Title: April Lady
Author: Georgette Heyer
Format: Paperback
Pages: 268
Genre: Regency romance/Clean romance
Date Started: May 2, 2010
Date Finished: May 2, 2010

Rating: B+

Description (from Barnes & Noble): It was the most brilliant match of the season--the marriage of wealthy Lord Cardross to the enchanting Lady Nell. But Nell harbors one secret in her heart, she is deeply in debt. Unable to reveal the truth to her husband, Nell tries to settle her muddled financial affairs, but finds herself caught up in a terrible deception.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This book would have seemed so much better if I hadn't read it right after rereading The Convenient Marriage. Their storylines are so similar that I thought that Heyer might have run out of ideas. Both books feature a marriage between an older man and a younger woman. Both brides believe their husbands are in love with their old flames. Both husbands are in love with their brides, but believe their wives only want their money. Both brides get themselves tangled up in a crazy scheme. Both go to their brothers for help. Both brothers attempt highway robbery to help their sisters. Both brothers have problems with gambling and gambling debts. Very, very similar.

That doesn't mean the book wasn't good. There were enough differences to keep the book from seeming like a pale copy. The characters are very well-developed and believable, and their dialogue is amazing. The drunk brother and his friend provide lots of comic relief. The dramatic sighings and cryings and temper tantrums of the spoiled sister-in-law were also written well, because instead of being annoying, her "fits" were written in such a way that sometimes you sympathized with her, sometimes you laughed at her, and most of the time you rolled your eyes.

Overall, it was a very well-written book with great characters and dialogue, but lacked some originality. B+

A new Challenge!

This year I will be participating in the Everything Austen challenge!  I love Jane Austen, love her books, love the movies based on her books... I just love Austen.  So when I heard about this challenge I decided to join in.  It's a 6-month challenge, and you have to complete six Austen-related things (movies, books, spin-offs, etc.)  I have decided that since I have yet to read Northanger Abbey, and I never got further than a few chapters in Emma, reading both of those books will be part of my challenge.  I'm also going to watch 4 movie adaptations that I've never seen before, which includes most of the new BBC productions.  Starting July 1st, it's Everything Austen, and it's going to be fun!

June Library Run

My library and I became best friends last month.  Sure, they didn't have 90% of the books I wanted, but thanks to inter-library loans, I was there practically every other day.  Saturday, I was returning some of the many books I'd borrowed and picked up some new ones.

• The Lady in the Palazzo by Marlena de Blasi
• That Summer in Sicily by Marlena de Blasi
• Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
• Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
• Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

And I also bought a new book from Barnes & Noble, one which I am so excited about!  The Last Hunt by Bruce Coville, the fourth and final book of The Unicorn Chronicles.  My mom read the first book from this series to my brother and I when we were 8 and 9 years old.  Now, almost 16 years later, the final book is here, and I'll be rereading the series aloud to my brother and our two younger sisters who have become devoted fans as well.  I'm just so excited to see how this series is going to end after all these years of waiting!

Challenge 3, Day 14

So my challenge is failing miserably.  Normally, by day 14, I would have had so many books read.  Unfortunately, the month is almost halfway done, and I've only read three books.  That's terrible!  And of course, my reason for falling so far behind.... dun dun dun duuuunnnn... TV, DVDs, computer games, Netflix.  All of the things I separated myself from last month-- I have succumbed to them once again.  Yesterday is an amazing example of this.  I had hours free to read the books I just got out of the library, and instead spent several of those free hours watching Say Yes to the Dress.  (Love that show!)  And then there's all the shows currently on right now.  Yes, Castle and Glee are over until next season (**sniff**), but now Lie to Me has returned, and Leverage is coming back, and there are some really interesting new shows starting up (Covert Affairs, Rubicon).  And we can't forget the Jane Austen/Shakespeare/fairy-tale adaptations that my sister and I are watching.  On Saturday, we watched Mansfield Park (the 1999 version) and the newest BBC miniseries, Emma (which I completely forgot to review so that will be coming up soon too).  Now we're both in a Jane Austen mood, and my Netflix queue is packed with Austen adaptations all begging to be watched.

This is going to be a very interesting month.  If I can't find a way to budget my time, so that I can read, watch TV, and update this blog, then this challenge will be a failure before it's even over.  I feel like I should have waited to start this challenge, rather than rush into it right after I finished the second challenge.  Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.

Title: A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure
Author: Marlena de Blasi
Format: Paperback
Pages: 325
Genre: Memoir/Travelogue/Cookbook
Date Started: ???
Date Finished: May 1, 2010

Rating: A-

Description (from Barnes & Noble): They had met and married on perilously short acquaintance, she an American chef and food writer, he a Venetian banker. Now they were taking another audacious leap, unstitching their ties with exquisite Venice to live in a roughly renovated stable in Tuscany.

Once again, it was love at first sight. Love for the timeless countryside and the ancient village of San Casciano dei Bagni, for the local vintage and the magnificent cooking, for the Tuscan sky and the friendly church bells. Love especially for old Barlozzo, the village mago, who escorts the newcomers to Tuscany’s seasonal festivals; gives them roasted country bread drizzled with just-pressed olive oil; invites them to gather chestnuts, harvest grapes, hunt truffles; and teaches them to caress the simple pleasures of each precious day. It’s Barlozzo who guides them across the minefields of village history and into the warm and fiercely beating heart of love itself.

A Thousand Days in Tuscany is set in one of the most beautiful places on earth–and tucked into its fragrant corners are luscious recipes (including one for the only true bruschetta) directly from the author’s private collection.

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Thank you, thank you, thank you to my sister for getting me this book!! It was fun, romantic, interesting, with recipes and descriptions of food that made you want to jump on the first plane to Tuscany just to eat there.

This book is what Under the Tuscan Sun should have been. If you read my review on that book, you know that I think the movie is a thousand times better than the book. I didn't even bother to finish reading it, it was so long-winded and boring. A Thousand Days in Tuscany has almost the same premise, but it's written a zillion times better. In both books, the main character is a remarried woman moving to a pretty run-down home in a small Tuscan village with her husband. She struggles to make the place livable and to become a part of the community. But Under the Tuscan Sun failed at making its story interesting because of drawn-out descriptions of construction and a whole chapter on the location of wells on the property. There was no personal, emotional connection with the people in the story because they came second to the story of the house's reconstruction. The reason I think A Thousand Days in Tuscany is such a success is because it switched the focus to the people and their lives and emotions. It was so easy to relate to de Blasi because she allowed you into her thoughts. She wrote about the people she met, her husband, herself. They made Tuscany seem much more alive and real.

I love the way de Blasi writes too. Since everyone around her is speaking Italian, she writes their dialogue in their native tongue, followed by the English translation. Some might find that annoying, but I liked it. I think it was her way of showing that the Italians said it better. It also helped me learn a new language. I didn't learn a lot of course, but at least now I know certain words and phrases.

I guess my only problem with the book was one chapter that just seemed unnecessary. That chapter also includes some content which I'm hesitant to let my sister read. It was just a very awkward, somewhat inappropriate, and completely pointless part of an awesome story. The rest of the book was great, and as soon as I found out my library had de Blasi's first memoir, I ordered it right away. A-

Unplugged Book List

Here's a list of all the books I read during Unplugged, most of which I will be reviewing.  The books marked with an asterisk (*) are ones that I had read before and decided to reread, and if they're marked with two asterisks (**), they're books I've already reviewed on this blog.  I think there are only two books on the list that were rereads; the rest were all new to me.

Unplugged Reading List

1. April Lady by Georgette Heyer
2. Arabella by Georgette Heyer
3. The Convenient Marriage** by Georgette Heyer
4. The Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
5. The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer
6. Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer
7. Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer
8. A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
9. Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer
10. The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer
11. Spindle's End* by Robin McKinley
12. The Sword and the Flame by Stephen R. Lawhead
13. A Thousand Days in Tuscany by Marlena de Blasi
14. A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi
15. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

If I could read fifteen books in May, when I wasn't rushing to meet a deadline, I think there's a good chance I could read thirty books this month.  The statistics for last month are also very interesting.

• 9 of the 15 were Georgette Heyer books; therefore 9 were Regency romance.
• Only 4 were fantasy novels, and fantasy is my favorite.
• 2 were memoirs/travelogues by the same author.
• 5 were from a series: 2 from Pratchett's YA series, 2 from de Blasi's memoir series, 1 from Lawhead's Dragon King trilogy.
• Only 2 were young adult novels, which is unusual because most of my TBR list is made up of YA books.

And now it is time to review all of them.  So I will be writing fifteen reviews in the next day or two (panic!).  I am so extremely happy that I kept a book journal; otherwise, all my book reviews would have to be 50-word reviews.  Two thumbs-up to Barnes & Noble for selling an awesome Moleskine book journal! (I like the movie & recipe journals too!)

Challenge 3, Day 2

My original plan for the first book of Thirty Books in 30 Days was a Georgette Heyer novel, but since my library doesn't have any, and my interlibrary loan was sent back before I could pick it up, I will be attacking my TBR list.  My starting book is Here, There Be Dragons by James Owens.  It's the first book of The Chronicles of Imaginarium Geographica, and it looks awesome, so I'm looking forward to reading it.  But first I must review my May books, which I hope to finish either tonight or tomorrow.

Now that Unplugged is over, and I'm free to watch TV and movies, I realize that I'm not really craving Glee or Castle or Lie to Me (new episode next Monday!!) or even Leverage (obsessed!).  What I truly miss and must watch are my Jane Austen/Shakespeare/fairy-tale adaptations.  I am craving Mansfield Park, Twelfth Night, and Ever After!  I mean, I definitely want to catch up on all my TV shows, but I'm probably going to put those off until I've watched a couple period-piece dramas.  I blame it on the many Georgette Heyer novels I read last month.  You just can't read that many Regency romances without it affecting you.

Challenge 3, The Rules

Now that Unplugged is over, it is on to the third and final (as of now) challenge- Thirty Books in 30 Days. I have the month of June to read thirty books, which might not seem too hard since there are lots of easy books out there. Hence why I have come up with the following rules:

• The books will all be new, as in I've never read them before. It's way too easy while rereading to skip or skim through parts you don't care for or find boring.
  
• The books must be at least 200 pages. And the font can't be huge. And there can't be a thousand pictures. I want this challenge to be... a challenge.
• The books must be age-appropriate. No children's books, picture books, books marked ages 8-12. Some young adult books are allowed, as long as they're talking about young ADULT (as in mature topics/writing, not mature content), not ages 13-17.
• I can't lose sleep over this. At 11:30 pm every night (except Fridays), it doesn't matter where I am in the book or how agonizing the cliffhanger is, I will put it down and go to sleep. Since I don't have anything on Saturdays, I can stay up a little later the night before.
• I will update my blog regularly. Not only will I review all the books I read in May, I will also stay up-to-date with the books I'm reading in June. So I'm thinking that at least once a week, as soon as I've finished my May reviews, I will post concise reviews of the June books.
• I will read at least 6 books from my already long TBR list. There's no sense in getting all new books when I already have so many at home that need to be read.

And that's about it. I'm very interested to see if I can accomplish this. I've always been a fast reader, but now I'll actually get to test my speed. There will also be some other obstacles to overcome. For example, today is day one, and instead of starting on my reviews or my reading, I will be going to a friend's house to scrapbook. And this weekend, I will be camping. So there are already some hurdles to get over, but I'm confident that I will be able to succeed. I think I will start with a Georgette Heyer novel. :)

I'm back!

The 2nd challenge is over, and I am very proud to say that I only cheated a very little.  I did go see Shrek 4 with my friends, because I knew that if I didn't go with them, I'd end up having to see it alone.  And seriously, who likes going to the movies alone?

The best part of removing myself from the internet and TV was how many books I read.  I got back into my reading groove and rediscovered my love of Georgette Heyer's novels.  It was just awesome!  I did,of course, miss Castle and Glee, but thanks to Hulu, I will be able to catch up quickly.

The goals I reached this challenge:

• Reading one book a week.  (I actually read several a week.)
• 6 new pages in my scrapbook.
• Cooking dinner and trying new recipes.  (I will be posting one for zucchini Parmesan crisps. Yummy!)
• Getting a guest blogger.  (I only got one, but that's better than none.  And he did a great job.  Go, Sean!)

So the challenge worked out great, and I have no intention of falling back to my old habits.  I will read!!

Challenge 2, Day 19 - A hijacking long, long overdue

Reporting live from the scene at home base, this is Sean, the brother of your regular blogger, checking in with the latest on the Unplugged Challenge. Ash is surviving the separation from her television and computer fairly well but it remains to be seen what will happen if some of her siblings drop purposefully vague comments about what she's been missing some of her favorite television shows... more on that later... maybe. After all, just because she's not going to be able to read this for about another two weeks doesn't give me the liberty to use that window to embarrass her (though I must confess, as her younger brother, it is oh so very tempting). That being said, I owe her a review! Be warned, it's not going to look very much like one of the regular reviews but then, I never promised I'd follow the standard format.

Title: Paper Towns

Author: John Green

Format: Paperback

Pages: 305

Genre: Real Life/Mystery/Adventure/I-find-the-concept-of-genre-too-limiting

Date Started: April 26th, 2010

Date Finished: April 26th, 2010

While trying to think of something to review, I was considering writing about the new Doctor Who series when this book literally fell into my lap. Right off the shelf, no joke.

The Barnes and Noble Summary: Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge— he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues— and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew.

For starters, the summary you've just read -- assuming you did read it but, if you didn't, I shall be very cross -- doesn't really tell you what Paper Towns is about. It certainly does a good job of telling you what happens, but it swings so wide of the real purpose of the book that it nearly misses it entirely. But I wasn't asked to do a review of a book summary, so I shall instead provide my own:

Take a look at the people around you. Whatever it is that you think you know about these people is wrong, and no one learns this in a more powerful way than Quentin Jacobsen as he questions everything he knows about how we see each other and ourselves while he searches for a girl that only existed in his own mind.

So that would be a better, fairly accurate summarization of the book that doesn't really give anything away. Now on to the review bit.

Honestly, I really didn't know what to make of this book as I sat down and began to read it. I'd heard the first chapter before - the author read it in a video on his youtube channel - and so I was expecting something exciting. In fact, this one section unfolds so slowly that my first attempt at reading the book ended after the first chapter, and I didn't look at the book again for several months.

This has turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made in regards to a book. The book quickly picks up the pace again and maintains this high energy right until the very last page. The interplay between the characters is excellent and frequently had me laughing out loud which is, given the fact that I was sitting on a crowded bus while I was reading, really saying something. But perhaps the best part of the book are the internal monologues that the main character uses to describe the action happening around him, which are witty, imaginative, and just plain fun, which made him easy to relate to and that made the book that much more enjoyable.

As much as I like this book, there are a few points that I have against it. As I mentioned earlier, there's the slow-down early in the book. But then there's what I found to be the greatest problem with the book. When the author created characters in this story, he made them fairly typical, secular, American teenagers, and he remained true to the language of your typical secular American teenager, which means that I can't recommend this book to younger readers (I won't attempt to define what age that constitutes). But then, this book does come from the Young Adult section and contains some plot elements that would go right over the heads of many readers below the target age range. That being said, I give this book an A- for young adults and up and an F for younger readers. For those of you who decide to give this book a go, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And now I need to hurry and get this posted... I've been working on it on and off for 13 days now so I'm a bit late (hence why I don't blog at all regularly). Ciao!