80. Harris, Charlaine. Three Bedrooms, One Corpse. 240 pages. 6.29.09.


81. Wilde, Oscar. An Ideal Husband. 96 pages. 6.29.09.

Despite my deep and resounding love for Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Grey (for which I have given my sons the middle names Dorian and Henry), I have come to realize I have read shamefully little of his other work. Today I resolved to sit down with one of his well-known plays, and chose An Ideal Husband. The play is everything I've come to expect from Wilde; while the dialog doesn't sound particularly natural, it is infused with the wit and charm of Wilde's satirical authorial pressence, which carries the work well. I appreciated the parallel established between politics and marriage, and enjoyed the ever-present commentary on gender, fashion, society, and art (especially the aesthetic correlation established between Wilde's characters and known artists/styles). I look forward to reading more of Wilde's work - both drama and short stories - in the near future.

78. Harris, Charlaine. Real Murders. 304 pages. 6.25.09.


79. Harris, Charlaine. A Bone to Pick. 272 pages. 6.26.09.

77. Boyne, John. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. 240 pages. 6.23.09.

John Boyne's young adult novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas rightly deserves all of the high praise that lead me to read the work in the first place. Told from the perspective of a nine-year-old Nazi officer's son, the story describes life"on the other side of the fence" as Bruno struggles with a sudden move from Berlin to Auschwitz, the heavy military presence in his otherwise civilian life, and the meeting of an unlikely friend.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is no less striking for its charming and simple naivety; indeed, the youthful ignorance and innocence is what makes the novel so endearing, and ultimately heartbreaking. Boyne shows his reader under what circumstances the Commandant of a concentration camp can be seen as a "good man", and the true difference between boys and families living on opposite sides of the fence.

Goal Achieved

Works read this year: 76/75 (101%)

Pages read this year: 20,641 / 22,500 (91.7%)

Works Completed in 2009:
1. Robinson, Ray (ed). Famous Last Words: Fond Farewells, Deathbed Diatribes, and Exclamations Upon Expiration. 177 pages. 1.2.09
2. Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre: The Graphic Novel. 132 pages. 1.10.09
3. Miller, Kathleen E. Last Laughs: Funny Tombstone Quotes and Famous Last Words. 157 pages. 1.12.09
4. Carson, Anne (ed). If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho. 355 pages. 1.13.09
5. Hamilton, Laurell K. A Stroke of Midnight. 385 pages. 1.16.09
6. Hamilton, Laurell K. The Harlequin. 422 pages. 1.23.09.
7. Rand, Ayn. Anthem. 105 pages. 1.26.09
8. Hamilton, Laurell K. Mistral's Kiss. 302 pages. 1.28.09.
9. Armstrong, Kelley. Men of the Otherwold. 369 pages. 1.29.09.
10. Glaspell, Susan. Trifles and "A Jury of her Peers". 48 pages. 1.29.09 +
11. Peacock, Caro. A Dangerous Affair. 303 pages. 2.2.09.
12. Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island. 303 pages. 2.4.09.*
13. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. 37 pages. 2.9.09.+
14. Bryson, Bill. The Mother Tongue: English, and How it Got That Way. 245 pages. 2.12.09
15. Poe, Edgar Allan. Complete Poems. 125 pages. 2.12.09.
16. McCarthy, Jenny. Belly Laughs. 165 pages. 2.14.09.
17. De La Cruz, Melissa. Masquerade. 305 pages. 2.14.09.
18. Hamilton, Laurell K. A Lick of Frost. 342 pages. 2.14.09.
19. Sebold, Alice. The Lovely Bones. 328 pages. 2.17.09.
20. Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar. 244 pages. 2.20.09.
21. Hamilton, Laruell K. Swallowing Darkness. 365 pages. 2.22.09.
22. Briggs, Patricia. Bone Crossed. 309 pages. 2.27.09.
23. Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. 281 pages. 2.28.09. +
24. Harrison, Kim. White Witch, Black Curse. 504 pages. 3.2.09.
25. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. 284 pages. 3.10.09.
26. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. 189 pages. 3.12.09.
27. Cast, P.C. and Kristin Cast. Hunted. 323 pages. 3.16.09.
28. Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. 243 pages. 3.22.09.
29. Vern, Jules. Journey to the Centre of the Earth. 291 pages. 3.24.09. *
30. Lockwood, Cara. Wuthering High. 272 pages. 3.28.09.
31. Arthur, Keri. Dangerous Games. 384 pages. 4.2.09.
32. Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Fantasy Lover. 352 pages. 4.4.09.
33. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. 99 pages. 4.5.09.
34. Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Night Pleasures. 336 pages. 4.6.09.
35. Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Night Embrace. 416 pages. 4.12.09.
36. Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Dance with the Devil. 368 pages. 4.14.09.
37. Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House on the Prairie. 331 pages. 4.15.09.
38. Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House in the Big Woods. 238 pages. 4.17.09.
39. Moore, Christopher. Bloodsucking Fiends. 291 pages. 4.18.09.
40. Moore, Christopher. You Suck: A Love Story. 328 pages. 4.20.09.
41. Twain, Mark. Pudd'nhead Wilson. 196 pages. 4.22.09.
42. Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. 109 pages. 4.28.09. +
43. Hamilton, Laurell K., Green, Alves. The First Death. 128 pages. 5.1.09.
44. Kennedy, X.J. and Dana Gioia, eds. Literature: An Introduction... Vol. 2: Poetry. 38 pages (selection). January - May 2009. +
45. Kennedy, X.J. and Dana Gioia, eds. Literature: An Introduction... Vol. 1: Fiction. 74 pages (selection). January - May 2009. +
46. Sleator, William. House of Stairs. 166 pages. 5.3.09.
47. Hamilton, Laurell K, Lim, Booth. Guilty Pleasures: Volume 2. 144 pages. 5.5.09.
48. Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Kiss of the Night. 382 pages. 5.6.09.
49. Le Fanu, Sheridan. Carmilla. 112 pages. 5.6.09.
50. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. 184 pages. +
51. Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Seize the Night. 352 pages. 5.9.09.
52. Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Sins of the Night. 384 pages. 5.11.09.
53. Harris, Charlaine. Dead and Gone. 320 pages. 5.17.09.
54. Lovecraft, H.P. "The Call of Cthulhu." 31 pages. 5.18.09.
55. Orwell, George. 1984. 254 pages. 5.19.09.
56. Moore, Alan, et al. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. 176 pages. 5.20.09.
57. Pratchett, Terry. The Truth. 348 pages. 5.23.09.
58. Campbell, Bruce. If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor. 338 pages. 5.25.09.
59. Pratchett, Terry. Going Postal. 377 pages. 5.28.09.
60. Moore, Alan and Dave Gibbons. Watchmen. 416 pages. 5.28.09.
61. Pratchett, Terry. Making Money. 394 pages. 5.29.09.
62. Harris, Charlaine. Grave Sight. 320 pages. 5.31.09.
63. Harris, Charlaine. Grave surprise. 320 pages. 6.1.09.
64. Hamilton, Laurell K. Skin Trade. 486 pages. 6.4.09.
65. Twain, Mark. The Prince and the Pauper. 267 pages. 6.4.09. *
66. Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's Landlord. 214 pages. 6.5.09.
67. Harris, Charlaine. An Ice Cold Grave. 288 pages. 6.5.09.
68. Arnold, Catharine. Necropolis: London and Its Dead. 247 pages. 6.8.09.
69. Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey. 213 pages. 6.10.09.
70. Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's Champion. 224 pages. 6.12.09.
71. Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's Christmas. 224 pages. 6.12.09.
72. Slater, Maya. The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy. 324 pages. 6.15.09.
73. Pratchett, Terry. Nation. 367 pages. 6.17.09..
74. O'Brien, Robert C. Z for Zachariah. 249 pages. 6.19.09.
75. Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's Trollope. 194 pages. 6.22.09.
76. Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's Counselor. 243 pages. 6.22.09.

74. O'Brien, Robert C. Z for Zachariah. 249 pages. 6.19.09.

Not too long ago we went to the bookstore so I could pick up Nation, and my husband spotted Z for Zachariah on a table of YA classics. He mentioned in passing that he had thought the book was "quite charming" when he was younger - as much as he could remember - and I decided to pick it up.

Z for Zachariah is set in a country literally destroyed by war; modern weaponry (bombs, nerve gas) has killed the population, and radiation poisoning has killed all plant and animal life. That is, save for a strange pocket of land, inhabited by the protagonist of the novel, Anne Burden. After the bombs Anne's family and neighbors (the only residents of the valley) set out to check for survivors, and never returned home. By the time the narrative begins Anne has lived alone in the valley for a year, adapting to a solitary and often primitive life. Then, one day, a traveler comes to the valley.

The conflict of the novel focuses on the introduction of Mr. Loomis, and how he unsettles the balance Anne has found in her life. Anne shows nothing but care and good intentions towards Mr. Loomis, displaying quite a bit of naivety (although she is, of course, only 16).

What really makes O'Briens novel is his successful characterization. From the very beginning Anne is endearing and sympathetic, and I found myself feeling bery concerned about her well-being almost from the start. As a contrast, the reader is lead through a series of emotions as Mr. Loomis is introduced by Anne, although I felt a repugnance towards him as a character long before Anne made her own discoveries. Z for Zachariah is a character-driven story with only two characters, so their successful development is essential for the success of the novel, and I feel O'Brien accomplished just that.

Z for Zachariah is very much so a young adult novel in terms of ideas and structures, but one worth reading.

73. Pratchett, Terry. Nation. 367 pages. 6.17.09.

Once again, Terry Pratchett has proven himself to be an insightful and powerful storyteller. In Nation he presents themes of loss, faith, community, race, and leadership, without forcing ideas on his readers; instead he whispers suggestions in the background, and trusts his readers to actually think.

The characters that make up Nation are occasionally stereotypical, but consistently complicated and honest. Intelligence is the guiding light of this adventure story, and there is very little about it that is "young".

72. Slater, Maya. The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy. 324 pages. 6.15.09.

Finally, a Darcy story that true Austen-lovers can enjoy! Maya Slater's The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy artfully blends original ideas with the concepts of the well-known original to strike an interesting balance between a classic and a contemporary view. I greatly enjoyed Slater's work.

The conception of rewriting Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of Mr. Darcy is far from original; a quick search on Amazon.com produces a number of results including such contributions as Mr. Darcy's Diary: A Novel, The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr Darcy Takes a Wife, and Darcy's Story (which does not include all the titles currently available). Having read Darcy's Story relatively recently I found myself hesitant to pursue another book of the same type; my previous reading revealed the work to be little more than ill-conceived fan fiction, and I cringed as the author butchered her way through the original brilliance of the work. However, when presented with the opportunity to read Maya Slater's take on LibraryThing's Early Reviewers I saw no harm in giving a different rendition of Darcy's story a go.

As I first began The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy I was disappointed to find that Slater's composition seemed to fall into this category. However, as I continued the novel I was pleasantly surprised by what I found, and believe my initial impression was colored by Darcy's Story. Unlike other Darcy stories, which attempt to sympathize and humanize Austen's severe and austere character, Slater manages to contribute to the story without severely altering the original character as established in Pride and Prejudice. While the epistolary-like qualities of the book allow the reader greater insight into the "honest" thoughts and motivations behind Mr. Darcy's actions and personality, Slater steers away from the trap of overly-romanticizing Fitzwilliam himself. Some events are expounded and Darcy's internal turmoil is put on full display, but his occasionally-ostentatious observations and responses are preserved as Slater demonstrates the result of being born and bred a gentleman of means and principles in the late-eighteenth century.

While I still have a few complaints about the novel itself - such as the persistent and unnecessary presence of Lord Byron - I feel that Slater's conception is honest and fairly faithful, and would put it before all other attempts I have come across so far.

70. Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's Champion. 224 pages. 6.12.09.

I am very glad I took the lead from a fellow LibraryThing-er's encouragement and gave the Lily Bard mysteries another shot (thanks Tad!); Shakespeare's Champion did not fail to deliver. Harris' style is comfortable and unassuming, and she really shows her strengths as a popular fiction writer with this series. While the events of Shakespeare's Champion - like Lily's own history - are rather extraordinary, Harris doesn't try to over-sensationalize the plot, and instead lets extreme actions and events speak for themselves. Harris shows confidence in her readers by allowing them to respond in their own way, without abusing literary devices that would only function to shove specific emotional reactions down their throats. Like much of Harris' work, Shakespeare's Champion does not shy away from "hot topics" such as rape and racial relations; the plot of the novel itself focuses on several race-related murders and terrorist events. The book is refreshingly unapologetic, and maintains a kind of grace when dealing with the uglier side of a community.

This is not to say that Shakespeare's Champion is overly-deep; the book is still a popular novel, and is intended to entertain through a sequence of extraordinary events and personal conquests. Lily has turned out to be a very interestingly developed character, and I am looking forward to reading the next installment in the series, Shakespeare's Christmas.


71. Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's Christmas. 224 pages. 6.12.09.

69. Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey. 213 pages. 6.10.09.

Jane Austen's first novel is a delightful and witty satire of gothic literature, and is a paradigm of both her future genius and current youthful exuberance. While I would argue that Austen by no means condemns the genre itself nor the reading of it, she does artfully illustrate the foolishness of expecting such romantic extremes in real life, and in her own writing acknowledges the conventions of the genre that render it so identifiable. Like Austen's later work, Northanger Abbey is full of social commentary and astute observations as she leads you through a year of the life of Catherine Morland - the increasingly romantic young woman who finds herself in several less-than-gothic conflicts.

Northanger Abbey is as charming the second and third time as it was the first. As a fan of both Austen's body of work and the gothic genre, I can't help but find myself enamored with this particular work. I do not hesitate to give Northanger Abbey my highest rating.

68. Arnold, Catharine. Necropolis: London and Its Dead. 247 pages. 6.8.09.

I first came across Arnold's Necropolis while conducting research for a graduate paper on Chaucer's treatment of corpses in The Canterbury Tales in 2007. At first glance the book seemed intriguing and promising, and I ended up using some of Arnold's early descriptions to help establish the evolution of British corpse-treatment before Chaucer's time. However, I did not get a chance to read the entire book until now.

Necropolis: London and Its Dead is entertaining, and will surely keep the interest of literary and cemetery enthusiasts alike. Far from a scholarly text, Arnold's collective history seems to be aimed at a larger public, and she does her best to assume very little of her audience. However, this seems to lead to a tendency to ramble and go off on tangents; several times in a single chapter Arnold will stray away from the subject at hand (funeral practices, establishing cemeteries, etc) in order to elaborate on the details of an individual's life. Sometimes this information can be very interesting, and at others I found myself wondering why the identity of someone's teenage lover is important to the context of their burial, when Arnold herself makes no attempt to connect the two subjects. Such wandering thoughts are what keep Necropolis from being "excellent", and ground her in the realm of popular reading as opposed to academic publishing.

That all being said, Necropolis is a fascinating read, and one that gives the reader not only interesting tidbits to take away, but a sense of life and cultural throughout the development of London society.

67. Harris, Charlaine. An Ice Cold Grave. 288 pages. 6.5.09.

Disturbingly satisfying. Harris bravely follows through with the hints and suggestions of previous books, despite the taboos and social squeamishness that might accompany her narrative decisions. A great read for a rainy day.

66. Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's Landlord. 214 pages. 6.5.09.

While Shakespeare's Landlord certainly isn't the most interesting book I've read this week, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. The further Harris retreats from the supernatural the stronger her technical writing skills seem to be. This first Lilly Bard novel shows all the insecurities of many series-openers, but succeeds in focusing on the gruesome without being uncharacteristically morbid (for the genre), and in incorporating the small-town setting that is Harris' trademark. My personal interest in mystery novels isn't what it used to be, so it is unlikely I will read more Lilly Bard novels. However, if anyone has been thinking of giving them a try I'd suggest diving in.

65. Twain, Mark. The Prince and the Pauper. 267 pages. 6.4.09. *

Poor little Tom Canty and Edward, Prince of Whales, could little expect what adventures would ensue the day they innocently exchanged clothes as a means of satisfying their boyish fancies. Each boy is confronted with trials and tribulations unlike anything they expected for their lives, and each grows and matures well, according to those lessons learned.

Mark Twain's tale of innocence and mistaken identity is completely charming, and his expertise as a master story-teller is confirmed with The Prince and the Pauper. Though the prose is simple enough to suit a wide range of readers, the narrative itself is colorful and elegant, and is a real treat for the imagination.

63. Harris, Charlaine. Grave surprise. 320 pages. 6.1.09.


64. Hamilton, Laurell K. Skin Trade. 486 pages. 6.4.09.


There is something extremely satisfying about reaching 250 pages, and realizing that you're only about halfway through a novel. At 486 pages, Laurell K. Hamilton's Skin Trade is just such a book. Skin Trade follows Anita as she travels to Vegas in pursuit of the vampire serial killer, Vittorio, and shows far greater story development than some of the smuttier Anita books of late.

In all, there seems to be a riff in Anita Blake fans - those who enjoy the evolving character, and those who long for the more simplistic days of "Anita the Prude". The latest installment in the series will satisfy both sets of fans. While the metaphysics that have come to play a large role in Anita's life don't simply disappear, the first sex scene does not come into play until page 378. Instead of developing the physical consequences of Anita's entanglement with "the monsters," readers watch her emotional development as she battles with the ever-present of ideas of good vs. evil, and what truly makes someone a monster. Always present is the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Hamilton skillfully leads her audience through the moral and personal consequences associated with gaining so much power.

While I personally enjoy the decadence of later Blake books, I can still see the attraction of the more professionally-centered books, and believe Skin Trade will deliver to a wide range of Anita Blake fans. Although lacking several of my own favorite characters, Skin Trade strikes a strong balance between the older books and the new, and is sure to win back a number of alienated Anita Blake fans. I highly recommend it.

Books at large

I've been thinking about book-themed rooms lately, and how people incorporate their love of reading into their homes. At present we have a 20-foot bookcase in our living room (floor to ceiling), so books easily dominate the first floor of our house. We also have small hanging shelves in the master bedroom where we keep a handful of books we are currently reading.

But on a somewhat larger scale, I have book-themed nurseries. And I love them. Last week I finished painting 2.0's nursery, and even though we have no furniture or anything yet I wanted to share some pictures with other book nerds.

The new nursery is Where the Wild Things Are - my favorite children's book.






"let the wild rumpus start!"



Of course, I can't share one without the other, so here are pictures of my first-born's room. I went with a Tolkien theme, because my husband is huge fan of Tolkien's writing, and I wanted him to be as excited about the nursery as I was doing it.