Motherhood, reading notes and a possible early birthday present

Motherhood is wearing me out. Little S is amazing, his sunny personality is really coming through, he seems to already have a sense of humor and he's incredibly cute. But he has soooooo much energy and I don't. He wakes up so early, at around 5 am and I'm just not functional at that hour. Plus he's been testing out his lung strength. Constantly. I'm surprised that I have the brain power to read The Odyssey on my commute to work.

I'm really behind on my reviewing... I haven't even reviewed what I read for the Read-a-thon! One of the books I read was Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay, which I absolutely loved. The story is amazing! As is the fact that all three books in the trilogy were total pageturners, usually at least one is weaker than the others. I know that some people didn't like the introspective aspect of Mockingjay, but it worked for me. I thought that it was a perfect state to be in following all that happened. I'd need some recovery/introspection time too. I was satisfied with the ending too. Maybe it didn't have that 'happily ever after' touch to it, which made it more realistic. That melancholy tone added an extra layer to the story, I thought.

There, can that count as my review?

My kindle is in the house! Joe ordered it early so that it would get here in time for my birthday in December and now it's way early! It's sitting in the spare room in its amazon box. And mocking me. I think it's cruel not let me have it, don't you? I mean it's RIGHT THERE. I'm negotiating with Joe, last year's present was late so I think it's only fair that this year's is early. Right? ;-)

The Mystery of Atlantis by Charles Berlitz

I am so behind on my reviews! It seems that when I have some time to use on blogging I much prefer to see what everyone else has been up to than to post anything myself. I'm so lazy!

Is anyone interested in Atlantis? It's one of those topics that always makes my ears perk right up. Like in cartoons. I love the thought that there was this amazing civilization existed and thrived before us. And I love exploring all the things that the existence of Atlantis would explain. The idea of a sunken continent waiting to be found somewhere in the depths of the Atlantic is just too cool.

This particular book by Charles Berlitz was published in the 1960s so I can't say that I'm up-to-date on Atlantis-related research. But it's been on my shelf for over ten years, I think, I picked it up in a used bookstore when I was still a poor student. Apparently I had more interesting things to do with my time though because the book was still untouched last month.

Anyway.

Berlitz goes through various aspects of the Atlantis theory - references in ancient texts, oral traditions of various cultures, actual deep-sea findings. The oral tradition part interested me most. Why is it that cultures on the west coast of Europe talk about ancestors coming from the West or about a land of plenty to the West and cultures on the east coast of South and Latin America talk about the things to the East? So many mythical stories refer to wise men coming from either East or West, bringing wisdom and knowledge. Some scholars think that these are actually the ancient Gods, that the Greek and Roman Gods were actually memories of the kings of Atlantis. Interesting, eh?

Many cultures also have the story of the flood and only a handful of people (always with animals) escaping to safety. It's possible that this could also refer to the sinking of Atlantis and the rebuilding of life somewhere else, i.e. whichever land mass was closest.

By the way, apparently both the Canary Islands and the Azores could apparently be Atlantis' mountain peaks. Cool eh? Apparently, when the people of the Azores were first discovered (by the Spaniards maybe?) it was remarked upon that they weren't very advanced. They didn't even have the knowledge of boat-building, which was (is) surprising for an island population. But of course if they were Atlantis' mountain people, they didn't need boats, they had a whole continent to run around on.

Oh and Berlitz says that the Basques still now talk about being descendants of the kings of Atlantis. I wonder if this is true, but don't know anyone to ask.

In any case, I find this all terribly interesting. To me, it makes sense that Atlantis existed. It would explain a lot of similariities and all that. And Plato did write about it a really long time ago. Although Berlitz did quote a scholar (I can't remember her name) who said that Plato simply used a writing technique when he talked about Atlantis - he used something huge that was clearly false to establish that his writings were fiction. It's like starting a book with 'When Hitler won the war...'. So apparently going off to explore the Atlantic ocean floor is missing the whole point.

I believe in it anyway and I want to read more about it - any recommendations? I think I have a couple more book on Atlantis on my shelf, but let me know if you've read any good ones.

As an interesting aside, to me anyway, Charles Berlitz is the grandson of Maximilian Berlitz, who founded the famous Berlitz language schools. Apparently, when he was growing his grandfather instructed everyone around him, family and staff, to each speak to him in a different language. He grew up speaking something like eight languages fluently, but remembers believing that everyone in the world had their own language and wondering why he was the only one who didn't. Isn't that sad?

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

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... (**)

Morrigan's Cross - and R.I.P. IV challenge done!

Wow, that book sure was fun! I'd never read anything by Nora Roberts before, I don't read romance novels like hers, but I read somewhere that the Circle Trilogy was cool and I was attracted by the promise of Irish lore. It delivered that and it threw in some vampire action too!

Morrigan's Cross is the first book in the trilogy and basically sets the stage for an apocalypse. The Morrigan, Irish goddess of the battlefield (amongst other things) singles out a group of people to lead the battle against Lilith, vampire queen. What's not to like? Plus, being the Buffy geek that I am, I was happy to see a reference to the Slayer - actually, the whole story had many Buffy similarities, though not in an annoying way.

I know that this book isn't for everyone, but if you like Celtic myths and vampires then try it! It has the required cheesy romance bits in it too, but they're easy enough to overlook!

Challenges: 1st in a series, 2010 Countdown Challenge, A-Z Challenge, Celebrate the Author (October 30), R.I.P. IV
____________________________

This book concludes Carl's R.I.P. Challenge for me - great fun as always! Of the books I read... hey, I loved all of them! Here they are - Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts plus

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Linqvist
No Time for Goodbye by Lynwood Barclay
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, volume 1 by Joss Whedon et al.


Thanks Carl, for hosting, I enjoy this challenge every single year!

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

Murder on a Bad Hair Day

Don't you just love the title? ;-) Murder on a Bad Hair Day is the second book in the Southern Sisters mystery series by Anne George. I read the first one for the Southern Reading Challenge last year, bought the second one immediately and haven't gotten around to reading it till now. Good thing the next installment of the Southern Reading Challenge is on now!

This series features 60-year-old sisters Patricia Anne and Mary Alice - lovable and eccentric characters who live in Alabama. They somehow manage to get themselves mixed up in trouble and this time the trouble involves 2 murders, a disappearance and an art gallery. It's a truly enjoyable mystery and the characters are great. It totally makes me want to go to Alabama, although I wonder if the reality resembles the lovely place in the book.

Recommended if you like reading mysteries... Thanks Joy for introducing me to this series!

Challenges: 2nds Challenge, 999 Challenge, Southern Reading Challenge, Suspense and Thriller Challenge, What's in a Name?

A Midsummer Night's Dream

I haven't read any Shakespeare for ages, but I needed a book for the Every Month is a Holiday challenge and it also increased my numbers of the Once Upon a Time III challenge, so I went for it.

I remember why I don't read a lot of Shakespeare - although I understand the story through the strange wordings, I still don't understand every single line. That in itself isn't a problem, but I WANT to understand every single line. Every single word even.

When I was in college we had an English Lit professor who taught Shakespeare plays as a class - one play per semester. You went through the play word by word and got to understand it all. I loved that level of detail. Reading A Midsummer Night's Dream in a more relaxed way, like I just did, feels like I cheated and like I've been cheated too.

I liked it though. I'm pagan so anything about the magical Midsummer would appeal to me anyway and I loved reading about the havoc wreaked by these particular fairies. I'd never read any of Shakespeare's 'lighter' plays so this was new territory for me... who knew that he'd have fairies in his plays? Although he does have witches and ghosts so maybe it shouldn't have been that surprising.

Anyway. I won't go through the plot because most of you probably know it. But I will say that if you have never read it, it's worth picking it up. It's especially worth it to follow Carl's lead and read it in June, around Midsummer itself. Makes you feel magical yourself!

Challenges: 999 Challenge, Centuries Challenge, Classics Challenge, Every Month is a Holiday, Once Upon a Time III, Orbis Terrarum

Messenger

Messenger is the last book in Lois Lowry's loose dystopian trilogy. It tells the further story of Matty, who appears in the second book, Gathering Blue. Matty is now living in Village, a place where all the people kicked out of other communities for being somehow different or 'damaged' have formed a new society where everyone is welcome and respected. Village is ruled by Leader, who is Jonas from The Giver, which I thought was a cool touch. Kira from Gathering Blue also appears.

All is not peaceful though, as some people in Village begin to change. Tensions increase, people start wanting more and more and they are willing to trade anything for it. Anything. Webs of deceit and intolerance form and breaking them will cost some villagers their lives.

I enjoyed reading Messenger, but only about as much as I enjoyed Gathering Blue. Neither can compare with The Giver though! :-)

Challenges: It's the End of the World, Young Adult Challenge

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Yay, I finally got around to reading my first Agatha Christie novel! And it's the first one featuring Hercule Poirot to boot! I can't believe that I managed to avoid these charming mysteries my whole life, but there you are, thanks to it being available on The Literature Network, I finally got my chance.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the perfect mystery. It has plenty of conflict and emotion, it has loads of little clues and hints and it has Poirot, who I found to be delightful. One of his lines that I just had to jot down is what he said about using insomnia as an explanation for ones actions:

"Which is a very good, or a very bad explanation" remarked Poirot. "It covers everything, and explains nothing."

Ha ha ha. The book is full of these one-liners. :-)

I was fooled till the end and kept suspecting everyone in turn, as I suppose I was meant to. What more could I want? I'll definitely read more Agatha Christie in the future!

Challenges: Genre Challenge, New Authors, Suspense and Thriller, Classics Challenge

The Metamorphosis

I'm sure I read Kafka's The Metamorphosis at school, but I couldn't remember much, so when I noticed it on DailyLit I subscribed.

It's the story of Gregor, a man who one day wakes up to find that he is a giant insect. His first thoughts about this situation relate to work and not being able to show up on time. He works for some very strict people and although he hates it, he does it so that he can support his family who have financial problems. He loses his job quickly of course and the family have to fend for themselves. They take care of Gregor to a certain basic extent - they clean his room and bring him food - but they are disgusted by him and wish he were gone. When he does go, they are relieved that their hardship is over.

There is alot of analysis of this story on the internet, but apprently scholars can't agree on what it really means. I guess what struck me was that Gregor sacrificed his life for his family, to be able to support them, and they didn't really appreciate it. I know that when I'm in situations that seem very hard, I end up wishing I could just give up, even if logically I know I can't. I tend to wish that something would happen to change the situation, something I can't even think of.This is what happened to Gregor, I think. Something happened to get him out of the unsatisfying situation he was in and he could just give up.

I also though a lot about being different and alienated while I was reading this. OK granted, turning into a bug is an extreme example and I'm sure I wouldn't treat Gregor in the same way if I was there, but still... you have to wonder if his family would have taken care of him if he was unable to work for other reasons. He became something different and was no longer needed.

He must have been really lonely too, not to really mind turning into a bug. He didn't seem too concerned with his new state...

I guess the point of my rambling is that I don't really know what I'm talking about. :-) I enjoyed reading Kafka's novella and I can see how it touches on a whole variety of issues, but I don't really see the big picture. I feel better about this knowing that scholars haven't really figured it out either.

Kafka is an interesting person though, Czech but living under German-speaking rule in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and I'd like to read some of this other works.

Challenges: A-Z Challenge, 999 Challenge, Decades Challenge, Jewish Literature (Kafka was Jewish!), Orbis Terrarum, What an Animal