aden deals with problems at home, problems at school, and problems with girls--things you really can't avoid at the age of sixteen I guess.

So seems pretty straightforward, right? Writing: average. Story: above average. So where are those mixed feelings I was talking about earlier? My conflict when reviewing this book lies mainly in Showalter's decision to add other fantasy creatures. I liked reading about Aden's affliction. You don't often come across ghost driven plots in fantasy fiction. You don't usually even see many zombies. Vampires and werewolves, especially more recently, are the dominant force--they're just easier to romanticize and they're so well known that a writer doesn't usually have to set up their own fantasy rule system, which can be time consuming when you build it from scratch. Vampires and Werewolves are the easy way out. So to me it felt like Showalter didn't stick to her guns. Instead of following through with the ghost issues and strengthening that part of the plot enough to stand up on it's own, she ends up throwing vampires, werewolves, and witches into the plot. Presumably she did this to spice it up, but I personally found the addition a bland.

So, I definitely want to read the following books in the series to see where it goes, but I don't think this is a series I'd read over and over for the rest of my life. I think I'll eventually box this book. But, because of Showalter's stockpile brownie points with me from her romance novels, because I enjoy her writing style, and because the storyline is, for the most part, something pretty new, for now it has a place on my shelf.

Once a Week

Hey guys,

I know I've been complaining about it the past couple posts, but I'm just going to explain and set the record straight. I've unfortunately been so busy with my real job that I don't have time to read a book a week anymore--hence the last minute posts about books I read years ago. So, in an effort to save you guys from my continued apologies and rambling about books that really aren't worth rambling about, I've decided to only post once a week for a while.

I know, it's very sad, (or at least I think it is. Box or Bookshelf is way more fun than work). But hopefully we'll be back to twice a week again soon--whether I find a new job and more time to read, or maybe I'll recruit another poster. Plus, when I do have time and books worth talking about I will post bonus posts on Monday or Tuesday just to tide you guys over.

Anyway I'm sorry to disappoint you guys, but thank you for sticking with me through this book drought. Hopefully I will be drenched in reading again soon!

Kelly

Not Exactly an Ivy League Read: Hacking Harvard

Well, I won't bore you guys with more apologies about being late with my post, nor will I remind you of my lack of review-worthy reading material...oh wait, I guess I kinda just did. Anyway, because I don't have much else to review at this point, I'm going to have to talk about a book today that really isn't much to talk about: Robin Wasserman's Hacking Harvard.

Now, don't get me wrong, this book is in no way awful. The writing is okay, the characters are okay, the dialogue is okay, the storyline is okay. Basically this book can be summed up by the word "okay." This isn't even close to the worst book I've ever read--in fact it’s moderately amusing--it just isn't all that memorable. For a book with characters of superior intelligence, this book was really nothing more than average. It was underwhelming--it hardly made a splash in my reading pool (see what I did there? snuck a summery metaphor in there for your guys to help beat the heat).

So what can you expect from this book if not a cannonball of a read? Well you can expect an interesting, if underdeveloped commentary on the American college admissions system. If you can't tell from the title, Wasserman's characters, Eric, Max, Schwarz, and Alexandra hack the Harvard admissions system as part of a bet to get an underachieving student into Harvard. In doing this, they learn not only about the sometimes unfair system, but also they learn not to underestimate others, and they find out more about themselves and what they want from their higher education and their lives.

Unlike Fifty Shades of Grey, which I’ve mentioned before as being neglectful of the all-encompassing nature of higher education, this book shows characters who understand the gravity of it. In fact, they are so concerned with getting into the right schools that they sometimes forget the point—which I think is a valid concern in the real world. It’s not uncommon for students today to be under so much pressure to do well that they may forget that their education is something they should be doing for themselves, not for society and everyone else.

Wasserman also does a pretty good job depicting the idealistic concerns of intelligent young adults on the verge between high school and college. The young men in this book, while sometimes trying to prove a point are also distracted by things that would distract teenage boys--like money, girls, and dares. And the romantic relationship built in this book is also pretty refreshing because it was more true to a young adult relationship. It wasn’t a twilight-esque obsession, it was more a slowly developed friendship that later becomes something more.

This is an amusing read, ideal for a summer read particularly for young adult readers—especially guys. I also liked that Wasserman has a group of male friends as the main characters (although the narrator is actually a female). As of right now, most Young Adult books have female leads so this is actually a good choice if you're looking to read about a bunch of boys.

 Despite its few merits, I won’t keep you guys any longer talking about a book that’s only “okay.” While this book isn't the worst, just keep in mind if you decide to read it that it's also not the best. It sits firmly in the Young Adult genre and I wouldn't really recommend it for older readers unless they're really looking for a quick, rather amusing book to pass a little time. Otherwise, this one get's the box.

A Work of Art: The Art of Racing in the Rain

Well, since my reading material still sucks right now, I’m going to go back into my repertoire again and let you guys know about an old favorite of mine: Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain. And I guess this book isn’t really that old—it only came out in 2008. But it’s just one of those books that will feel like an old friend and old favorite once you’ve read it. And I’m telling you, no lie, your life won’t be complete until you go out, buy it, and read it.

Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration—I can see where everyone might not like this book. It’s about a dog. Well actually, it’s narrated by a dog (that one got your attention didn’t it?), and it’s about race car driving, loss, the merits of daytime TV, following your dreams, and life. So actually, no, I can’t see why anyone would dislike this book. If you hate a book told by a wise and amusing dog, the epitome of man’s best friend, then maybe you’re just kind of a jerk. But I’ll try to support my assertions first by telling you why this book is awesome, and then I guess you can just decide for yourselves.

For starters, it’s really refreshing to read a book from the point of view of a dog, especially this dog, Enzo. Maybe that’s just because too many of the books I read are narrated by whiny teenage girls (yeah…I told you my reading material isn’t doing so good right now), but it was really nice to come across something new. I mean, I don’t know if you guys read books told by dogs all the time, but for me it was pretty original. On top of that, it gives you a different perspective as a reader. To read about the hopes, concerns, and joys of a dog as opposed to those of a human is enlightening. It takes your mind off the things that bother you every day; it surprises you and makes you laugh thinking about what your pets do when you’re not around; and it helps you realize that sometimes the things we’re taught are important may not be as worth worrying about in the grand scheme of things.

Plus Stein does a great job getting into Enzo’s head—yes we may never know what dogs are actually thinking, and yes the way it’s told is often informed by the way we, as humans, think, but I commend Steins effort—I think his choosing to narrate this story through a dogs eyes was a mostly successful endeavor. The fact that Enzo narrates this book makes the somewhat cliché messages he shares more acceptable and believable. If a human narrator tried to share this kind of wisdom I think many readers would find it too contrived—we’re always just waiting for and expecting other members of the human race, even fictional ones, to be selfish idiots. We even enjoy that in fiction because it makes us feel less badly about our own episodes as selfish idiots. But we expect our pets, almost like children, to see things as they are, uninhibited by societal pressure. Enzo let’s Stein share things without causing readers dismiss his wisdom as purely fictional, fable-induced moral guidance.

And in case you were thinking that the dog is all this book has got going for it, let me set you straight: Stein definitely didn’t skimp on the rest of the book either. I mean, you’d think writing a book about a dog would be enough—and for people obsessed with animals like me, it probably would in most cases. But Stein doesn’t leave Enzo to carry the whole weight of this book by himself. He’s crafted genuinely interesting, believable, and relatable human characters as well. And though it may have been stuff he knows from his own life experience, he definitely didn’t leave out researched details. Even if you’re not interested in race car driving, Buddhism, or anything else Enzo learned about by watching daytime TV, the tidbits of information in this story really bring it home. They’re the type of things we all pick up watching TV, watching people, and from being around the people we love. And they’re told in a way that reminds us that our own details and tidbits are important, even though sometimes we don’t remember that.

And before I go, I better warn you, this book will make you cry. In a good way, but I guarantee even the most hardened college rugby player, determined not to let his teammates see any sign of weakness, would tear up reading this book. Steins writing is not super, impressively advanced, not is it intentionally difficult. It’s the type of writing you won’t have to kill yourself reading, but you also won’t kill your brain-cells reading. And it’s not the some edgy, super modern, depressing story. It’s a feel good read, playing on all your emotions but ultimately leaving you with a happy-ending-feeling. And in this case that’s a good thing. I don’t want to go too far, but I almost want to say it’s one of those books that restore your faith in humanity.

So if you don’t want to read an uplifting book about a faithful canine friend, you can skip The Art of Racing in the Rain. If you do, you can join me and put this book on your shelf.