Month: June 2012

2012 Challenges, Books

Book 120: The Phantom of Pemberley – Regina Jeffers

Geoff W

Yay for a quick enthralling read! We all know I discovered a love for Jane Austen fan-fiction last year and picked up quite a few volumes at the time. Some I was (and still am) not so sure about and this is one of those. I’m not quite so sure about this one, but at least it counts towards my Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

The major plus to this novel is that the story itself was gripping enough to keep me interested and there was just enough of a plot twist to make me constantly second guess what I deduced early on. The downside to the novel itself was Jeffers writing. Although she tells a captivating story, I wasn’t quite convinced that it was regency era enough for me. It definitely brought in the seedier side of things, but the language and revelations of the story just didn’t have the eloquence which Austen’s originals had. And the quoting was sometimes a bit erratic, like ‘Oh I think I’ll throw in a Pride and Prejudice quote here. And the WORST part was that she even through in an entire scene/section that was pulled directly out of Mansfield Park which really bothered me for some reason.

Continue reading “Book 120: The Phantom of Pemberley – Regina Jeffers” →

2012 Challenges, Books, Quotes, The Classics Club

Book 119: Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy

Geoff W

So sometimes it sucks to be well read, or at least appear so. A friend visited last weekend and she mentioned the ending, thinking I was re-reading it, which marred the ending for me. I had no idea how the story ended and although I would’ve had a good idea leading up to the moment she mentioned, I spent more time wondering when ‘it’ would happen rather than enjoying the story for the last 300+ pages.

Anna Karenina counts for the Mount TBR, Tea and Books, Back to the Classics and The Classics Club – and more importantly it puts me over the 50% mark on ALL 2012 challenges. (Right on goal for the year!)

Overall I’m really glad I read this. If not for the challenges I joined this year I doubt I ever would have gotten around to reading it. Not only did it make me have a new desire to learn more about Russia and it’s people, but it made me want to actually visit Russia. (At least theoretically, I’m still leaving Doctor Zhivago on my Back to the Classics as a place I realistically won’t visit.) What was probably most surprising about the novel was that they were just normal everyday people like in all the other classics I’ve read – and that Russia isn’t all snow and ice! Russia has farming and society and all the things I never thought it had. I enjoyed Tolstoy’s various characterizations of Russian high society – some desperately wanting to be European, and some desperately wanting to stay independent/non-European, especially when they travel in Europe.

Click here to continue reading.

2012 Challenges

Mount TBR: Climbing Mt. Vancouver (Checkpoint 2)

Geoff W

Bev of My Reader’s Block has called for the second check in of the 2012 Mount TBR (To Be Read) Reading Challenge and I’m a little less pleased with my progress this time than I was at Checkpoint 1, but still pleased at the steady progress..  For this challenge I have read   For this challenge I have read 17 of 25 books which is 68%! I’m in the process of wrapping up Anna Karenina so I’ve counted it towards my progress. (As it will be done before the 30th – hopefully tonight!)

In addition to our basic check in – Bev has asked us to do a couple of things.  The first is how far we’ve made it up the mountain (that’s above) and if possible convert it into actual distance – that would be 10,735ft or 3, 272m (Mount Vancouver is 15,787 ft/4,812m tall according to Google). The second thing she asked us to do was to compose a poem (with extra words if needed), write about our favorite character or explain if any of the books surprised us.  I’ve decided to do two of them. My poem is below and after that is my surprise read of the year!

Click here to continue reading!

Book Group, Books, The Classics Club

Book 118: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson

Geoff W

Congratulations Hollywood and hype! I had no idea how simple and eloquently written this novella is. From the few adaptations I’ve seen the bits of and the general idea of the story I’ve gleaned over the years I thought it was a much more over the top, dramatic and violent story. I’m not completely wrong, but I definitely had more action in my mind, but I can now remind myself it Stevenson wrote, and set the novella, in the late 1800s. (Part of this may be I feel I was merging Frankenstein and this novel together in my head, but who knows.)

This book is for my Books into Movies book group at my local library and conveniently also counts for one of my 100 books for The Classics Club! I’m holding my breath book group is better than last month. I don’t think there’s anything too contentious in this novel, but who knows with book group.

Click here to continue reading.

Random

I’m A Grumpy Ggggggg

Geoff W

Sorry everyone, I needed to take a few minutes and vent a few things about the book blogging community and blogging in general.  As I was writing I realized some of it was just me being petty, but part of it is a larger issue that I just don’t want to be the one to raise.

You aren’t supposed to be able to read what I’ve written (except for the last two paragraphs) because I used the NaNoWriMo Word hint to hide what I wrote.  I did this to 1) get this off my chest and allow me to step-over-it and 2) so that I didn’t offend or upset anyone.

GGGG GGGG!  Ggg gg gg gggg gggg G gg ggggggggg ggg ggg ggggggg ggg ggggggg gggggggg ggg ggggggggg gg gg gggg ggg gggg ggggggg gggggg gg (ggggg gggg ggggg’gg gggggg gg gggg ggg gggg ggggg G ggg) ggg ggggg’g ggggggg gg ggggg?  Gg’g gggggg ggggggggggg ggg gggggggggg gggggggg gggggggggg gg gggg ggggggg gg ggg gg gggg gggggggg ggg gggggggg ggg gggggggg ggg ggg gggg gggggg gg ggggggg.  G ggg’g ggggg gggg ggggggggggg ggg gggg, ggg g gggg ggggg gggg ggggg ggggg gggg gggg gggggggg gg ggg ggggg gggggggg ggg gggg gggg gggg.  Ggg G’g ggggg ggggg ggg G ggg gg ggggg ggg G ggg gggggg ggggggggg (gg ggg ggggggggg gg ggggg ggg gg gg ggggg) gggg ggg ggg gggg, gg ggg ggg, gg ggg ggggg gggg gggg G ggg.  Gg’g gggggg GGGGGGG gggggg ggg gggggg ‘ggg, ggggg ggg gggg gg-ggg-gg ggg.’

Ggg gggg gg gggg gggggggg, ggg ggg gggggggg gggg-gggggggggg/ggg-gg-gg ggggg ggggg gggggg gg g ggg ggggg ggg gggggggggg ggggggggg.  Ggg ggg gggg gggggggg gggggggg, ggg ggg gggg gggg ggggg gg gggggg, ggg gggg gggg ggg gggggg ggg ‘gg’ gggg ggg ggg gggg ggggg gg ggggg’g gggggg gg ggg gggg ggg – ggg gggggg GGGG GG GG!  Ggg ggggggggggg gggg gggg gg ggg gggggggg, gggg gggggggg ggg gggg gg ggg gggggg gggggg ggg ggg’g ggg gggggggg, ggg gg GGG’G, gg gg ggggg G GGG’G, gggg gg gggg ggggg gg gggg ggg gggg ggggg. Gg ggg gggg gg ggggg ggg gggg, gggggg gg ggg gggg gg – ggg’g gggg ggg gggg gg gg gggg gggg ggg.

There is one thing – I will ‘vent in public,’ if you will. Just keep in mind this is a personal opinion (and stems from my work with social media/technology in my professional life), so don’t everyone line up to take pot-shots at me.  When you’re writing your blog, try and remember that REALLY long blogs are difficult to read.  I know I’m guilty of doing this on occasion so I’m clearly the sinner casting the first stone.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I read at least 100 blog posts a day and honestly I lose interest quickly.  Just a tip from experience if you find something really interesting and find yourself writing and writing and writing, try breaking it up into a series – or creating a page for a longer/in-depth look.

Thanks for letting me vent even if I couldn’t share all of it publicly – sometimes you just have to write something out to get some sort of closure.