brilliant critique once again

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim: This book began delightful and ended just the same. It had a very simple plot about four women who go abroad and stay in a big house. The lovely thing about it are the changes that come to each woman while she is away. I recommend it.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: This is j the m's favorite book. It is so beautiful and tragic though, it broke my heart. Before reading this book I imagined it would be about the wife of the time traveler written about by H.G. Wells in the Time Machine. Not so..it's an entirely new concept of time traveling. It is a great read, one I'll remember a long time.

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer: This book was loaned to me by the lovely kt, who said I should love it. And I do! It's a silly sort of vague romance (where you have no idea it's a romance until the last page, unless you were told so initially) written 60 years ago, and the writing style is so comical it won my heart.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: I have nothing very good to say about this book. In fact..it's all bad. I had high hopes of this book. It was recommended by many people--especially because it was written by a BYU grad. But it was very dull and tiring. The thing that kept me reading was the hope that it was about to get good, but it never did. It was about very little--basically lust and staring. There was minimal plot as well--aside from the lust and staring, the only plot was a tiny skirmish at the end which was also overly dramatic. I am very disappointed, especially after all the hype. I will not waste my time reading anymore of the series.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine: A friend told me to read this book long ago. I have finally managed it. It is different than the film, but I liked it very much. It was an exceptionally light read.

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory: I am delighted with this book. Gregory really brought to life the women portrayed in the book, wives 4 and 5 of Henry VIII. I am going to read the entire series. History portrayed in this way is at its most interesting.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides: I liked this book quite a bit. It is not depressing--even with 5 suicides. It is written in a very light manner, from the perspective of a spying group of boys. It is a bit sad though, but mostly just interesting.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder: This book has a very interesting premise. A girl becomes the food taster to an important man, and she learns all about detecting poisons. I think the writing is so-so, and the story is carried out well enough. I am planning to read the next book in the series. It's an action-adventure genre.

General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn: I liked Sharon Shinn before I read this book. Now I'm having second thoughts. I must concede the point that I may be the one to have changed--perhaps my taste in books is evolving and I am becoming a snob.

Girl with a Pearl Earing by Tracy Chevalier: This is an interesting peek into the life of a dutch maid in the home of a great painter. I enjoyed it. I suspect the movie deviates greatly from the plot, however. We shall see.

a brilliant critique on such and such

I've decided to begin reviewing the books I read. This has been requested many times. I now succumb. My usual excuse for not reviewing them is that I never have much intelligent to say about them except my general impression (e.g. lame, loved it, duller than trout, etc). I read books for pleasure and don't analyze or take them literally, seriously, or personally. I also have very low retention (often, anyway) and tend to forget books immediately after I read them, so all that's left is the impression.

And so, here are the impressions of the books that have shown (past and present) on my recent books list.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: This book may be slow moving and thick, but is well worth the effort. I very much enjoyed this one. I kept checking it out of the library and returning it after I ran out of renewals, and finally got my own copy from paperbackswap.com. This book consoled me during my first month of riding BART, and will always have a special place in my heart. It's fantasy in the real world, with men in suits who read a lot. This book will stay with you, and the ending was most delightful (in a solemn sort of way).

The Robber Bride: I was overcome by the general ickyness of this book. I didn't finish it. I recommend avoiding the aisle this book is on. It is a book about 4 women, 1 of whom ruined the lives of the other 3. The book tells the story of the ruination of each life and, when it isn't a flashback, the events of the present are told 3 times from each perspective. Slow and painful.

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: This book was fun. It was a combined with the sequel (where you turn the book upside down and start reading from the other end.) It was somewhat tedious, however, and tended to use the same phrases over and over and beat the P.C. issue to a bloody pulp instead of a delicate froth, as I would have preferred. In its few shining moments, it was clever.

Don't Know Much About History: I'm still not finished with this book. I'm really not that tempted to read it (history, that is) unless I force it on myself on BART, and even then I tend to read it very slowly (I'm in love with fiction, what can I say?). But what I have read is exceptionally delightful and funny. It brings out the (stinging and sarcastic) side of history that you miss in the classroom, and tells all the great stories that you hear history majors telling at parties because they read original documents. But YOU can outsmart them with less effort.

Orlando: I love Virginia Woolf. Her books are strange and hard to follow, but she comes up with the most ludicrous plots that amuse me vastly. This book was her lightest book (in subject matter), and was about a boy who turned into a girl (magically, not medically or emotionally) and seemed to live for centuries on end. It does have a stellar moment that resembles the court case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce as portrayed in Dickens's Bleak House (which is supremely delightful!) where your inheritance money is used up in a long dragged out court case. Lovely book.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7): Uh..totally awesome. It left me satisfied. I will say no more on this one.

The Hours: I read this one because it is a sort of tribute to Virginia Woolf. I saw the movie first and loved it, and meant to read the book. I did eventually start it, only to realize it was most imperative to first read Mrs. Dalloway, which I did. It tells the story of three women--one being Virginia Woolf as she first begins to write Mrs. Dalloway, one being a woman who is reading Mrs. Dalloway, and another woman who is a contemporary woman whose life is similar to Mrs. Dalloway. It was lovely. But sad. Alas!

The God of Small Things: This book was beautiful in style, story, and language, like no other I've read. It's no wonder it won the Man Booker prize a few years ago. It tells a (heartbreaking) story starting at the ends and converges to the middle of the story, the climax, at the end of the book. Each chapter alternates between the beginning and end of a story, so by the time you reach the end of the book you know what will happen, but it is still beautiful. I would be wary of the final chapter, however.

Gilead: I read this book for a book club. It is the ramblings of an old man, in no particular order. It is a challenging read, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you are motivated. It did have great moments and portrayed interesting father/son relationships, but it's hard to get through. Gilead is a city in Iowa.

One Good Knight: A stupid book about a knight who is a woman. I began to suspect Mercedes Lackey wrote badly during this read.

The Fairy Godmother: The prequel to One Good Knight. This book confirmed my then suspicion that Mercedes Lackey writes badly. It was pretty lame. She did create an interesting setting where the story took place, however.

Freakonomics: very cool. I'd recommend this as a must read.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: This is my first time through the book, amazingly enough. From watching the movies, I didn't realize the actual book would be quite so juvenile, but it is. It is definitely written for children, and the story moves extremely fast. It was still a lovely book, nonetheless.

The Stolen Child: I LOVE this book. It tells the story a changling who steals the life of a boy and pretends to be him, as well as tells the story of the boy whose life was stolen and goes to live with the other changlings. It is interesting, moving, and beautiful. I highly recommend it.

The Alchemist: This book is very short, but very good. I loved this book as well. It's about a shepherd boy who goes in search of his "personal legend." I highly recommend this one as well. If you drive, I'd recommend listening to it. The narrator's voice is the icing on the cake.

The Enchanted April: I'm still reading this one, but so far is excessively delightful!

The Corrections: Also still reading, but is very diverting.

Northanger Abbey: A reason to love.

It all began one wintry night, when the sky was dark and the wind howled...

The movie showing (that wintry night) featured a film beloved by few: Northanger Abbey, the unsung Jane Austen flick.

Like janie the magnificent (who introduced me to this film), I have grown to harbor a great fascination and love for Northanger Abbey. There are far too many who fail to love it as they should, and each time I convert another follower I cannot help but rejoice. And so, I have decided to compose a list of reasons to love (the film).

Why I love Northanger Abbey (BBC)

1. The male lead's last name is Firth. Peter Firth. No relation to Colin Firth, unfortunately, but this point alone is important enough that I need not go on...(yet I do).
   
2. The theme music is excessively melodramatic. Quite laughable, actually. Not at all fitting for a jane austen.
3. There is a horrific saxophone and soprano duet during a nature walk that you just can't miss.
4. Peter Firth sings somewhat painfully out of tune, but at least he tries. With his own voice--which is more than most can claim.
5. All the actors and actresses are VERY ugly, except for the two leads who are so-so.
   
6. The film was made in the 1980s, with hair to match.
7. The male antagonist is super creepy, and far uglier than any other cast member, except possibly for the old guy in the giant yellow wig.
   
8. There is a woman in the ballroom with a beauty spot on her face 1 inch in diameter.
9. You can hear Darth Vader breathing in the background sometimes.
   
10. The female lead (often) wears her hair with tight curls poking out onto her forehead that looks like a claw.
    
11. There are daydream sequences (that don't always make sense)!
12. The male lead somehow wins the heart of the female lead by insulting her on the sly.
13. The male lead wrinkles his nose in one scene, which is positively delightful.
14. The male lead goes after the female lead, riding a long long way. She is sought. And all ends happily in Jane Austen fashion. Hurrah!

Really, I could go on and on. SO delightful. As a side note, your enjoyment will be magnified if you first read the book Northanger Abbey is a spoof of (mainly) (and which is alluded to throughout the film): The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe. 675 pages of wild and crazy Gothic fun. I should also say that you should read the book Northanger Abbey before you watch the movie, but I don't want to be too demanding, even if I am old fashioned.