Here is an abstract of my literary doings in April.

Books Read – April 2012

Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone, by Dene Low – 4/2/2012
First Love, Last Rites, by Ian McEwan – 4/3/2012
The Maze Runner, by James Dashner (Audio) – 4/12/2012
Watership Down, by Richard Adams – 4/18/2012
Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See – 4/23/2012
The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt – 4/26/2012
Snow in April, by Rosamunde Pilcher – 4/27/2012
Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day, by Ben Loory – 4/30/2012

April Total = 8
Year-to-Date Total = 41

The Sisters Brothers was the best read of the month. It’s such a good book. An almost perfect book. Read it.

Book Club

The Highland Book Club read Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See this month. It’s the story of two Chinese sisters who survive the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s and eventually immigrate to the United States. It was really good. I can’t wait to read the follow up, Dreams of Joy. Up next month is one of my favorite books, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.

The Third Thursday Book Club read Watership Down, by Richard Adams. Not many of us finished, and I think I was the only one that liked it. Yes, it’s long. And yes, it’s about bunnies. But I liked it. Next month we’re reading Precious Bane, by Mary Webb.

Challenges

No challenge progress this month.

The Pulitzer Project – 11/84
The Printz Project – 8/13 (+7 Honor books)
The Newberry Project – 24/91 (+11 Honor books)

April Highlights

• The 2012 Pultizer Prizes were announced, but there was no award for fiction.
• I hosted a mini-challenge for Dewey’s Read-a-Thon on Rereading.
• My brother and I released the inaugural episode of our new podcast, Film/Lit.
• I held a random book giveaway.
• In The Sunday Salon, I reported back on the bookish podcasts I’ve been listening to that you recommended.
• I also posted a set of mini reviews and my reviews of First Love, Last Rights, the newest TOON Book, and On the Road.

That’s it. That’s what happened in April. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog this month!

My brother and I have released the inaugural episode of our new podcast. The podcast is called, as you may have already ascertained, Film/Lit.

In the first episode, we talk about our favorites – Blake’s favorite directors and my favorite books. Check out the Film/Lit website to listen or subscribe and listen via iTunes. On the website, you’ll also find show notes and contact information.

We plan to produce two episodes a month, each about 20 minutes long. Since this is a very new (and scary) endeavor, I’d love to hear your feedback. Feel free to comment here or email me.

Here is an abstract of my literary doings in March.

Books Read – March 2012

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, by Oliver Sacks – 3/4/2012
The King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner (Audio) – 3/6/2012
Clair de Lune, by Jetta Carleton – 3/6/2012
Shadow Tag, by Louise Erdrich – 3/9/2012
Story of a Girl, by Sara Zarr – 3/12/2012
The Getaway Car, by Ann Patchett – 3/17/2012
M.C. Higgins, the Great, by Virginia Hamilton – 3/19/2012
Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool (Audio) – 3/20/2012
Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White – 3/22/2012
A Conspiracy of Kings, by Megan Whalen Turner (Audio) – 3/31/2012

March Total = 10
Year-to-Date Total = 33

A Conspiracy of Kings takes the prize this month.

Book Club

The Highland Book Club read several “nostalgia reads”: Charlotte’s Web, The Secret Garden, and Anne of Green Gables. I read Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White. I really enjoyed rediscovering it. And this time, I noticed some of the subtext about how writers are often ignored. Up next month is Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See.

The Third Thursday Book Club read The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, by Oliver Sacks. I had to miss the meeting, but I wasn’t overly fond of the book. Next month, we’re reading Watership Down, by Richard Adams.

Challenges

More progress this month! I read one Newbery honor (reread), and two Newbery winners.

The Pulitzer Project – 11/84
The Printz Project – 8/13 (+7 Honor books)
The Newberry Project – 24/91 (+11 Honor books)

March Highlights

• I hosted a mini-challenge for Bloggiesta!: Five Ways to Spiff Up Your Book Reviews.
• I posted a show down: Sense & Sensibility VERSUS Persuasion. Right now, Persuasion has the popular vote.
• I participated in Louise Erdrich month by reading and reviewing Shadow Tag.
• In The Sunday Salon, I posted about my adoration for The Tournament of Books, requested podcast recommendations, and resolved to be less critical about books.

That’s it. That’s what happened in March. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog this month!

Versus is a feature in which two books face-off. Anything goes in the judging, but only one can be the winner.

NOTE: As this is a discussion of books by Jane Austen, whose plots most everyone knows, there are some spoilers.

I’d read Persuasion before. I liked it. But I was interested to see how it would fare on a second reading. This time around, I was particularly struck with the awfulness of Anne’s relatives. In a way they are both horrific and hilarious. I was amused that Sir Walter’s favorite “book” was the baronetage, in which his family line is set forth. But I was mostly annoyed that they are in debt up to their eyeballs and yet snub technically lower class people with money and refuse to live within their means. And Mary the hypochondriac was both fun and pathetic.

Despite some funny moments, there isn’t as much awesome Austen wit here. Rather, most of the book is concerned with the genuine feelings of Anne, who is practically an old maid at 28. I just never could warm up all that much to Anne. Or to Captain Wentworth for that matter. She’s too perfect. And I just don’t know exactly what he is. And I was uber-frustrated that the love story got so little page-time. Here’s the most frustrating quote in the world, which occurs after Anne and Captain Wentworth modestly announce their feelings:

Who can be in doubt of what followed? (266)

What? No details? Bah! Despite this rather disappointing conclusion to the love story, I did enjoy the book. There is a lot here to be discussed. For example, here’s one of my favorite quotes on female storytelling:

Yes, yes, if you please, no reference to examples in books. Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything. (251)

And here’s one on the titular theme:

Anne wondered whether it ever occurred to him now, to question the justness of his own previous opinion as to the universal felicity and advantage of firmness of character; and whether it might not strike him, that, like all other qualities of the mind, it should have its proportions and limits. She thought it could scarcely escape him to feel, that a persuadable temper might sometimes be as much in favour of happiness, as a very resolute character. (124)

There is a also great cast of characters, and there are more mature musings on marriage and dependability and the relative benefits and drawbacks of being persuadable.

Persuasion, by Jane Austen

In contrast, this was my first time through Sense and Sensibility. As in Persuasion, there is a whole cast of terrible, horrible, and awful people: Mr. & Mrs. John Dashwood, Lucy Steele, Mrs. Ferrars and Richard Ferrars. And the indefensible Willoughby! But I did love Elinor and her constant struggle to be sensible against all odds. For some reason, I wasn’t as annoyed with Elinor’s perfection as I was with Anne’s. Perhaps because I was more privy to Elinor’s internal struggles?

And I loved the rest of the cast too. Marianne and Colonel Brandon are particular favorites. Mrs. Dashwood and Margaret. And Edward, of course (if I can get Hugh Grant out of my mind). But again, as I often feel with Austen, the love story did not get enough page-time. In fact, we spend almost no time with Elinor and Edward alone together. And again, a frustrating line where Edward is to propose:

How soon he had walked himself into the proper resolution, however, how soon as opportunity of exercising it occurred, in what manner he expressed himself, and how he was received, need not be particularly told. (354, emphasis added)

Blurg. I want the details. But, there is something to be said for the freedom to imagine it how I will. Sense and Sensibility was Jane Austen’s first novel and is incredibly well formed. There are a number of developed themes here. One that particularly struck me was the idea that the characters of men and women can be improved or worsened based on their spouse and marriage. Oh, and there is plenty of my beloved witty banter. I just thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Sense & Sensibility, Jane Austen

Between the two, I enjoyed Sense and Sensibility more. Perhaps it had to do with Anne being a bit of an austere old maid (28) and Elinor being more youthful (17). Or that Sense and Sensibility was Austen’s first novel; Persuasion her last. Or that Persuasion seems to center almost exclusively on Anne, while Sense and Sensibility has a wider cast. Probably, the themes in Persuasion are more developed. This is a close one, but, for me, the plot and characters of Sense and Sensibility win out.

Here is an abstract of my literary doings in February.

Books Read – February 2012

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle – 2/2/2012
When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead – 2/3/2012
First Light, by Rebecca Stead – 2/5/2012
If I Stay, by Gayle Forman – 2/10/2012
The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner (Audio) – 2/13/2012
Atonement, by Ian McEwan – 2/16/2012
The Queen of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner (Audio) – 2/23/2012
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman – 2/26/2012

February Total = 8
Year-to-Date Total = 23

Even though it took me forever and I enjoyed a number of the others on this list, my favorite book of the month was Atonement.

Book Club

The Highland Book Club read The Princess Bride, by William Goldman. I really enjoyed the book. And I was surprised that, though the movie tracks the book almost plot point for plot point, they have completely different tones. And the back-stories on all of the characters are more textured in the book. Up next month, a group of nostalgia reads: Charlotte’s Web, The Secret Garden, and Anne of Green Gables.

The Third Thursday Book Club had a good discussion of Atonement, by Ian McEwan. Only three of us got through it, but we all agreed it was worth the effort. And effort it took. I haven’t had to slog through a book like that in a while. But the last page made it all worth it. It’s books like these that make me particularly grateful for book clubs. I likely would not have finished it otherwise. Next month, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. I’ve started it already, and it’s very different from what we usually read.

Challenges

More progress this month! I read one Newbery honor (reread), and two Newbery winners (one was a reread). So a net of one new challenge book.

The Pulitzer Project – 11/84
The Printz Project – 8/13 (+7 Honor books)
The Newberry Project – 22/91 (+11 Honor books)

February Highlights

• I got to meet Rebecca Stead and gave away a copy of When You Read Me.
• I finally got a new installment of Readers Uncovered posted.
• I participated in a meme!
• And, I posted a gazillion reviews (for me). They included two sets of mini reviews: set 1 and set 2, books I read to prep for meeting Rebecca Stead, and a review of Paranormalcy (in which I kind of ended up lashing out at the paranormal romance genre).

That’s it. That’s what happened in February. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog this month!

Readers Uncovered features readers and their answers to tough reading questions.

WHAT IS THE BOOK YOU REMEMBER MOST FONDLY FROM CHILDHOOD, AND WHY?

I could cite Jane Eyre—which I filched from my mother’s nightstand and have loved ever since—or the $1 copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray that I bought on a whim. These two, read first at 9, have had lasting effects on my reading life.

But it was the memory of reading of Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic that I have to draw upon. It was the summer that I moved in with my parents and brothers [most of my life before then, I lived with my grandparents]. I was 9, too. I plucked it from my mother’s shelves, and at one point my father remarked, “Isn’t that too adult for her?” But my mother let me read it.

It was wonderful. The magical and the mundane, the otherworldly in suburbia. Witches! And soccer moms! It wasn’t cutesy, never twee. There was this pervading sense of serene sorrow within the narrative, the characters. It was good fiction. And I knew, looking back, that it helped me grow up: A third into the novel, there’s this scene where one of the witch-sisters makes love with her guidance counselor boyfriend. It was pretty tame, just a few lines, then cutting to black. But, you know, I felt this sense of betrayal descending upon me when I read that. My mother had read this book, so she knew about these things. My father didn’t want me to read this book, so he must have known something was up. A lot of other people all over the world had read this book. These people knew things no one had ever hinted at to me!

It was like, This was what the world has been keeping secret from me. Oh, man.

I’ve read Practical Magic twice more after that first read—most recently a year ago—and, thankfully, it’s still beautiful, sentimental value or otherwise.

-Sasha from Sasha and the Silverfish

I have fond memories of reading books in my childhood, so I can’t choose just one book I remember fondly. My mother read chapter books to me and my brother and sister, from Roald Dahl to E.B. White. I remember she read me The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett when I was sick once. She also read us the Chronicles of Narnia, and I loved those books. My personal reading went through phases: I’d read everything I could find by an author. For example, I read all the Happy Hollisters stories, all the books by the author Avi, and all the Babysitter’s Club books and other books by Ann M. Martin. I also loved the Anne of Green Gables series. Books and reading were always a central part of my life, and I loved riding my bike to the library to get new books to read. I think the fact that my mother encouraged reading and read to me helped me see it was a worthwhile and fun hobby.

-Rebecca from Rebecca Reads

The book I remember most fondly from childhood is undoubtedly, JUST WILLIAM by Richmal Crompton. This collection of 12(?) short stories, about a mischievous but likeable eleven-year-old, was given to me one day by an aunt and uncle, and it became a constant friend and companion to me in the mid-seventies, when I spent many of my summers living with my grandparents in the rural setting of Cornwall, England.

Written in the 1920s, the stories contained within JUST WILLIAM gave me a lot of the inspiration for my own childhood adventures, and I was glad to have it at my side. Being an only child spending summer holidays in a village that was bereft of other children, JUST WILLIAM was always there to fill up my imagination ‘tank’. By day I would wile away countless hours running through the fields with my imaginary gang of Outlaws, searching the hedgerows for my damnedest of enemies, Hubert Lane. And by night I would snuggle up in bed, with my straining against the failing light, reread another story, planning my adventures for the next day.

-Rob from RobAroundBooks

Thank you to our lovely panelists. Check out their previous answers to this question: How do you track and record your thoughts about your reading – a blog, a reading journal, a spreadsheet, etc.?

They answered the tough question; now it’s your turn. What book do you remember most fondly from childhood?

*Update* Edited to add one last book I finished today.
Here is an abstract of my literary doings in January.

Books Read – January 2012

How Reading Changed My Life, by Anna Quindlen – 1/1/2012
River in the Sea, by Tina Boscha – 1/5/2012
Scarlet, by A.C. Gaughen – 1/7/2012
War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo – 1/8/2012
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green – 1/10/2012
Emotional Geology, by Linda Gillard – 1/11/2012
I Am Not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells – 1/16/2012
Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta – 1/18/2012
Persuasion, by Jane Austen – 1/21/2012
Sense & Sensibility, by Jane Austen – 1/23/2012
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson – 1/26/2012
Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler – 1/26/2012
Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White – 1/27/2012
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt – 1/30/2012
One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia – 1/31/2012

January Total = 15
Year-to-Date Total = 15

Yay! Fifteen books in one month is my personal record since I started tracking my reading. And most of them were so good, I can’t even begin to pick a pick of the month. Lots of amazing reads here; War Horse, The Fault in Our Stars, Sense & Sensibility, and Bridge to Terabithia, Lizzie Bright, and One Crazy Summer stand out the most to me though. Great reading month!

Book Club

The Highland Book Club read In the Woods, by Tana French. Unfortunately, I didn’t get this one read in time for the meeting. I’m still working on it though. Up next is The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.

The Third Thursday Book Club had a good discussion of I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith. I haven’t read it in a few years, but I remember liking it. And it was fun to discuss it with the others. In February, we’re reading Atonement, by Ian McEwan. I can’t wait to read it. I’m so enchanted with my book club experiences lately, that I blathered on about them for a bit here.

Challenges

I’ve FINALLY made some progress on my challenges! This month I read one Newbery winner, two Newbery honors, one Printz winner, and two Printz honors! Awesomeness.

The Pulitzer Project – 11/84
The Printz Project – 8/13 (+7 Honor books)
The Newberry Project – 21/91 (+11 Honor books)

January Highlights

• I announced the winners of the 2012 ALA Youth Media Awards.
• I started doing a few Sunday Salon posts here and here.
• And, I posted as many reviews as I could for the books I read this month. See the list above.

That’s it. That’s what happened in January. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog this month!

MY TOP 10 PICKS OF 2011

Books Published before 2011
I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak
What the Dog Saw, by Malcolm Gladwell
The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin
Getting Things Done, by David Allen

Books Published in 2011
The Call, by Yannick Murphy
Before I Go To Sleep, by S.J. Watson
Moonwalking with Einstein, by Joshua Foer
The Soldier’s Wife, by Margaret Leroy

Honorable Mentions (Rereads)
Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger
84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff

* Click over to the complete list of books I read in 2011.

BOOKS READ

Total Books Read = 45
Average Books Read Per Month = 3.75
Best Reading Month = November (7 books)
Worst Reading Month = October (1 book)

Total Pages Read = 14,233 (According to Goodreads)
Average Pages Per Book = 316
Average Pages Read Per Day = 39
Average Pages Read Per Month = 1,186
Total Chunksters (450+ pages) Read = 2

Total Fiction Books Read = 32
Total Nonfiction Books Read = 13
Total Audio Books “Read” = 0
Total Kindle Books Read = 4
Total Books Reread = 2

Total Books By Women = 25
Total Books By Men = 20
Total New-to-Me Authors = 34
Total Utah Authors = 2
Repeat Authors = David Allen (2); Laurie Halse Anderson (2); George R.R. Martin (2); Markus Zusak (2)

Total Books Read that I Own = 45
Total Books Read that I Don’t Own = 0

Ratings = 8
Ratings = 26
Ratings = 9
Ratings = 2
Ratings = 0

CHALLENGES

The Pulitzer Project – 11/84 [1 this year]
The Printz Project – 7/11 (+5 Honor books) [1 honor this year]
The Newberry Project – 20/89 (+9 Honor books) [1 honor this year ]

BOOK CLUB
HIGHLAND BOOK CLUB
November/December: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens*
October: Dracula, by Bran Stoker OR Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley*
September: The Help, by Kathryn Stockett*
August: Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale*
June: I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith*
May: Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier*
April: These Is My Words, by Nancy E. Turner*
March: The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls*
February: Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson*
January: Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger*

THIRD THURSDAY BOOK CLUB
December: The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt*
November: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith*
October: Ella Minnow Pea, by Mark Dunn*
September – Middlemarch, by George Eliot (book and movie)
May – A Wizard of Earth Sea, by Ursula K. Le Guin*
April – The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley*
March – These is My Words, by Nancy E. Turner*
February – 84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff*
January – When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead*
 
* Indicates books I have read; links are to my reviews.

2011 was a great year! I enjoyed reading with all of you.

Literature 101 is a ten-part course based on 10 Literary Concepts Every Reader Should Know. We took a little hiatus and are picking up where we left off.

WEEK 7: TONE

The tone of a work refers to the author’s implicit attitude about a subject as conveyed by style and word choice.

DISCUSSION

The tone is generally defined as the author’s implicit attitude toward the reader or the people, places, and events in a work. The author expresses tone through a variety of elements such as diction, syntax, imagery, details, and metaphor.

There are probably as many tones as human emotions. Here are some common tones:

serious
ironic
sad
happy
private
public
informative
angry
affectionate
bitter
nostalgic
playful
solemn
formal
intimate
outraged
baffled
tender
serene
depressed
melancholy
condescending

EXAMPLES

Okay, here are my best attempts to categorize the last five books I read:

WHAT THE DOG SAW, by Malcolm Gladwell – informative
THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE, by Aimee Bender – melancholy, baffled
ON THE ROAD, by Jack Kerouac – nostalgic
THE CALL, by Yannick Murphy – angry and then almost tender
A WALK IN THE WOODS, by Bill Bryson – playful, informative

Wow. That was harder than I thought it would be. Do you think I got these right?

Tone is something that is obviously present in every work, but I think it is generally one of the hardest things to identify and describe. But I think it is a good exercise to do from time to time.

HOMEWORK

1. Consider a book from your recently read pile or the book that you are currently reading.
2. Can you identify a tone? Or maybe shifts in tone?
3. Consider how a change in tone affects or could affect the story.

Feel free to post your thoughts on the homework in the comments below. I’d be curious to hear which books or stories you used.

_________________________________

That concludes our study of tone. Make sure to check back for the “lecture” on Symbol. But first, chime in with your thoughts on tone in the comments.