Book Review: Nineteen Eighty-Three on Bookgasm

New review of David Peace's Nineteen Eighty-Three up on Bookgasm.

Check it out!

When I die...

My fiance has told me since pretty much our first few months of dating that if he dies before me, he requires bagpipes at his funeral. Myself, I'd never given much thought to what I want to happen when I die... until now. I've finally found something that I definitively want when I die. I want this tombstone:


Ok, maybe not this tombstone - I don't want anyone robbing graves in the name of giving me what I want. But I do want a similar tombstone.

The picture above comes from another blog, Savidge Reads, whose host has recently become a tour guide at the Highgate Cemetery in London (the tombstone was found in this cemetery). Author Audrey Niffenegger also gives tours there, and the cemetery features heavily in her most recent novel, Her Fearful Symmetry (reviewed by yours truly a few months ago).

Book Doorway For the Win

From the Cheezburger Network (founders of such site as Lolcats, Fail Blog and Failbooking, among others), comes an Epic Doorway Win (originally on the Epic Win FTW site)

Um... awesome. I just hope that no books were damaged in the making of this photo.

Wheel of Time Re-Read, Part 2: A Quarterly Book Review

I started to re-read Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series in December, when I realized I had forgotten too much of the first read to start in with the new release of the twelfth book in the series: The Gathering Storm. (For details on my thoughts on the re-read, see Wheel of Time Re-Read, Part 1)

It took me a month to find the time to get through The Eye of the World, which is the first book in the series, but since then I've powered through books 2-4. I guess it took me a bit of time to get my wheels spinning, but once I did, there was no stopping me. I read books 3 and 4 (700 and 950 pages, respectively) in a week, and I've had to force myself not to immediately launch into book 5. I do, after all, have other books to read and a few reviewing responsibilities here and there.

But this wasn't meant to be a re-cap of my reading speed, it was meant to be a review of the first four books in the series (as there are 12 books thus far, I thought I'd break it up and review every few books, rather than each individually).

Jordan's series, unlike George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, starts off fast. From chapter 2, Trollocs (something like Orcs, only with less actual thought processes) are attacked a small village in the Two Rivers. Three local boys are forced to flee their homes with the aid of only an Aes Sedai (like a sorceress, only way cooler), and her Warder (like a personal sworn guard, only better). That's actually all I can tell you without giving away the plot, and even that is too much.

Jordan leaves his readers no time for breath or thought while reading. One event picks up from the last, and when the characters go in different directions, Jordan slips smoothly into a multi-perspective account of each plotline. The main characters - I'd say about a dozen in all, although there are dozens of second- and third-tier characters - are well-developed, well-thought-out and well-written. And, again unlike Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, they are consistent. In the first four books, readers watch the characters grow and change, indeed grow along with them.

Beyond the mere storyline, Jordan has created a masterful, epic world, complete with an accurate history, a set of accepted literature, varying cultures from one area to the next (from food to speech to clothing). This world is unfolded along with the plot; the main characters have seen as little of the world as the reader, and therefore all discover its nuances along the way. As the Light battles against the Dark One, who is slowly escaping his prison in Shayol Ghul, readers are taken on a grand adventure from one end of the World to the other, across the Dragonwall, into the Aiel Waste, back to Tar Valon, down to Tanchico... and so on.

Sound unfamiliar? It is now. But by the end of book 2, you will recognize an Aes Sedai by her ageless features, you will know a Seanchan for their blurred speech, and you will see a Taraboner for her braided hair and veiled face. You will know an Aiel set to kill by his black-veiled face, and can tell an Andorman (or woman) by his or her red-gold hair.

You see? Jordan is a genius of world creation. However much time he spent developing the world for this series, it pays off.

Bottom line: I don't profess to have read the scope of fantasy literature, but I do agree whole-heartedly with the New York Times blurb printed on the front cover of each of these books: "Jordan has come to dominate the world that Tolkien began to reveal."

Aren't Very New After All (Quote of the Day)

Ever have that "aha!" moment while reading? Like someone else has voiced what you have always thought somewhere in the back of your mind? Turns out even that reaction isn't very new after all, because Lincoln felt it too:

"Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all." -Abraham Lincoln

What do you think? Does this happen to you? Good thing or bad thing?

Personally, I love finding my own thoughts in another's writing. I think this is one of the things that keeps reading - a solitary activity - from being a lonely activity. I'm drawn to Mark Helprin's novels for several reasons, but this is definitely one of them. Sometimes it's almost eerie to see your thoughts on a page written by a total stranger...

Great Bookcase Friday (#2)

A few weeks ago, I posted some pictures of great bookcases from across the web. I've since come across some more great bookcases, so to continue the previous post, here are some more wonderful ways to store your books. Happy Weekend!

This is sort of what my shelves look like now, with books crammed in at every angle. At least here it looks intentional...

Ok, this doesn't actually look like it would be comfortable. At all. I much prefer my cozy armchair. That being said, it's still pretty cool. I wonder if it only comes in hot pink?

For the lover of punctuation in all of us!

"Jersey Shore" Book to Hit Shelves in July... What Will They Think of Next?

Well, we all knew that television - particularly reality television - had gone to the shitter when MTV aired its first episode of "Jersey Shore." It only got worse as the show gained popularity, sparked 'controversies' and created quasi-celebrities of the Jersey Shore house residents.

To my eternal shame, I have seen every episode of Jersey Shore. While I'm confessing, I might as well announce that I also watch Tool Academy and the Real Housewives of New York City. What? Shocked, you are? Well I can see that - my television choices don't always jive with my stance on reading choices. But to me, they are separate worlds: television is for mindless entertainment, books are for intelligent, thoughtful entertainment. [The bookworm ducks under her desk as the film and television gurus start throwing books at her.]

Sadly, the line between my self-imposed categorization is becoming more and more blurred. Case in point: St. Martin's has just landed a deal for a Jersey Shore book, written (these people can write!?) by none other than J-Woww and Ronnie. The two started dating while in the Jersey Shore house, and the book is thus named Never Fall in Love at the Jersey Shore. The title, however, is misleading, as the book will have nothing to do with not falling in love at the Shore. According to the PW announcement, J-Woww and Ronnie will "two explain how to balance work, love, and partying, while properly taking care of hair, nails, and skin -- as well as everything else that goes into living an authentic Jersey Shore lifestyle."

Why anyone would want a how-to guide on a Jersey Shore lifestyle is beyond me. Entertainment Weekly hit the nail on the head with their sarcastic announcement: "That’s right, folks! You too can be a lowest common denominator!" I just hope they remember to cover GTL (Gym. Tan. Laundry.).

I have a sinking feeling that the book will be a hit, flying off the shelves just in time for the premiere of season 2 of the show... which, naturally, will take place in Miami... What is the world coming to?