High Shelf Esteem

Archives for March 2017

Literary Linking: March 20 – 24

This week’s articles topics include: Clueless the comic book, wearing Handmaid’s Tale robes to the Texas Senate, a Muggle artifacts collection, and more!

My favorite links from the week of March 20 – 24:

Cool Job Alert: American Girl Hiring Is Hiring a Historian
The American Girl company hasn’t been on my good side recently. Did we really need an dude doll? And why have we gotten rid of the original historical dolls? But at least this news is a bit heartening. Maybe American Girl realizes the error if its ways and is getting back to its roots.

Muggle Studies 101
Just some good ol’ fashioned Harry Potter fun here! As part of a Harry Potter event at Princeton University, an anthropology student pulled together a collection of muggle (aka human) artifacts and described them as if she were a wizard. Of course this means the descriptions are completely wrong and completely hilarious. My favorite is the “Snow Charm” (a snowman nightlight) that children turn on when they want a snow day.

Women Wore Handmaid’s Tale Robes to Texas Senate
If you’re going to protest anti-abortion bills, what better attire than the robes from The Handmaid’s Tale???

Clueless Is, Like, Totally Gonna Be a Comic Book
I love Clueless from the bottom of my 90s-girl heart and can’t wait to get my paws on the new comic book. Like, it’s gonna be PHAT!

Middlemarch Madness Begins: 16 Literary Characters Face Off
It’s a little unclear how exactly the characters are facing off… Are they in a battle of wits? Judo match? Gun duel? Since I wasn’t sure, I just voted for the characters I like better.

The Best “Beauty and the Beast” Retellings

It would be an understatement to say I’m excited about the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast that came out this past weekend. I was humming “Tale as Old as Time” and “Be Our Guest” all last week.

I realize Belle from the original animated film is not the perfect heroine, but there are so many aspects of her character that I admired as a 4th grader and that I still appreciate now. Belle is a reader, doesn’t settle for the guy everyone thinks she should be with, fiercely loves her dad, isn’t freaked out by talking flatware and furniture… She’s dope! Luckily, there are a bunch of fantastic books inspired by her story out there for you to enjoy.

So, if you’ve seen the new movie and need more Beauty and the Beast in your life, give one of these retellings a read:

Beastly, by Alex Flinn
In this modern retelling, the story is told from the Beast’s point of view. Pre-transformation, the Beast was handsome Kyle Kingsbury, a rich, spoiled teen attending an exclusive Manhattan prep school. After humiliating a girl at the school dance, she turned him into a beast and gave him 2 years to break the spell.
Beastly follows Beauty and the Beast’s original plot pretty closely, but digital-age twists are what really make the book a fun read. The book opens with Kyle participating in the Unexpected Changes online chat group as BeastNYC along with other fairy tale unfortunates such as Froggie (from the Frog Prince) and Silent Maid (from the Little Mermaid). Lots of LOLs in this one!

 

Beauty, by Robin McKinley
I just finished this one recently and adored it. Beauty is very true to the original story by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. There are a couple tweaks — Beauty is quite plain in this version — but overall, it does not stray far from the traditional tale. McKinley’s poetic descriptions and use of language are absolutely beautiful and allowed me to appreciate the fairytale even more. McKinley recently wrote another Beauty and the Beast retelling called Rose’s Daughter. I haven’t read it yet, but have heard good things.

 

A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas
I loved Sarah J. Mass’ Throne of Glass series, so I had high expectations for this one. A Court of Thorns and Roses is not purely a Beauty and the Beast story, but throws the tale of Tamlin in as well. The protagonist, Feyre, kills a wolf that turns out to be fae and is taken away by a horrible beast to live in faeryland. It turns out the beast is actually, Tamlin, High Lord of the faery’s Spring Court and he and Feyre end up taking a liking to each other. A Court of Thorns and Roses is high fantasy and it gets rather steamy at times, so  it might not be for everyone, but I found it to be a very entertaining read.

 

Uprooted, by Naomi Novik
In Uprooted, we’re introduced Agnieszka, a young woman who lives in a village tormented by the nearby evil woods. The Dragon (who turns out to be a wizard named Sarkan) keeps the village safe but takes one maiden every 10 years to be his servant. He chooses Agnieszka and she is locked up in his tower. It’s not all bad though! She finds out she’s a witch and Sarkan teaches her to wield her magic. Together they try and keep the wicked forest at bay. Although Uprooted is not a true retelling, I had to include it because a.) it’s close enough and, more importantly, b.) Agnieszka is such a strong heroine and the more books we read with powerful women in them, the better!

 

And one bonus recommendation: The Lunar Chronicles, by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles is a sci-fi/fantasy series that reimagines fairytales in the future. The Beauty and the Beast story isn’t included, but if you’re in the mood for more fairytale retellings, you have to give these books a try. In the series, Cinderella is Cinder, a teenage cyborg; Red Riding Hood is Scarlett, a spaceship pilot; Rapunzel is Cress, a computer hacker; and Snow White is Winter, a princess in love with a commoner. Together they band together to defeat the super evil Queen Levana and try to find happiness. Just try the first book, Cinder, and you’ll want to read them all.

 

All book cover images from www.amazon.com

 

Literary Linking: March 13 – 17

This week’s article topics include: subverting Trump with literature, new info on Jane Austen’s death, the controversy of dog-earing books, and more!

My favorite links from the week of March 13 – 17:

Alexander and the V Bad, FML Day
Read this – I promise you will laugh. It’s a digital-age take on Judith Viorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Books Can Take You Places Donald Trump Doesn’t Want You to Go
Keep reading, and keep fighting the good fight, friends!
Love this excerpt from the article: “Books can’t install unknown feelings or passions into us. What they can do is develop our emotional, psychological and intellectual life, and, by doing so, show us how and to what extent we are connected.”

New Evidence Suggests Jane Austen Was Poisoned to Death
The British Library recently tested three pairs of Jane Austen’s glasses and have speculated that she may have been poisoned to death by arsenic! Although it appears the poisoning was accidental, I feel like someone could turn this into an interesting murder-mystery novel…

Dog-earing Books: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
My answer to the dog-earing question is: “It depends.” This article has some great arguments for both sides. I especially like the response that breaks readers into two kinds of book lovers — courtly and carnal — and describes how each kind handles their books.

Reading by Example: What Kids Learn About Books from Watching You
If you are always on your phone or laptop, you can expect your kids to want to do the same. Why not have a book in your hands instead?

Bookish App Review: Bookout

When I heard about Bookout, a new app that creates infographics of your reading life, I had to give it a try. Their tagline is: Reading made better. Did it in fact make my reading better? I’ll share my thoughts after I tell you a little more about the app 🙂

What does it do?


Bookout is an app that makes it possible for you to keep close track of your reading. Over time, it compiles statistics and creates infographics that show you your reading trends and habits.

 

Example of Overall Reading Stats (not included in free version)

How does it work?


Each time you’re about to read, you open the app, find the title of your book and tap “Start Reading.” This starts a timer that runs until you decide to stop reading, at which point you tap “Stop.” The app then prompts you to enter either how many pages you read or the percentage of the book you completed. You track every reading session, and when you finish the book, an infographic can be generated that shows stats such as total reading time for that particular book, reading speed (in pages per hour), most pages read in a day, etc. The app also provides overall reading stats, lets you set reading goals, and earn achievement awards.

An important note: all the features mentioned above are very limited if you only download the free version of the app. With the free version, you can add a maximum of 10 books, the overall reading stats are limited to the number of pages/hours read, and you can only set monthly goals. The paid “Pro” version is $4.99 and lets you add an unlimited number of books, gives much more detailed stats, and allows you to set yearly goals.

 

My thoughts:


While the concept of the app really appeals to me and my book-nerdiness, it didn’t work on a practical level in my day-to-day reading life.

The tracking process would start off well. I’d add my book, start reading, and enter the necessary data when I finished the session. But the next time I picked up the book, more often than not, I’d forget about tracking. I’d be a good 20 minutes into my book or completely done reading before I’d remember to use the app.

Once I’d messed up one session, I felt that it wasn’t worth it to track that particular book anymore because all the statistics would be skewed. So, I didn’t follow through on tracking for the majority of the books I entered into the app.

Another problem I had was tracking audiobook reading. I often read books in both print and audio, going back and forth between the two. There was no easy way in the Bookout app to enter audiobook reading progress, since the only options for tracking are percentage and pages. Trying to do the math and figure out the percentage of the book I’d listened to was a bit more work than I was willing to do.

So, even though I love the idea behind Bookout, I don’t think I’ll use it much in the future. I recommend the app to readers who aren’t as forgetful as I am and who read only print. But until there’s a way to eliminate my human error and an easy way to enter audiobook reading, my stats will always be off, which defeats the whole purpose of the app.

 

Have you tried Bookout? Share your experience with the app in the comments below. Thanks!

Bookout logo image from www.apple.itunes.com

Literary Linking: March 6 – 10

This week’s articles cover topics including the coolest bookstores, famous writers most-used words, Margaret Atwood on The Handmaid’s Tale in the age of Trump, and more!:

My favorite literary links from the week of March 6 – 10:

5 Things You May Not Know About Margaret Wise Brown
Not sure who Margaret Wise Brown is? You definitely do. She’s the author of the incredibly famous children’s book, Goodnight Moon, and now there’s a biography all about her called In The Great Green Room. I’ve heard great things about it!

Take a Walk through the World’s Coolest Bookstores
I already want to go to LA to check out their amazing food scene, but after seeing this video, my first stop will be The Last Bookstore. It has labyrinths, tunnels and vaults of books!

Can You Name The Best-Selling Book Title From The Visual Riddle?
This quiz is so fun! I love pundles and that’s basically what these are, with a literary bent.

From ‘Alibi’ to ‘Mauve’: What Famous Writers’ Most Used Words Say about Them
I laughed when I saw that Stephanie Meyer’s most-used words were “sighs of relief” — I definitely gave a sigh of relief when Twilight stopped being so popular 🙂

Margaret Atwood on What ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Means in the Age of Trump
Such a joy to read Atwood’s own words about her work.

Literary Linking: February 27 – March 3

This week’s articles cover topics including: new and angry words in the Oxford English Dictionary, a Jane Austen heirloom, creating a rainbow bookshelf, and more!

My favorite literary links from the week of February 27- March 3:

Inheriting a National Treasure: Aunt Jane Austen’s Ring
Can’t really comprehend how this woman forgot that she was in possession of JANE AUSTEN’s ring! Priorities, people! Priorities!

Oxford Dictionaries Add ‘Clicktivism’ and ‘Haterade’ as New Words for Angry Times
Can’t say I have ever used either “clicktivism” or “haterade” but definitely have used one of the other words added: “craptacular”…

The Rainbow Bookshelf Of Your Dreams Is Easier To DIY Than You Think
My shelves are currently in alphabetical order by author’s last name for fiction and in Dewey categories for non-fiction. Maybe it’s time for a change?

You May Want to Marry My Husband
A heart-wrenching piece by author Amy Krouse Rosenthal, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. I love all her children’s books – she will be sorely missed when she’s gone.

Beloved Children’s Author Speaks Out about Her Detainment at U.S. Airport
Poor Mem Fox! I wish I could sic the Gruffalo on the immigration officers!

What Did DC Read in February?

Aaaand we’re back with DC Commuter Reading! Sorry for the hiatus… I don’t really have a good excuse except that I kept falling asleep on my bus.

So, welcome to this month’s round-up of what commuters from the District read on public transit, plus observations of the readers themselves. Maybe it’s you… 🙂

Here’s what DC read in February 2017:

Book: Eva Moves the Furniture, by Margot Livesey
From the publisher: On the morning of Eva McEwen’s birth, six magpies congregate in the apple tree outside the window–a bad omen, according to Scottish legend. That night, Eva’s mother dies, leaving her to be raised by her aunt and heartsick father in their small Scottish town. As a child, Eva is often visited by two companions–a woman and a girl–invisible to everyone else save her. As she grows, their intentions become increasingly unclear: Do they wish to protect or harm her?

Reader: Woman in her mid-30s, white with blonde hair pulled up in clip, wearing iridescent headphones and a black tweed skirt.

 

Book: Sisterland, by Curtis Sittenfeld
From the Follett: Identical twins Kate and Violet have always been different–able to sense other people’s secrets and know about future events. As they grew up, Vi embraced her gift and pursued a career as a pyschic medium, while Kate denied it and settled down with a family. An earthquake in their hometown of Saint Louis and Vi’s vision of a more devastating quake to come, however, force Kate to reconcile the strained relationship with her twin and come to grips with the truth about herself.

Reader: Middle-aged, white woman with puffy, wavy short brown hair, wearing black pants, sneakers and coat. Also sporting thick-rimmed glasses and a reddish-orange backpack

 

Book: The Dictator’s Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics, by Bruce Bueno De Mequita
From the publisher: Leaders do whatever keeps them in power. They don’t care about the “national interest”–or even their subjects–unless they have to. This clever and accessible book shows that the difference between tyrants and democrats is just a convenient fiction. Governments do not differ in kind but only in the number of essential supporters, or backs that need scratching. The size of this group determines almost everything about politics: what leaders can get away with, and the quality of life or misery under them. The picture the authors paint is not pretty. But it just may be the truth, which is a good starting point for anyone seeking to improve human governance

Reader: Man in his mid-30s, African American, wearing thick black-framed glasses, black hoodie and red polo shirt. Also carrying a leather bag with one strap.

 

Book: Daring Greatly, by Brene Brown
From the publisher: Daring Greatly is not about winning or losing. It s about courage. In a world where never enough dominates and feeling afraid has become second nature, vulnerability is subversive. Uncomfortable. It s even a little dangerous at times. And, without question, putting ourselves out there means there’s a far greater risk of getting criticized or feeling hurt. But when we step back and examine our lives, we will find that nothing is as uncomfortable, dangerous, and hurtful as standing on the outside of our lives looking in and wondering what it would be like if we had the courage to step into the arena whether it’s a new relationship, an important meeting, the creative process, or a difficult family conversation. Daring Greatly is a practice and a powerful new vision for letting ourselves be seen.”

Reader: White woman in her early forties with reddish brown hair in loose curls, wearing a polka dot dress, black flip-flops, black cardigan and cat-eye glasses and carrying a Vera Bradley tote.

 

A few other titles folks are reading:
The Merlin Prophecy: Book One, by M.K. Hume
Last Rituals: A Novel of Suspense, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire, by Edward N. Luttwak
Raven Black: Book One of the Shetland Island Quartet, by Ann Cleeves

 

What did you read in February? Share in the comments below!

 

Book cover images from www.amazon.com.

To Reread or Not To Reread? 10 Factors To Consider

I read recently that the United States publishes a little over 300,000 new titles a year. Even if I put only 1% of the new books published this year on my TBR list, I’d be adding 3,000+ titles to my reading plate. That’s just insanity.

So, when I recently saw Goodreads’ announcement that they now have a rereading feature that allows users to track all the times they’ve read a book, I asked myself, “Who wants to reread books, when there are so many new ones to get to? What makes a book worth rereading?”

When I look at the last few years of my reading life, there are only 10 – 15 books that I’ve fully reread and half of them are Harry Potter books! Some of the other titles are:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part- Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery
The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
Station Eleven, by Emily St. Mandel
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

But when I think back on it, all these books were fantastic rereads. I feel like I know each of them deeply and intimately. I’m quite certain that I wouldn’t have been able to say that after a first read. So, even though I want to keep up with my new-book reading, I’m open to exploring the world of rereading a little more. But how do I know what’s worth rereading?

After thinking it over, I came up with 10 factors to consider when deciding whether I should read a book again. I hope you can use them too!
  • It has a unique audiobook
    • A great audiobook can create a completely different reading experience. A skilled narrator can really bring the words to life and take you through the story in a brand new way. For me, The Golden Compass is the perfect example. The audiobook version is narrated by a full cast and the drama of it is such fun to listen to!
  • I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time I read it
    • This might seem obvious, but I feel it only makes sense to reread books that you liked the first time around. Unless it’s compulsory for you to read a book again, don’t force yourself to read something you didn’t like. Life is too short!
  • I didn’t love the book on a first read, but appreciated it and probably didn’t read it at the right time
    • There are a few books I’ve read that just didn’t jive with my mind space at the time, but upon a reread, it proved to be quite excellent.
  • It’s a literary classic
    • I’m going pull out my my snobby English major persona, and say that literary classics are classics for a reason. The language, imagery, character development, etc. are deeper and complex than a lot of modern fiction, and readers can only get more out of the book on a second reading.
  • It’s relevant to a current cultural or political issue
    • Sometimes backlist titles make a comeback because of something happening in the news (like 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale right now!).  If it’s something I’ve read before, revisiting it with a new lens can only yield interesting observations. Added bonus: it’ll be a great conversation starter at dinner parties.
  • There’s a sequel coming out
    • I often find that the amount of time that passes between the publication of book and its sequel makes it difficult to remember the details of the story. A refresher can never hurt.
  • A movie adaptation is being released
    • I’ve always been a “can’t watch it ‘til I’ve read it person,” but just because I’ve read something, doesn’t mean I remember it! Sometimes a good decade passes between my first read of a book and when the movie adaptation comes out. If I can’t recall the details of a book, then I can’t in good conscience go see the movie. A reread is in order.
  • I was too young to fully appreciate it
    • I read so many classics in middle school and high school that I liked, but could not have completely understood, simply because of lack of life experience. I remember reading To Kill a Mockingbird in 7th grade and thinking, “Meh,” but when I read it a year ago, it bowled me over and I got SO much more from it.
  • Reading a particular title is a seasonal or yearly ritual
    • I don’t have one, but I can see it happening someday. Most likely, it’ll be Anne of Green Gables in the autumn 🙂
  • It just makes me feel good to read it
    • Like comfort food, sometimes a particular book is the only thing that can make you feel better. This is why I’ve reread Harry Potter so many times!

How do you decide whether or not to reread a book? Share your answers in the comments below!