142. Gautier, Théophile. The Mummy's Foot. 48 pages. 12.20.09.

The Mummy's Foot by Théophile Gautier is a traditional and charming Gothic tale. Gautier tells the tale of an aristocratic Frenchman who purchases a mummified foot to be used as a paperweight in a curiosity shop. The foot, which is taken from Princess Hermonthis, is more than what it seems, and inspires a fantastic nocturnal journey for its new owner.

141. Danielewski, Mark Z. The Whalestoe Letters. 83 pages. 12.16.09.

The Whalestoe Letters by Mark Z. Danielewski is an extension of his premier novel, House of Leaves. Initially appearing as an appendix to the novel, The Whalestoe Letters (which includes ten additional letters) are those written by Johnny Truant's mother Pelafina H. Lievre during her residence at the insane asylum. Like House of Leaves as a whole, The Whalestoe Letters is to fiction and literature what thought experiments are to physics; Danielewski seems to write and publish to push boundaries and test waters for no other reasons than curiosity. While I would argue that the experiment of House of Leaves is very interesting, his subsequent publications are less successful. The (limited) success of The Whalestoe Letters is that it makes me want to go back and read House of Leaves once again.

Another one for the "Books off the shelf" challenge, which has put me at my revised goal for the year!


140. Armstrong, Kelley. Exit Strategy. 480 pages. 12.15.09.


I don't actually remember purchasing Exit Strategy, but it is likely Amazon pointed the title out when I was ordering another book by Kelley Armstrong. I initially read the first 200 pages, and then put the book down as other things caught my eye. Resolving to finish things from my own shelves gave me a great reason to pick it up again.

Exit Strategy follows Nadia - an ex-cop turned hitwoman - as she and a collection of other hitmen try to hunt down one of their own who has turned serial killer. While each professional has their own personal reason - from personal to simply bad for business - Nadia is fueled by a sense of justice and ultimate desire to protect.

Overall, I found the book to be very entertaining. I like hitmen (fictionally - my sense of self-preservation keeps me from liking real ones), and Armstrong delivers a wide range to chose from. The sense of secrecy between them keeps any characters from feeling too shallow, while preserving the sense of mystery surrounding not only the case, but the "who and why" of how the group comes together.

At 480 pages it's a nice meaty chunk of entertainment that is perfect for a long snow day or lounging by a pool.

139. Andrews, Donna. No Nest for the Wicket. 304 pages. 12.14.09.

Suffering from a chronic inability to say "no" to her friends and family, blacksmith Meg Langslow finds herself sliding down a bank during the eXtreme croquette tournament she was talked into hosting ... and lands on the body of a strange woman. As life goes on for nearly everyone Meg finds herself investigating the mysterious death and daydreaming about which suspect would make her life easiest. No Nest for the Wicket is an enjoyable cozy mystery, and echoes the tone and storyline of the previous books nicely.

The book behind "A Christmas Story"

138. Shepherd, Jean. In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. 264 pages. 12.13.09.

The image of a fishnet-clad leg glowing in a window and the call of "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" have become as much a part of American Christmas traditions as stockings and trees. Ralphie and his "Official Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air rifle" were first introduced in Jean Shepherd's In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, published in 1966 (seventeen years before the making of "A Christmas Story"). The iconic tale is only a few chapters of the book that recounts growing up in Indiana during the Depression. After escaping to New York City, narrator Ralph returns to his home town for a business trip and find himself planted on a bar stool with an old friend, reminiscing about their shared adventures.

Taken as a whole, In God We Trust... is a mixed bag. For every entertaining anecdote Shepherd relates he has an equally tedious chapter to follow. While the exaggerated purple prose adds humor as Shepherd describes some rather bleak realities, it can quickly lose its charm. 2.5 stars.

As You Like It at Sidney Harman Hall

Last night my partner and I attended a performance of William Shakespeare's As You Like It by the Shakespeare Theatre Company at Sidney Harman Hall.
Thanks to some confusion over the location of Sidney Harman Hall and parking difficulties (which I'll admit were my fault) we did not make the curtain, but were seated by the end of the first scene.*

Directed by Tony Award-winner Maria Aitken, The Shakespeare Theatre's current production takes a look at Shakespeare's romantic rump in its original role as entertainment. Presented in imitation of classic American historical films, Aitken takes the audience through an evolving trip that emphasizes both the nature of performance itself, and the universality of Shakespeare's play (which was itself borrowed from other sources, like much of his work). On a stage framed with film canisters and lit from the sides by large "cameras", the actors move through scenes beginning with a stark and Puritanical setting, and travel through pilgrims landing in North America, Valley Forge, the Civil War, the roaring 20s, and end with a number worthy of Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe, tripping through many recognizable and entertaining film styles in between. Complete with camera crews, a director, and on-stage set and costume designers, As You Like It is a theatrical spectacle of the most entertaining sort.

All major roles are well-cast, and Floyd King as Touchstone, Anjali Bhimani as Phebe and Aubrey Deeker as Silvius are especially delightful. There is wonderful chemistry between Francesca Faridany (Rosalind) and Miriam Silverman (Celia), and Andrew Long as Jaques is sure to please. However, I maintain that the best role belonged to that of the costume designer Martin Pakledinaz - with so many costume changes and so much to choose from Pakledinaz makes full use of the creative potential, and really makes each scene with a keen eye and attention to detail.

The run has been extended until December 22, and I highly recommend attending a performance before you miss your chance!

*** Photos by Scott Suchman, and borrowed from shakespearetheatre.org

*If you're ever late to a performance by the Shakespeare Theatre company, don't fret! They mark the time between scenes so they can seat late-comers without disturbing the audience members who actually plan better. As an added bonus we had purchased end-row seats, so we got in with limited fuss. Whew!

137. Hamilton, Laruell K. Divine Misdemeanors. 333 pages. 12.11.09


Divine Misdemeanors is Laurell K. Hamilton's eighth Meredith Gentry novel. In this most recent installment Hamilton takes Merry and her ever-growing household out of faerie and back to LA, where they are forced to adjust to the everyday, while helping police work through a case involving dead fey.

Most evident in this novel are Hamilton's attempts to superimpose the world of fairy tales onto the everyday, and she seems to struggle with her characters as they are forced to consider things like rent and occupation. However, little seems resolved by the end of the book, and much of the plot comes off as underdeveloped. It seems like Hamilton has too many characters and too many stories to tell, and can't really balance everything she wants to do in 350 pages. As a result characters are lost and story lines come off as shallow. However, I did enjoy some of the tidbits revealed by a few of Merry's men, and can see their stories growing in the future.

Divine Misdemeanors is not nearly as enthralling as Swallowing Darkness, and seems to serve as a transition from one storyline to the next. On its own Divine Misdemeanors is entertaining but nothing special; I have confidence that Hamilton will again find her feet with the next book.

136. Andrews, Donna. Owls Well That Ends Well. 326 pages. 12.7.09.

Donna Andrews' Owls Well That Ends Well is a pratfall of a novel. That's not to say that it isn't entertaining - on the contrary, it's very amusing - but the antics of Meg Langslow's suspect pool reached new heights. As part of the buyer's agreement for their new house, Michael and Meg organize a large yard sale to unburden themselves of the previous owner's goods, while generating a small profit for the deceased's family. On the day the 30-family yard sale opens up a local scalawag/antiques dealer is murdered in Meg's barn, and everything goes downhill from there. As a police investigation goes underway on one side, a carnival springs up on Meg and Michael's front lawn, with suspects darting to and fro. In the end it all adds to the charm and chuckles, and the Meg Langslow books continue to be an endearing series.

135. Shakespeare, William. As You Like It. 104 pages. 12.5.09.

When the usurping Duke exiles his niece Rosalind (daughter of the overthrown Duke), she and the present Duke's daughter Celia steal away to the forest of Arden to prevent their separation. Rosalind, newly infatuated with a young wrestling champion named Orlando, disguises herself as Celia's brother, and the two set up household not far from where Rosalind's father holds his Robin Hood-like court in the wilderness. Full of the accidents, cross-dressing, wit and hurried couplings that define so many of Shakespeare's comedies, As You Like It is a delightful play to read.

In 2007 my mother in law gave me a set of Shakespeare that was published in 1901. The original set is actually missing As You Like It, and somewhere along the way someone substituted a Yale publication of the play from 1965. This edition claims to make an effort to get back to the "original" format of the play, and therefore excludes almost all stage directions. This is the first time I've read the play since grad school, and I could still hear some of the lectures echoing in my head. I was personally stuck by the reliance on duality to define identity, not unlike what Becket will do centuries later in his works Waiting for Godot and End Game. It was very interesting to take another look at the play, and I enjoyed reading it on several levels.

134. Adrian, Lara. Ashes of Midnight. 368 pages. 12.3.09.

I did not find Ashes of Midnight to be as entertaining as previous books. The characters have grown increasingly flat as the series continues, and the plot drags from the very beginning. The Midnight Breed series has lots its momentum.