Jenny Reviews: American Gods

The Vitals

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Release Date: 19 June 2001

Page Count: 541 (in the edition I read, which included extra stuff not found in the original)

Genre: Hard to say, exactly. Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Mystery

Target Audience: Adult

Series: American Gods #1

Summary (From Goodreads)
Days before his release from prison, Shadow's wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr. Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America.

Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Notes on American Gods
Oh. My. Gosh. Why I have I not read this book before? I am almost mad that I am just now reading it. This is everything I love in a book- mystery, mythology, beautiful prose, plot twists, and unforgettable characters. It is really a genre-defying book. It has won several major awards in the science fiction/fantasy world and a horror award. Don't let that scare you away- I don't like horror myself. I feel that there is no way for me to possibly convey to you, faithful reader, how much I love this book in a coherent manner. There is too much to talk about in one blog post. Go read it for yourself and then try to describe why you love it. I personally think magic is involved somehow.

Memorable Quotes
“What I say is, a town isn't a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it's got a bookstore it knows it's not fooling a soul.”

“All your questions can be answered, if that is what you want. But once you learn your answers, you can never unlearn them.”

“Fiction allows us to slide into these other heads, these other places, and look out through other eyes. And then in the tale we stop before we die, or we die vicariously and unharmed, and in the world beyond the tale we turn the page or close the book, and we resume our lives.”

Overall Diagnosis

  

*Disclaimer*

This book is what Lesley Anne calls literary fiction. I call it a reader's book (can you tell she did lots of P.R. work in her degree?). It is not fast-paced and has some weird scenes in it. I do not want you to think you are reading the next Divergent or, heaven forbid, 50 Shades of Grey. It is a book for thinkers and Gaiman spends a lot of time setting up scenes and giving readers food for thought. It will take you a bit to put the pieces together because he does not spoon feed you. Just wanted to let you know so you don't go into it thinking it is a beach read... though it was my beach read and I loved every minute of it!

Top Ten Things On Our Bookish Bucket List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is Top Ten Things On Our Bookish Bucket List. This topic was so much fun to write about! Jenny and I decided to split it 50/50 this time. Even though it's supposed to be a bookish bucket list, the majority of our items require us to travel somewhere as well. What can we say? Reading gives us a serious case of the wanderlust! 

Top 5 Things on Lesley Anne's Bookish Bucket List  

1. Roam the halls of Pemberley. Chatsworth House is the real name of this gorgeous estate in Derbyshire, United Kingdom used in the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I would love nothing more than to roam around for hours and soak in the fine details of this beautiful home.

2. Tour the Hobbiton movie set. OMG YOU GUYS. Visiting New Zealand is at the very top of my travel bucket list, because it basically IS Middle Earth, among other things. If I ever have the chance to tour the Hobbiton movie set in Matamata, NZ, it will certainly make my geeky life complete.

3. Purchase a book at Shakespeare & Co. in Paris. Paris + books…need I say more?

4. Drink some Butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. So the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is only a 1.5-hour plane ride away from where I live. I have no idea why we haven't made this happen yet. I like to say we've just been waiting for the awesome that will be Diagon Alley.

5. Plan a weekend getaway to Prince Edward Island - L.M. Montgomery killed me with her descriptions of Prince Edward Island in Anne of Green Gables. Now I have to see The Lake of Shining Waters and The White Way of Delight for myself!

Top 5 Things on Jenny's Bookish Bucket List

1. Drink a pint at The Eagle and Child Pub. This is where J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and other literary-minded friends would meet and discuss the works they were writing. Can you imagine sitting at a table near them when they were discussing the plot development of LOTR or The Chronicles of Narnia?! (Disclaimer- I probably would drink a coke, but just to be there... *sigh*)

2. Create a reading room. If you are a reader and you don't love the library in Beast's castle, something is seriously wrong with you. Not that I don't want a 5 story library with sliding ladder to swing around on, but that is not very practical. I would love one room that is designated for books + reading. A place that you can curl up with a book for hours, and if you finish the book, just pluck another one off the shelf. 

3. Read all of Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels. Y'all, I am so obsessed with Neil Gaiman! I blogged here about how he was one of my new authors in 2013. I just finished American Gods (review coming soon!) and am ready for more of his adult fantasy.

4. See the Beowulf manuscript in person. I could write a 3 page blog post on the uniqueness of Beowulf, but I will spare you. We have only one surviving manuscript and it is housed at The British Museum. England + what I've dedicated the last 2 years of my life to? Yes, please! (If anyone is interested in learning more, I would love to talk to you about it!)

5. Visit every library on this list. I know this is cheating a little bit, but they are just too beautiful to pick just one. Check out the slide show- you won't be sorry!

Lesley Anne Reviews: Divergent by Veronica Roth

The Vitals

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Page Count: 487
Genre: Dystopian; Post-Apocalyptic
Target Audience: Young Adult
Series: Divergent #1
Source and Format: Library; Hardcover

Summary (From Goodreads)
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Notes on Divergent
There's basically one thing you should know about my reading experience with Divergent:

This is the book that made me fall in love with reading all over again.

Oh yes. I know that may sound kind of strange to some people, but regardless, it's true. Coming off of a terrible reading year in 2012 (I can't even bring myself to tell you the number--or lack thereof--of books I read), coming across Divergent in early 2013 was the best thing that could have happened to my reading life at the time. This book was exactly what I needed to get me out of my reading funk, and I totally commend Veronica Roth for it.

When I first reviewed Divergent, I admitted that it gave me JOMCS (aka Just One More Chapter Syndrome). I could NOT stop reading it. I remember flipping through the pages, feeling exhilarated by Tris' story and wanting to know more about the dystopian Chicago Roth had intricately created. I absolutely ate this book up, and it made me remember why I loved reading so much in the first place. Getting completely lost in a different world, being so caught up in a story that you seriously feel for the characters--now that's a sign of a good book!

After devouring Divergent, I moved right on to Insurgent, and the rest is history. I read more books in 2013 than I had in the previous three years combined. Acting as the catapult to immerse me in the world of reading again, Divergent will always hold a special place in my heart, even though I can't say the same about the trilogy as a whole.

I know I'm not saying much in the way of plot or character development, but there's pretty much nothing to add about Divergent that hasn't already been said in the three years since its publication. I just wanted to get my general thoughts out today when even non-readers might be paying attention to Tris and Four's story (aka there's a movie coming out!!). If you are one of the few people who has not read the book yet, I highly recommend that you drop everything and get yourself to a library/bookstore/computer/WHEREVER and read it STAT. This book has a lot going for it that will appeal to many different tastes. Not only do you have a commentary on human nature, but you get lots of fast-paced action, romance, a dynamic female lead, a complex dystopian future, and a little political intrigue and corruption thrown in for good measure. In short, this book is one wild ride that you definitely don't want to miss!

Memorable Quotes

"I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren't all that different."

"Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again."

Overall Diagnosis

Get A Second Opinion

• April at Good Books and Good Wine - "I’m pretty sure there is something magical inside Divergent because I read this almost 500 page book in two days. It would have been one day, but work frowns on me coming in on zero sleep."
• Wendy at The Midnight Garden - "It’s always important to read with a critical eye–and it’s true that with more attention to detail, this book might have been even better – but…the positives of this adventure outweigh the negatives and in the end, Divergent is still loads of fun to read."

Spring It On!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week's topic is Top Ten Books on Your Spring TBR (To Be Read) List. This is one of my very favorite Top Ten Tuesday topics! Looking back on my Winter TBR, I read 6 out of the 10 listed. Not bad for my first seasonal TBR, but there is definitely room for improvement! I know I'm being a little ambitious with my Spring list, since half of them could be considered classics, but that's what I've been in the mood for lately. We'll see how it goes! Here are the 10 books I'm hoping to read this Spring:

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. Longbourn by Jo Baker
3. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
4. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
6. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
7. 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker
8. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
9. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Ann Fowler
10. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

What books are you planning to read this Spring? If you've read any of the books on my list---please help me decide where to start! I'm at a loss!

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Stacking the Shelves {February 2014}

Hey y'all! It's been a while! Even though it was completely unplanned, I think Jenny and I really needed this break we've taken. When they say March comes in like a lion, they really aren't kidding! The beginning of March meant grading a ton of midterm papers for Jenny, and crazy work weeks and a really bad cold for me. I haven't felt that bad in a long time, and it sent me into the worst reading slump I've experienced yet. I didn't want to have anything to do with books - didn't want to read, talk about reading, blog about reading, or even check in with my favorite book bloggers. I just wasn't feeling it at all. It was the weirdest thing! I think I'm slowly finding my way out, but this slump has really kicked me in the pants, y'all.

Jenny and I have also been traveling over these first two weeks of March, which has ultimately resulted in us ignoring our poor little corner of the Internet. BUT...I think we are feeling refreshed, recharged, and ready to get back in the blogging game. So get excited!

(Yep, more snow for Georgia in February!)

Let's ignore the fact that we are more than halfway through March and I am just now posting my February book haul. Obviously pulling myself together at the end of February just didn't happen. But we are here now, and I have some BEAUTIFUL books to show you guys!

Bought for Shelves: 
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery, and Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi.

Added for Free to Nook:
No Place for a Lady by Maggie Brendan, Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin, and Somewhere to Belong by Judith Miller.

What books have you added to your shelves lately? 

Jenny Reviews: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

 The Vitals
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Release Date: 12 September 2007
Page Count: 230
Genre: Fiction
Target Audience: Middle Grades/YA
Series: No
Source and Format: Purchased :: Paperback 

Summary (From Goodreads)
In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney, that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

Notes on Part-Time Indian
This is the third book we have read this semester and it was, by far, everyone's favorite. The protagonist is a 14 year old boy who is brutally honest and yet hopeful at the same time. He has a very unique voice- he lives on a reservation but is attending a white school in town so he can escape the never ending cycle of poverty his tribe is trapped in. He gives you way too much information at times, yet his unflinchingly honest portrayal of his tribe's reality flies in the face of most preconceived ideas one has about the current situation of Native Americans living on reservations. 

Junior, the main character, likes to draw comics and his drawings have been included in the book, which adds to the informal feeling of the narrative as well as providing lots of food for thought. My students really enjoyed analyzing the drawings to see what Junior was saying through them. 

For the response paper I had them write their own journal entry (or entries) about a situation in which they were "other" and they were SO GOOD. This is a contemporary novel and, as I said, very informal and my students seemed to love this. I would recommend this book to anyone (with the caveat that he does mention an... activity... that adolescent boys especially like). It gives a wonderful (and painful) glimpse into the realities of life on a reservation and poverty in general. 

It also explores issues of individual vs. community and identity. Yes, all of this in a YA book. This is the best kind of YA book, in my opinion. It is a book that will appeal to all ages. It is geared towards YA/Middle Grades so it is a causal writing style, but the narrative is surprisingly deep if one takes the time to process what they are reading, not just skim it for entertainment- though it is very entertaining as well!

Overall Diagnosis

Memorable Quotes
“I grabbed my book and opened it up. I wanted to smell it. Heck, I wanted to kiss it. Yes, kiss it. That's right, I am a book kisser. Maybe that's kind of perverted or maybe it's just romantic and highly intelligent.”

“When anybody, no matter how old they are, loses a parent, I think it hurts the same as if you were only five years old, you know? I think all of us are always five years old in the presence and absence of our parents.”

“I drew because words were too unpredictable."