Nonsuch Book

r.eaders i.mbibing p.eril vii

Don't you just love this image? Carl holds us all captive each fall with fantastic images and the promise of nothing but fun. And perhaps a fright or two. Or just a little jumpy nerviness from real or perceived peril. All the details are here. I want to actually have the fun I intend to have so have decided to keep it simple. 

For "Peril the Short Story," I will draw my inspiration from the event art work, and read through as much Poe as possible. On a whim, I picked up this inexpensive Poe collection this summer. I justified the acquisition by telling my children, who are often the audience for my bookish rationalizations, that my other editions are falling apart. And don't smell as good as this one does.

And then for a novel, I have been planning on a re-read of The Mysteries of Udolpho for some time. Once assigned reading for a graduate seminar, it went from the butt of my jokes to being a favorite for both it's gothic splendor and the fact that it inspired my favorite Austen, Northanger Abbey.

I might take part in the group read of The Graveyard Book which I have read several time with kids. Just not sure yet. What will you read? Anyone up for Udolpho with me?

paris in july recommendations request

 

Book Bath and Thyme for Tea are combining their wonderful francophile sensibilities to bring Paris in July to us this summer. Book Bath explains their decision in this way:

"We are two friends with a deep interest and love of French culture and way of life - although we experience and demonstrate this passion in very different ways. Karen has only recently discovered the magic of Paris - the city, the architecture, the fashion and the literature whereas the French experience has been a part of Tamara's life for a long time, leading her to learn the language and experience the culture in a deeper way. But for both of us as Australians, the reality of traveling to France is a costly and timely experience - so we need to find ways of bringing France to us!"

And the best part? No rules. Blog about anything French you love - books, music, movies, food, architecture, anything. Check out this post for details and to sign on. But first, help me out. Tell me your favorite Gallic wonders and inform my summer goof-off? S'il vous plait?

the reading habits of fictional characters: matilda

 

SFP of Pages Turned has come up with a most fun project for the new year - examining the reading habits of fictional characters. And she has invited all to participate. Simply visit this link to hook up with Mr. Linky (something about that doesn't sound right) to share reading lists of fictional characters with the book blogosphere.

Now this is a very appealing idea to me, and I immediately thought of a book perfect for the project - Matilda by favorite children's author Roald Dahl. Matilda, a petite genius, is cursed with the most base, ignorant family imaginable. She is an unbelievable wonder in a whole house of awful. So different from her own. By the age of four, she read through the only book in the house ...

• Easy Cooking

She knows she had to get her hands on more so she begins going to the library most every afternoon while her brother is at school, her father at work, and her mother has gone to play bingo. She reads through the entire children's section in record time, her favorite book being ...

• The Secret Garden

Guided by kindly librarian, Mrs. Phelps, she then picks up a book by her soon to be favorite author, Charles Dickens.

• Great Expectations

"Over the next six months, under Mrs. Phelps watchful and compassionate eye, Matilda read the following books:"

• Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
• Gone to Earth by Mary Webb
• Kim by Rudyard Kipling
• The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
• The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
• The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• The Good Companions by J.B. Priestley
• Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
• Animal Farm by George Orwell

She also reads ...

• The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

This is not the story here of course. Matilda's reading life is just an insight into who she is, "the reader of books." And she has many fine observations about the books she reads including these two favorites:

"Mr. Hemingway says a lot of things I don't understand. Especially about men and women. But I loved it all the same. The way he tells it I feel I am right there on the spot watching it all happen."

"I liked The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I think Mr. C.S. Lewis is a very good writer. But he has one failing. There are no funny bits in his books."

If only more adults had the reading habits of this wee one. 

Join in the fun? Are people really what they read?

reading on the sly

There was a book on top of my husband's commuter backpack this morning, encased in one of the very bright, patterned book sox my daughter likes. It was The Time Traveler's Wife. Seems that the husband wants to read the book before we see the movie, but does not want to be SEEN reading it on the train. So cute it really makes me love him even more. (Oops - he does not appreciate being described as "cute," so please don't tell him.) Have you read a book recently that you would prefer no one knew about? Or are you planning to read something on the sly in the near future? (Think Dan Brown.) 

bookish love for the husband

Today is my husband's birthday, and as I did for my daughter in January, I decided to blog him a little birthday love by listing his ten favorite books. Funny that he and I are polar opposites, and yet, our book taste often intersects. So here it is for the man I lovingly and jokingly refer to as Marcos Aurelius after the great stoic philosopher (his first name is Marcos - didn't screw up the name of the dead philosopher). Happy Birthday, sweetie!

• The Lord of the Rings trilogy
• The Old Man and the Sea
• Love in the Time of Cholera  
• The Great Gatsby  
• The Sun Also Rises 
• The Octopus 
• The Merlin Trilogy  
• Dune 
• 1984 
• The Alchemist 
• (and as a guilty pleasures read) Tom Clancy novels 

  

book bloggers christmas swap

When I saw this post over at Book Nut tonight, I knew I had to sign up. I love Christmas even more than books, and that is saying something. Let me paste in from the post so you can get all the important details from the source: 

Welcome to the second annual Book Bloggers Christmas Swap! 

How does it work?

You sign up by sending an e-mail to xmasswap08@gmail.com. You have until the 18th of November to do so. You will then be randomly assigned as another blogger’s Secret Santa. What you have to do next is send that person a little something - it can be a book, a journal or bookmark, a box of holiday cookies, a mixed CD, whatever you can think of. It doesn’t have to be anything pricey, of course. Second hand books are perfectly acceptable, as are homemade gifts. 

A different person will be assigned as your Secret Santa, and you’ll only find out who they are when you get their package in the mail. Something to keep in mind: Because there are book bloggers from all over the world, this is going to be an international swap. I understand that not everyone can afford to send a package overseas, though, so if that’s the case with you, please don’t feel that you can’t sign up. Just include a note saying so in your e-mail, and we’ll make sure you get a blogger who’s near you. 

What else should your e-mail include? Other than your name, mailing address and willingness to send internationally, you should include your blog url and a short paragraph about what kind of gifts you like, so that your Secret Santa has an idea of what to get you. You could also include links to online wishlists, your librarything catalogue, etc. Anything that you think will make your Santa’s life easier! 

Important dates: The most important date is the 18th of November. It’s very important that you sign up before then, because after that we’ll be assigning the Secret Santas, and once that has been done it would be complicated to include new participants. 

As for when to mail your package, if you’re sending internationally it’s probably best to post it before the end of November. Last year, I suggested that people post theirs before the end of the first week of December, but that turned out to be a little late. If you’re sending within your own country there’s more flexibility, but remember that the mail tends to be slow around this time of year. In any case, you should all know who your blogger is around the 20th of November, which leaves you at the very least ten days to get and mail your gift. 

One more thing: if you could help spread the word by posting about this on your blogs, it would be very much appreciated! 

So get ready to spread some holiday love around, and sign up now.

bookworm tag: this land is their land

"We can expect a rash of similar bank robberies as the middle-aged seek ways to wait out the years between the onset of age discrimination and the arrival of their first Social Security check.

 There's nothing new about using prison as a solution to poverty. Over 2 million Americans are currently incarcerated, the great majority of them from the lowest income brackets. In fact, incarceration is expanding as the welfare state shrinks: while the United States offers 2 million prison beds, it provides public housing to only 1.3 million households, and that number is dropping rapidly." Barbara Ehrenreich

Voluntarily picked up this tag from Ms. Mindless today. When I followed the tag rules, the above quote is what I found. Can't wait to read this one. If you are reading this post now, consider yourself tagged, and post on your own blog if the spirit moves you. 

The rules are: Pass it on to five other bloggers, and tell them to open the nearest book to page 56. Write out the fifth sentence on that page, and also the next two to five sentences. The CLOSEST BOOK, not your favorite or most intellectual.