My Bookish Ways

I’m late….I’m late…

bkwmwc — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 02:12:18 +0000

Bon jour, dear readers. A mountain of apologies are due—and offered—for the tardiness of this posting. My life, for some inexplicable reason, has turned crazy and priorities were temporarily shifted. Je regrette.

Now is the time to try and get caught up. Yes, I’ve been busy reading and writing reviews… I believe I mentioned in the previous post that I had requested WHAT HAPPENED TO ANNA K. from Vine. It is a modern retelling of ANNA KARENINA. It was pretty good but not great. Part of my Amazon review goes thusly: Despite the author’s ability to tell an excellent story with very well drawn characters, it was sometimes difficult for me to follow the thread that held the fragments/stories together. We have the tale of a rather self obsessed and dispassionate woman who seems to always be looking for a “greener pasture”. Money, in this case, is not the motivating force. As the book puts it at one point, Anna is looking for a mate/husband who not only possesses the courage and strength to be a warrior but also the intellectual and literary gifts to then turn around and write about the fight. This journey takes her from Alex (her husband) to her cousin’s fiancé and then, later, to that same cousin’s husband (different person). The backdrop to all of this is the force by which society imposes adherence to its conventions and the consequences/alienation that comes from one person’s refusal. It will be tres intéressant to see how it does.

Along with the above, I also requested (from Vine) and read some memoirs by Philip Smith about his father who was an interior designer by day and into mysticism (big time) at night. I also raced through a rather humorous group of chapters/essays by Celia Rivenbark. There is another Vine Thursday coming up next week so we’ll see what is offered then. Right now I’m doing some private study and reading un lovely cozy.

And speaking of Proust , I read an interesting article in the New York Times this AM. It was asking why people read him. Needless to say, several answers were theorized; however, one of the primary reasons had to do with a certain snob appeal. I took issue with this and ventured forth with my own—as I’ve mentioned (in ad nauseam) here several times. I further stated that Proust’s IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME may have the reputation of being very daunting but, in my opinion, is a walk on the beach compared to the arduousness of getting through someone like Toni Morrison. Sorry Oprah….

Is anyone besides moi into journals—as in those in which one does journaling? I find myself habitually buying them—not to write in, mind you—but just collecting. Rather strange I think…

Weekly events

bkwmwc — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:00:40 +0000

When we last spoke, dear readers, I mentioned I was reading THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE. Although it seemed to take forever, I have completed it. In my review on Amazon, the first several hundred pages were compared to a pair of old shoes: comfortable, wearable, dependable, flashless, etc. However, the last hundred pages are fairly amazing and very much salvage the book. It is a love story which takes place between Clare–the title character, and Henry–who unpredictably travels through time. Make no mistake, I am not a fan of science fiction; however, the time shift aspects are treated very matter of factly, if you will, so don’t let that aspect keep you from trying. The novel made it fairly easy to follow the thread that held everything together as Henry traveled through time; however, it will be interesting to see how this is handled in the movie that is currently being made.

Vine Newsletter update: The newsletter was out this last Thursday. The one that is offered the 3rd Thursday of each month is supposedly “targeted” so it is not surprising that mine contained all books and a couple of other items. The book I requested is WHAT HAPPENED TO ANNA K. which, according to the newsletter blurb, is a modern retelling of ANNA KARENINA. There is another newsletter that comes out the 4th Thursday and is basically the “leftovers” of what did not get taken the previous week. Will keep you posted.

Current reading? A little cozy that has me very much undecided as to its fate. The first several pages were witty and smart but now it seems to be declining into “smart alecky”. I’m giving it one more chance but if it doesn’t improve fairly quickly, I’ll be movin’ on…. Til then.

Frustration abounds

bkwmwc — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:42:16 +0000

Last week, for no apparent reason, was quite bizarre. Bookwise, I made a most unfortunate choice in cozys. I read a Miss Zukas mystery. Before rolling your eyes (for the second time), I’ll say in my defense that the reviews were pretty good. So I decided to “take up” with a sleuthing librarian. Do not, dear readers, make this mistake. To merely refer to it as insipid would be obscene glorification. To begin, Miss Zukas is an arrogant prig in her 30s. The reason I mention her age is because I had been assuming, for about the first 40 or 50 pages, she was just one of those old maidish/prudish types in their 60s or 70s—until it started talking about her plans to help with their 20 year high school reunion… HUH? Did I misread that? My dears, it would have to be a measured in geological time since I came across such a blatantly condescending and disagreeable protagonist.

Or so I thought. Then I picked up BARRING SOME UNFORESEEN ACCIDENT by Jackson T. McCrae. Now as my regular readers are aware, this author used to be a favorite. He wrote BARK OF THE DOGWOOD which I found sublime. His next book, KATZENJAMMER, started out good but fizzled toward the end. On BARRING, suffice it to say some unforeseen accident should have occurred to Mr. McCrae’s unfinished manuscript/computer hard drive. It’s just one of those situations where your head goes back and forth, mouth tsking…

I then tried picking up JEAN SANTEUIL again. I ordered a used copy a couple of weeks ago from an Amazon seller (as the book is no longer in print). By about page 200, the pages started falling out. I mean this book/copy is old. The paperback originally cost 95 cents. So I put that away and picked up THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE. This one has been on my bedside table waiting to be read for close to a year. I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt and say I need to give it more time before commenting.

Here’s to a better week of reading!

My Vine-ish Ways

bkwmwc — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:38:27 +0000

I have now received, read, and reviewed the other two books from Amazon. They were an interesting contrast. The first one was THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I daresay I was not as impressed as everyone else who has reviewed it on Amazon. The last time I checked, there were almost 30 reviews and all but two gave it 5 stars (the highest ranking). The other 2 gave it 4 stars. I gave it 3 to 3 1/2. I’m buckin’ the system here. However, reading almost everyone else’s reviews, they found it to be a charming little novel about a book club and its idiosyncratic members…their books…and reading. To me, that was only the initial premise as a way of demonstrating how a group of people survived the Nazi occupation during WWII. Entailed in the broader concept was a vast amount of what took place in the concentration camps–pain, cruelty, and death. I’m not saying this is not a book worth reading. However, I can only recommend it with the above caveat. My lower starred review was just my way of saying it wasn’t my “cuppa tea”. It would appear that I was about the only one who assessed it as having more cruelty/less charm. So, anyhow, I’ll get clobbered on my review as others will soon “review the review”. The second novel was considerably less historical/socio-political. HEARTSICK by Chelsea Cain is about a female serial killer and the cop who is obsessed with her for multiple reasons and on various levels. No spoilers here. Suffice it to say it’s a page turner for the most part and should enjoy a wide readership. It is the second in a series–the first being HEARTSICK. It will be released in early September and can be pre-ordered on Amazon. I know, a tres shameless plug.

I started reading one of my summertime cozys yesterday and will hold off on providing any details as I’m not sure I will make it through… Thus far, the characters to which I’ve been introduced are a tad prim and prissy for my taste. We’ll see, I’m trying to keep an open mind. I still have my Proust. I’ve put JEAN SANTEUIL aside for now but will go back.

Right now, I need coffee. Bye guys

Invitation to join the Amazon Vine program

bkwmwc — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:32:41 +0000

As alluded to last week, dear readers, a new relationship with Amazon has been forged. I received an invitation to join their Vine program. The website describes the program thusly: “Amazon Vine™ is a program that enables a select group of Amazon customers to post opinions about new and pre-release items to help their fellow customers make educated purchase decisions. Customers are invited to become Amazon Vine™ Voices based on the trust they have earned in the Amazon community for writing accurate and insightful reviews. Amazon provides Amazon Vine™ members with free copies of products that have been submitted to the program by vendors. Amazon does not influence the opinions of Amazon Vine™ members, nor do we modify or edit their reviews”. They encourage discussion of same books on private blogs.

Thus far, I have requested three books and received one (a newsletter comes out monthly) which has been read and reviewed on Amazon. The book title is TRADING DREAMS AT MIDNIGHT by Diane McKinney-Whetstone, an author with whom I was unfamiliar. I found it to be a tasty morsel and I will be putting this author on my watch list. It is about 3 generations of African American women and how their lives and relationships, which take very different–and sometimes dysfunctional– paths, intersect. I’m not sure when I’ll receive the other two books–probably about mid week.

Until then I will continue with Le Proust. I’m afraid I haven’t gotten much further into JEAN SANTEUIL since my last posting. Last week was very busy up until I got TRADING… so I will be picking up about the same place. I’d mentioned the early similarity of JEAN with SWANN’S WAY…. After getting past the bedtime scene of needing his mother’s attention, our young bon vivant, Jean, begins talking about his crush on a girl from an affluent family with whom he plays while visiting the Champs-Elysee. I believe much of JEAN was a testing ground for LOST TIME. Adieu

Marcel Proust and Nancy Drew–we’re running the gamut

bkwmwc — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:34:15 +0000

I have indulged myself further in my sudden and seemingly unending pursuit of all things Proustian. I believe it was mentioned in the last post that I’d purchased a slim illustrated (photographs) volume on Proust. I devoured that little morsel and then went to the library for another biography and, in the process, found a copy of Proust’s only other known fictional work–JEAN SANTEUIL. This was published after his death when his heirs discovered hundreds of completed notebooks and put them together to form a continuous narrative. I believe it is true that this work was done before LOST TIME. Interestingly, it starts out very similarly to SWANN’S WAY as it involves a sickly male youth whom is unable to go to sleep at night unless his mother comes in and bestows a certain number of kisses and attention… This book is very long although one volume compared to the six in LOST TIME. I probably will not take the time to read it as comprehensively as I have Proust’s other works; however, what I can tell from the first 100 pages is that it is masterfully done and, thus far, stylistically superb. The sentences are somewhat shorter but every bit as lyrical. I continue to be awestruck. Every time I pick it up, it is with the intent of “skimming” or “speed reading”, however, I get so caught up in the beauty of the prose that I find myself unable to resort to “casual” reading.

In the midst of this, I also picked up and read a Nancy Drew mystery. Not sure why. I read the third one in the series–THE BUNGALOW MYSTERY. It was really quite smart and sassy. Miss Nancy is a prissy little thing with chutzpah to spare. Taken on its own terms, it is quite literate but cannot be compared to the literary empire forged by young Mr. Potter.

I have some interesting things going on with Amazon right now that I don’t know if I can discuss. I wrote and asked them if it can be mentioned on a private blog but have not received an answer. Hopefully more to follow…. Je dois y aller maintenant. Adieu.

On to Proust’s Volume 3…eventually

bkwmwc — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:40:23 +0000

I need a bit of a breather first. I finally finished WITHIN THE BUDDING GROVE yesterday. The second half had much more in the way of a linear story. The first part, as I indicated previously, was somewhat less easily read as the narrator agonized and philosophized ad nauseum about the loss of his first major love (crush?), Miss Gilberte. Of course, Volume 2 ends with him falling hopelessly and helplessly in love with Miss Albertine….so there will be plenty of time and room for further agonizing, contretemps, and moral allegations with recriminations. Life is good. Actually, I thoroughly enjoyed (let’s just call it “2″) BUDDING GROVE. Again, his writing is lyrical and, yes, precise despite the verbosity. Such a philosopher on the vicissitudes of day to day existence.

I was in Santa Fe again this week. Guess what the Starbucks there had? You guessed it–Madelines. Le bonheur vivre. As you may or may not know, dear reader, the impetus for the narrator in Vol. 1 to begin his “remembrance of things past” is biting into a madeline which stirs the many memories of eating one as a child. This little patisserie is forever linked with Proust’s great novel.

So what to read next? Being toward the end of my vacation, it’ll probably be something light… I did purchase a very small “illustrated” volume on Proust’s life at the Borders in Santa Fe to peruse in my spare time…. Au revoir for now.

My Proustian Ways–In Search of Lost Time/Vol. II

bkwmwc — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:17:18 +0000

I’ve put almost a week into WITHIN A BUDDING GROVE and about half way through as I continue my roller coaster reading marathon, summer ’08. What strikes me most about Vol. II is the preciseness of the language. Vol. I, SWANN’S WAY, to me, was more about story. The current is somewhat more philosophical–certainly a more demanding read.

Allow me to digress. Today is the first day of my vacation–being off through next week. I picked up Vol. II last weekend (as I happened to be wearing a T-shirt that has Monfrer Proust’s picture on the front and, yes, was feeling inspired). I don’t know that I would have begun such an undertaking had I not known that a week’s vacation was right around the corner. For me to read Le Proust, I need some relatively uncluttered time. His tome is exacting and intense–there is nothing casual in my approach. That being said, his writing is breathtakingly lyrical–every nuance of life, every emotion is peeled, examined, and philosophically rendered. I undoubtedly lack the cognitive skills/intellectual wherewithall to appreciate half of what is on display here. Do I recommend the author and his magnum opus? Not to the overwhelming majority… It’s not that I consider myself brighter or more philosophically skilled to read difficult, long ass books. Patience and willingness, however, are the essential keys. To be continued…..and continued….

Is there such a thing as an interim post?

bkwmwc — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:28:14 +0000

Greetings and salutations to all. Sorry I haven’t gotten around to posting in a while. I’m in the middle of some things. Also I find the blogging muse visits on its own very private social calendar. Now to business….I’m on a Hemingway binge…again….at current time. It’s not that I haven’t read other books. I just keep going back to Papa. It started innocently enough. I Amazoned the fairly new publication by A.E. Hotchner–The Good Life According to Hemingway. I highly recommend for an uncomplicated insight into Mr. H and some of his life’s philosophy. The man was a VERY byzantine piece of work. He had great passions–as well as the money and wherewithall to indulge them. I think this is the crux of our continued fascination. There are many of his books that I could barely get through. Some of his writing I find/found almost silly. I wouldn’t give the proverbial plugged nickle for A Farewell to Arms….and if I had the choice to erase his name off that cover and replace it with my own–I can honestly say I would not. There are, however, other works of his I have found riveting. I tend to embrace those works the critics did not and vice versa. I liked but did not love Sun Also Rises. I loved A Moveable Feast…To Have and Have Not….The Garden of Eden. The short story was his most successful endeavor. Enough about Monfrer Hemingway…but soon to be revisted, I’m sure.

Several other books have been recently purchased. As a matter of fact, I have several boxes of them in a corner of my room that have not been opened due to the above. I’ll get to them. Several are mysteries. I have another….you guessed it….by none other than Jackson T. McCrae.

And you know what? I’m sort of feeling in a bit of a Nancy Drewish mood. Not necessarily to read anything–I can never make it through a whole book as the primness and propriety of the time weighs it down; however, I like the idea of a female teenage sleuth doing the bull and horn thing upon occasion. More recent attempts at Drew mysteries are fairly worthless. I mean…like…she wasn’t meant to be…like….Valley Girl vacuous. The Hardy Boys, on the other hand, were and continue to be too nerdy. I guess I’ve covered sufficient territory today. Hemingway to “Carolyn Keene”–not bad.

Everybody has one…

bkwmwc — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:34:44 +0000

So you’ve been warned. It is not unusual for my reading to go the way of cotton candy for the brain as the weather warms. I ordered and just got a fairly large Amazon shipment of cozy mysteries and have already taken the dive. The first one is by Mr. John Lamb and it is something between cozy and police procedural. You can see my review on Amazon but to save you a little trouble, I found it tres bon. Not at first, however. As is quite often the case, I warmed to it. It has to do with Teddy Bear artisans and enthusiasts. The male member of the married couple is an ex-policeman with the SFPD. I have his next in the series already ordered. Upon completion of the Lamb, something fairly strange happened. I’ve had an old Dean Koontz book sitting around the house for years that has been on my stack of “eventual reads” and decided to get it out of the way (as in reading so it could be put). I haven’t read anything by him in ages…and ages. I got exactly half way through and realized that, although I had no difficulty turning pages, his style of writing was completely lacking in soul. Has his writing always been stilted? And he is WAY TOO wordy! Now don’t get me wrong, Mr. K must be doing something right. His efforts have afforded him what is, undoubtedly, an ultra comfortable living and lifestyle. And at one time, early in my reading career, I rather enjoyed him. Now I have outgrown, for lack of a better word, works that don’t “speak” to me–at least on some level.