On e-readers

My e-book reader is one of my all-time favorite gadgets. It's especially handy when I travel because, depending on how long the trip and the plane ride, I usually bring four or five paperbacks with me. When we went to the Philippines for two weeks one year I brought something like fifteen paperbacks, half of them intended for the almost-24 hour plane ride. I didn't have room for much else in my carry-on. But with my e-reader, I could put as many books on there as I want and I only have to worry about bringing one device with me.

Before I settled on my e-reader a few years ago I was torn between the Ebookwise and the Sony, finally settling on the Ebookwise because it was a lot cheaper ($124 vs. Sony's $300 price tag). At the time, Sony didn't have an interactive touchscreen while the Ebookwise did, but Ebookwise was clunky and the screen didn't have e-Ink technology. Nevertheless, I've generally been very happy with how it has performed and held up over the years.

Then came the Kindle, and then recently, the much bigger Kindle DX, and I've been seriously considering replacing the Ebookwise with the Kindle at some point in the future. I especially love the wireless download feature of the Kindle, meaning you don't have to plug in the device in order to download the book file like I have to do with my current e-reader. But then...but then! I recently read on Time magazine that Apple is looking into designing and creating what I consider to be the holy grail of all e-readers - a device similar to the iPod. An iPod e-reader?! Sold! So I think I'm going to hang on to my trusty Ebookwise for now, and wait for Apple to come through on this. I hope they don't take too long!

Books!

Head over to Paperback Musings for new book reviews!

Book list

It's a rainy, gloomy day today, the kind that practically forces me to curl up with a blanket and a book to while away the entire day, even though I have a million other things to do. Lately I've really had no interest in reading any other books but Twilight, but considering that I'm now in my fifth or sixth iteration of re-reading the entire series (all four books in it) in an effort to prolong my stay in that world, I figured I should force myself to surface and cast my eyes on other stories, at least for a little bit, in order to take a bit of a breather.

It feels to me like other books have paled in comparison to my current obsession, so it's been hard to find ones that will seem like they will truly hold my interest. I'm shying away from other vampire stories for now because it feels sacrilegious, so these are the ones that I am considering, based on reviews and recommendations:

French Milk is about a young woman and her mother's six week sojourn in Paris. It reminds me of the time my mom and I spent two weeks in Paris together as she accompanied me to the start of my five-month study abroad adventure. It seemed fitting that I would see the Eiffel Tower for the first time with my mom by my side, and this book sounds like it would be a bittersweet one for me, so it's definitely at the top of my list.

I love the title of this book, inspired by the students of the University of Chicago Lab School. This is an art mystery replete with math puzzles and codes, billed as a children's version of DaVinci Code. This book won a bunch of awards and has received great reviews.

The Ghost's Child sounds fascinating - the reviews actually remind me a little bit of Twilight, with its dreamy, poetic, supernatural love story elements.

Lady and the Unicorn was recommended by Protege. I'd heard of this book a while ago but didn't really pay attention to it back then, but after I read Protege's review it's back on my radar. The story is about the series of Flemish tapestries of the same name, and I am intrigued because I saw the actual tapestries when I visited the Cluny Museum in Paris some years ago.

This YA book, the first of a trilogy, reminds me of a mix of Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess, Harry Potter, and Gossip Girl. At first I thought it's a straight boarding school story, but there are actually elements of mystery, secret societies, and the supernatural. It sounds pretty cool.

So there you have it.

How could I have forgotten?

...about these heroes...

13. Jake Ryan (hello, did I really forget Jake Ryan? He made girls swoon in the 80's, including yours truly, with his iconic role in Sixteen Candles)

14. Ben Covington (Scott Speedman in Felicity - thanks to my sis for reminding me - I was in love with him all throughout my college years)

15. Sir Percy Blakeney (The Scarlet Pimpernel - the epitome of the dashing French Revolutionary secret agent)

16. Keith Nelson (Eric Stoltz in Some Kind of Wonderful)

17. Marius Pontmercy (Les Miz)

Top 12

My top twelve all-time favorite heroes, Byronic or otherwise. I started out with a top 10 list, but I had to go a bit over because I couldn't decide who to eliminate.

And in no particular order, though the #1 spot is pretty understandable given what I've been obsessing over in the last weeks.

1. Edward Cullen (definitely has elements of the Byronic hero and the Alpha hero)
2. Luke Skywalker (Return of the Jedi especially)
3. Mr Darcy (Pride & Prejudice)
4. Edward Rochester (oooh, another Edward! From Jane Eyre. Now here's a true Byronic hero.)
5. Legolas (Orlando Bloom version)
6. Lawrence Decker (Suzanne Brockmann's SEAL Team 16 series)
7. Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables)
8. Laurie (Little Women)
9. Hawkeye (Last of the Mohicans, Daniel Day Lewis version)
10. Paul Atreides (Dune)
11. Oberon (King of the Fairies, Midsummer Night's Dream)
12. Jon Snow (George R R Martin's Song of Ice and Fire)

Notice that Heathcliff is nowhere to be found. I hate Heathcliff.

Looky what I found

Ooooh! Available December 30th, in time for Christmas! (Sort of).


And that's not all! There is also an illustrated movie companion!

Speechless

Wow, wow, wow.

That was wonderful.

The plot of the last book in the saga was really clever, even though it took the story to an unexpected direction that I was unsure of at first. And the build up to the tension and the action, all the while maintaining the highly romantic and poignant tone of Bella and Edward's love story, was very well done.

And now that I am at the end and can see the whole story arc from the other side of the bridge, I have to say that the whole saga was just plain great - everything, from Books 1 through 4. The little things that were driving me crazy before had a purpose when you see everything in its entirety, most importantly the love triangle that was explained and resolved in such a way that left me very satisfied.

And I take it back - Jacob Black, you ain't half bad after all. Sorry I wanted you dead before.


[SPOILER ALERT]


And the best part of Book 4? When Bella finally becomes a vampire. Her character improved a million times after her transformation - it's like she grew up overnight, as she quit her whining, became a strong, kickass heroine, and was finally worthy and deserving of Edward's regard - an equal to him in every way. They were partners in every sense. I loved that she turned into a vampire. After Edward's deliciousness, Bella turning into a vampire was the second best part of the series and the build up to it was worth it.

I did wish we saw more of Edward fighting like during the climax of Book 3 (perhaps my most favorite part of Book 3). Edward in battle was a sight to behold - he was like an unstoppable commando warrior force. So hot.

So all these thoughts are swirling in my head now as I try to process everything I've read in the past few weeks, which is why I must sound a bit incoherent to you right now. And as I'm still loathe to leave this pretty magical Twilight world, I have more to say about all of this in coming posts. So stay tuned as I get my thoughts in order...

The most annoying character

DIE, Jacob Black, DIE!

And Bella, honey? If you claim to love Edward so much, stop making him suffer!

#@^&!*&$*!!!!!!!

My hand is itching to smack both Jacob and Bella. Badly.

Meyer was obviously basing the stupid Bella-Edward-Jacob love triangle on Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I don't know if Edward is supposed to be Heathcliff or if he's supposed to be Edgar Linton, but there are passages in the book that make me think Meyer is identifying some of Edward into Heathcliff's point of view, even though Edgar was better for Catherine, as Edward is likewise a whole of a hell lot better for Bella.

But, aside from all that, what I remember now about Wuthering Heights is how much I hated Catherine Earnshaw. She was quite possibly one of the most annoying heroines ever (until Bella), and the love triangle between Heathcliff, Catherine, and Edgar was teeth-grindingly irritating and ridiculously overwrought. Until Bella and Jacob came along, that is. Really - can we have the Twilight saga just be about Edward? He is the most compelling, the most noble, the best character. If it weren't for him, I would have stopped reading at page 300 of Book 1. He redeems these books - without him, Bella and Jacob and all the rest would be nothing.

Bella doesn't deserve Edward.

And Jacob Black needs to die a slow, painful death.

Useless

Deep in the throes of Book 3 of the Twilight series, I am pretty much useless to everyone right now. No new jewelry will be made, almost no dinner cooked (sorry, Mr Hazel!), no laundry washed and no kitties petted until I finish these books. Tonight I went to Borders to buy Book 4 (Breaking Dawn) so that I'll be ready to go as soon as I finish reading the very last page of Eclipse.

I'm amazed I even managed to surface long enough to blog.

Book Two

I finished this in less than 24 hours.

I don't know what happened, but again, it's like book 2 was written by an author different from whoever wrote the first half of Twilight. This was an extremely poignant and bittersweet story, and I didn't notice any of the stuff that was driving me crazy last time...there was a lot more showing and less telling, smoother prose, lyrical descriptions, wonderful turns of phrase. The worldbuilding during the Italy scenes was also very clever.

The writing is like night and day.

My only complaint (I have to complain about something) is that, like in the last book, the climax sprang out of nowhere.

But you know about those female readers who fell in love with Edward? Count me in as being one of them. He is absolutely dreamy. There's no other word for it. And I don't say that about just any of my heroes.

Er...

OK, OK, so in the interests of full literary disclosure (plus I did say I would be the first to admit if I ended up liking the book), this is what happened.

Right around page 100, I couldn't stand the drivel that was Twilight anymore and resolved to chuck this godawful book. But, my rampant curiosity still annoyingly unsatisfied, I flipped to the last page to read the ending...and it made me even more curious, wanting to find out how that ending came about. So I flipped back.

And up until page 200, it truly was awful. All about how Bella would wake up, look at the rain, brush her teeth, go to school, stare at Edward, come home, go to bed. It was like the most mundane episode of "24" I could think of. But then...but then...! After page 300, things got really good. Really good. The book did a total 180 degrees on me - action, adventure, tension, chases, adrenaline, heart-stopping chapters - all exploded out of the pages. It was like a whole different writer all of a sudden (or a whole different, better editor, more like). And was it some kind of sign that the climactic scene occurred inside a ballet studio?

In short, I was hooked. I was so hooked, in fact, that as soon as I finished Twilight 0n Sunday, I rushed to Borders in a frenzy to buy book 2 (New Moon).

So if you can manage to slog through the first painful 200 pages (why did no one warn me about that!?), the payoff is awesome. Still a few things wrong with it, and Bella still whiny and annoying sometimes, but...

I'm converted. Completely.

Twilight rant

This is the kind of crappy, awkward prose I was subjected to on the train today:

I should be avoiding him entirely after my brainless and embarrassing babbling yesterday. And I was suspicious of him; why should he lie about his eyes? I was still frightened of the hostility I sometimes felt emanating from him, and I was still tongue-tied whenever I pictured his perfect face. I was well aware that my league and his league were spheres that did not touch. So I shouldn't be at all anxious to see him today.

So in this paragzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

See what happened? I fell asleep again after reading it a second time! Besides the endless exposition, Meyer also violates the "show, don't tell" edict. Instead of showing us how good-looking Edward is, she tells us. Endlessly. His "perfect" face. His "glorious" face. His "stunning" face (the latter two within a couple of sentences of each other). I'm skeptical. He must be pretty ugly if she keeps trying so hard to convince me.

I'm going to give this book until page 100 and if it still does not give me any kind of satisfaction, I am chucking it.

And if you're a fan, please don't send me hate mail!

Lastly, to see what great YA fiction is like, I recommend Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene. A classic.

ETA: Since the time I wrote this post, I have subsequently eaten my words. Upon further reading, I have done a total 180 degree turnaround, and have become an obsessive Twilight fan. And I mean obsessive. I ended up absolutely loving these books, mostly because I fell in love with Edward.There are subsequent posts on this blog where I talk (er, gush) about each of the books, so look for them if you're interested.

Twilight musings

I've been meaning to pick up the extremely popular YA book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer for a while now to see what all the fuss is about, especially with adult women (I can sort of understand, from what I know of it so far, why teenage girls would swoon over this book, but I wanted to see what about it makes the adult female fans also want to swoon).

I finally got a chance to check it out when my coworker lent me her copy. I started it today.

I'm already on page 32, and I say already because usually by page 32 you have some idea of where the story is going and lots of things start happening and you get to know the main character's motivation, habits, personality. But, alas, not with this story. Page 32, and I feel like a big fat nothing has happened so far - just lots of painful exposition to set things up. An exposition that has gone on too long, in my opinion. I don't know anything about Bella other than she blushes a lot; I'm not even sure I want to get to know her better. And so far, Edward has failed to impress.

To make matters worse, the actual writing itself is laborious and painful. It feels like it takes a hundred pound boulder just for Meyer to construct one paragraph - let alone a whole chapter.

Maybe it's been hyped way too much for me - all the dozens of fan sites devoted to Edward and Bella; even Etsy's in on the action with this and this and this and this - but so far, I am not impressed. I may end up eating my words when I finally finish the book...and if I do, I'll be the first to admit it. But so far? It's a big fat...eh.

Venetian mysteries

This summer I've immersed myself in Venice. Specifically, in the wonderful Commisario Guido Brunetti mystery series by the extremely talented author Donna Leon. I can't get enough of these books.


Set in modern day Venice, they star the astute, sophisticated, yet sensitive and oddly humble police detective Guido Brunetti, who loves art, architecture, good food, wine, and books about ancient wars. Though the mysteries themselves are exciting whodunits, I read these books mainly for the evocative setting.



There are paragraphs and pages of Guido wandering the streets of Venice, going up and down its narrow alleyways, stopping for a glass of wine and a mineral water at a cafe, or taking a vaporetto to a palazzo to interview a suspect. I feel privileged to tag along on these tours. This series is just like "Law & Order," except it's not. I love the contrast between the familiar police procedural against the exotic backdrop of Venice, where the police take police boats, or "launches," to crime scenes instead of squad cars, and the vagaries of Italian life are examined in all their wonderful idiosyncratic glory.



And all the descriptions of the food! Fresh pasta with shaved truffles, liver with polenta, lamb with rosemary and red wine. There isn't a chapter that goes by where Leon doesn't offer up loving descriptions of all kinds of delicious dishes, resulting in me raiding the fridge afterwards. These books make me hungry.

At the end, though I've never been, I feel like I now know Venice really, really well. Palazzo Roma, Murano, The Lido, the market at Rialto - they seem like old friends.

Run, don't walk, to Amazon or your nearest local public library. I promise you'll end up gobbling them all in one sitting like I did.

Earrings, a bracelet, and a book

First up, the earrings that are a custom order for Meridith, which feature sapphire blue faceted briolettes in the style of the Victoria. I named these "Lauren" in honor of the recipient. I hope she likes them!


Next up is a chrysoprase bracelet, named "Melanie" after an aunt (I am slowly making my way through the names of my mom and her sisters: Bella, Mila, Kathleen, now Melanie, and then Lorna will be the last in the series).


I love these aunts - my mom and her sisters are, to me, the epitome of all that is competent, fierce, brave, commanding, kind, and capable, all perfect examples of what motherhood and womanhood should be. My sister, my cousins and I all stand in fear and awe of these wonderful women. So I'm proud to name my designs after all of them!

And last up, Mr Hazel's mystery Valentine's gift finally arrived in the mail. Remember when I was unsuccessfully searching for a French novel to use for my photographs? My search is done! Because his gift is a book of French love poems:

Quelle merveilleuse!

Dumbledore is gay

Whoa. Mr HD just sent me this article. I mean, I did wonder (especially during those mysterious scenes with Grindelwald in Book 7), but to have it confirmed by JK herself? That's pretty gutsy.

This also brings to mind a popular theory, also confirmed by the author, about characters in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, but I won't say any more about those just yet because my sister-in-law hasn't finished reading the last book.

I'm kind of in shock. Dumbledore, I hardly knew ye.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.