Current Book

So I didn't do these on the right day, but oh well. Having fun today! This is Tuesday's Teaser:

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

This was actually hard because I am currently reading a new hard book, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. It didn't want to just "fall open" so I colsed my eyes and opened it. I haven't read this page yet! It might be a spoiler for me. I broke my two up (left out the sentence in between) so it wouldn't be a spoiler for other people.

"The entire history of these cults, from initiation to expiry, is wrapped up within in living memory."

"It is fascinating to guess that the cult of Christianity almost certainly began in very much the same way, and spread initially at the same high speed."

Booking through Thursday

Here's the latest question at Booking:

“Name a favorite literary couple and tell me why they are a favorite. If you cannot choose just one, that is okay too. Name as many as you like–sometimes narrowing down a list can be extremely difficult and painful. Or maybe that’s just me.”

This is a hard one. I'm gonna be predictable and start with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. There's a reason why this a cliche'. They aren't the typical couple that meets, falls in love, has some kind of traumatic experience, and then gets to love happily ever after. No, in fact she can't even stand him at first and is completely amazed when he professes his love. That scene where he proposes is my favorite in the book. Even though he's such a jerk when he does it and she's so nasty when she refuses, it still seemed romantic!

Next I would pick Dominick and Thomas, the twins in I know this much is true. This is another that's not your typical love story because the love story here is brotherly love, which can be just as heartbreaking. Thomas may be the one is the hospital dealing with his schizophrenia but Dominick is more messed up in some ways. It's not an easy read but I felt like I had been through an amazing experience after reading it.

Booking Through Thursday

So here's something new I'm going to do. In truth, I'm just trying to get people to come read this blog so I figure if I participate in a few of these, they will. LOL But then, it's starting to be a lot of fun. A lot of time wasted sitting at the computer, but fun even so! This is called Booking Through Thursday:

What was the last book you bought?

Ender's Game

Name a book you have read MORE than once

Ender's Game LOL On my mind right now since I just finished it again.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?

Yes, The Fountainhead open my eyes to a whole world of things.

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews

All of the above, though I generally start in one section of the store and work my way out into more general fiction

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Fiction

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?

gripping plot

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

Astrid from White Oleander

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?

Yarrow (never put it away after reading), and Ender's Game

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?

Ender's Game, this past week

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?

Lately yes, I didn't used to do this. I would force myself to read it if I started but lately I just feel it's a waste of time. If I don't like it, I won't like it at the end.

The Whitcoulls Challenge

Ok, I've decided to become a part of the book challenge world. From what I can tell these are addictive. Everyone I've been reading has 10 or more challenges they're working through! I can't think of a better addiction. Here's the rules:

Read Your Way Through The Whitcoulls Top 100 List.

Time:
* From November 15th, 2008 to November 15th, 2009.

The Rules:
* Pick one of the 4 "Top 100" lists linked below and decide how many books (at least 4) you want to read from that list.
* The initial 4 have to be 'new' reads (new to you, that is).
* Books beyond the initial 4 may be rereads.
* All books may be cross-overs for other challenges.
* Audio-books are A-OK :)
* You may change your list at any time.
* If you read enough books to actually complete one of the "Top 100" lists, I'll make a post in your honour!

I was looking through the 2008 list and realized I've read at least half the books on that list. So, I'm going to start with that list and see if I can make it a full 100! I decided to pick books that I've wanted to read for awhile but have yet to get around to. Here are my first four:

1. The Power of One - Bruce Courtenay
2. Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt
3. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
4. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller (I know, I know, but I'm finally gonna read it!)

As I finish these and blog about them, I'll add more to the list until time is up.

Poems

If anyone is wondering why I haven't posted a weekly poem in a few weeks, here's why: I was curious if I was doing something wrong by posting these beautiful poems on my page once a week. I did a search for "copyright poetry online" thinking that maybe I could find something about how old the poem needs to be for me to be able to post it. The first thing I came across was an essay by a poet who describes how it feels to find her work all over the internet and not to be paid for it. This is her livelihood. None of us want to go to work each day, be exploited, and get nothing out of it. You can read what she says here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/dec/08/featuresreviews.guardianreview14

But I hate to leave you without the idea of poetry. So, I when I post things about poetry now, I will be including one line that sticks out for me and you can find a copy for yourself in a book somewhere, that hopefully you will purchase!

It's finally gotten cold here (unfortunately) so in an homage to Autumn here you go:

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
- George Eliot

Ender's Game

This is less about the book, which I just read for the third time, and more about the series itself.

I read the book for the first time when my mother introduced it to me. I think it might have been about 10 years ago. I was very impressed. For a long time I had been reading nothing but Fantasy and this wonderfully constructed novel of children in space learning to be battle commanders fascinated me. As celebrated as this book is, I found myself drawn more to the Speaker for the Dead. Ender's story continues for many novels and in each one he is challenged in ways that seem impossible to live though much less continue living sanely. Speaker for the Dead drives home the message that was under the surface of Ender's Game: life is sacred, even if that life is the enemy. This is something I actually didn't truly get until this third reading. I understood it on the surface but just realized only recently how much the reinforces my own beliefs. Interesting considering my beliefs are nothing like the author's.

After reading several of the novels focused on Ender a wonderful thing happened. Orson Scott Card wrote Ender's Shadow. If it's possible, I liked Bean even more than Ender. It showed how it wasn't just Ender being self centered that made it seem like he was the entire focus of the Battle School, and yet there were so many other little dramas happening all around him that he could never have possibly known about.

So why did I read Ender's Game a second and a third time? Well, after I read Ender's Shadow when it came out, I felt compelled to look at Bean in Ender's story. I was surprised to find that a character I had suddenly come to love was barely mentioned. It made me wonder why Orson Scott Card chose to tell Bean's story instead of any number of stories that could have been written and were alluded to with the other children. So that was the second time.

This past week, Card was in Denton, TX of all places. I had the chance to see him speak about writing Ender, where the idea for the book started, and when (oh, please when????!!!!) will the movie finally be made. (He doesn't know hehehe) So, I bought a beautiful hard back copy of Ender's Game and his new book of short stories and got him to sign them. While he signed, I mentioned that even though I was having him sign this, Speaker for the Dead is actually my favorite. I was thrilled to hear him say, "That's the real story. The only reason I expanded Ender's Game into a novel was in order to write that story." That brief moment was well worth the 2 hours I stood in line. Yes, I stood in line for 2 hours to meet this man, something I've never done before and will only do for a very limited number of people. I met a wonderful girl in line and we discussed these books, Buffy (and Joss Whedon) as well as other fanstay and sci-fi we both love. Unfortunately, I don't remember her name (I'm terrible with names) but I will remember our conversations as fondly as I remember my short one with Card.

I Think I Know No Finer Thing Than Dogs

Week 5 Poem


Through prejudice perhaps my mind befrogs,
I think I know no finer thing than dogs:
The young ones, they of gay and bounding heart,
Who lure us in their games to take a part,
Who with mock tragedy their antics cloak
And, from their wild eyes' tail, admit the joke;
The old ones, with their wistful, fading eyes,
They who desire no further paradise
Than the warm comfort of our smile and hand,
Who tune their moods to ours and understand
Each word and gesture; they who lie and wait
To welcome us - with no rebuke if late.
Sublime the love they bear, but ask to live
Close to our feet, unrecompensed to give;
Beside which many men seem very logs -
I think I know no finer thing than dogs.

Hally Carrington Brent

The Sugar Queen

This is the second book by Sarah Addison Allen and I was just as impressed with this book as I was with Garden Spells. Allen's writing flows well and she lets you see into the heart of every character. I was very moved by the different stories. In fact, I was so moved by the story of an elderly woman who mourns a relationship from her twenties that I actually had to put the book down and walk away for a few minutes. It was too much. The main character, Josey, is fairly irritating and you want to smack some sense into her but everyone she meets through the story is so intriguing that you have to just keep going and hoping she'll change.

The book opens with a woman hiding in Josey's closet; a closet with a secret stash of sweets. The stash is many shelves large and is so important to Josey that she lets the woman stay for fear that someone will find out about her sweets. The big surprise twist at the end was a little predictable but I got the impression the book was writting in such a way that you're supposed to figure it out before the author tells you.

This was wonderful and quick read. I stayed up past midnight one night finishing it because I simply could not put it down. That's a big deal considering I get up before the sun!