What I Read in March

     I've been busy editing and entertaining kids home on Spring Break this week so I don't have any WIP's to show today. Instead I thought I 'd share what I read last month. A couple novels and lots of graphic novels. I really want to finish the Fables series and get them off our library shelf. I read 7 last month and am down to the last 2. I should finish the series this month and can't wait to find out how it all ends.

      Here's what I read in March.

Dear Emma by Katie Heaney

      This isn't classified as Young Adult but I think it might cross into that genre a little bit. The main character, Harriet, is a college student who writes an advice column for the school paper. Of course some boy treats her wrong and and starts going out with a girl that Harriet works with. That girl writes into the Dear Emma column not knowing Harriet is Emma or that Harriet had dated her boyfriend before her. Chaos and angst follows but everything works out in the end. Harriet learns the lessons she needs to learn and is happy. It's an alright novel. Not exactly what I was expecting but was a quick read. Could've been better.

Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland

      This one was recommended to me by my mother. The novel is a fictional account of Renoir painting the artwork used for the title of the novel. I didn't really enjoy the first 100 pages but they were necessary to set up the rest of the book. I was constantly looking at the painting while I was reading the book. There are insets of the painting and others that are mentioned in the book which saved me from looking them up on the internet. Overall, it was an enjoyable read. Vreeland has written other novels with art as the inspiration that I might read.

A History of England from the Tudors to the Stuarts. Lecture Series with Professor Robert Bucholz

      I've mentioned before my love of history, especially the British monarchy around the time of Henry VIII. I don't know why this time appeals to me, but it does. When I saw this lecture series at the library I thought it would be fun to have on in the afternoons. There were 48 lectures, each 30 minutes long. I enjoyed most of them, and learned about some of the Kings and Queens that came after Henry that I didn't know much about before. Some of the background lectures were a bit boring but it was still interesting to learn what everyday life was like for citizens of England at that time. I enjoyed the series enough that I am currently watching one about European Art with my daughter and have one about Impressionist Art that we will watch after that. I've tried watching several lecture series the past couple years. This is the first one that I actually finished. One had a lecturer with such a monotone voice that I fell asleep every time I watched. Needless to say, I returned that one. This series I enjoyed and am looking for more history series to watch.

      Here are all the Fables I read last month. They have been dropping hints about how it might end but I know there will be several twists before the series is over. I'd definitely recommend this series for anyone interested in reading graphic novels but doesn't want to read about Superheroes.

Fables: Rose Red

Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland

Fables: Super Team

Fables: Inherit the Wind

Fables: Cubs in Toyland

Fables: Snow White

Fables: Camelot

       And my March bookmark. The Fables were all I read for the last 3 weeks of March. I'd finish one and get the next one off the shelf so I was reading them pretty quick. 

What have you been reading lately?

What I Read in November

November was light on novels, and heavy with graphic novels at the end. I didn't want to read too much fiction since I was also working on NaNoWriMo...

... which I won by writing 50,000 words last month. I ended up with over 53,000 words before I had to stop. I killed off a character and now I'm not sure how to end it. Still thinking about it so I'll get back to it eventually, but probably not until next year. Here's what I read in November.

The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson

If you've read some of my past reading round-ups, you might have noticed I'm a big Jeanette Winterson fan. I first read 2 of her books for a 1st year University class and have loved her ever since. I own or have read almost all of her books. I think there's only about 4 or 5 I haven't read yet and I can't think of one that I haven't enjoyed. "The Gap of Time" is part of a series of novels by different authors, each retelling a Shakespeare play. Jeanette redid "Winter's Tale" and even though I've read the play before, the novel made me want to reread it. If you haven't read or seen the play, or it's been awhile since you had to read it for a university class (cough, cough) there is a quick summary of what happens in it.

I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend it. The characters are great. Jeanette did a wonderful job retelling the play but making it unique and sound like her. There's nothing I can really think of that people might find offensive, although I think there was some swearing, if that bothers you. You can read more about the novel here, which has a link about the Shakepeare series. And yeah, Atwood's doing one next year - The Tempest - which should be awesome.

Infinite in Between by Carolyn Mackler

I know why I read this. I wanted to read something that wouldn't influence my NaNoWriMo novel. This was definitely it. A young adult/ teen novel about several kids put together during Grade 9 orientation and how their lives change as they go through high school and meet back up at graduation. I'm not a young adult fan and this book didn't help. Is this really what teens want to read? Young adult has become such a big market (it seems that it is all literary agents are interested in seeing) but I don't understand it. If you like young adult novels, you'll probably enjoy this one. It deals with almost every teen issue - friendships (beginning and ending), sexuality/ homosexuality, dealing with parents, death of a loved one, school stress. You name it, it probably has it. Other than "Only Ever Yours", which I loved and still think about, I can't think of another young adult novel worth the genre hype. Know of some? Leave a comment below.

I'm still reading my way through the "Fables" graphic novel series. I'm half way through - 11 of 22 read - and have had to start reading a spin off that rejoins the series soon. I'm still enjoying this series and recommend it. For those who haven't heard of the series before, it's about the characters from fairytales/fables. Some live in our world. Some still live in their homelands. But they are immortal, so they've been around for a long time, although they stay the age they are in their stories. Here's the volumes I read this month. 

Fables: Wolves

Fables: Sons of Empire

Fables: The Good Prince (this one was really good)

Fables: War and Pieces (also very good as the Fables in our world fought the Adversary who had chased them out of their homelands). 

I have to take a Fables break while I read the Jack series. Jack's a bit of a rascal and there's a bit of sexy stuff, if that bothers you. We are letting our 13 year old daughter read it but warn her about it before she reads an issue and talk to her about it after, if she wants. It's an enjoyable series but I think I like the original Fables series better. My husband, who has read all the graphic novel before, says I need to read Jack as it's important to the Fables series.

Jack of Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape

Jack of Fables: Jack of Hearts

So what have you been reading? Share in the comments below.

What I Read in October

Last month I enjoyed everything I read. Lots of graphic novels as I am making my way through the Fables series. Here's what I read.

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

I was very excited to pick this book up from the library. I loved the first 3/4's of the novel but I'm not sure about the last 1/4. I can't explain why it bothers me. The ending is so... happy? hopeful? I guess I wanted more punishment or different punishment for the bad guys. If you like Atwood, you have to read it. I stayed away from reviews and interviews until after I read it which was good but would have given me a heads up on the ending. Atwood is a great writer and I'd read anything she wrote but I don't think this book would go on my top ten of her books. Maybe I need to reread it? Would still recommend it, as it is Margaret Atwood, and she's the best.

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Other bloggers had discussed this book enough that I decided to read it. I really enjoy the idea of essentialism - cutting things out that aren't important, setting priorities and questioning what is important right now. I think I've been moving towards essentialism for a few years but didn't realize it. The mindset definitely helps purge stuff, especially kid toys. I'm working on a post about how essentialism will affect Christmas this year but I'm not sure if I'll share it here or not. Every year I try to buy less, especially for my own kids, but then I have that guilty mom feeling take over and feel like I have to get them more and spend too much on stuff they don't really want or need. I highly recommend this book. It might even be a book I'll eventually buy so I can reread it every year or so to help me refocus on what is really essential.

Below are all the Fables I read last month. 

Fables: Storybook Love

Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers

Fables: The Mean Seasons

Fables: Homelands

Fables: Arabian Nights (and Days)

I'm still really enjoying this series. A nice break when I want to read something but don't want to commit to a novel. My brain really needed to process Atwood's novel for a couple weeks so the graphic novels were good to read until I was ready to start reading another novel (I'm almost done Jeanette Winterson's latest one - loving it!). There are 22 volumes plus spin-offs of Fables. I like that I know this isn't a long term commitment. If you've wanted to give graphic novels a try or were looking for one that wasn't full of superheroes, you might enjoy it. It's fun to see characters from fairy tales interacting. Think I should start watching the "Once Upon a Time" tv show.

What I read in September

I kind of lost my reading mojo this month so the books read list is short. Some of my reading mojo left due to editing my novel and my brain didn't want to read and edit different novels. However, it feels like my mojo may be coming back, if only to read graphic novels. 

Surfacing by Margaret Atwood

A reread. One of the many favorite novels I had planned to reread for my birthday month but it's the only one I read. It's less than 200 pages but took me almost 3 weeks to read - with no reading mojo, I really had to force myself to read. This might be the first Atwood novel I read. I think my sister had read it for a university course than gave it to me to read when I was in high school. I can still remember sitting in the school library reading it. It's still great and a little weird. You never know the name of the main character. The novel is about a woman who returns to her childhood home with three friends to try and find her missing father. The home is a rustic cabin on an island. Truths about her past come out and she kind of losses her mind. I still highly recommend it and glad I reread it. I had forgotten enough of the details to make it really interesting to read.

I hope to reread one favourite novel a month and share them here.

Charm by Sarah Pinborough

This is part of a trilogy and is a retelling of the Cinderella story. I had thought this book would make a good selection for our mother-daughter book club but there was too much sex stuff in it. Overall, it was okay. I had another book from the trilogy home from the library, started it and decided I had better things to do and returned it. It was a nice change but it just wasn't my thing. I like the idea of playing with fairytales and changing them up a bit but I didn't love this retelling. Someone else might, just a warning about the sexual content.

Fables: Legends in Exile - Graphic Novel

Keeping with the fairy tale theme, this is the first in a series of graphic novels about fairy tales and the characters being forced to live in our world but wanting to be back in theirs. Some characters are able to blend in, others obviously aren't and live on a "farm" in the country. Some characters were able to pay witches and are made to look human. The Big Bad Wolf is now Bigby, a detective. Snow White is the deputy mayor and basically runs everything. A great, quick read that I really enjoyed. Recommended by my husband to me, and I'd recommend it to you.

Fables: Animal Farm - Graphic Novel

This is the second in the Fables series. Another great, quick read. This one took place on the "farm" where all the fairy tale characters live that couldn't fit into society, think giants, three little pigs, the three bears, etc... Several of them revolt, planning to invade and eventually take back their fairytale lands from the "Adversary" who kicked them out. I don't know much about the Adversary yet and I'm looking forward to learning more. I won't spoil the ending by telling you what happens during the revolt but it's good. 

One thing I really like about the Fables series so far is the strong women. Snow White is in charge in the City. Her sister, Rose Red, becomes a strong character by the end of the second book. And Goldilocks is leader of the revolt (who knew she'd do that). It's nice to see female characters in a graphic novel who aren't toppling over with cleavage. They also have brains and aren't afraid to use them. 

So, what have you been reading? 

What I Read in July

I really should have titled this post, What I read the past 2 weeks, as that is when I read these 6 books.    Our days have been incredibly laid back this summer and the kids and I have watched way too much tv. Great for knitting, not so much for reading. When we went away the middle of July I took 4 books with me to read. I read 2 before we arrived home. I think that's pretty good. I used to read more in the car but now I prefer knitting or crocheting. Anyway, here's what I read the past 2 weeks.

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume

This is Judy's latest (and supposedly last) novel for adults. I really enjoyed the first half of this book but the more I thought about it, the more disliked the second half. I'm not exactly sure why that it. The writing is good but where she took the story wasn't where I wanted it to go, perhaps. Maybe there were other characters I was interested in, I'm not really sure. If you enjoy her work, read it. I think my dislike of it, is just a personal reaction. As soon as I finished it, I started reading another book so I would stop thinking about it.

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

And this is the book I read right after in less than 24 hours. It's my favourite read from this month. It tells the story of Hannah who returns to L.A., and stays with her best friend, Gabby (and Gabby's husband). They go out that night for a welcome home celebration. At the end of the night, Hannah has the choice of going back to the house with Gabby or staying out with her ex-boyfriend. The novel than splits into 2 different stories - what happens if she goes and what happens if she stays. I enjoyed both what if stories and found them believable. It was a great vacation read. Definitely written for women but I wouldn't consider it chick lit. Would recommend if you are looking a light, fun read.

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston

Novel told via a scrapbook of a woman in the 1920's. A nice, quick read with a solid story. I borrowed this (and several more books) from my mom. I enjoyed it and would recommend it if you want something a little different to read.

Here is a sample page. Not a lot of text on each page but plenty of stuff to look at. I enjoyed the story so much, I requested her other novels from the library.

Among the Ten Thousand Things by Julia Pierpont

Written well but I didn't really enjoy it. The novel is about what happens to a family once infidelity is exposed by the children finding all the emails the father had with his mistress. I found that reading this book made me angry but I couldn't stop reading it. I didn't really like any of the characters. Found them to be stereotypes a bit but the writing was good enough that I kept reading. I'd be willing to read other things by the author. I'm sure other people love this book, it just rubbed me the wrong way. Warning: there is some graphic sexual language.

Hold Your Own by Kate Tempest

A poetry collection all based on the the theme of Tiresias from Greek Mythology. He lived as both a man and a woman and then was sentenced to live on Earth, blind, by the Gods for generations. I really enjoyed this. Poetry is very personal and I liked how the poet wrote. Others may not.  This collection is just over 100 pages. I'd love to read more of her work and recommend this.

Pretty is by Maggie Mitchell

I just finished reading this yesterday (it's due back at the library tomorrow) and I haven't completely decided how I feel about it yet. The novel is told by two different women, Lois and Carly May/Chloe. The summer they were 12, they were kidnapped by a man who kept them for 6 weeks at a cabin in the woods before the police found them and the man took his own life. The girls were then returned home and lost touch with each other, as there parents wished. As an adult, Lois writes a novel loosely based on what happens under a different name. It becomes a movie and Carly May, now going by the name Chloe, gets cast in the movie. The two women eventually reunite on the movie set but they don't tell anyone how they know each other. There are some twists and turns, such as one of Lois' students figuring out who she is and stalking her. I think I found the ending rushed. I enjoyed the novel but then all of a sudden it was over. Think it could have been 50 pages longer to make the ending better. I enjoyed it enough to recommend it. 

I have lots more to read this month. Our library shelf is overflowing. Only the novels on the left are mine. I have another novel due Saturday that I can't renew so I better get reading.

What I read in March

This month makes up for my short what I read posts in January and February. I read some really great books in March. A good mix of fiction and non-fiction. There's a gap on the library shelf that needs to be filled now.

First up is the 2014 Poet's Market which I debated posting, but I spent several days reading it. I read all the educational/ how-to's at the beginning except for the ones that didn't apply to me (being a book publisher and running my own zine) and I looked at every listing - magazine/ journals, contests and workshops/retreats and only skipped the book publishing listings. It was full of great advice and markets I would never be able to find on my own. I'm still pretty focused on editing my novel and haven't spent much time polishing poems but I think once I am done my current round of editing, I'll take a break and work on poetry. I think it will be a nice change of pace after editing fiction.

A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy by Sarah Lazarovic

My husband saw this on the new bookshelf and thought I might enjoy it. Or maybe wanted to hint at something? It was a quick read (only took an evening) and was about the author changing her buying habits, specifically clothes shopping. I don't really have that kind of shopping habit but I understood what she was trying to say.

I think every page had an illustration which is why it is such a quick read. This was my favourite page. 

Ru by Kim Thuy

The great book competition, Canada Reads happens in March. When the books that were going to be debated were announced, Ru was the only one at my local library so it was the only one I read. And it ended up winning! It is beautifully written. Short "chapters", often one page that read more like poetry than fiction. The book is about a woman who moves to Canada from Vietnam when she's a girl. It jumps back and forth between Canada, Vietnam and her family's time in a refuge camp before going to Canada. Again, this is a quick read, I think it's around 150 pages. Definitely recommend it.

The Opposite of Spoiled by Ron Lieber

I liked a lot of the ideas expressed in this book and want to start doing some of them with our kids. One idea is that every child gets an allowance which isn't based on chores. Allowance should then be divided into money they get to spend, money to save and money to give to charity. I love this idea. They get to decide the charity but we help them research and give to different charities - not just ones where they get a perk for donating. I talked to my daughter about this and she liked the idea, too. Haven't talked to my older son but I think he'd be okay with it. I love the idea that they don't get paid for chores. The argument being, my husband and I don't get paid for the chores we do around the house, so why should they? Everyone helps because it's the right thing to do, which is a great lesson to learn. The allowance is given to educate them how to use money and gives them freedom to buy what they want. Then they find out what happens when that money is gone and they find something else they really want. I'd like to do this for 6 months or so and see what the kids think after that. Will they learn anything about money?

How To Be A Heroine by Samantha Ellis

An interesting read. The author, in her 30's looks back at the books she read growing up. And feale heroines she idolized, were they really who she should be like? It was also part memoir as she talked about growing up and moving out, her parents divorcing and creating a life for herself as a playwright. I had read at least half of the books she talked about and had seen the movie for some (which is obviously different but still helped) so there were only a couple characters I wasn't familiar with. However, that didn't really matter. Each chapter talked about a lot of books and made me want to go back and read some of the books from when I was younger. I think I need to reread L.M. Montgomery's Emily series.

Here are the female characters she discussed. Notice the bibliography is 7 pages long - she discusses a LOT of books.

The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson

I love Jeanette and own several of her books, but she is not for everyone. This book takes place in England after James I took the throne and witch hunts were going on. It is essentially the story of two women; one who sells her soul to the devil for power and the other who refuses but still has powers. She does not call herself a witch. I enjoyed it but I didn't read this book before bed as there is a lot of torture described in the book and I really didn't want to be thinking about that as I was falling asleep. Anyone who doesn't want to read about torture, and some of it is nasty, or is uncomfortable with the main character having sex with both a man and a woman (at different times), might want to skip this book. I'd still recommend it, especially if you've read some of Jeanette's other work and have enjoyed them.

May I Be Happy by Cyndi Lee

Some of you may know Cyndi Lee, as she is a fairly famous yoga teacher. This book deals with her own body issues, growing older, her dying mother and her failing marriage. It also looks back at her life to figure out how she got to where she is. She hates her body and wants to get over that feeling but struggles. There were times when I got a little sick of her complaining. I don't hate my body like she does. There are definitely parts I'm not thrilled with but this body gave me 3 children so I think I owe it now. She does come to a place of not hating by the end and seems to be in a good place. One of the times I was getting frustrated with her complaining, I thought, I might not hate my body, but there are things about myself that I hate and I can think about them and how Cyndi's journey to get over the hate could help me. I wouldn't say this was a life changing read but it gave me stuff to think about it. 

Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper

The best for last. I read this on Monday, staying up until almost 1am to finish it. I loved it. And I love starting a book in the morning and reading the whole thing - just losing myself in it for the day.  When I first started thinking what I was going to say about this book, my thoughts almost turned into an essay about what I liked and how it worked to be something amazing but now that the computer is on my lap... I kind want to say, just go read it yourself. I was a little concerned at the beginning with 4 names in the title that I would be balancing 4 different narratives in my brain but that doesn't happen. They each have unique stories but are connected. Etta is 83 at the beginning and decides to walk to the Atlantic ocean from her home in Saskatchewan. Otto is her husband and Russell is their neighbor and friend. James is... you have to read it to find out. The book goes back and forth between Etta's walking and what Otto and Russell do while she's gone, and their childhood's and how they all ended up being friends/ married. It kind of reminded me of The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence and The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields that deal with elderly women looking back on their lives but this is different. Etta's not looking back. She's going forward. She's leaving because it's her turn to go and it's all very powerful. The ending is perfect and if you read the book and don't like it, don't tell me. I think I'm going to buy myself a copy so I can reread it whenever I want. Maybe I'll read it slowly next time to properly devour it. 

Her description of Ontario, "Rocks, lakes, trees. Rocks, lakes, trees." made me homesick.