Whoops, missed one.

15.
Title: [We Have Always Lived in the Castle]
Author: Shirley Jackson
Genre: Gothic Satire
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 23, 2016
Rating: ****

I teach Shirley Jackson's last (and, in my opinion, best) novel as a companion to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for a unit on madness which explores the complications of "untrustworthy" narrators, the labeling of mental illness, social commentary, and perspective.  Mary Katherine Blackwood is undoubtedly different; though her actions aren't condoned  in the "real" world, the satire of the text offers her a compelling sense of sympathy which makes for a curious and enjoyable reading experience.  My students are often surprised when I bring up what they already know - MK identifies her age as 18 within the first paragraph, but students often gloss over this in reading her tone, which is much younger - and are quick to vilify her for her aggressive fantasies (i.e. wishing death and pain on the townsfolk she is forced to interact with twice a week).  They toss around the work "psychopath," no doubt because of our fist reading of Kesey, and so this time around I found the "test" for psychopathic disorder, and we systematically checked her behaviors against the list, with two other prominent characters - with wonderfully surprising results.  I won't say more, so as to avoid spoilers, but actually attempting to diagnose the characters provided a unique perspective on the text, and brought the satire into sharp focus.

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].

24. 
Title: [The Hobbit]
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre:  Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 1, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

One of the (many) wonderful things about my job is the incentive to return to good stories time and again; the repetition lends itself to deeper introspection and analysis, and allows a novel to well and truly become a text of ideas and not just a story.  This is my second semester teaching The Hobbit as part of a unit on myths, legends, and heroes, and it went over very well.  One of my favorite lectures turned towards film analysis and comparison: we watched "Riddles in the Dark" from both the 1977 animated film and the contemporary rendition, and talked about strengths and weakness, the phenomenon of dating, intended audiences, etc.  It was all thoroughly enjoyable.

In addition to discussing the alternatively-heroic qualities of the protagonist, we focus quite a bit on narration and storytelling - it is, after all, a book about stories.  One of the most interesting elements, I find, are the narrative holes, and considering why an author, narrator, or storyteller would choose to leave certain tales and events out. 

25. 
Title: [Raising Steam]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Pre-ordered
Date Completed: April 2, 2014
Rating: ****

Moist is back, and this time Vetinari has placed him in the middle of a budding railway system, which develops nearly out of thin air, and literally takes on a life of its own.  At its core, it is a story of industry, but even more so a study of people, racial and class tension, and the dangers of religious extremism.  Unlike most of the Discworld series, I would say that Pratchett's latest is not actually a comedy; though there are a few charming moments, the tone of the book is far more critical.  As usual, the narrative elements all come together, and the conclusion is satisfactory. 

No Cover Art!

15. 
Title: [The Redwood Pack: Volume 3]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: February 11, 2014
Rating: ***

16.
Title: [The Redwood Pack: Volume 4]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: February 13, 2014
Rating: ***1/2

17.
Title: [Othello]
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Drama
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 13, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

I will always read the part of Iago in the voice of Kenneth Branaugh, which makes the play that much more enjoyable. 

78.
Title: [Night of the Living Deed]
Author: E.J. Copperman
Pages: 336
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 17, 2013
Rating: **1/2

A (bitter) divorcee and her young daughter buy an old Victorian on the Jersey shore with the hopes of running a sustainable guesthouse, and soon find that the previous owner and a detective haven't quite made a full exit.  As a whole, the novel is one-dimensional, and there is no shred of sympathy to be had for any of the characters.  I was hoping for another crossover between my favorite genres, but this series will not be it. 

79.
Title: Student Essays
Author: 114 Students
Pages:  1,500
Genre:
Medium: Electronic
Acquisition:
Date Completed: November 21, 2013
Rating:


80.
 Title: [The Importance of Being Earnest]
Author: Oscar Wilde
Pages: 
Genre: Drama
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: November 15, 2013
Rating: ****1/2

This was my first semester teaching The Importance of Being Earnest, and my first time in a long while teaching Wilde.  Generally, my students had been complaining about the number of tragedies we read, and most appreciated a turn to comedy.  It went over fairly well, and I focused on an argument of vanity as part of our class analysis, emphasizing that the characters are essentially replicas, that all speak in the voice of Wilde, and that the work is an expression and act of vanity in itself. It was very interesting to read it in the context of his immediate trials, too. 

81. 
Title: The Norton Anthology of Short Stories, [The Oxford Book of Essays], Literature: An Introduction, Pratchett, Roach, and a Poe in a Pear Tree. 
Author: Several
Pages:   38 short stories and articles, 16 poems, misc. chapters on grammar and rhetoric
Genre: Varied
Medium: Electronic
Acquisition:
Date Completed: November 27, 2013
Rating: 

82. 
Title: [No Way to Kill a Lady]
Author: Nancy Martin
Pages: 368
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: November 24, 2013
Rating: ****

When dynasties fall, colorful characters - and deeds - come out of the woodwork.  In No Way to Kill a Lady the reader is treated to a skeezy cousin, a crumbling castle, and a body in an elevator.  This is one of the more compelling mysteries in the series, with satisfying family melodrama to accentuate a rather curious murder victim. 

83. 
Title: [Little Black Book of Murder]
Author: Nancy Martin
Pages: 384
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: November 25, 2013
Rating: ****

The most recent book in the Blackbird Sisters mysteries is a bit of a mixed bag.  There is conflict in Nora's job that challenges the suspension of disbelief, and creates a position greater for her than one could believe she has.  However, Martin offers wonderful personal resolution on several fronts, making the novel satisfying in the long run.  

84.   
Title: [Mistresses: A History of the Other Woman]
Author: Elizabeth Abbott
Pages: 512
Genre: Nonfiction, memoir
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: December 10, 2013
Rating: **

 From the title, I assumed it would be a history of the position of mistresses, looking at laws, social expectations, and the changes in affairs throughout history.  Abbott does address much of this, but through encyclopedic memoirs of historically known mistresses.  What begins as an enthralling look at the lives of women who, by choice or (more often) force, find themselves in the beds of married or emotionally unavailable men, becomes as odious as the mechanical sexual chores by the time Abbott reaches Hitler - and there's still another half to go.

Though I have no qualms with the research, which seems thoughtful and as complete as it can be, Abbott's writing is sophomoric, as she uses repetitive catchphrases to describe the same individuals (for example, repeatedly calling Jackie Kennedy "the world's most eligible widow" in the space of a few pages).  The text systematically dismisses wives - unless they becomes mistresses themselves - and shows little sympathy for the men in these relationships, unless it is to reveal them as foolish for their parts in the affairs. 

These stories - from Hagar to Eva Braun, through Marilyn Monroe and on to Simon de Beavoir - are already well known, so much so that the text as a whole is shallow for not giving the reader something more.  Additionally, Abbott butchers the mistresses of literature, writing Cliff's Notes to pad out a chapter that discusses everything from Jane Eyre to The Scarlet Letter, which contributes little and confuses the previously-established focus of the book.

Although some chapters were very interesting, the book as a whole was a chore to read for someone who is already familiar with most of the material.   

  
85. 
Title: [Claimed: Club Sin]
Author: Stacey Kennedy
Pages: 239
Genre: Erotica
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 2013

86. 
Title: [Scarlet]
Author: Marissa Meyer
Pages: 464
Genre: Science Fiction, YA, Revised Fairytale
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: December 24, 2013
Rating: ***

Initially, I was greatly disappointed with Scarlet; I did not find the novel to be nearly as compelling as the first, and I found the character of Scarlet to be forced and awkward, as the association with the fairy tale is clumsy at best.  However, once the parallel plot sequences involving the emperor and Cinder become more developed, the novel shifts, and becomes much more cohesive and thus entertaining.  I was pleased to see Cinder gain a few allies, and to see not only some of her past, but a plan for the future as well.

87. 
Title: [Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond]
Author: Kim Harrison
Pages: 528
Genre: Urban fantasy, short stories
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: December 30, 2013
Rating: **

This is a book for the uberfans, of which I am not one; Into the Woods is a collection of short stories, many of which detail how Rachel and her friends come to be. The stories themselves are sentimental and lacking strong development, providing some detail and intrigue for those who are deeply invested in the Hollows characters, but with little to interest those who may be less enthralled.  In this case, the low rating is indicative of audience: I am not the reader for whom Harrison is writing this collection. 

76. 
Title: [Six Geese A-Slaying]
Author: Donna Andrews
Pages: 336
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Pre-ordered
Date Completed: November 3, 2013
Rating: ****

I think Donna Andrews is one author who can write a mystery involving churches that leaves me feeling amused as opposed to alienated.  There's little preaching and plenty of cheer as members of various denominations band together to lend a hand when a series of pranks renders some sanctuaries inhabitable during the Christmas season.  As usual, there is a perfectly detestable deceased and a likewise repugnant culprit.  Although I held out hope for a different outcome, I knew it was unlikely to come, and am no less charmed for Andrews' own authorial choices. 

I tend to balk at anything winter-holiday until after Thanksgiving, but Andrews has given me a bit of holiday cheer that may carry me through the long weeks at the end of the semester. 

76. 
Title: [Oedipus Rex]
Author: Sophocles
Pages:
Genre: Drama
Medium: Fitts edition
Acquisition: work text
Date Completed: November 3, 2013
Rating: *****

I've found there are a few works that just don't seem to grow stale, and Oedipus Rex is one of these.  I look forward to teaching it every semester, and leading students through all the devious twists and turns.  One of my favorite tasks is tracing the changes in the tone of the Chorus, and considering whether or not they are in part to blame for the drama's outcome. 

I am, however, a bit suspicious about this particular translation, but it seems like a bit of a standard. 

74. 
Title: [Gregor the Overlander]
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages:
Genre: Children's Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased by rec of a colleague
Date Completed: October 20, 2013
Rating: ***

A colleague revealed himself to be a big fan of Suzanne Collins' work, and, interested in more than The Hunger Games, I asked him for a recommendation.  I could barely finish my sentence before he exclaimed, "Gregor the Overlander!"

Like The Hunger Games, I found that Collins is not actually doing anything new with this book: an eleven-year-old boy and his two-year-old sister fall down a hole in their laundry room, and find themselves in an underground world, where they must go on a quest to save their father who disappeared two years before.  Most elements of the story are familiar, from the quest to the hole to the talking spiders. However, unlike my reading of The Hunger Games, I did not find Collins' spin in Gregor the Overlander to be compelling; there just isn't much that feels new or fresh or even sympathetic. 

One reason I may find the story unappealing is that is seems to be written for a much younger audience; while I enjoy YA for what it is, I find myself more interested in "teenage" YA than elementary-level YA (except for those gems of nostalgia). 

That said, I'll likely give the next in the series a try, if only to give it a full shot.  However, I cannot say that I share my colleague's enthusiasm just yet. 

75. 
Title: [Titus Andronicus]
Author: William Shakespeare
Pages:
Genre: Drama
Medium: Paperback Folger edition
Acquisition: work text
Date Completed: October 21, 2013
Rating: *****

I am a little pleased that Titus has (accidentally) ended up as my 75th text of the year.

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. 

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. 

43. 
Title: [Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Pages: 62
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Paperback, Norton Critical
Acquisition: Purchased for work
Date Completed: May 15, 2012
Rating: ****

I'd write a review, but I just finished an essay analyzing the theme of alternative reproduction in this text and two others ... so I'm a bit brain-dead at the moment. 

I will say that I detest contemporary representations of the Jekyll/Hyde dynamic, although I saw a fascinating image from "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde" in the Norton critical edition...

36. 
Title: Waiting for Godot
Author: Samuel Beckett
Pages: 100 pages
Genre: Drama
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 26, 2012
Rating:

37. 
Title: Simon Said
Author: Sarah R. Shaber
Pages: 220 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Borrowed from Amazon Prime
Date Completed: April 27, 2012
Rating: ***

Simon Shaw is the perfect protagonist for a cozy mystery; unlike other cozies, which dump corpses behind bakeries or in bookstores, Shaber deposits a 70-year-old corpse in the middle of an archeological dig at a college, where a depressed and socially awkward professor of history is happy to take up the research to put a name to the skull, and a name to the bullet inside of that skull.  As an amateur detective, Shaw utilizes his skill set as an academic and researcher, and pieces together the mystery in a way that is purposeful and conceivable.  While one of the two mysteries of the text isn't quite so meticulous, Shaw's own efforts are strong.

So why just three stars?  Shaw himself is repugnant, albeit far less so than some of his colleagues.  Emotionally crippled by the departure of his wife, Shaw is initially presented as a wounded animal, and lacks sympathy (when Shaw himself analyzes his failed marriage he can understand how his actions and decisions lead to the separation, and so can I).  However, such emotional frailty could be overlooked if Shaw himself wasn't such blatant a sexist.  Although a colleague in the history department is labeled a sexist, it is Shaw himself who proves far more demeaning and critical: the colleague dismisses women as a waste of time, while Shaw criticizes the "love interest's" choice of clothing, eating habits, and choice of beverages in a way that exerts his superiority over an independent and successful woman.  To Shaw, she lacks autonomy and instead functions as an inevitable addition to his life - after all, once she works through her far-more-complicated emotions he will be there to indulge in the relationship of his choosing. 

As much as I enjoy Shaw as an amateur  detective, his personal life is enough to keep me from pursuing the series.

31.
Title: Return of the Rose
Author: Theresa Ragan
Pages: 310 pages
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Free Download, recommended by RichardDerus
Date Completed: March 31, 2012
Rating: ****

Ragan had me at "kirtle."

Time travel is one literary device which I have always disliked; no matter the amount of research that an author may dedicate to the composition of such a novel, the characters created are nearly always so grossly ignorant that their bumbling ways prove to be a greater frustration than source of entertainment. Return of the Rose, a story that relies on the idea of traveling through time (albeit through magic as opposed to pseudo-science) is not perfect, and does indeed dip into the ludicrous at particular moments (bikinis?!).

Despite her introduction of far-too-liberal fourteenth-century characters, Ragan's own research does come through; as opposed to limiting herself to such vague and useless descriptions as "old fashioned," she does in fact make an attempt to reconstruct a fourteenth-century environment, and her "bumbling" protagonist does make attempts to adapt, even if some of her actions seem careless.

The odds were stacked against this book, and still I found it to be very good fun. And if I, one who does not seek out the genre, enjoyed this book, then I am sure others will love it.


32.
Title: Othello
Author: Shakespeare
Pages: 100 pages
Genre: Drama
Medium: Anthology - Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, & Writing
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: March 31, 2012
Rating:

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.

18.
Title: [Oedipus the King]
Author: Sophocles
Pages: 100 pages
Genre: Greek Tragedy
Medium: Anthology - [Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, & Writing]
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 7, 2012
Rating:

It never loses its charm.

2.
Title: English After the Fall
Author: Robert E. Scholes
Pages: 176
Genre: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Early Review Copy
Date Completed: January 1, 2012
Rating: ***

LibraryThing user dekesolomon's review of English After the Fall is succinct and accurate - unlike Scholes' own treatise on the evolution of English studies. The premise of Robert Scholes's text is one I certainly agree with - he identifies a need for English department to evolve, both for their own survival and for the benefit of students. As one of the "lowly" adjuncts both Scholes and Deke identify, I have very strong opinions about the state of compositional studies, and some specific ideas about how to change things for the good of all; I do not think Scholes would agree with many of my assessments.

Scholes suggests that the way to extend the life of English departments is to look beyond the traditional canon and recognize other genres as texts worthy of study. This would likely have been a radical idea twenty years ago, but my own experiences as a student suggest that Scholes is behind the curve; I, for example, took courses on Japanese theatre, contemporary fiction, American travel narratives, and a host of other genres that are traditionally "nonliterary" as an undergraduate, and continue to use "nonliterary" sources in my own courses. Much of Scholes' arguments are lost in his enthusiasm for specific texts, and for a reader unfamiliar with the operas and films on which he fixates, his text as a whole loses its power.

Whiles Scholes certainly identifies many of the problems now facing English departments, his "solution" seems to aggravate many of the current difficulties of teaching the subject by continuing to present material that undergraduates will not find compelling (i.e. opera), as opposed to addressing some of the most immediate concerns: a need for students to learn how to communicate effectively, whether or not they pursue English courses beyond the requirements of Freshman Composition.

My personal goal is to make it to 100 books every year, and last night I accomplished just that!

100.
Author: Marjane Satrapi
Title: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
publication: Paperback
Pages: 153
Genre: Comic
Acquisition: Work text
Date: December 27, 2011
Rating: ****1/2

In October of 2011 I attended a conference called "Contentious Issues in Composition," focusing on - you guessed it - common debates that pop up in community college English departments.* One panel I attended discussed the potential use of graphic novels in the classroom, and, while the discussion itself was not well planned, the presenter's knowledge was clear, and I was introduced to some amazing works that I agreed held a lot of potential. So, always happy to experiment with the design of my course and the materials I use, I took the leap and settled on Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood as the final text for my spring lit/comp courses.

When I began Satrapi's book (the first in a series of four), I was immediately struck by her narrative voice, and the familiar-yet-alien culture in which she grew up. My own experience with graphic novels is limited to a few flops ("classics," The Watchmen, and a few others), and a few successes (most memorably Fun Home), and so I approach her text primarily as a student of the genre. I found the book to be thought-provoking and moving, as well as informative. The stark illustrations are as captivating as they are simple, and provide food for thought on the equality (or lack thereof) of human existence.

In the end, I am very satisfied with my choice, and I look forward to discussing the work in the classroom in April.



*I actually presented at this conference on the response of English faculty to social networking and the evolution of the language as influenced by technology. It was a great experience, and I'm building on my arguments for a second conference next week.

93.
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Title: The Valley of Fear
publication: paperback
Pages:
Genre: mystery
Acquisition: work text
Date: December 5, 2011
Rating: ***1/2

The Valley of Fear is published by Conan Doyle in 1914. Feeling shackled by the character for which he is best known, Conan Doyle's writing of the famous eccentric shows his narrative burden; Holmes himself is literally absent for over half of the book, as Part II explores the background of a particular character from Part I. This shift in genre is not entirely successful, as it does not seem to manage the expectations of the established audience; however, both narratives are enjoyable when read as separate bodies of work, and I would argue that they would be most successfully read as such.

92.
Author: Lorna Barrett
Title: [Sentenced to Death]
publication: Kindle
Pages:
Genre: cozy mystery
Acquisition: Necessary baby-feeding ebook
Date: December 5, 2011
Rating: ***1/2

I have apparently missed a book or two in my reading of this series, but my understanding was not hindered by the oversight.

My reading of Sentenced to Death is mixed. I appreciate Barrett's acknowledgement of the difficulties all cozy authors must face: most importantly, how librarians/booksellers/bakers/candlestick makers keep coming across bodies in an otherwise "perfectly safe" environment. Barrett's characters readily recognize the growing crime rate in their community, and proper concern is mixed. This seems to be a flag for the end of the series, as the murder rate will soon outgrow the constraints of a small tourist town.

What I found most difficult about the novel is the murder itself; while Barrett eventually justifies such an outlandish act, the details of the murder are still so extraordinary that it's dificult to believe the murderer could even get it right.

This is one for fans of the series, but probably not one worth picking up for readers not already invested in Tricia and her community.

41.
Author(s): Shannon Hale
Title: Book of a Thousand Days
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 336
Genre: Young Adult
Acquisition: Work Text, 8th Grade
Date Completed: May 7, 2011
Rating: ****

Shannon Hale's Book of a Thousand Days takes the reader into a fantastic Mongolia, where a young mucker girl finds herself bound to a young lady in more ways than one. First agreeing to seven years confinement in a stone tower, and then struggling to find her way (and her lady's) after their escape, Dashti's adventures span years of struggles, hope, and growth. Through her journal the reader learns of Dashti's past and present, and gains a sense of hope for her future. Originally borrowed from a Grimm fairy tale, Book of a Thousand Days presents a fascinating look at a colorful and intriguing culture, while drawing the reader into a narrative that can evoke a wide range of emotions.

40.
Author(s): H. G. Wells
Title: The Island of Doctor Moreau
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 131
Genre: Scientific Romance (according to the original publishers, of course)
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 30, 2011
Rating: *****

By sheer dumb luck Edward Prendick survives the sinking of the Lady Vain, and again by dumb luck manages to lose his two lifeboat companions, increasing his chances for survival with his limited supplies. Luck once again intervenes when, after several days without water, Prendick is pulled back from the point of death by a strange dark face and an eternally blond doctor, and these figures again save his rather hopeless existence when the captain of the savior boat casts Prendick overboard.

In the coming months Prendick comes to doubt that luck, however, as he finds himself isolated on an isolated island with the white Moreau, his scalpel, and the unfortunate results of eleven years of experimental vivisection.

Although authors such as Jules Verne predate Wells by decades, the creator of The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and countless other famous tales is often credited with being the father of the science fiction genre. Originally called "scientific romance" for its emphasis on scientific theories and the fantastic, the genre was immediately successful, and Wells right along with it, despite a number of challenges for its occasionally questionable content.

The introduction to the Penguin Classics edition by Margaret Atwood provides a fantastic guide to moving through the work. As part of her introduction, Atwood introduces "Ten Ways of Looking at The Island of Doctor Moreau," which include everything from Darwinism, to religious implications, to an exploration of the New Woman, racism, and literary allusions. Her explanations are well-developed without being overly assertive, allowing the reader to make up his own mind as opposed to the validity of each argument. The introduction is particularly useful as I introduce Wells' novel in our introductory course, and I look forward to seeing how they respond once we open up the dialog.

39.
Author(s): Samuel Beckett
Title: Waiting for Godot
Publication: Paperback
Pages:
Genre: Drama, tragicomedy, theatre of the absurd
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 27, 2011
Rating:

Another work read, another re-read, and another top read.