Good Wishes

I just wanted to wish everyone, whether you celebrate it or not, a very happy Ayyam-i-ha. Have a wonderful time.

Me, a Janeite?

What exactly is it that makes one a Janeite? Does one have to quote extensively from Pride and Prejudice? Must one compare all men (unfavourably) with Mr. Darcy? Is it forbidden to enjoy the works of the Bronte sisters? If these are what make one a Janeite, then I fall far short of the measure. However, I have just finished reading Michael Thomas Ford's novel Jane Bites Back, and it makes me realize just how much I have read and seen around the whole Austen oeuvre.

I follow a blog on the world of Jane Austen, I have seen movie versions of most of Austen's works (Colin Firth IS Mr. Darcy), as well as Becoming Jane and Lost in Austen. I find Austen very easy to get lost in. She creates real worlds with real characters. Even two hundred years after she was writing, you can feel the honesty in the writing. I think it is this honesty that makes Austen so enduring as a writer.

There is now an entire industry of novels that either re-write Austen novels, have Austen herself as a character, or tell a story of how others have been changed by an Austen novel. I've read most of them. In my book club, we have read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which takes the plot and language of Pride and Prejudice and inserts zombies. Elizabeth and Darcy bond while slaughtering hordes of the ravening undead; what's not to like? We've also read The Jane Austen Book Club which is about a group of women in California who decide to read the books of Jane Austen and begin to realize that their lives mirror the lives of the Austen heroines. The third book we as a book club have read in the Austen oeuvre would be An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aiden. This is the first of three books that tells the story of Fitzwilliam Darcy from his perspective. Wow, my book club has spent a lot of time on Jane Austen inspired books. Maybe we are all closet Janeites.

I have just finished reading Jane Bites Back which turns the world of Jane Austen on its ear. It tells the story of Jane Austen who is a vampire running a bookstore in upstate New York. Yes, you read correctly, Jane Austen is a vampire. All I can say is - Lord Byron really is "mad, bad, and dangerous to know." The premise of the story is that Jane Austen runs a small bookstore, is trying to deal with a love life, AND with getting her newest novel published - a novel that has been rejected 116 time! It is really a fabulous book, and I encourage everyone to read it.

Maybe I am a Janeite. What do you think?

Dem Dry Bones

I've just finished reading "206 Bones" by Kathy Reichs. I was at Chapters on Sunday, and when I saw the latest Reichs book in trade paperback, I just had to have it. I've always been a big fan of her writing, so I was really looking forward to diving into the latest Tempe Brennan whodunnit. It was going to be the perfect accompaniment to a hot bath, a hot cup of tea and (unfortunately) a cold. I was sadly disappointed.

I normally love the Temperance Brennan stories. I find that they are well written, with engaging characters, believable plots, and interesting forensic details. The fact that Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist herself adds a layer of honesty to the writing that is often missing from mystery novels. I really appreciate that honesty and knowledge. I also love the fact that many of the stories are set in Montreal, with the corresponding French thrown in for good measure. Tabarnac!

Sadly for me, "206 Bones" fell short of my expectations. I just couldn't get into the story, and I found myself oddly unsatisfied as I was reading it. I really just wanted to get it over with. I was never able to sink myself into the world of Temperance Brennan, her on-again,off-again boyfriend Andrew Ryan, or the eponymous bones. Something just wasn't ringing true for me. I still haven't been able to put my finger on exactly what the problem was with the story, but I'll try to figure it out as I write about it.

My biggest concern was that the plot seemed unbelievable. There were far too many coincidences to be entirely plausible. I don't want to give away any details of the plot, but Brennan is being set up, four different deaths are linked - or are they? She has a mysterious enemy AND a neighbour out to get her. Are they the same person or are there two problems to be dealt with? Ooooh - the tension!

And then there is the relationship with Detective Ryan. The two of them are together, then they are apart, then together, then apart. We get it already! The two are conflicted. The backstory is becoming a little ridiculous though. Temperance is separated from her husband (has been for years) but they haven't gone through with a divorce. Do we sense that the flame may still be flickering for Temperance and Pete? But wait! Pete is engaged to the beautiful, young Summer! Should Tempe go back to Ryan? Welllll - Summer wasn't at Christmas dinner. Could there be trouble in paradise? Is Pete still in love with Temperance?

And Ryan's love life isn't any less complicated. He may be in love with Temperance, but his heroin addicted daughter has just shown up and so he feels he needs to try to make it work with the mother of said daughter. What?! His 18 year old daughter shows up and NOW he wants to make it work with his ex? Oh wait, now they are just friends and are living separately. It's beginning to read like a script for a soap opera.

Maybe Reichs is running out of original ideas; or maybe all her creative ideas are going towards the television show that has been created from the Temperance Brennan character "BONES". It's a great show, but maybe the creative juices are running a little low. All I know is that this was not the reading experience I expected. Maybe my next book will be better. I'm reading "Jane Bites Back" which is a novel about Jane Austin the vampire. I'll keep you posted.

Nancy, Nancy, Nancy

Hi. My name is Sarah and I'm a Nancy Drew fan. Whew. It feels good to get that off my chest. I understand that the first step to solving an addiction is admitting that you have a problem. Is there a NDA (Nancy Drew Anonymous) group anywhere? I've loved Nancy Drew since childhood. I always wanted to be in her circle of friends. It would be Nancy, Bess, George, and Sarah. Then I just needed a football playing boyfriend and it would all be great.

I've read a number of criticisms of Nancy Drew, but I don't care. I can see where the critics are coming from, but nothing has diminished my love of Nancy. I can remember reading an article in Ms. magazine about how Nancy had become less independent since her creation, and how that was a reflection on the time. According to this article, when the first Nancy Drew books were written, during the 1930s, Nancy was a highly independent young lady who managed to extricate herself from her messes on her own. By the 1950s, she was always waiting for Ned to come and rescue her. It didn't matter to me at all. I continue to love Nancy.

I read another criticism that stated that the Nancy Drew books were racist. Nancy and her father lived in River Heights, which seemed to be a completely white city. All the bad guys seemed to be "swarthy". Ok, so white is good and dark is bad. I can see where the criticism is coming from, but I still love Nancy.

I just can't stop loving Nancy. I love how each story follows a formula; I love how the danger is never too dangerous; I love how gentle the books are; I love everything about them. I, however, did NOT like the movie version of Nancy Drew. It completely ruined the stories for me. I wanted to like it; I wanted it to add to my love of all things Nancy, but I couldn't.

I have all the Nancy Drew books, and will never get rid of them. I can't wait to read them with my nieces (and hopefully my step-daughter) when they get a little older. My goal now is to own all of them in the same cover. I like the hard cover yellow books that have a small picture of Nancy with a magnifying glass on the spine. All my books are currently in my storage area because I don't have room for them in the apartment, but they will travel with me wherever I go. I will never leave my Nancy behind.

The White Pine Program

The White Pine Program is part of the "Forest of Reading" set up by the Ontario Library Association. Since I'm now working in the school library, I have become much more familiar with the program, and I think it's just great. The "Forest of Reading" is set up so that children and adults can become familiar with Canadian literature. Every year, members of the Ontario Library Association select a number of books to be considered for the "Forest of Reading". The White Pine Program, which is the focus of this post, is for students in high school. This means that many of the books selected belong to the Young Adult category of books.

Young Adult books have come a long way since I was a teenager. I remember Sweet Valley High and the books put out by Scholastic. These books always seemed really simplistic to me, so I ended up reading adult books, even if I wasn't emotionally ready for them. Unfortunately, they were the only ones that didn't appear childish to me.

I'm trying to read all the White Pine books for this year, but I'm not sure I'll get through all of them. I've read two of the books for this year, The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones and The Landing by John Ibbitson. I absolutely loved the Wynne-Jones book, and was quite bored with the Ibbitson book. Next on my list will be Getting the Girl and Wondrous Strange.

The Uninvited is a mystery about a young woman who goes to spend the summer at her father's cottage in Ontario and what happens to her when she gets there. There are numerous threads running through the story, and a number of twists that would are quite unexpected. Dan Brown could learn a thing or two from Tim Wynne-Jones. Another good thing about The Uninvited is that it has aspects that will appeal to all sorts of readers. It has a strong female character, but it also has strong male characters. There are lots of relationship issues, but also drama, mystery, and a little violence.

Unlike The Uninvited, which kept me interested from page one, I never really did get into The Landing. The Landing is the story of a young man growing up in in a town like Bracebridge. The novel is set during the Depression and is really a coming of age story. Ben lives with his mother and uncle and works providing fuel and cigarettes to rich tourists from the south. A chance encounter with a rich widow from New York opens up new opportunities, and challenges, for Ben. Unfortunately, I never really cared what happened to Ben and didn't even finish the novel. I skipped to the last few pages and that was good enough for me. This doesn't mean that others might not find the book interesting, but it wasn't for me. I would have to think very carefully about who I would suggest read The Landing.