Friday Book Talk: Jane Austen Ruined My Life

Currently Reading: A Girl Becomes a Comma Like That: A Novel

Reader,

Good News!  I have the idea for a few blog articles, and the time off to write them!  Blogs, Blogs, Everywhere will resume it's regular twice weekly schedule!

Jane Austen Ruined My Life
by Beth Pattillo

Emma Grant had it all.  She fell in love with her own Austen-esque hero, an esteemed professor who encouraged her to teach and be a scholar of Austen.  She had it all, that is, until her happily ever after fell to shreds.  In a campaign to expose Jane Austen for a fraud, Emma travels halfway around the world to uncover the lost Austen letters.

Why I started the book:  Like many of the books I read, I'm sure I first heard of this novel in a blog.  However the title in and of itself is an eye catcher.  It engages the reader, and at once you want to know how?  Why?


Why I finished the book: I have to be honest, I have yet to read any Jane Austen.  I am pretty sure none of the high school or college classes I have taken ever covered her work, which is a bit of a shame.  This novel is a bit like The Da Vinci Code for literary types.  You marvel at the coincidences, and wonder what the end will be.  Even when you're sure you know exactly how the novel will end, it still has the potential to surprise you.  And it made me want to read not just one Jane Austen book, but all the ones mentioned.


Writer's Take: This novel is a fantastic example of poetic license.  The author has taken Jane Austen's novels, letters, and the truths known about the literary legend, and played a game of 'What if?'.  It's purely fiction, but it is imaginative fiction that ties all of Austen's works together to help tell the story of Austen's life.


The other thing this novel is a prime example of is the way in which new fiction can help spark interest in classics that should have been read, but may not of been.  Everyone should have read at least one Jane Austen book, however I am one example of that not happening.  This book made me want to start reading her work to see how they influenced Beth Patillo's novel.

Who I'd Recommend This To:  Valkyrie because she's a insatiable reader and would love it, TC because I know she's read much more Austen than I have, and women everywhere who blame something else for their ruined lives.

Until next time,
Rose 

Still Alive

Currently Reading: Gone Tomorrow (Jack Reacher #13) and A Girl Becomes a Comma Like That: A Novel

Reader,

Sorry I missed my Friday book talk.  I am still riding the waves of back to school season.  Next year I hope to be better prepared with some backlogged book talks so this doesn't happen again. 

This is a really short post, but I wanted to let you all know I am still alive, and regularly scheduled blogging will resume this week or next.

Until next time,
Rose 

Book Talk Friday: Soulless

Currently Reading: Commencement (Vintage Contemporaries)

Reader,

Soulless
by Gail Carriger

Miss Alexia Tarabotti is a spinster, set on the shelf without as much as a chance at marriage.  Her mother claims that Alexia's skin is too dark, her nose too large, and her intelligence too sharp to be the marrying type.  Little does her mother know that Alexia is also Soulless.

Why I started the book: It was first recommended to me by a swell guy in North Carolina before it had come out.  He had heard about it and was anxiously awaiting it's debut.  Later Soulless started causing quite the ruckus throughout the literary blogging community.  After suggesting it to the library as a book they should acquire I was finally able to read it.

Why I finished the book: Oh man, this book has a little of everything.  It's a speculative, historical, steampunk, paranormal, romance, and mystery novel.  The protagonist is a strong feminist female in a time when standing up for one's rights was not easy to do.  It's a fun read and I loved every moment of it. 

Writer's Take:  I must agree with Agent Kristin over at Pub Rants when she claims that Soulless is a key example of great opening pages.  The best part is that the energy doesn't peter out.  The reader doesn't feel that the opening pages, the grabber, was amazing but the rest of the novel didn't live up to it.

Who I'd Recommend it to: Starzy, Phule, Valkyrie, Scorpius, Momica, lovers of paranormal romance, historical romance, and those who ever wondered if the world would have evolved differently with the interference of paranormal beings.

Until next time,
Rose 

Book Talk Friday: The Magicians

Currently Reading: Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate)

Reader,

The Magicians: A Novel
by Lev Grossman

Quentin Coldwater has always been an overachiever at school.  He's worked hard all his life to ultimately attain the "perfect life."  Perfect according to who?  Quentin has always imagined there was something more.  Most children read about Fillory (Grossman's Narnia) as a child, but Quentin was obsessed with it.  He always knew he was destined for something less mundane than suburbian perfection.  


Why I started the book: Rachelle Gardner mentioned in a post a few months ago that the book caught her eye, and after reading the synopsis, it caught my eye too.
 
Why I finished the book:  Although there were a few things that drew me away from the book, I would have to say the thing that kept me reading was the need to know if Quentin could ever find happiness where he was. 

Writer's Take:  From this I think one can learn a lot about pacing.  Not necessarily good pacing, as I didn't much like it, but some people might.  In my humble opinion Grossman spends far too much time in the first section, or far too little in the second, third, and fourth.  The first doesn't feel long or drawn out, per say, but the first half of the book is Book I and the rest has Books II through IV.  This can leave the reader feeling unbalanced.

In spite of it's flaws, the novel is actually a well thought out exploration of pessimism, happiness, and leaves the reader to interpret the last line.  Is the glass half full, or half empty?  Endings like this can be unsettling, but Grossman does the ending well.  It's not cheesy, or corny, but does send a chill down your spine and leaves you wondering.


Who I'd Recommend this too:  Phule, Rok, Valkyrie, those who enjoy studies of emotion, psychology, those who enjoy character driven Urban Fantasy, and pessimists.
 
Until next time,
Rose 

Back to College Season

Currently Reading: Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate) YAY!

Reader,

Unfortunately, there may be some blog silence for my regular weekly post for a few weeks.  You see, I live in an area that has two different state schools from different states within fifteen to twenty minutes from each other.  They both start in two weeks, and I am in the midst of Back to College (BTC) retail H E double hockey sticks.   Not that I mind, 40 hour weeks is definitely nice on the checking account, and BTC leads to a full, active day of work, but it doesn't leave time for much else in life besides eating, sleeping, and relaxing.  

However, on my days off I will put together the book review for the week, since I'm not planning to stop reading, I just probably won't have time to comment much on the life of a writer at the moment (except to comment about the college students at work, which I'm not sure anyone finds interesting). 

Until next time,
Rose