116. Twain, Mark. The Mysterious Stranger. 112 pages. 9.19.09.

In 1590 three Austrian boys - Nikolaus, Seppi, and Theodor (the narrator) - meet a mysterious stranger in the countryside near their small village. This stranger possesses strange powers, and delights the boys not only with his magic tricks (such as lighting their pipe with a breath or creating a miniature civilization from dust), but with his stories and observations regarding the human race. Though he identifies himself as an angel by the name of Satan he assures the boy that he is merely the nephew of the more famous figure, and gains their trust and their friendship. The boys continue a strange and often taxing relationship with the supernatural individual, and though they are unnaturally sedated by his physical presence his influence on their thoughts and morality creates a kind of lasting damage to their individual psyches.

Mark Twain's narrative views on religion, faith, and humanity can be found in any number of his works, though I myself am only familiar with those presented in The Diaries of Adam and Eve, Helpful Hints for Good Living, and Letters from Earth. However, his critical presentation in The Mysterious Stranger is much darker than any I have read by him before. Although the story is told by Theodor, the narrative itself revolves around Satan and Satan's view of humanity. Much of the narrative itself is occupied with the sermons he delivers to the boys, which are aggressive and critical towards humanity, and often towards the morality the boys themselves are taught to respect. The kinds of ideas presented can leave readers wondering whether the character of Satan is really the nephew or the dominant figure, and allows them to question the motives of the foremost character in the novel. Is he truly a benevolent spiritual figure? Is he an evil entity set on wreaking havoc in the small community? And why, in light of their own doubts and misgivings about him, do the boys continue to associate with - indeed, seek out if possible - Satan?

The Mysterious Stranger is not the Mark Twain of Huck Finn, or even the Mark Twain of Helpful Hints; here is a much darker Twain intent not on amusing his audiences, but on expressing feelings of aggression and anger towards a mass that so often seems to perpetuate its own misery. While I found Satan's frequent aggrandizing sermons to be incredibly tedious I appreciated the glimpse of Twain that I had not seen before.

115. Fforde, Jasper. The Eyre Affair. 382 pages. 9.17.09.

The Eyre Affair is a science fiction novel set in an alternative reality and follows literary detective Thursday next as she tracks the unstable and unpredictable Acheron Hades who is wreaking havoc in both reality and literature alike. Meanwhile, Next struggles with personal emotions and conflicts associated with the Orwellian Crimean War which has been raging for over a century, and ha had disastrous consequences for Thursday's personal and moral sensibilities.

I was challenged to read The Eyre Affair by fellow LibraryThing user inkspot (Lauren) on the basis that I do not read a great deal of science fiction on my own, and likewise avoid literature that attempt to rewrite or borrow plots from classic literature. So from the very first I must say that I know next to nothing about the author, Jasper Fforde, the series that apparently comes from this novel, nor the genre as a whole.

As a cold reader I found it very difficult to become involved in the novel. The first several chapters attempt to introduce a very wide range of plots and ideas without adequately associating them, leaving me confused as to what is actually pertinent in the novel and what is more likely to turn out to be "filler" (of which it seems there is a great deal). The setting itself gave me pause, as the author at once creates a world drenched in literature (including automated Shakespeare characters on the streets and whole government departments dedicated to hunting down plagiarizers and false editions of classic works, for example), and seems to show a great deal of disdain for literary enthusiasts (as exemplified by the Milton convention, or the trend in name-changing).

Likewise, while the literary material offers Fforde a wide range of possibilities in terms of building his own characters, much of the material he focuses on seems extraneous to the text and takes away from the narrative flow built around Thursday and her current tasks. The attention given to the authorship of Shakespeare's plays, for example, provides nothing more than a superfluous distraction for the reader; while the Baconists made me chuckle, the weak narrative thread focusing on a rather large literary issue seemed to just add another level of chaos to an already twisted narrative.

I also found myself getting caught up in little details that just didn't seem to make sense. For example, Bowden's insistence that he had "no idea" that a Dickens character was so popular, and her assertion of the same regarding Jane Eyre. In a world where literature confronts you on the streets, people change their names to those of authors, and others go door-to-door like Jehovah's Witnesses to convince the public of the true authorship of Shakespeare, how could Jane Eyre not be popular?

From my perspective, the novel didn't really come together until approximately 75-80% through, when several different narrative threads were finally pulled together. These late connections left the ending feeling rushed and uncertain and, while satisfactory, out of joint with the rest of the novel. I do not regret the challenge or reading The Eyre Affair, as it certainly gave me an interesting look at a genre I otherwise avoid, but I will not be seeking out any Fforde in the future.

Thank you for the challenge, Lauren! I hope James Hogg is treating you well.

A Reading Challenge

114. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. 118 pages. 9.13.09.

One of the things I remember most from my public school education is the gross lack of enthusiasm of my teachers. The subject was treated as a necessary evil by my instructors themselves, and I believe much of my own reading prejudices have their root in the dry rote that governed the teaching of "classic" literature.

I have abhorred John Steinbeck for as long as I remember, probably due (at least in part) to the mediocre introduction I received at the hands of a high school English teachers who were less than enthused themselves (not all English teachers or public schools are so disappointing- I just happened to have no luck in my school system). And so it was with a mixture of reluctance and curiosity that I accepted Belva's (aka nannybebette) challenge to read Of Mice and Men as part of an I'll Read Yours if You'll Read Mine partnership. She was kind and challenged me to read a very short work that was gathering dust on my shelf, and I completed my half of the challenge this afternoon.

One of the first things I noticed while reading Of Mice and Men was a sense of comfort on the part of the narration; the descriptions and character development seemed so natural that the sense of realism was undeniable. Although there is much that Steinbeck keeps to himself in terms of his main characters, I found Lennie and George to be well-rounded and honest - simple men trying to keep their heads above their water as they pursue (to different degrees) what qualified as "the good life" for two migratory farm hands.

Much to my surprise, I had no real emotional response to the novel. I tend to be a very emotive reader, and more often than not will respond passionately to what I read. However, Steinbeck has left me feeling completely neutral; I was not particularly invested in the characters or events of the book, and found the conclusion neither satisfying nor disappointing. In the end I'm willing to consider this neutrality a positive result of the trial - I didn't hate the book, so I'm more open to reading something along the lives of Travels with Charlie, but I also didn't love it, so I doubt I'll be tackling The Grapes of Wrath anytime soon.

And now, Belva, the ball is in your court. I hope your reading of Carmilla goes well! Or at least mostly painlessly.

112. Pratchett, Terry. Wyrd Sisters. 265 pages. 9.6.09.


113. Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. 304 pages. 9.10.09.

The cultural ideas surrounding death and the disposal of bodies are far more transient than modern American funeral rites would lead people to believe. From cremation to mummification, to burial within the floors of churches or seclusion to remote cemeteries, societies are constantly trying to find the "right" answer to the question of how to dispose of their dead. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers examines the recent history of one of those solutions - donation.

As a reporter, Mary Roach is able to offer her audiences a unique perspective on the process and outcomes of various forms of body disposal; while she very clearly supports the idea of body donation, she herself is not involved in the field (as a scientist, doctor, or mortuary professional), which allows her to give her readers a layman's view of what really happens when an individual wills their remains to science - and what could be happening in the future.

Stiff is easy to read, and Roach's lighthearted voice allows readers to chuckle at one of the most difficult emotional decisions individuals will have to make (for themselves or a loved one). While there is a narrative tendency to wander away from the immediate subject, the material presented in the numerous asides is as interesting as the initial subject at hand, and actually serves to give readers an emotional break, the lack of which may be detrimental to the objective and humorous tone that is intended. I highly recommend it.

110. Adrian, Lara. Midnight Rising. 384 pages. 9.1.09.


111. Briggs, Patricia. Hunting Ground. 286 pages. 9.4.09.

Readers who enjoyed Patricia Briggs' first Alpha and Omega book will likely enjoy the second installment, Hunting Ground. Following the introduction of Anna and Charles' relationship, Hunting Ground takes the pair to Seattle where Charles works as his father's spokesperson at a conference called to discuss the consequences of werewolves taking their existence public. Not everyone is pleased with Bran's decision to go public, and a series of extreme events send the werewolves scrambling to find the culprit - for individual reasons.

Like Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, the Alpha and Omega novels are fairly consistent in tone and style, and Hunting Ground allows for further insight and character development while avoiding deep introspection. Hunting Ground is intended to be a popular fiction book, and delivers the entertainment such books promise.