A Work in Progress

Sleepless Nights

I am feeling my limitations as a reader.  I'm afraid Elizabeth Hardwick's Sleepless Nights has defeated me.  I made it 43 pages into the book before setting it aside.  I am disappointed in myself, but it was just too much work, and I felt like I was not getting anything out of the experience.  I hate to admit this (especially in the meme I answered yesterday when I said I like to be exposed to different sorts of books), but I found myself so confused at times that I wondered what I was going to take with me when I finished the book.  I would read a section that was really lovely, but then she would change subjects and I would be wondering who she was referring to--did I just miss something?  Is she talking about her friend, J., or Billie Holiday?  I put my failure down to crankiness.  I am tired of the weather and a host of other minor annoyances in my life at the moment.  My patience just wore sort of thin.  I figured I would not finish it by the time the Slaves began discussing it, so....I picked up a different book instead.

What is so disappointing is that from what I have read Hardwick is considered an important author.  Sleepless Nights is described as:

"An inspired fusion of fact and invention, this beautifully realized, hard-bitten, lyrical book is not only Elizabeth Hardwick's finest fiction but one of the outstanding contributions to American literature of the last fifty years."

Great.  An important contribution to American literature and I couldn't even get halfway through the book!  What does this say about me as a reader?  Can I only make it through books that are completely plot driven and in no way experimental (not sure this is considered experimental, but it seems to me that it isn't your standard sort of novel)?  Elizabeth Hardwick is one of the founders of The New York Review of Books, which I am guessing was meant to be an alternative to the New York Times Book Review.  She wrote a scathing article in Harpers about what she felt was the decline in book reviewing (this was in 1959).  She was also married to the poet Robert Lowell.  There is something very poetic about her prose, so this union of author/critic and poet is not at all surprising.  I hate to even wonder what she must think of book loggers!

I am not going to return my copy of the book to the library just yet.  I am hoping that the Slaves posts and discussion will inspire me to pick the book up again and continue on (now that there will be no pressure to finish by a certain day).  I hate to be negative about any book--just because I didn't groove with this book right now doesn't mean it might not appeal to other readers (and perhaps I need to approach it later when I am in a different mood).  Just to give you a taste of her writing, here is a passage that I enjoyed:

"In my youth, at home in Kentucky, there was a dance place just outside of town called Joyland Park.  In the summer the great bands arrived, Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Chick Webb, sometimes for a Friday and Saturday or merely for one night.  When I speak of the great bands it must not be taken to mean that we thought of them as such.  No, they were part of the summer nights and hot dog stands, the fetid swimming pool heavy with chlorine, the screaming roller coaster, the old rain-splintered picnic tables, the broken iron swings.  And the bands were also part of Southern drunkenness, couples drinking Coke and whiskey, vomiting, being unfaithful, lovelorn, frantic.  The black musicians, with their cumbersome instruments, their tuxedos, were simply there to beat out time for stumbling, cuddling fox-trotting of the period."

Her writing is very visual, but also very straightforward here.  Unfortunately for me, it didn't all read this easily.  It just didn't mesh. I kept looking for a thread I could follow, and it wasn't there.  I think part of the problem is I tried to read it in a big swallow, and it seems I might have had more success starting this earlier and just reading a small section at a time.  This is definitely not a race to the finish to find out what happens sort of book.  This is a take your time, be leisurely and enjoy the words sort of book, I think.  I wonder if there is some connection between my inability to read poetry and my failure to get through a book like this?  Hmm.  And to think this was the book I voted for (and have abandoned--at least temporarily).  Now I am sort of wishing I had picked Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood instead.  Pirates, swashbuckling adventures... 

Why I Blog Meme

Stefanie has very kindly tagged me for the "Why I Blog Meme", which has been popping up a lot lately.  I suspect my reasons will not be terribly different than what you have already read before, but as I am feeling uninspired otherwise (and life is rather boring in my part of the world) the timing for this meme is perfect.

First a little background on how this blog even came about...the first year I did this (I started in January of 2005), my Typepad subscription was a Christmas gift from my sister.  I was aware of blogs, but I really never bothered to read them.  When I got an email from Typepad I thought it was spam and promptly deleted it (wasn't I terribly savvy?).  After my sister asked about it I had to admit what I did and she had to ask them to resend the log-in information.  Had I known better I would have probably chosen a different blog name, and I definitely would have made my URL a little more anonymous, but oh well.  Live and learn.  I had no idea what to talk about, so it was mostly a bit of this and that (not just books) and the posts were about one small paragraph long.  If you go back in my archives you can see that no one ever read me, no one ever left comments and things were a bit on the sad side here.  At some point in the year I discovered book blogs.  I think the first ones I read were So Many Books, Pages Turned, Book World and Bookgirl's Nightstand.  As I had an affinity for reading and books and saw others talking about books almost exclusively, my blog evolved to how it is now.  And of course my blogroll has pretty much exploded and I often add new book blogs to my blogroll. 

So why I blog:

1. When I discovered book bloggers, there was this wonderful realization that others read as much as I did and now I had somewhere to to share my love of books.  I found my little niche in the blogosphere and decided I liked this blogging thing.
2. This should probably the number one reason for me--the conversation.  I really don't have many people here to talk about books with--at least not how I do here.  There seem to be an endless number of readers out there that I can and do chat with about books and authors.
3. This is a sort of online personal journal about the books I read.  I can make it as detailed or simple as I like.  I keep track of what I have read, what I thought about it, what I want to read, what I want to buy or have bought.  You get the idea.
4. Blogging has widened my reading horizons greatly!  I read more and I read better now than I ever did.  I have been exposed to books I think I might never have even heard of before.  I think about books differently now. 
5. I'm addicted and can't stop now.  I really look forward to posting and I look forward to reading comments and visiting other blogs and seeing what is new.  And it isn't just about books really anymore.  Although I have never met any other bloggers and I can't say I really "know" anyone whose blogs I read or who might happen by and read my posts, but I feel like I sort of know people--at least their online personas.  I think I would miss not hearing from people if I didn't blog.

I think a lot of people have answered this meme, but I will tag a few people anyway: Matt, Eva, Cipriano, Equiano and Tara.  And of course if you haven't yet been tagged but want to play along, please feel free to meme-away!   

At Loose Ends

For a good solid week I was lost in the world of Harry Potter.  First trying to catch up by reading book 6 and then sucked into the last book to see how things finally ended.  Whenever I get so involved in a fictional world like that it can be sort of hard trying to orient myself again in my reading.   

There are books I definitely need to be reading--a few advance reader's editions and the next Slave book primarily.  I had planned to choose a book from my new list, but then I thought I had better pay attention to some other books first.  Of course in the end I did break down and choose a book from the list.  I decided on one that looks light and easy and entertaining (and is also not terribly long)--Barbara Pym's Excellent Women.  I am literally just starting it, but I get the feeling I am going to like Mildred Lathbury a lot.  This is called a comic novel, so it sounds just perfect after the heaviness of the last HP book.

I also finally have gotten around to picking up the next Slaves book, Elizabeth Hardwick's Sleepless Nights.  I am not sure what to think yet, but it is too early to tell.  It is not the usual sort of novel I am used to.  It rather meanders.  I think it must be set in the 50s.  The book blurb (via Barnes and Noble as my copy is a jacketless library hardcover with absolutely no description) says:  "Intelligent, lyrical, and partly autobiographical, Sleepless Nights is a scrapbook of memories: the first pangs of sexual longing, Billie Holiday holding forth in a cheap hotel, and the swagger and heartbreak of New York City."  I like the idea of "scrapbook of memories" as that is what it feels like!  More on this one later.  Even if I am a bit lost in the story, the prose is lovely.

I also am getting back into P.D. James's Devices and Desires, as I was enjoying it when I left off a week ago.  At the moment the scene is being set and I am trying to get a handle on what Dalgliesh is like.  I wish I could be somewhere along the Norfolk coast in a cottage, though I could do without a serial killer!  I like P.D. James's writing style and find myself very often wanting to grab this book to find out what happens.

I am also dipping into two of my AREs--Mademoiselle Victorine by Debra Finerman (is it possible to enjoy a book yet dislike the main character? --will have to see how this one goes), and Gifted by Nikita Lalwani (have just met a very young Rumi, the main character, who is gifted in mathematics).  I will need to settle down with one (or two) of these books very soon, but I couldn't decide.  Sometimes it is nice to get a little taste of different plots after one story has gotten all my attention for a while.

Blogging Meme

Eva from A Striped Armchair has tagged me for a meme.

--Start Copy--

It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)

Add the next number (1. 2. 3. 4. 5., etc.) and write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.

After that, tag 10 other people.

1. Look, read, and learn. **- NeonScent
2. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. **- Bush Mackel
3. Don’t let money change ya! *- The Random Forest
4. Always reply to your comments. ******-The Kat House
5. Link liberally — it keeps you and your friends afloat in the Sea of Technorati. ***-Chip's Quips
6. Don’t give up - persistence is fertile. *-Velcro City Tourist Board
7. Give link credit where credit is due. ****- SF Signal
8. Pictures say a thousand words and can usually add to any post.***- Sci Fi Chick
9. Visit all the bloggers that leave comments for you - it's nice to know who is reading! ***- Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic
10. When commenting on others’ blogs, a few kind words go a long way. – ** Shelf Life
11. When you're starting out, comment on all the blogs you like to read; that way the bloggers will know that you exist! ;) - * A Striped Armchair
12.  A hint for keeping track of favorite blogs--use a news aggregator such as Bloglines--it makes life so much simpler! - A Work in Progress

--End Copy--

I can never decide who to tag for things like these, so please feel free to do the meme and add a tip of your own if you are so inclined.

Coming Up for Air

You might not hear me say such a shocking thing for the rest of the summer, but I am actually glad for the heat and humidity that we had today.  I think I might have mentioned that my library is in phase 2 of its renovations.  Nearly the entire first floor (where I used to work) has been vacated so the floor can be broken up and the concrete re-poured.  We have been dealing with messy construction all spring and summer.  Two departments, including mine, had to relocate up to the third floor into a rather small space.  I'm not quite sure what has been going on this week--the air handlers or the AC was shut off, and the last two days have been suffocatingly hot in the area where I now work.  We all have tiny little offices and the temperature has been pushing 90 both days.  It has not been a pleasant work environment and I think most of us have been hot and cranky.  And then a small miracle occurred today.  The administration let us go home about three hours early. 

This meant I have had a nice solid afternoon and evening of uninterrupted reading time.  I can finally rejoin the land of the living--I just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  There comes a point in the book, and for me it was early on, where you really don't want to, practically physically can't set the book down.  So now all has been revealed to me.  I can sigh a sigh of relief to know ALL.  I can finally visit everyone's blogs again.  I thoroughly enjoyed the story--it was definitely darker than the previous novels, but well done.  As much as I have enjoyed reading the HP books, though, I am glad they have come to an end.  My life is now my own again, and no doubt my family will be glad when the book goes on the shelf with the six others. 

Now...back to my regularly scheduled reading!

Thinking Ahead: A Thursday Thirteen

Earlier this year I made a list of ten books I wanted to read in 2007.   I have actually managed to read five of them and have started a sixth book from the list.  I am not sure I will read the remaining four...perhaps, but I thought I would make a new list of books I wouldn't mind reading in the second half of 2007.  The problem with sticking with one particular list is that as time goes by my mood changes, or I discover new books and authors that I would like to read.  I do plan on finishing all the books that are listed in my sidebar (a few have been long time stragglers that I need to finish), and of course there will be the odd book club book and perhaps a challenge or two (am thinking about Carl's RIP and Heather mentioned a Victorian book challenge), but otherwise here are some books I have wanted to read and would love to squeeze in this year still:

1. Kristin Lavransdatter, Sigrid Undset - I want to start this as soon as I finish Don Quixote.  I plan on finishing next month, but I may step up my reading a bit.  I am only about 300 pages away from the end and I am sort of feeling like I need to get the rest read rather than dragging out the story in little bite sized pieces.
2. Excellent Women, Barbara Pym - I have heard so many good things about Pym--I think I know already that I will like her.
3. Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont, Elizabeth Taylor - I really enjoyed the book I read by her earlier this year and want to read more.
4. A Passage to India, E.M. Forster - This might be my other lone Modern Library title that I read this year (I didn't do very well with ML books).  I have been in the mood to read something by Forster for a while.
5. Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky - I have wanted to read this since I heard about it.  After seeing so many varying reviews I'd like to read it for myself.
6. The Road, Cormac McCarthy - Somehow the subject matter never quite appeals to me, but I do want to read this.  I may just have to pick it up and read it in one go.
7. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson or The Priory, Dorothy Whipple - I have been very, very much in the mood to order some new titles from Persephone Books (am trying hard to resist), but I think I should read some I already own.  They all sound so good, I am sure I won't be disappointed (at least I hope not) by whatever I choose.
8. Foreign Affairs, Alison Lurie - The story sounds really appealing to me right now, and I have only heard good things about it.
9. Aristocrats: Caroline, Emily, Louisa and Sarah Lennox, 1750-1832 , S.K. Tillyard - I loved the miniseries and have been wanting to read the biography of these fascinating sisters.
10. Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates - This is supposed to be a modern classic.  I have had it for ages, and it is now being made into a movie.  I think it is time to finally pull it out and read it.
11. Mysteries of Udolpho, Ann Radcliffe - This sounds like great fun.  I actually want to read this as Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey is supposed to be a parody of it.  I'd like to read all of Jane Austen's major novels (only two would be rereads) next year, so this would be perfect to read ahead of time.
12. The Go-Between, L.P. Hartley - Another book that has come highly recommended.  I had it on my amazon wishlist for a long time and finally broke down and bought it. 
13. Beware of Pity, Stefan Zweig - This just sounds so good: "Hofmiller, an Austro-Hungarian cavalry officer stationed at the edge of the empire, is invited to a party at the home of a rich local landowner, a world away from the dreary routine of the barracks. The surroundings are glamorous, wine flows freely, and the exhilarated young Hofmiller asks his host's lovely daughter for a dance, only to discover that sickness has left her painfully crippled. It is a minor blunder that will destroy his life, as pity and guilt gradually implicate him in a well-meaning but tragically wrongheaded plot to restore the unhappy invalid to health."

I think I am being very optimistic, but you never know what you might accomplish.  It was very hard narrowing it down to only 13.  I left off Penelope Fitzgerald and Margaret Forster (I do plan on reading one of her books still, very soon).  I would like to read something by D.H. Lawrence still.  There are those new books I mentioned recently that I want to read soon.  But the titles listed above are books I have wanted to read for ages, and have talked about (probably too much).  Now I think I will have to pick out one of them to start as soon as I finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  Which to choose, which to choose...

In the Meantime...

Everything computer related has been quite mutinous lately.  First my I get the "black screen of death" on my home computer.  Then I lose connectivity to the internet.  Last night Typepad decided to go down (I have since heard there was a power outage in San Francisco where they are based, which caused this).  And then of course there is the (ongoing) Bloglines problem we have been experiencing!  So instead of working on the computer I pulled out a book and read.  Since I didn't get to work on a proper post last night I thought I would share my latest needlework finish instead.  It can be used as a pincushion, but really it is mostly intended to just to sit there and look pretty.  The designer is one of my favorites--Prairie Schooler.  What I like about her designs is that they use the most basic of materials.  Plain fabrics, and inexpensive cotton DMC floss.  I usually can buy these charts and know I already have supplies at home to stitch the design (unlike other designers who use expensive hand dyed fabrics, which can be hard to get, and even more expensive silk flosses--they are gorgeous, but a big strain on the pocket book).  This one happens to be something I made for a birthday gift for a friend.  I stitched and sewed it completely by hand.  I even made the little tassels.  Now if it would only really rain here.  By the way, the flowers you see peeking in the photo have long since been eaten by nasty little insects.

This is what the back looks like.   I tend to get lazy and leave off any sort of personalizations, but I guess I was feeling energetic  for once.  Actually I always think I should put my name on my work somewhere, then when it ends up in a garage sale they buyer will have an inkling of who made it (isn't that a depressing thought--my lovely little needlework projects laying around unwanted and for sale for 25 cents!).  Just kidding...at least I hope. 

You won't be surprised to know what I was reading... I finished Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and am now about 150 pages into the new HP book.  At least I don't feel quite so left out now.  I hope it won't take me long to read it, although I am really enjoying the story, I am also itching to pick up some of my other books as well very soon.

Getting Myself in Trouble

First there was the Harper Collins First Look program.  Then there was/is the occasional offer of a review copy from authors or publicists.  The newest place to (possibly) snag an advance reader's edition (or as they are calling them-Early Reviewer Copies) is at Library Thing.  In case you aren't familiar with Library Thing, you can use it to create an online catalog of your books.   

I think I get myself into trouble with these opportunities, but I can't resist some of them.  Although I only accept or put my name in for a possible review copy for books I am really interested it, there is still the tiny bit of added pressure that these books really do need to be read in a timely manner, if I am going to accept them.  I have two of these books sitting on my night stand at the moment; Mademoiselle Victorine by Debra Finerman and The Chess Machine by Robert Lohr.  I have both started and was enjoying the stories when I was interrupted by Harry Potter (will be finishing book 6 tonight).  So much for reading plans.  I'm feeling a tad bit guilty seeing them sit there, but as soon as I find out what happens to Harry, I will get back to them!

On a whim I decided to try for one of the review copies available through Library Thing from Random House.  Last month they offered copies of several titles to LT members.  I was too late try for any copies, but this month I caught the list just in time.  I threw my name in for one, decided I already had too many books going, took out my name, then changed my mind thinking I would never have a chance anyway.  There were a mere 70 review copies available and 543 interested members!  Somehow I have managed to nab a copy, which coming in the mail.  I thought Gifted by Nikita Lalwani sounded interesting and am looking forward to reading it:

"In this penetrating coming-of-age debut from London-based Lalwani, 14-year-old Rumika Vasi struggles to fulfill her mathematical gifts and her family's demands on them, while also finding friendship and romance. Rumi, labeled gifted in kindergarten, becomes subject to the grim home teaching of her father, Mahesh, a professor of mathematics at the University of Swansea in Wales. The goal: to be accepted to Oxford by age 14. Shreene, Rumi's mother, resentfully accepts the household dominance of Rumi's studies while worrying about how to raise her to be a proper young Indian woman. Rumi longs to be in India, where lots of girls are good at math and where she feels at home among her extended family. The pull of romance is also soon part of Rumi's equation." (Publishers Weekly)

Another one to add to the queue.  I'm not sure anymore that I could ever be an editor or a professional book reviewer.  Too much pressure (I wonder if I would lose the pleasure of the act of reading when there was always a deadline involved), and I would always be thinking about the TBR piles languishing at home.  Still, an occasional review copy can be fun to get and read, and I have come across some very good books I might not otherwise have found on my own. 

Miscellanea

I am feeling slightly left out.  Did everyone who bought a copy of the last Harry Potter manage to read it already?  I am about 200 pages away from finishing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.  I'm not sure I can finish tonight but surely by tomorrow.  Maybe by next weekend I will know the secret, too.  Although no one has overtly told any spoilers (thanks for all the heads up on posts, so I know what to avoid until I finish reading, too), I have been hearing lots of things and I want in on the secret, too (but shh, don't tell me--I want to be surprised).  Did I mention I considered opening my copy to the last few pages....?  Don't worry, I'm not going to do it (but I am not the only one who had that urge!).  Check out Bluestalking Reader's photos of people reading Harry Potter in Chicago.   

Is it just me, or has anyone else been having problems with Bloglines?  I have been noticing my book folder filled with hundreds of new posts, only to discover that Bloglines is showing much older posts from anyone I haven't marked with "ignore updated items".  I have been trying to go back and make sure I have "ignore" on all my subscriptions to avoid this, but even the "ignores" are showing old posts.  I guess I should just be happy I don't actually have that many posts to read...I am already far enough behind on those as well.

Since this is a wandering post, can I just say I am tired of summer?  That probably sounds awful, but unless you are a kid and are off from school for the duration, it is just work as normal.  The only thing new is now you have to navigate life with the added annoyance of heat and humidity.  Same old thing, different day but now you get to sweat while you do it.  I get tired and cranky about this time of year, you'll have to forgive me.  Is July almost finished?  I know I said I wasn't going to complain, but my little computer/treadmill room is so stifling I almost can't bear it anymore.  I dread using the computer or walking.  Okay, there, I've complained...I promise to do better now.  Maybe I need to find a good book set in say Alaska or Siberia.  Scenes of frigid snowstorms.  Frozen ponds.  Parkas and gloves.  Any suggestions?  And yes, next January when it is indeed frigid and icy I will be looking for books set on tropical islands!  What can I say, I just want moderate temperatures...something I will never get living where I live!  Oh well.  It's good to have a vivid imagination.

Fur: Diane Arbus (and Other Movies)

I watched the strangest film today.  I never got around to reordering my Netflix queue last week, so they sent me the next two on the list.  One happened to be Fur with Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr.  I'm not even sure how it got on my list.  It is supposed to be a "fictional biography" of the life of photographer Diane Arbus--meaning I am not sure how much of the film is actually based on reality.  I read somewhere that this is sort of an invented story of where she got her inspiration to take her first photo.  I'm familiar with some of her work, but not with her life story.  She was a typical 50s (born in 1923) housewife.  Her husband had a photo studio and photographed models for magazine covers and ads.  He apparently encouraged her to also take photos, and she did--but they were vastly different than his.  Her photos very often were of subjects on the fringe of society.  She was a very unusual person and now I am intrigued by her and her work and plan on reading more about her.  I'm planning on getting ahold of Patricia's Bosworth's biography, Diane Arbus and seeing what books of photography we have of her in the library.  The film was interesting--good in an artsy sort of way, but I am not altogether sure that it wasn't a bit over the top.  Still, I did really enjoy it when I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into!

I'm afraid I didn't really enjoy The Good German with George Clooney and Cate Blanchett, which I also watched this weekend.  I think I disliked it for the same reasons I liked Fur.  It was filmed in B&W (though I did like how they interspersed actual WWII footage into the film) and had an artsy feel to it.  I'm sure they were trying to make it feel atmospheric, but it mostly just annoyed me, and I don't really mind B&W films.  As much as I like Cate Blanchett, even she couldn't redeem the film for me.  I have the book, The Good German by Joseph Kanon, but now I am not sure I will read it.  I think I was just in the wrong mood to watch it--usually I like these sorts of WWII thrillers.

I did see a very good film a few weeks ago that I would recommend, if you like crime/mystery-ish sorts of movies.  The Dead Girl directed by Karen Moncrieff was really excellent.  There are some violent scenes and the subject matter is rather dark--about a young murdered woman--but it is well done all around.  The film moves backwards--from the discovery of a body at the beginning to the end where we see how the murder came about.  What's interesting is the interaction between characters who don't know each other but are brought together--or how their paths unknowingly cross--because of the murder and how everyone is affected by it. 

I seem to be all over the place in terms of movies, don't I?  I never quite know what to add to my queue, but I am willing to try films that are completely unknown to me.  I have found some really good ones by taking these chances, and some...well...not so good ones.  I have several more on my pile to get to (from the public library) including Masterpiece Theatre's Frenchman's Creek.  I'm almost a little afraid of watching this one.  I really liked the book and am afraid what the movie might be like, but surely Masterpiece Theatre has done it justice?  I'll find out soon enough.