11.
Title: [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]
Author: Ken Kesey
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 10, 2016
Rating: *****

Last spring, I concluded my Kesey lectures offering a defense of Nurse Ratched, suggesting that gender politics and perspective potentially color her unfairly; this semester my current studies in Masculinity inspired me to take another look at Dale Harding, and I spent a wonderfully heated morning discussing with students whether or not Harding may be the true antagonist.  I'm not sure if I won everyone over, but it was a fantastic exercise, both for the gender studies potential, and to encourage students to push back and become active participants in discourse, especially when they disagree with the rhetorical "authority" figure.

Now, on to [North and South], [Manliness and Civilization], and [We Have Always Lived in the Castle].

9.
Title: [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]
Author: Ken Kesey
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Book
Date Completed: January 31, 2014
Rating: ****

I'm leading three separate preparations this semester, and will actually be revisiting Kesey's madhouse in a few weeks...

10.
Title: [Curtsies and Conspiracies]
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: "Science Fiction" (I'm very interested in how different libraries label this series differently)
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: February 1, 2014
Rating: ***

Curtsies and Conspiracies, the second in Gail Carriger's steampunk-esque Finishing School series, is not quite as tittering and titillating as the first; the interest I found is grounded mostly in my interest in The Parasol Protectorate, and the history that now unfolds.  This second book has similarly silly charm, but isn't wonderful on its own merits. 

The covers of this series are much better than the former, I will say. 


11. 
Title: [MacRieve]
Author: Kresley Cole
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: February 2, 2014
Rating: ****

I find Kresley Cole problematic; she introduces strong female characters, subjects them to extremely brutal circumstances (both emotional and physical), in which they find their "love." The problem is that the "love" is the individual responsible for their torment, and they far too quickly forgive-and-forget - she introduces the idea of "fated mates" to justify rape, shows care by kidnappers, and has one character literally vivisected after being captured by the man she would come to care for.  My "last straw" was Lothaire, which has the protagonist engaging in sexual acts to save her own life, once she is abducted by the titular character. 

I resisted MacRieve both for its own sake - which promises a "slave trade" - and my past experience for the series.  Morbid curiosity eventually lead me to find it in the library.  Ultimately, I was very pleasantly surprised.  Yes, the female protagonist faces great challenges, and even emotional abuse at the hands of her intended, but the titular character himself is reasonably conflicted, and not simply cruel or sadistic.  The story is one of overcoming prejudices (and the emotional turmoil this can generate) as opposed to abuse, and the resolution seems far more reasonable than many others in the series.  For overall improvement, I will happily give this novel four stars.

12. 
Title: [House of Dead Maids]
Author: Clare B. Dunkle
Genre: YA Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: February 6, 2014
Rating: **
This book is not, as the author contends, a prelude to Wuthering Heights; the connection to Bronte's gothic novel is an accident if epilogue, awkward, forced, and without function. It does not follow with either it's supposed source or the time at which it was written, and so failed to meet even one of my limited expectations. It is, however, a juvenile ghost story, and were I twenty years younger just the kind of story I would adore. So, I would argue this novel is best for very young audiences, but anyone over nine, looking for the Heathcliff they know, will be greatly disappointed.

13. 
Title: [Bonds of Denial]
Author: Lynda Aicher
Genre: M/M Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchase
Date Completed: February 8, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

The genre designation of "romance"  is somewhat comical; the genre can be raunchy, flirty, fun, outrageous, disturbing, or just plain goofy, but they very rarely come across as romantic.  To date, I don't know that I would call any of the "romance" novels I read just that, until now.  In Bonds of Desire, which apparently comes somewhere in the middle of an established series, a closeted ex-military security expert finds himself infatuated with a gay escort who frequents the S/M club of which he is a partial owner.  Deeply ashamed of himself and his sexuality, it is an act of bravery that leads him to schedule his crush's services, only to panic and flee.  What follows is a touching and sweet story of two men helping each other find peace in their identities and personal lives, lending support and understanding that neither believes it possible.  It was simply lovely. 

14.
Title: [We Have Always Lived in the Castle]
Author: Shirley Jackson
Genre: Gothic, Mystery, Satire
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 9, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

Wonderfully complex ideas on genre, society, madness, and the power of stories. 

8. 
Title: [Tiger Lily]
Author: Jodi Lynn
Pages: 304
Genre: YA
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 30, 2012
Rating: ***

9-10. 
Title: [An Alpha's Path] and [A Taste for a Mate]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Pages: 336
Genre: Paranormal romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 28, 2012
Rating: **1/2

I picked up Redwood Pack Vol. 1 (which contains the first two books in the series), because the title of a later novella caught my interest.  The most prominent feature of Ryan's books is her apparent failure of freshman level English; the grammatical errors are prevalent, and speak to both a poor grasp of mechanics on the part of the author, plus a terrible editor.  The narrative itself is formulaic werewolf paranormal romance, and actually fairly meta, as it is saturated with references to "romance novels."

11. 
Title: [Trinity Bound]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Pages: 359
Genre: Paranormal romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 30, 2012
Rating: ***

For being such a "strong" pack of werewolves, it certainly is easy for enemies to sneak in and make off with selected individuals (usually defenseless female mates, of course, but in this case one of the weaker sons of the Alpha, who meets his own mates in the course of their escape).  What makes this text more appealing than the last is the exploration of a nontraditional relationship: a male werewolf (the alpha of the relationship), a human ex-SEAL, and a female witch.  I enjoyed watching the characters explore what I felt were natural uncertainties and nervousness, and appreciated that sexuality did not necessarily determine gender identity.  Formulaic and in need of an editor, yes, but thankfully less than the previous two. 

12.
Title: [Blurred Expectations]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Pages: 73
Genre: Paranormal romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 30, 2012
Rating: **

The story that sparked my interest: the "trinity" from my last entry, attempting (and failing) to conceive.  My curiosity now sated, I doubt I will return to The Redwood Pack. 

13.
Title: [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]
Author: Ken Kesey
Pages: 320
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: January 31, 2012
Rating: *****

This text has generated some very interesting and thoughtful discussions this semester - Kesey's novel is a keeper. 

24.
Title: Timeless
Author: Gail Carriger
Pages: 416 pages
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Preordered
Date Completed: February 24, 2012
Rating: ****

Two years after her birth, Prudence is largely what a reader would expect: precocious, energetic, opinionated, and able to steal the immortal traits of any of her supernatural caretakers during nocturnal hours. The Maccon/Akeldama have their hands full, and seem to be enjoying it every minute. But when the vampire Queen of Alexandria calls for an audience with "the abomination," the Maccons realize that they feel an absence of something more, and decide to honor her request, each for his or her own reason. What follows is typical (and, five books in, slightly-stale) Carriger antics as various collections of characters run into various foreign problems.

There are three things that make this book worth considering: a relationship finally blossoms for characters who desperately need companionship, the condition of Queen Marakata, and the conclusion itself.

Don't let the unfortunate photograph on the cover turn you away (what happened to the wonderfully elegant fashions and models from the first three? Oh, so unflattering) - fans of the series will want to read this conclusion.

23.
Title: [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]
Author: Ken Kesey
Pages: 320 pages
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Penguin special edition
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 21, 2012
Rating:

I still love it, and it's still received very well in the classroom.

79.
Author: Kim Taylor
Title: [Bowery Girl]
publication: Kindle
Pages:
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Acquisition: Recommended by Linda (Whisper)
Date: October 2, 2011
Rating: *****

Bowery Girl is a heart-breaking narrative of the life of Mollie Flynn, a "Bowery Girl" who supports herself as a pickpocket in New York City. She spins her world around her friend Annabelle Lee, a young prostitute, who saved her from sleeping on the streets when Mollie was just a girl, and gifted her with both her name, and a dream to make it to Brooklyn for a better life. As they wait for the bridge to be built between New York and Brooklyn they dream, they scheme, and they fall victim to their own lives. Mollie is an engaging protagonist, and she carries well the story of poverty that haunts her neighborhood. Highly recommended.

80.
Author: Ken Kesey
Title: [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]
publication: Paperback
Pages:
Genre: Fiction
Acquisition: Work Text
Date: October 3, 2011
Rating:

19.
Author(s): Ken Kesey
Title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Publication: Paperback
Pages:
Genre: Fiction
Acquisition:
Date Completed: February 24, 2011
Rating: Unrated

One Few Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the first novel I teach in one of my lit and comp classes, and it always inspires interesting discussions related to the history of psychiatric care, the condition of mental institutions, gender relations, stock characters, and the ways in which Kesey works to manipulate literary standards to share his own personal views. I'm no longer going to re-rate texts I use every semester, but I will continue to recommend Kesey's most acknowledged work to any who have not yet had the pleasure.

78.
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Author: Lara Adrian
Title: Taken by Midnight
Publication: Kindle Edition
Pages: 400 pages
Genre: horror/romance
Acquisition: impulse buy
Date Completed: September 30, 2010
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

What do I do when I've spent weeks studying vampire mythology academically? Read a contemporary vampire romance novel, of course.

Standard for Lara Adrian.


77.
Author: Ken Kesey
Title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Publication:
Pages: 320 pages
Genre: Fiction
Acquisition: Teaching Text
Date Completed: September 29, 2010
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Another twice-yearly work read.

20.
Author: Ken Kesey
Title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Publication: Penguin Classics, 2007.
Pages: 320 pages
Genre: Fiction
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: March 7, 2010
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

21.
Author: Joanne Fluke
Title: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
Publication: Kensington, 2008. Kindle Edition.
Pages: 304 pages
Genre: Mystery
Acquisition: Purchased February 21, 2010
Date Completed: March 11, 2010
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder is the first in a sweet-themed cozy mystery series, with a heavy emphasis on the cozy. Fluke seems to spend more time developing her gimmick than focusing on the murder-mystery aspect of the genre. But that emphasis includes plenty of recipes, so I wasn't too disappointed. Hannah Swenson is a clunky but sweet protagonist with a firm belief that chocolate can cure all. I have a feeling that this series could improve with time, so I'm fairly likely to pick up the second book at some point in the future.

I actually made Fluke's "Chocolate Covered Cherry Delights" on the tenth, and they were quite a treat!

23. Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. 281 pages. 2.28.09. +

Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a whirlwind of eccentricity and brilliance. In a plot that is completely character-driven, Kesey skillfully manipulates stock characters to reflect on larger ideas regarding the individual and his place in society (both on the ward, and at large). The evolution of character and self - highlighted by the "reality" of life on their ward - is fascinating; Kesey attempts to prove that insanity is a product of contemporary culture, and that reality is not as fixed as those in power would have the masses believe. I am currently teaching this novel in an introductory-level English class, and it has proved to be through-provoking and inspiring - even to students who otherwise have no interest in reading novels. This is a novel everyone should read at least once.