Out Of The Box

As January looms nearer, I've been able to reflect how fortunate I've been to have had a great year. But today , going along with the theme that seems to be running here, I wanted to talk about some of the great reads I've had in 2006.

I'm very lucky to have the leisure time to read often. I know I must be lucky, because I'm constantly hearing other people complain about never having time to read. But I have time, and I read A LOT. So, aside from the few months where I didn't read a thing because I didn't have a thing to read, I took a count and came up with the grand number of 16. I have read 16 books this year. Well... At least I think I've read 16 books, there's always a few that seem to fall between the cracks of my memory...

I went through a huge history phase this year (as I've stated in an earlier blog). The first half of the year I read a whole lot of books set in Medieval England. Fascinating, but surprisingly fluffy reads. But near the end of the year, after some digging around, I ended up doing some reading 'out of the box', so to speak. And this unusual venture has earned me some of the best literary experiences I have ever had! So friends, I want to talk a little about the 5 books that I loved, the 5 out of 16 that made it to that ever coveted place of distinction on my (nonexistent) bookshelf.

The Linnet Bird by Linda Holeman

The first book I came upon happened on accident, as usual. I had bought my Mom a bunch of books for mother's day, but decided to only give her 4 of the 7. I sat for about an hour deciding which books would go to her, and which ones I would keep for myself. I ended up taking 2 Medieval ones (big surprise!) for myself, and finally, after much deliberation for a 3rd, settled on a historical novel called The Linnet Bird. A few days later, at the end of a long day, I got that wonderful feeling a true reader gets, that tingling feeling of excitement knowing books are stacked in the hallway that are brand new and have never been read. I was itching to read those Medieval books, but for some reason instead I picked up The Linnet Bird. It only took me a few days to read, not because it was short, but because I was so thoroughly engaged by it. It was unlike anything I was expecting, told a story of something I had never heard about before, was finely researched but beautifully crafted... In short, a perfect historical novel. In the 1820's and 30's, many middle-class English women traveled the agonizing journey to India to try to land a husband. The idea was that the young men working in British India were starved of female attention and it would be much easier to get a proposal from one of them than from a man back home in London surrounded by female admirers. So only the most desperate of women went to India under the guise of proper respectability. The Linnet Bird tells the story of Linny Gow, who somehow ends up on this boat to India. Her past is unknown to her friends, her secrets are terrible and kept locked away. She has a talent for lying. She thinks that India will be an exotic escape at last from her horrific childhood, a new liberating freedom. But her naivete about British India will be a harsh lesson, and her deep lies will eventually catch up to her in the end...

The Linnet Bird was not only a fascinating look into the social prejudices of English colonization, but also a beautifully told story of one woman's journey from the confines of poverty to an unusual and personal liberation of spirit... A perfect historical novel... I loved it immensely and look forward to reading it again and again.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Ok... I don't have to say anything about this, because I already wrote rave reviews about this remarkable book in my last blog...

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

After I finished reading The Thirteenth Tale, I must admit I was a little depressed... The aftermath of a highly extraordinary experience. I wanted to read, but I wanted to read something as great as what I had just finished. It is really very rare that this wish comes true, as great books only happen once in a great while, so I was resigned to the fact that I was in for a dry spell. But then I was walking in the store a few days later, and a book caught my eye. It was called The Historian. I picked it up, mulled it over and got the answer I was looking for. I plopped it in my basket and bought it. I started reading The Historian the moment I got home, so strong was my thirst for words. And so happened one of those rarest of rare happenings... Another great book. Now... Before I get into why I loved this one, I have a little disclaimer. This book isn't for everyone. In fact, once I started reading it, I realized what I was reading was nothing like what I was expecting when I bought it. What I thought was going to be a puzzling historically wrought mystery (ala The Da Vinci Code*), turned out to be, of all things, a story about vampires. Yes, vampires. I was very surprised when this revelation occurred to me. But unfortunately, the book was already too good to put down. In fact, this book delighted me beyond belief. It gave me goosebumps, scared the crap out of me, and down right freaked me out. But it was worth every tingle of the spine, for it was a good mystery. Reading it was like peeling an onion, with things coming to light slowly but surely. That was what delights me about mysteries. I loved all of the historical gems and I was particularly tickled when I realized what the title The Historian was actually referring to. I learned an incredible amount of fascinating information from this book, a frightening and twisting journey into the very scary and very real legend of Dracula. It is vivid and well-written, creepy and hypnotic. I have the sudden urge to visit Romania, to become an archaeologist, to read up about Turkish sultans. This book was true to it's title, The Historian, and anyone who knows me knows that this book was destined to woo me. And it did, and I loved every moment of it. But this one is only for the adventurous reader, one who doesn't get frightened off too easily... And certainly NOT for grandmothers or 14 year old girls...

(*NOTE: I DISLIKED THE DA VINCI CODE AND AM IN NO WAY COMPARING THIS BOOK TO IT AS THE HISTORIAN IS BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS FAR BETTER THAN ANYTHING DAN BROWN COULD HAVE EVEN HAD AN INKLING TO WRITE DOWN)

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

After reading The Historian, I had reached an odd sort of literary Nirvana. I had just read two great books in a row and now was at a heightened state of perception. I think that pretty much anything that was put in front of me at this point would be strangely appreciated. But for some reason, this awed state I was in had put me, quite decisively, in the mood for Atwood. Margaret Atwood is an author I have incredible respect for. Her extraordinary point of view is so beautiful, so poignant, that everything she writes seems to turn to gold. Alias Grace and The Blind Assassin are two of my favorite books, and every time I read them I am breathlessly reminded why Margaret Atwood is my idol. So I figured this was as good a time as any to pick up one of her classics that I had never read before. I chose The Handmaid's Tale, and although I already knew the story, I wanted to read Atwood's words. I was not disappointed. If anything, reading this book only deepened my respect for this beloved author, even proved that she is not just an author, but an artist. And I'll tell you why... She achieved something that I have never, in all my years of reading, seen before. The Handmaid's Tale is deeply, deeply sarcastic. It oozes sarcasm. It is a bitter sap that seeps through the words and the story and taints everything. I was so startled by this, that I actually started laughing. Never in my life have I read anything like it... Leave it to Margaret Atwood for producing something so... Odd... And brilliant. It's pure genius! I look forward to passing this classic on to my children... But not until they're much older and get the joke...!

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Well, first of all special thanks to Hailey for the recommendation that led me to this book. I'm usually wary of recommendations, because I know how people's literary tastes differ, and I have such odd tastes (if that isn't obvious enough by now). But I got a great deal on the book in a little bookstore downtown, and I thought, I'm already so far in this realm of 'out of the box' reading that I may as well go for the full Monty and read something WAY out of my comfort zone. And once again, the risk paid off. GREATLY. The Time Traveler's Wife is probably among one of the stranger books I've ever read, due to the premise of time travel. But because I am a lover of history and time travel is the ultimate dream, it was a subject I knew I would appreciate. But the surprise of this book was not the novelty of it's ideas. It was the beauty of the story. For this was a love story that moved me when most love stories fail to do so. Not that I don't like love stories. I LOVE love stories, but it's seldom that one comes along that really moves me, that I feel really exists, really could exist. This was such a story. True love, in all of it's despair and ugliness... In all of it's simplicity and grandeur. Not to mention I loved all of the pop culture side dishes that appeared everywhere throughout, the aversions to life in the 90's, and the endless vivid visuals of Chicago, a city I know and love with all of my heart. In the end, I cherished this book, from the odd ideas that were thrust on me in the first few pages, to the end where the possibilities of this love had reached an infinite forever. NOW I must vent for a moment: Unfortunately, other people out there didn't get it, as is the fate of many a book that becomes a best seller. All the idiots read it and then complain about it. Somebody actually had the audacity to compare it to Nicholas Sparks (don't even get me started on Sparks, who tells love stories without understanding that love has nothing to do with two young people getting married). They said The Time Traveler's Wife was horrible and you should read The Notebook instead. Yikes! And now we have to endure the making of a movie, which after some thought, I realized didn't seem like such a good idea after all. It's supposedly due out in 2008, but I should warn you, the rights to it were originally bought by Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Although they won't be playing in it, we can all be sure this will be yet another miscast and over-acted sapfest. And so what has the potential to be an extraordinary and beautiful independent film, will most likely end up being released along the vein of, well... Uh... Nicholas Sparks movies. Shame, shame, shame... So, everyone... Read this book NOW while you still can. That way if you DO see the movie in 2008, it won't be able to ruin the lovely taste this book is capable of leaving on your tongue.

WELL, friends... I have exhausted all of my efforts. Thank you for taking the time to read this overly long blog about some things that I am passionate about. In conclusion, I've discovered that just because I love a certain type of book, doesn't mean I can't enjoy something 'out of the box' once in a while. In fact, I found that I learned more from these five unusual books than I have from reading in a long time (with the exception of William Horwood, which is a blog for another day). Now I am expounding on this new idea by doing something COMPLETELY different. I am currently reading a HUGE volume of collected short stories by Edith Wharton, and am so far completely enthralled. What an incredible woman. It looks like I have another literary idol in my midst...! Anyway, I am looking forward to next year's reading, and I hope maybe I can have some new recommendations added to my list... Hint, hint... :)

My last disclaimer: These books are a few that I have loved. I of course can't guarantee that anyone else will love them. I am a fairly non-judgmental reader when it comes to theme or moral attitude. I don't discriminate books because of a book's subject matter. Sometimes a book has sex in it or bad language or describes graphic images, but that doesn't stop me from loving it. I am a writer and therefore respect a writer's choice in how they want to tell their story. I would expect the same respect for a story of my own. So if there are any of you out there who like your books a little more rated PG, I might not be the source for you. My only guarantee is a well-written book attached to a good story, nothing more...