An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde

Does anyone else gets pissy when they read lines like his one of Lady Chiltern's?

"A man's life is of more value than a woman's. It has larger issues, wider scope, greater ambitions. Our liives revolve around the curve of emotions. It is upon lines of intellect that a man's life progresses."

Seriously, I realise that this was normal at the time An Ideal Husband was written, but I'm unable to rise above my modern views! I also realise that it might be Wilde making fun of society, which his comedies were for... But it still really pisses me off! Anyone with me?

Other than that, I really like Oscar Wilde's societal comedies. This is my second one, after The Importance of Being Earnest, and I enjoyed it just as much. I love the way he uses language to draw his characters. Which in a play is doubly important, but when someone does it this well I am still amazed.

Very enjoyable, quick read. And if you know anything about Victorian London and want to see someone make fun of it, this play will put a smile on your face!

By the way, did you know that Oscar Wilde was Irish? I always thought that he was English, that's what I remember from school, but I was corrected on this very, very quickly.

I read this on a free book application on my iPhone, to see if I mind reading electronically before I invest in a Kindle... I prefer regular books, but it's certainly nice to have access to all kinds of reading material wherever you go. I think the Kindle is a definite yes.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson

This was my first Persephone book, i.e. my first book printed by a publisher who rescues and reprints neglected classics of the 20th century, mostly by female authors. I think that it's an incredible thing for a publisher to do and I will happily read others - any recommendations?

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is incredibly enjoyable. The story is about a middle-aged spinster who works as a nanny and hates is. She is looking for a new position and is sent to the house of Miss LaFosse, a lounge singer who to Miss Pettigrew appears to be quite outrageous. This initial reaction turns into adoration and admiration, leading to an addiction to the exciting events that happen in Miss LaFosse's life. No children are to be seen anywhere but there isn't time to ask Miss Lafosse about the vacant position, Miss Pettigrew is too busy sorting out love lives and giving life advice. And falling in love herself too.

The book is charming. Amazon calls it a Cinderella story for adults and it's true - lovely characters, a belief in the power of love and a beautifully happy ending make this the ultimate feel-good story.

Oh and it's written and set in the 1930s, which adds to its charm immensely.

Positively lovely.

Challenges: Women Unbound, 1% Well-Read

Fables, volume 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham

Since Nymeth convinced me that graphic novels were worth reading, I've discovered so many great stories. The Fables series is one of these great finds, a series of comics about the fable community in New York. You see, all the fairy tale characters had to move there when their lands were taken by an unnamed enemy. Good stuff.

I read the first volume last year and was hooked. This collection focuses more on the farm nearby New York City, where the fables that cannot pass as human live. There has been some unrest in their community, some of the fables feel trapped and like second-class citizens because they can't live out in the open.

Great story, beautiful artwork. I'm really learning to appreciate this genre more and more. :-)

Challenges: Graphic Novels Challenge, 2010 Countdown Challenge

The Wood Wife

I can't believe how far behind I am - is it really May already? Actually almost June and June is when I have to go back to work... sigh. Maternity leave went by so fast!!

I read Terri Windling's The Wood Wife several months ago and I think I should have jotted down my thoughts back then... Now all I remember is that it was fantastic. It won the World Fantasy Award so it was bound to be good, but I was surprised HOW good it was.

It's about Maggie, a writer who inherits a house in the desert from a writer she corresponded with. The circumstances of his death are very strange and Maggie gets more and more curious about him and his life. What she uncovers is magical, incredible and absolutely real.

What I really loved about this book is what I loved about Neil Gaiman's American Gods, the notion that old myths are true. I believe in the pagan Gods and I love the idea that what people believed in before organized religion was real and that the magical being of old tales live among us. Neither Gaiman nor Windling romanticize these stories - not everyone is good and pure... Great stuff.

Definitely a book for any fantasy lover, but it's also a quality book in itself so I'd recommend to anyone!

Fingersmith

What can I say about Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, the book that everyone is raving about? According to Nymeth, I shouldn't be saying much at all - members of the Fingersmith club don't disclose any details. There's a good reason for this too - the twists in the plotline are so great that it would totally ruin the book for you if I haven't read it yet and I talked too much.

So just a couple of words on my general impressions. As a rule, I don't normally like books set in 19th century London. I don't know what it is, but I never really care for the squalor and filth. Fingersmith is set there though and I must say that I got over my prejudice, at least to a certain extent. The squalor and filth are still there, of course, but the characters are more real than others I have encountered from that time. Not really likeable, but at least real and believable.

I could not see most of the twists coming, which was great. Sarah Waters certainly has a way with plotlines - are her other books like this too?

I didn't absolutely love it like so many of you out there did, but I enjoyed it enough to recommend it to others. Do you like suspense and enjoy creative writing and strong characters? Then pick this up, I think it's worth reading.

Challenges: 1% Well-Read Challenge

Missing reviews

I want to tidy things up before the end of the year, so here are some quick thoughts on the last few books I read... and never reviewed.

Misconceptions: Truth, Lies and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood by Naomi Woolf

I was looking for something about the misconceptions about pregnancy and early motherhood, since I was finding pregnancy so different from what I expected. This book is more about the American health industry though so, although interesting, didn't do that much for me. (***)

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

This is ine of those books that I thank the blogosphere for - if I hadn't needed a U author for the A-Z challenge I would have never picked this up in the used bookstore and would have really missed out on a gem. It's a beautifully written heartbreaking story of the realities on life in India - many of you enjoy world literature, seriously, if you haven't read this, put it on your list for 2010. (*****)

Fables volume 1 - Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham

Between Nymeth and Kailana's raving, I couldn't not read this at some point. Charming and original, can't wait to continue the series. Have you watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit, by the way? :-) (*****)

A Break With Charity by Ann Rinaldi

A non-fiction book for teens, I picked this up when we were in Boston earlier this year. It's a story of the Salem witch trials - it had the same characters as The Crucible so I looked things up and it turns out that those characters actually existed! Fascinating. This book isn't exactly well-known and I recommend it for its simplicity and historical interest. (*****)

Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis

The second in the mystery series set in ancient Rome. I like the idea of this series but to be honest I thought that the first book was only mediocre and I couldn't even finish this one... I'm told that it starts getting really good by about book 4. Apparently the historical aspect of ancient Rome is really well-researched and that's very attractive to me so I think I'll persevere... (**)

Mrs. Dalloway

I just can't, can't, can't cope with finishing this book. I got half-way through it and found myself forcing myself to read just a few more pages. As in 'read 10 more pages and then you can read something else for a while'. Doesn't sound like fun reading time does it? :-)

I'll probably find that everyone else in the world loved this book, but to me it was boring and confusing and all over the place. My mind kept wandering so I kept losing my grasp on who was talking.

I like stream-of-consciousness writing and since I loved Michael Cunningham's The Hours so much I thought I'd at least like the book that inspired him. But I thought he used the style in a much more engaging way.

At least I tried. And I refuse to let those thoughts of 'maybe classics aren't for me' into my head. I've enjoyed plenty of them, plus I haven't read anything Jane Austen yet and I'm told that I can't quit classics till I try her!

Challenges: 1% Well-Read Challenge, 999 Challenge, My Year of Reading Dangerously, Rescue Challenge, TBR Challenge

Some chick lit

I've read two chick lit novels in the past week or so - guess I was just in that kind of mood! They're both pregnancy/motherhood-related... I bought them a long time ago in the hope that I'll one day be able to read them without sadness. And here I am, that day has arrived, yay! :-)

The Rise and Fall of a Yummy Mummy by Polly Williams is the story of Amy and how she copes with the chaos of early motherhood - especially when everyone around her seems to be calm, collected and problem-free. She negotiates her way to having some sort of life again, complete with shopping splurges and not-so-smart decisions. I liked the character a lot and I understand that these kinds of books have to have a happy ending, but I must admit that I enjoyed reading about Amy's problems and struggles and being unsure much more than I enjoyed the solution parts. Any guesses about my current frame-of-mind?? :-)

Bed Rest by Sarah Bilston is about Q, a successful 6-months-pregnant lawyer living in Manhattan. It turns out that there is some problem with her pregnancy and Q is put on bed rest for three months. Plenty of time to discover what's truly important, with lots of thinking hours built in! I enjoyed this one too, the character of Q certainly had her quirky, sarcastic moments, which I always like. I think I'm chick-lit-ed out for a while now though!

There are few things as comforting as a good, intelligent totally girly book. Both of these are recommended, if you like this sort of thing, of course.

Challenges: Chick Lit Challenge

Night

I read Elie Wiesel's Night in one sitting yesterday evening. Although I did take one break because I had to cry. Night is the author's memoir of his childhood in Auschwitz and other camps. I'm not going to say much about the plot because I think that description says it all really. I'm lucky I could read it from the comfort of my own living room, after a nice dinner and while sipping some good red wine. Very lucky indeed.

One of the things that struck me is that even in times of war human beings don't really entertain then thought that something bad could happen to them. The Jews in the village where the author lived had heard rumors about the atrocities going on in the camps and about persecution everywhere. They even had actual evidence because of one their own had been taken away and had escaped and come back to warn everyone. And yet they still believed that the war would end just in time or that the Germans would never get that far or that they would somehow be more merciful in their village. Amazing thing, the human mind.

It also struck me that in the camps, in the end nothing mattered but survival. Watching others die didn't always have the effect that we would think it would. It's incredible what kinds of circumstances we can get used to, what becomes normal. I hope that I would be as strong in such situations, even though I find that hard to believe.

If books like this one are written, they deserve to be read. Night is the first in a trilogy - has anyone read the other two books, Dawn and Day?

Challenges: A-Z Challenge, 999 Challenge, Bang Bang Book Challenge, In Their Shoes, Jewish Literature Challenge, Lost in Translation, War Through the Generations, What's in a Name?

The Time Machine

The Time Machine was my first book by H.G. Wells and I owe my discovery of this fantastic author to Nymeth, who in her recent review mentioned that it's available online here.

Reading this online has been a great way to use my coffee breaks and lunchtimes. I will definitely check out loads of the other classics available there when time allows.

The Time Machine itself was very enjoybale and I plan to read more by H.G. Wells. I've certainly always wanted to read War of the Worlds so that might be next. The story is told by an unnamed narrator who hears it told by a man known only as The Time Traveller. He is sceptical at first, but is convinced that time travel is possible by the end of the story.

And what a story! The Time Traveller travels to the year 802,701 and finds life on Earth very different from what he knows in his own time. The people are happy and peaceful and he assumes that this is the natural progression of intellect. I don't want to give away anything about the story, but obviously there are a few twists and surprises.

What I liked most about it is what I also liked about Lois Lowry's The Giver - the question of do we really want peace and quiet and order and what it will really look like once we achieve it.

I was also very impressed by how far ahead of his time H.G. Wells was. Even the chapters where he travels even further than 802,701 show are realistic. I hope not, but you never know, with the direction our planet is going in!

The books was published in 1895 and contains in it so much of early science fiction, but also astute social commentary and an understanding of the world and its people and how they fit together. Figuring out what 802,701 was really like took some knowledge of human nature and interaction.

Anyway, I loved The Time Machine - thanks Nymeth for the suggestion and for helping me discover online reading! :-)

Challenges: A-Z Challenge, 999 Challenge, Casual Classics, Decades 2009, New Authors

Little House in the Big Woods

Charming little book! Even if I never watched the tv show... I'm actually surprised that I learned a couple of things about life back then as well. Bonus!

Laura Ingalls Wilder describes growing up in one of the first pioneer families in Wisconsin in the late 1800s. She didn't actually write the books until the 1930s and they're all autobiographical. I think that's amazing.

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on 7 February 1867 so I'm using this book for the Celebrate the Author challenge. Visit Wikipedia ro read more about her life.

Even more amazing is the fact that this is a children's book and it describes so many details of life in the 1860s - including how Ma churned butter and how Pa made bullets. It's a great book for kids to read - childhood today is so very different, after all.

There's plenty for adults too, though. What really struck me was how hard everyone had to work all the time and how they didn't let anything go to waste. Nothing was wasted. Wow, compared to today? I wonder what those people would say if they saw today's world...

Anyway, I loved this book and will certainly be getting the next ones in the series.

Challenges: 1st in a series, 999 Challenge, A-Z Challenge, Casual Classics, Celebrate the Author, Decades 2009, In Their Shoes, New Authors, What's in a Name

My first graphic novels!

I finished my first graphic novels this weekend - Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Long Way Home by Joss Whedon and No Future for You by Brian K. Vaughn and Joss Whedon. They're Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, only in comic format.

I am a HUGE fan of Buffy and of Joss Whedon. I've seen the series numerous times - in fact we're re-watching it again and are on season 4. When the season 8 comics stared to come out I was excited, but somehow I put off getting them until some later unspecified date. As some of you know, I didn't really consider comics and graphic novels as something I'd like - and certainly not as something like a book!

Thanks to Nymeth I'm overcoming the stereotypical information that lives in my head. :-)

I LOVED these two books. I loved the storylines, I loved the artwork, I loved the experience of adding something visual to my reading. I won't go into the story because of spoilers, but if you like Buffy then it's definitely worth getting this. I have my Season 6 of Angel one lined up too and I can't wait!

Having said that, it did take me a while to get used to the comic format - I had trouble telling some of the characters apart and I didn't know what order to read the dialogue in. I got used to it though and I think I have it now. I hope, at least!

The only negative thing I have to say is that they went by too fast! I can't wait for the next installments!

Challenges: Graphic Novels, My Year of Reading Dangerously, 1st in a series, Countdown Challenge

Oranges are not the only fruit

I like the way Jeanette Winterson thinks. I don't always do this, but I actually read the introduction she wrote to this book and found that she had switched publishers at some point because her first one was bought by a media giant. This alone earned her a lot of points!

And the book... well, it won the Whitbread Award for a First Novel in 1985 (the list of recipients is impressive) and I can certainly see why. I can't quite believe that this was Jeanette Winterson's first novel!

It tells the story of a girl named Jeanette, who is adopted by a devoutly Christian family and told that she is destined to be a missionary in Africa or some other 'heathen' place. She has a girlhood of bible quizes, religious retreats and church events and she really believes in all of it - she doesn't even falter when she goes to school and sees that she is different from the other children. Until what she believes in doesn't come through for her. Jeanette develops a relationship with another girl - and the consequences of this reveal the truth about the God-obssessed people she grew up with.

This is a book about growing up, about understanding yourself and about religious fanaticism. But it's also more than that - it's a beatifully written story, full of symbolism and myth, and it really makes you think about life and people's attitudes towards each other.

It's also full of great thoughts - one that compelled me to find a notebook and write it down is:

"Of course people will laugh at you, but people laugh at a great many things, so there's no need to take it personally."

I can't pretend to have understood all the references in this book, I don't really know much about Christian religion, but I certainly got a lot out of the social commentary it includes. And wow, the beautifully crafted phrasing of certain thoughts and ideas... definitely worth reading!

And I have to add that this is the first book I can cross off my A-Z Challenge list for 2008!