Book Review: The Girl with All the Gifts

"Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius."



Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh. " (from Goodreads)

What a surprise this novel turned out to be. I originally got 'The Girl with All the Gifts' as an audiobook download from Audible, and after listening to the first chapter, I decided I needed to actually read the book! (I tend to fall asleep during audiobooks, and podcasts, even those I like very much!) This story by M.R. Carey is a bit out of my wheelhouse, I admit. I don't normally read what I'd categorize as "post-apocalyptic fiction, and this is definitely in that category. No spoilers--just read it.

Book Review: Everything I Never Told You

by  Celeste Ng

Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet . . .

So begins the story of this exquisite debut novel, about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother’s bright blue eyes and her father’s jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue—in Marilyn’s case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James’s case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every party.

When Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together tumbles into chaos, forcing them to confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them apart. James, consumed by guilt, sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to find a responsible party, no matter what the cost. Lydia’s older brother, Nathan, is certain that the neighborhood bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it’s the youngest of the family—Hannah—who observes far more than anyone realizes and who may be the only one who knows the truth about what happened.

ebook, 304 pages

Published June 26th 2014 by Penguin 

(from Goodreads.com)

I read this in December 2016, and just now realized I had never posted a review for it. It's a heartbreaking tale, beautifully told, that I read in one day. First time I've read a novel in that short a time in a while. This is a debut novel. I cannot wait to read her next.

Book Review: Darkly Dreaming Dexter

As per my rule, after I started watching the Showtime series 'Dexter,' I had to read the book the show was based on.  (I did not read these when the series was running.) I am glad I did; the book is dark, creepy, and occasionally wryly funny. Jeff Lindsay's Dexter is a different monster from Showtime's, but both are equally entrancing.

My favorite line from this book:

"I took a deep breath and tried to remind myself that I was a good girl and didn't do those things." Gotta love it when a serial killer makes you laugh.

 

Book Review: A Little Life

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

A Little Life was the first book I chose from my 2016 Reading Challenge, a book recommended by a librarian or bookseller, and what a way to start! I am normally able to get through a novel of this length in a couple of days, depending on what else is going on in my life; I began this on January 11, and didn't finish until March 22. It isn't a difficult novel to read in the sense that the prose is complicated or confusing; it was hard for me to get through simply because of the challenging plot. The main character, Jude, is a heartrendingly broken man, and the story of his brokenness was, at times, too much for me.

A Little Life is the story of four college classmates, who move to New York to make their way: JB, an occasionally cruel painter who is trying desperately to make it in the art world; Malcolm, the genius architect; Willem, kind, handsome aspiring actor; and Jude, a brilliant litigator with a tortured past and a disabled body he refuses to acknowledge. As the years go by, each of these men achieves huge success in their fields: Willem becomes a world-famous movie star, JB's paintings of his friends are shown in galleries all over, and Malcolm is designing buildings on every continent, while Jude is the head of his law firm. Their relationships through the years have deepened and grown, and the men themselves go through addictions, sickness, love and death. Through it all, we see Jude become continue to crack along the lines formed by a horribly traumatic childhood. He is haunted by his past, sure that if he tells the people he loves about what happened to him, they will not only judge him, but turn away or worse. His scars define him, and just when he is healing for real, the universe kicks Jude in the teeth once again.  After years of friendship, Jude and Willem have fallen in love, and are happy together. Jude's myriad health problems are finally on the mend, after some major surgery, and their life is good. For the first time in his life, Jude is happy. And then BOOM!  Jude's life is blown to smithereens once again.

"This, he thinks, is his punishment for depending on others: one by one, they will leave him, and he will be alone again, and this time it will be worse because he will remember it had once been better. He has the sense, once again, that his life is moving backward, that it is becoming smaller and smaller, the cement box shrinking around him until he is left with a space so cramped that he must fold himself into a crouch, because if he lies down, the ceiling will lower itself upon him and he will be smothered." (p 804)

While this novel truly broke my heart, it's easy to see why it was recommended by so many, and nominated for so many awards. I'd recommend it gladly, as long as you aren't looking for something to cheer you up.

Eat. Sleep. READ. That's all.

It's a new year (well, duh!), and I'm posting, finally. No apologies or excuses for my absence this time, just a fresh start. And a challenge.

I love a good book challenge, and this year, I'm taking Anne's from The Modern Mrs. Darcy.  The 2016 Reading Challenge is relatively simple, without a huge number of books, which I need right now. And the variety is great!



 

Here are my choices, so far. Nearly all of these are books already on my e-reader or bookshelf, which was a conscious choice on my part. I have an overflowing e-reader, and it would be ridiculous to add more when I can satisfy the requirements! There are three choices that are new-to-my reader books; these are starred! (And my list is in the opposite order than the one above.)

 

A book I've already read at least once:

Cold Comfort Farm  by Stella Gibbons

A book that intimidates me:

Othello by William Shakespeare

A book I own, but have never read:

Van Gogh's Room at Arles by Stanley Elkin

A book I previously abandoned: 

A book that was banned at some point:

(I'm choosing the same book for these two categories)

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

A book published before I was born:

A Room With A View by E.M. Forster

A book chosen for me:

I honestly cannot decide on which of the books my wonderful friends Karen & Rob selected for me, so I'm adding both of them to the list!

* A Madness of Angels by Kate Swift (Rob's choice)

* The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb (Karen's choice)

A book I should've read in school:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A book recommended by a bookseller:  

*  A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara    I took this recommendation from the employees at Powell's, where this novel was on several folks top-five books of 2015.

A book I've been meaning to read:

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

A book that can be read in a day: 

My Story by Marilyn Monroe

A book published this year:

This category is last, because I don't have anything for it yet. Once 2016 gets going a bit more, I'll fill this one in!

 

[gallery ids="1539,1532,1534,1538,1543,1549,1542,1541,1540,1533,1535" type="columns" link="none"]

 

 

As I read these (and everything else!) I'll post thoughts, reviews, etc. I'll begin reading these as soon as I finish what I'm currently involved in! Join me, won't you? Let's make 2016 a year full of books!

And if anyone has suggestions for books published this year, let me know!

 

 

 

Book Review: Consumed by Aaron Mahnke

Like many other readers, I came to Aaron Mahnke's fiction after listening to his podcast, "Lore," which I love. I must say, I am glad I followed that trail.  Aaron Mahnke's novel does not provide the fear and terror that a reader of Stephen King might expect; it's a different kind of scare. Cozy, like sitting in your favorite armchair with a cup of tea and a great book, comfy and relaxed, and BAM! something smashes into the window, scaring the bejesus out of you! Reading this, you'll end up with tea all over your lap, and your book tossed to the floor in fright. Be careful.

While 'Consumed' was not quite what I expected (honestly, from the title, I'd suspected a vampire novel), it was a worthwhile read, and had me on the edge of my seat. I honestly cannot remember the last time I reacted this way to a horror story. I will definitely be reading more of his fiction. But maybe not while drinking a hot cup of tea...

Never Judge A Book By Its Movie

 

I've written before about some of my favorite books that have become great movies, in a post I called Movies That Move Me.  Today I'm going to talk about the same thing, sort of. Ya see, I'm a little compulsive. If I see a movie, and discover it was based on a book, I HAVE to read that book. This has, on occasion, been an issue, finding obscure works. Thank goodness I live in the same city as Powell's! This works both ways, however--I have to see movies based on books I've read. And this is not always as fun, since film-makers often destroy my favorite works. Today I'm posting about a few movies that were as good as their books. I'll talk about some of those that weren't another time. Oh, by the way, I am leaving the works of Stephen King out of this list completely; I feel he deserves a list all his own. Here we go!

The Good  (in no particular order)

Cold Comfort Farm 

  The novel, by Stella Gibbons, was published in 1932. It parodies the romantic novels   of the time, and is truly one of the funnier things I've read. Young Flora Poste,  recently orphaned, must choose which of her family members to live with; she  goes to stay with the Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm, after being told they  must "atone for the wrongs done to her father." She heads to Sussex, and begins  to straighten out the mess on the farm immediately, rearranging lives, and  teaching modern lessons. She even gets Great Aunt Ada (who "saw something nasty in the woodshed") to come out of her room, which she hasn't done in decades. With the aid of her friend Mary back in London, and 'The Higher Common Sense', which is her handbook, Flora solves everyone's problems.

The film, made by the BBC in 1995, stars Kate Beckinsale, Joanna Lumley, Rufus Sewell, Ian McKellen, and Stephen Fry. It is a faithful rendition of the book, and quite well-made, as well. The casting is excellent, and, as in most BBC films, the costumes are perfect. Of course, it's worth a watch just to see Rufus Sewell, as Seth Starkadder; he's quite a hunk, and shirtless through a good deal of the film!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st5gmzmDFrw

I will grant that not everyone will understand why Cold Comfort Farm is funny, but even if you don't know the style being parodied, it is still worth reading and watching.

 

The Importance of Being Earnest

 

“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, and that is his.”

“Indeed, no woman should ever be quite accurate about her age. It looks so calculating.”

“Thirty-five is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

What can I say about The Importance of Being Earnest? Oscar Wilde's farce about mistaken identities, secret romances, and the complications of love, family and society is still as amusing as when it was first published in 1895. Gwendolyn and Cecily are in love with the same (imaginary) man, Ernest. Jack has been wooing Gwendolyn using the name Ernest; Algernon has also courted Jack's ward, Cecily, using the same name. When all four end up at Jack's country home one weekend, the trouble begins, as both "Ernests" must win back his beloved. Only the arrival of Lady Bracknell, Gwendolyn's fierce mother (and Algy's aunt), can bring the chaos to a suitable ending.

I read this first in ninth grade, and later performed parts of it in theatre classes. (I was an awesome Lady Bracknell!) Oscar Wilde rocks, and that is all.

There have been several film versions, but I prefer the 2002 version starring Colin Firth as Jack, Rupert Everett as Algy, Reese Witherspoon as Cecily , Frances O'Connor as Gwendolyn and Dame Judi Dench as Lady Bracknell. This was the third time Judi Dench had played Lady Bracknell --she was cast in a BBC radio version in 1994, and a National Theatre revival in 1982.

Here's a clip--Jack/Ernest, being interviewed by Lady Bracknell after he has asked to marry Gwendolyn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW4wR7-iOMg

 

 

 

 

Book Review: The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

"Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

A compulsively readable, emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller that draws comparisons to Gone Girl, The Silent Wife, or Before I Go to Sleep, this is an electrifying debut embraced by readers across markets and categories." 



That's the summation from Goodreads, and of course, after reading that, I had to read this book. Hitchcockian is right--Paula Hawkins debut novel is worth the time. It was not at all what I'd expected, and that alone kept me reading. At the halfway mark I found myself saying "This book has me all screwed up! And I cannot put it down!" I had to find out why, and who. Now, be warned: there are a couple of spoilers in this review, although I do not give the end away (I'm not that kind of person!).

Told primarily by Rachel, who isn't always a reliable narrator, we see how these people's lives are intertwined. Rachel may be crazy, you think. The others who tell their sides (Anna and Megan) may be as well. A bit of the literary criticism that was pounded into my head in college popped up as I read this, so I will share it with you, even though I normally just read a story for the story. Rachel rides the train every day, back & forth to a job she no longer has, looking out the window at the house she lived in with her ex-husband, who now lives there with his new wife & baby. She's got a drinking problem, and has become a bit obsessed with the couple who live in the house a few doors down from her old house--the couple she calls Jess & Jason. Rachel is, in the beginning of the book, on a journey to nowhere. As her story unfolds, and she gets involved in things outside the train windows, we see that she is finally moving forward. The train is a symbol of her journey.

This novel has been compared to Gone Girl, and a couple of other things I've not read, but the comparison to Hitchcock is spot on. Read it. You'll like it.

Oh, and another thing--I had not figured out who or why by the time it was revealed, and that, as you may know is always a plus in any mystery for me!

Book Review: 'Motive' by Jonathan Kellerman

<img alt="Motive: An Alex Delaware Novel" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1419643912m/22926807.jpg" />Motive: An Alex Delaware Novel by href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/43626.Jonathan_Kellerman">Jonathan Kellerman</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/893552991">2 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I consider myself a fan of Jonathan Kellerman, and especially of the Alex Delaware series; I own every book in the series, and have read most of them more than once. (In the past, when my stash of paperbacks were not stored in the garage, I'd have a Kellerman Marathon Weekend every few months, and binge read my way through the series!) Kellerman's Detective Milo Sturgis, is one of my favorite characters in contemporary literature. I am always happy when a new book is released. But the last few books have been sadly lacking in the psychological twist that made the series unique, and "Motive" is lacking in more than that. It seems as if Kellerman is writing by rote, following an outline. Chapter 1: The Murder; Chapter 2: A Bit About the Victim; Chapter 3: Milo Eats." By the end of the book, it's difficult to care. In this case, we were given page after page of supposition, and, in comparison, very little action. The entire reason this series is so popular (at least from my point of view), is the unique psychological twist that their author gives them; if I wanted a standard crime story, I could get that anywhere. I read these because of that element: why the bad guys are who they are. 'Motive' seems to be sorely lacking in its title.

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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1379231-jonna-doughty">View all my reviews</a>

Book Review: The Good Girl

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica



This novel, the story of an adult daughter, kidnapped and eventually returned, is told in a "before and after" way, with each chapter told from a different character's point of view. For example, a chapter may be titled 'EVE, Before', and the narrator will be Eve, the girl's mother; she will be talking about how things were before the kidnapping or before her daughter returned. The voices heard are Eve, Gabe (the police detective assigned to the case), Colin (the kidnapper) and in only two chapters, Mia (the "good girl").

The novel has some elements that seem to have stepped out of a soap opera: Colin has been hired to kidnap Mia and bring her to some other men. He picks her up in a bar, after her boyfriend doesn't show up (it's later revealed that Colin has paid him to stay late at work), and takes her home, but he can't bring himself to turn her over to the men who hired him. Instead, he and Mia disappear into the woods, and spend three months loving in an abandonded cabin. Of course, like any good soap story, they end up in love. But they aren't the only ones. Meanwhile, back home, Mia's mother, Eve, is falling for detective Gabe, and he for her, in spite of the fact that she's got a powerful judge as a husband. The judge is a classic jerk, though, uncaring about his daughter or wife, and only worried about himself. We aren't surprised that the entire thing turns out to be his fault.

While I enjoyed the back & forth of characters, and found this a fairly good novel, I found it a bit lacking in true emotion. Still, I was happy with it, and especially glad that I had no idea about the ending.

So Much More

"There's so much more to a book than just reading."  -Maurice Sendak

My life has revolved around books, in some way, shape, or form, for as long as I can remember, and so when I came across this quote today, it struck me as especially true. Books have been my self-medication, that drug I turn to, reading until the pain is numbed or the anger faded; my anchor, helping to keep me calm in stormy seas; my inspiration, showing me that the light at the end of the tunnel isn't neccessarily a train (and if it is, teaching me how to avoid being run down!). Books continue to show me that I am not alone, and for that reason alone, I will never give up reading.

I am still fighting darkness, and this week, a book gave me some words I desperately needed. I began reading

Asylum: Hollywood Tales from My Great Depression: Brain Dis-Ease, Recovery, and Being My Mother's Son

by Joe Pantoliano, the actor best known for his role on The Sopranos (although I remember him primarily as Guido in Risky Business, this is how old I am!). I haven't made it past the introduction yet, and already, I'm reading parts of this book to family and friends, and writing a post about it. This man, who has struggled his entire life with depression, ADHD, and for years never knew what was really wrong, has put my feelings into words so eloquently, so perfectly, I can't talk about it without crying. As he discusses his brain disease, and the battles against the stigma of mental illness, he writes this, which is where I began to bawl:

"Louis B Mayer once said 'The most important thing about acting is sincerity....Once you learn to fake that, you got it made.' That's what my depression felt like- like I was faking it. Faking sincerity. Faking serenity. Faking life." (p. 224) Faking it is what I've been doing my entire life, it seems, but Joe finally put it into words.

There is much, much more to this book, and I know I'll have a whopper of a review for you all once I finish it. But right now, I just had to say that I have never been so glad I chose a book at the time I did.

By the way, I am beginning a new antidepressant tomorrow, (saw Dr Jeff today), and have a referral to a therapist, so with any luck, we'll get some of this darkness cleared away for good. Or at least find a nice storage facility for it.

Dream A Little Dream of Corey

I graduated from high school in 1986, and was surrounded by the films of the Brat Pack & the Coreys, and was part of the very first MTV generation. I wanted to read Corey Feldman's memoir from the moment I heard he was writing one; it did not disappoint. Nobody expected great literature, but he has delivered a true and occasionally wrenching portrait of his life in Hollywood.

The death of Corey Haim was a heartbreaker, and after reading Corey Feldman's tale of his friend's abuse & molestation, the drug use makes much more sense. I watched both of their earlier movies (Stand By Me, The Goonies, Dream a Little Dream, Lost Boys, and my personal favorite, The 'Burbs) fondly, but never saw an episode of "The Two Corey's," the semi-reality television show they eventually made together. And I am glad. Watching The Surreal Life was bad enough--one can only take so much of fallen idols.

Feldman's relationship with Michael Jackson is discussed, of course, and is yet another heartbreaker. As with so many of the children who were Michael's friend, Corey Feldman has always maintained that Jackson never abused him in any way, and was a model of good behavior. But the media twisted his words, and destroyed one of the few friendships Corey had with an adult, causing him and Jackson to stop speaking for years before Michael's death.
Corey Feldman is a strong man to have survived the crazy abusive parents, molestation and drug abuse he has been through, things that killed so many of his friends. He's now sober, a father (and, it seems, a pretty good one!), musician, still working as an actor. Best of all, he is doing his best to change the way children are treated in Hollywood.



Oh, by the way: I always thought it was a shame that the press never reported the truth about Corey Haim's death. He did not die from an overdose. The autopsy showed he had pneumonia, and an enlarged heart. The only drugs found in his system were over the counter cold meds. He'd been clean, and sober, and was trying to get his life back on track, helping his mother who was going through chemo. Corey truly died of natural causes.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex7CmuStrKo

 

Blah Blah Blah

It's been a painful week for me. Since last Monday afternoon, I've had neck pain, sore shoulders, and increasing headache pain. From the basic dull ache at the base of my skull (which always comes with that sore neck), to a series of intense stabbing pains. This afternoon I felt as if someone was repeatedly piercing my temple with a red-hot ice pick. I've spent hours days curled up under my quilt in bed, all the lights off, praying for the pain to go away. Never have I been so thankful for my sleep mask and ear plugs, because lights, and the sound of sports from my father's television, have nearly killed me. And then, Sunday night, around 10:30, I had a seizure. First one since February. Which means that after that, I had a bigger headache, my tongue hurts where I bit it, and I'm tired. As well, I am sore all over; my legs hurt the most, and just moving kills.



So. Instead of spending this week helping Charlie move into his new apartment, like I had planned, I'm sitting here in my room, watching television, eating jello. Reading. Right now I'm waiting for the season premiere of one of my favorite shows to begin on TNT. Rizzoli & Isles is a crime drama based on a book series, as most of my favorites are. I'd read all of the books by Tess Gerritsen, long before the show began.

Most of my favorite shows are based on books. Sherlock. True Blood. Dexter. Bones (although I don't care for the books).  My favorite movies, too. Cold Comfort Farm. The Color Purple.  Bridget Jones Diary. The Harry Potter films. Sense and Sensibility. And Pride and Prejudice. Oh, and To Kill A Mockingbird!

Yes, I'm babbling. So what. Go read a book if you don't like it. Or watch a television show based on one.

It's Not Hoarding if They're eBooks, Right?

If Hoarders ever decides to do a show on people who have too many books, they'd over look me, because, really, my library of "real" books isn't that big. Comparatively speaking, that is. Not nearly big enough to land me a spot on a show like that. My ebook library, on the other hand, is getting out of control.

I'm fairly sure that I have at least 150 unread books on my Kindle app. Then there are the ones on Aldiko, Google Books, Moon+Reader, and  OverDrive. We won't even mention the dozens of fanfiction books/stories lurking about my tablet, or the audiobook waiting to be listened to. And I'm not counting the things I HAVE read. 
Except for those things I've read before in a paper version, all of these are new to me. I'm addicted to free book sites, and some days, spend more time searching out free things to download than I do reading. It's distressing. 

 

Now, this is not to say I don't read at all, because we all know that isn't true. I'm halfway through an odd book called Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher.



 

It's a YA novel about a teen girl writing to a man on death row, and confessing all her dark secrets to him. Twisted. Just my style.

 

 

 

Save Your Fanfiction!

I'm working on a list of some of my favorite fan-fics to share with you. There is so much out there... But first, I wanted to share these links with you. I read both on my laptop and on my tablet (a nifty Samsung Galaxy, which I love!) using various e-reader apps. Scrolling on the laptop just gets to be a bit much, ya know? Plus, it's much easier to read from the tablet in bed! So I went looking for ways to download various fics so I can read them elsewhere.  Archive Of Our Own, has a built in download feature on stories, allowing you to choose between formats (mobi, which is for Kindle; epbub, pdf or html); most of the other sites don't offer this feature, which is a shame, since it's very efficient. Hence, the search for ways to save.

Since a large portion of fan-fiction is archived/posted on Fanfiction.net, finding a way to download those stories was tantamount. (FFN does have a mobile version, but it tends to be too small for me to read.) The site I found, which works most of the time, is Ficsave. It's dedicated only to FFN, but has issues. When it works, it's great. As with many of these sites, you simply enter the link of the work you want to download, choose your format, and save.

A better choice for FFN, as well as several other sites is StoryMaster, which works quite well for FFN, Adult Fan Fiction, and a few other sites, is a bit different, in that your result is emailed to you, and then you can download it. The results here are always well done; I've not been disappointed yet. I only wish it worked for more sites,

FanFiction Downlaoder has an extensive list of supported sites, including AOO, The Hex Files, FFN, Literotica, Fiction Press, and Trek Universe. As with many others, it will not work on stories from LiveJournal.

Squee!book is a site which supposedly turns a website into something more along the lines of an actual book. You have to load each chapters link of multi-part stories (from some sites) one by one, which is a huge pain in the ass.  And there are still some large bugs, not least of which is the fact that even after loading all of those, they don't always transfer, and your work is for naught. However, on some sites, it works perfectly well; user be warned.

Online-Convert is a multi-use site, which offers file conversion of all types. Audio, video, image, document, and ebook. I use the ebook converter all the time. It is especially handy for those Live Journal stories, when my only option is to cut and paste. A pdf document is quickly converted into a mobi or epub file, or vice versa.

I've also used an app called dotEpub, a software that allows you to convert any webpage to an epub with one click. Unfortunately, it does not work with LiveJournal.

All of these are free sites, although a few offer upgrades. Good luck!

Fan-fiction Has Stolen My Brain

I am not sure exactly when, but sometime before Christmas, I began reading Harry Potter fan-fiction online. Primarily, Drarry  and other slash fictions. And I've not stopped since. My brain, my life, my time, has been taken over... 

I hear some of you asking "WTH is she talking about? Slash? Drarry?" In fandom terms, Slash is "a type of fic, often written by women, involving romantic or sexual involvement between two characters of the same gender. The term originates from early Star Trek fandom, namely "Kirk/Spock" stories -- the term "slash" comes from the slash (/) placed between the names of the characters involved".  Drarry is the pairing of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, combining their names.

What, exactly is the point of all of this? I have no idea. As I said, my brain has been invaded, stolen, by fan-fics. I'm alternately deeply enthralled by wonderful writing and great stories, some with truly excellent sex scenes, and highly annoyed by poor grammar, atrocious spelling and the worst romances I've seen. And I have read some bad romance novels in my time, people.

What amazes me each time I go onto FanFiction.net or Archive Of Our Own to look for new stories is how many are out there. How many people are writing about the things they love, creating worlds where the characters they love do all sorts of things. Where Sherlock and The Doctor have tea, or The Monkees hang out with Mozart. Worlds where the cast of Harry Potter interacts with the Twilight gang, or Sookie & Eric are running away from Buffy. True, some of the stories are awful, but that's a risk you take when reading anything new. And I'm having fun. Isn't that what matters?

Besides, I kinda like the idea of Sherlock & The Doctor being friends. Makes perfect sense to me...

 

Tell Me a Story

It's been nearly two months since my last post. I am a slacker. In my defense, I DID spend two weeks of that time without vision, after I scratched my eyeball and had to go without contacts while it healed. Since I don't have a pair of glasses at the moment (and for some reason, we never found time to make it to the nearest vision center), and I am blind as the proverbial bat (without the great hearing), I was pretty much stuck in a chair, doing nothing.

"But, Jonna," I hear you ask, "How is that any different than your normal, everyday, vision-filled life?"

Yeah, shut up.

I know I'm a slacker, you know I'm a slacker, we all know, Jonna's a slacker. Old news. They don't call me the Queen of Procrastination for nothing! My friend and fellow blogger/slacker, Tara of tarapieceofpaper went seven months between posts, and she actually has a life and stuff to write about, so I don't feel so bad!

Anyway. While blind, or blurry, I discovered that audio books are actually kinda nifty, if the person reading them doesn't sound like Daffy Duck. Until now the only experience I had with them was listening to a few celebs read their memoirs, which I enjoyed. Craig Ferguson, my favorite comedian and talk show host, has written two books, and I own his memoir on tape. This time, I broadened my horizons, first trying a book I was halfway through reading. I had to give that up, because the reader was terrible. I am assuming she is related to the author or sleeping with the producer, because otherwise, nobody would hire her to read for a living. Remember the actress with the horrible voice in "Singin' In the Rain?" Yeah. This was her, only younger, and with a Southern accent.

So I gave up on that book and moved on to others, all of which were better, I am happy to say. My choices ranged from new age (Depak Choprah) to Stephen Fry reading short stories, to poetry collections, and podcasts. And I listened to Carol Burnett read her memoirs, too. She's always been one of my hero, so that was wonderful!

Now, I can see again, but I've not given up on audio books. It's so nice to have someone else read to me for a change. When insomnia strikes, as it often does, I just slip on my headphones, lay in the dark, and a soft voice tells me a story. Who wouldn't love that?

Rambling

 

 

Be prepared: I'm not terribly focused.

 

It's Tuesday night, and my room smells like Vicks Vapo-rub. I managed to catch the cold that has floated around our house for the last month, and for the last twenty-four hours I have been sneezing, sniffling and coughing. I feel like death on a stick. All I can do sit in my chair and watch television, going through seasons of Six Feet Under, guzzling juice and tearing through Kleenex.

 

We recently changed cable providers, from Dish Network back to Comcast, and I am digging the On Demand programming. Watching all sorts of shows that I missed out on the first time around, like Oz. For those of you who don't know, Oz is a HBO show set inside a men's prison. I watched a few seasons of Oz on Netflix, and now I am going on. This is such a freaky show, I have to be sure not to watch right before bed, or when Max is in the house. Honestly, all the male body parts flying around are, well, both disconcerting and titillating. The sheer violence is enticing, in a primitive way. This show is, for me, a guilty pleasure.

 

Then we have Six Feet Under, another HBO show, this one revolving around a family funeral home. At the beginning, my favorite thing about this show was the way the dead folks would hang around, talking to the morticians. I'm only part-way into Season two, and that seems to have stopped happening. The idea of death as a business, as well as a part of life, is complex and intriguing, and I find the idea of it just fascinating. Does that make me twisted? I don't know, or care, really. In the end, I'm not watching this because I'm interested in the deaths, but because of the characters and story lines.

 

Speaking of story lines and characters, my friend Karen is writing a book, and I've had the privileged of reading it as she writes, giving her some critique. I am so thrilled that she chose me for this honor; her book is, so far, wonderful! From the first paragraph, I was drawn in, and I cannot wait for it to be finished so I know what happens. Karen is enormously talented, which I've always known, but I think she is just figuring it out herself. I must admit to being a bit envious. She is doing what I cannot, or have not done. For that I am extremely proud of her, and at the same time, kinda jealous! When her book is done, I will be glad to share it with everyone I know.

 

The NyQuil is kicking in, and I am yawning. Goodnight, sweethearts, goodnight.


 

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Book Review: The Speed of Dark

The Speed Of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

This is an amazing book with, what I felt to be, a heartbreaking ending.
Set in the not-so-distant future, a time when most disease and crime has been wiped out by genetic modification or computer chips planter in the brain, this is the story of Lou Arrandale, an autistic man. Lou is part of the middle generation of autists; his generation has been able to gain great strides in "normal" functioning due to training in early childhood with computers that helped to teach speech in ways that accommodated the sensory problems of the autistic brain. Lou and others his age hold high-functioning jobs, drive, and live alone, things that the autists of the older generation have not been able to do. The younger generation has benefited even more; genetic modifications in the womb have made autism for them only something they had before birth. Yet Lou and his friends still have many of the same social issues that face all autistic people: trouble with social skills, difficultly reading language and facial cues, and a tendency to be overly literal.
Told from Lou's point of view, we see the world through his eyes, and it is often enlightening look. As Lou muses about God, or music, or the patterns of the stars, the world opens up. Lou has "normal" friends, and takes a class once a week in fencing, something that he enjoys. Yet, he doesn't realize he is having fun until someone points out to him that he seems to be enjoying himself; he had only noticed that he was flushed and sweating.
The crux of the story is this: a new therapy is going into human trials, a therapy that may "cure" autism in adults. The pharmacological company that Lou works for has purchased this therapy, and his boss, who dislikes the special treatments the autistic workers get (things which allow them to function well in the workplace, such as a gym, music and Lou's spinners at his desk), decides they will be told to receive this treatment or lose their jobs. Of course, this is illegal, and most of the team do not want the treatment.
Lou ponders what would happen if they change his brain. Will he be the same person? Like the same things as before? Will it matter? For example, he knows he likes peppers on his pizza and doesn't like anchovies. If he has the treatment, will he suddenly like anchovies? And will it matter? It will matter to the anchovies, he decides, and to the man who sells anchovies.
I truly enjoyed this book, although I was disappointed with the ending. As I read, I was reminded of The Handmaid's Tale, another novel set in a future that seems strange yet possible. Lou's voice is so authentic, and so touching. This is definitely worth reading.

 

Book Review: I Think I Love You

 

I Think I Love You by Allison Pearson 
You'd expect a book about teens in love with David Cassidy to be light and full of air, a pop song of a novel, wouldn't you? Well, that is not at all what the reader gets with this book. The story of Petra, who as a teenager in a small Welsh town, who along with her best friend Sharon, enters The Ultimate David Cassidy Quiz contest in hopes of winning a meting with their idol. Petra's mother is staunchly against all forms of popular culture the family doesn't even have a television and so Petra must hide her devotion to Cassidy, as well as her plans to see the man in concert in London. Years later, after her mother's death, she discovers a letter in her mother's things, telling her that she'd won that contest back in 1974; in a rush of grief, Petra calls the publishing company and demands her prize.

 

Intertwined with Petra's story is that of Bill, a writer at the magazine sponsoring the contest, who in many senses becomes David Cassidy for the fans. He writes the letters the teenyboppers think are from David, using his poetic and musical heart to win their love. Bill even behaves like a prince at the concert where he and Petra unknowingly cross paths.

 

Years later, as adults, they cross paths again, as Bill's publisher sends Petra and Sharon to Las Vegas to see David Cassidy, fulfilling their adolescent dreams. The plot sounds simple, but like a good pop song, there are layers. Upon layers. Love, anguish, teenage and adult heartbreak, music, poetry, and friendship. I didn't expect it, but I am so glad I found it. Allison Pearson, I think I love you.