medieval bookworm

When she is a young girl, Maggie’s parents are killed in a raid on her home in Scotland.  Luckily for her, she meets a wounded soldier that she can escort back to his wife, Hannah, who is a skilled midwife.  When Alan, the soldier, dies, Hannah takes Maggie in and teaches her everything she knows, until she too passes away of consumption.  When Maggie is left on her own, the town turns against her, calling her “Black Maggie” and deciding that she must be a witch.  Maggie decides to immigrate to America as an indentured bondswoman to start a new life away from the rumors.

This book was a pleasure to read.  I liked Maggie and I wanted her to do well in America.  In fact, I liked all of the sympathetic characters - Maggie, Naomi, Seth, the children, and Tom.   I enjoyed the image of frontier America that the book gave me; nearly everyone stood by one another when the Indians came.  Something else that I particularly enjoyed was the insight into the Indians’ ways as well.  They weren’t just villainized.  Blevins did a good job of showing us that there were two sides to the conflict, and that white people could be just as savage as Native Americans.  Furthermore, it allowed the author to introduce the challenges endured by those who were raised by the Indians but were biologically white, another fascinating feature of the story.

It was a challenge at first to get used to the Scottish dialect used in the book, but I did get accustomed to it in the end and it stopped bothering me.  I’m not sure it added to the book, but it didn’t hurt it, either, and I was reminded of the characters’ origins every time they opened their mouths.

I would recommend this book, most likely to people who enjoy historical fiction as it sits firmly in that genre.  I certainly enjoyed reading it. Buy this book on Amazon.

Today’s Booking Through Thursday question:

I was looking through books yesterday at the shops and saw all the Twilight books, which I know basically nothing about. What I do know is that I’m beginning to feel like I’m the *only* person who knows nothing about them.

Despite being almost broke and trying to save money, I almost bought the expensive book (Australian book prices are often completely nutty) just because I felt the need to be ‘up’ on what everyone else was reading.

Have you ever felt pressured to read something because ‘everyone else’ was reading it? Have you ever given in and read the book(s) in question or do you resist? If you are a reviewer, etc, do you feel it’s your duty to keep up on current trends?

It depends.  If I’m interested in the book, popularity may cause it to loom larger in my book radar and I’ll read it faster than a different, less popular book.  Sometimes I do read books to see what all the fuss is about - namely The Da Vinci Code, which I have to say, I didn’t like very much and I still don’t really get why it became so popular.  I’ve read all the Harry Potter books and I’m not ashamed to say that I love them, but I was extremely resistant to hop on that bandwagon in the beginning.  I only read the first one because I needed to read a new book for a school assignment and I’d read all my books, so I had to resort to my mom’s collection, and there it was.

I haven’t read the Twilight series.  I don’t plan to unless I can find them for extremely cheap.  I don’t mind vampires and paranormal stuff, but I do mind irritating heroines and completely unrealistic love, which I’ve heard this book has.  The varying reports on the final book didn’t really persuade me that the series was a must read, either.

As a reviewer, I do like to read the books that everyone else is talking about and newer books, so that my reviews are more relevant.  That doesn’t stop me from reviewing the books that I’ve had for a while, though, or that no one seems to have read but me.  They are just as interesting and if I’m reading them, I might as well tell other people how they are while I’m at it.

This Newbery Honor Book chronicles the adventures of Harry, a young girl who has just moved to Damar following the demise of both of her parents.  Unexpectedly, Harry loves the desert land, but she dislikes her position as a ward.  Little does she know what lies in store when the Hillfolk King, Corlath, comes for her in the night, but it is more than she ever dreamed.

Just like The Hero and the Crown, I loved this book.  I was a bit worried when starting it, as it didn’t seem to be close to the same and I’d got my hopes up.  As soon as Corlath kidnapped Harry, though, I was hooked.  McKinley has a style of writing that makes her books feel like fairy tales, completely enchanting and absorbing.  It’s so easy to feel Harry’s emotions and get caught up in her story, just like I could feel for Aerin in the last book.  These are also great books for young girls.  The heroines are empowering and can take control of their own destinies.  Harry is no exception; when she knows that she has to do something, she doesn’t bow to the men in her life, and she accepts her possible fate.

Again, I wish I’d discovered these when I was younger!  They were even written at the right time for my age group.  Oh well.  I’m definitely on the lookout for more YA McKinley novels.  I’ll be recommending this one to everyone who is open to young adult fantasy. Buy this book on Amazon.

Yesterday, I reviewed Resistance by Agnes Humbert, and I mentioned that this book should help stop future genocides. Well, history does repeat itself, as another one is currently happening in Darfur, Sudan. Natasha at Maw Books Blog has resolved to do something about Darfur, and has given us ways to get involved.  Here is her post about her initiative for the month of September.

I’m going to commit to commenting on her posts throughout the month of September, in addition to writing this post.  I also intend to pick up, read, and review some of Natasha’s suggestions, which she has listed right here.

It’s so easy to turn our heads and focus on our own problems, but something needs to be done.  Natasha is willing to do her part; are you willing to help?

Trish over at Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’? tagged me for the Six Quirky Things about Me Meme.  If you haven’t checked out her blog yet, you should, I love reading it.  Anyway, I don’t think I’m THAT abnormal, and my main quirkiness is my obsession with history and books, which all of you know about since you’re here, reading my blog. Regardless, I guess I have some oddities, and here they are!

1.  I must have all stickers off of books in my possession.  If there is a sticker, I will pick at it until it comes off, no matter how old or sticky it is.  I even do this to books I got when I was younger when I find them - obviously, I didn’t care that much then, but I sure do now!
2. If any of my primary career choices fail, and I have a lot of primary career choices, number one being historian, I think I’d be a good makeup artist.  I’m good with colors and it’s fun to teach people how to do makeup properly, so that it enhances their natural beauty instead of making them look silly.
3. I also wouldn’t mind being a race car driver.  I have a need for speed (perhaps because I am only five feet tall).  Sometimes I actually change lanes to get behind slower drivers so that I don’t go too fast without noticing.
4. I like cheese, I like burgers, but I don’t like cheeseburgers.  My fiance says that this is strange, but then he also thinks that I have too many unread books!
5. On the same vein, when I was little I ate ketchup out of the packet in fast food restaurants.  Not on anything, just the ketchup.  Rest assured, I no longer do this.
6. I really like statistics.  I don’t like math of any kind, but I like to look at my graph of books read in certain years and the visitors to my blog way too much.

That’s about all that I can think of, for now - nothing too exciting on the list!  I’m going to refrain from tagging anyone else as this meme went out awhile ago (I’m sorry, Trish!) and I don’t want to re-tag anyone.  Regardless, if you weren’t tagged and you have six quirky things about you, consider yourself tagged!  Then come back here with a link so I can see your answers.

Today’s question: Members who have your books. Do you ever look at this feature? Do you use it to make LT friends, or compare notes? There are three tabs- weighted, raw, and recent. “Weighted,” which means “weighted by book obscurity and library size” is probably the least self-explanatory of the three, whereas “raw” and “recent” are more so. Do you get any kind of use out of this feature?

I don’t really use it in any of the ways described. Mainly, I look at it and see who I know has the most similar books. I’ve looked at nearly all of my top most similar libraries, but the large majority of the weighted ones have in common mainly romance novels. I’m not really interested in expanding too much in the romance genre as I don’t read them much at the moment, so those libraries aren’t as useful as they could be and I don’t feel that they reflect my current tastes very well. I do have a few book bloggers that I know on my list now, though, probably thanks to ARCs. I like this feature, but only to observe and perhaps see what similar books I might be interested in.

I thought I did pretty well in July with my reading. I read 25 books and I didn’t do much else that month. This month, I started a new, albeit temporary, job. I still managed to read 22 books. I’m pleased with that number; it’s good to know that I can be busy and still remain dedicated to reading and blogging consistently. It bodes well for October, when I will be off to graduate school, assuming all goes well for the next month.

So, here’s what I read this month, separated by category and linked in to my reviews:

Fiction:

1.  The Gargoyle - Andrew Davidson
2. The Sea - John Banville
3. Erotomania - Francis Levy
4. When We Were Romans - Matthew Kneale
5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
6. The 19th Wife - David Ebershoff
7. Dog Eats Dog - Iain Levinson

Fantasy

1.  Excalibur - Bernard Cornwell
2. The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley
3. The Last Enchantment - Mary Stewart
4. The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley

Historical Fiction

1. Sweetsmoke - David Fuller
2. The Queen’s Tale - D.J. Birmingham
3.  Devil’s Brood - Sharon Kay Penman (review coming in October)
4. Guernica - Dave Boling
5. Midwife of the Blue Ridge - Christine Blevins

Short Stories

1. Months and Seasons - Christopher Meeks

Non-fiction/History/Memoir

1. Sweet Mandarin - Helen Tse
2. Marie-Therese, Child of Terror - Susan Nagel
3. Resistance - Agnes Humbert

Fluffy fiction

1. Schooled - Anisha Lakhani
2. Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen

My favorite this month is unquestionably The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  This book just sucked me right in and refused to let me go as I fell in love with every single aspect of it.  It’s my number one for the year right now and I wish I could fall right back into it and read it again right now.  Alas, other books wait.  If you want to experience this, you can buy this book on Amazon.

I read a lot of other great books this month, and they warrant another mention too.  I loved unreservedly The Gargoyle, Months and Seasons, When We Were Romans, and both of Robin McKinley’s, The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword. These are all great reads, so I suggest you go out and read them!

Thanks to all who visited this month, and here’s to another great reading month in September for all of us!

This half-memoir, half-journal, was penned before and immediately after Agnès Humbert’s horrific experience as a French political prisoner of the Nazis.  Agnès was a courageous woman, full of spirit and defiance, holding her love of France and desire for independence above all, even the worst treatment at the hands of inconsiderate jailers who did not mind if the prisoners lived or died, let alone suffered, so long as the work got done.  Her journal chronicles her activism for the underground newspaper Résistance before her arrest, and afterwards moves on to a memoir style account of her time in prison and in various labor camps and factories before her eventual rescue by the Americans in 1945.

I found her newpaper days to be slightly over my head; they are full of names and I never quite managed to work out just who was who, or which of the members survived and which were killed.  I did admire her sense of independence; she never masked who anyone was in her journal, seemingly certain that no Nazi would ever find it.  She retains her composure under questioning and in the torturous jail cells, never revealing any of her compatriots, though most of them seem to be caught regardless.  Her experience was consistently horrifying and it’s almost impossible to imagine human beings could treat each other so abominably.  I know much about the experience of the Jews and other “rejected” minorities at the hands of the Nazis; I’ve been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, which is a place that everyone should visit for their own education and to help prevent future genocides (which we aren’t doing very well at).  I never heard much about political prisoners, however, or their ordeals in labor camps and factories rather than in the death camps.  These, of course, are still horrific.

Reading about Agnès’ suffering was extremely affecting and upsetting.  I’m sure I would have committed suicide in her position like so many of the other girls did.  Remarkably, Agnès retained her spirit and when she was released, immediately set about helping the Americans with their occupation of Germany and attempts to catch the remaining Nazis and Nazi sympathizers.

I’d recommend this book; it’s an account of one woman’s experience that really applied to many other prisoners.  Agnès’ chronicle can help to ensure that these atrocities are not committed again. Buy this book on Amazon.

Phil Dixon, on the run after his latest bank robbery, desperately needs a place to stay.  When he spots young college professor Elias White naked with his clearly underage neighbor, Dixon knows he’s in, and he really, really wants to be in.  He’s determined to get out of his criminal lifestyle with this money, but he has to recover from his gun wound first.  What Dixon doesn’t expect is just how well that lifestyle will click with Elias, and this unexpected encounter leads to some unlikely consequences for both parties, especially when FBI Agent Denise Lupo comes to town, hunting Dixon down.

I didn’t expect that this book would be hilarious, but it often is.  It adds in little touches of sarcasm on nearly every page, sardonic commentary on the way we live.  This is at its heart a critical look at our world - everyone is out for themselves, and the best men (or women) win no matter what it takes.  I was expecting a mystery, but I got so much more out of this.  It’s a great story with a message.  I enjoyed it throughout and the plot consistently surprised me as I found I was misled and turned just slightly off track so that Levinson could really deliver his message.  In Levinson’s world, you just have to be clever and wily to get by - not smart or hard-working.  It’s a depressing theory, but he delivers it in such a way that you don’t mind.  You’re too busy having fun, and only when the book ends do you ponder this deeper message.  Or so it went for me.

This is a really entertaining book with a more fundamental level of meaning.  I read it in a day.  I’d recommend it to anyone seeking a quick, satirical read. Buy this book on Amazon.

I’m not reading much today - mainly cheering my dad on his half marathon here in Virginia Beach, which he has now finished.  He got recognized as the second top fundraiser for Team in Training this year and number one for this event, the Rock ‘n Roll half marathon.  Pretty exciting - he also won a ticket to any Team in Training marathon, travel and hotel included, whenever he wants.  Tonight we have VIP passes to the concert and I should be meeting the B-52’s of “Love Shack” fame, although no guarantees there!

On this trip, I finished Midwife of the Blue Ridge by Christine Blevins, which I really enjoyed!  I should have a review coming up on that this week.  I have plenty of other reviews to write as well.  I’m reading Passions and Tempers by Noga Arikha, which The Literate Housewife so kindly sent me to review.  It’s a history of the humours, the basis of medicine from approximately the 5th century BCE to the 19th CE!  I’m not very far in, but it’s very interesting.  I also picked up Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen to carry in my purse, as it’s small and light.  I’ve only just started, but it seems enchanting so far.

This post has no links or pictures, for which I apologize.  The internet in this hotel is slow and unreliable, so by the time I went out and linked to other sites and put in pictures, it would probably lose my draft.  I also can’t get Google Reader to work here, so I’m sorry for not commenting on your latest posts.  I’ll be back tomorrow and up to my normal posting and commenting speed.  Have a great rest of the Labor Day Weekend, everyone (and just a great rest of Sunday for those not in the USA)!