"The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

I don’t know about you, but when I read the back of a book, I usually ignore those annoying review quotes because I think they’re either bogus or written by the author’s grandmother.  It doesn’t matter whether you are reading the cover of a Harry Potter book or bargain-bin romance novel; they’re all identical and overuse the same buzzwords like “masterpiece” and “spellbinding”.  However, a line from Michael Moorcock on the back of Le Guin’s novel caught my attention: “As profuse and original in invention as The Lord of the Rings.”  This got me excited!

The Left Hand of Darkness is set on the planet Winter populated by “men” that are neither male nor female.  My first thought: A world with no sex, who would think of such a thing? But this wasn’t completely true for the aliens go through a cycle that allows them to “kemmer” every month or so.  But as a shameless chick-lit reader, this completely burst my bubble for what I always hope for in these novels: an integrated love story.  Instead, the focus is on the journey of a human (Genly Ai) on Winter who is trying to convince its leaders to join the Erkumen: a joint colony of 83 planets.  But as a slowly progressing planet that is always in the Year One, this does not prove to be a simple task. 

This book is well crafted and honourably critiques humanity, however it wasn’t my thing. I mean, how can a person describe two people walking through snow for almost a hundred pages?!?! It just seems unnecessary.  However, it's well rated by most people and genuinely considered a science fiction classic.  But as for me, I only have three more books left on my course list, and then Jane Austen, here I come!!

"A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter M. Miller Jr.

This was definitely not a light read.  This novel is separated into three parts, spans over 2000 years and shows a continuous cycle of the rise and fall of humanity.  I thought it was well executed and had great subplots but it required a lot of concentration to get through properly.  If you are already into science fiction or are interested in debates between religion and technology, then go ahead and read this.  However, if you are just looking to get your feet wet in this genre, I would suggest a lighter sci-fi novel like Frankenstein.

"Austenland" by Shannon Hale

I know I'm supposed to be bulldozing my way through my science fiction reading list, but I couldn't resist buying (and immediately reading) this book when I was browsing through a thrift shop last week. It's a modern day story about a Jane-Austen-obsessed women going on resort vaction.  But this resort does not have palm trees and sandy beaches.  Instead it's a land filled with actors, servants and manor houses meant to replicate regacy England.  I probably know what you're thinking: this women is going to go through a play-by-play of the Pride and Prejudice story and live happily ever after.  I too thought the same thing but was pleasantly proven wrong (for the most part).  Hale allures us by articulating how unnatural acting is for the heroin and emphasizing this question: who is playing who?  In fact, even a few pages away from the end of the book, I still didn't know how this story would conclude.  Hale definitely threw some well executed curveballs.

Although the plot was excellent and a good enough reason to read this book, the writing style was weak and uncomfortable to read.  But I should have seen that coming with the positive review given by Stephenie Meyer on the back cover. Hale uses very simple sentences aimed at a fourth grade reading level and are sometimes awkwardly constructed.

The main charcter Jane follows the classic chick-lit heroin formula, but with a bit of a realistic twist.  She knows she's pretty, has blunt inner thoughts about it, but isn't annoying about it.  I'm thankful becuase the whole naive thing really bugs me. 

There is a lot plot points I want to gush about but I hate to give away spoliers.  However I will say that this is a really fast read and a well needed break from all of the sci-fi I've been reading.  I would not recommend going out of your way and paying full price for this book, but if you run by a used copy, go ahead and pick it up.

"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley

From the very start of my science fiction class, I was least excited to read this book for it is the oldest on the course list.  Written in the early 1800s, I thought it would be agonizing to get through.  However  I should have known better as it was published the same year as Jane Austen’s Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. ;)

I had absolutely no background on the story of Frankenstein before reading Shelley’s novel.  So if you are unaware like I was, here is a brief background on the plot (minus spoliers!).  Victor Frankenstein, a studying scientist, creates a gigantic hideous human man and immediately becomes terrified of him.  Throughout the novel, he battles with sanity and fear while deciding between his own happiness or the potential collapse of the human race.  Told from the prospective of both the scientist and “the creation”, this is a complicated scenario and is difficult as the reader to pick a side.  This confliction kept me intrigued and propelled me quickly through the book.

What I could not get over was how beautiful the language was.  It was like reading a continuous poem and felt more than natural to read entire chapters outloud.  As a young university student, the diction was easy to interpret and understand.  I probably could not have done the same as a young teenager, but this understanding could still be achievable for some.  I think this novel is a great challenge for those looking to improve reading comprehension while still being entertained.

So if you are a fan of reading well written books and classic stories, then go ahead with this novel.  But if you are like me, skeptical of this being a boring dusty story, then challenge yourself and read just the first two chapters.  This is all it took for me to be convinced of otherwise.

"The War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells

Yes!! Two down, seven more to go!  This is about the only good thing I can say after reading this book.  Yes I know it is a popular science fiction novel that is well studied for good reason, but I just didn’t enjoy it. 

I love the idea of Martians invading Earth and abolishing us like purses at a Macy’s sale, put the execution was very dry.  For a good portion of the book, people star at a cylinder that lands from outerspace and ignorantly wonder its significance.  Once the Martians appear in their tripod fighting-machines, people either run away or get burned for the rest of the book.  Only in the last few chapters do we actually see a Martian but with no human confrontation, only loads of description.  We do not fully (or even half) experience the war of the Martians for the person’s perspective we see it through conveniently sails off into the sea. WTF?!?!  Way to anti-climax a book titled The War of the Worlds.

However the ideas presented are notably unique for the time written and I can appreciate Wells’ philosophical views of man-kind.  However, I much prefered The Time Machine by him.  Probably because the setting was constantly depressing which evidently dampened my mood once I put the book down.  But if you are into Martians, dislike the British or like reading about hopeless situations, then this is your book.  As for me, I am going to stick with watching Tom Cruise run around in the movie adaption from now on.

"Something Borrowed" by Emily Giffin

I have been referencing and praising this book in other posts but have yet to review it myself.  Since it is the opening weekend for the movie, I figure I should do it now before my judgement becomes skewed by the film. 

It has been a couple of years since I have read this novel so I reimmersed myself to refresh my memory.  What I completely forgot was how fast and easy this read was.  If you are not aware, I am a painfully slow reader and for me to be able to start and finish a book in two and a half days screams loads!  The plot is not groundbreakingly original so what kept me so engaged?  I think it was the characters.  The two best friends from childhood could not be more different.  Darcy to me is a winny two year old trapped in a twenty-nine year old’s body who needs to outshine everyone and ALWAYS get her way.  The stuff that comes out her mouth is hilariously mean and she is the exaggerated form of perfect bitch we all know and hate.  She is getting married to the classic chick-lit male lead who is smart, gorgeous, kind and naturally oblivious to all of his perfection.  Her best friend Rachel is a push over and people pleaser, and as the novel’s lead heroin: smart, beautiful, kind and even more oblivious to this than prince charming back there. 

I know by now you are thinking how is this different to any other book of its kind.  But hang in there.  Since Dex (prince charming) and Rachel are law school friends who have always believed they were out of each other’s leagues, yet of course perfect for one another, end up sleeping together only months away from his wedding.  The book spins out from here but what I think is the driving point of the novel is how Darcy’s outspoken statements and fairytale life is so unrealistic, it becomes comical (instead of annoying) in contrast to the normality happening around her.  Just try reading the first few pages in the book store, you will understand right away.

The only thing I do not get is why Dex is dating, let alone marrying, such a monstrous character.  He is described as so level headed and later proves to have a decent backbone that it seems unrealistic for him to put up with her for seven years.  However, chick-lits will be as they always will: fairytale escapes that momentarially allow us to experience a Carrie Bradshaw-like existance.  So if you are in need of this fix, pick up this book and perhaps the sequal for you will fly through both of them in no time.

"The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells

Yey the first book down on my reading list!!  I haven’t looked at a sci-fi novel since high school, so this was an uncomfortable large leap (across the book store) for me.  Therefore I’m not really sure how to approach these book reviews since I’m supposed to be analysing the things to shreads.  But I think for this blog I’m going to screw the school stuff and just write how I feel.

I believe I saw a movie adaption of this book in the eighth grade for I experienced a lot of deja vu while reading it.  I could have swore the time traveller (yes this is the uniquely named main character) stopped in many different places in the future and was initally bummed to learn his first of few wasn’t for hundreds of thousands of years in the future.  From a scholarly and philosophical point of view, it creates a satisfying cohesiveness in which I later understood.  But as a devoted chick-lit reader, I was natually hoping for a Somewhere in Time type of romance to be interlaced within all of the philosophy.  But I suppose all was not lost, just with an icky alien-loving boy’s interpretation.  But I’ll let you discover that for yourself. 

I do have to admit, I suprisingly enjoyed continuously analysing and interpretting the sub layers in the plot as I read.  It takes a lot more effort to go through a book this way, but the climatic ending was phenomenal and definitely not what I was used to.  It was like going from routine ho-hum husband sex to leather, whips and costumes (or so I imagine).  Very refreshing.  Also, being a literary classic, Wells’ writing style was convinsingly crafted as expected.  At the end of the novel, I was so creeped out by the way he described the earth near the edge of its life that I couldn’t get to sleep that night for two hours!

There is so much more I want to say, but a lot has to do with analytical aspect; so I will save your poor eyes and end it here.  However, not without highly recommending this novel to any person that loves science fiction, trying to get into it or just needing a break.  I really don’t think you will regret it.

Summer of Science Fiction

Absolute dumbest thing I have been told at university: music courses are not art couses.  In order to get my second degree in math, I have to complete the “breadth requirements” which include a full credit in art.  With all of my instrument classes, music history classes, conducting, ensumbles, blah blah blah, aparently none of them apply.  But this finally gives me an excuse to take an English literature course!!!  I don’t get the offical syllabus until Monday, but some of the texts I’ll be reading are H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, Walter Miller’s A Canticle for Lebowitz and Piercy Marge’s He, She and It.  This twelve week summer course will help me get into more substance type books as well as speed up my reading process.  I’m really excited and have already finished my first book on the hopefully correct list.

"Baby Proof" by Emily Giffin

From what is revealed on the back cover, this book is about a woman who desperately wants a child-free life.  She falls in love with a man who feels the same way, but one of them has a change of heart.  What will happen next?!?! This sounds boring, cliché and I honestly only read the book because I had good luck with this author in the past.  However, I was pleasantly surprised throughout the entire novel and could not predict what was going to happen next.  Honestly.

Besides unpredictability, like all of Giffin’s novels, the characters are realistically flawed.  From the leading lady to the minor supporting roles, no one is cookie cutter perfect.  They are also very relatable and whether you’re male or female; you will likely be shockingly similar to at least one character.   

To keep this book intriguing, I will shut up; but not without officially recommending it to anyone looking for a light read. If you enjoy this book, I would also suggest reading her other novels, Something Borrowed and its sequel Something Blue.

"Lady Chatterley's Lover" by D.H. Lawrence

This was an unusual read for me. I only bought it to fulfill a 3 for 10 dollar deal Chapters put on, but I never actually expected to read it (I know, it's a shameful confession).  However I needed a little break from chick-lits and decided to go for something deeper.

Being a piece of twentieth-century classic literature, this book was not as boring as anticipated.  It is an erotic romance novel that was first banned and burned for the sex scenes and mix of social classes. A cool fact that actually got me to buy the book was the first private printing of it was in 1928 but it wasn’t properly published until 1960.  I have to be thankful to Lawrence because if it wasn't for authors like him, we would not have our mile long romance section at Chapters. ;)

Since I am not a usual fan of classic literate (outside of Jane Austen of course), this is a difficult book for me to review.  I personally found it dry and slow paced.  However the philosophical views Lawrence expresses are intriguing.  So if you are looking for a challenge that is not plot driven then go for this.  As for me, I am going back to my chick-lits.

New Years Resolution

Yes I may be a little drunk right now, but I have recently come up with an amazing new year’s resolution!  Since I'm unfortunately a sporadic reader, I have decided to read and review 12 books in this upcoming year.  Yes many "real" readers may find this pathetic and I suppose I do too in a way, but I want to get back into the habit I used to love.  So let’s cheers to a new year and to the many new worlds of fiction that we will encounter.