The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time...random thoughts

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

Yes, I know the rest of the planet read this book five years ago. What can I say, "cutting edge" and "Debi" just don't belong in the same sentence. Anyway, this is definitely one of those cases of better late than never, because I absolutely loved this book! Really, truly loved it.

You know, I'm not even sure I've ever read a review of this book. (I suspect most of you read it in the days before I started blogging.) But I had certainly heard of it, word of mouth and all. And I've honestly wanted to read it for a very long time, but just could never seem to get around to it. What finally pushed me over the edge was Charlotte Moore, author of George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, & Autism. She mentioned really enjoying The Curious Incident and stated how very authentic it felt to her. To me that was high praise, and it seemed time to get off lazy butt and go dig the book off the shelves.

So, what did I love so much about this book? Is it cheating to say nearly everything? The book is told from Christopher Boone's perspective. In fact, Christopher wrote the book...it's his written version of the story of finding his neighbor's dog, who had been killed with a pitchfork, and his subsequent story of detecting to find out who had done it. Christopher is a fifteen-year-old boy with an autism spectrum disorder. I fell completely in love with Christopher and found myself feeling utterly privileged to be allowed to view his world through his eyes. (And yes, I do know this is a fictional book, but it was one I found so incredibly believably that I couldn't stop myself from feeling these emotions.)

And speaking of emotions, Christopher does not intuitively understand the emotions others are feeling. So his narrative doesn't ascribe emotions onto others. Yet he talks about the things that happen, the words that are spoken. And somehow you end up with a remarkable full story of what his parents, particularly his father, are going through. In case you haven't read this, I don't want to go into particulars, but Christopher's father does something that I find unbearably despicable. And yet I can't find him thoroughly unlikable. It is so very evident to the reader how much he loves his son. Being human, he is certainly fallible. But he never stops trying to do everything he can for Christopher, even if his judgments are sometimes faulty.

But there is so much more I loved about this book, too. Coming from Christopher's perspective made this a thoroughly unique experience. Christopher loves mathematics and science. He loves logic and figuring out puzzles. And all these things come out in his writing. The chapters, instead of being labeled with cardinal numbers as is usual, are numbered by prime numbers. He includes diagrams and sketches. He explains scientific phenomena. And none of this is ever for a second boring, but instead completely fascinating.

If I have any complaint at all, it would be that it seemed to end so quickly. But to have it done any other way, I suspect, would have taken away from its authenticity. So it's actually not a complaint at all.

Compelling. I see no way this book won't make my top reads of the year list.

*****

Other opinions:

Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf (Okay, how did I not know that Dewey had reviewed this?!!)
Michelle at 1 More Chapter
Rebecca at The Book Lady's Blog
Blue Archipelago
Natasha at Maw Books Blog

If I've missed your review, please forgive me. And leave me a link in the comments and I will gladly add it to the list. Thanks.

*****

I have loads of blame to dish out (yes, Rich spoiled me rotten for Mother's Day), but I'm so behind in absolutely everything (including blog reading, for which I truly apologize) that I'm afraid I'm probably just going to have to wait a day or two to get to it. Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

The Tale of One Bad Rat...random thoughts

The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot.

There are times when I am rendered speechless by an author's ability to tell a tale so effectively. And there are times when I am rendered speechless by the sheer magnitude of the tale being told. This book hit me on both accounts. It is the story of a teenage girl. A girl who has suffered abuse at the hands of her father for years. A girl who runs away from home to escape the abuse. Helen's story, while fictional, plays itself out countless times in the real world. I sometimes felt nearly suffocated by the pain...because I knew that as I read this story there were thousands upon thousands upon thousands of flesh-and-blood Helens hurting at that very moment. Having said that, it may now seem odd to say, but this book was truly a book of hope. Of healing. Helen's abuse was shown in flashbacks during her journey forward to a new life. This journey forward wasn't an easy one for Helen, as I imagine no journey out of pain ever is.

Since I am so inadequate in my ability to share my thoughts, let me just share some words of others...

"This book is a gift to humanity." (Chris at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On)

"There are many ways to fight child abuse and incest. The important thing is not how you do it, but that you do it, and The Tale of One Bad Rat does it." (Andrew Vachss, from the book cover)

"What Helen went through is expressed in a subtle but absolutely clear way. Most of all, it’s her emotions that are addressed. This is not a book that tries to simplify things. We get the whole thing – all the difficult and contradictory feelings..." (Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot)

"...the book is one that stays with you..." (Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf

"So, yes, there's more than one layer to appreciate..." (Valentina at Valentina's Room

"The more child abuse is discussed in society or fiction in whatever medium, the more likely it is that the victims will realise that it is something that happens all the time, that they can speak out, be believed, and get it stopped." (Bryan Talbot)

The Uncommon Reader...random thoughts

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.

I know, I know, everyone and their third cousin-twice removed has already read this book. I hate reviewing (and yes, I use that term veeeery loosely) books like that. I mean, what can I possibly say that hasn't already been said, right? But nonetheless, I must say something because this is a challenge book. So babble, I will...

This book first came to my attention on NPR. I made a mental note of it, and then as so many of my mental notes seem to do, it lost itself among the gobblety-goop which fills my brain. Luckily Dewey brought it back to my attention with her review. I mean really, how could one resist after that, right?

And still it took me a long time to actually get around to reading it. Yeah, it takes me a long time to get around to doing most things. What can I say...I don't like to rush things. ;)

But the book, Debi, what about the book?!! Yes, yes, yes...it was absolutely as delightful as Dewey and everyone else has said it was! Not that I had any doubts. But my goodness, this was such an incredibly fun little read.

In case you've just landed on Earth from a far-flung galaxy and don't know the basic premise (yes, this is why I hate these kinds of reviews...I mean do you tell what the story is about when most everyone already knows? seems horribly redundant, doesn't it? but then again, it seems lazy to skip it? this peek inside my mind is a tad scary, isn't it? and yes, I do swear that I have not been in the gin yet), the Queen of England discovers reading late in life. And it begins to consume her. She just wants to read every waking second. Sound familiar? Sound like you? Yes, but of course, you don't have the whole world (slight exaggeration) watching your every move, do you? And it is the fact that she is the Queen that leads to one amusing predicament after another.

Yes, this book is so charmingly humorous. Ever so easy to relate to, even if royal blood doesn't run through one's veins.

What she was finding also was how one book led to another, doors kept opening wherever she turned and the days weren't long enough for the reading she wanted to do.

'Pass the time?' said the Queen. 'Books are not about passing the time. They're about other lives. Other worlds. Far from wanting time to pass, Sir Kevin, on just wishes one had more of it. If one wanted to pass the time one could go to New Zealand.'

The appeal of reading, she thought, lay in its indifference: there was something undeferring about literature. Books did not care who was reading them or whether one read them or not. All readers were equal, herself included.

The Queen said: 'Yes. That is exactly what it is. A book is a device to ignite the imagination.'

*****

And now, if you'd like to read a review where something is actually said, you might want to try one of these:

Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf
Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot
Chris at Stuff as Dreams Are Made On
Eva at A Striped Armchair
Grad at The Curious Reader
Robin at A Fondness for Reading
Chris at Book-a-Rama
Bermudaonion at Bermudaonion's Weblog
Jenclair at A Garden Carried in the Pocket
Serena at Savvy Verse and Wit

Okay, there's like 40,000 more of these reviews out there, I just know there are. But as I'm really not supposed to be blogging right now anyway, I'm just going to have to call my search quits for now. Please, please, please feel free to leave me a link in the comments, however, if you have a review of this book that you'd like me to add to the list. Thanks.

American Born Chinese...random thoughts

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.

To be perfectly honest, this book is so incredible that I'm pretty much at a loss for words. I really don't know how to do this book justice...and I really wish I did, because if I could convince even one person who hasn't yet read this book to do so, it would make me very happy.

The book is three stories in one, told in alternating chapters. The first story is that of the Monkey King, a Chinese legend. The Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain isn't happy being a monkey, and he works very hard trying to turn himself into a god, The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven. Second, there is the story of Jin Wang, who moves from his apartment near San Francisco's Chinatown and finds himself the only Chinese-American kid at Mayflower Elementary. It's not an easy place to find oneself. And finally, there is the story of Danny, an American teenager. Each year his Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, comes to visit for a few weeks, and Danny finds his life so ruined that he transfers schools. Chin-Kee is the epitome of a negative Chinese stereotype. Eventually the three stories mesh into one. And maybe I'm just slow on the uptake, but the way this happened took me by surprise...it was simply brilliant.

In fact, the whole book was simply brilliant. Deceptively simple to read. For it is truly so sophisticated. It contains so much depth. To be perfectly honest, I suspect that if I read it again, I would discover things I'd missed. And if I read it again after that, I would find even more. The book addresses many themes: identity, racism, friendship, self-acceptance, and how these things play off of one another, how they affect one another. It was humorous, and it was painful. Bottom line, it was amazing.

*****

Want to read what others thought?

Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf
Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot
Alison at So Many Books, So Little Time
Chris at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On
Ali at Worducopia
Kailana at The Written World
Joy at Thoughts of Joy

And if you've read and reviewed this book, please feel free to leave a link in the comments, and I'll add it here. Thanks.

just some odds 'n' ends

I didn't forget to draw a winner for 50 Reasons to Buy Fair Trade. Well, actually I did forget. But I'm not really that late, am I? Anyway, Chris, you're the lucky winner...and I shall get it out to you soon. Hope you enjoy it!

*****

If you happen to be doing Annie's challenge, you might want to pop over as she finally announced her first contest. (She was going to do it on the first month, but seems we're running behind on everything here, huh?)

*****

And now for this week's Library Loot. Many thanks to our lovely hostesses, Eva and Alessandra. Now as much as I love, love, love the library, I told myself that I was NOT going to get any books this week...because I really, really, really need to get some of the books off my own shelves! Well, this is what "NOT going to get any books this week" looks like:






















I am so damn pathetic. But, hey, it does mean I have points to award.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I've been tempted by this book for a long time, and yet reluctant. Mostly afraid that I'd have a hard time with the dialect. But Trish's and Eva's reviews pushed me over the edge. Point for each of them!

Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang. I was delighted to read that Eva enjoyed this one, because I'd actually been looking for a good book on the subject. Another point for Eva!

City of Oranges: An Intimate History of Arabs and Jews in the Jaffa by Adam LeBor. Oh yes, you guessed it...Eva strikes again. I'd actually asked her for a recommendation on the subject earlier and she'd told me about this one. But her review is really wonderful, too, of course! Point number three for Eva!

The Dead & The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Impulse grab. Loved Life as We Knew It so much that I knew I'd eventually get to this one.

Streets of Babel by Carol Blum-Ucci. Just looked so good, I couldn't bring myself to put it down once I'd picked it up.

The Mystery of Mary Rogers by Rick Geary. Yay...our library just bought this one! I've wanted to read more of this series ever since reading The Borden Tragedy. And Joy's review had my craving it even more. Point for Joy!

The Sandman: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman. Seriously, I really don't need to explain this one, do I? ;) I was sooooo excited to see it there though...it's been checked out for ages.

The Last Temptation by Neil Gaiman. Probably shouldn't admit this, but I'd never heard of this one before. But does one say "no" to a Neil Gaiman graphic novel when one sees it? I think not.

*****

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg.

Yes, and finally a mini dose of book babble. This book first entered my radar screen with Carl's and Dewey's reviews. Sounded like a book that both Annie and I would very much enjoy.

The book starts with Jane being hurt when a bomb explodes in a terrorist attack in the city where she and her parents live. Her parents react to their fear by moving the family to the suburbs. Not a choice Jane is happy about.

Prior to the attack, Jane had been a popular girl in her school in the city. But on her first day at her new school, Jane makes a conscious decision to avoid the "in" crowd, despite their overtures to her. The attack has Jane questioning a lot of things. Instead, Jane tries to befriend "the misfits" of the school. Each fills a stereotypical niche in your average high school. And I have to say it was here where I was at first feeling a bit let down with the book. But I'm glad I stuck with it, because the story and the characters really grew on me. I hate to tell too much more about the story, but I will say that it's got a lot more going on than a "new kid in school" story. It's about learning to deal with fear, about trying to figure out what really matters in life, about acceptance and stretching one wings.

One small complaint...to me, it seemed to end too abruptly. But really, all in all, I ended up enjoying the book a great deal. And I am definitely glad that I finally got around to reading it. And yes, I'm definitely hoping Annie will read it before we have to return it to the library.

a weekend of sci-fi shorts

The weekend has arrived for Carl's Out of This World Mini-Challenge! He's hosting it as a part of Dewey's Books Reading Challenge, but anyone is welcome to participate. Of course, it also corresponds with Carl's Sci-Fi Experience, which runs through the end of February. Basically, it just involves reading one or more science fiction short stories. Sounds like fun, right? Yeah, I thought so, too!

Not sure what the best way to do this might be. First thought I'd just keep this as a draft and then post it at the end of the weekend. But I think instead, I'll just post it and update it as I read more stories. I hope to get in quite a few, but who knows what the weekend will bring. (After all, Rich is still in the sunny Bahamas, so all emergencies, large and small, from spider captures to cat barf clean-ups to mustard on the couch, are solely mine to deal with.)

Okay, on with the short stories:

1. "The Father Thing" by Philip K. Dick. This story actually doesn't count for the mini-challenge, as I read it a couple of days ago, but since we're talking sci-fi shorts, I figured I mention it. A few days back, Carl had a great post about a bunch of sci-fi stories he'd read on-line, along with links to them. He described this story with, "Picture a Leave It To Beaver episode written by H.P. Lovecraft." Come on, am I the only one who finds that description irresistible?!! And the story really was a treat! I have to admit that there were a few places where it felt a bit disjointed...almost like there were supposed to breaks in the text to let you know there had been a change in time or place, but the breaks were missing. But the story itself was really fun. Fun in a creepy, slightly gross sort of way. It totally reminds me of one of those old 1950s horror movies. Little boy discovers his dad's body has been "taken over" by...something. Employs the help of a couple other neighborhood boys. Discovery of what the "something" is, and of what's in the bamboo patch...still leaves me a little skitchy.

2. "Orange" by Neil Gaiman. (From The Starry Rift edited by Jonathan Strahan.) This morning's first story was again one of pure fun. Very original. Not the events, so much. As again we've got a person being "taken over" by something. We've got beings from outer space. But the way that this story is written is something quite unique. One reads the answers, given by a seventeen-year-old girl, to some sort of questionaire or interview. However, the questions themselves are not included, so the reader is left to fill these in on his/her own. In a weird sort of way, it almost felt interactive. Anyway, it made for a great start to the mini-challenge.


Whew...the kids aren't making it easy, but I finally snuck in another story:

3. "Ass-Hat Magic Spider" by Scott Westerfeld. (From The Starry Rift edited by Jonathan Strahan.) I honestly don't know how to describe this story. And frankly, I'm not sure I want to, because it's a little treasure that needs to be discovered completely on one's own. But I will tell you this, if you're reading this then you almost certainly love books. And if you love books, you'll love this story. Really. It's wonderful.


Okay, been wanting to get this one in all day, but as it's on-line (here), and everyone seems to "need" the computer today, it hasn't been easy:

4. "The Menace From Earth" by Robert Heinlein. Another good story. You know what is truly amazing me with this mini-challenge? The variety. This story was so completely different from the others. It sort of had a "young adult" feel to it, if that makes any sense. It's told by Holly, a very smart and sassy 15-year-old. You can't help but love her. This is sort of teen romance sort of story, and yet so very sci-fi. Oh, and one other thing, if Carl hadn't mentioned that this story was written in the 1950s, I never would have believed it. Honestly, it really feels so very today.


If you have just a couple minutes, go read this:

5. "The Home Team" by Greg Wickenhofer. Super short little story. You know how frustrating it is to buy new appliances only to have them act up immediately? Well, it may just get worse in the future. Or better. Depends on how you look at it.


Didn't manage to get in nearly as many stories as I'd hoped yesterday. You know, there were chess games to be played, and t-shirts to be painted, and snowballs to be thrown. But today's a new day, and we'll see what we can squeeze in. Of course, my ability to concentrate is somewhat worse than normal (and normal's pretty bad), because I'm just so damn excited that Rich will be arriving home late tonight!!!

But back to stories. Eva has a great post with tons of links from the stories she read yesterday. I'd planned to focus on more stories from The Starry Rift today, but some of the stories she talked about just sound too good to pass up. In fact, that's where my first read of the day came from. It can be found here (just scroll down for the link to the story) at Rusty's BestScienceFictionStories.com. By the way, isn't his site incredible?!! Okay, to the story:

6. "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury. What can I say...it's Ray Bradbury!!! And it's that beautiful Ray Bradbury writing that I could just lose myself in for days on end. It's a wonderful little story. But so very, very sad. Very. A story of childhood cruelty that could happen anywhere, but not in quite the same manner as it happens here on Venus.

7. "Cheats" by Ann Halam. (From The Starry Rift edited by Jonathan Strahan.) To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure I was going to like this one. I'd read both in Becky's and Chris's reviews that it had to do with gaming. And I hate to admit it, but that is just a subject on which I have zero knowledge. Yep, completely clueless. So I was really afraid that I just wouldn't understand this story. But you know what, while it wasn't my favorite read of the mini-challenge, I really did like it! And while I do have to say I didn't totally understand the science of it, that in no way detracted from my overall enjoyment of the story. I wish I could talk a little about the story itself, but I'm afraid I'll word it wrong...a girl, her little brother, lost in a game world. Yeah, see that totally doesn't get to the depths of this story at all. Sorry.


Another of Eva's recommendations:

8. "The Fluted Girl" by Paolol Bacigulupi. (Can be found here.) Wow. Seriously, wow. I have no clue how to describe this story. But it is achingly beautiful. And horrendously disturbing. Set in the future, but in many ways feeling like the past. And again, this story is so very different from any of the other stories I've read this weekend. I cannot get over how incredibly diverse the world of science fiction is.

Looking for Alaska...random thoughts

My first review of the year. But not the first book I finished, because I actually finished it right before Christmas.

This is my first book for the Dewey's Books Challenge. And such an appropriate start to the challenge it is. The story:
1. I bought this book a while back because of Dewey's review. (Oh my goodness, there are so many, many books I can say that about!)
2. The book ended up buried in the TBR piles as more and more books poured into the house.
3. Nymeth wrote this incredible review, which caused me to dig the book out of the piles and put it on my nightstand. (This is supposed to ensure that I will get to a book soon. However, it doesn't really work.)
4. As Nymeth and I spent many hours sharing our shock and grief during the week following Dewey's death, she suggested it might be a good time for me to read this book. That's where things maybe get a bit too personal, and not appropriate for a book review. But suffice it to say, that Nymeth's suggestion was a very special gift. Because it is a very special book. And it will always remind me of the very special friend we lost when Dewey passed away.

So, what's so special about this book anyway? Where do you even start with a question like that? I think I loved everything about it. I didn't make a "top reads of 2008" list, but if I had, this surely would have made the top 3.

Yes, I now understand what Dewey and Nymeth and so many other people love about John Green. This guy can write! I wish so much he'd been out there writing when I was in my teen years. Because he "gets" teenagers. It is so evident in his writing that he likes teens and he respects teens.

The characters in Looking for Alaska are so authentic. In fact, if I had to choose one word to describe everything about this book, I think "authentic" would be it. But who are these characters, and what is the book even about? The story is told by Miles Halter. A high school kid from Florida. It's not that he's picked on, or singled out, but he doesn't really have any friends either. He decides to head off to the private school in Alabama that his dad once attended. He goes in search of what he calls the "Great Perhaps."

And what he finds is a place to belong. This place is with his new friends, Chip (the Colonel), Takumi, and the irresistible Alaska Young. Some might label them "the wrong crowd," but they are definitely the right crowd for Miles. With these new friends, Miles is able to accept himself, to grow, to discover what's important in life. And to struggle with the unfairness that is a part of living in this world. This is a story of friendship, of finding one's place.

It is hilarious, and it is heartbreaking. It is one very emotional read. And there is so much to this story that I just don't want to mention, because if you haven't read it, you need to discover it all for yourself.

I know I'm simply not talented at the art of book review. And it seems I do the worst job on the books I love the most. So, instead of trying to say any more, I'm just going to leave off with a few of the myriad of passages I marked in this jewel of a book.

I wanted to be one of those people who have streaks to maintain, who scorch the ground with their intensity. But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets need tails.

It as not an eventful day. I should have done extraordinary things. I should have sucked the marrow out of life. But on that day, I slept eighteen hours out of a possible twenty-four.

And so we gave up. I'd finally had enough of chasing after a ghost who did not want to be discovered. We'd failed, maybe, but some mysteries aren't meant to be solved. I still did not know her as I wanted to, but I never could. She made it impossible for me.

Before I sign off here, I just want to say thank you to Chris and Robin for hosting the Dewey's Books Challenge. It means so much to so many people.