Reading....Persuasion

I went through a Jane Austen kick several years ago, and read all of her books. So while I know that I read Persuasion at some point, somehow it didn't make much of an impact. However, like I mentioned in my last post, I was in the mood to read the book that inspired the wonderful For Darkness Shows the Stars. And, can I just say, that this time it made a much bigger impression. You can tell that this is one of Austen's later works. Everything wonderful is there: the pitch-perfect characterisation, the keen observation, the social interactions, and the wonderful love story. But everything is refined and honed and mature. Austen is at the top of her game.

In addition to the beauty of the book from a craft perspective, the love story really resonated with me this time around (you could argue that perhaps that is directly related to the quality of the writing). The characters are in a different place -- the "meet-cute" has already happened. The initial rush of love has come and gone. In its place is longing, regret, hurt, resignation, pride, and a deep steadfastness. I like that the obstacle that Anne and Wentworth face in getting to their happy-ever-after (which all Austen heros and heroine's face) is not misunderstanding, or miscommunication, or the lack of revelation. Everything is out there: they love each other, they communicate that, then Anne makes a choice to step back, they fight, they part. And eventually, they face each other again, to see what time and distance have done. I love that Captain Wentworth goes from basically ignoring Anne (although you know he is painfully aware of her at all times) to being jealous (even though Anne is the smartest person in the room and can smell Elliot's smarminess a mile a way) to realizing how awesome Anne is. And I love how Anne is sweet and loyal and true and kind, but also strong and confident (in her way) and steadfast. I would want her for my best friend. And I love how she calls Wentworth out -- she could never have gone after him because she's not one to buck the system entirely, but when he's all "would you have accepted me the first time I came back from sea" she's all "duh, you big idiot".

And of course, there's that letter. Watch out Knightly, you've got some competition for my favorite Austen man.

Anyway, lots of rambling to just say that I think I have rediscovered my favorite Jane Austen novel.

Reading bits and bobs

I'm dividing my time reading-wise at the moment. I'm officially a commuter at the moment, so I've got Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo on audiobook (I really like the narrator, by the way), and I was in the mood for some Jane Austen, so I'm reading Persuasion. I think my desire to pick up that particular Jane Austen novel stems from my recent read of For Darkness Shows the Stars, by Diana Peterfreund. I am obsessively waiting for her next book Across a Star-Swept Sea, because I've realized that she is one of those authors who speaks my literary language. (L.M. Montgomery...Alysia Painter...Melina Marchetta...Maggie Stiefvater...also authors who speak my literary language. There are more, but those are a few who come to mind).

I recently read a fun YA book as well -- Bittersweet, by Sara Ockler. Considering I'm currently living in the oven of central Texas at the moment, it was the perfect time to pick up a book set in Western New York in the middle of winter. Setting aside, this book had a lot of other things going for it to: a clean, yet descriptive writing style (I really did feel cooler reading it), realistic characters (sometimes I wanted to hug Hudson, sometimes I wanted to smack her), sweet and also conflicted teenage romance (i.e., a love triangle that actually felt genuine and kind of heartbreaking), sports (ice skating! hockey! -- shades of The Cutting Edge!), friendship, family, and a girl who is just trying to figure her life out. She's torn between her home and family, and the lure of getting out of town and dreaming big. And she makes a lot of mistakes in the process. She also makes AMAZING sounding cupcakes. Seriously.  

Reading....Cold Steel

 Why, yes, I DID finally finish a book! Who knew a cross-country move could have such a slow-down affect on reading?

Anywho...Cold Steel is the final installment in Kate Elliott's Spiritwalker trilogy, and it's a solid conclusion to the story. I think Elliott did a great job with making the three books feel like one continuous story. Sometimes with trilogies, one or two of the books really stand out from the rest, but all three of these felt pretty seamless to me. 

So, SPOILERS AHEAD:  a lot happens in these books...a LOT. Especially this last one. We go from Expedition (where Vai has been stolen and Cat is being accused of murder) into the Spirit World, out of the Spirit World, on the run, back into the Spirit World where Cat goes to rescue Vai. There's a lot of running for your life, hiding out, spying...oh yeah, and Bee becomes a leader of the Revolution in Europa. There's a war going on, because Camjiata makes his way back to Europa, and there's a good measure of divided loyalty and learning to communicate. This book is about Bee and Cat...Cat and Vai...Cat and her past...and about being free. There are dragons and angry mages (of both fire and ice varieties) and Amazons and creepy blood sucking spirit creatures and a skull that can talk to you under the right circumstances. I know this is all kind of vague, but seriouisly...a LOT happens in this book. The plot is lightning fast, and a few times I got whiplash as one part ended and we were on the move again. My only tiny quibble is the occasional choppiness of the writing. Elliott has some beautiul descriptions and turns of phrase, and sometimes Cat makes some very thoughtful, poetic, almost philisophical observations....just sometimes they don't flow well.

That said, there are several things I loved about this trilogy (and this book):
1. The worldbuilding. Unique, interesting, and well-thought out
2. The characters. I love them!
3. The relationships. Each relationship evolves and grows over the course of the three books -- Vai and Cat (swoon!), Cat and Bee, Bee and Vai, Rory and Cat, Rory and Vai, Cat and the mansa.
4. The humor and sassiness (which is the best word I could come up with today). There's this sarcastic humor that peeks through in this book that I just love. It especially comes in through the interactions between characters, and it lends another dose of reality. The characters tease each other, but also love each other. The enemies trade witty barbs, and it's all just done very nicely.

Bottom line: thanks for recommending this auhor to me, Heather!

West of the Mississippi

So, I've left my temporary (of nine years -- longish temporary) East Coast digs for someplace West of the Mississippi. (on a side note -- I thought I was pretty big stuff in elementary school when I could spell Mississippi) The past nine years have been fantastic -- amazing friends and community who we are very sad to leave physically. I've enjoyed exploring the area -- the beach and the mountains, the D.C. area. It's been fun, and we already have dreams of buying a vacation home in the area one day so we can spend lots of time in our second home. And in the meantime, we'll start saving up for plane tickets for a shorter vacation. But as I crossed the bridge over that big, muddy river last week, I realized again that there's something about the great wild West that really feels like Home. (of course, on the flip side, I'm generally one who feels like home is really about people....but we are often connected to our environment as well)

But enough philosophizing....my moving and transitioning brain has a list, of things I forgot about moving in the past nine years:

1. There's a lot of little stuff to do
2. There's a lot of big stuff to do
3. Starting a new job is way disorienting. I feel like a fish out of water
4. Moving from a small city/big town to a Big City causes me to feel like a country mouse. I feel in the way, out of place, a bit lost
5. You're not going to learn your way around overnight.
6. Finding a place to live can be complicated, and is often an exercise in prioritizing and compromize.

so, that's it from my random brain today, at least, the little bit not taken up by thoughts of house-hunting.

Well, hello, internet

Vacation + prepping for a move and a new job = not a lot of progress made reading books. BUT...of course I'm still reading! I'm working my way through Cold Steel right now, the third book of the fantastic Spiritwalker trilogy by Kate Elliot.

I did take a quick break this week to read If I Stay, by Gayle Forman. It's a relatively short young adult novel about a teenage girl caught between life and death. It's about life and love and loss and family and relationships. The writing is simple and clean, but also rich with emotion. Music plays a big role in the book and the lives of the people in it, which of course I love. And the main character plays the cello! (makes me want ot break mine out and lament that I was too lazy/chicken to continue studying the cello in college and become a music major) Anyway...it's good stuff. Now I just need to get my hands on the sequel: Where She Went.

Reading...A Sense of the World

A Sense of the World, by Jason Roberts is the biographyof a man who, despite having lived a remarkable life, was nearly lost to history. Roberts found mention of James Holman by chance, a single paragraph in a book about unique travelers. It inspired him to do more research, and in doing so he uncovered the story of a man who loved learning, craved adventure, and wanted to explore the world. After serving for three years in the British navy, Holman developed a disease that caused him to go blind. As the fourth son of a chemist, he had little money and his future to anyone else might have seemed grim. But Holman held on to his dreams and remained undaunted. He found a way to travel literally around the world -- and then some -- experiencing it through sound and smell and touch. And as he was traveling on a tight budget, he arranged and conducted his travels primarily on his own. But he made friends wherever he went, and inspired others along the way.

I don't read a lot of nonfiction, but I do enjoy a good biography, and this is certainly a good one. I especially appreciate how the author counters the 18th century thoughts and prejudices of blindness against the realities. He clearly did his research, and I appreciate his effort to dispell myths, some of which prevail even today. The author writes with a fondness for James Holman, which gives an added bit of life to the story.

Pick up this book if you like history, a well-written biography, or have that yearning for travel and adventure.

Reading...Ready Player One

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline is a super fun book. Set in a not-too-distant future, life is pretty grim. Most people -- like 18 year old Wade Watts -- spend their time plugged into the virtual world of the Oasis. What started out as a multiplayer online computer game has become a substitute for reality. In the Oasis you can attend school, get a job, fall in love, have adventures, travel, play games, fight dragons...the possibilties are endless. Oasis currency is more real and valuable than any other currency in the world, and its creator James Halliday revered as a god. When Halliday dies, the world is shocked to learn that (with the exception of his arcade collection), Halliday has left his fortune -- and his company -- to the first person who can find the "easter egg" hidden somewhere in the Oasis. Figure out the clues, find the three keys, the three gates, and complete the tasks set up in each one. Success depends on skill, luck, and knowledge of 80s pop culture -- Halliday's obsession.

Ready Player One will probably appeal most to anyone who enjoys video games and/or 80s pop culture, because at times it almost feels like the author wanted a way to get nostalgic and rosy-eyed over his own love of the 80s. But while it occasionally feels a little self-indulgent, it's also a good story on its own, easily enjoyed by anyone who likes a good action/adventure with a sprinkling of sci-fi (Although I will say, if you hate video games...you might want to pass). Cline's pacing is spot on, keeping you glued to each page, not wanting to put it down. I listened to it on audio -- often while running -- and I have to say, I ran a lot of miles while I was reading this book! I also thought Cline did a great job with the primary characters -- Wade in particular has a stong voice -- a sarcastic, synical, snarky, smart-mouthed teenage boy voice. Some of the more outlying characters (like the villain) were a little one-dimensional, but in some ways that's kind of fitting for a video game masquerading as a book. Ready Player One also gives voice to outcasts -- to people who believe they need a little alternate reality in order to be accepted. I like the way this theme plays out -- empowerment ftw!

My words aren't very eloquent today, so I'll stop rambling and finish with this: if you like 80s pop culture, video games, stories about outcasts, adventures, light sci-fi, action, or fun and witty dialogue, then you should pick up this book. (in audio -- Wil Wheaton is a great narrator)