When a book goes horribly wrong for you…but gets you exercising

I would write a review of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but I just don’t feel like it would do it justice. I started the book in February, but goodness…it just really didn’t resonate with me. I put it down, I picked it up, and then I put it down again. When all else failed, I downloaded the audiobook from the library. I had to do that several times. I decided that I would listen to the book when I went and walked on the treadmill at the gym. I was determined to finish. After four months of giving up and then starting again, I finally finished last night on the treadmill.

I am not one to give up on books. I rarely do it and I hate it when I do. I know, I know. Life is too short to worry about that. If it doesn’t fit with my mood, I should just chuck it. I rarely ever do though! I usually push through no matter how torturous I think the book is. I am actually glad that I finished the book and that I didn’t give up on it, but I feel that way only because it got me on the treadmill and exercising. In fact, I so loathed the thought of giving up after approximately 400-500-ish pages that I actually felt motivated to force myself to go to the gym so I would finish it. I was so satisfied last night when I listened to the last little bit last night and the music queued at the end began playing. Then, the reader of the audiobook thanked me for listening to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I thought, “No sir. Thank you for helping me get through this horrible experience. You made it a little more manageable.”

I can’t really give a good and true opinion of the book since it took me four months to read it, but I can say that it didn’t resonate with me. I have seen several other bloggers on GoodReads that really liked the novel so I think it might just come down to a personal taste issue. However, I am definitely not giving up my gym time. I already have my next book on my Kindle and am ready to download the audiobook from the library to keep me going. So, to Miss Clarke, “Thank you.” No, I did not enjoy your book (though I did enjoy the last volume and thought the book was well-written), but it did make me start pushing myself to become more active which I appreciate.


What do you all do when a book doesn’t resonate with you?


Do you push on, or do you give up and move to something you think you might enjoy more?


Have you gotten any good or bad habits from pushing through a book?

The Lost Cyclist–David Herlihy

Book: The Lost Cyclist

Author: David Herlihy

Publisher: Mariner Books

326 pages

 

Frank Lenz was a young man with a bright future. As one of the more famous bicyclists of his day, Lenz was ambitious and wanted the notoriety that some of the other more well-known cyclists were enjoying. His taste for adventure had him seeking out a sponsor to help him take a bicycling trip around the world. He found that sponsor in Outing magazine. In 1892, Lenz set out on his trip around the world. He left his Pittsburgh home and began his worldwide trip by crossing North America before boarding a ship for Japan. For two years, Lenz braved the dangers of bad weather, civil unrest, and illness. As he approached Europe, Lenz knew that the danger of passing through the Middle East would be one of the more harrowing parts of his trip. If he made it through the region, he would find Europe on the other side and be near home. Sadly, he never made it. Lenz disappeared in Eastern Turkey in 1894. The pleas of Lenz’s family and friends convinced Outing magazine to send a correspondent to search for Lenz and find out what happened to him.

 

I had heard of this book some time ago and thought it sounded interesting, but it wasn’t until a coworker recommended it for our Rogue Book Club book that I finally picked it up. I actually looked forward to reading this book because non-fiction is something that I should read more of and for some reason never get around to picking up. I was not disappointed. Herlihy wrote an terrifically interesting book that gives a little bit of history of the bicycle and the climate surrounding it’s development and also tells an amazing tale of several men that pushed the limits of the human experience.

 

This book was part travelogue and part mystery. I enjoyed reading about Lenz’s travels through North America, Japan, and China. It was interesting to see how people reacted to a man on a safety bicycle—most had never seen one and didn’t know quite what to think. I also found the cultural exchange interesting. In today’s society, it is so easy to expose yourself to other cultures just by clicking a button on your mouse or television. So much information is at our fingertips. This was not the case in the late 19th century. Lenz was a trailblazer in reaching out to the world to see what it had to offer. He was working fairly blind in some respects relying on information he read in newspapers and gaining information from people he talked to. I kept thinking how daunting it would be to embark on a trip such as this—travelling solo around the world on a bike!

 

The writing is newspaper reporting style. I saw a few reviews that said it was dry. I found it interesting and liked the directness of the writing style. There is a little bit of disconnect emotionally since it is written in a reporter style, but it also made the book a little more likable in my eyes because it wasn’t overwrought with emotion. The only part of the book that left me scratching my head was the epilogue. Herlihy seemed to be struggling with his own thoughts of the case and it appeared he was working through his own feelings about his research in this epilogue. It is interesting to see his point of view and how he felt about all involved in the search for Lenz. I just wish that he had put this in the rest of the book rather than save it for the end. He brought up some interesting points that made me reconsider some of what he had written earlier in the book. Even with this misgiving, I still enjoyed The Lost Cyclist quite a bit and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys travelogues and mysteries. The book provides both a mystery/true crime element with the excitement of worldwide travel.

Mistborn–Brandon Sanderson

Book: Mistborn

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Publisher: Tor Fantasy

672 pages

 

For years the Lord Ruler has held his subjects captive in terror. No one dares venture out into the mists, and most people try to lay low and not be noticed. Vin has always lived this way. Her brother taught her to trust no one—not even him. When he does leave, Vin is left to fend for herself. She meets Kelsier, a charismatic thief that has grander plans than to just steal from a noble. She joins his band of misfits and together they plot to change the world as everyone knows it.

 

When I picked up this book, I was in the worst reading slump. Lately, I feel like I am too tired to read, too ill to read from allergies, or just too darn busy! So many people have told me about this book over the last few years that I was alternately very excited and very leery about reading it. Typically, when people gush about a book like all my friends have about this one, I am a little disappointed once I do sit down to read it. Not so with this book. I found myself wanting to call in sick to work just so I could read (Note to Boss: I did not call in sick while reading this book…I promise!). The story is engrossing; the world building is excellent, and the characters were interestingly written. I grew to care about Vin and Kelsier as well as a few of the other characters like Kelsier’s brother, Marsh and Sazed, the eunuch.

 

The magic system in the book was fun. Mistings and Mistborns could drink concoctions with different metals and then burn them to get special abilities including enhanced vision, the ability to “push” physically, riot emotions, and others. I don’t want to spoil all the fun for those of you that might be interested in this book. Suffice to say that I wanted to be a mistborn after I read this book. I want some of those abilities! Life would be so much more interesting with a little fantastical magic!

 

As far as characters go, Vin is one of the better female characters I’ve read for some time. She’s young, but strong and capable. I like that she is flawed and goes through a little bit of teenage angst in the book (but not much…I couldn’t take that). She’s an extremely likable character and is reminiscent of Arya in the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. I like young women in literature that are good examples, but also not cookie cutter strong women. I like a little bit of flawed character in books and I think Vin fits that mold. Kelsier is also interesting to read about because you never quite know what his motivations are. I like the having to guess about what his next move is. I also like his interactions with the crew. While they are very secondary in the story with the exception of a few like Sazed who tends to Vin as she becomes more involved in the gang, they are all really fun to read about and have distinct personalities.

 

I will say for all you readers who don’t typically read book series, this book does end with a definite pause. You will be wanting to pick up the next book immediately to see how it unfolds. The Lord Ruler is definitely a multi-faceted character that lets some information fly in the book which will make you want to continue. If you are not a series reader, I would still challenge you to try this one because it is simply a fantastic read and one that got me out of my reading slump and excited about picking up a book again. Brandon Sanderson is an engaging writer that not only writes good plot but also builds an interesting world and characters to go with it. I will definitely be reading his entire catalog.

The Disappearing Spoon–Sam Kean

Book: The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of Elements
Author: Sam Kean
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Kindle Format (no pages)
My Rating:


The Periodic Table is something every student is familiar with. For most of us, we accept this castle-like chart of boxes of letters without much thought, but every element has its own story of discovery. The history of the table is in and of itself a collection of fascinating stories. Sam Kean wrote this largely anecdotal book about the Periodic Table in a way that most readers can understand and every reader can enjoy.

How do I start this review off? Well, I had a terrible 2011 reading year and I even thought myself a little crazy when I decided to start this book on (of all days) New Year’s Eve. It only took a few pages to have me hooked. The book starts off with the story of Dr. Rush’s Thunderclappers. What is this, you ask? Well, it is a laxative that some guy named Dr. Rush gave Lewis and Clark to take on their expedition across the land that has now become the United States (Who wouldn’t get a little irregular on a tough journey?). What the reader finds out is that these laxatives contained Mercury in them and that subsequent efforts to find Lewis and Clark’s trail across the unknown land included the finding of mercury deposits at their campsites. You might think it’s strange that I found that interesting, but I was hooked! Laxatives with mercury?!! I read on…

The book is filled with wonderful tales of discovery as well as pranks that scientists used to play on each other. The title of the book comes from a prank that involves the element, gallium. Scientists would make gallium spoons which has a low melting point and when they sat down with colleagues for tea, well….you can see what ensued:



Are you intrigued? Kean continuously provides interesting tidbits about the periodic table. Whether it is civil war in the Congo, or scientists that try to use beer for “bubble science” (he explains the Mentos and Diet Coke reaction along with some other more serious bubble science), the periodic table has driven a lot of human behavior that I never thought about before. The book is packaged in a pretty accessible way as well. I have never taken physics—EVER. Still, I wasn’t so lost while reading this book that I couldn’t finish it. In fact, I found it so accessible that I have spent some time talking to several people with physics degrees to understand some of the concepts even better. I also have spent a little time looking up some of the things that Kean mentioned in the book which has added to the enjoyment for me (I spent several hours on YouTube looking at weird chemistry experiments after finding the above gallium spoon video).

Overall, this book was a great way to start of the New Year. In fact, I liked it so much that I would even consider reading it again (which I rarely ever do with books). The book challenged me, made me laugh out loud (who wouldn’t laugh when an author explains molecules interacting with each other “like two obese animals trying to have sex”), and caused me to have some very interesting conversations with several people. I highly recommend the book for both science and non-sciencey types because it’s an incredibly fun way to experience what most people found to be incredibly boring in their high school chemistry class.



**I am a Book Depository and IndieBound afilliate so If you purchase any of the books I have featured through the links I posted or from the banners in my left hand sidebar, I get a small commission from them. I am in no way compensated for the reviews I post of my books.

New Year’s Eve Read-a-Thon

Last night I was feeling kind of down because I didn’t have any plans for New Year’s. I got on Twitter to check out my fellow bloggers tweets and found out that Jenn from The Picky Girl was doing a New Year’s Eve Read-a-Thon with a few other fellow bloggers. I believe that Becky from One Literature Nut is hosting the event and Heidenkind from Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books is the other organizer.

Anyhow, I asked Jenn if I could join in and she welcomed me into the event. There are a few books that I wanted to hit on today now that I DO have New Year’s plans with these lovely people.

Here they are:
The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
--I actually finished this book earlier today. I had only 5% left to go on my Kindle and I was determined to hit ,*sigh*, 20 books read this year.








The Disappearing Spoon and other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the Periodic Table of Elements by Sam Kean
--I am currently reading this and just by the introduction know I’m going to enjoy it. It starts off talking about laxatives containing mercury! Fantastic! I’m in!







Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files, Book #3)
--I need to work on my TBR shelf. It sits at 237 right now and this has been sitting on my shelf for some time. The Dresden Files are fun and quick reads, and I’m definitely in need of a little fun in my reading life right now.






The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
--Oh yes, this poorly neglected book on my shelf has been sitting there for a year without me picking it up. Lydia from The Literary Lollipop started a read-a-long last year and guess what….we all put it down for an entire year. We’re trying to get back into it right now. We’ll see how it goes. It’s a fantastic book so far. I plan to pick it up at some point this evening.






In all, 2011 was an abysmal reading year for me. I didn’t like most of what I read, and felt pretty unsatisfied every time I finished a book. In fact, it sounds like a lot of people had mediocre reading years and a mediocre 2011, too.

My favorite book of the year was probably On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. He is simply an amazing author. My least favorite books of the year were probably Tinkers by Paul Harding and The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. City & the City by China Mieville is probably third in this Year of Blah. Maybe I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to read these books at the time I read them. I can’t really say what it was that made me dislike them as much as I did.

As for goals for 2012? Well, I was just talking to Fiona from The Book Coop and I decided that I would try to finish some other poor, neglected books that I started and haven’t finished:

• Finding Chief Kamiakin by Richard D. Scheuerman – I was enjoying this book when my life very suddenly and drastically changed. I put it down and never picked it back up.
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks – I was also enjoying this book and all of a sudden didn’t feel like reading it anymore so I put it down.
• North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell – OK…I don’t know why I put this book down. I was enjoying it immensely. Mr. Thornton, I love you. I actually think I put it down because I was ruining my copy in my bag that I carry on the train. I can’t stand books that don’t look pristine!
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis – I’ve read two of the books. I felt “meh” about them, but I want to finish the series to see if they get better. Maybe I’ll just try for one or two of the books in 2012.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful 2012. This past year has seemed to be a challenging one for a lot of people. I feel your pain if this has been a challenging year for you. It’s definitely been one for me, but I am better for it and happier. I still have days where I struggle, but overall I think my life has changed for the better and brighter days are ahead. I hope that all of you feel that way too. Without struggle, we don’t grow so I hope to keep that in mind for the upcoming year.

I also hope that everyone has a fantastic 2012 reading year! Good luck and keep me updated on what you’re reading! I love to know about new (and old) books!

Being Bookish…

During the last year, I’m not sure I could say that I’ve actually been bookish, but I’ve been realizing over the past few weeks how much I enjoy my bookish friends. There are several bloggers I’ve kept in touch with since I’ve more or less put blogging on the back burner, and it’s these people that keep me going.

Let’s face it. New Mexico is not a book-loving state. There are a few bookish people I know here, but the fact that the state capital has only a few small independent bookstores reinforces that people in this state don’t really read. So what has kept me going? For one, my blogging friends that I keep in touch with either over email, Google+, or Google Talk. None of them act like I’m crazy for loving books and wanting to delve into a story or character. It’s been my outlet during a rather abysmal year of reading for me. I’ve been through some really big life changes this year (new job, moving back to the state where I grew up, etc.), and in the process I lost the book club that I used to go to. I really miss it. I miss sitting around the table with my friends and talking about how filthy Jack Reacher is and how despite that, women still love him. I miss being an active blogger where I made many bookish friends and no longer can keep up with them.

However, things have not been all bad. I still talk to some of my blogging friends like I’ve mentioned above, but I’ve also made some new bookish friends at work. My work, *gasp*, even has a book club! It has been a life saver. They are the only people I talk face to face with about books and without them I think my life would be less full. I like that we can complain about some of the books we’ve read together and laugh about some of the situations characters we’ve read about have been in. I like the deep discussions we’ve gotten in about some of the books we’ve read, and I like ribbing them for ruining my TBR list (just today my coworker from the UK introduced me to the Folio Society—I am still shaking my fist at him for mentioning those beautiful books).

Even though I don’t have as much time to read now, I still have friends that view me as bookish and don’t make me feel bad about how little I’ve read this year (I don’t even think I’m going to break 21 books for the year). I feel so thankful for these people who understand a part of me that most people don’t understand. It makes me feel a little bit normal and a lot bit loved. I love all these people’s passion for reading and books, and I hope that I continue to find people that are that passionate about reading but without being book snobs (just today my coworker told me he bought Cicero and I told him I wanted to get back to The Dresden Files. He didn’t blink an eye. I loved that).

I am thankful for all my bookish friends and I just wanted everyone to know that even though this has been a year of ups and downs, you all have made it so much easier to get through with our little escapist conversations about kava juice drinking, Mr. Thornton (*sigh*), and book sniffing. I love you all, and I hope to continue to keep in touch with the blogging community (and get back to blogging). Thank you all so much for sending me cards and little presents over this year to show me that you have thought about me. You guys are all amazing and I feel lucky to have all these great bookish friends.

Soulless–Gail Carriger

Book: Soulless
Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Kindle Format (no pages)
My Rating:


Alexia Tarabotti is a preternatural—that is, she is soulless and has the effect of taking away supernatural powers from beings like vampires and werewolves. When a newly turned vampire attacks her, Alexia accidentally kills him with her silver tipped parasol. The newly turned vampire turns out to be part of a trend, and Alexia decides to figure out just why new werewolves and vampires have been running rampant throughout the city and turning up dead shortly thereafter.

Somehow, I got the itch to start blogging again while reading Soulless. It’s been about six months since I posted my last review, but here I am posting about a book I felt lukewarm about. Soulless is definitely a fun read, but there is not much to it. I purchased it as a Kindle Deal of the Day and while I think it was worth the $1.99, I wasn’t wowed by it. Alexia is an extremely likeable character which made the book worth reading, but it took about 2/3 of the way through the book for me to really begin enjoy reading it.

The beginning of the book focused too much on the obvious love interest between Alexia and Lord Maccon. There was a huge buildup between them and I felt like a lot of the scenes in the book focused on the two of them interacting. It wasn’t until about halfway through the book that the plot really started to get interesting when more information was given about the disappearances of some vampires and werewolves. I especially enjoyed the older vampire, Lord Akeldama, whose appearance in the book got the plot moving. It wasn’t until Alexia went to visit him after several strange occurrences in London that I was hooked on what was happening in the book.

I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of romance so I think the relationship between Alexia and Lord Maccon was overdone. I was more interested in the main plot of the book and how the disappearances unfolded. I also really liked that Gail Carriger wrote Alexia to be a strong woman that was smart and capable despite her interest in Lord Maccon.

Overall, I enjoyed the book as a something I could read on the commuter train I take to work. It was a simple enough read that I could read through the distraction of my fellow commuters conversations and not miss any of what I was reading (I typically need absolute quiet to read with any efficiency). However, I think the book is also kind of typical of my “blah” reading year. I felt lukewarm about this one. It is definitely a fun book, but not necessarily a series that I will run out and read the next one right away. If you are looking for something quick and escapist and enjoy a little supernatural steampunk, this could definitely be the book for you. If you prefer more heady fare, you might save this book for a time when you are needing something quick and easy.

A Game of Thrones–George R.R. Martin

Book: A Game of Thrones
Author: George R.R. Martin
Publisher:  Bantam
720 pages
My Rating:


Winter is coming. Those foreboding words are something the Stark family lives by. As Lord of Winterfell, Ned Stark rules over much of the north and the cold is very much a part of their blood. When King Robert Baratheon comes to Winterfell and enlists Ned to become the King’s Hand after the previous Hand dies mysteriously, Ned feels obligated to accept his old friend’s offer. After arriving in King’s Landing, Ned finds out just how complicated the job of the Hand is and how corrupt men can be. Numerous families are vying for power, among them the Lannisters who are a force to be reckoned with. The Targaryens are also making a play for power and trying to reclaim the throne by joining with the nomadic warrior Dothrakis. The story that unfolds is nuanced and a true page turner.

This is the second time I’ve read A Game of Thrones. I desperately wanted to finish it before the HBO series came out, but I ended up finishing it about five episodes in to the series. I still loved the book the second time around. The story is so rich with nuanced characters. Almost all of them are neither truly good or evil. Most of them have traits that make you alternately like them and hate them. For instance, Tyrion Lannister is the brother of Cersei and Jamie Lannister. He is not necessarily a likeable person at first. He’s brash, arrogant, and seems to be completely out for himself. However, the reader finds out that his life is difficult because he was born a dwarf and therefore is less desirable to his family so a lot of his behavior is shaped by his life experiences of being treated poorly. There are also characters that in my mind were truly just good or evil. A few favorites of mine included some of the Stark children—Jon Snow and Arya Stark among them. Jon Snow is the bastard son of Ned Stark, but exhibits great character and courage despite growing up with no hope of land of title to inherit. Arya is a fiery young girl who wants nothing more than be able to play and fight like a boy which is very atypical of the time. Both characters were among my favorites and I found them to be in essence, good.

The story itself is also quite complicated. Because there are numerous families vying for power, strategy plays a major part in the book. To me, it was reminiscent of Shogun by James Clavell—there is so much plot and the characters can be so cunning that it leaves the reader guessing what is going to happen most of the time.  Despite the large number of characters/major players in the novel, I didn’t find it difficult to keep them straight. I think this is something that George R.R. Martin does quite well. He makes each character unique enough that you don’t really get confused. The story is also written so well that each story blends fairly seamlessly. There is a lot of history in the books and I do admit to kind of glazing over those parts. I know it’s important to some degree, but I just didn’t take the time to learn the family history of each character. To me, it was enough to know the immediate family members of each of the families and not worry about the lords and ladies of yesteryear.

What I may like most about the book is the world building. Each area has a unique setting, whether it’s King’s Landing, Winterfell, or Vaes Dothrak, the story is written with such detail that I felt immersed in the world and could imagine pretty much everything that I read. The one part of the book I found a little shocking the second time I read it was the way women were portrayed. There are a few strong women—Catelyn and Arya Stark are among these females. For the most part though, women were “furniture” in the book. There were numerous scenes where their only purpose was to be brutalized, fondled, or were for the express pleasure of men. I think I didn’t notice this the first time because I enjoyed the strong females that were in the book. The time period of the book while fantasy, also had a sort of Middle Ages feel to it and women of that time did not have much standing in society. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it misogynistic, but I definitely felt the book was a little lacking in the case of female characters.

Overall, I think the book was fantastic. Even though it’s a brick, I would read it again. Martin weaves an amazing story in with characters that have true depth which has become more rare in recent years. I will continue to reread the series in preparation for the July release of A Dance with Dragons, the fifth book in the series. I also will continue to watch the HBO series which just got renewed for a second season. I highly recommend this book to any reader that enjoys epic fantasy or just likes a really in depth, well-thought out, and well-written story.



A Game of Thrones – HBO series

When I heard that HBO was making a series out of A Game of Thrones, I was ecstatic. I think that only HBO could pull off such an epic series (they did after all produce Band of Brothers and The Pacific which I have gushed over on my blog before). So far, five episodes have aired and they have been fantastic. The casting is perfect for the most part. The only issues that I have with it are that Jon Snow and Robb Stark are both far older than they were in the book as is Danaerys Targaryen. I understand why they did this though. There are some themes in the book that are far too adult in nature for them to cast teenagers to play the characters so I am forgiving on this point.

The cinematography and sets are also top notch. The Wall was simply amazing looking. It was far more impressive on the show than it was even in my head. King’s Landing also looked incredible as did the Eyrie where Lysa Arryn lived. I wondered what the Eyrie would look like because it was one of the more rugged and scary places in the book. The episode that takes place there still hasn’t aired, but they did show a far off view of it, and it was very cool!

The show itself has gotten better and better with each episode. I admit that it started out slower, but as some of the supporting characters like Littlefinger and Varys have come out, I’ve begun to enjoy the show more. I will admit that for people who haven’t read the books, it might be a little frustrating to follow the story at times. There are a lot of characters in the books and it doesn’t always necessarily translate well to the television. Still, I have several friends that are watching the show and they seem to be able to follow it. Two of my friends are loving the show and neither of them have read the series.

I will definitely be buying the series when it comes out on DVD. It’s something that I know I would enjoy watching again and would probably be even better watching them as a marathon. It’s definitely something that will become a staple in my collection. It has also been renewed for a second season which I am definitely looking forward to!

The Girl Who Played With Fire–Stieg Larsson

Book: The Girl Who Played with Fire
Author: Stieg Larsson
Publisher: Vintage Crime
630 pages (Trade Paperback)
My Rating:



Lisbeth Salander has vanished into thin air leaving Mikael Blomkvist wondering what happened in The Girl Who Played with Fire, the second installment of The Millennium Trilogy. Blomkvist has returned to his position at Millennium and is working on a new story involving human trafficking with researchers Dag Svensson and Mia Johanssen. The sex trade is an insidious but thriving business in Sweden and the researchers are about to blow it wide open and name key players in the trade. When Svensson and Johanssen are found murdered, Lisbeth Salander is the prime suspect. Not believing that Lisbeth would commit murder, Blomkvist decides to investigate what happened to his friends and try to clear Lisbeth’s name.

It’s been quite awhile since I picked up the Millennium Trilogy partially because I have sort of been waiting for The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest to come out in trade paperback so my set will be complete (yes, I am one of those people that doesn’t like mismatched books). I broke down because several people I knew were reading The Girl Who Played with Fire and I thought it would be fun to talk with them about it. It turned out to be a good book for discussion as we talked about Mikael and Lisbeth as characters as well as some of the supporting characters in the book. There is definitely a need to suspend disbelief in this book just as there was in the first book. One of the main issues people have had with books that I’ve spoken to don’t believe that Lisbeth has Asperger’s Syndrome. I think The Girl Who Played with Fire explores Lisbeth’s behavior much more and makes her less of an enigma than she was in the first book.

The sex trafficking was also a really interesting topic for Larsson to write about since it is such a taboo subject but is so pervasive in society. While it was written in a fictional/thriller style, I think it did bring light to a very serious topic that needs to receive more attention. The book reminded me a little of certain scenes from the movie Taken starring Liam Neeson. I also like how he wove the story together to bring Lisbeth and Mikael onto the investigation together despite Lisbeth being pursued by the authorities. The book also kept with the theme of “men hating women” which makes the books fit together like a puzzle and continually sheds new light on Lisbeth.

I should also note that Lisbeth’s guardian, Bjurman, makes an appearance in The Girl Who Played with Fire. I was hoping that Larsson wouldn’t let that story go by the wayside since it was one of the most memorable storylines in the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. A mild spoiler alert here: I thought the storyline between Lisbeth and Bjurman came to a really satisfying conclusion in this book.

The only problem I had with the book was the end. One of the final scenes left me scratching my head. For the sake of not spoiling the book for those of you that haven’t read it, I will withhold the specifics, but I will say that I found the end really unbelievable and had to really suspend disbelief to not completely groan at the end. Even with this part, I really enjoyed the book overall and definitely recommend it to those of you that enjoy thrillers.

After I read this book, I watched the Swedish film of the same name. While I didn’t like it quite as much as the first film, it was still really well done. Mikael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace are amazing actors, and I still can’t quite wrap my finger around the idea of an American film. For one, the books are SO Swedish that I really enjoy listening to the Swedish language in the film even if I can’t understand more than a few words of Swedish! I also think the actors embodied the characters so well in the film that there was no need to make a new version of the film. Yes, it does give Sweden more publicity which I am happy about because for the few days I visited Stockholm some years ago, I fell in love with the city. I would love to go back someday and see more of Sweden. Hopefully a blockbuster American film will show people that Sweden has some excellent writers and amazing culture and beauty. Other than that, I recommend that people see the Swedish version of the film. It’s good to branch out and see how other countries make their films. They usually have such different flavor that I tend to really enjoy them. The major complaint I have about the film in general is that while the book tied Mikael and Lisbeth together quite well, it definitely worked better on paper than it did in the movie. There was a disconnect between Lisbeth and Mikael because they had almost no scenes together in the entire film—the book ties  them together through written word much more effectively than a film ever could. Other than that, it was really well done and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I highly recommend The Girl Who Played with Fire as a great read and a good movie.

1 / 5 books. 20% done!
This is my first book for Zee’s Nordic Challenge


**I am a Book Depository and IndieBound afilliate so If you purchase any of the books I have featured through the links I posted or from the banners in my left hand sidebar, I get a small commission from them. I am in no way compensated for the reviews I post of my books.

Friday Coffee Chat (23)–To Blog or Not to Blog?

To Blog or Not to Blog?

This week on Friday Coffee Chat, I’m going personal, and I’m going to talk about blogging which I had never planned to do. I like that all of the chats I’ve hosted before are reader based rather than blogger based. I have friends that read my blog that are not bloggers, and I like them to be able to feel like they can chime in on any chat. I hope that they will feel like they can comment on this chat as well.

Some of you may know that I am looking for a job. It’s been a frantic search because I find myself in a situation where I need a job and sooner than later is almost a requirement for me. In the last few weeks I felt like I would have to give up blogging for fear of a company that I applied to Google searching my name and finding my blog. I don’t think that I post anything objectionable on my blog, but that is in the eye of the beholder. I do review some books in the fantasy genre that some people may find objectionable just because they are fantasy books.

I did read someone’s blog who posted about her sister moving to New York and needing to find a job. This was one of the instances where blogging was an asset to a person who was looking for work. It seems like it’s the exception to the rule though. In the last week, I read several articles about people getting fired for the content on their personal blogs. I want to give myself the best chance possible to find a job, and with all these stories coming out I feel conflicted about whether or not to continue blogging.

My search has roughly gone on for two months. I set an internal goal for myself to apply for ten jobs per week. So far, I have applied for 91 jobs since starting to keep track on my nifty spreadsheet. Of those, I have definitively been turned down by roughly a third the companies. I still have faith that by remaining optimistic and showing that if I continue to plug away, search, and apply for jobs my tenaciousness will pay off and an employer will take a chance on me. I just need that one chance.

On one hand, I feel like my blog is an asset. It shows that I have taken the initiative to do something for the last year and a half that I enjoy immensely and requires some thought and work. On the other hand, I don’t tell most of the employers that I apply for jobs with that I have a blog. It’s up to their HR department to find me through web searches. I am hesitant because someone may look at my choices of books to read and decide that I am not the person they are looking to hire. Maybe this is just me overreacting and feeling overstressed to find a job, but in reality I feel like this does happen to people who run personal blogs.

I am not in a position where I can stay unemployed for very long. I feel that I have a lot to offer a prospective employer if given the chance. For so many years I have settled in my life, and now I feel uncompromising about what I want in life. I have these goals and I am pursuing them like The Goonies pursued One Eyed Willie’s booty (yes, that is one of my favorite movies of all-time)! My question is, will blogging hurt my pursuit of my dream job?

I love blogging. I love the community. I miss posting reviews. I miss talking to people about books. I miss having regular Friday Coffee Chats. It is hurting my blog and me to not be as active in posting as I once was. Not as many people are commenting on my posts, and not as many people answer my Tweets on Twitter when I talk bookish things. I know that I am taking a risk even posting about my job search and my questioning whether or not I should continue blogging, but here it is. Life is all about taking a few risks here and there. I want to know what you all think about blogging while job hunting.

• Do you think there is a risk of being turned down for a job interview if you have a blog?
• Thinking with your head and not your heart, what would you do if you were faced with the absolute need to have a job? Would you continue blogging?
• Do you think that blogging can be an asset even if you are not searching for work in marketing or the publishing industry?

Guest Post #9–Sabrina from Germany Shares Her Book Read ‘Round the World Experience

Lost on Planet China = Purple Pin

Journeying from Dresden, Germany to Alice Springs, NT, Australia

Distance Travelling = 8,768 mi / 14,110 km

Total Distance Traveled to Date = 29,917 mi / 354,111 km

Guest Post #9

Sabrina from Germany

Lost on Planet China is on the last third of its journey around the world. I can’t believe that its traveled 350,000+ km! That just seems crazy!

Sabrina from Thinking About Loud in Germany has sent her package to Amanda from Desert Book Chick in Australia so it’s time to post Sabrina’s guest post. Sabrina posts some amazing book reviews and also had a short series of posts about her green thumb that were really fun to read. She also occasionally posts recipes on her blog. Make sure you head over to visit Thinking About Loud after you read her guest post!

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What did you get in the package you were sent?

I got very many, very amazing things from Julie. First of all I got a surprise, because Julie sent me a book via the Book Depository which arrived before her own package. The day I found it in the mail my first thoughts were. “But I did not order it!” When I found out who and why sent me this I was very pleased. I got Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore. Julie told me in her letter that it was set in Ringgold, GA, which is the town she lives in. I already heard good things about this book and I’m looking forward to reading it soon.

Julie also sent me some yummy moon pies, which are a very Southern snack invented in Chattanooga, TN, which is a railroad town and that is why she sent me the Chattanooga Choo-Choo tag, to give me an idea of Southern America. I also got a reusable shopping bag and a bookmark with a quote from Lincoln. Both items are in constant use now.

What were the questions you were asked?

1. Who would you consider to be your favorite German authors?

To be honest, I have not read very many contemporary German authors lately which actually is a shame. But book blogging and Shelfari both provide very many great book suggestions of American or English authors, which I enjoy to read. Still I have a few recommendations. First of all I love Leonie Swann. Her book Glennkill has been translated into English and can now be found under the title Three Bags Full. Other than that I’d like to recommend Blindness of the Heart by Julia Franck.

2. I’m a HUGE fan of German food. What is your favorite German meal?

This is a tough one. I love food and to narrow it down to one meal is nearly impossible. ;-) But as it is very typical for Saxony, the state I come from, I would go with Saxon potato soup. Typically all the ingredients like potatoes, carrots, leek and celery are cooked together. When this is done the vegetables are mashed/pureed and some wieners or other sausages are added. The mashed soup and sausages are served with bread. Delicious, especially when it is cold outside.  

What was your experience shopping for the next person on the list? Did you fret about what to get? Were you uncertain as to what you thought would be an interesting gift from your country?

I was pretty sure that I wanted to send Amanda things that had either got to do with Germany or books or better both. On the other hand of course I was very unsure about what Amanda would like. So I strolled around town eyes open for bookish German things, in the end picking what I thought to be pretty, useful or representative.


Write a one to two sentence review of the book -- just for fun. I want to see if you can do it!

Next to being entertaining the book was very informative as I learned about China’s people, history, economy and environment. If you ever wondered why Mao had let the Chinese kill sparrows during Cultural Revolution or what happened to the Baiji, the Yangtze River dolphin or which color the air pollution in different Chinese cities has, you should read this book.

I loved participating in this event. I enjoy reading the posts of all the other participants and especially which treats they received from the person who sent them the book. I think it is a great idea to get to know fellow book bloggers. 

Guest Post #8–Julie from the USA shares her Book Read ‘Round the World Experience

Lost on Planet China = Purple Pin

Journeying from Ringgold, GA, USA to Dresden, Germany

Distance Travelling = 4,733 mi / 7617 km

Total Distance Traveled to Date = 21,133 mi / 34,010 km

Guest Post #8

Julie from the USA

Julie from Book Hooked Blog in Georgia, USA sent her package onto Sabrina from Thinking About Loud in Dresden, Germany so it is time to share Julie’s guest post about her experience in Book Read ‘Round the World. Julie has some of the funniest pictures of her love of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series and also has some super cute and HUGE Great Dane puppies that she features on her blog now and then. She also features bookish crafts from time to time. Make sure you check out her awesome blog after you finish reading her guest post.

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What did you get in the package you were sent?

Judith (Leeswammes’ Blog) sent me the most amazing package of items from the Netherlands! She sent a reusable shopping bag, cocktail sticks with her country’s flag, a booklet of bookmarks, a map, beautiful napkins, and decals that I can use in my crafting, and a copy of Girl with a Pearl Earring, which is set in the Netherlands.

What were the questions you were asked?

1. What is the thing that makes you most proud of Georgia?

• How we’re known for being friendly. It could apply to most of the Deep South, but I love that people talk to strangers, leave their doors unlocked, and wave at their neighbors.

2. It seems that houses near you don’t have gardens. Is that quite standard? Do you have a fence to demarcate your plot?

• In my neighborhood, not many people have large gardens.  We live fairly close to town, so most people just do a few small flower beds in front of their houses.  My parents also live in GA, but further out in the country.  A lot of their neighbors have vegetable gardens.  I don’t know anyone who has a large flower garden though.  We don’t have a fence to mark our property line.  We want to put one up, but just to contain the dogs; we won’t fence in the entire yard.  Only one of our neighbors has a fence, and they’ve only got a small one for their dogs and children.

What was your experience shopping for the next person on the list.  Did you fret about what to get? Were you uncertain as to what you thought would be an interesting gift from your country?

I wanted to make sure I got something for Sabrina that represents not just the USA, but also the American South. I’m ridiculously proud of being Southern, so I wanted to make sure that my package gave Sabrina a good idea of what it means to live in the American South. I had a blast deciding what to send!

Write a one to two sentence review of the book -- just for fun. I want to see if you can do it!

I loved the book.  When I was growing up my parents were missionaries and my dad spent quite a bit of time travelling to China.  I loved reading in the book about Xi’an and other places he visited, but I also enjoyed learning some of the history of China that I didn’t know.  It really highlighted to me how much I need to learn about the country, particularly the Cultural Revolution.

Thanks to Julie from Book Hooked Blog for participating in Book Read ‘Round the World! You can read Julie’s full review of Lost on Planet China on her blog. Make sure you check back soon for Sabrina from Thinking About Loud’s guest post (Secret: She has already sent the book onto Amanda from Desert Book Chick in Australia so her post should be up sooner rather than later).

Friday Coffee Chat (22)–Big Box Blunders

Is Big Box Reading in Danger?

Last week on Friday Coffee Chat I asked readers whether or not they were in book clubs. Most of you said that you would do a book club or were already in one (or even two). I thought that was a pretty interesting conversation because I expected more people to be solitary readers. Make sure you check to see if Jennifer from Girls Gone Reading put up a chat this week. If not, check out one of her awesome book reviews!

Chachic from Chachic’s Book Nook is also posting a discussion called “A Writer Only Begins a Book. A Reader Finishes It.” Make sure you head over to her blog as well after you finish here. Should be a great discussion!

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This week I wanted to explore the bookish news. By now everyone knows that Borders is on the verge of filing Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. For those of you that don’t know, Chapter 11 is the bankruptcy filing for reorganization. Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a liquidation filing (like Circuit City and Linens n’ Things filed several years ago and are no longer in business). So, Borders is looking at reorganizing the company in hopes to save itself and pay off its creditors. To do this, they are thinking of closing between 150-200 stores to lessen its debt load. Barnes & Noble is also having its own financial troubles (though it is currently much better off than Borders) as is Waterstones in the UK. I won’t bore you with all the details. If you are interested in reading some articles, here are a few:

Wall Street Journal Article: Borders seeks possible bankruptcy filing

Guardian Article: Waterstones closes branches after poor Christmas sales

Most bloggers I know prefer buying from indie stores and might be applauding the demise of big box reading. I myself try to buy from independent bookstores as well, but I also admit that I do buy from Borders and Amazon as well. When this story broke that Borders was likely to file Chapter 11 this week, I have to say that I got a little sad. While big box stores have been the bane of existence for many passionate readers, I couldn’t help but think that if more bookstores close, there is less opportunity for people to become readers. I admit that I even like browsing the big box stores because they have SO many books (There….I said it! I like going into big box stores!). Also, many smaller towns may only have a Barnes & Noble or a Borders and without it, their browsing would either be confined to the internet or driving to another town/city to be able to browse physical books.

People may say that if it weren’t for the big box stores that there would be more choice of independent bookstores to go to. That may be true, but at this point it’s sort of water under the bridge. It’s already happened so the only thing that we can do as a society is to change our policies to limit oligarchical business practices. We as a society may also need to rethink how much we are willing to pay for books to keep bookstores running. I know, I know…I am asking people to fight the Law of Supply and Demand. However, if we want more options with independent bookstores, we should be willing to pay higher prices. I am guilty of not buying books unless on sale or if I have a coupon. Only recently was I more loyal to independent bookstores. I even utilize the library quite a bit now to save money. I think most of us are guilty of doing those things because it is in fact The Law of Supply and Demand. That’s why it’s a “Law” and not a “Hypothesis”. People are willing (and able for that matter) to buy more goods and services if they are offered at lower prices. That’s just a cold, hard fact.

I will admit that a huge reason why this problem of failing business is as bad as it is, is because of the extended recession that is occurring worldwide. People aren’t purchasing luxury items like books (*gasp* I know…I just called books a luxury item) because they are trying to keep a roof over their head and put food on the table. When they do seek out their luxury items, they look for them at a discount and end up at places like Amazon.com or BookDepository.com (or .uk) because it’s so much cheaper than buying from an independent store. I have to say that I don’t judge those people for making those choices since I myself have made these choices. Our choices have had the unfortunate side effect of reducing our choices of places to shop—but it’s been out of necessity for many, and the big box stores are to blame as well. Poor business practices by Borders and B&N let Amazon.com gain a huge market share in the book industry which I believe is the majority reason why both stores are struggling as much as they are (I can’t speak for Waterstones as I just heard about them for the first time several months ago).

So what is the solution to help failing bookstores? Should we be happy that big box stores aren't doing as well as they have in previous years and hope that this will mean a resurgence of independent bookstores? Do you think the book industry as a whole will suffer as a result of lagging sales or is it bound to make a comeback? I am not sure about the answers to these questions, but I do feel a little bit sad that it's possible that there will be less bookstores in my area to choose from in the very near future. I love reading and feel a sense of camaraderie when I see another person with a book. Even though some may hate the big box bookstore, I ultimately just want to see people reading and hope that we will still have a choice to go to brick-and-mortar stores in the future.

So, the questions for this week are:

• Are you a big box buyer or a bargain shopper (used, library, discounted books, etc.) or a champion of independent bookstores?
• What do you feel about the likely closure of 150-200 Borders bookstores across the U.S., or if you are from another country, how would you feel if that happened with your local big box bookstore?
• What would you like to see happen in the retail book industry when the economy recovers? Be utopian or realistic…just tell me what you think!
• Do you think the closure of big box stores will hurt future readers? Will we be less likely to read as a society or are we just moving toward newer technology like e-books?

Bayou Moon–Ilona Andrews

Book:  Bayou Moon (Book 2: The Edge)
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
447 pages
My Rating:



Cerise Mar lives with her family in an area of The Edge called The Mire. The family owns a lot of land but doesn’t have any money to their name. They also have an ongoing feud with a rival family, The Sheeriles. When Cerise’s mother and father are kidnapped and the Sheeriles family takes over a chunk of the Mars land, Cerise is thrust into the unenviable position of head of the family. She must figure out how to find and get her parents back from whoever kidnapped them, and also take her family’s land back from the Sheeriles. William, a soldier from The Weird who is a changeling enters the picture and decides to help Cerise on her quest to find her parents and get revenge on whomever kidnapped them. His reasons for helping Cerise are not entirely what they seem. A tangled web of adventure and cunning enemies ensues and leaves the entire Mars clan and William in danger.

A few months ago I reviewed On the Edge, Book 1 of the The Edge series. In it I said I thought it was ok, but did not live up to the awesome Kate Daniels series also written by Ilona Andrews. Well, hold on to your seats because Bayou Moon was SO much better! I kind of knew it was going to be as soon as I realized that William was one of the main characters in the book because he was by far my favorite from On the Edge. There was a roughness and sense of honesty about him that made him a very sympathetic character in the first book. I was not let down in this book at all. William brought all his awesomeness to the table, and Cerise is just as tough as Kate Daniels. Between the two of them they made this book an extremely fun read.

Cerise is such a no-nonsense character. She is tough as nails and has a mouth to match. She’s a very strong woman which I really enjoy in books. I don’t think there is enough of them in novels (although I do recognize the need for all kinds of characters in fiction). She and William exchange some witty banter and Cerise shows that she’s no slouch in fights. She is smart, tenacious, and a good leader for her family as well. What’s not to like?!

The plot of Bayou Moon was also more engaging than the first book. There was much more action and less fairytale romance. Both Cerise and William are shaped by their pasts and both are less than perfect. I like flawed characters because they are usually inevitably more likable. There is also a very insidious antagonist named Spider who kept me turning the pages. Spider and William have a storied history so the entire book builds up the suspense and climax fairly well.  There is more fighting, more witty banter, and good depth to the characters. All of these things combined to form a really fun and engaging read. The fun and fast pace was exactly what I needed! It was definitely worth reading On the Edge just to get to Bayou Moon, and I’m looking forward to the next installment of the series.




*Notice of Disclosure: I received this book for review from Penguin Books.


**I am a Book Depository and IndieBound afilliate so If you purchase any of the books I have featured through the links I posted or from the banners in my left hand sidebar, I get a small commission from them. I am in no way compensated for the reviews I post of my books.

Friday Coffee Chat (21)–To book club, or not to book club?

To Book Club or Not to Book Club? That Is the Question!

I took last week off of Friday Coffee Chat because of Bloggiesta, but the week before that we talked about whether we should be serious readers, fun readers, or both. Make sure you check out Jennifer from Girls Gone Reading’s Friday Coffee Chats as well. She does some great ones!

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This week on Friday Coffee Chat I want to explore book clubs. So many readers are in them and since Oprah started her book club, it seems like they popped up everywhere. I myself have been in two book clubs over the years, and just tried a new one last week. Each book club seemed to have its own personality, and I definitely enjoyed some more than others.

For me personally, the book club I enjoyed most was the purely fun reading one. It was a group called Thrill Me! that I went to in Austin. I initially went to this book club because I was trying to expand the genres that I read. I miss this group of people because they were SO fun. We read things like Lee Child, Janet Evanovich, John Connolly, Tami Hoag, and others. Probably one of the funniest moments in the group was when someone pointed out that Jack Reacher (from the books by Lee Child) never bathed but he was super popular with the ladies. I loved that someone thought of that because I honestly hadn’t thought of it while reading it. This group usually sat around and talked about the book for 20-40 minutes or so and then we would just shoot the breeze at the café for a LONG time afterwards. I loved that because we really enjoyed each other’s company outside of just talking about books.

My other book club tended to be much more cerebral. It was fun for sure and my brain usually got a workout from it. The company was good and we usually had some good food too as well as pretty in depth discussions about the book that would go on for quite awhile. While I thought this group was great in its own way, I have to admit that I enjoyed the thriller book club more just because it was crazier.

Last week, I tried a new book club. Everyone was really nice and welcoming, but they tended to pick literary fiction (or so it seems) and while I enjoy literary fiction from time to time, I have found that I more like the company in book clubs than just talking about the books we read. When I get together with readers, I do love talking about books, but I also really want to know them as people too. I also admit that I get a little intimidated by those literary books because I read more for the story than the technical aspects of books. When people in the group talk about the technical aspects I admit that sometimes I get bored and sometimes I feel stupid! Should I be admitting this? Maybe. Maybe not, but I am owning that this is something that I actually feel during book clubs.

Thinking about what type of book club I look for, I realized that not all people even like book clubs. Some people prefer to read on their own while others enjoy chatting about books with friends. It made me wonder what people’s motivations were when they either chose not to do a book club or sought one out. Are people just shy when they choose not to join a book club? Is reading a private thing? These are some questions that have come up in my mind now that I’m searching for new readers with which to connect.

This week’s Friday Coffee Chat questions are:

• Are you a member of a book club?
• If so, what are your motivations for joining a book club?
• What do you look for when you join a book club? Do you seek out strangers to talk about books with (like on Meetup.com) or do you only do book clubs with friends you know and are comfortable with?
• What kind of books do you prefer to read with a book club?
• Do you like themed book clubs like romance, thriller, literary, chick lit, etc.?
• If you don’t like book clubs, tell us all why you prefer to read alone? Is it because you are shy or because reading is just private to you? Is there some other reason?

The Shadow of the Wind–Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Book: The Shadow of the Wind
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Publisher: Penguin
487 pages (Paperback)
My Rating:



Daniel Sempere is the son of a bookstore owner. When he turns 10, his father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books to pass on a legacy. He must choose a book from the stacks that he will take care of for the rest of his days. For hours Daniel searches the stacks to choose the book that is calling his name. What he finally finds is The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. It’s as if the book chose him and Daniel devours it and is determined to find out more about the author. What follows is a mystery that is not only captivating, but also dangerous.

Let me start off by saying that literary fiction is not something that is calling my name right now. I’ve been more in the mood for fun, fast reads. When The Shadow of the Wind came up for a new book club I was trying out, I was excited because I’ve been wanting to read this book for a long time and it would further expand my loose goal of reading more fiction in translation. However, I knew it was literary so I was a little dubious about reading it right now since I have really wanted to read quick and easy books lately.

Well, I did struggle some, but the struggle was well worth it because this book was beautifully written. At book club I called it a “crock pot novel". It’s one of those books that takes a long time to get into, but once you get to the meaty part of the book, you just savor every moment of it. For about 2/3 of the book, I really didn’t connect with the plot of the book because it was more of a character study. Every character was written in detail—I felt like I knew them all by the end. Their joy and their pain was tangible because Zafon is just a great storyteller. I cared deeply for every single character in the novel. However, because the characters were so well-written, the plot was a little slower in developing. When everything started coming together, it was well worth the wait because I couldn’t put the book down.

Daniel is a captivating young man. His pursuit of information about Julian Carax was unfaltering and he developed a deep friendship with an eccentric bookshop employee named Fermin who I adored. Fermin was like a father figure to Daniel and also a good friend. Where Daniel’s relationships with friends and his father was lacking, Fermin really saw Daniel and understood his motivations. It was such a nice part of the book because I think that is what people most want in life—for someone to really get them and encourage them to be who they are. Their relationship was really something special to behold and was possibly my favorite part of the book.

The mystery of the book was also amazing even though I had an inkling from the beginning of how it would turn out. The characters were so well woven into this complex mystery that I was never in disbelief that any of this could have actually happened. Zafon’s writing is vivid and Barcelona really came alive in this book. It is my first foray in a Spanish novel (translated into English of course) and I wasn’t disappointed. I will definitely be picking up Zafon’s other novels and hopefully reading more about the Cemetery of Forgotten Books in The Angel’s Game.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon also has a really great website that includes music inspired by The Shadow of the Wind and a map of Barcelona.

Friday Coffee Chat (20)–Why so serious?

Why so serious?

Last week on Friday Coffee Chat we talked about quotes from books that really moved us. If you have any quotes that you’ve thought of since last week, make sure you go back to the chat and let me know. I LOVE wonderful quotes! After you comment on this week’s Friday Coffee Chat, head over to Jennifer’s blog, Girls Gone Reading and comment on her Friday Coffee Chat topic, Comfort Reads.

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This week on Friday Coffee Chat I want to talk about serious reading v. reading for fun. I know this has been a topic of conversation on Twitter and all over the blogosphere off and on and the topic may be beaten to death, but let’s visit it just one more time, shall we?

There are serious readers. You know, those readers who only read literary fiction or complicated non-fiction and they tell you that any other books are meaningless and therefore not worth the paper they are written on. I had someone in college tell me that all fiction was ridiculous because people should focus on what is real rather than made up situations that people went through. Even historical fiction didn’t count for this person. He felt that non-fiction was the only worthwhile thing out there.

Then there are the literary fiction readers who wouldn’t be caught dead with a trashy romance novel or paranormal fantasy book. They like to read all the award winners and classics. It may just be what they enjoy, or they may feel like those grocery store reads aren’t worth their time. Who knows?!!

On the other end of the spectrum are those readers who spend all their time reading “for fun”. They don’t want to delve into some psychological exposition on human nature like Dostoevsky writes. They want something they can blaze through like Dean Koontz or Charlaine Harris. Literary fiction and non-fiction are sure to send them into a coma for three months and should be avoided at all costs.

So what is the big deal about this? Well, as we all know people take their reading seriously no matter if you are a serious reader or an escapist reader. It’s part of what makes talking to other readers so interesting. We are all different and enjoy different things. Every once in awhile people will get offended when someone turns their nose up at the newest vampire novel or when someone calls another person a book snob for reading Tolkien over Rowling. We all love our favorites and never want to hear that someone else doesn’t like what we hold dear.

My questions for this week are:

• Is there a happy medium? Is it possible to enjoy both serious AND fun books, or do people tend to choose one or the other?

• Do you think books should be enriching all the time and must have redeeming qualities, or is it ok to read a trashy fun novel at any time you feel like it?

• Do you ever turn your nose up at a literary reader or an escapist reader? (Come on now…be honest…you know you want to—we’ll be respectful of what you say)

• If you are a one or the other reader, tell us all why you feel the way you do and if you think it’s ok that people read whatever they feel like reading.