Ex Libris

Slowing Down

At this halfway point in the year 2009, I thought it might be a good time to visit where I've been and look ahead to where I'm going with my reading.  As you know, I'm a huge fan of reading projects, both dated and perpetual.  I made an attempt to reign myself in this year by making the books I selected to read count for as many challenges as possible.  I feel as though I did a reasonably good job and continue to select books to read from the challenge lists.  What I am finally realizing (and harder yet, admitting to myself), though, is that I am actually caught up in a numbers game.  I am obsessed with the number of books I read and how many of those books I can tick off of a list.  Because of this, I find myself reading through as many books as I can and eagerly looking at my spreadsheets from previous years to see how the numbers compare.  Will I read 100 books this year?  Will I read more than last year...two years ago...etc.?  It is an adrenaline rush when I realize I'm 12-13 books ahead of where I was at this same time a few years ago.  I suppose that is good if I was in competition with myself, but is that really what I want to get out of my reading?

My thoughts have been turning in this direction because  the month of May was my best reading month ever (or at least since I've been keeping track) with 11 books.  The month of June, on the other hand, rained on my parade as I was only able to complete 2 books, an all-time monthly low.  Talk about eating some humble pie!  Since then, I've been thinking about my purpose for reading.  Is it to compete with myself in challenges and watch the numbers rise?  Or is it to learn something about a culture, a time, an event, human nature, and not to mention my personal enjoyment?  I really think it is the latter, which leads me to another train of thought:  I really don't know the best way to get as much out of my reading as I possibly can.  I don't have a formal degree in literature, but I do have several books pertaining to this subject at my disposal.  It is high time I made use of them.   There is no reason for me not to pursue self-education.  Most of all, though, I need to slow down and stop worrying about where I will be at the end of the month/year. 

Does this mean I need to give up challenges and projects?  No.  But it does mean that I can feel just fine if I don't complete them.  I sincerely hope I will be able to do this - to slow down and savor my reading while  improving my understanding about what I am reading.  That is my focus for the remainder of 2009 (and beyond).

Save Ohio's Libraries

Ohio's public libraries are in grave and immediate danger.  Gov. Ted Strickland's proposed budget cuts to counter Ohio's billion dollar state deficit include $227.3 million in library funding during fiscal years 2010 and 2011.  This represents a 30% cut, in addition to the 2o% that libraries were facing before this proposal.  If the budget is passed, Ohio's libraries will suffer a 5o% reduction in funding over the next two years.  This will be a death knell for smaller libraries and severely curtail hours and services in larger ones.  If this budget passes, cuts will begin  July 1, 2009. 

We cannot allow this to happen.  For more information on the effects of the budget cuts and what you can do to make your voice heard in Columbus, please visit this website. 

Let's save our libraries!!

An Interview with Robert Olmstead

As you know, I had the opportunity to read and review Robert Olmstead's new novel, Far Bright Star, which has just been published by Algonquin Books.  I was also given the opportunity to interview Robert (via e-mail) about the book.  I am honored to present to you Robert's responses to my questions:

Q:  Far Bright Star has the feel of both military historical fiction and a Western, yet it is primarily an introspective look into the soul of the main character, Napoleon.  What was your motivation for writing this book and what would you like for readers to take away with them after they've read it?

I think by the time I was done, there were two things that just kept coming back to me.  The first is the absolute maturity, dedication, commitment, humanity and professionalism of Napoleon and his brother.  These men are our truer selves.  And the second is how easily we squander these men (and now women) with our utter lack of insight, imagination, diplomacy, statesmanship, judiciousness, foresight.

Too quickly we memorialize our losses.  We grieve and forget.  We do not question.  We shake our heads and turn our palms to the sky.

Q: Horses play an important role in the book, both as characters and symbolically.  It is obvious from reading your book that you respect them a great deal.  Have animals always played an important role in your life?

I grew up on a dairy farm in New Hampshire.  We have always had horses and still do.  I have always found horses to be most magnificent and companionable.  It is our good fortune they are so tractable and we must remember it is only recently, fifty years or less, they have been so relegated to sport and pleasure.  During WWII the Germans and the Soviets used some 6 million horses.

Q: You chose very strong and powerful names for the character Napoleon and his brother Xenophon.  Was this primarily to emphasize what you wanted the characters to represent?  Do these names carry any special significance for you?

The father they knew when they were growing up was Robey Childs whose story I told in Coal Black Horse.  He was their christener, not me.  So I did not name them so much as wondered what Robey might have named them.

Q: There is a good deal of violence depicted in the book.  Some of it is brought on by stupidity, some by revenge, and all of it seems to converge in order to strip Napoleon down to his core being which forces his introspection.  Would you agree?

Pretty much.  But I did not know that would happen.  I think there are three chapters lost and wandering in the desert.  I had no idea that was coming or would go on so long.  But once we got there something ripped loose inside him and inside me and there we were.  What happens when the best of men and women are called upon?  What manner courage and endurance when all is hopeless?

Q: How did you conduct your research for this book?

I did the usual reading and imagining.  I spent time in New Mexico and Mexico.  I retraced the route of Pershing’s Expedition.

Q: When you are not doing research for a book, what types of books do you enjoy reading and who are some of your favorite authors?

I read a lot of poetry.  I recently came across Denise Duhamel’s work.  Really quite amazing.  Her work also deals with violence and disruption and without the linen scrim of fiction.

Before that The Vagrants by Yiyun Li, In the Rogue Blood by James Carlos Blake, Serena by Ron Rash…

* * * * * * *

My thanks again to Courtney Wilson and Algonquin Books, and especially to Robert Olmstead for his generosity in answering my questions and for writing such a powerful book.

Far Bright Star

Title:  Far Bright Star

Author:  Robert Olmstead

Publisher:  Algonquin Books

Rating:  5/5

In the summer of 1916, soldiers from around the world were at war with each other all across Europe and parts of the Middle East.  American soldiers were not involved yet; rather, they were  with General John Pershing in the desert of the southwestern US and Mexico hunting in vain for Pancho Villa, a Mexican revolutionary general who carried out a raid on the town of Columbus, New Mexico.  This expedition provides the setting for Robert Olmstead's newly published novel, Far Bright Star.

The book's protagonist is a middle aged man named Napoleon who, along with his brother Xenophone, has been a life long soldier.  Xenophone's responsibility is  the care of the military horses, while Napoleon's is to train the men on the horses to ride in search parties.  The expedition is proving to be fruitless, and the men often as not are sent out on endless details such as looking for and shooting wild cattle for food.  It is during one of these routine busy-work missions that Napoleon and his men find themselves caught in a desperate situation from which there is little hope of escape.  Napoleon  faces the ultimate struggle - with himself - in the aftermath, questioning at the core of his being who he has been and what he truly wants.

I could use  many words to describe this book -stark, beautiful, frightening, poetic - but I think intense describes it most accurately.  You don't realize how intense it is at first because of the lyrical quality of the prose and the occasional camaraderie and levity.  But when you reach the end (at only 207 pages), you won't believe how much has been packed between the covers.

Olmstead has a true gift for incorporating his respect for our nation's history and the people who lived it (good and bad), his respect for horses and their place in that history, and the beauty of language pared down to its essence into a thought provoking novel.  It serves as a reminder of where we've been and makes one wonder if we've ever learned anything from it.

I highly recommend Far Bright Star.  It is beautifully written and characterized, and delivers an intense reading experience that will not be soon forgotten. 

Many thanks to Courtney Wilson and the folks at Algonquin Books for this opportunity!

Fifteen Books in Fifteen Minutes

Today's Booking Through Thursday is courtesy of Shelley:

“This can be a quick one. Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.”

Hmmm....15 books in 15 minutes....here goes!

1. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
2. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
4. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
5. A Long, Long Way by Sebastian Barry
6. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
7. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
9. Hotel World by Ali Smith
10. The Drinking Den by Emile Zola
11. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
12. Atonement by Ian McEwan
13. The Barracks by John McGahern
14. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut
15. A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor

I feel as though I am cheating some of my favorite authors and their books.  I'm not, really - it is just that for this exercise I can only pick 15.  The number of books that will stick with me are well above 15.   Looking at my list, it is a nice mix of books that have been my favorites for years and others that I've read more recently but have left quite an impression on me.

This was fun!  I want to try this with authors, too.  I think it will be interesting to see how the lists compare.

The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns

Title:  The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns

Author:  Elizabeth Leiknes

Publisher:  Bancroft Press

Rating:  3.5/5

Lucy Burns has what every woman wants - money, clothes, and a great body.  What Lucy Burns wants is what she can't have - contact with her family or a boyfriend.  Why?  Because of a letter she wrote as a child, offering to do anything to save her sister Ellen who had been hit by a truck.  What she received in return was a job.  Her boss?  The Devil.  In the trade off that gave Ellen her life back, Lucy became a facilitator - assisting persons destined for the lower regions through her firey basement door.

When Lucy falls in love with a professor, she begins to realize exactly what she has been missing all these years  and starts looking for a way out of her contract.  She finds it in the most unlikely way, via her favorite pop star Teddy Nightingale.  But getting out of the contract isn't as easy as Lucy thinks, and she will be forced to wrestle with herself in determining whether what she wants is best for those she truly cares about.

In The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns, Elizabeth Leiknes gives readers a modern day Faustian tale with a comedic twist.  If you don't mind your humor a little on the dark side, then you will find this an interesting alternative to the normal beach read.  Perfect for summer, it is fast paced, clever, and gives a good bit of food for thought about priorities while providing some escapism.

Thanks very much to Harrison Demchick and the folks at Bancroft Press for this opportunity! 

The Merry Month of May

 At the beginning of this month I expected to experience my worst reading month ever.  Life was not going well, and that can translate into not being able to have time to read and/or not being able to concentrate on reading.  I was surprised, then, that not only was I able to read, I finished the most amount of books in one month since I started keeping track about four years ago.  A good reading month for me is typically 8 books.  If I can read 8 books, I feel pretty good about it.  This month I finished 11 books (!)  Some of the books were longer than others.  Some of the books were gut wrenching to read.  Some of them were better than others.  But I made it through 11, so I'm going to celebrate!

Here's what I read:

 

Paradise by A. L. Kennedy - 4.5
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt - 4
Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy - 3.5
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald - 5
The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer - 4
The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano - 5
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote - 5
Far Bright Star by Robert Olmstead - 5
The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by Elizabeth Leiknes - 3.5
The Three-Cornered Hat by Pedro Antonio de Alarcon - 4
In the Forest by Edna O'Brien - 5

Of these, three stand out as favorites.  The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano was sent to me by the publisher and is an uncorrected proof, bound without a cover.  The type size was extremely small and difficult to read, but I was spellbound from the first page.  I need to write my review, so I won't comment further except to say that I highly recommend this book if you get the chance to read it.

Another favorite this month should be no surprise to those of you who are familiar with my reading preferences.  I think Truman Capote is brilliant, and Breakfast at Tiffany's only solidified his standing with me.  In addition to the title story, there were three other short stories in the book, including "A Christmas Memory", which had me in tears.

My third favorite book this month is one I started yesterday and finished today - Edna O'Brien's chilling psychological thriller In the Forest.  I've been wanting to read Edna O'Brien for several years and finally was able to work in one of her books.  This book was based on a true story and was a real page-turner.   I have no doubt I will be reading more by her.

What's next?  I have been so bent on reading fiction lately I feel I'm neglecting my non-fiction.  So today I started reading Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker by Stacy A. Cordery.  The Roosevelts predated the Kennedys as American "royalty", and Alice (the oldest daughter of Teddy Roosevelt) was the reigning princess.  I'm really looking forward to reading this.

In the fiction lineup, I'm starting Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie which is on the Orange Prize shortlist.  I'm a little behind in my Orange Prize reading, and this book seems to be getting a lot of press, so I thought I would try to sneak it in before the prize winner is announced on Wednesday.

 Last but not least, I was privileged to receive the Lemonade Award a few days ago from the lovely Jeane of Dog Ear Diary.   Thank you, Jeane!  This award is for "great attitude or gratitude", and is to be passed on to 10 bloggers whom the recipient feels is especially deserving.  There is no doubt in my mind that all book bloggers are deserving of this award, so please consider yourselves nominated!

Happy reading everyone!

The Nonesuch

Title:  The Nonesuch

Author:  Georgette Heyer

Publisher:  Sourcebooks

Rating:  4/5

Georgette Heyer must have had a wonderful sense of humor.  Her Regency novels are often filled with slang, which does much to embellish the personalities of her characters and makes them appear either very witty or almost silly.  Heyer takes this to the next level in her Regency romance, The Nonesuch.  The title itself is slang for a man who stands well above everyone else in terms of accomplishments such as driving/riding horses, shooting firearms, sports, manners of dress, and of course wealth.

The character owning the title of "The Nonesuch" is Sir Waldo Hawkridge, a wealthy man in his own right who has just inherited another estate in Yorkshire.  Sir Waldo decides to visit the estate to oversee the necessary repairs to make the building habitable and convert it into a children's home. 

The arrival of The Nonesuch causes quite a stir  in the small community.   Dances and outings ensue, as the young women (and especially their mothers) try their best to interest Sir Waldo and his cousin Julian into leaving bachelorhood behind.  No one tries harder (with less effort) than the young, beautiful and self-proclaimed social diva Tiffany Wield.   Tiffany has been sent to the country from London by despairing relatives unable to control her behavior.  In the household of the Underhills, she is kept company by a slightly older companion, Ancilla Trent.  Tiffany is accustomed to getting her own way without any regard for the feelings of others.  Ancilla does her best to soothe Tiffany's tantrums while minimizing her damage.

This scenario provides the backdrop for romance and some interesting character studies.  Sir Waldo is a confirmed bachelor, yet he is attracted to Ancilla's calming personality and sharp intellect.  Ancilla, thinking herself too old at 28 for either love or marriage, is less than impressed with Sir Waldo's money and personage as The Nonesuch, but she is attracted to his strong, quiet nature and ability to separate himself from his reputation.  Tiffany, who expects all men to love her madly, has difficulty understanding how Julian could have the slightest interest in anyone else.

I really enjoyed this book and Heyer's characterizations, especially that of Tiffany's.  She seemed to me to be very much like Scarlett O'Hara at the beginning of Gone With the Wind - in fact, I kept waiting for her to say "fiddle-dee-dee" or "butter won't melt in my mouth."  But Heyer wrote of a different era with its own set of slang.  And speaking of Regency slang, check out this site for a list of  words and expressions and their meanings.  It will come in handy!

Thanks to Danielle Jackson and the folks at Sourcebooks, who are doing a remarkable job in bringing back the magic that is Georgette Heyer's Regency novels.

The Talisman Ring

Title:  The Talisman Ring

Author:  Georgette Heyer

Publisher:  Sourcebooks

Rating:  5/5

Eustacie de Vauban is the young, high-spirited granddaughter of the dying Lord Lavenham.  She is also quite bored.   Engaged to be married by way of  her grandfather's dying wish to her cousin Sir Tristram Shield, she doesn't care much for Sir Tristram and wants nothing to do with the marriage she views as entrapment.  Eustacie, who has a tendency to create thrilling escapades out of every conversation, would rather be on an adventure of her own making.

Eustacie puts her desires into action when she packs her belongings and leaves Lavenham Court on horseback at night, headed for London to become a governess.  While she is riding through the woods, she stumbles into a band of smugglers (or "free traders") who are being pursued by the law. Unknown to her, the leader of the smugglers is none other than Ludovic Lavenham, another cousin to Eustacie who was falsely accused of murder and forced to leave England.  When shots ring out, Ludovic (with Eustacie behind him on the horse) is injured,  the two of them head to a nearby inn where he can recover.

Sir Tristram catches up quickly with Eustacie and makes the astonishing discovery of Ludovic.  Having always felt that Ludovic was framed for the murder, and that if a particular ring (a talisman ring) that was removed from the body can be found, then Ludovic's name can be cleared.  With the help of Sir Tristram and another couple staying at the inn, Sarah Thane and her brother Hugh, an adventure begins that even Eustacie could not have imagined in her wildest dreams:  keeping Ludovic hidden from the law until he can recover from his wound, and finding the talisman ring which will clear his name. 

This book is Georgette Heyer at her best - daring adventures with sparkling characters that jump off the page and pull readers into the story where they are so absorbed, they do not come back to reality until the book is finished.   Heyer infuses humor and warmth into the personalities of her heroes and heroines, giving them an endearing quality that will have you rooting for them throughout their escapades and, of course, their romances.

It just so happens that I read this book during a week that was very difficult and emotionally exhausting for me.  I credit Georgette Heyer and The Talisman Ring in particular for providing  me with a wonderful adventure that made coping with life a little easier. 

Thanks to Danielle Jackson and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read another wonderful title by Georgette Heyer.

A Passion for Books

Today's Booking Through Thursday is all about gluttony - for books, that is:

"Book Gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or are you a controlled buyer, only purchasing books when you have run out of things to read?"

I prefer the term passion to gluttony, and yes I am passionate about owning books!  At the moment I have over 2,500 in my possession.  I know that this number can be considered small by true bibliophiles, but for someone who lives in a small 2 bedroom townhouse, it is a lot.  I derive a lot of comfort from being physically surrounded by books.  In addition to my bookshelves, I have stacks of books in several rooms.  My closets are filled with them.  I occasionally weed them out, but I am constantly replacing them with new and/or used purchases. 

Provided I have some cash and no pressing obligations, one of my greatest weekend pleasures is to visit a bookstore.  (Which one is determined by how much I can spend and whether or not I have coupons, etc.)  Sometimes I go to Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati (a large independent bookstore) where I treat myself to brunch and books.  Other times I visit Half Price Books (used books) in Dayton, then go across the street to Barnes & Noble - again, depending on coupons, etc.  I love to go to used book sales.  If cash is tight (which it often is), I find a trip to the library to be satisfactory.  I just love to browse and select.

What drives my passion for buying books?  I could blame it on my childhood as we did not have a lot of books (my parents were not readers and they did not have the money to buy books), usually only receiving them as gifts on birthdays and Christmas.  But that isn't entirely fair.  My parents, even though they themselves did not care for reading, always saw to it that I had access to the library and, in the summer, the bookmobile.  I rather think it is a combination of my childhood and my compulsive nature.  If one must be compulsive, I can't think of a better outlet for it than books!

I know I will never read all the books in my possession.  I'm perfectly OK with that.  It is comforting to know that I can browse and select what I am going to read without leaving home.  I also enjoy selecting reading challenges based on books that I already have.  I can't imagine ever running out of things to read, and I intend to see that it never happens.

I have a passion for books - am a "book glutton" - and am proud of it!