Powerful and Kind of Depressing - Yup, It's a Classic

It's already been a while since Pesach and I gots me some new books to dig into, some high time I review my Pesach reading.  Actually wasn't too much of it - trying to remember what I did the last days, but I think it was just picking up random Gordon Kormans at the 'rents.  First days, I finished the book I started the week before Pesach at the in laws (yes we were there two weeks in a row, actually have been at either parents or in laws 5 straights weeks :)) and started another one, which I haven't finished yet because I left it there and just got it back. SO... Pesach reading material consists of Slaughterhouse 5, by Kurt Vonnegut.  Impressive, you say, stroking your chin.  Yes - the Gertler house in Teaneck contains many books, many of which (I think it's the fiction ones) are now arrayed in beautiful order on the new built-in bookshelves in the basement.  And most of those fiction books are either children's fantasy (Shoshana, Rami ones presumes) or (the majority) classics, many of the intellectual bookshelves of Grandpa's East Brunswick library.  Anyway, Slaughterhouse 5 is a short and famous read, so I decided to be intellectual and read it.

Obviously, expectations here were not to thoroughly enjoy this book in the vein of a Georgette Heyer or Jane Austen.  So what were the expectations (must always set the stage)? Definitely, writing would be good.  Likely, message would be powerful. Possibly, message one I agree with.  How did the book line up? Well, not that I'm any judged, and of course I'm predisposed in favor, but writing was exactly what I expected. Crisp, clean, vivid - good in a very modernist way.  Story was bizarre (it was supposed to be), which possibly was meant to add to the power of the message. I think it did - certainly it's engaging, strangely when given the detachment of the style and the lack of attractiveness on the part of Billy Pilgrim (protagonist).

Message I agree with? Well the message was that the bombing of Dresden was horrible.  Can't disagree there.  More largely, that war is horrible. Can't disagree there either. And I think it is important to remember the horror of it, and not think only in terms of abstract numbers.  I can't say I do know much about the exact horrors of war (whether fire-bombing in Dresden or mustard gas in WWI (saw a picture of a victim on Quora yesterday)), and it is valuable to know.  Not that I make decisions about people going to war or not, and not that I'll ever be in a position to :)

But of course, there's the other side.  War is horrible, but avoiding war can be horrible too.  The argument in Slaughterhouse 5 is that Dresden was unnecessary, a miscommunication, strategically meaningless and thus unjustified.  And while it certainly is possible for something like Dresden to happen unnecessarily in the fog of war, and it's important to avoid that, the truth is, Dresden wasn't that simple.  At least according to the Wikipedia article on it :), many of made the case for its strategic necessity. And further, while Slaughterhouse 5 claims the number of dead to exceed the deaths of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in fact, the number was far lower, somewhere in the lower 10s of thousands.  Not that that's really any better, but the point is, if Vonnegut gets it wrong there, then I don't put much faith in his analysis of the strategic advantages of Dresden.

Vonnegut was (apparently) writing from personal experience of the horror, and the book absolutely is able to viscerally portray the monstrousness of the bombing and of the horrors of war.  But I assume this book is meant to be something more because 1) the bizarre plot of time travel and aliens would not seem to be necessary just to get across that message and 2) this book is considered a great work, so probably has more to offer?  The message of the alien / time travel stuff is, I guess, that nothing matters in the long run, or that all of our fights, no matter the scale, are petty and meaningless? This is more my speculation, and I don't exactly have a PhD in this stuff, but let's discuss it for what it's worth. I of course don't agree that nothing matters at all just because it doesn't matter in the long run - we are here for a purpose. But it is true that we don't see the full picture and life would look very different if we did. Hey - if that's the point of this book, totally up my ally :) But I think the book sees different = meaningless and I see different = perfect. So not quite the same. Anyway, like I said, it's all speculation.

Bottom line, what this book gave me was a powerful perspective on the bombing of Dresden in particular and the horror of war in general. That doesn't make wars not worth fighting - on the contrary, remembering it and fighting the right wars is what keeps us human (how poetic).  As far as any other deep meaning, I'll go read the wikipedia or cliff notes of the book now so I can actually get it :)

Verdict: 4/5 (only that high b/c it was good writing and short, do not take this as an endorsement)

Update: Oh it's about free will. A worthy conundrum.

Better than Fiction

And for a something a little different - during some Shabbos at my in-laws' in Jan/Feb (forgot when), I neglected to bring reading material from my house, and had to make do with what was there.  They recently reorganized their books, so there was lots of new scope, and, to my delight, I came across Cheaper by the Dozen. I'm not sure when the last time I read this book was, but I don't think it'll be long before I read it again :) (must order a copy).   History of this book goes back a while, and it's fun to go down memory lane.  One day in CL, Peryl started telling me about a really funny book she had read about a family with a dozen kids.  The specific story she told me was, if I recall correctly, the story of the Peeping Tom and Ernestine, and I was very intrigued.  I got the book out of the Peckville Library (the old Interboro Library) and loved it.  Read it many, many times since then (I was certainly in elementary school when I first read it, though I'm not sure what age), and read Belles on Their Toes as well (that one used to be harder to find, I remember being excited when I picked it up in Towson).  Rereading it now, it's funny how many of the references I understand that flew over my head.  Some innuendo, but some more intellectual ones.  I'm sure I understood them in later readings, but I've forgotten those and the earlier ones stick in my head.  Anyway back up memory lane...

This book is great! It is, literally, laugh-out-loud funny.  The writing is neat, quick, fresh, and amusing - every phrase is well turned.  And while it's strange to speak of characterization in a non-fiction book, the characterization of bother Mother and Dad (forgetting what they call him at the moment) Gilbreth is fantastic.  I picked the book up expecting to just read a little, and then kept on reading most of Shabbos. Finished it this past Shabbos on Friday night.  There are so many moments in there that I feel like have stuck in my consciousness without me even realizing where they are from. And quotes that make me smile every time I hear. It's classic.

It's also kind of fun reading about NJ now that I am a resident of this fine state :)  Montclair, of course (I looked up Eagle Rock Way on google maps, it's still there), but even New Brunswick was mentioned once or twice.  Also interesting to look up the Gilbreths on Wikipedia and follow them for a bit - not much info there, but the last one (Fred I think) just passed away a few months ago as it turns out.

Anyway, I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be handing it over to my kiddos when they are old enough to start appreciating it (maybe 5-6 years, that's all, iyH :)) So glad I picked this one up again, and I'm sure I'll follow it up with Belles on their Toes at some point.

Verdict: 5/5

(p.s. the pic is the original version that I read)

GH In A Crotchety Mood

Slightly more recent finish, but only because it dragged on for a while - I'm pretty sure I started Lady of Quality either on my way back from Florida or maybe the Shabbos after, but with various busy Shabbosim and a Commentary, I only finished it a few weeks ago.  It's a Georgette Heyer, and one that I own, so obviously a lovely book but... I have to say, this one irritated me more than usual.  It was never one of my favorites, but I think it's fluctuated in line.  I haven't read it in a while (this was actually the first GH I owned, picked it up in the airport in England (or maybe it was Scotland) when I was there on my post-sem trip).  But right away, I found myself annoyed by Annis's intolerance of Miss Farlow coupled with Annis's tolerance of Ninian and Lucille.  It's funny, because I used to find GH's portrayals of "children" or young adults ridiculous for their unrealistically young behavior, but I guess I'm old enough that I find seventeen-year-olds (or however old they are) acting like babies to be completely realistic. So it wasn't that that annoyed me... more like, if they are that annoying, then why does Annis tolerate, indeed like, them so much? And just because Miss Farlow talks a lot, she's villified into this barely sympathetic sour creature.  I mean, of course I understand we're supposed to look down on her for being jealous of Lucille. But really, she isn't *that* bad, and I find Annis's unwillingness to put up with her foibles not very sympathetic when compared with her indulgent treatment of Lucille.  And it's much the same with Mr Carleton - we are supposed to sympathize with his and Annis's connection, because they have the same unwillingness to pander to the world and put up with silliness - but really, is silliness all that bad? Are people unworthy of sympathy because they are not intelligent?

I'm taking this all a bit too far of course, but I'm just trying to pin down what was bothering me as I read the book - this feeling of, but that's not what you should be feeling right now, no, you should be feeling less/more annoyed etc.  It really did get in the way of my enjoyment of the book.

So you didn't like the book, you'll ask? Well it was a GH.  I'll put up with a lot from a GH - Still my world, still my girl :)  But I'm not sure how soon I'll be picking this one up again.

Verdict: 4/5

It's interesting that this was her final novel - published posthumously I think. Perhaps it needed some refinement. Or perhaps it was GH getting crotchety in her old age, and passing it on to her characters :)

More Romance (Gets Boring, Doesn't It? :))

And the other book from the trip, somewhat similar in that it's a fantasy romance, but decidedly for adults (and not based on a classic fairy tale) - Summers at Castle Auburn.  Sharon Shinn is an author I've read for a while (though I haven't picked up her new books recently (well I haven't picked up anyone's new books recently :))).  I've read almost all of her books and enjoyed most of them. She's a regular fantasy world-builder, which I can take or leave, as long as the worlds are good (if they're not good, then I have no tolerance for it :)), which hers generally are. And she very often has a satisfying romance at the heart of the story (those are the "most" I enjoy :))  The first book I read of hers, Archangel, was described by Peryl (who discovered it), as a romance disguised as a fantasy (I don't think we realized at the time that this was far from a novelty, more of a genre :)) But anyway, yeah, her books are fantasy romances, often with some more complex world-built story to be resolved.  The story with Summers at Castle Auburn is that the library (BCPL and whatever other libraries I had access to at the time) didn't have this one and I wanted read it, so I borrowed it from someone (probably the Spitzes) and read it, I think during Yaelle's sheva brachos. I LOVED it, and eventually bought a copy.

This is Sharon Shinn fantasy romance, but light on the fantasy, heavier on the romance :) Takes place in a world that's quite close to say, Rennaissance Europe, not too much complicated magic or whatnot going on.   I remember the first time I read it someone told me she gets together with the wrong guy, which cause me to root for the one I thought was the wrong guy... which, it turned out, *was* the wrong guy, since she got together with the one I had originally thought was the right guy! which kind of muddied my enjoyment for the first read, but made for a more satisfying second read (not that this is relevant to what's probably my 4th or 5th read but just funny. Same thing happened with Agatha Christie's The Man in the Brown Suit).

So anyway, on further readings, I noticed that despite the lack of a an impending war or great destruction to bring urgency to the plot (not atypical of Sharon Shinn), the book is somewhat serious in tone, and the romance is serious with it.  It's also a bit interesting because of the youth of the protaganist during much of the book (are we supposed to root for a romance between a 14 year old and a 19 year old? it's a lot less weird by the time she's 18 :)) But that's all built in to my expectations from previous readings, so I didn't mind it too much.  And it really is a beautiful romance - Kent's secret devotion coupled with his myriad wonderful qualities, oh my.  And like I said, there isn't too much distraction from major plots about wars and such, which is a good thing in my book. Mostly castle intrigue, which I find more to my liking.  So certainly enjoyed the book, in line with my expectations :)

Honestly, I read so little these days that I probably would enjoy anything, so who knows if these reviews are fair in any way...  and who cares? :)

Verdict: 4.5/5

(also btw, let's pretend you are an avid reader of this blog, you will recall that I've reviewed this book at least once before, as I read it on my trip to Glacier back in 2012 :) can't remember if the time before that was when I was doing reviews)

Romance for Children (and Me)

Well, I'm months behind as usual, so you (whoever you is) get a less interesting review. sorry 'bout that.  I had a perfect vacation in Florida at the beginning of February and snuck a few books in of course.  First one (think first one anyway) was Ella Enchanted (continuing my streak of children's fantasy).  Again a much-loved, much read book, though not to the same extent as Court Duel.  Ella Enchated is a real children's book (I first heard of it in 6th grade, when numerous girls did book reports on it), but a good romantic story nonetheless (Cinderella).  The movie is good too - Hugh Dancy ;) I like it enough to own it, but it doesn't hold the same place in my heart as, say, Court Duel, so my expectations for it are lower.  I never considered it to be the best-written or most satisfying romance, just a good, romantic story.

This reading lived up to that - the romance was about as good as I remembered - not the most full of angst, pathos, glorious moments and whatnot, but some subtle-ish well done male POV and a good arc.  The story outside of the romance is (other than being a retelling of Cinderalla) a well-constructed fantasy world that I enjoyed reading about.  The book is a Newberry Honor book, and I think that's a deserved honor.

So like I said, too long ago for me to have much to say (not sure I would have had that much to say in any case), but I've always liked this book and I continue to like it. Probably won't pick it up for a few years so I can enjoy the novelty again when I do :)

Verdict: 4/5

Different Medium, Same Great Story

Another one of my home library collection (of course), but with a twist - this one comes with a play review! (Aren't you lucky? :)) So some months ago, I saw advertisements by the train station for the off-Broadway show... Daddy Long Legs. Now if you think I was going to miss seeing that, I don't know why you're reading this blog. I've watched the Fred Astaire movie more than once and that one doesn't come *close* to being an accurate depiction of this beloved book.  I've looked for the silent version with Mary Pickford but wasn't able to find it (I should look again, that was a while ago).  And I've read the hard-to-find, not as good, sequel as well. So yeah, this is a book I go the extra mile for :) And I read the NY Times review, which was quite positive (the complaint was the story doesn't translate well for the modern ear, but since my ear is very old-fashioned, that's not a problem :)) So anyway, I knew I had to see it. Couldn't generate much interest from my cl girls, so I went with Dov's family, who are always up for a show. Well they all enjoyed it, and I LOVED it. I was grinning from ear to ear the whole time. Like, really. I know the book really well and the script followed it quite accurately (left out parts, but most of the lines were close to verbatim, and the plot followed basically exactly I think). So it was one of my favorite books, brought to life in a very-well done way, and on top of that... POV! POV! POV! While the letters are all written by Jerusha (of course), here we see Jervie's reaction... and his gradual fall in love with the writer.  And it's sooo well done. There's an aspect of guilt Jervis felt that I didn't really think of when I read the book, but it's quite plausible.  And his wry reading of the letters (mostly verbatim from the book) adds to the humor and whimsy of the writing.  The growing romance was nicely emphasized. And the finale gloriously angsty and satisfying in the end.

So of course I had to reread the book... and here I ran into the same problems as my last read - overfamiliarity + spoiled by explicit romance. The play followed the book so closely that I felt like I had just read the book, so lots of the great lines and romance didn't hold enough surprise for me. And though I am usual satisfied with imagining Jervis's POV as he reads the letters, having just seen it laid out in front of me made me miss it. So while I loved the book as always, I can't say I enjoyed it the more for having just watched it (this is in contrast to say, Persuasion, where watching the movie just made me appreciate the book all the more. I'd say this is a testament to how excellently done the play was).

To top it off, Huvi wanted to see the play too... so I went back again. I was certainly concerned I wouldn't enjoy it as much the second time around, and it did take me longer to get into it... but amazingly enough, I loved it the second time around  as well, at least by the end.

Daddy Long Legs is an incredible book and the play did an incredible job translating it.  Bravo all around, and I can't wait till the play has receded a little in my mind so that I can reread the book again :)

Verdict: 5/5

Showy Spoils Me For Subtle

Next up on the Books-I've-Read-A-Million-Times list, Court Duel (or actually, Crown Duel, the two part book which used to be two books, the second of which is Court Duel).  I've read Crown Duel a few times and least, and Court Duel many more. Crown Duel is of course only of interest as a prequel to Court Duel.  Court Duel is a classic fantasy romance, so much so that when I first read it, I thought it was a ripoff of Georgette Heyer (I didn't realize then than all historical romance is a ripoff of Heyer :)) So I always enjoy it, even though I have my pet peeves - mainly Meliara's obtuseness, stubborness, impulsivity, and at times, stupidity.  She's not likeable at all, is she? :)

Court Duel is a book I know so well that when I reread it, I end up being intrigued by little details that give me minor insights into the book.  That's where Crown Duel is valuable - knowing the back story goes some way towards making Meliara's actions understandable. We also see a different side of Meliara, one that I think makes her more likeable  - the fearless rebel instead of the nervous court newbie.  So Crown Duel works for that, and it's also a not a bad read, and a fast one. And of course, we see a good amount of Shevraeth ;)  I quite enjoyed Crown Duel this time around.

So what about Court Duel? Well I liked it of course - but I do think it suffered from the usual ailment of well-thumbed titles - over-familiarity. I always knew what was coming, and that made it difficult to be fully engaged in it. I know you've heard it before, and it's no surprise, though I did think I hadn't read the book recently enough for it to be that familiar... now that I think of it, I think I did read it quite recently though, so maybe that explains it :)

How do I know? The ebook version of Crown Duel includes quite the extra - six scenes from Shevraeth's point of view.  And I remember reading them quite clearly while sitting on my couch at my house. So we're talking max two years ago, and probably less than that.  But of course I had to reread them along with the book this time (they may actually have been the reason for this re-read in the first place, I don't remember).  And rather than waiting till I finished the book, or inserting the scenes at the appropriate time (that would have been ideal, but difficult, since I usually read on Shabbos and these scenes are ebook only), I read them when I was just beginning Crown Duel.  And I must say - they are great fun. Absolutely great fun. But they totally spoil you.  It's like overly sweet candy. They're not well-written, they're really just fan fiction (they were originally posted on Sherwood Smith's livejournal site) but they hand you that coveted POV (Shevraeth's of course) on a silver platter.  And then you go back to the actually well-crafted story... and maybe you're just a little lazy to imagine that POV? I'm not sure, but I do think there was something of that in my reread.

This is in general, a very subtle romance - if you're not paying attention, either because you're too familiar or because fan fiction has spoiled you, you aren't really going to get the most out of it.  So much as I continue to love Court Duel, I have to say this reread was not my favorite. So can we say, book 5/5, reread maybe 4.25 :)

Fantastic (in more than one way)

So of course continuing with my comfort food books (once I get started, it's hard to stop :)) I picked The Blue Castle next.  This is one of two LM Montgomery books I own (along with Anne of the Island), so you know it's got to be good. It's a completely anxiety-free bit of fluffy romance (well I guess it's not quite that light, but there's really nothing going outside of the romance).  Henny G. once said that the ending was almost too happy, and that's true. But I'm not one to complain.

What's funny is that this book is very similar to my last read in that both are books about interesting, thoughtful, intelligent, loving people who have horrible families. This premise does bother me, definitely somewhat in A Company of Swans, but even more here.  Does Valancy's mother really not love her? She does seem a harsh and unfair person, but I just find it difficult to believe that such a lovely person would develop under the eye of such a cold fish.  And it's a large part of the book, not something to be easily dismissed.  But even with the implausibility of it, the Stirlings make for good reading, especially when the scales fall from Valancy's eyes and we can see them in their petty ridiculousness.

The family isn't the only implausible part of the story - the entire premise is quite ridiculous, not least because the medical aspect of it seems completely made up. But eh - it's a great story.  Barney Snaith is a great character, mysterious and attractive, unkempt and improper, but kind, thoughtful, self-confident and capable - and owner of his own island.  And of course a secret millionaire and author.

So basically - yeah I guess a lot of people would find this book silly, somewhat petty, and melodramatic.  But I'm not one of them :)

Verdict: 5/5

Strange, Silly, Spendid

I needed something to read in case I finished this month's Commentary on Shabbos... so I took A Company of Swans with me to my in-laws' house.  This is the "other" Eva Ibbotson I own (other than the Morning Gift, that is).  I didn't buy it because it's my second favorite, but rather because it was for sale that Borders going-out-of-business sale.  It's typical Eva Ibbotson - focused on the arts, melodramatic, and but of course a great love story.  Also, this one, in common with a lot of her others, has a definite creepiness factor.  I think it's especially prominent in this one because Harriet Morton is so alone... well actually many of the heroines are pretty alone, so I'm not sure why this one was so much worse.  Because it takes place in the wilds of the Amazon among the questionable company of ballet dancers maybe.  So there's definitely that to distract from the story, and it was creepy as ever I'd say.

That being said... I started this Friday night when I could have just gone to sleep and I stayed up until I finished it :) So clearly not too creepy for me.  Great romance, eminently likeable characters (perhaps too Mary-Sueish for some in their apparent universal likeability and congeniality, but  I could handle it).  Adventure in the Amazon, talented ballerinas, a tropical villa with devoted staff, and all that good stuff.  What can I say - the creepiness was there, the melodrama was ever present, it wasn't particularly well-written, but it's my kind of story :)

Verdict: 3.75/5

Shaking Off Some of the Dust

Shockingly enough, I am now up to date - chiefly because, since I finished my last book, I've been busy with Commentary. But at Malka Sp's Avi's bar mitzvah, Sarah Sp gave me the latest Scotland Street, and I had to read it in order to pass it on to the next person, Aunt Sarah, so when Huvi came for Shabbos this past Shabbos, I made sure to finish it so I could give it to her, and then I forgot to give it to her, oh well, but it is now finished and I am now going to review it, just a day after finishing :)

So I think I haven't loved the past few 44 Scotland Streets. They are just too much of the same, and I have little patience for all the philosophical digressions. But I have to say, I think this was changed it up a bit. Definitely in respects to Bertie, where he finally gets out from under his mother's thumb, and what a joy it is to be out.  But I thought the other stories were somewhat fresh as well, and the characters themselves mostly refreshingly unphilosophical.  I can't say no digressions, but kept light. It was mostly story. And, though in some cases, the stories had that 44 Scotland St feel where they never really went anywhere, in a few cases, things seem to resolve actually.

So it wasn't too different than usual of course, but it seemed back into a better groove, at least from the way I felt about it.  Here's to continuing to shake things up on Scotland Street.

Verdict: 3.75/5

Solid Talking Points

Going back months as usual, I finished by GH reading while at my in-laws' house for Succos.  They have plenty of interesting reading material there, but everything was a bit disorganized because of construction.  One thing I came upon was Alan Dershowitz's The Case For Israel, which definitely seemed promising.

Of course, I am a stalwart supporter of Israel and I know many of the talking points, but I am always interested in knowing what to argue in more depth (with whom? well anonymous Salon  commenters, but that's another story... or perhaps not, I'll get into that later :)) Anyway, The Case For Israel is a fast read, not a detailed history, but it addresses every argument of the anti-Israel camp in detail (well maybe not every argument, but certainly those that I've heard).  It goes through some of the salient history, much of which I did not know  - including the recently relevant details of the Mufti's participation in the Holocaust and the very important demographic information surrounding the founding of the state (up until 1830, "Palestine" was almost empty. Though the start of the Arab influx of immigration predated the Jewish start by a few decades, the population growth of the two groups occurred basically simultaneously.  At the time of the Partition Plan proposal, the clear majority of the population living in the land to be allotted to Israel was Jewish).  There was information about international law and how it relates to Israel, and details about the Israeli army's extremely careful stewardship of life. The book was written in 2003, but nothing much has changed since then - other than the Palestinians growing over more intransigent and world'd louder condemnation of "settlements".

I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable, gratifying and very informative read.  I then took my new-found factually-based arguments and commented on a Salon article. That of course was a mistake, in which I wasted a week raising my blood pressure to argue with a rude bully, until I gave up as it was taking too much time. But, that incident notwithstanding, I am very glad to have read this book, just so I can answer all those anti-Israel news stories in my head with solid, cogent, pro-Israel arguments :)

Verdict: 5/5

Same Old, Same Good

Next up - the duo introduced well by this post (and now you get a digression into the backstory of that link. There used to be a wonderful website called austenblog that kept up to date on all the latest Austen news (of which there is plenty, believe me :))  So the Editrix, Margaret Sullivan, apparently got bored of this site and stopped doing regular updates, so I stopped reading it.  Recently, Sarah Sp sent me a link to an exhibit about Emma showing in Goucher College, posted on the habitofjournaling blog, which she explained was the new blog by the Editrix.  So I took a look at it, and that post was the second post, which of course reminded me that I had to do this review. So, months late as usual...)

At some point, I needed something new to read and of course went back to my Heyer collection.  I

picked up Devil's Cub, which I reviewed at some point previously (when I was on maternity leave with BB).  This is one of the Heyers that has gone up and down in my estimation, I don't even remember why.  Probably related to Vidal's status as a Duke, its placement in the Georgian, rather than Regency era, and the Sp's pointing out that Vidal was actually going to rape Mary.  Any on this reading, I found the book absolutely spectacular.  Greatly romantic of course, but also sporting a wonderful heroine, really the stuff that heroines are made of with her spunk, coolness, intrepidity, resourcefulness, quiet pride etc.  But also a fun plot (pretty fast-moving, as this is a shortish book).  Just really, really enjoyed it.

So of course, next on my list had to be These Old Shades - Justin's awesomeness in Devil's Cub of course inspiring me to pick up his own story.  And Justin is awesome  - the post does a great job of describing that - "I do so love the Duke of Avon.  He's so fabulous" - that he is :) This book, similarly to Devil's Cub, starts off with the stilted writing of Heyer's non-Regency (and I guess, mostly if not all, earlier) books.  But unlike Devil's Cub, which I think shrugged off the tone pretty early (or I stopped noticing, but pretty sure it's the former), this one kind of kept it throughout.  A little too much drama, a little too much Mary Sue, a little too much "show, don't tell".  So I have to say, I didn't *love* this one.  I mean, liked it, sure, but it's not one of my favorite Heyers. I'm not sure it ever was though, so that's ok.  She's still da best :)


Verdict 5/5, 4.5/5

One Hit Wonder + Another

Well, well, well behind as usual and it's too bad because I bet I could have written a much better review two months ago... oh well.  So the story of this next story - after I finished Persuasion (or was it Sanditon? can't remember which was first), I needed something new to read... but I was not at home with my usual treasure trove of beloved favorites.  I was away for a three week vacation :) I contemplated going to the library in CL, but it didn't work out.  Then, the last week of my vacation I went with Dov's family to the Finger Lakes, where it was essential that I have something to read.  And I had the brilliant idea of making an activity out of it and going to a used book store! What could be better? Really I went to get kids books, I can't remember if that was more my primary motivation.  I went the first day but it was closed (Monday), so I went back again the next day (such persistence). I did ok with kids books, really nothing special (might as well just buy new on Amazon, as  I just did), and then I spent some time browsing for something for me. Naomi was with me, which made it... not easy, but I trawled the shelves nonetheless.  I was really ready to give up, I couldn't find any favorites and didn't have the ability to watch Naomi and search for new books  - and then I happened to come upon Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate! What luck! I've been meaning to read Nancy Mitford since who knows when, and even more since I read and *loved* Stella Gibbons.  So I picked up the two-in-one for $5 and I was set for the week (and more).

Now for the reviews -
First things first, my expectations. I knew going in the Nancy Mitford didn't write fairy-tale happy endings (so not Cold Comfort Farm).  The books were more in the vein of a roman-a-clef or illustration of the age (the age being the time between the wars).  But they are high society tales, and classics, so I expected a well-written source of gentle entertainment.

The Pursuit of Love fit this description to a T I'd say. Very well written, very likable narrator (unexpectedly nice), sparkling vivacity and wit, and a grand illustration of London society.  Also full of clear indication that the Pursuit of Love will not end in blissful capture.  It was not a happy ending, but it fit with the tone / theme of the book so at least I expected nothing else (though really, it did seem like it could have gone another way in the end).  And I kept turning page after page to read more about the mad adventures of the Radletts and Co.  So quite the enjoyable read overall.

We next turn to Love in a Cold Climate... which was.. wow... something else.  Same likable narrator but much, much less likable main characters for a start.  And it just goes down in from there. I am actually quite shocked about the content of this book - child molestation, marital infidelity, plenty of homosexuality. And none of it is particularly frowned upon.  This was really a very strange book - I'm not sure how it was received when it was written, but to me it just seemed like a book about bad-natured people behaving badly. In the end they mostly find love (spoiler alert I guess), so maybe that was the point? But the grotesqueness of the plot just seems not to fit with the neat ending.  Maybe I'm putting this more strongly than it actually is, but believe me, this was not the book I was expected after The Pursuit of Love.  The first one seemed eminently familiar and the second, utterly foreign.

Verdict: 3.5/5 for tPoL and 2/5 for LiaCC

1.2 JAs

As you know, my reading material comes, for the most part, from my small and select personal library.  Many of the titles have already been reviewed, but that doesn't stop me from rereading :) I don't remember what impulse compelled me to pick up Sanditon again (for I think the third time since I've started this blog?), but I certainly have no regrets about the choice.  I don't think I need to do another full review, but here's a short one.  Sanditon is absolutely a tons-of-fun read.  Another Lady obviously can't measure up to Jane Austen, but I think she's as good as Georgette Heyer.  Wonderfully enjoyable read, though certainly much lighter than genuine Austen fare.

Which leads me to my next review...  reading JA-lite, and right afterwards a silly article about the perfect alternative setting for each Jane Austen book inspired me to pick up Persuasion, my least-recently-read "good" JA (I don't like Mansfield Park and S&S).  Persuasion is saddest in tone of all the Austens, as Anne Elliot does not feel that life holds any hope of happiness for her.  I have in the past been somewhat put off by this, but now it's built in to my expectation of the book, so it doesn't bother me much.  And while it may be mored subdued in tone, the ending, and my anticipation of it, are sublime.  It's also a short book, with no side plots to distract from the main, wonderful romance. And the romance itself, while perhaps slightly less classic than P&P's hate at first sight, has provided an archetype that has been enjoyed ever since.

Reading the book made me want to watch the movie, of course.  With Persuasion, there aren't many options, but I chose ITV's 2007 version (short and on youtube + Rupert Penry Jones!). And much though I enjoyed the book while I was reading it, watching the movie made me appreciate it all the more.  All the subtleties of the plot and characters were lost, even though the story was still there.  And though I love JA for the story, she wouldn't be one of the most beloved authors ever without all the other stuff of course.

I have to say, this is a short review... I'm not sure if I was less cognizant than usual while reading, or if I just thought the book was perfect... but in any case, here it is and here's the verdict:

5/5 (for both, though in different ways, and of course if I had to rank, then Persausion would have to outrank).

Romance, Heavily Marbled

As promised, the new and interesting reading :) This is the first time in while I'm reviewing something that's relatively fresh in my mind.  What is it? As you probably do not recall, Lauren Willig talks about her weekly reading on her website.  A few weeks ago, she mentioned have just discovered and absolutely loved Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which I have (fortunately or unfortunately) already read and thoroughly enjoyed (at least I'm pretty sure I did, I watched the movie but I'm fairly positive I also read the book).  Anyway, she mentioned that she also read The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett the same week, but hadn't enjoyed it as much, perhaps in contrast to Miss Pettigrew.  So I knew right away it wasn't going to be extraordinary but the Amazon summary sounded right up my alley, so I also knew I was going to read it.

(side note - of course, I never got around to finishing this and it is no longer fresh in my mind, oh well)

So the premise of this book is an indigent but genteel woman (of the Victorian age of course) makes her living by performing odd jobs for various patrons.  One of them invites her to spend some time at her country estate, where she is entertaining her very eligible nephew (a Marquis of course), along with some potential brides.  From the title, we know that our own heroine, Emily, is to be the chosen one.  And what could be more fun than seeing the choosing play itself out? And, indeed, the summer estate party scene of courtship provides satisfying romantic developments.  The romance is, I think, fairly well done, though I found the characterization somewhat strange. Chiefly, Emily's good nature makes her quite loveable, and she is also very capable - but the author puts great emphasis on the simple-mindedness that accompanies that good nature, and seems to relish it.  This is quite a change from, really, most books I read, where even when a protaganist is not the brightest, they make up for it in street smarts or emotional intelligence or whatnot.  But it didn't particularly bother me, it was just a bit jarring.

So much for the first half or so of the book.  Then... they get married.  Which I would have assumed happened at the end of the book, as is typical of a historical romance.  But actually, this was more of a marriage of convenience, which is certainly fair game, so I guess not in and of itself too strange. What was rather strange was the turn the book took... involving the Marquis's current heir, who returns from India determined to thwart his cousin's plans for cutting him out of the succession.  And so begins a rather sinister plot twist, involving heathen Indian maid servants, strange foreign ways, and even... murder (well attempted murder).  As Emily struggles to acclimate to her new role (hence the title), she is threatened not by the dainty barbs of society, but by the more solid danger of people actually out to get her.  And where is her husband during all this? Off on a business trip (or maybe it was diplomatic, can't really remember).  How is that supposed to be a convenient marriage plot?

And then... just abruptly as first twist happened, Emily escapes from her would-be persecutors and holes herself up in London to await her husband's return.  She is no longer physically threatened, so we can go back to enjoying the romantic developments (limited though they may due to her husband's absence).  This is really the end of the book, it doesn't take all that long for her husband to return for a satsifying finale (quite dramatic in its own way).

So what to say about this book? It certainly had very uneven tone, and the characterization was strange. A large part of the book had more of Gothic/mystery tone than the light romance I was looking for.  But in the end of the day (and the beginning too :)) it had the classic historical romance I was looking for. So can't say I regret reading it (for free :))

Verdict: 3/5

Staple Rereading

As I mentioned in the previous post, short note on a re-read.  This goes back to Succos, but I think it is actually the most recent book I have read, insane as that is (I started another one at my in-laws a while ago, but haven't finished it, and, as mentioned in the previous post, am now in middle of something interesting which you will hear about eventually :)) (other than that, it's been Commentary magazine, as I struggle to keep up with the monthly (following Pesach, I am actually in middle of the current month's issue, woohoo.  New reading material coming up whenever I get out to the library!)  Anyway, the reread was my three-book volume of Clare Darcy novels. I don't remember why I decided to reread it, probably it had a somewhat prominent place on my bookshelf.  Last time I read it, I somewhat enjoyed it, more than the stand-alone Clare Darcys I found at Howard County library.  (I haven't reread my review of course, so maybe my memory is faulty :)) Anyway, I certainly enjoyed the books well enough this time around, though the bar is set rather low since I don't do all that much reading these days. She definitely does a good job imitating GH's tone but the books fall far short in both plot and characterization (and humor, too).  They don't move along quickly enough, I definitely found myself getting somewhat bored at times.  And the characters are just a little too silly at times.  Furthermore, my snobbery was offended by the relatively low birth of the girl in the first book and the guy in the second one. So I enjoyed the third one the most :) Plus that was the one that took place in London.  But can't complain, all easy enough reading in my very favorite genre.

Verdict: 3/5

Interesting and Informative, or, I Finally Read Some Non-Fiction

As usual, it's been forever.  My reading material in the past months has been exclusively Commentary magazine, so I have little incentive to finish my review backlog.  I have recently started on something new and interesting so that gives me a little push :) And this review is the last on my backlog (except for a short note on a reread that will be coming whenever this one is done).  Anyway, now up is Nate Silver's The Signal and the Noise.  I don't remember exactly when I read this book, but it either right before or at the beginning of my maternity leave.  So a while ago.   But I still have something to say, don't worry :) Anyway, some background on this  - The Signal and the Noise is a non-fiction bestseller by Nate Silver, statistics guru formerly of the NY Times.  His employer notwithstanding, I think I had some vague interest in the title for a while.  Some time last year I started reading Nate's new website, fivethirtyeight.com, regularly, which definitely made me want to read his book more.  The premise of the website is to offer a hard-data perspective of the news, certainly a refreshing and and informative product.  I did enjoy the articles and, when I was next in need of something to read at the in-laws, I picked up the book.  It took me a few visits to get through it, but I enjoyed it all the way through.

Other than the intro/conclusion chapters, each chapter looks at a specific topic often subjected to statistical analysis, or more specifically, to "forecasting" (predicting the future based on present / past data).  So each chapter is an informative read on how forecasting works in a certain field, ranging from weather, to sports, to climate change.  I don't think there was one topic I had in-depth knowledge of, so each chapter was an education in itself.  Some hold more interest to me than others (climate change more than baseball :)) and some more day-to-day relevance (weather) but all interesting and good reading.  It really gave me a new way to think about each of these fields.  On climate change specifically, I really appreciate Silver's temperate approach toward the science and have more-or-less adopted it as my own (for the record, the models are by no means perfect and certainly have something to answer for, but they do all suggest rises in carbon dioxide are going to be problematic if the models are accurate).

And besides for educating me in a few specific topics, the book also introduced me to the notion of Bayesian forecasting.  I know about Bayes  but certainly hadn't thought to apply it as widely as Silver does. It really is a clarifying way to approach predictions of both the future and general unknowns.  It's very helpful to think in terms of current assumptions and how they affect the assumptions about new propositions (not that I mean I use this in any real sense, just in my rich intellectual life :p).

As someone with no statistical background, no background in any of the topics Silver discusses and not really a critical thinker, it's not like I'm a in a place to really evaluate Silver's book on its academic merits.  Suffice it to say, it was not only an interesting read, but has contributed to the way I think about the climate change debate, weather forecasts, mortgage securities, earthquake predictions, and Bayesian reasoning.  Not bad :)

Verdict: 4/5 (based purely on how much I enjoyed this book, not on its technical merits or lasting impact)

The Past Can Be Refreshing

Story of this next one: We walked to Goldie and Aharon's baby's bris and Esther Twersky offered to let me nurse in her house since she lives right near the shul.  I took her up on it, and she very nicely offered me a choice of reading materials.  She had lots of exciting used book, childhood favorites type.  Plenty of Gordon Korman, and she also had this author Keith Robertson.  He's the author of the Henry Reed books, which I used to read back in the day (and more or less enjoyed), but apparently he's the author of several other books as well.  I selected one of them, The Money Machine, started it while I was nursing, and took it home with me to finish.

The book is a children's mystery, with that old-timey feel of Henry Reed, Beverly Cleary etc - when children got around on bicycles, did their chores and lived wholesome and energetic lives.  The protagonists of The Money Machine (it's actually the last in a series with these boys) run a detective agency.  The mystery involves a counterfeit ring.  Not *too* high stakes, but of course, seriously dramatic for high school.  I'm not a huge fan of mysteries for their own sake, though I read many of them for various reasons of course.  So the actual clue-tracking and culprit-exposing wasn't overly important to me.  What impressed me more (I mean that in the sense of made an impression on me) was the old-timey feel of it all.  The mild manners, the slow pace, the secure atmosphere - all make for a relaxing read, despite any tension that arose from all the tight spots that happened along the way.  Not that I'm particularly nostalgic, and definitely not nostalgic for a time and place I never knew, but the wholesomeness of all did get to me.

At least I think that's what it was.  The bottom line is I found it to be an easy read.  As a children's book, I wouldn't have expected much else.  Even so, I think the old-fashioned neat-and-cleanness contributed plenty.

Verdict: 3.5/5

In Which the Likeability of the Author Matters

A while ago, Dov went to Barnes and Noble randomly and picked up a few titles (not at all my thing of course, I would never waste money on that :)), one of which was a somewhat interesting intro to popular physics book that I think is currently in CL, of which I have read only a small part. The other is Mindy Kaling's memoir (such a serious word, but I think it is the correct one), whose title is (having just looked it up) "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?".  I wouldn't say celebrity comedic memoirs are exactly my usual thing, but I have been known to read the occasional humor book.  And Dov went through this one quite quickly so I assumed I'd be interested :) I finally got around to reading it right after Naomi was born (brought it with me to the hospital, I think I started it there), which means we're talking about six months ago at this point - I think I still remember what I want to say though :)

And that's that I did indeed enjoy the book, and got through it relatively quickly - lots of stops and starts with nursing, but my interest never flagged.  The book was fun and well-written (for the genre).  But was more interesting was how much I actually liked Mindy.  She really seems... "normal".  Now I know that sounds incredibly celebrity-fake-modesty-y, but it's not just her early nerdiness and youthful struggles that humanizes her. She actually seems to have decent values - parents who push their kids (Indians of course :)), good friends she hangs with, a healthy appetite :)... She just seems like a person I would actually like! Which I just don't think I'd say about Tina Fey or Amy Poehler or Ellen Degeneres, even though I find them all very funny.  Not only did Mindy make me enjoy the book, the book actually made me enjoy her show all the more.  Mindy from The Mindy Project seems very much like Mindy from the memoir (which was written before the show, so it's not like she deliberately set out to make herself seem like her character).  Her antics on the show seem much more funny now that I see how they are rooted in the real, and quite likeable, Mindy.

So, anyway, a good, quick, fun read that actually surprised me in how much I enjoyed it :)

Verdict: 4/5

Better Than Fiction

This one might be out of order, but doesn't matter much given that all my reviews are months behind anyway :) When I go to my in-laws' house, I often pick up something to read there rather than continuing with whatever I am in middle of elsewhere.  One such book was To Sir With Love.  The premise, an educated black man teaching inner-city kids, reminded me of Up a Down Staircase, of which I read a Reader's Digest condensed novel version and enjoyed, back in the day (the black teacher was the added twist as far as I could see).  Only after I started reading it did I realize that it takes place in 1950's London, quite a different scene from the American inner-city, and with different racial overtones as well.  The kids are white trash, the teacher is black upper class, an engineer from South America.  So that's the scene.

The basic story is civilized black man civilizes uncivilized white students, mostly by treating them with respect and shocking them into good behavior.  It's a nice idea, but subject to skepticism - are inner-city kids really just fine adults waiting to shine through? When I started reading, this was my immediate reaction... until I realized something important.  The book is based on a true story.  Now that is a tale worth telling.  E.R. Braithwaite really was a black engineer who took a job teaching poor white Londoners in the years following WWII, and managed to instill both intelligence and breeding (ok, in limited quantities) despite the racial prejudice standing in his way.  Once I realized that, I could enjoy the book free of the niggling "yeah, right" feeling.

And it was a good read.  I, at least, felt a constant tension that some big explosion was just around the corner, but that never happened (no complaints from me about that :)) Small crises arise, but Mr. Braithwaite ably deals with each one deftly and successfully.  And the way the students warm to him is of course quite endearing.  The writing style is spare and a little blunt at times (and of course, with a viewpoint that is occasionally a little dated), and is quite easy to read.  The characterization is excellent (don't know how much liberty was taken with reality here), with each person a mix of virtues and vices in some combination.  There's also a bit of a romance, in an open-ended but hopeful state at the end of the book (this was apparently an embroidery of the truth since E.R. Braithwaite never married).  And it was certainly fascinating to read about racism and society outside of America.

So I certainly enjoyed this book.  And it was short, too, so not too much of an investment.  Pretty light, despite some heavy-ish subject matter.  Recommended :)

4/5