"K" is for Kerouac

An update on my K book "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac, which I mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes post and started a while ago. This book has been indefinitely placed on hold. I just wasn't getting into it. I am open to re-visiting this book, but it didn't grab me, and as I have previously mentioned on this blog, I am adopting a new policy on this issue, in that I am not going to make myself slog through a book Im not into when there are so many great books out there. So again, I am open to re-visiting this book, but its put away for now. Any opinions to share on your own experience on reading this book? I know so many people who have enjoyed it.

"M" is for Montgomery

Ahoy!

So I have been skipping a bit in the alphabet. Lately, because I got an AWESOME kindle and while I was at a conference a few weeks ago I was just reading whatever I could download for free on my Kindle. This brought me back to the "Anne of Green Gables" series, which I very much enjoyed as a pre-teen. This series is my "M" letter, yay for Lucy Maud Montgomery.

I enjoyed Anne of Green Gables a lot, even as an adult. I just find Anne and Marilla's interactions hilarious! Anne says the most ridiculous things. I enjoy her drama and zest for life. I also love how sweet Matthew and Marilla are - even though neither of them wants to admit it until the end, they love Anne to pieces. In overview, for those who haven't read it, this series takes place on/around Prince Edward Island, Canada and is about an orphan, Anne, who is adopted around age 12 by an older brother and sister who run a farm. This series, at least the first book, I haven't started the second yet except for a few pages, isn't really about plot and more about the development of the characters. In that way its a really neat book, the characters are very well developed and you get to know them really well - there are times where I felt like I could predict how Marilla was going to react to Anne's silliness. This book, I imagine, sets the foundation for the rest of the series, because you really get to know the characters and see how they develop through this period in their lives. Its fun to read and fills me with warm fuzzies.

Skipping Through the Alphabet

In other exciting news, Justin gave me a Kindle for my birthday. ITS SO COOL PEOPLE!! I wanted one so that I could download articles that I need to read for classes and now I am totally in love with reading on it, period. I was a bit hesitant about it, I mean I love books and will not change to the dark side on that. I did think however, as I was re-reading "The Deathly Hallows" that it would be way easier to read on e-reader...anyway. I took that opportunity to download free e-versions of as many of my challenges books as I could. I was able to download my "K" book, On the Road by Jack Kerouac and my "X" book, which is actually a "D", The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I started reading these simultaneously, out of excitement and got totally wrapped up in Sherlock Holmes! I am actually on my fourth Sherlock Holmes book right now, but I did start with the extraordinary cases.

So, "X" is for Sherlock Holmes.

This series I am finding SO MUCH FUN to read!! Reminiscent to me of the Tarzan series, in that there are many different books in this series, they differ in length, and you can blast through them. (fun fact: I also downloaded a ton of Tarzan books on my Kindle). This is another book where I am constantly reminded of other versions I have seen of it, notably, The Great Mouse Detective (Yes, I am that cool), though I haven't watched many other versions. What strikes me about these books, beyond how fun and quickly you can read them, is that Sherlock Holmes is not that likable of a character. He's sometimes condescending, does coke when hes bored, and is rather emotionless at times. BUT the books are narrated by Watson, who is quite likable, and though he lacks the deductive powers of Holmes, is still bright but has a lot of heart and greatly admires Holmes, as well as many of the "clients" they help.

The Extraordinary Cases, is kind of a memoir. It is a chronicling or several short cases, compiled by Watson to kind of "record" for posterity the many adventures he assisted Holmes with. The cases chronicled cover a ton of subjects, from one of the few times that Holmes was foiled, to stories that touched their hearts, to rather sinister plots blown by Holmes. The shortness of each chapter is fun and I often found myself trying to figure it out before Holmes. Often, I could guess the persons involved but not at all how to bring all the pieces together. It has motivated me to re-read "The Hound of the Baskervilles" which I did enjoy when I read in MS or HS, but I don't remember much about. I have also enjoyed learning bits about the time period that it was written in, for example, Watson often references his time serving in a war in Afghanistan for England.

I've gone on to read another couple of short stories about Holmes and downloaded several. From what I can figure on the Kindle online store, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was rather prolific, he wrote MANY Holmes stories as well as many other books that are non-Holmes related.

Additionally, this may be a bit random, but reading this has often reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock's short films (and show, watch it, its stream-able on Netflix), in that they are both short mysteries, often have dark or sinister themes, but don't scare the crap out of me because they are not graphic or random, but very logical and straightforward with dark things happening to people who partake in dark stuff. I'd be curious is anyone else makes this connection or if its just me.

PS> I kinda want a Sherlock Holmes outfit.

"J" is for Jonson

I skipped my "J" book for now "Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man", though I am actually really excited to read it. I just haven't been able to track it down at the UWM or the Milwaukee public library. Apparently, its rather popular.

"I" is for Irving

For my "I" book I chose the collected short stories of Washington Irving. This book, while ok, made me realize an error I created in my original list. I had chosen so many American writers of this era (pre-Civil war) that when I got to this book, I must say I was getting a little sick of that time period and writing style.

This book was allright, though honestly, I didnt finish it. Usually I can get myself to slog through but I thought of something a librarian had told my grandma (who works in a library) that we had discussed. This librarian's philosophy was that boos aren't worth slogging through, if they don't grab you in the first hundred pages or so (I know...100 pages, but considering I have read 300 pages of Harry Potter in the last days I guess thats really not much) they aren't worth the effort, because there are SO MANY OTHER GREAT BOOKS OUT THERE!! I got a little stuck on this idea while trying to get through this book. I'd really like to know others' ideas on this concept.

I did read a few short stories, and I definitely enjoyed reading the original "Rip Van Winkle" story, though definitely, the wishbone version was stuck in my head the whole time, lol. Oh Wishbone, that show really stuck with me, even though I don't remember being that into it.

In other news, my apologies for the lateness of this post, I definitely abandoned this book in like, September.

Prelude to: H is for Hawthorne

Here I come "The House of Seven Gables"!!!

I really hope I enjoy this book, I had to plod through a couple of my more recent selections but Ill take the exposure. I really enjoyed "The Scarlet Letter" so Im hoping to enjoy this book, which Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote in the ten months after the Scarlet Letter was published (according to wikipedia). I also enjoyed "The Crucible" so I suppose I enjoy this time period. However, I read both of those under the direction of an excellent teacher (shout out to Mrs. Reschke!) so we'll see if I can guide myself as well.

I find having a class, or even just another person who has read the same book, available to consult really useful when reading a dense, heavy book. Some things don't need this, or don't need it as much. For example, my favorite "genres" if you will, are Muslim Womens Memoirs (I realize thats a really specific area, lol) and African American literature. I know enough about this areas from classes, other readings, that when I come across things Im not familiar with in reading I can often figure it out or know enough that some quick googling clears things up.

In any case, I am excited to start reading this book and will snap it up at the library tomorrow. Im hoping I can find a cool edition, like I did when reading "Little Women". Note: Im still pissed off about the ending. Damn you Louisa May Alcott!! Sisters are NOT interchangeable.

G is STILL for Gordimer

So I just finished reading "The Conservationist". What an odd book. That is my main impression. I feel like I should have gotten more out of in, in that I feel like there were plot elements that I just didn't get.

The book is very famous because it was written at the height of the apartheid and it contrasts the experience of a rich, white Afrikaaner with the blacks who works on his "hobby" farm in the country.

I found it a bit hard to follow.

There was also a lot of sex weirdly entwined in it. This made the book creepy and confusing at times.

I did like though, the way the landscape/the land was almost a character itself in the book. All of the people in the book, even through their vastly different cultural and economic experiences had connections with/ feelings for the land, though in very different ways. So I liked that. It was also short.

I never got into any of the characters, except for being grossed out by the main character, but I think that was the point (he thinks hes above the whole apartheid thing, just looking out for himself, apolitical my ass).

I wish I had more to say about this book but it just never really grabbed me and I had a hard time following it.

In any case, Im onto my next book, yay!