Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book about eating disorders is beautifully written, painful, and riveting. By the end of reading it, I was terribly upset and really, really angry. I'm not sure I'll have the courage to write about why I was so angry, but that doesn't mean it's not worth a read. It really is - but it also holds nothing back and requires a fair amount of courage from the reader, I think.

Jaran by Kate Elliott

I've discovered that in some ways, I'm sorrily under-read in the fiction department. Not my fault, really - after all, twenty years of my life were devoted to Mozart, Schubert, Monteverdi, Fauré, and Schumann, and I consider that my eduction in poetry. But, I've got some catching up to do. Fortunately, I have many helpful friends who are more than willing to point me towards great fiction. This book was recommended to me by Ms. Agent, and though I had a bit of trouble getting into it, I'm soooo glad I stuck with it. Great world building, great story telling, and memorable characters. Also, horses!

Stargazer by Claudia Gray

I openly admit that vampires aren't my thing, but I really enjoyed the first novel in this series and I enjoyed this one even more. A couple of the scenes had me fanning myself a little (oo la la! Steamy!) and my only complaint is that the novel was too short. I'm pouting that I have to wait for the sequel.

The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith

Hmm. sharigreen passed this one on to me. The book has an interesting structure - six stories told from six different points of view, all sharing the common element of a boy the characters knew who died prior to the opening of the story. While I thought the concept was really interesting, I'm not sure it all came together. Some of the stories lacked a strong sense of voice and at the end, I was left feeling, "And....so?" However, the story has left me mulling structure and voice, so maybe it was more successful than I initially thought? Or, maybe not. I'm leaning towards the not option at the moment.

The Garden of Eve by K.L. Going

I have a fascination with stories that have dead people in them. This one has a dead mother, a dead little boy, a cemetery, dead apple trees - all the fixings for a suitably creepy story. I like creepy kids' books, what can I say?

Unfortunately, the creep factor got lost along the way and instead, the story turned a bit fluffy-bunny at the end. That doesn't mean I don't like happy endings, because I do, but I felt the author intruded a little too much, and because of that, the story veered awfully close to that line where a story ceases to be a story and becomes a lecture, which is too bad.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Now, this one was high on the creep factor and never let up. The ending was freakin' scary, I tell you - zombies! Zombies everywhere! And, what I really liked was that these zombies were horrible - not a bit of kitsch to be seen. While the opening half of the story seemed a little slow at times (that's a really picky criticism though), the latter half was relentless and by the time I got to the end (I couldn't put this one down), I felt as browbeaten and beleaguered as the main character. Plus, I though the author was gutsy in her treatment of the characters (I don't want to say how because I don't want to give away the ending) and the choices she made for them. Plus, did I mention how scared I was? I was! Very scared!

So, onto May. On deck, Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay and The Cleft by Doris Lessing and then, maybe something light. Dunno what, but I'm open to suggestions!

Since I've convinced myself that reading is part of my job description and therefore, is not something I should feel guilty about, my reading list has grown in leaps and bounds. March was a particularly good reading month. Here's the list:

1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

I almost didn't read this book, which would have been too bad, as it turned about to be a really great read - strong characters (Po is my fav), a plot that evades all the usual fantasy tropes while, at the same time, is relatively traditional, and above all, a good story. A book like this goes to show, in my opinion, that a good story is a good story is a good story.

2. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff.

Oh, how I adored this book! What I really loved is the risks Ms. Rosoff takes with her story telling. Much of the novel is told through run-on sentences, which gives the story a breathless quality, as if the narrator (Daisy) is afraid that if she stops to take a breath, she might not have the courage to continue with the tale. A gutsy, raw, bittersweet read.

3. Beyond This Dark House by Gabriel Guy Kay.

Hmmm. At first, I loved this book of poetry, but as I got further and further in, I found that the poems took on a uniform tone, and that I became very aware of the author's presence. For me, that's not a good thing, because it puts a barrier between me and the poetry. That doesn't mean that some of the imagery in the poetry wasn't startling and moving, but by the end, the book felt like too much of a good thing.

4. What I Was by Meg Rosoff.

After reading How I Live Now, I was hungry for another Rosoff novel. I found that I didn't engage with this as much as How I Live Now, but it's still a beautifully told tale, bittersweet and strange.

5. I Will Ask for Birds by Kelly Parsons.

Oh, how I loved this book. Some of you might remember me writing about my sadness when I learned the author recently passed away, and I still feel that sadness. I spend a lot of time thinking about poetry because it's an art form that I love, and developing my poetic voice (whatever that really means) is a constant struggle of mine. I find that poetry illuminates the weaknesses in my writing like nothing else, which is actually a very good thing, because then I can identify what I need to work on (or, explore - weakness isn't always a bad thing, I think).

Anyhow, I value clarity - clarity in music, clarity in poetry, clarity in all things. Clarity is difficult, because it's easy to hide behind a myriad of notes or words, but to reduce things to their absolute essence requires such vulnerability and risk. Singers often talk about "singing naked", and this book is full of naked poetry - poetry that doesn't hide, and because of that, is so clear and startling, as if the poetry brings the world into greater focus.

This book holds the sort of poetry I wish I could write.

6. Bogchild by Siobhan Dowd.

Another book by an author who left this world too soon. This book wasn't what I was expecting - the title spoke of weirdness and strangeness, and what this book turned out to be was honest and simple, a tale of a boy in Ireland during the Troubles, trying to make sense of his world which his brother is on a hunger strike and bombs are going off. I'm not sure the story of the bog child always feels integrated into the story, but it's an enjoyable read, nonetheless.

7. Basic Training for the Young Horse by Reiner Klimke.

Ah, this book reinforced many of the things I believe about riding and art and life.

8. Fibroid Tumors and Endometriosis by Susan M. Lark.

There's a lot of good general information about women's health in this book. Plus, it recommends kale. Kale is growing on me. *sigh*

And, finally:

9. The Poetry Home Repair Manual by Ted Kooser.

Ted Kooser is another naked poet, and this was a great little book that provided food for thought about a whole host of things - I love books that do that. You think you'll learn something more about poetry when you sit down with it, and then, surprise surprise, you actually learn something more about life.

And thus ends this long post about books. So, now, tell me about something you've read that you've enjoyed. Share the book-love!

So, I decided that this year would be the year I'd read more. The truth is, I read a lot, but much of what I read is music, and while that's important, it's not quite the same thing as sitting down and reading a novel. The other realization I had is that I'm very bad when it comes to reading non-fiction as I read it like I'm still in academic mode, where I go in, get what I need, and get back out - something that I need to rectify.

Anyhow, my January reads are as follows (not counting the numerous non-fiction books I have on the go - hence the desire to fix my non-fiction issue):

Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell.
Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey.
Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver (yes, I read cookbooks.)
Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
Dawn on a Distant Shore by Sara Donati

Of the bunch, my favorites were Through Black Spruce (a book that's completely deserving of its Giller Prize honour. Told via two alternating narrators (one of them is in a coma for most of the story), the story is full of northern flavour and dialect, and there's a bear, and plane crashes, and drug runners, and beautiful, sparse language. A definite re-read, both for craft and pleasure) and The Underneath, which reduced me to tears.

A couple of them didn't live up to the hype, sadly.

And, Dawn on a Distant Shore - ah, to settle down with it was such a pleasure. Comfort reading, I'd guess you'd say, but also, one of those books that got me all excited to get back to my own writing. Sara Donati tells one heck of a great story.

February's reading includes several books of poetry, a few more award winning things, and hopefully, the complete of some of those non-fiction books I've got underway, even if it kills me.

ETA: And, just got word that we've got tickets for the Canucks/Habs game next weekend - go Habs!

The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys.

This is a very cool (heh) little (literally - it measures 4 x 5 inches) book. The Thames has frozen 40 times in recorded history, so Ms. Humphreys wrote a short story for each of the times it froze - 40 little dips into history. Some of those dips are more satisfying than others. I particularly liked the ones that immersed me in the time without becoming history lessons (historical details did intrude on some of the stories - not in an offensive way, but considering how creative many of the stories were, I believe the author could have found a better way to integrate the historical stuff), and Ms. Humphreys has that rare knack of using sparse, yet vivid language - yummy! Also, there were pictures. Pictures are always good.

I'm very intrigued by the possibilities of the structure of this book too...*cue the churning brain*

Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati.

For the last while, I've been reading stories that are sparse. I really admire writers who are able to tell evocative tales in an economical way (word-wise) but I realized when I sat down with this novel that there's something equally wonderful about good, dense, sink-your-teeth historical fiction, and I've missed that, especially after reading so much dark, intense stuff lately - not that this story isn't intense or dark, because it has elements of both, but it allows a reader to breathe as well, which I really appreciated. And, I do love stories that take me back in time to capture the flavour and sentiments of the period without becoming bogged down in details or becoming sentimental and overly romanticized. And, from a writerly point of view, boy oh boy can this author write sexual tension. Holy Toledo, it just oozes from the pages!

Also, it doesn't hurt that this book is connected to one of my favorite stories of all time (The Last of the Mohicans)...

On deck - The Book Thief by Mark Zuzak (which I started, but had to put down because I needed a bit more space after Living Dead Girl before tackling another dark, dark read), and Eclipse by you-know-who, which I've also started, but I must admit I'm feeling less than charitable about it right now...

Recent reads:
New Moon, by you-know-who.

This, like the first book, might have benefited from a healthy edit. I'd say a third of the novel could have gone, but then, that's just me. One of the more effective things, in my opinion, was SM's use of blank chapters to convey Bella's state of mind - this packed a great emotional punch, and nary a word in sight. One wonders if this is a technique SM might have employed a little more often. Heh.

However...for me, this novel lacked the vitality of the first. I thought the relationship between Jacob and Bella was nice (albeit dragged out), but it lacked spark, and I found myself skipping pages and not missing a thing. But, having said all that, will I read the new one? Yep. 'Fraid so. I want to see more of the Volturi. To me, they were the most interesting thing in the novel.

On a different note...

Living Dead Girl, by Elizabeth Scott.

The bookjacket reads: When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends - her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.

Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.

This is Alice's story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

So, this is a short novel. I kept wanting to stop, but I couldn't. It's horrific. And yet beautiful. But ultimately, horrific. It took me places I never wanted to go, and scared the crap out of me. And yet, it was an excellent book.

Read it. You might wish you hadn't, but you might also be very glad you did.

(Plus, I had a squee when Ms. Agent was mentioned in the acknowledgments...)

*
In other news, tonight I chopped a chapter and a half out of In the Face of the Sun. I love that sort of thing - it's just like weeding a garden, which among my favorite things to do (I mean, to look at all that disorder, and know that the only thing that will bring forth the beauty is good, hard work? What better feeling is there than that?)

I've also spent a goodly amount of time writing essays about this novel and DB, and maybe, just maybe, I'm finally getting a handle on both. We shall see. I will wait for the eyeballs' verdict (though the DH declared the opening chapter of Sun to be much, much better, so that was good news, even if he's a bit biased). What I do know is writing about my novels is never a waste of time. I might go off on all sorts of tangents and leave myself extensive lists of questions, but doing so is one of the best ways for me to break through a block. The trick will be to remind myself of that the next time the going gets tough.

And, also, I got a ride in today. The ring was mush in a few places, which was a bit tricky considering Ponyboy was rather strong - that got the heart rate up, which is one of the things I've been trying to avoid the last little while - but, he was also very happy and that gladdens my heart to no end. I'm hoping the footing will be good enough tomorrow that I can turn him out for a real run (without me on board) prior to my lesson (yes, a lesson - I haven't had a lesson in well over a month!) because I have a feeling, with the chilly weather we've been having, Ponyboy will need to blow off a little steam.

And with that, down periscope and back to work for me. High ho, high ho, and all that...

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I took this weekend off to read, and read I did. Three days, three books.

Book #1: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.

I picked this up because the ladies in our local bookstore said I wouldn't be disappointed, and, I wasn't. Aside from the ending, which seemed a little abrupt to me, I loved this book. It's dark, complex, funny at times, and the main character, Katniss, is brilliant - tough and fragile and vulnerable and gritty...

Apparently, there's a sequel...boo for having to wait, but yay for more of this story!

Book #2: Twilight

Considering all the hype, I figured I'd better read the thing. At first, I thought I'd grit my teeth the entire way through, especially since I've read so many disparaging thoughts about Bella, and her relationship with Edward, but I know my students love it and they're all articulate, intelligent young things, so I was curious...

The verdict? The book could use a serious edit in my opinion, and there were places where the pace ground to a halt. However...I can completely understand why my students love this book, and the reason, I think, is Bella (despite the fact my students swoon over Edward). Bella is them - she's a bit snarky and a bit mopey, and a bit silly, and real... She's not a tough, in-your-face, let-me-at-'em kind of girl, and most of the criticism I've read seems to think she should be, but to me, Bella could have been any number of teenage girls I know, and that's why, I think, the girls love this story.

As for Edward - yes, he's a little creepy, but he is a vampire, after all....

Anyhow, it turns out I rather enjoyed this book - there were moments that just sang, and I thought Stephanie Meyer was really inventive with her vampires (granted, I am not well versed in vampire literature). I just might venture out this week to get the sequels, and when my sister arrives for Christmas, we're going to see the movie.

Book #3: The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

This book's been sitting on my shelf for years, and for some reason, I just never got around to reading it. I adored the movie when it came out - I've seen it several times, and each time, I just bawl my way through it - bawling in a good way, mind you! It's very moving, and sad, and yet hopeful all at the same time. So, maybe because I loved the movie so much, I just couldn't bring myself to read the book because I feared it might be one of those rare cases where the movie was better than the book.

This is a slim book, but it's finely crafted, and has the same emotional intensity as the movie. And, it's one of those books that manages to carry a message without hitting the reader over the head with that message. I'd highly recommend it, especially to anyone who's interested in myth and legend, and how myths and legends are still hanging around, weaving their way into our world.

Now, with my inspiration well a little more full, just maybe I'll be able to get back to work...

Happy Monday to all!