Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Kindle Edition 2009

True fact:  I hate Victorian romance novels.  Jane Austen and The Bronte Sisters bore me to death.  (This coming from a girl who reads historical papers for the heck of it.)  I'd be a pretty crappy librarian if I said I never read any of their works (not for lack of trying on my part).  And so, how better to hook me than to add in a few zombies here and there?  I had no idea if this would work, but it did.

I now understand and appreciate Lizzy and Darcy's love story and it also helps that they just don't lounge around the countryside, but rather bond over slaying the undead.  Elizabeth kind of reminded me of Uma Thurman's character in Kill Bill.  In fact, the whole book had a sort of Tarantino-esque vibe to it.  Does that make for good literature?  No, but it was entertaining.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
J.K. Rowling
Copyright 1999

Okay, so this one was a reread.  My five year old daughter has been asking about Harry and wants me to read it to her, but I had to reread it before I curled up next to her and took her down Diagon Alley.

No, this is not a book for five year olds.  At least not my five year old.  She is way too sensitive and easily spooked by "bad guys" for me to make this our bedtime read.  Nor was it the book for me when I read it all those years back.  Too be honest, I didn't like it and couldn't understand the hype (isn't that the way it usually is with things that are hyped up?).  But now, a decade or so later (wow), I can genuinely appreciate it for what it is.

So, what is it?  To me, it is a fun catalyst for the imagination and a book that turned a whole generation on to the joys of reading.  Doesn't every kid dream at some point that they are more than what others say they are? With the exception of maybe the prefects, everyone at Hogwarts was a misfit in some way.  Kids could find someone they could relate to.  (For me, it was Hermione.  And wow, I am annoying.)

Is it a masterpiece of prose?  Heck no!  But, I will keep reading the series, because it grows with and on you. 

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Kindle Edition 2010 

I am enjoying the opportunity to catch up on these classic books I've never read.  And I must say I am pleasantly surprised by how good they are.  I was expecting to be bored, but find myself eagerly anticipating what the next page has to offer.

The Hounds of Baskerville is part of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes Series. It was genuinely a good story.  The ending wasn't a shock per say and I may not have been captivated by Holmes as a character, but that didn't matter.

Holmes and his genius play a minimal role (only to save the day in the end. Which I suspect may be his style) as we follow Watson to the estate in the English countryside.  Watson's duty is to protect the latest Baskerville as he attempts to reestablish the family's mansion following the death of his uncle.  The Baskerville family has been plagued by a curse for generations following the heinous behavior of one of its patriarchs.  Was the curse to blame for the uncle's death, or something more sinister?  Da...da..dum....

This is Where I Leave You

This is Where I Leave You  
Jonathon Tropper
Copyright 2010

First off just let me say, this book rocked.  I am not a mushy kind of girl, well I won't admit to being one at least, so you wouldn't think that a book about a man who has just lost his father and walks in on his cheating wife would be for me.  But, Tropper injected the story with such sarcasm and realism that it hooked me. 

This is Where I Leave You is a coming of age story for us 30 year olds.  The main character thinks he has settled into life, only to have everything turned on its head.  Yea, I know there are soooo many other books about the same thing, but they all lack the finesse of this book.  Trust me, they do....

Another note to fellow Kindle readers:  Three years ago when my husband bought me the Kindle for Christmas (Thank You)  it was with the promise that I would stop collecting books in every nook and cranny.  But, just how am I supposed to keep that promise when the paperbacks are cheaper???  Any solutions?

The Caribbean

The Caribbean
James A. Michener
Copyright 2005 (re-release)

Have I mentioned how much I love history and historical fictions?  Actually, I don't think I have.  So you are hereby put on notice, I LOVE HISTORY & HISTORICAL FICTIONS. That being emphasized, I have never read anything by acclaimed historical fictioneer (Yes, I feel as though I can now invent my own words), James, don't forget the A, Michener.

Almost 700 pages, Michener's tome expanses the practically the entire history of the Caribbean from the native explorations, European rule, to 1970-1980's unrest.  I don't know why, but the history of the region never sucked me in until I picked up this book.  You would think that my Floridian butt would care about the back story of my neighbors.

I had a hard time getting immersed in the book at the beginning.  I thought that was odd, but then I realized that the majority of the histories I read, be they factual or fiction, are biographies.  I eat up biographies because I love characterizations.  The Caribbean is a biography of a huge expanse and a variety of cultures.  That being said, since it is a historical fiction, there is a continuity because Michener uses the same families and ties them all together (and to the islands) in the end.  So, once I got into it, I was into it.  Thankfully, there is a prologue of sorts in the beginning telling you which characters were fictional and which were fiction because I truly forgot that most of the characters were not real and I was ready to track them down for either a kick to the shin or a hug. 

I really enjoyed the book.  Thanks to Jill for the thoughtful gift.  And as we sit, I am fighting the urge to pack up my bags and bring the book into the 21st century.

***Next up: The Ten, Make That Nine Habits of Very Organized People.  Make That Ten. The tweets of Steve Martin*****