Challenges, challenges

In 2010, I entered six challenges.  Two -- A to Z author and title challenges -- I abandoned because, frankly, they got on my nerves.  A third, a summer challenge with cute hooks, like a book with a flag on the cover, a book with summer in the title, was fun but sort of pointless.  I did, however finish it, and that is something in and of itself, I guess.

The other three were more substantive.  Having finished two, I have considered what, if anything, I gained from doing these, and whether or not I will undertake reading challenges in the New Year.

The first challenge I completed was to read 12 books that I consider to be "outside the box" for me.  The titles I used for this one are as follows (those in italics are reviewed on this blog):

Isis by Douglas Clegg
Devotion by Dani Shapiro
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Lovers by John Connolly
What Americans Really Believe by Rodney Stark
Designated Fat Girl by Jennifer Joyner
Here's the Deal Don't Touch Me by Howie Mandel
Everything is Going to be Great by Rachel Shukert
In the Shadow of Freedom by Tchicaya Missamou
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Two Cents Plain by Martin Lemelman
All Things at Once by Mika Brzezinski

In summarizing my experience with these books, a few things jumped out at me.  I discovered two mediums that I was not that familiar with and would definitely try again:  the graphic novel, and audiobooks.  In the memoir field, my reading reinforced my feeling that I love reading about real people with unusual stories to tell:   In the Shadow of Freedom is one of the most remarkable stories I read this year.  My experience with the fantasy/horror genre left me thinking that I probably would not read any more of this type of book than I would have before the challenge even though The Lovers was a real page turner; I guess I can do creepy, but only once in a blue moon.

The other challenge that I completed was to read 12 Classics, and I used the following titles:

The Stranger by Albert Camus
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell
The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Madame Bovary by Gustauve Flaubert

In general, the surprise for me from this challenge was that the stories were wonderful (with the exception of Tobacco Road, which I loathed).  I expected the beautiful language and to take joy in just immersing myself in the words at times.  But ultimately it was the story that kept me going.  That explains why I hated Tobacco Road I think; apart from the detestable characters, nothing happens in this novel.  I understand it is meant to be satirical, but for me it was just annoying on all fronts. 

The biggest shock was how much I loved Frankenstein; it was my favorite by far.  This, from someone who does not generally read sci-fi, horror, or even gory murder mysteries.  Of course, that was the real surprise:  Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is not the monster story of the Halloween mask ilk.  It is a gut-wrenching tale of isolation and sorrow that caused my heart to break for Frankenstein's monster.  Along the same lines, I liked The Woman in White, The Invisible Man and The Turn of the Screw, even though I had avoided them previously because of the "eerie" factor.  It was no surprise to me that I loved Great Expectations, as I am a huge Dickens fan.

All in all, I am very glad I undertook this one.  I never would have tackled Atlas Shrugged (another favorite) otherwise, as I had previously found the length daunting and the writer intimidating, and I loved it.  Yes, there was alot to think about -- huge philosophical themes -- but again, at bottom, a great story.

What does this all mean for next year?

A limited number of challenges, if any.  Between reading review books, and books for the challenges, I had very little flexibility in what I picked up to read in the last half of the year.  I want to avoid that, and get back to more times of picking up whatever strikes my fancy at the moment.  In furtherance of that ideal, any challenge that I undertake must require no more than 7 books.

So how about you?  How did your challenges go, and what will you commit to in 2011?

In case you are wondering, the challenge that I have not yet finished, and probably will not finish, was to read 12 books that had been on my bookshelves for a very long time.  I don't regret this one, though, as I have cleared some much need space on my shelves, and did enjoy most of the ten I finished. I have also not counted the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge, which carries over into 2011.

Hoping for more

AMERICAN ROSE by Karen Abbott

My rating:  2.5 of  5 stars

Having seen the Broadway production of Gypsy several times, as well as the television movie based on the musical, I wanted to learn more about the life of this fascinating woman.  I had high hopes for this biography, given the out-sized life led by its subject, but unfortunately, the book just did not work for me.

Rather than a straightforward biography, the author chose to narrate the story of Louise Rose Hovick by juxtaposing her narrative with the tale of the Minsky brothers and the world of burlesque.  I thought this was an excellent idea.  I enjoyed reading about the rise of this theatrical form, how it mirrored the mood of the country as optimism faded during the Depression years, and how it became a sort of poor man's Broadway.

The author deftly explores the political and social history of the times, including the effects of Prohibition on the culture and the corruption of New York City government.  The portions of the book describing how burlesque was ultimately brought down by the reformers of the late 1930's, in particular Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, made for absorbing reading.

The problem I had with the book was that this was also supposed to be a biography, and that aspect of the book simply never coalesced -- primarily because the author repeatedly skipped around in the timeline of Lee's life.  At first, alternating chapters move between the Minksy story and that of Lee.  The Minsky narrative starts at the beginning in 1913 and goes forward, while Lee's story starts at the World's Fair in 1940 and moves backwards.  That would have been fine, if the book had adhered to that structure.  But it does not.

Instead, the chapters about Lee start to skip around in time, within each chapter, and that simply made it  confusing to the point of distraction.  I did learn things about the subject, including the fact that her mother Rose may have committed several murders, and that contrary to the myth of the Broadway show, the family made large amounts of money on the Orpheum circuit as starring vaudevillians.  At bottom, however, when I closed the book, I felt like I had no clear picture of Lee's life because I could not keep the information in any sort of chronology in my head.  Granted, one of Abbott's prominent themes is that the Gypsy Rose Lee known to the world was a woman of her own creation -- an enigma that defied knowing.  But I could not decipher the trajectory of even that public persona from this narrative.

The book is subtitled A Nation Laid Bare:  The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee.   After reading the book, I certainly have a better understanding of the times in which Lee rose to fame; the depravity of the burlesque world and the Prohibition era seem to rise up from the pages.  I wish I could say the same about the life. 

I received an advance reader's edition from the publisher, Random House, Inc.  American Rose has an on sale date of December 28, 2010.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a weekly event, started by Marcia at The Printed Page and hosted this month by Lady Q at Let Them Read Books, in which book lovers share with fellow readers what books came into their homes during the week.

This week I received one book,

This advance reading edition was sent by the publisher, Voice, an imprint of Hyperion Books, through the BookBrowse First Impressions program.  Minding Ben will be released in April of 2011.

What was in your mailbox this week?

Christmas is coming!

WISHIN' AND HOPIN' by Wally Lamb

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Set in the early 1960's, and told in the voice of Catholic school 5th grader Felix Funicello (third cousin to Annette), Wishin' and Hopin' is a sheer delight.  Starring such colorful characters as Sister Mary Agrippina, (a/k/a "The Enforcer"), and goody-two-shoes Rosalie Twerski (a/k/a/ Rosalie Turdski), Wally Lamb's novel recounts the Christmas when Felix's mother was on television in the Pillsbury bake-off and he appeared on the Ranger Andy show.  Humor abounds as Christmas draws near and the school prepares for an innovative holiday pageant featuring a nativity scene sure to elicit a smile from even the most ardent humbug.  Throughout the novel, Lamb wonderfully evokes the time period and hits the right chord in portraying the parochial school atmosphere and 10 year-old sensibilities.

This heart-warming, laugh-out loud step back in time is a great way to kick off your holiday reading.  Here's wishin' and hopin' that this is not Wally Lamb's last foray into holiday themed nostalgia.
 
This book fulfills the Candy Cane Level of the Christmas Spirit Challenge (see sidebar button).

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday, started by Marcia at The Printed Page is an opportunity for book lovers to share with other readers what books came into their house during the week.  This month, Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Lady Q at Let Them Read Books.

This week I received:

From Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. through Library Thing Early Reviewers:

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown



From Hill and Wang, a division of Farrar, Straus & Giroux:
The Boy: A Holocaust Story by Dan Porat



From Crown Publishers:
Madame Tussaud:  A Novel of the French Revolution


What was in your mailbox this week?

A wrenching read

NIGHT ROAD by Kristin Hannah

My rating:  4 of 5 stars

From the first words of the haunting prologue, Night Road drew me in, and over the following two days, tugged at my heart and mind. 

Three teenagers, twins Zach and Mia, and Lexi, Mia's best friend and Zach's love, are enjoying their senior year of high school when a bad decision results in a tragedy that changes their loves forever.  Although there are several persons on whom blame could rest, one individual shoulders the legal responsibility.  What follows is a searing portrait of grief, guilt, and regret, and the way back to some semblance of a life in which forgiveness is possible.

This review was a hard one to write for several reasons.  First and foremost, because this novel is so plot driven, it is tricky to describe the book without revealing things that might detract from its page-turning quality.  The review copy I received did not have any sort of "blurb" about the story, and I think that that was  a good thing; for me, knowing where the story was going would have lessened the tension that made the book so riveting.  As a result, I have deliberately chosen to keep the plot details to a spare minimum.  For those who want to know more, there are reviews and book sites where the plot specifics are discussed at great length.  

The second difficulty I had in reviewing this book is that I believe it is one for which the reader's own personal experiences will significantly shape his or her reaction.  While we all read through the prism of our own life, Night Road presents characters and situations that are particularly susceptible to the influences of the emotional baggage we may carry.  For example, in a large portion of the early reviews I have seen, the twins' mother Jude is vilified as a character who annoys, frustrates, or even, disgusts.  But to a mother who has ever sworn not to repeat the mistakes of her parents, and in a moment of clarity realizes that she has helped history to repeat itself, Jude may be viewed more compassionately.  Similarly, because the ways in which individuals cope with loss are so varied and intensely personal, to some, the way in which the characters in Night Road grieve may seem over-the-top or unrealistic, while to others, it  feels perfectly authentic.

All I can do then, is tell you that the book so affected me that when I was done, I felt like I had been through the emotional wringer, and would have to wait a day or two to pick up my next read.  I had not previously read any of Ms. Hannah's other novels, but I get the sense from other things that I have read that this novel is somewhat of a departure from her usual work.  If her subsequent books are in this vein, you can count me in.

I received an advance reader's edition of this book from the publisher, St. Martin's Press through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program.  Night Road will be released in March of 2011.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday, started by Marcia at The Printed Page, is an opportunity for book lovers to see what books fellow readers have brought into their homes during the week. This month's host is Lady Q at Let Them Read Books.

This week I received:

From Hachette Book Group:

From Crown Publishers:



and from St. Martin's Press through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program:



What books found their way into your home this week?

Chick lit for the New Year

THE BEST LAID PLANS by Lynn Schnurnberger

My rating:  3 of 5 stars

Because I review a fairly wide variety of books, I suspect that those of you who read this blog regularly may not all read the same type of books.  Those who like the "chick lit" genre might be happy to know that the New Year will bring a fun read from a successful author in the field whose books feature protagonists of the forty-something variety.

The Best Laid Plans tells the story of Tru Newman, a woman who thought she had it all until she discovers that her lovely life on the Upper East Side of Manhattan is about to evaporate.  Unbeknownst to Tru, her husband Peter has been out of work for months, and they are in danger of losing everything, including their home.  With twin teenage daughters to consider, Tru sets out to rescue her family by opening an elite agency specializing in courtesans who service younger men.  Tru and her friend Sienna, recently fired from her television anchor position, join forces with Peter's tax attorney Bill, who supplies the women with the clients.  Calling the business "The Veronica Agency" after 16th century poet and courtesan Veronica Franco, the trio plunge into the service business.  As Tru endeavors to keep her work a secret from her family, Sienna and Bill find themselves falling in love.  However, the road gets bumpy when an ambitious D.A. threatens to bring the Veronica Agency and its founders down, and the three have to re-think their plans. 

The Best Laid Plans is not meant to be wholly realistic fiction, although recent escapades of disgraced politicians might indicate otherwise.  When I read "chick lit," I do so with the understanding that the narrative is not likely to mirror real life -- at least not my rather pedestrian life.  I want to be entertained, pure and simple; and entertained I was by this book largely because Ms. Schnurnberger has created a cast of eminently likeable characters.  Tru's mother, a former "Miss Subways" beauty queen disappointed with the way her life has turned out, crackles with an acerbic wit, and is a woman I would love to meet.  The relationship Tru has with her daughters, whose voices are spot on urban teenage girl, is sweet without being treacly.  Tru herself is a woman you can root for, although her choices may not always be the best.  As a teaser, I will say that the revenge the twins exact on a Lothario in their midst is priceless.

There was one aspect to this reading experience that was not as enjoyable for me, but that is solely my fault.  While I loved the first part of the book -- I tore through it in one sitting -- I found myself less enamoured of the second half.  In considering why, I realized that it was in the second half of the book that the Agency was formed, and the "employees" sent on their way. Knowing that in the real world there is often such a dark side to this life, it was just a little too discomfitting for me to read about the world's oldest profession in such a light way.  I have no one to blame but myself because I knew from the blurb what the book was about; I simply did not anticipate that I would have this reaction.  Given this unique circumstance, I would not hesitate to try another one of Ms. Schnurnberger's books in light of how much I enjoyed the characters she created here.

I was given an advance uncorrected proof of this book by the publisher, Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House.  The Best Laid Plans will be released in January 2011.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers highlight a title that they are eagerly anticipating.  This week I chose:

The Adults:  A Novel
by Alison Espach
Scribner
February 2011

Amazon.com description:

In her ruefully funny and wickedly perceptive debut novel, Alison Espach deftly dissects matters of the heart and captures the lives of children and adults as they come to terms with life, death, and love.
At the center of this affluent suburban universe is Emily Vidal, a smart and snarky teenager, who gets involved in a suspect relationship with one of the adults after witnessing a suicide in her neighborhood. Among the cast of unforgettable characters is Emily’s father, whose fiftieth birthday party has the adults descending upon the Vidal’s patio; her mother, who has orchestrated the elaborate party even though she and her husband are getting a divorce; and an assortment of eccentric neighbors, high school teachers, and teenagers who teem with anxiety and sexuality and an unbridled desire to be noticed, and ultimately loved.
An irresistible chronicle of a modern young woman’s struggle to grow up, The Adults lays bare—in perfect pitch—a world where an adult and a child can so dangerously be mistaken for the same exact thing.

What are you waiting for?