Book Club: The Eleventh Plague

 (book cover; taken from Goodreads)

You can probably tell from the cover what The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch is about. Post-apocalyptic America! So, initially I thought this was going to be a zombie book, which made me not want to read it, because I'm kind of sick of zombies right now. But it's not. The background of the story is that the United States and China decided to start a biological war with each other which killed off most of the people in at least those two countries (the rest of the world isn't really mentioned, so I'm not sure what happened to them). What's left is a shell of what once was--amusement parks with weeds and vines growing up the rides, broken billboards that you can see from miles away, abandoned and broken-down houses that could fall at any minute, etc. The worst part is what happened to those who were left: ex-military slavers, abandoned children, scavengers, and small hypocritical towns left where civilization once reigned. The main character is a teenage boy named Stephen--a scavenger like his father. He has lost his mother and grandfather to the hardships of the only existence he's ever known, but at least he always knows where he's going and what he's doing...until his father falls into a coma after hitting his head and Stephen meets a group of men who offer him shelter and security.

First Impression: The main purpose of this world eludes me. Stephen makes references to why the world fell apart, but has yet to explain if the "plague" from the biological warfare is still active somehow. Also, how are there still scraps for them to find after such a long time? I have a lot of questions, and I'm intrigued only enough to want answers so far. This is mostly an adventure/survival story, it seems, without a lot of literary meat or value.

Conclusion: This was a really interesting take on the post-apocalyptic world. Probably the most realistic one I've read, since I could see that war actually happening in the future. It took me a while to get into it, but I like what Hirsch decided to do in part three, bringing it all together. His characters were well-written, too--flawed and never black-and-white (by which I mean he had lots of realistic variation). I never really liked Jenny, but her character was well-designed and served its purpose. Stephen's father could have done a bit more, I think, but he served most of his purpose as well, I guess. I do wish that Hirsch would have expanded a bit and written a longer book. There wasn't quite enough detail for the complicated premise of the story. Not at all what I was expecting but a good read for older children and adults.

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Audio: The Host

I listened to an audio version of The Host written by Stephenie Meyer and read by Kate Reading. The book is set on Earth, where aliens have taken over by entwining themselves with the spinal cords and brains of human host bodies. These aliens (who call themselves souls) are gentle, peaceful creatures (with the exception of seekers) who decided to take over because humans are prone to violence and destruction. The main character and narrator, Wanderer, is one such soul, who has been placed in the body of one of the few human resistance fighters (or really just survivors) left, Melanie. She finds that her host is not going to fade away easily, and so begins the story. (picture taken from Photobucket; uploaded by allwaysatoffee; probably a promotional picture from the movie, which I haven't seen) First Impression: Meyer uses simple language in this book, which was also the case in her Twilight series. Perhaps because she's writing about an alien, or "soul," most of the time, her style seems more appropriate for this type of book. Reading does a very good job varying her voice between characters, especially with the small difference in tone she uses between Wanderer and Melanie. It makes a big difference when they are having conversations internally. There isn't the same "teen drama" as I found in Twilight, so I'm enjoying The Host so far. Conclusion: I found myself genuinely curious throughout the book as to what might happen to Wanda and Melanie. Will they be separated? Will one of them disappear? Will Wanda fall in love or steal more bodies for her kind? Okay, that last one was a little complicated. But generally, I just found myself curious as I read on. I saw a lot of things coming in this book, mostly because I had so many ideas; one of them was bound to be right. The encouragement of these ideas is what I like in a book such as The Host, so I would consider Meyer successful in that respect. The extraction about 65% of the way through the book is very well done--possibly one of the best parts. I can't be more specific or I'll ruin it, but Meyer shows a great eye for detail in that section of the story. While I'm not sure that I like where that portion ends, I think it is more true to Wanda's character because of my non-agreement. I find the emphasis on the body in connection with love very interesting. I don't necessarily agree that the body has such a strong physical reaction against the mind, but the connection fit in well with the story. I don't think this novel needed to be so long in order to tell Meyer's tale, but it is more well-rounded than the Twilight series, which I hope is a sign that Meyer is maturing as an author. I also think she does better with sci-fi than with dark fantasy. Maybe it's the higher ratio of science to drama. Anyway, this book saved Meyer as an author that I might read in the future. I'll probably read the next one she writes.

P&P Challenge: Darcy's Story

Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer is the story of Pride and Prejudice told in third-person limited from Mr. Darcy's point-of-view. I'm not going to cover the story for you again, but this version starts a little before the original and ends at the same time as the original.

(sketch of Mr. Darcy taken from Photobucket;

uploaded by paranoia_rebirth 5)

paranoia_rebirth5;taken from Photobucket

First Impression: It's impossible for me to read Darcy's Story without comparing it to Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange, since both books are based upon the same premise and I read Grange's novel in April. While Grange's story is written in diary form, Aylmer's novel is written in the third person. I prefer this so far, because she isn't taking as many liberties with Pride and Prejudice as Grange does. However, this also means that she's being a little less creative with the story. Maybe that will change as the story goes on. I like the relationships that Darcy has with his friends and family in this one. There is plenty of background without comments that might change Austen's characters too much from their original form. I'm enjoying this book so far. I definitely think that this challenge is helping me to not be so critical of sequels and re-interpretations of classics that I love.

Conclusion: Aylmer does a great job not revealing more than Darcy would know at each point. Darcy notices that Elizabeth refers to Wickham in a friendly way, for instance, but he hasn't seen them together a lot and doesn't suspect a strong attachment. Also, he is completely blindsided when Elizabeth rejects his proposal, which is to be expected. Darcy's relationship with Georgiana seems very well-executed to me as well. He has taken care of her in the past as a father, but Aylmer makes a very smooth transition for Darcy from the role of a father to the role of a caring older brother. Instead of treating his sister like a child, Darcy begins to see her as a young woman--someone who still needs guidance but should be allowed to make some decisions on her own. Georgiana, in turn, becomes Darcy's closest confidante on matters of the heart. Overall, I really enjoyed this. I think Aylmer did a great job reflecting Darcy's character without assuming too much about his emotions and actions beyond Austen's intentions.

Book Talk: North and South

This will be an experiment! For a while (possibly a couple of years, but we're trying to find a way to speed it up) my friend, Jenny, and I will be reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.

 (the Elizabeth Gaskell Window in Poets' Corner

of Westminster Abbey; picture taken from The Gaskell

Society webpage)

We're each going to read two chapters or so a week and have a regular correspondence on them. If you read my review of Two Guys Read Jane Austen, that book is my inspiration for this idea. We'll be reading the book at the same time, discussing about every two chapters at a time, and I'll be posting slightly edited versions of our conversations here. I encourage you to read along with us if you're interested! I'd also like to warn you now about spoilers to come. Usually, I try not to ruin books for those of you who have yet to read them, but since this discussion will be much more in-depth, I won't be able to do that. Each of these posts will be clearly labeled as spoilers in the title for those of you who would like to avoid them. I'm going to link back to this post with each chapter post as well, so you can just refer to this one if you prefer. I've been trying to think of more ideas for this blog, and I'm really excited about this--I hope you all are, too!

Bitsy View: Bedtime

Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book by Dr. Seuss   
     --Summary: Creatures everywhere are going to sleep.
     --Writing Style: rhyming sentences
     --Highlight: "Speaking of dreaming, / I think you should note / That the Bumble-Tub Club is now dreaming afloat."
     --Afterthought: As with all of Seuss's books, this is very cute, with lots of fun creatures that don't actually exist. I think it's great for the imagination right before you go to bed--inspire those dreams!

Pajama Time! by Sandra Boynton     
     --Summary: Various animals are singing and doing the pajama dance as they get ready for bed.
     --Writing Style: rhyming song/chant
     --Highlight: "Pajammy to the left. Pajammy to the right. (Jamma jamma jamma jamma P! J!)"
     --Afterthought: This is currently my son's favorite bedtime story. It gets that last energy burst out with a pajama dance, and then he is ready to sleep.

Clifford's Bedtime Story by Norman Bridwell    
     --Summary: Emily Elizabeth helps Clifford get ready for bed.
     --Writing Style: short sentences
     --Highlight: Clifford falls asleep while Emily Elizabeth reads a story, and he dreams about saving a girl (who looks like Emily Elizabeth) from a castle.
     --Afterthought: This is a simply enjoyable bedtime story. The pictures are not intricate, but they are bright enough to attract attention and fun for any Clifford fan.

Audio: Unbearable Lightness

I've been meaning to post about this book since my list with my ten favorite books so far this year! Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia de Rossi is about the author/actress's struggles with an eating disorder and coming out to the public as a gay actress. I listened to the Simon & Schuster audio version narrated by the author, Portia de Rossi.

(picture from Goodreads)

First Impression: Rather than focusing on actions and events in her life, the author's primary focus is on her emotions and thought processes, which I find an appropriate approach to her story. The writing has a "quiet" quality to it that conveys the underlying menace of the author's struggles. I find this somewhat unsettling and perfect for the nature of the book. Also, Portia narrating the story makes the whole thing feel more personal.

(picture from a Portia de Rossi fanpage:

http://www.portiaderossifan.com/photo.htm)

Conclusion: The most interesting facet of de Rossi's story is that she had no intention of becoming anorexic when she started the journey down. She had a professional nutritionist and an eating plan geared toward helping her lose weight and stay healthy. With constant shows, interviews, and photo shoots, she found herself constantly worried that she wasn't losing enough weight to keep up with the rest of Hollywood. Bit by bit, she did more exercise and ate less every day until she got below 90 pounds and began to feel excruciating pain with any movement of her body. I love that de Rossi displays her progression from a young girl who just wants to be appreciated and noticed as something special to a woman who understands that happiness is the key to health. My favorite part is the epilogue, where she ties everything together and discusses the importance of her story. It especially resonates with me when she states why she no longer believes in diets or weighing herself: she says that without the psychological pressure of always eating "good foods," resisting "bad foods," and losing weight, our body will tell us what it needs when it needs it and each of us will be the healthy weight we were meant to be.

Book Club: Blood Feud

Sorry I've left you guys hanging lately! I've been on vacation! But now I'm back with a bunch of content for you all, so hopefully I can keep it flowing a little more steadily. Here's a picture to show that the wait was worth it:

 (my son, Gabe--sixteen months)

Gabe had such a good time at that birthday party! He's all about balloons now. But, on to more serious pursuits--reading non-fiction!

The full title of the book for this post is Blood Feud: The Hatfields & the McCoys: The Epic Story of Murder & Vengeance by Lisa Alther. It's quite a mouthful. And so is the book itself, actually. An eyeful, I guess I should say. The title and description of Alther's book portray a relation of the events surrounding the Hatfield v. McCoy feud in Tug Fork Valley, which only takes up about 60% of the book in reality. I had never heard the entire story of the feud laid out piece-by-piece, so I really enjoyed reading about the topic more thoroughly. Alther does a good job putting the events into a timeline that we can understand and referring back to that timeline when she introduces a lesser known character in the book. She also seems to relate all of the facts to the best of her ability, even though some of the information is muddled through years of reality mixing with legend in the Hatfield and McCoy families. I will say that every once in a while she projects an emotion onto one of the feud members, and I'm not convinced that they felt the same way she seems to about everything. She does make it clear that these are her guesses or assumptions, though, so at least she's not just telling a falsehood. I found the brutality of events and stubbornness of feud members difficult to understand--it just was not necessary in any sense of the word. Given an understanding of the two families' way of life, however, I can understand how this feud came to take place. Below are pictures of the two feud leaders, Ranel McCoy and Devil Anse Hatfield, which I found on Photobucket.

Randolph (Ranel) McCoy

William (Devil Anse) Hatfield

 After her discussion of the Hatfield v. McCoy Feud, Alther talks about several other feuds that did not garner as much attention from the public (for various reasons). I never realized there were so many, so this was an especially interesting section to me. I am not a big fan of the last chapter of the book, however, where Alther talks about the McCoys' and Hatfields' genetic disposition to be feudists and her own fears (of the Cumberland Mountains and their inhabitants) "inherited" from her grandmother. She starts to cross into an area with which I don't quite agree, so the end of the book drags for me. Nevertheless, this is a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Appalachian feuds of the 19th and 20th centuries.