35. 
Title: [Forever Bound]
Author: Cynthia Eden
Pages: 342
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: April 27, 2013
Rating: ***

These novellas by Cynthia Eden, bound as one Kindle book, establish the trend in her writing that I saw in Bound in Death.  While standard for the genre - male werewolf finds his "mate" in a vampire female, and defends their relationship despite the taboo - the collection that is so clearly defined by the conflict between races left me thinking about the racism inherent in - and accepted in - paranormal fiction.  That is essentially what so many of these stories come down to - racism that is defended by arguments of tradition and nature - that these supernaturals are different by birth and blood, and therefore cannot help but try to dominate the others.  My mulling may perhaps turn into a project this summer...

36.
Title: Papers Graded
Author: 100 Students
Pages: 1,400+
Genre: Work
Medium: Word
Acquisition:
Date Completed: April 30, 2013
Rating:

I first began keeping track of my reads while a graduate student, and would include any academic article over 40 pages as part of my reading list.  As I waded through the last of my grading over the weekend I decided to take a minute to calculate just how many pages of student work I had read ... and came to approximately 1,400.  As the volume is Richardson-esque, I've decided to include the pages here.  After all, paper grading is my biggest reading deterrent.  This number does not include classwork, creative assignments, or extra credit, but rather all formal essays submitted by the approximately 100 students I've had the pleasure to work with this semester. 

As ready as I am for a grading break, I already miss my students, and, as usual, this break is bittersweet. 

34. 
Title: [Bound in Death]
Author: Cynthia Eden
Pages:
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: April 22, 2013
Rating: ***

I didn't realize until posting the title that Bound in Death is the fifth in an established series; this may explain some of the confusing allusions made by various characters, but the novel can certainly stand on its own.  The story follows a werewolf who has tracked his lover for 200 years, trying to find the place of her imprisonment.  When she is finally released she has no memory, and is left navigating a confusing world - one in which she finds herself at the mercy of a number of men around her. 

Jane Smith, as she calls herself, is not a sympathetic protagonist, as she is incredibly two-dimensional, and her eventual growth is sudden and inexplicable.  However, the struggle of her alpha partner is interesting, and proved to be more rewarding than my other recent reads in the genre.  I will likely find the first four to idle away an afternoon, post-semester. 

32. 
Title: [The Island of Doctor Moreau]
Author: H.G. Wells
Pages: 176
Genre: Scientific Romance (aka Science Fiction, although I would call this more of a horror...)
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 18, 2013
Rating: ****

I reintroduced The Island of Doctor Moreau to my syllabus, with some minor trepidation (in a previous semester it lead to an uncomfortable after-class discussion with a student which began with, "You can't honestly believe we came from monkeys..." and ended with a letter that begged for the souls of my children), but was once again pleased with the discourse generated.  Though short on pages, Wells' second novel is ripe for analysis  and consideration, and Margaret Atwood's introduction "Ten Way of Looking At..." is a great guide for freshman readers.  This time around we focused most on defining humanity and examining sympathy, both within the novel and on the part of the reader.  I find that I have less sympathy for Prendick, the narrator, as he shows greater apathy and loathing for the Beast Folk.

Our final discussion inspired me to begin notes for another paper, although I have no idea if I'll find a place to publish and/or deliver it.  The idea of missing stories is haunting me at the moment, and actually ties in to another piece I had started on Sappho...  

I'm going to have a fun summer trolling the CFPs. 

33.
Title: [A Bit of Bite]
Author: Cynthia Eden
Pages:
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: April 19, 2013
Rating: **1/2

Not as cheesy as werehedgehogs, but meh.  I should start looking at length more carefully - I'm tired of reading bad short stories that are marketed as novels. 

31. 
Title: [Hedging his Bets]
Author: Mina Carter
Pages: 176
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: April 15, 2013
Rating: **

Conference-prep isn't an excuse this time around - I picked up Hedging His Bets for a bit of fun fluff, as I claw my way out from under a stack of research papers.

The research papers are better.

The genre itself doesn't need much explanation, so a summary is brief: Honey owns a bar and one of her patrons wants Honey.  The different turn in this one is that the romantic interest is a - wait for it - ..... werehedgehog.  Yup.  Ok, points for originality there - I did laugh at the uber-masculine character struggling with his "cute" alternative form. 

But no adult woman should ever say "hedgie," - and no adult should write it, either.  Perhaps some readers are more forgiving of the baby talk than I, but even my babies don't speak like this. 

I'm still open to exploring the genre as a whole, but I doubt I'll try any other novels by Carter. 

29.
Title: [Beowulf]
Translator: Seamus Heaney
Pages:215
Genre: Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 11, 2013
Rating: *****

Majestic, lyrical, thrilling and compelling: Beowulf is an enchanting epic poem of flawed heroism, broken social systems, gendered tyranny, shifting honor, and imperialistic Christianity.  Having read parts of the poem as a first-year undergraduate, I have long intended to read Heaney's best-selling translation.  For years it has waited on my shelf, until I decided to take the plunge and teach the text, the better to approach it analytically and while pressured into carefully reading the work in its entirety.  To do so proved to be greatly fulfilling, and I found myself weeping for the lost hero that I was cursing and judging a hundred pages before.  For perhaps obvious reasons, the question of Grendel's mother and the subject of wergeld proved to be of particular interest, and the definitions of heroes and monsters were inspiration for long classroom debates.  Pure joy. 

30. 
Title: [From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler]
Translator: E.L. Konigsburg
Pages: 176
Genre: Early Reader
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: April 14, 2013
Rating: ***1/2

Recently, this list of "67 Books Every Geek Should Read to their Kids" popped up through social media, and obviously caught my interest.  It is an interesting look at what adult "geeks" feel contributed to their own geekiness, and what they would hope to share with their own offspring.  The requirements for the list are bound only by submission, and some are a little more expected than others.  Many of the books are familiar, and I've turned to the library for many that are not.  The first of these is Frog and Toad are Friends, which the monsters and I enjoyed as a bedtime story recently.  The second is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

This book has obvious geek appeal: two children run away from home, and decide to hide away in a museum (where it's probably easier to hide than in a library, which would have been my first choice at age seven).  Determined to "learn one thing every day," the children set about visiting various exhibits, until they are caught by the mystery of a new acquisition - a statue that may or may not be an early work of Michelangelo.  If the museum itself didn't appeal, then surely the mystery does.  Determined not to return home until they mystery is solved - or, as Claudia more clearly relates, until she is different - the two search for clues in the library, the museum, and finally turned to the previous owner of the statue.

The story is charming, and the narrative is well-paced, which will hold a child's imagination without rushing them through.  A positive perspective on voluntary learning, and the passion one has for discovering the unknown, is certainly a lesson worth encouraging in children of all a

Catching up - Books 14-28

14. 
Title: [When She Woke]
Author: Hillary Jordan
Pages: 150 of 354 pages
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 5, 2012
Rating: **1/2

When She Woke is terrifying for its semblance to contemporary American politics.  The early narrative is just as claustrophobic as the protagonist's jail cell, and the laws and governing body are at once surreal and far too familiar.  Ultimately, however, the text failed for me, as I found it impossible to find sympathy for the protagonist.  When my library loan expired before I could finish the book I had only the briefest moment of regret. 

15. 
Title: [We Have Always Lived in the Castle]
Author: Shirley Jackson
Pages: 160
Genre: Contemporary Gothic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 15, 2012
Rating: *****

Jackson's novel is most compelling to me for its satire, which emphasizes sympathy for a murderer, and for its portrayal of madness as normality.  I find the way Jackson develops the story from Mary Katherine's point of view fascinating, and enjoy this text every time I read it.  My students did not all find it quite as enjoyable as I, although discussions about why they disliked the book were just as successful as discussions about major themes and ideas. 

16.
Title: [Megan's Mark]
Author: Lora Leigh
Pages: 304
Genre: Paranormal romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February ?, 2013
Rating: ***1/2

Megan's Mark is standard fair, a la Lara Adrian and her ilk; so much so, though, that it will make a strong source for my upcoming paper, especially in terms of paranormal dominance.

17. 
  Title: [The Queen is Dead]
Author: Kate Locke
Pages: 352
Genre: Steampunk
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: March 2, 2013
Rating: ***1/2

The second book in Kate Locke's The Immortal Empire series is much stronger than the first; the action is well-paced, characters are given stronger development, and the highly-flawed protagonist is much more sympathetic as she comes to terms with her new racial and social identity. 

18. 
  Title: "Night Crow"
Author: Paisley Smith
Pages:17
Genre: f/f Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 4, 2013
Rating: **

At only seventeen pages, it's not difficult to imagine the level of development in Smith's story. "Night Crow" was included on a "best of" list for f/f paranormal romance, so I opted to purchase it as I wrap up my primary source research.  The premise itself is far from satisfying, and did not inspire a great desire to turn to historical "romance." 

19. 
  Title: "Purr"
Author: Paisley Smith
Pages:99
Genre: f/f Romance Erotica
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 4, 2013
Rating: ***

"Purr" attempts to be reminiscent of de Sade, portraying a very-loosely historical account of a sapphic compound.  Likewise included on the "best of f/f romance" list, this story included greater development and, while useless for my current project, was good for a romp.  Still, I would not argue that it is worth the $4.59 purchase price on Amazon. 

20. 
Title: [The Truth]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Pages:368
Genre: Satire
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 8, 2013
Rating: *****

"The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret!"

Terry Pratchett's Discworld Industry novel The Truth was my first introduction to the colorful world of Pratchett's satire, and remains a favorite. 

21. 
Title: "Bitten in the Big Easy"
Author: Delilah Devlin, Paisley Smith
Pages:91
Genre: f/f Romance Erotica
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 9, 2013
Rating: *1/2

Through reading these two short stories I discovered a few very important things.  First, it helped me realize why I so rarely enjoy contemporary vampire stories, despite my love of the genre historically: as a general rule, they show very normal, very boring people to be "special" and therefore deserving of eternal life and "love."  Bella Swann is not special, and neither are the protagonists of these stories.  Dracula's brides and Lucy Westerna are far more compelling.  Secondly, I've discovered that Delilah Devlin and Paisley Smith are two authors I can certainly avoid in the future. 

22.
Title: [Frost Burned]
Author: Patricia Briggs
Pages:368
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Preordered
Date Completed: March 11, 2013
Rating: *****

Although werewolves are not my paranormal subject of choice, I've discovered that the contemporary authors I favor most write primarily about werewolves.  Patricia Briggs is one of those authors.  Her novels are well paced with a close eye to development, and I've found her urban fantasy to be wonderfully compelling.  She is consistent with the characters she creates, while showing  progression through the series.  The "angst" that defines some series is here kept to a minimum, showing that not everyone has the luxury to mope about personal issues when there is an external threat to address.  Mercy is flawed yet sympathetic, and brings warmth to the series.  Frost Burned is a strong installment with an interesting twist, showcasing Mercy's growth as a pack leader and an individual. 

23. 
Title: [The Hunger Games]
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages:384
Genre: YA Dystopian
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 13, 2013
Rating: *****

24.
Title: [Mockingjay]
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages:400
Genre: YA Dystopian
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 14, 2013
Rating: *****

25. 
Title: [Catching Fire]
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages:391
Genre: YA Dystopian
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 18, 2013
Rating: *****

All three are rereads, although this time I read them as a boxed set as opposed to ebooks; review was in order for this week's presentation.  I've said before that Collins doesn't do anything original with this series, but she does it very well.  It was interesting to approach the series from a more analytical point of view, and I look forward to sharing my ideas and theories with others. 

26. 
Title: [A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth's Castle]
Author: Liza Campbell
Pages:352
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: March 21, 2013
Rating: ***1/2

The draw for me is simple: Macbeth.  Of course, as a contemporary memoir I understood that the text would have little to do with Shakespeare's play (or his historical inspiration), but the title was enough to pique my interest, as no doubt it does for many others.  And, to her credit, Campbell often delivers, pairing the story of her own life and childhood with the history of her home and family, satisfying both an interest in Scotland's often bloody past with the life now lead in these once-fortified homes.  The personal historical anecdotes are fascinating and enthralling.

Campbell's personal life is less so.  The story she has to tell is one of countless iterations - she is the "poor little rich girl" with the alcoholic father who pisses away hundreds of years of family history for goddness-knows-why.  The last Thane is repellent in every way; even when Campbell tries to explain the charm he once holds the reader's skin will crawl.  Campbell's role as a narrator is similar to her role as a child: she is bewildered, and doesn't seem to process the events of her own life. 

If this was Campbell's story alone it would not be one worth reading, unless one happened to be a personal friend.  However, her memoir holds interest for her accident of family, and the history she has to share. 

27. 
Title: [Gracefully Insane]
Author: Alex Beam
Pages:296
Genre: Nonfiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: April 2, 2013
Rating: **1/2

McLean Hospital is the stuff of narrative legend; temporary home to musicians, artists, authors, and the social elite, McLean Hospital is the benchmark for the posh mental institution of fiction.  The other descriptions of McLean - fiction, autobiography, song - are far more rich and entertaining.  There are stronger histories of mental institutions, and ultimately Beam's book reads more like a travel brochure history than a successful text for writing's sake. 

28. 
Title: [The Hobbit]
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Pages:320
Genre: Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 4, 2013
Rating: ****

I did not appreciate Tolkien's work (or, for that matter, read most of it) until taking a graduate seminar on Tolkien.  Dr. Verilyn Flieger is an amazing scholar and lecturer, and breathed a life into the work that I don't believe I would have found on my own.  I liked The Hobbit when I first read it at 13, but didn't really enjoy the story until I approached it from an analytical point of view.  Teaching the novel proved to be just as delightful as studying it myself, and lead to heated and thoughtful class discussions.  It is also feeding nicely into our present discussion of Beowulf, for obvious reasons.