Review: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Book Title/Author:I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Publisher/Year Published: July 1999 by St. Martin's Press (first published 1948)
Where I got it: Boarders Blowout last year
Rating: 4/5 stars
Challenges: March Entry from TBR Pile Challenge

Summary:via Goodreads

I Capture the Castle tells the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Here she strives, over six turbulent months, to hone her writing skills. She fills three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries. Her journals candidly chronicle the great changes that take place within the castle's walls, and her own first descent into love. By the time she pens her final entry, she has "captured the castle"--and the heart of the reader--in one of literature's most enchanting entertainments.

I have had I Capture the Castle on my to-read list for years. In fact Goodreads said I added it to my shelves in August of 2009! So almost three years later, I got around to reading it. And it was quite a good book.

Cassandra is our narrator of this story and she chronicles the going on of her family, who are destitute and living in a ramshackle castle, through a series of journals. You can see her writing become better as the story progresses. Cassie is the middle child of a famous ex-writer. She lives with her older sister, Rose, a beauty who's only hope for bringing the family income is marriage; her younger brother Thomas, still in school; her step-mom Topaz, a former model for famous painters; her father the ex-writer who does nothing all day much to the dismay of the family; and Stephen, a son of a former maid who grew up with the family and is the only one providing any income for them to live and is in love with Cassie.

The cast of characters in this novel are remarkably well rounded. I loved the interactions between them all, and those interactions really drove the plot. The first few chapters are getting to know them and their situation, but the plot really begins when two men stumble into the castle one day. These two men are the new owner of the castle they rent, Simon, and his brother Neil.

Shenanigans ensue.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun read and toward the end it was hard to put down. The narrator was sometimes a pain to deal with because she had teenager like tendencies and thus would ramble out love and miss the obvious. But that's expected. It was an artistic choice that sometimes didn't work for me, but sometimes did. I know this sounds really wishy washy. Let's see if I can give an example. Cassandra falls in love in this book. It's her first love so much of her journal is about him. Expected of a 17 year old? Absolutely. Good reading material? Not really.

By the end of the book, I had wished the outcome different with her and one of the guys (trying to stay vague here), but it was still a satisfying conclusion.

I would recommend this to people who like historical fiction and a fun set of love stories. It really is just a picture of these peoples lives, a really interesting picture too.

I am glad I finally read it, and I am glad I own it because I will probably be reading this one again.

Review: Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

Book Title/Author:Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Publisher/Year Published: Oct 2008 by Harper Perennial (first published in 2002)
Where I got it: I got it from Half Price Books
Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:via Goodreads

With only a yellowing photograph in hand, a young man - also named Jonathan Safran Foer - sets out to find the woman who might or might not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Accompanied by an old man haunted by memories of the war, an amorous dog named Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior, and the unforgettable Alex, a young Ukrainian translator who speaks in a sublimely butchered English, Jonathan is led on a quixotic journey over a devastated landscape and into an unexpected past. As their adventure unfolds, Jonathan imagines the history of his grandfather's village, conjuring a magical fable of startling symmetries that unite generations across time. Lit by passion, fear, guilt, memory, and hope, the characters in Everything Is Illuminated mine the black holes of history. As the search moves back in time, the fantastical history moves forward, until reality collides with fiction in a heart-stopping scene of extraordinary power. An arresting blend of high comedy and great tragedy, this is a story about searching for people and places that no longer exist, for the hidden truths that haunt every family, and for the delicate but necessary tales that link past and future. Exuberant and wise, hysterically funny and deeply moving, EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED is an astonishing debut.

Jonathan Safran Foer is a name that has been on my to reads shelf since I joined Goodreads. I had heard such good things about this book and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close but they were always just general good things. I never really knew why they were so good, just that I had to read them.

On my biannual trip to Half-Price books, I really wanted to get this book and finally get around to reading it. Well, toward the end of last year I finally started it. And I couldn't put it down.

The way the book is written can at first be really jarring. It alternates between the story of the past the what is going on in the present. Until I really because connected to the characters, it actually was really annoying and I wondered how I would ever get through this book! But that is the thing that this book excels: the characters.

I loved all the characters in the past and all in the present so much so I would always be lamenting them switching each time.

The story has a very unique way of coming across, through letters and the past, and if you are not one for out of the ordinary formats you probably wont like this book. As for me, though I went it blind, I am definitely coming out illuminated.

(Sometimes you just have to end in a pun. Forgive me.)

Book vs Movie: Perfume

To welcome in the new year, I decided to do a little redesign. I like it, and I hope you do, too! How about a special book to movie comparison post.

For New Years Eve, I opted out of accompanying my family to see a comedian downtown and instead watched the movie that I have been holding hostage from Netflix for about a month now. It was "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer." I read the book last summer and wanted to follow up with the movie.

Here is what I had to say after reading the book by Patrick Süskind:

I sort of stumbled into this book. I don't normally read whatever genre you would call this, so I went in with a little trepidation. I like plot driven novels more than character driven, and unfortunately this falls mostly in the latter. There were times when Grenouille was doing something that I was completely engaged, turning pages to see what would happen next. And others, especially during chapters told from people I just met, where I wanted to get back to the point.

It was an interesting novel though, and at some points I was really thrown. I did not expect the ending at all but it was fitting for this story.

The idea of scent as the main focus is intriguing to me. I always found it one of the harder senses to capture in media. But Süskind (or his translator I guess) does a good job of helping me smell what Grenouille did through vivid vocabulary. The evolution from form to perfume also really interested me.

So I give it three stars. It's a good book, just not the kind that I fall in love with.

So a full 6months later, I watch the movie. I didn't remember much too much of the book, but things started to come back as the movie progressed. The movie was very faithful to the book. The directors translated it very well, kept the pace moving and did a great job of capturing scent on film.

Though it was a bit weird to see close-ups of Ben Whishaw's nose. (It is a nice nose, though). He did a remarkably good job of portraying Grenouille. Like I said in the book review, it is a character study and not having a good main character, who is an abnormal human being to begin with, would have just made the movie horrid. Other awesome cast members include Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman.

In general, it was an enjoyable movie, though not one with mass appeal. This is more of an artistic movie that has some unique undertones, just like the book. And also just like the book, the ending was strange. I think it was a bit stranger on screen because in the book you had the consistent whimsy of the writing. In the movie, well it could almost pass as normal for most of it, so the ending was extra jarring and wtfery.

Retro Challenge: The Book Thief

Oktoberfest Is A Sixteen-Day Festival Held Each Year In Munich, Germany During Late September (And Running To Early October). - Read A Book Written By A German Author, Set In Germany, Or A Non-Fictional Book About Germany. (*To Enhance Your Reading You May Choose To Eat Some German Food Or Drink A German Beer But It's Not Required).

Book Title/Author: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Publisher/Year Published: 2006 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Where I got it: My college library
Rating: 5/5 stars

Rarely do I give a book 5 stars. On my Goodreads shelf, I have a total of 5 out of 300 read books listed as 5 star reads. That's a whopping 1%. This book was one of those five.

I discovered The Book Thief when looking for books that fit this task. I found through various sources that it was set in WWII in Germany and follows around a little child. Nothing particularly interesting. I've read that story before, and most of them were done fairly well. What was going to set this book apart for me? What would make this just not another book about WWII?

Answer: The narrator: Death. This character grabbed me from the beginning. How often do you see Death personified? And in such a prominent role! He was entertaining, witty, well-written, and so many other adjectives that listing them all would be quite ridiculous. The point is the addition of Death as a character, the narrator, really gave this book a unique twist.

The Book Thief is a book that dragged me across the spectrum of emotion. I laughed out loud, I cried so hard I could barely see the pages. I couldn't put it down, I dare not pick it up (so I wouldn't lose the whole day reading). It was such a highly engaging book for me.

An interesting fact that you may or may not know is that it was marketed in Australia (where the author is from) as an adult book but in the US as a YA novel. It made me think of the blurred lines between YA and Adult literature. Who defines how it is marketed in which country? Does what a westerner read differ that greatly across the nations? An intriguing through for sure, but maybe for another post.

The Book Thief is an astounding read. It takes a time we know a lot about from school and various PBS specials and gives it a whole interesting twist.

The First Challenge: Finishing the Book

So I am going to deviate a bit from the normal today and focus on a problem that has been plaguing me as of late. I'd say as of this summer, I have on a couple of occasions started books and just been so completely turned off I couldn't finish. Now there have been a few times in my past where I have come across a few that I just couldn't get through, but I don't know if recently I've just been in a mood for a particular type of book, but there have been a couple that I could just not get into. I did give each one my 30 pages and out test, and some I think I will revisit when I am not in such a picky mood. But anyway, this is a list of books I picked up recently that I just could not get into.

First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh
I've heard so many good things about this book, and actually started reading it twice within a 3 months before I realized I had attempted this one quite recently. I started off really well, graveyard scene, avenging death, things like that. Then we are at a party in the country and I pretty much wanted to die. More garden party. More party. Nothing interesting. So I stopped. It's gotten so many good reviews from people, that I will give it another go. Just not right now.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
This one was my fault. I went into this book thinking that it was going to be fast paced and thriller like. But when you think about it, hostage situations (which this book is about) are not like that at all. They are the waiting game, where in this case backstories abound. Again, I think this was mindset. It may do good as a fall or winter read, but it just didn't have the bounce I usually look for in the summer.

Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning
This one kind of made me sad. I really wanted to read a good time travel romance. But the cliches were beating me over the head and I was only 10 pages in. At the 30 page mark, I set it aside. Again, this one was highly recommended. But the hero and heroine from the glimpse I had of them, were ones I had read over and over again.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
Because I was listening to the audiobook, I gave this one longer that I would if I were reading it. The first chapter pissed me off. The reader was horrid. I was spoiled with the other audiobooks I've had, but this woman. punctuated. the last. three. words. For dramatic effect maybe, I'm not sure. But I got over that and pressed on, but with that pressing I found out that King cannot write little girls well. It was just awkward. I did enjoy the occasional references to things from the late 90s (Surge, walkmans), but after I realized there were 3 more disks of the girl being lost in the woods, I just couldn't do it anymore.

So those are the ones that I just couldn't do right now. Have you read any of these? Did I misjudge them? I don't know for sure, but right now these just weren't right for me.

For Those We Love To Hate

Read a book written from a villain's point of view.

For this I read the infamous Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. Don't be fooled; despite Nakokov being Russian, this book is not a translation. And yet it has the most brilliant prose.

The review is featured today over at The Broke and the Bookish. Check it out!

Here is a teaser:

It is beautifully written. You would never think that you could get caught up in the mind of such a sick person, but you do. You're not really rooting for him, per say, but I definitely understood him most of the time. The author sums this up in the foreward, "But how magically his singing violin can conjure up a tendresse, a compassion for Lolita that makes us entranced with the book while abhorring its author!"

Retro Challenge: The Blood of Flowers

So technically I read this book before I started doing reading challenges, but as I was looking through the Goodread's Giveaways today, I ran into a book that reminded me of how much I liked The Blood of Flowers. I thus thought, "I must review it"

Book Title/Author: The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani
Published: 2007 by Little, Brown and Company
Notes: I picked it up off the new books shelf at my local library because I liked the cover and the title drew me in.
Rating: I originally had it as 3/5 but the longevity of the feeling that has stayed with me made me bump it to a 4/5

In 17th-century Persia, a 14-year-old woman believes she will be married within the year. But when her beloved father dies, she and her mother find themselves alone and without a dowry. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to sell the brilliant turquoise rug the young woman has woven to pay for their journey to Isfahan, where they will work as servants for her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the legendary Shah Abbas the Great. Despite her lowly station, the young woman blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets, a rarity in a craft dominated by men. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim. Forced into a secret marriage to a wealthy man, the young woman finds herself faced with a daunting decision: forsake her own dignity, or risk everything she has in an effort to create a new life.

These are some of the notes I jotted back in November 2007:

What I liked most about this book were the myth-like stories interwoven within the prose.

A well researched look into the live of a girl's journey to adulthood in the 17th century. I loved any scene when she was making a rug, her true passion which is withheld from her due to her gender.

Through many twists and turns this story kept me wanting to know more and more. A wonderful look at the evolution of this your girl to a woman.

It's funny. I reread this now and don't even remember the cute myths. What I do remember is the feeling that I got from this girls life. How I felt lucky to live in a time and place where I can make my own decisions about myself and my life.

I actually have no idea if this was well researched because I have not read much about ancient Persia, but I do know that this was an evocative tale that will stir the emotions of any woman. For better or for worse.

To tie this in to the "challenge" theme, this book takes place in ancient Iran so if you do the read around the world challenges, this is a good bet. Also Anita Amirrezvani is also Iranian.

Six Degrees of Separation: Book B

In honor of Six Degrees of Separation (play premiered on May 16, 1990) and Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon (headlined on April 7, 1994, do the following:

A. Read any book off your TBR
AND
B. Read a book that the author is at a maximum of six degrees of separation from the author in Part A. In your post for this task you must explain the connection in order to get credit.

Book Title/Author: In the Electric Eden: Stories by Nick Arvin
Year Published: January 28th 2003 by Penguin (Non-Classics)
Where I got it: New books shelf at my campus library
Rating: 2/5 stars

This was the second book in the Six Degrees Challenge. I found this collection of short stories on the shelf at my library and it looked interesting. Some of these stories were really interesting, but most of them were ridiculously depressing.

Overall it was okay. Nothing I would pick up again, but most of the stories made me think, if not about life then at least how many pages were left until the next one started.

Although, my inner computer scientist does have to give props to the phrase "binary smile."

Again, how I completed the 6 degree challenge:

Book A: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Book B: In the Electric Eden: Stories by Nick Arvin

Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 which is being (re)made into a movie directed by Frank Darabont.
Frank Darabont also directed The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist, all written by Steven King.
Steven King was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in Feb 1999
Conan O'Brien also interviewed Fred Savage in Feb 1999
Fred Savage graduated from Stanford where Nick Arvin is also a grad.

Virtual Foreign Vacation

Summer is traditionally the time of year for family vacations. It is not always feasible to go to the places you wish to see, so for this task..

A. Read a fictional book that takes place in a country that you have always wanted to visit but have never had the chance to.
AND
B. Read a book that was originally written in a foreign language.

Book Title/Author: The Taming of the Duke by Eloisa James
Publisher/Year Published: 2006 by Avon
Where I got it: It haunted me from the end cap at Wal*Mart... and I gave in to it's awesome cover
Rating: 3/5 stars

This book is the third of the four in the Essex sister's quartet of books. There are no plot spoilers other than what you would find in the summary on the back of the book, but just in case this is my warning.

This was a reread for me. I loved the tension between Imogen and Rafe throughout this series. This book, their book, is book three and the culmination of that, but the "big reveal" wasn't enough for me and was kind of a "Wait... what?" I still thought it was good, and I still really love the secondary characters. It just seems that there was not enough time spent with just Rafe (and I mean Rafe) and Imogen. It was like their relationship was on the back burner.

But I can't hate this book. It is still so wonderful. And it introduced me to Eloisa James as a writer.

In another note, the cover is to die for and may be my favorite cover that I own.

Book Title/Author: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
Publisher/Year Published: 2001 by Knopf Publishing Group (first published 1985)
Where I got it: Library
Rating: 3/5 stars

I sort of stumbled into this book. I don't normally read whatever genre you would call this, so I went in with a little trepidation. I like plot driven novels more than character driven, and unfortunately this falls mostly in the latter. There were times when Grenouille was doing something that I was completely engaged, turning pages to see what would happen next. And others, especially during chapters told from people I just met, where I wanted to get back to the point.

It was an interesting novel though, and at some points I was really thrown. I did not expect the ending at all but it was fitting for this story.

The idea of scent as the main focus is intriguing to me. I always found it one of the harder senses to capture in media. But Süskind (or his translator I guess) does a good job of helping me smell what Grenouille did through vivid vocabulary. The evolution from form to perfume also really interested me.

So I give it three stars. It's a good book, just not the kind that I fall in love with.