Space Station Mir

50. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky The Perks of Being a Wallflower was recommended to me back in high school and I never got around to it. When I finally did, I thought it might have been too late. Then, I started reading. Charlie is truly an unforgettable character. His view of the world is heartbreakingly open and thoughtful, curious as a baby and much more articulate. But the atmosphere that he evokes, of one small group, one facet within a high school builds an incredibly intoxicating, and, for me, nostalgic atmosphere. His friends are quirky and interesting, they're real people. And Chbosky seems to know that even when things get complicated, in spite or because of all the intense fear and sorrow that teenagers are capable of feeling, things can still feel like magic, or in Charlie's words "infinite." I don't think I can write a very unbiased review of this book. To me, it felt poetic, lyrical, pitch-perfect. I suspect those who are

49. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman I've been meaning to read Gaiman for several years now, and I finally did. This was the first Gaiman book that was ever recommended to me, and I borrowed it recently from a friend. Neverwhere is the under London odyssey of a bumbling British straightman known as Richard Mayhew. He is told to beware of "doors," which take their form as a girl named Door from the underworld, whose family has the power to open anything, and for that are slaughtered, leaving her as the only survivor. She is dogged by malicious henchmen from the underworld known as Croup and Vandemar, and seeks protection from the roguish Marquis de Carabas and legendary bodyguard Hunter. Richard is pulled into her world and must leave his ordinary life behind to help her complete her mission to avenge her family and achieve his own desire to return to normalcy. Gaiman's writing is undoubtedly the best part of the book, he has a wit and penchant for the absurd that for

I had to modify this week's topic for the Broke and the Bookish Top Ten Tuesday meme a bit. Lately, I'm an inferno of book lust, despite a lot less time for actual reading, since I'm working 2-3 jobs/internships, plus grad applications, which are thankfully almost over. I did finish Neverwhere and The Perks of Being a Wallflower recently, which had both been on my to-read list for many years, and am more than halfway through The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. I hope to get reviews up at some point, but we'll see. 1. Divergent by Veronica Roth Sounds like a great dystopia novel with a kick-ass female protagonist. 2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Heard such great things and I am a fan of beautiful, magical writing. 3. The School of Night by Louis Bayard Heard him speak at the National Book Festival and am totally hooked by a tale of sixteenth century rogues and DC academics. 4. Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire I loved Wicked , heard Maguire r

48. And So It Goes, Kurt Vonnegut: A Life by Charles J. Shields I had the opportunity to meet Charles J. Shields and his wife Guadalupe at The Writer's Center in Bethesda, MD. The only authorized biographer of Vonnegut was a wonderful speaker, I wished I'd had him to speak the rest of the book to me, for as thorough and direct as his prose is, plus a prodigious knack for hitting all the most interesting details, his speaking was even more entertaining. In the Introduction, he writes of his first attempt to convince Vonnegut that he was a worthy biographer. His initial plea produced a mailed self-portrait from Vonnegut, with the caption “A most respectful demurring by me for the excellent writer Charles J. Shields, who offered to be my biographer.” In person, Shields recalled that it was his wife who "fastened on the word 'demurring'" and convinced him to try again, which he did with success. That little tidbit was left out of the book, as were the details of

This week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday at the Broke and the Bookish . 1. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. After reading his new biography (review soon!), it might make more sense if I didn't want Vonnegut at my table. He comes off as bitter, attention-seeking, and womanizing. Yet he still seems like a charming and entertaining dinner guest when he wanted to be, so I'd be interested in conversing with him on a good day. Also, I feel like we might bond over similar pessimistic yet secretly optimistic worldviews. 2. Madeleine L'Engle It was my dream to meet Madeleine L'Engle, especially because for a long time, she and Vonnegut were the only two authors I liked that were still alive. Both from her books and a taped interview that I have of her, she seems like the sweetest lady, besides being vastly knowledgeable and interesting. I think we would have a lot in common. 3. L.M. Montgomery I love all of her books so much, and I'd like to think we are maybe similar people.

Clearly, I didn't look at today's Top Ten Tuesday topic at the Broke and the Bookish last night! Otherwise, I would have saved my TBR list. But here are some other books that still lie unread on my shelf, despite my desire to read them. 1. The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen Been meaning to read since I attended a panel with Reif Larsen at the first Boston Book Festival. 2. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares Loved the Sisterhood books, still need to read this, although I'm afraid I won't love it as much. 3. The Room and the Chair by Lorraine Adams Great story about how I attended a Bookslut Reading for this, which just happened to coincide with my visit to Berlin. 4. Sandition and Other Stories by Jane Austen Been meaning to read these forever, and recently picked up a copy in a used bookstore. 5. King of the Murgos by David Eddings The second book of the Malloreon , the follow-up series to the Belgariad , which I loved. 6. Demon

46. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman 47. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman Since I last reviewed a book, I've had a lot going on (more on that in a moment). A friend left his copy of The Subtle Knife in my car, so I took the opportunity to reread it. I read His Dark Materials back in middle school, I picked up The Amber Spyglass the week it came out. Since then, I've reread the first book, The Golden Compass , a few times, but not the other two. I hoped I'd have something profound to say, but while the hierarchy of angels and Pullman's objective in vilifying the Catholic Church appear more clear in a second reading, to say nothing of Lyra's "sexual" (I put quotes because it's more love than sex oriented) awakening, there's not quite as much going on as I remembered. Still, this mysterious Dust that surrounds adult sentient beings, this conscious matter, dark matter, angels, what is this? It feels like a forced collision of science and re

Today's Top Ten Tuesday at the Broke and the Bookish : 1. The Theory of Everything by Stephen Hawking I challenged myself to read this, and the first time, as interested as I was, I couldn't wrap my head around it. The second time I got through and understood a lot better, although much of it is still beyond me. Still, I'm interested and appreciate Hawkin's effort to write simply, so I know I will read this again someday. 2. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli Not the type of thing I normally read, this was for a 16th century British literature class (even though it's Italian), but I really loved it. It wasn't an entirely quick or easy read, but funny in parts and very thoughtful. 3. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Nabokov is a master of language, so that in itself is difficult, but the subject matter was really what was out of my comfort zone. I'm glad I read it, but I can honestly say it made me distinctly uncomfortable the whole time and I definitel

Love the topic, Broke and Bookish ! I also really like Readerbuzz 's interpretation. 1. Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer I read the first chapter of the first book, but I've read summaries, reviews, and feminist outrages on all the books because of how big the series got. I've also had to deal with 10-12 year-old girls telling me how romantic Edward is or how hot Jacob is. So. From what I've seen, terrible writing. But worse, millions of young girls are getting close-minded, sexist, and downright dangerous messages about how they should negotiate relationships with men. In conclusion, I have very, very strong feelings about these books without really having read them. 2. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner The first Faulkner novel I failed to get through. Maybe I'll give him another shot sometime, but just. Ugh. 3. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz SOOO good! Read it now! 4. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce We had

Question: What is the novel you find most quotable or what are five of your favorite quotes from novels? My Answer: "We are such stuff as dreams are made on." Prospero, in The Tempest . And, okay, it's not a novel, but this is definitely one of my favorite quotes and one of the ones I think of most often. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man possessed of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." This has to be one of the finest wrought and most memorable first sentences in literature, from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice . "There seems almost a general wish of decrying the capacity and undervaluing the labour of the novelist, and of slighting the performances which have only genius, wit, and taste to recommend them." -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey "She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older-the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning." -Jane Austen, Persuasi

Here's my go for this week's topic at the Broke and the Bookish. 1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Still one of the scariest books I've ever read. I'll never forget staying up all night thinking that the madwoman was coming to get me. 2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley After the whole Jane Eyre debacle, there was no way my mom would let me touch Frankenstein . Naturally, I snuck around and got my hands on it anyway. I didn't find it nearly as scary, I was more interested in how he got those dead body parts to reanimate anyway and feeling sorry for the poor abandoned monster. 3. The Ghost Writer by John Harwood An old creepy mystery that I read as a kid. 4. The Oxford Book of Scary Tales These are the ghost stories I'd scare my little sister and her friends with, I used to bring it out every Halloween and every camping trip. 5. Falling Up by Shel Silverstein Shel Silverstein is frightening. I'll never forget the poem about the man who grew ol

I've gotten some beautiful copies of children's books from the class I help teach in the summer, but this also means I have some duplicate copies. All books are like new or lightly used. If you know a young person who would really enjoy one of these classics, leave a comment with your answer to the question, which book you are interested in, and your email address. Sorry, I am only willing to send within the continental United States. Winners will be chosen randomly. Entries will be accepted until Nov. 1 and winners will be announced in November. Covers are as pictured! Redwall by Brian Jacques The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery Question: What was your favorite book as a child? My Answer: I think I've already answered this or a similar question. My favorite book from childhood was A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle, closely followed by The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and all the Chr

This week's topic at the Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten Books Whose Titles Or Covers Made Me Buy Them. Another topic that challenges my usual way of thinking about books! Because...I really DON'T judge books by their cover. That's not entirely true, I'm sure there are some subtle things that will make one cover catch my eye over another, but I'm not very aware of it, and I tend to pick up books that a) I've already heard about from a friend/fellow book blogger/newspaper review or b) are in a topic or genre I'm already interested in. If I do pick up a random book, I'm more likely to judge it by the blurb on the back or a quick skim of the first few pages than the picture on the front cover. That said, here goes. 1. Gloriana's Torch by Patricia Finney I saw the cover in the library and was immediately intrigued when I recognized the Armada portrait. I might not have noticed it otherwise and I'm glad I did because this was definitely o

This week's Top Ten Tuesday at the Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time. Usually, books that I love, I just want to read again, period, and I often find I get more out of a second reading. Still, there is a certain pleasure in reading for the first time. 1. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien The first time I read LOTR, I savored it and loved it and just enjoyed spending time in every place and with every character and I got INCREDIBLY emotionally invested, and it's never quite the same, even though I pick up on more in subsequent readings. 2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen I just loved being pulled along by the wit and sparkle, and yes, I knew they were getting married in the end, but I had no idea how that was going to happen. I also kept waiting for what I considered enough vindication for Darcy, never really got there... 3. Harry Potter 1-7 by J.K. Rowling An experience like no other, because of all the hype a

45. Reading Women: How the Great Books of Feminism Changed My Life by Stephanie Staal Reading Women is neither more nor less than it claims to be. The memoir-in-books begins with a quote from Virginia Woolf; "When a subject is highly controversial-and any question about sex is that-one cannot hope to tell the truth. One can only show how one came to hold whatever opinion one does hold. One can only give one's audience the chance of drawing their own conclusions, as they observe the limitations, the prejudices, the idiosyncracies of the speaker." Staal, despite what I perceived as limitations in her interpretations of the texts, fulfills the conditions of the quote admirably. In her Author's Note she explains, "Let me be clear that I approached these books as neither critic nor scholar but rather, as Virginia Woolf put it, 'the common reader.''" I suppose this is what ended up being particularly disappointing for me, because, without knowin

This week's topic for Top Ten Tuesdays at The Broke and the Bookish is "Top Ten Book Endings That Left Me With My Mouth Hanging Open (because of the cliffhanger or because it the ending was MINDBLOWING, etc. Be careful with spoilers on this one! :P)." First of all, what a great question! Second, this is kind of difficult for me to answer for two reasons; 1) I'm unusually good at predicting endings and 2) I don't tend to read for plot, but for character, detail, language, world-building, insight into humanity etc. Therefore, a lot of the books I read simply do not have surprising endings, because that's not the point. Still, I'll try my best. 1. The Giver by Lois Lowry I remember reading The Giver for the first time and crying at the end. It is still one of the few books that has ever made me cry. I had not predicted the ending at all, but I liked it. I was also a lot younger when I read this, though, so this was before I was particularly good at gu

44. Elizabeth I by Margaret George Like her Autobiography of Henry VIII , Margaret George's Elizabeth I is a foundational text in Tudor fiction. Every moment of this book was an absolute pleasure to me, and I have devoted many hours to reading about Elizabeth Tudor and Elizabethan England, both fiction and non-fiction. George writes with the authority and thorough consideration of the queen herself, and brings to life arresting portraits of many Elizabethan figures, particularly the underrepresented (in Tudor fiction and biography) Letitia Knollys and the ubiquitous William Shakespeare, but I also reveled in her portrayals of the Earl of Essex, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, William and Robert Cecil, Edmund Spenser, and lesser known figures like Admiral Charles Howard and his wife Catherine, nee Carey. As soon as I saw that George was coming out with this book (it came out in May), I wishlisted it on Amazon. Then, I received it as a graduation gift from my aunt! I ha

I'm participating again in Top Ten Tuesdays, there are so many great topics coming up. This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish , is Top Ten Books I Want To Reread. This is easy for me, as I want to reread every book that I've ever really loved. I haven't been focusing on re-reading much lately, but I'll list the books that I would most like to re-read in the near future. 1. Emily's Climb and Emily's Quest by L.M. Montgomery I already talked about how the TV series sparked my interest in going back and re-reading the books, and I can always use some L.M. Montgomery to make me feel better. 2. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer I wanted to re-read these as soon as I read them, but I was too swamped with reading for school back then. Now, I have a new reason to re-read them-I'm taking the GRE Subject Test in English Literature fairly soon. 3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins I know I read it very recently, but

This weekend is a bonanza for book lovers in the Washington DC/Baltimore region. Three book festivals were/are going on this week and weekend. The Fall for the Book Festival , sponsored by George Mason University and The Writer's Center in Bethesda, MD, among others, had events all over the DC area this week. I attended the event with Amy Tan on Tuesday. It was a long drive for me, but well worth it. She read from her new book, The Valley of Amazement . She spoke in the voice of her character, an aging courtesan speaking to a younger virgin courtesan that she is training. It was as if the character took over her body, she assumed a tone of instruction, "I may be old, but remember, when I was 19, I was one of the ten beauties of Shanghai..." She kept glancing significantly at the audience. The older courtesan warns the younger that if she does not want to "wear out her insides," she will learn a song for every suitor and how to play on the emotions of every

43. Brisingr by Christopher Paolini I have a lot of mixed feelings about the Inheritance Quartet (formerly Trilogy). On the one hand, there's something there. There are interesting characters, a classic fantasy plotline, and a clear interest in exploring fantastical cultures like those of Dwarves, Elves, and "Urgals," a less sinister stand-in for Orcs or Trolls. On the other hand, a lot of it is obviously derivative (of Tolkien in particular) and events feel contrived to an extreme degree. I read Eragon after the movie came out in 2006 and liked it enough to read Eldest . I thought Eldest was much better in terms of language and organization, and I enjoyed the inclusion of Roran's story and point of view. Then, Brisingr came out in 2008. I went to the store and bought the book the week it came out. I started reading. I put it down. And I haven't picked it up again until now. I got through about the first third of the book and it just wasn't holding my a

This week's Book Blogger Hop question is: “As a book blogger, how do you introduce yourself in your profile?” My Answer: I like to stick to the essentials so that people know the important things, but don't have to spend forever reading my profile. I mention my credentials (I'm a BA in English), a couple interests I have outside of books (travel and friendship) and my favorite types of books, so readers will know what type of books I am likely to review. I really am all over the place, but if I focus anywhere it is on 16th Century Brit Lit, 19th Century Brit Lit, and Science Fiction/Fantasy. I think it's better overall to err on the side of less information than more, because if anyone wants more, they can ask and I'm happy to answer!

42. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery Recently, I discovered on Netflix that Canadian TV had produced a television series of Emily of New Moon. I had gobbled up the Anne of Green Gables books as a child and when those were done, I turned next to the Emily trilogy. What a treat! If Anne was exquisite, Emily was divine. Anne and Emily are both aspiring child writers growing up on Prince Edward Island, but the Anne stories are really about Anne's adventures and friendships more than her writing. Not so with Emily. While there are still delightful childish adventures, Emily is very much a book and a trilogy about a writer coming of age. Some chapters are written entirely in Emily's voice, in her Jimmy-books, notebooks given to her by her cousin Jimmy in defiance of her tyrannical Aunt Elizabeth. We get to see some of her poems and hear about the stories she is writing. One can only imagine that the more subdued Emily is a closer portrayal of L.M. Montgomery's own devel

I know, I've really been getting on the book-meme train here. I'm going to try out Top Ten Tuesdays from The Broke and the Bookish . This week's top ten is in honor of Book Blogger Appreciation week: Top Ten Books I Read Because of Another Blogger My Answer: I think quite a lot of books I've read or want to read are because of other bloggers, but I'm not as good at keeping track of where these recommendations come from. Some aren't necessarily from the blogger I was reading, but from someone else in the Comments section or a link I followed. So, I'm only listing books I definitely know I read because of another blogger. 1. The Believers by Zoe Heller I know I read this because of the review I read at a Commonplace Blog . 2. A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin I continued reading A Song of Ice and Fire after Biblibio assured me it gets better. While I found the style similar, it was enjoyable to get to know the ch

I've been trying to read more book blogs lately and I ran across the Book Blog Hop. This looks like a great idea to me and it will be a good way to find new blogs every week. So here's the link for this week's Hop and this week's question is: “Many of us primarily read one genre of books, with others sprinkled in. If authors stopped writing that genre, what genre would you start reading? Or would you give up reading completely if you couldn’t read that genre anymore?” My Answer: I wouldn't say I primarily read one genre of books, unless you count a category as wide as "fiction." I definitely read way more fiction than nonfiction. Other than that though, I read contemporary fiction, literary fiction, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, classics, fiction from different periods and cultures, and occasionally drama and poetry. Once in a while I read nonfiction on a topic of scientific or sociological interest, or a biography. The only book

41. American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld As you know, I've been looking forward to this one for a while, especially after I snagged it recently in a bargain bin. Sittenfeld's Prep was a book that made a big impression on me and made me vow never to be like her passive-aggressive protagonist, Lee Fiora. American Wife has a much more likable protagonist in Alice Blackwell,the fictional counterpart of Laura Bush. The novel chronicles Alice's life at four addresses, her childhood home in Riley, Wisconsin, her bachelorette pad in Madison when she works as a school librarian and meets husband-to-be Charlie Blackwell (fictional counterpart of George W. Bush), her home with Charlie and their daughter in a Milwaukee suburb when she considers leaving him, and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue when she's re-considering her choice to stay silent on issues where she disagrees with her husband the President. Like Prep , this novel is written in retrospect and often re-counts events out

Take the Quiz here! I think perhaps I am most like Elinor, though I'd rather be an Elizabeth Bennet or an Anne Eliot. What Austenian heroine are you?

40. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss The Name of the Wind had been recommended to me with exceptionally high praise. I looked forward to it, but I also feared that my expectations were raised too high. They were-and they weren't. The Name of the Wind is no Lord of the Rings. It is no Harry Potter. It has entirely its own magic, or should I say sympathy? Kvothe (prounounced like "quothe," now isn't that just lovely to say?) is our protagonist, our orphan underdog hero. Rothfuss opens the book with a silent inn, "a silence of three parts," in a small provincial town apparently on the edge of a large, dark crisis involving demonic forces. There is more than there seems to the quiet innkeeper "Kote" and when he encounters the traveling scribe Chronicler, he is convinced to tell our main character's story, his story. I have not read much epic fantasy told in the first person, so Rothfuss gets originality points here. His chapters

I have acquired a couple of books in the past two weeks, both at independent bookstores, I am proud to say, which makes me feel a little less guilty about giving into temptation. The first I bought at Busboys & Poets in D.C. It was my first time there and I will definitely be going back. While the restaurant is larger than the bookstore (and boasts plenty of vegetarian and environmentally sustainable options), the selection is quite specialized and charming. I noticed almost no recent bestsellers, instead the largest sections were on Poetry and Food Politics, with plenty of History, Social Justice, and a Literature section with focus on more obscure and international writers. I picked up an interesting-looking novel by Nigerian author Ngugl wa Thiong’o. Wizard of the Crow takes place in a fictional African country under a dystopian dictatorship. From glancing through it, I can tell that it has elements of magical realism and intrusive narration that I will love. I picked

Question: What are five books from your "to be read" stack. What makes you select a book for your “to be read” stack? My Answer: I feel like I have more books on the TBR pile right now than I have in a long time. Partly, this is because it was recently my birthday and partly it's because I've recently been indulging in book-buying much more than I should because it's one of the few things that makes me feel better in the midst of a current personal crisis. So, five books... American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, The Collected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen, Elizabeth I by Margaret George, Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares, and Reading Women by Stephanie Staal. These days, my TBR pile grows largely from reviews on other book blogs, but also from newspaper reviews, recommendations from friends and colleagues, and plain old browsing. In the future, I may start taking LibraryThing recommendations into account and at least once I did order a book j

38. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin 39. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin * WARNING: SPOLIERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT FINISHED A GAME OF THRONES * I've been obsessively reading these sequels to A Game of Thrones , but after looking back at that review, I have to say my comments overall are rather similar. A Clash of Kings introduces us to a few new point-of-view characters. We have Davos, also known as the Onion Knight, who is sworn to serve Stannis Baratheon, brother to the late King Robert. If the accusations of incest between Robert's wife Cersei Lannister and her twin Jaime are true (and we readers know they are), Stannis is the rightful heir to the throne. This doesn't stop younger and more charming brother Renly Baratheon from claiming the crown nor does it stop Cersei crowning her son Joffrey in the name of his alleged father. With Eddard Stark dead, his son Robb becomes the King in the North, a move that none of the claimants to the Seven King

37. Eon by Greg Bear Eon is a quirky book of epic proportion. On the cover, the Washington Post is quoted, " Eon may be the best constructed hard SF epic yet." While I'm not sure I can agree with Dune in mind, Eon is definitely hard SF that still remains likable, understandable, relatable to us non-math/tech/science people who still enjoy sci fi. In its scope and weirdness, it reminded me of Neuromancer , a book I tried to read a year and a half or so ago, but it was just too immersed in its own strange reality for me to get into. Like many SF writers, Bear uses short, direct, and sometimes clunky sentences to describe his characters and his world. Few of the characters are fully fleshed out, even the main characters seemed stock-ish to me. Brilliant young woman, hardened administrator, disaffected Russian, etc. However, what makes this book crackle is the plot and the ideas behind it. Bear's imagined futuristic human society is also fascinating and creativ

36. Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language by Patricia T. O'Conner and Stewart Kellerman I'm back from vacation, where I managed to get a lot of reading done, of which this is the first. Although there are two authors, the book is written in O'Conner's voice and I will refer to her as the author. This systematic breakdown of contemporary (and primarily American) English usage declares the true history of popular language faux pas in an attempt to establish the legitimacy or illegitimacy of rules such as "No prepositions at the end of a sentence," and "No split infinitives," as well as words like the ever-bastardized "ain't", and the true origins of words and phrases, including how bad bad words really are and why. Interestingly, O'Conner comes out against some of the best-known "rules" of the English language, both "No prepositions at the end of a sentence" and "No sp