So one post was clearly not enough to talk about all the books that have left an impact on me. I'm sure that 100 posts would not be enough but I think I'll cap it at 2 for now and just stick with some of the most important books. I've already talked about some of the classics that have changed the way I read or stayed with me so I figured that in part 2 I'll go a little more modern.
A couple years ago I came across a non-fiction book call 'The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence.' Being fascinated by history I picked it up and simply devoured it. It was heart breaking and terrifying and in many ways beautiful. I think the reason it stuck with me so much was because of the love that these agents felt for the Kennedy family and the feeling of guilt that they felt after Kennedy was shot. The thing that was truly amazing was the fact that when Kennedy first took office none of the agents were happy about their new assignment. As time went on and the agents got to know their protectees their duty became a joy. Reading this account of the months and days leading up to the assassination was moving and it really affected me. If you can stand non-fiction I highly recommend this unique view on the Kennedy assassination.
Now I know that the next book I'm going to talk about is probably on everyone's list but I just can't forgive myself if I don't mention it. 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' by JK Rowling. Now to be clear this isn't my favorite Harry Potter book but it is the one that started the obsession. To be honest I don't remember how I came upon Harry and his world of magic. I'm sure I started reading it because everyone was reading it and it was fresh and just becoming super popular. I do remember falling instantly in love with it and that was that. I read through all the ones available, which at the time were the first three I believe, and eagerly awaiting the next installment. I rarely, rarely buy hardcover books but when the fourth Harry Potter came out I made my dad buy it for me. It was the only book I was allowed that month but I was perfectly content with that. Because of reading that very first book I discovered a world that I love and a series that I can't get enough of. And so 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' makes the list of books that have had a huge impact on me. Because it was my entry into the incredible world that has since become an obsession.
I never used to like fantasy books, I guess I felt that they just weren't my cup of tea. I absolutely refused to read anything fantasy until one day I accidentally picked up a book that changed my mind totally. The book was 'The Summer Tree' by Guy Gavriel Kay and it changed my mind about fantasy for good. I remember the day I finished it, I had just come home from school and was sitting in my favorite reading chair and as soon as I finished I called my mom who was out running errands and asked her to go to a used bookstore and pick up the next two in the trilogy. As I have mentioned before this is now my favorite trilogy, one that I have read over and over again and in fact just finished a reread a few weeks ago. I know I don't know much about fantasy and I have been told that this is 'average' fantasy but I found 'The Summer Tree' to be well written, thought out and all around really, really good! In truth the whole trilogy has stuck with me in a very important way and whenever I have a hard time or need to remember why I love reading I go back to the wonderful work of Guy Gavriel Kay. He opened my eyes to a whole new genre that I now really enjoy. And it's all thanks to that first accidental encounter with a book called 'The Summer Tree.'
Well friends I hope you enjoyed this special two part post about some of my important books. Short posts for sure but important and fun ones I hope. They were certainly fun for me to write. More posts to come soon. Next? A review of a new Jodi Picoult! Keep your eyes peeled for it! =D
Is there anything more beautiful or fulfilling to a book lover than a book about books? Whether it be fiction or non there is something magical about reading about the love of books. I even love movies about books, although since those are almost non-existent, I find I make due with movies based on books. Rarely do they compare to the book (however I have to admit that I have come across at least two movies based on books that I liked better than the books themselves) but I usually enjoy seeing books I love brought to life even if they usually are wrong. There have been times when I see and really enjoy a movie and then find out that it was a book first. The two movies that I liked better than there book counterparts were like this. I found out that these movies I loved were books, and being the book nerd I am, I had to go and read the books. Highly disappointing in both cases.
However, back in the day when I was working at the video store in Cali, I came across a movie about books. Titled '84, Charing Cross Road.' I watched and was utterly swept away by it. For someone who is looking for a movie for simple entertainment this is not the movie for you. In fact for quite a few people this movie may seem boring and make no sense as a movie. But if you are true book nerd this movie is so much fun and endlessly entertaining. Imagine my delight when I discovered that this was not only based on a book but that it is a true story as well. It is the story of Helene Hanff a writer and script reader from New York who writes to a book shop in London called Marks & Co at 84, Charing Cross road. What begins as a simple request for out of print books turns into a twenty-year long correspondence and friendship.
Helene Hanff is a writer and script reader in New York who has a voracious appetite for secondhand books. When she has trouble finding some of the books she wants here in New York she goes searching internationally. After seeing an ad in the Saturday review Ms. Hanff writes to a bookstore in England called Marks & CO searching for her books. To her delight they send her two of her requested books and promise to send along the rest when they find them. She responds "Gentlemen: the books arrived safely, the Stevenson is so fine it embarrasses my orange-crate bookshelves, I'm almost afraid to handle such soft vellum and heavy cream-colored pages. Being used to the dead-white paper and stiff cardboardy covers of American books, I never knew a book could be such a joy to touch" (pg. 3). This is just the start of what soon becomes much more than a simple client proprietor relationship. Very soon Ms. Hanff and Frank Doel, her main correspondent, begin a friendship that lasts them twenty-years. One Christmas Helene sends the shop a bundle of food because they are still under ration. This kindness opens the door to the other employees in the shop to write to her and in short order the entire shop has become pen pals with her.
The whole book is no more than 97 pages, and is made up of nothing but letters between Helene and various people connected with the bookstore. Some letters even seem to be missing as time seems to jump rather drastically. But for someone like me that loves books because they are books this was an amazing read. It made me want to find a bookshop in some beautiful country and start a letter writing relationship with someone who has a true love of books. I find that in our day of modern technology, where 140 characters is the most people are willing to use to communicate, people are reluctant to write letters. I love letter writing, and there is something truly fulfilling about receiving something in the mail that isn't a bill or credit card offer. For me this is the perfect book because it is about people that love books and it's all letters. It's a beautiful book about a beautiful relationship and I highly recommend it. This book is simple and wonderful and perfect for book lovers everywhere!
I know this isn't much of a review but I got so excited by reading the book and seeing the movie again that I wanted to share that excitement. There is nothing less amazing than sharing the joy of a book one has just read and enjoyed immensely. That is what this is, me sharing my joy with you all. I hope that it was as enjoyable to read as it was for me to write.
On a side note as for the book club/discussion thing that I want to do, I'm thinking of veering once again from that which I thought of originally. My friend, writer/blogger Sidney McEntyre, has a friend who is an editor (I know, I'm jealous too) and her first book is coming out soon. I've decided that I want to read this book next. Not only am I supporting a new friend but the book looks really good. It's called 'Night Owls' by Lauren M. Roy and once it comes out I hope that you will all join me in reading it for discussion! More details when I have them! Don't worry KD the spy novel review will be posted next! =D
Book Title: Howards End is on the Landing
Author: Susan Hill
Version: Nook Book
ISBN: 9781847652638
Published: August 8, 2010
Publisher: Profile
Genre: Memoir
Note: I know that I said I was going to review "Night Film" after my vacation but I have been thinking about this book for too long and I just have to get this review out of the way before I do "Night Film."
SYNOPSIS: This book was supposed to be about a woman named Susan Hill who is a writer and reviewer and who after a search for a particular book in her home realized how many books she had that she had forgotten. She then decided to take a year and just read the books that she had in her home that she hadn't read yet or books that she owned that she forgot she had. She was going to buy no new books, she was instead going to enjoy the ones she already had.
This book was really about a woman who simply wanted to name drop and put down people with eReaders. There was very little talk about the books she read and more talk about where books were put in her house and the authors and famous journalists she met. There was some talk about books she has read, and some talk about books she studied in school. Mostly though she would talk about how she would never get an ereader because that was what real readers did and which famous people she knew or corresponded with.
REVIEW: I try very hard to be as kind as possible while still being truthful in my reviews. But I feel as if I was being put down through out the whole book because I was reading on my nook. She made me feel inadequate because I hadn't read the complete collection of the famous writer Snotty McHighonhishorse.
I didn't like this book, I didn't enjoy being talked down to through literature. Books are supposed to be enjoyed however they can be, in any form that people choose to enjoy them. Now I am a huge fan of every sort of book, I think that I have established that, but not all people are. A lot of people only like reading romance novels, or their bookshelves are filled with nothing but James Patterson, have Nooks filled with every classic ever written. Does that mean that the person who loves 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and all books like it is less of a reader than the person who's favorite book is 'War & Peace?' I think not. Am I any less well read because I read some of my books on a nook rather than the physical book? I don't think so.
In fact I am able to read more because I have a nook, ebooks are more affordable and because this is New York and my space is limited I can own more books because ebooks take up no space. Because ebooks are more affordable and more accessible more people seem to be reading these days. So why would Ms. Hill spend a good chunk of her time putting down ereaders and those that use them? I feel as if that is totally counter intuitive for people to read. More people are getting back into reading because they have become more accessible to books again due to ebooks and ereaders.
The writing was sub par, the story wasn't really what it was supposed to be and Susan Hill just all around rubbed me the wrong way. I was highly disappointed in the book as a whole and I was so angry the whole time that the question has to be asked 'why did I finish reading it?' I have no answer, I kept hoping that there would be some talk about books, or the utter joy she had while rereading a favorite passage but it just wasn't there. For someone who claims to love books the way she did I felt that she spent most of her time talking about how well educated and awesome she is. I want to say that there are a few parts about her excitement about libraries and how reading has always been a big part of her life. Books were talked about to a degree, I am not being fair saying that there was no book talk, however I feel that this was supposed to be a book all about books. An entire year spent reading and rereading amazing books. Her love for each new book or rediscovered book was what was missing. That was what I was expecting and the fact that, that wasn't what I was given was what disappointed me.
I hate to put down a fellow reviewer and book lover but I felt like she just didn't care. I apologize to Susan Hill if my review seems harsh but I felt the whole time that I was being made fun of and put down for not having a degree in English literature and enjoying ebooks. I read books because they make me feel good, they make me laugh or cry, I get excited or fully absorbed in a new subject but no matter how I feel after I've read a book I always, always feel accomplished. I'm excited about reading and learning new things. But after I finished this book, I felt judged and angry and frustrated. This is not a good book to read. It's something that you can skip easily. It really was a disappointment but I have to say that I do not recommend this book at all. And I really hate not being able to recommend a book. However this is just a book that I have to say a big no to because it just doesn't love it's readers back, and I feel that, that is what good books do.
