Her Book Self

I love to laugh so it should come as no surprise that I also love books that make me laugh.  Granted, some of my favorite books are poignant classics or tear-jerking works of literary fiction, but I'm also a huge fan of straightforward well-told stories that bring a smile to my face and make me giggle a bit as I read them.   So it was with Vessel by Tominda Adkins. 

When five strangers share recurring dreams about both ancient Egypt and the Statue of Liberty, they all know something strange is going on. However none of them, least of all pop star Jesse Cannon, could have expected that behind the dreams lies the truth that they each represent the reincarnation of a god sent to defeat evil incarnate. A firefighter, a philanthropist, a convict, a diva celebrity, and an amnesiac who just might be a terrorist make an odd host for the spirits of earth, water, fire, air and light; but it's up to this cocktail of characters to stop the plague of zombie-like Hollows determined to destroy them and spread a deathly plague. For Jesse, saving the world is going to have to wait until after his appearance on Oprah, and it's up to Jesse's frazzled assistant - the book's hilarious narrator - Jordan to keep the unlikely heroes in line.

Vessel, Book I: The Advent is the first in Tominda Adkins' new series, and if the subsequent books are as well done as this one, readers are in for quite an enjoyable treat. I love the characters that Adkins created and the witty banter - especially between Jordan and Jesse - was delightful. From New York to Chicago and Toronto with flashbacks through the Middle East, Vessel blends fantasy with real life details to give the story a great structure. The Hollows were also a unique and wicked creation. Described as "the lasting imprint of a dying person", these flesh-eating beings masquerading as humans were a frightening and suspenseful addition to the story.

Adkins' book is not a life-altering work of profound literature but what it is, is a heck of a lot of fun. Multiple passages that are literally laugh-out-loud amusing are mixed with nail-biting action sequences to create a fast-paced story that is highly entertaining. With a writing style that might best be described as Rick Riordan meets Christopher Moore, Tominda Adkins shows wonderful promise with this debut work and I eagerly look forward to the future books in the Vessel series!

 The biggest downside to books that make me laugh is that a good portion of my reading is done in public.  It's always an interesting experience to be stifling a snicker when the bus riders around me are casting strange glances my way.  Are you a fan of funny books?  Do you prefer more serious literature?  Or do you like to mix it up?

Stay tuned this week for my interview with Tominda Adkins and a Vessel giveaway!

I'm not much of a re-reader.  I generally follow the opinion that with the overwhelming size of my TBR list, it's sort of crazy to go back and read something that I've already read.  Yet, I do make exceptions.  The Harry Potter series is one that I've revisited a few times.  There are Mark Twain works that I read in middle or high school that I've gone back to as an adult.  I've honestly lost count of how many times I've torn through R.A. Salvatore's Homeland after first reading it in the early 90's.

And I'm about to embark on another journey of rereading.  A Song of Ice and Fire is the name of the epic fantasy series by George R.R. Martin.  There are currently four books in the series with the fifth due out in July.  Book one, A Game of Thrones, has also recently been made into an HBO series and debuts next month (and yes, I'll agonizingly be waiting until it's released on DVD/Blu-Ray to indulge as I don't have premium cable).  I have been following the trailers and promos on George R.R. Martin's website and I must say it does look quite awesome!  But back to the books, I read the first in the series in 2006 and the second (A Clash of Kings) and third (A Storm of Swords) in early 2007.  And then I stopped.

For those unfamiliar with the series or Martin's writing, book three leaves off with some shocking cliffhangers, only half of which are resolved in book four (A Feast for Crows).  The fourth book carries the story of half the characters in book three, but the other half are left hanging until book five A Dance with Dragons - the book that Martin fans have just been told (officially!) will be released in July.  So I've waited four years to even crack the spine of book four but since there are four months until the release of Dance and four books in the series leading up to it, I figure now is the ideal time for a reread!
Check back here for my progress report:

If anyone wants to join in the series reread or try out A Game of Thrones, let me know as I'd love to swap notes and join discussion!  Or if any long time Ice and Fire fans want a partner for the happy dances of joy that will accompany July's release, I'm glad to join in those as well!

"To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.”

- A C Grayling

I haven't posted a good quote in a while and this metaphor really made me smile.  I think it's sometimes hard for me to put my love of reading into words, but the next time someone asks me why I spend so much of my time with my nose in a book I may just respond, "To read is to fly".

Willa Jackson and former classmate Paxton Osgood have never been close friends despite the fact that their grandmothers were inseparable. With their stations reversed from past generations - the Jackson family meeting financial ruin and the Osgoods climbing to social elite - the two girls have never had much in common. However, when Paxton takes on the project of restoring the Blue Ridge Madam, a mansion built by Willa's ancestors, a skeleton buried under a peach tree thrusts Paxton and Willa together to uncover the secrets and half truths hidden in the distant - and not-so-distant - past.

In The Peach Keeper, Sarah Addison Allen has composed another gem of a novel. Set in Walls of Water, North Carolina the story is infused with the signature southern charm and touch of magic that distinguished Allen's previous works (The Sugar Queen, Garden Spells). The mystery is compelling and the characters are delightful. Willa and Paxton were equally enjoyable to read and as the masks that each hid behind were whittled away, I was torn between which heroine I preferred.

Though less dependent on fantasy elements than some of Allen's other novels, The Peach Keeper still had an air of magical realism to it. Allen fans will also enjoy a brief cameo appearance from a past heroine. I really enjoyed this book. The plot is fresh and unique, but the themes of love and friendship - across generations, past grudges, and hurdling stereotypes - are timeless.

When I set the challenge for myself to get through Jane Eyre in a Week, I didn't think it would take over my blog for the past seven days, but I also didn't realize what a blog-worthy book I was embarking on. Also, I can think of no better book with which to conclude Jane Eyre Week than Juliet Gael's Romancing Miss Brontë.  I read this book last month - yes, before reading Jane Eyre - and I was captivated by the story.

Though the title would suggest a fanciful romance, Romancing Miss Brontë by Juliet Gael is a mostly somber historical fiction about the life - and eventual love interest - of Charlotte Brontë. The book opens on the younger life of Charlotte, with sisters Emily and Anne and brother Branwell, and their father the Reverend Patrick Brontë.

Assuming the pen names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, the three sisters encourage each other in literary pursuits and all succeed in publishing novels but keep their endeavors hidden from family and friends. As tragedy repeatedly strikes the family, the novel takes a tearful turn but is slightly brightened by the courtship between Charlotte and her father's curate Arthur Bell Nichols.

I really enjoyed this book. Though I previously knew very little about the lives of the Brontë sisters, Gael stayed close to fact. The everyday scenes and conversations that she wove for the now-famous authors were entirely believable and worked to transpose the reader into Charlotte's life. I certainly would have preferred a happier story, but the true joy of Brontë's life was in the legacy of literature that she left for future generations.

I suppose it's a slightly off-kilter order of operations to read a novel about Charlotte Brontë before reading her most famous work, but I think knowing a little about the author's life and family gave me an added appreciation of the story created in Jane Eyre.  It was delightful to realize the parallels between Charlotte and her fictional heroine, and I think the correlations are intriguing regardless of whether Gael's work is encountered before or after Brontë's.  I'd definitely recommend this book to fans of Jane Eyre as well as those looking to learn more about the Brontë family or anyone who enjoys stories set in the 1800's. 

I finished the book!

I'm sure the world doesn't really need another review of Jane Eyre so I'll keep this more general with my impressions of the book and sharing some more quotes that I loved.  I will say that the excellence of Jane Eyre the novel lies in the excellence of Jane Eyre the character.  Late in the book, another character sums up her personality by saying, "Jane, you are docile, diligent, disinterested, faithful, constant, and courageous; very gentle, and very heroic".  It is this compilation of traits that make her such a magnetic narrator and protagonist and makes her story so engaging.

Here's a few more Jane Eyre quotes I loved:

"It is a happy thing that time quells the longings of vengeance and hushes the promptings of rage and aversion." (4324)

"The rooks cawed, and blither birds sang; but nothing was so merry or so musical as my own rejoicing heart." (4850)

"...if you are a Christian, you ought not to consider poverty a crime." (6501)

"I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth." (8608)

Brontë has a wonderful talent with words and her elegant style and first person voice made this book a true joy to read and digest.  It rightfully earns its place as a classic and I'm glad that I finally took the plunge and tackled it!

With my new-found love of the work of Currer Bell, I couldn't resist sharing the following video with all the fellow bibliophiles out there. Hilarious and historically accurate! (Okay...maybe not the dinosaur part...)

Jane Eyre is my BFF this week.  Mr. Rochester has fully entered the scene and I must say I love how believable are Jane's feelings for him.  At first I really didn't like the idea of an eighteen-year-old heroine falling for a man almost twice her age, but this isn't some swoon worthy love-at-first-sight vampire crush.  Jane even explicitly tells Rochester that she does not find him handsome (I think I actually laughed out loud at that part).  As they spend more time together though, Jane develops admiration and respect for him and her feelings are borne out of this companionship rather than girlish idealism.  I don't want to go into the mystery that's unfolding at Thornfield Hall, as I don't want to spoil the surprises for those that are unfamiliar with the story, but I'm definitely settling in to the camp of readers that adore this book!  Here's my progress update as well as some quotes I've highlighted thus far:

"If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse.  When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard - so as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again." (1013)

"I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had courage to go forth into its expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst its perils." (1520)

The numbers in parenthesis represent the Kindle "location" of the quote - apologies for the lack of page numbers.  I think the final one is my favorite (so far).  How about you?

I was hoping to pass the halfway mark in the book today, so I'm still a bit behind where I'd like to be to finish by Friday, but even if this is an eight day read, I'm definitely enjoying the journey!