*Image source unknown.

This week’s original idea for “Top 10 Tuesdays” (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) was “Authors I’d Like to See on a Reality Show“.  This one turned out to be too hard for a lot of folks (although I think I could manage – Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Ernest Hemingway, Ayn Rand, Agatha Christie, David Foster Wallace…. That’s 7. I’ll leave the other 3 to your imagination!) – so they decided to open it up to whatever we choose.  So, my topic is Top 10 Surprisingly Enjoyable Reads! Wherein, I list and talk about 10 books that were much better than I expected them to be.  Go!

01.  The Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway.  This book blew me away.  It was not at all what I expected from Hemingway, and I’m pretty familiar with the dude at this point.  It was so honest and so personal – something that, yes, Hemingway’s work always is, but it was, in a way, more sensitive and delicate than his other works.  I found this one to be incredibly beautiful and rather fascinating as an autobiographical study.

02. The Ways of White Folks by Langston Hughes.  A collection of short stories written during the incomparable Jazz Age and as a response to W.E.B. DuBois’s The Souls of Black Folk.  Hughes takes what was a well-meaning anthropological study and exposes its unintentional but ever-present racism and condescension.  The stories range from sad to hilarious and from typical to tragic.  Hughes demonstrates his genius, here, not only in the stories themselves, but in his evaluation and deconstruction of DuBois’s work (right down to the very meaningful difference between the titles’ use of the words ”Folk” vs.”Folks”). 

03. The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade by Herman Melville .  One of the books I recommend most often to lovers of literature.  This book is almost always overlooked, both by students of American literature in general and by students of the period (or of Melville) specifically.  I found it nothing short of brilliant!  Melville died tragically without recognition; even Moby Dick, his masterpiece, was almost lost to obscurity (it was thanks to a researcher, decades later, that the work -and its author- were finally recognized).  Reading this one in conjunction with Milton’s Paradise Lost is an experience well-worth having!

04. The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens.  I have not been too enamored by any YA Fantasy books since the completion of the Harry Potter series.  So, when I received an ARC of this one last year, I didn’t have very high expectations.  After reading and reviewing it, however, I made sure to set my calendar so that I could go pick-up a copy of the first edition first printing as soon as it was released (and I did!).  The sequel (The Fire Chronicle) releases later this year, and I am super-stoked to get my hands on it!

05. Lust for Life by Irving Stone.  A fictional memoir (or biographical novel?) about the life of Vincent van Gogh.  The narrative is based on actual letters written between van Gogh and his brother, so it is both factual and personal. I don’t know a whole lot about art – I took one Art History course in college and did well-enough, but while I’m interested in the subject, I can’t pretend to be any kind of resource or critic.  This book, though, is so well written that I found myself learning about and appreciating art and “the process,” without having much relatable experience.  The author seems highly reputable (an incredible researcher with honest intentions), which made the experience even more enjoyable for me.

06. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs.  This might be the first book to have ever made me actually laugh-out-loud.  I’m not typically one for memoirs or autobiography (despite my applause of Book #5 above), but I found this particular work to read like fiction, though it was based on factual events.  For me, that’s a great thing, as it means the narrator isn’t only a real person, but also a great storyteller.  Parts of the book are absurd, sure, but there’s nothing I love more in my books than an epically dysfunctional family.

07. The History Boys by Alan Bennett. Along with poetry and non-fiction, another type of literature I don’t seem to read enough of is drama.  While the premise of this one did sound interesting – an English teacher trying to guide and influence his students at an English all-boy’s school- I didn’t see much in the blurb that made me think “this is gonna be somethin’!“  Fortunately, a friend had mentioned how great the movie is – and I’m typically adamant about reading books/plays before watching.  So, I read the play.  And then saw the movie.  And then read the play again.  And then saw the movie again.  And so it goes, every couple of years.  I read very few books multiple times (because I always have so much new material on-deck)… the fact that I’ve read this one at least three times is saying something, alright!

08. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  I am not the biggest Fitzgerald fan.  I enjoyed The Great Gatsby and some of his short stories, but I just “liked” This Side of Paradise.  I read Tender is the Night in graduate school, though, and was utterly stunned.  There might be a pattern, here, in that I find a lot of my favorite/surprisingly enjoyable reads are autobiographical in nature.  This one deals directly with the tumultuous relationship between Fitzgerald and his troubled wife, Zelda (whose one published novel, Save Me the Waltz, deals with the same time period and was recently reviewed on this blog).  I related, personally, with a lot of what Fitzgerald was going through, which also, I think, made me appreciate the book on a deeper, more personal level.

09. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.  This book intimidated me like no other.  I had read and enjoyed both Anna Karenina and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, so I’m not sure why I felt this one would be so daunting.  Perhaps it’s because War and Peace is considered one of “the” great literary tomes, one that all serious readers and intellectuals either hope to read or take pride in having read at some point.  The story (or, should I say, stories) was beautiful and the philosophy explored was stimulating and passionate.  I couldn’t believe that such an intensely serious (and lengthy) work could be so much fun to read.  I have to also thank the translator for making this experience a great one.  If anyone has been putting this one off, as I had been, because they feel it will be “too hard” or “too dense” – pshaw!  Take it from me, you want to read this one!  It’s actually (seriously) a page-turner.

10. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood.  I had never heard of Isherwood, until stumbling across this book in the “Recommended For You” section of Amazon.com.  The book is about how a man deals with life, after the death of his long-time partner.  How do we get used to living alone and being single again?  What do we become, after half of what used to define us has disappeared?  This is by no means a fun read; it is, in fact, quite sad and difficult.  That being said, it is very, very human and, although the relationship explored is a homosexual one, the message and experiences are, I think, completely relatable to all of us and particularly to those of us who are growing older (in a relationship) and worry about that future time, or to those of us who have already lost our other half.  So good.

This summer, heads will explode.

Four book bloggers are taking a trip into the incredibly exciting territory known as Andrew Smith’s mind. We hope you will join Smash Attack Reads, Not Now…I’m Reading, Roof Beam Reader and Lady Reader’s Bookstuff on this journey! This will be a 4 month read-a-long featuring one of Andrew’s books each month as a celebration for his new release, Passenger, the sequel to The Marbury Lens, which will be released on October 2, 2012.

The designated blog will host the discussion each week for the designated book, and there will be opportunities to win the books and other swag throughout the event. So put that library card or credit card to good use and get prepared for four months of awesome!

Where to buy:

• In The Path of Falling Objects
• Stick
• Ghost Medicine
• The Marbury Lens

Schedule

June: In the Path of Falling Objects (Hosted by Lady Reader’s Bookstuff)

• 6/2: Part One: Pages 2-62
• 6/9: Part Two: Pages 63-129
• 6/16: Part Three: Pages 130-195
• 6/23: Part Four: Pages 196-267
• 6/30: Part Five: Pages 268-323

July: Stick (Hosted by Roof Beam Reader)

• 7/7: First (Part 1): Pages 2-59
• 7/14: First (Part 2): Pages 60-103
• 7/21: Next (Part 1): Pages 107-216
• 7/28: Next (Part 2): Pages 216-292

August: Ghost Medicine (Hosted by Not Now…I’m Reading)

• 8/4: Chapter 1 – 8
• 8/11: Chapter 9 – 15
• 8/18: Chapter 16 – 22
• 8/25: Chapter 23 – 29

September: The Marbury Lens (Hosted by Smash Attack Reads)

• 9/8: Part One: The Amethyst Hour, Chapters 1-17
• 9/15: Part Two: The Strange Boys, Chapters 18-30
• 9/22: Part Three: Blackpool, Chapters 21-42
• 9/29: Part Four: Chapters 43-48
• 10/6: Part Five: Seth, Chapters 49-59

Registration

You must register for this event and participate in order to be eligible for prizes.

Register here.

Giveaway

Amy @ Lady Reader’s Bookstuff is offering up one copy of In the Path of Falling Objects, as she is hosting the discussion for this book in June.

Open to US only. Must be 14 and older. Please enter the giveaway on only one of the 4 host blogs. Duplicate entries will be deleted. Giveaway is open 5/12/12 12:01 AM until 5/18/12 11:59 PM.

Enter Giveaway Here

Awesome reading material: Check.

Mind-fuckery: Check

Discussion with other lovers of the written word: Check

Please join us in celebrating

the amazing Andrew Smith!

Welcome to the “Pay it Forward” Giveaway Hop Sign-Ups and Event Announcement, inspired by the great author (and wonderful person), Catherine Ryan Hyde!

Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag and I have decided to celebrate the works of Catherine Ryan Hyde, who we both admire greatly as a person and a writer.  So, we are asking the blogging world to spread the word about Catherine and, in return, we have prize packs at-the-ready for those who celebrate with us by posting the Event Button and/or by purchasing Catherine’s books!

And, in the spirit of her same-titled book, we are hosting a Giveaway Hop (open to all!) which will allow bloggers to “Pay it Forward” to their own readers by giving away some of their favorite things!

To Participate in the Catherine Ryan Hyde Giveaway Contest:

Simply grab the button above and/or purchase copies of Catherine’s books.  When you have done either (or both) of these things, send an e-mail to Lauren (Lauren51990 at AOL dot COM) with a direct link to where you have placed the button AND/OR a photo of you with the book and receipt

IMPORTANT: The receipt is required because only books purchased during the time of the event will be considered as valid for entry purposes. (You can also forward your receipt via e-mail, if the book(s) were purched online, or scan/fax the receipt if it has the item information on it).

Posting the button on your blog = 1 point

Purchasing a copy of a Catherine Ryan Hyde book = 5 points

Event begins TODAY & goes until June 23rd (start of Giveaway Hop)

Any e-mails received after June 23rd will not be considered

The Contest Prizes:

 Prize Pack 1:

Signed Adult 1sts of: Love in the Present Tense, Chasing Windmills, Electric God and the brand new When You Were Older that’s so far available only in the UK.

Prize Pack 2:

Signed YA pack of: Becoming Chloe, The Day I Killed James, Diary of a Witness and Jumpstart the World.

Prize Pack 3:
Personalized “gift basket”. Winner will provide ideas or a theme, and Lauren will create it and mail it to you or someone you wish to gift it to (donated by Lauren).

Prize Pack 4:

Winner’s choice of Catherine’s books, up to $30 US, and a copy of the movie Pay It Forward on DVD (donated by Adam).

Depending on the size of the contest, another prize pack (5 total) could be awarded.

Winners will be selected at random from the pool of qualified entrants.  The first selected winner will get to choose from the four prize packs. The second selected winner will choose from the remaining three prize packs, etc.

Note: While it is not required, we do ask you to please consider purchasing Catherine’s books through Create Space.  Authors receive a much higher percentage of the revenue when their titles are purchased here, as opposed to Amazon or other retailers.  The book images below are linked directly to their purchase-point on Create Space.

To Participate in the Pay it Forward Giveaway Hop:

Grab the button below and use the form below to sign-up for the Pay It Forward Giveaway Hop, which will take place during the last week of June (June 23rd - June 30th).

If you sign-up for this Hop, you must host a giveaway, but the prize is at your discretion.  We encourage you to promote a book, author, or item which you believe deserves more attention, thus “paying it forward” to your readers and the author/product who you are promoting.

While we are specifically promoting Catherine Ryan Hyde, blogs of ALL types are welcome in this hop – including Video Gamers, Cooking/Nutrition Bloggers, Fitness Bloggers, and whoever else wants to share the love!

Copy the image above (or grab from the side-bar) and put the button on your blog (e.g., in your sidebar and/or in a blog post), so you can advertise the Blog Hop and attract more participants to make this a big event (and/or alert your readers about the event).  You’ll also get a point in the Catherine Ryan Hyde giveaway by posting the image on your blog and e-mailing Lauren with a link to where you’ve posted it!

To Join the Pay it Forward Giveaway Hop, Fill Out This Form.

I will add your blog to the list with links below.  You cannot add yourself to the linky list.

Last day to sign-up to be a participant in the Pay It Forward blog hop: June 20th!

Linky List:

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish.

I have not participated in Top 10 Tuesday in quite sometime.  One of my favorite parts of reading, though, is connecting with the language – certain sentences, portions of dialogue, or passages which really “speak” to me at the time.  I love to share quotes from books (they are typically a part of my book reviews, in fact) – so, although I did a “Top 10 Book Quotes” post a little over a year ago, I thought I could participate again but, this time, include only quotes from books I have read in the last year. 

Here We Go!

01. “I have noticed this about ambitious men, or men in power, that they fear even the slightest and least likely threat to it.” – Mary Stewart (The Crystal Cave)

02. “Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service.” – Wilkie Collins (The Woman in White)

03. “I want to stay as close to the edge as I can  without going over.  Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.” – Kurt Vonnegut (Player Piano)

04. “A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber-room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)

05. “Here was a new generation, shouting the old cries, learning the old creeds, through a revery of long days and nights; destined finally to go out into that dirty gray turmoil to follow love and pride; a new generation dedicated more than the last to the fear of poverty and the worship of success; grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken. . . .” – F. Scott Fitzgerald (This Side of Paradise)

06. “He never really existed at all, except in my imagination.  I loved something I made up . . . .  I made a pretty suit of clothes and fell in love with it.” – Margaret Mitchell (Gone With the Wind)

07. “Religion isn’t the cause of wars, it’s the excuse.” – Jasper Fforde (The Eyre Affair)

08. “When ancient Greeks had a thought, it occurred to them as a god or goddess giving an order. Apollo was telling them to be brave. Athena was telling them to fall in love. Now people hear a commercial for sour cream potato chips and rush out to buy them, but now they call this free will.” – Chuck Palahniuk (Lullaby)

09. “Love always looks nice.  I don’t really know anyone who doesn’t enjoy it when they see it.  Anyone who doesn’t, I don’t really want to know them.” – Catherine Ryan Hyde (Jumpstart the World)

10. “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.” – Ernest Hemingway (The Garden of Eden)

Once again, I am signing-up for the oh-s0-awesome “Random Acts of Kindness” book-exchange!  I have participated for the last nine months (or so) and it has been a lot of fun! Not only have I given and received great books, but I’ve also met some groovy new book bloggers!  I want to take a minute to thank those who sent me books in April.

Books Received:

The Carnivorous Lamb by Augustin Gomez-Arcos from Kayla at Bibliophilia, Please.

Cities of the Red Night by William S. Burroughs from Darlene at Darlene’s Book Nook.

Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut from Dizneeee at Dizneeees World of Books

Books Given:

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Anne Radcliffe, Tales of Mystery & Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe, Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens, Martyrs & Monsters by Robert Dunbar, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart, Ulysses by James Joyce, Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens, Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick, The Magician King by Lev Grossman, Eve by Anna Carey.

For May:

Here’s My Wishlist!

COMPLETE RULES RE-CAP: Please read carefully & follow all rules!  Thank you!

• Please sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button.
• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog, etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
• Once you receive a RAK, send us an our new email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
• E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon’s Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and we believe Barnes & Noble with Nook as well.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a “RAK Wrap-Up” post.  This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from.
• OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Links you will need:

Save  Me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald

Final Verdict: 3.5 out of 4.0

YTD: 16

Plot/Story:
3 – Plot/Story is interesting & believable.

Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald was the troubled wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the most famous American writers of all-time.  Save Me the Waltz is her first and only novel, one which is largely autobiographical and which covers  approximately the same time period as her husband’s masterpiece, Tender is the Night.  Both books fictionalize the couple’s life in Paris together, but each from their own perspective.  While Tender is the Night deals with F. Scott’s attempt at handling his wife’s eccentric nature (and ultimate mental breakdown), Save Me the Waltz is much more about Zelda’s hopes and dreams and her sense of being overshadowed in most regards by her husband’s great success.  Zelda Fitzgerald was considered to be one of the first American “Flappers” – a glamorous and materialistic woman whose greatest hope was to become a superior ballerina, though she only pursued dance late in life. The story itself is interesting in that it reveals Zelda’s perspective on F. Scott as well as her interpretation of that great American time period known as “The Roaring ‘20s.”

Characterization:
3 – Characters well developed.

The majority of the characters aside from Alabama (Zelda), David (F. Scott) and Bonnie (their daughter) are relatively flat and, at times, even incongruous (characters’ names spelled in different fashions, eye colors changing, etc.).  What Fitzgerald does well, though, is creating characters in relation to Alabama.  The dance instructors and love interests, for example, all come to life quite unexpected because of the way they interact with Alabama.  The relationship between David and Alabama is drawn extraordinarily well and, in fact, reminds me of a lovers’ relationship written by Hemingway in The Garden of Eden.  It is tortuously romantic – hopeless and beautiful at the same time.  It makes sense that this would be the most aptly developed relationship, considering it is at the core of the story (and the primary impetus for Zelda’s writing the story in the first place).  Little Bonnie’s character is also quite charming and her relationship with her Dad is lovely, particularly near the end. 

Prose/Style:
4 – Extraordinary Prose/Style, enhancing the Story.

This book has been both praised and derided for its prose and style.  The structure is sound and relatively traditional; however, the prose and language itself is quite odd.  At times, it reminds me of a less sexual, female version of William S. Burroughs, as there are oftentimes breaks into vivid streams of consciousness, where one has to wonder if passages were written in a fury of (drunken? drugged?) rage; while these moments are sometimes over-the-top and even inexplicable or largely irrelevant, they are also quite beautiful.  There’s a bizarre honesty to the breaks in tempo and the seemingly random items which Fitzgerald chooses to romanticize through language.  As a lover of creative storytelling and free prose, I was quite enamored by it.  Still, for some readers the prose could be distracting or even exasperating as it is, in many ways, self-indulgent and can come across as a novice creative writing student’s first, best work. 

Additional Elements: Setting, Symbols/Motifs, Resolution, etc.
4 – Additional elements improve and advance the story.

When Zelda Fitzgerald originally wrote this book, it was much more accusatory and obviously biographical than the version which was ultimately published.  Her husband believed that she had created the book in a fit of self-destruction, hoping to destroy her (and his) reputations. F. Scott Fitzgerald and their editor, Max Perkins, “assisted” Zelda with revisions.  Although historical evidence (letters, manuscripts, etc.) seem to prove that their part in the revision process was limited and mostly geared toward making elements and characters who were modeled after real-life events and individuals more obscure, Zelda would later accuse her husband of forcing her to change the book entirely and also allege that he stole her original manuscript to write his own (Tender is the Night).  Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this book, then, is in its history and historical significance.  Much can be learned about the Fitzgeralds’ relationship and personalities not only by reading the story (as the two main characters are modeled directly after F. Scott and Zelda), but also in researching the creation of the book itself, as well as F. Scott’s similarly themed novel (which is ultimately much more despondent).

Suggested Reading for:
Age Level: Adult
Interest: Literary History, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dance, Paris, Italy, Expatriate American, Jazz Age, Roaring ‘20s, Family, Schizophrenia, Creative Non-Fiction.

Notable Quotes:

“Alabama had learned from the past that something unpleasant was bound to happen whenever the Saviour made his appearance in the dialogue.”

“The heat pressed down about the earth inflating the shadows, expanding the door and window ledges till the summer split in a terrific clap of thunder.  You could see the trees by the lightning flashes gyrating maniacally and waving their arms about like furies.”

“People are always running all over the place to escape each other, having been sure to make a date for cocktails in the first bar outside the limits of convenience.” 

“The troubles with emergencies is that I always put on my finest underwear and then nothing happens.”

“A shooting star, ectoplasmic arrow, sped through the nebular hypothesis like a wanton hummingbird.  From Venus to Mars to Neptune it trailed the ghost of comprehension, illuminating far horizons over the pale battlefields of reality.”

“People are like Almanacs, Bonnie – you never can find the information you’re looking for, but the casual reading is well worth the trouble.”

Congratulations to the Winners of my One Random (Follower Appreciation) Giveaway !

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Anne Radcliffe goes to Allie of A Literary Odyssey

Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe goes to Rachel (@RachelLShaffer)

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens goes to Kara (@KarasMannequin)

Martyrs and Monsters goes to Gef of Wagging the Fox

A Discovery of Witches goes to Angela of Library Girl Reads

The Giver by Lois Lowry goes to Kayla of Bibliophilia Please

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Final Verdict: 4.0 out of 4.0

YTD: 15

Disclosure:  This is a book that I have read five times, now, but have yet to review.  The first three times I read it were in the pre-blogging days, so naturally I could not have posted any thoughts about it.  The fourth time, I wrote a brief comment but could not bring myself to write anything constructive. This time, I set out to read the book with the intent of reviewing it. 

Plot/Story:
4 – Plot/Story is interesting/believable and impactful (socially, academically, etc.)

Fifteen-year-old Charlie is a wallflower.  Like a wallflower, there is something strangely beautiful about him.  He is silent but observant; shy but determined to please; introverted but filled with love and compassion.  His story starts in August, 1991, just as he is about to begin his first year of high school, and it ends almost exactly one year later.  He has lost someone close to him and is clearly confused about how to deal with his feelings about this loss (amongst the other complicated growing pains he experiences); so, he decides to begin writing letters to a stranger – someone who he once overheard a mutual friend talking about.  The recipient of Charlie’s letters is never disclosed – we do not know his/her name or age, his/her profession or relationship to the people in the story, just that s/he is considered trustworthy and addressed by Charlie as “Dear Friend.”  This friend becomes the unwitting conduit for Charlie’s coming-of-age.  In this year of his life, he builds and compromises friendships; he is exposed for the first time to some of the darker elements of life; he learns to drive and to dance; he goes to parties and reads books. Most importantly, though, Charlie becomes Charlie.  He blossoms from a wallflower into a “participant” – and he learns how to feel infinite.  

Characterization:
4 – Characters extraordinarily developed.

Since the entire book is comprised of letters written by one character, to one person, it would be easy to question the narrator’s reliability and to wonder about the development or accurate representation of the other characters involved.  Charlie, however, seems to have only one major fault, and that is honesty (as when he is dared to kiss the prettiest girl in the room and doesn’t kiss his girlfriend).  While Charlie certainly seems to have mental issues – possibly a mild form of schizophrenia (many other reviews seem to think he is Autistic, but I would disagree) – he never comes across as the type to mislead his audience, particularly as the audience is, for all intents and purposes, just one person, his “Dear Friend” and the only one in whom Charlie confides everything.  The narrator’s reliability being established, then, allows the reader to believe Charlie’s story and to watch as he grows through experience and heals through memory, acceptance, and forgiveness.  While other characters in the book, including Charlie’s family and friends, and his favorite teacher, Bill, do not evolve as much as Charlie, they are, however, natural characters, believable in every way.  The situations these people find themselves in, from first loves and broken romances, to family holidays and personal tragedies, are written with a realistic passion, as one who is watching and engaged in the drama but who has nothing to gain from sensationalism would write them.  This makes the events, though not experienced by each of us, relevant to all, because they are facts of life. In the end, these characters are just people and these people are just living.

Prose/Style:
4 – Extraordinary Prose/Style, enhancing the Story.

At one point in the story, Charlie’s teacher, Bill, tells him that some books are “very easy to read but very hard to ‘read well.’”  This book just happens to fit that mold – its language is simple and straightforward, but it is littered with sub-context and deeper elements which are introduced at the start of the story, nursed throughout, then, finally, come to fruition at the end. 

The novel is structured in a one-way epistolary format.  It is almost a diary, except that each entry is a letter to an unknown stranger, and that stranger never responds.  Because these letters are being sent off to someone who is not expected to reply, and because (we can assume) no copies of the letters are being retained by Charlie, they tend to be much more personal and provocative than even a diary or journal might be (because, subconsciously, we all worry that someone might find our diaries and expose our secrets, or at least confront us with them – which is of particular concern when the writer is a teenager living at home with his parents and siblings).  For this reason, because the letters are assumed secret, they are simultaneously simple but revelatory. 

While researching other thoughts and opinions on the book, I have found that one of the primary points of contention for many readers is the underdevelopment (so they say) of the main character, Charlie.  Throughout the book, we discover that Charlie is considered to be a rather smart individual.  He is given extra projects by his English teacher and he regularly receives perfect scores/grades on his schoolwork.  Some have wondered, then, why Charlie writes in such a simplistic way.  Looking back, though, and reading critically, there are two things to keep in mind: first, that Charlie is considered to be smart for his age; he is at no point called a “genius” or “brilliant” or any other superior term- just smart; second, Charlie himself admits early on to preferring common vocabulary, as opposed to loftier language (which he finds pompous and pointless).  In contemporary Young Adult fiction, a trend has developed wherein teenage characters are given the narrative or dialogic voice of Ivy League college graduates.  This is, I think, unfair to the readers and, though it might make the characters more interesting and the story more edifying, it does not represent the typical teenage voice.  Chbosky, on the other hand, aims to depict an honest teenage writer, one who is not composing essays or communicating with scholars, but who is simply writing letters.  These letters allow him to release emotion and, eventually, to reconnect him with some deeply-buried, painful and important memories.  His writing allows him to heal – it is simple but poignant and, most of all, it is real.

Additional Elements: Setting, Symbols/Motifs, Resolution, etc.
4 – Additional elements improve and advance the story.

This is absolutely a story which tackles many issues, from rape and abortion, to teenage sex, drugs, and suicide.  Some readers might find the amount of dramatic material overwhelming or off-putting, but when one compares this story to others which approach teenage life in a similar way, such as Go Ask Alice, it is clear that The Perks of Being a Wallflower aims to be nothing but honest.  Charlie is an unconventional narrator and his story is composed in an unconventional way but, ultimately, he is just a confused American teenager trying to find himself in a world that seems to be always changing.  Not every one of us will have dealt with all (or any) of these issues, in high school or as adults, but these things do happen and wishing them away –ignoring them- will not change their reality.  Charlie, like some readers, does sometimes disengage himself from the more disturbing things that have happened to him, or around him – but the moral of the story is that growing-up means learning to live and learning to live means participating in what goes on around us.  Ready or not, life happens – there is good in it and there is bad in it, but the meaning of life is in how we live it; it is whether we choose to navigate our own way or to get lost in the current; to be the wallflower, or the participant.

Suggested Reading for:
Age Level: Young Adult
Interest: Coming-of-Age, Family, Friendship, Identity, Sexuality, Abuse, Drugs, Psychology

Notable Quotes:

“Things change.  And friends leave.  And life doesn’t stop for anybody.”

“I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn’t try to sleep with people even if they could have.  I need to know that these people exist.”

“So, this is my life.  And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.”

“I really think that everyone should have watercolors, magnetic poetry, and a harmonica.”

“What’s the point of using words nobody else knows or can say comfortably?  I just don’t understand that.”

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

“I know that things get worse before they get better because that’s what my psychiatrist says, but this is a worse that feels too big.”

“I am very interested and fascinated by how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other.”

“Sometimes people use thought to not participate in life.”

“Everyone else is either asleep or having sex.  I’ve been watching cable television and eating jello.”

“So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons.  And maybe we’ll never know most of them.  But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there.  We can still do things.  And we can try to feel okay about them.”

“And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”

Related Links:

Smash Attack Reads, Reviews The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Movie Information

Shooting Stars Mag Interviews Stephen Chbosky

 

 A conversation with

 Jan Wallentin

 Author of

 STRINDBERG’S STAR

A.  Well, it’s very hard to pinpoint something in particular as the inspiration, writing a book is such a long and winding process I discovered.

However, my intention was to create an irresistible story of suspense that would have a strong forward-momentum without using a lot of violence and blood. Instead, I wanted to write something that would be completely unpredictable; where the reader wouldn’t even be able to know what kind of genre he or she was reading. It would take off as your usual crime story, a whodunit with all the common ingredients, and then after about fifty pages, the story would switch into a sort of Hitchcock-thriller—an innocent man being accused of a crime he did not commit, being on the run. After that, it would develop into an adventure story, a search for an ancient artifact, and then again shift into something completely different.

I also wanted to write about historical topics where the reader would have a hard time to distinguish between what were facts and what was indeed pure fiction and lies. Getting into the bizarre world of the Nazi esoteric and the Andrée Arctic balloon expedition of 1897 suited this purpose perfectly, I thought.

Q.  Your book is brimming with many ideas, ranging from Nazis and Norse mythology to the Strindberg expedition. Of the plot points in your book, which ones stem from your own personal interests? And which ones required you to do the most research?

A.  The most difficult thing writing this book was to make all these very different ideas and topics come together in a natural way, supporting and enriching each other and keeping the reader’s suspension of disbelief.

Personally I have always been very interested in the Arctic balloon expedition of 1897, it has such a romantic quality, being very much like a Jules Verne-novel in real life: three Swedish men trying to sail by the mercy of the winds to the North Pole.

The mastermind of this expedition, Andrée, had only piloted a balloon nine times before the take off. Nils Strindberg, a close relative of the great Swedish author August Strindberg, had no arctic experience at all, besides skiing around Djurgården in central Stockholm. The balloon they used had never flown before the actual takeoff, and the technique of steering this craft had never worked out. Yet they went.

Researching this and the occult world of the Nazi movement was probably the most time-consuming effort, but also very interesting.

Q.  Strindberg’s Star takes the reader to many exotic locales. Have you been to many of those places mentioned in the book? Which destination would be your favorite?

A.  Some of the places in the book I have taken many liberties with, the German town and castle of Wewelsburg is one example of that. Other places that I have visited, like the Belgian city of Ieper are very accurate, though I wouldn’t advise a reader to have Strindberg’s star as a travel guide. My favorite research destination would have been a cruise to the North Pole of course, but that was unfortunately quite beyond my budget.

Q.  Are there any authors of works in particular that were influential in your development as a writer or in the early stages of writing Strindberg’s Star?

A. I’m very much a film person, and one source of inspiration writing Strindberg’s star was the movies of Quentin Tarrantino. In works like Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction Tarrantino plays around with and is able to transform a lot of worn out clichés in a very elegant fashion, and I find his work inventive and interesting.

Among the authors that were important inspiration for writing Strindberg’s Star, Jules Verne, Peter Hoeg, Haruki Murakami … it just goes on and on.

Q.  What was your reaction when the book started gaining steam in Sweden, eventually becoming a bestseller? And then when the rights sold in so many other countries?

A.  Basically I didn’t know anything about the book market and I was extremely surprised, because I thought that Strindberg’s Star was a bit too odd and twisted to become a bestseller, and in Sweden especially the readers are extremely fond of traditional crime stories – not wild adventures. Then, when the rights were sold in about twenty countries in a blink of an eye I was suddenly blessed with the opportunity to write full-time, and that truly is a wonderful gift.

Q.  Your main protagonist, Don Titelman, is made to cope with some very serious demons. What was the thought process behind giving him such complexity?

A.  I knew from the beginning that writing this book, containing so many references to the Nazi esoteric, I needed a protagonist with a very strong personal connection to the real history of Nazi war crimes and the Holocaust, otherwise the story just wouldn’t work.

In addition, I have always been very fond of anti-heroes, and Don Titelman is very much that, he is the anti-Robert Langdon of The Da Vinci Code if you will. He is a guilt-ridden, broken character that basically by chance gets drawn into this great conspiracy, triggering a chain of events which to him turns out to be a total nightmare. I really love this character, and I’m so sorry that I had to put him through hell writing this book.

Q.  What’s next for you? Will you be working on a new book anytime soon . . . perhaps featuring Don Titelman? 

A.  Sadly, right now I’m working on a new novel with a very different theme, so Don Titelman will have to wait for a while anyway. Actually, I think that Strindberg’s Star contains about everything that I have to say about the Nazi esoteric, the Arctic, the underworld and Mr, Don Titelman … but then again, who knows? 

TOUR DATES FOR JAN WALLENTIN:

STRINDBERG’S STAR by Jan Wallentin (Viking; On-Sale: May 28, 2012; ISBN: 978-0-670-02357-8; $28.95) is a knock-out, edge-of-your-seat, stay-up-all-night story unlike anything you’ll read this year.  An international bestseller with rights sold in 20 countries so far, it has riveted readers in Sweden, Germany, and France (where it has sold over 900,000 copies and reached#2 on the bestseller list).  Wallentin has written a true cross-genre thriller that Telemoustique (Belgium) described as “a masterful novel of adventure, part 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, part Rule of Four, and [part] The Da Vinci Code…An excellent work of escape.” 

The folks at Viking Publishing have been kind enough to offer up a copy of Strindberg’s Star, to be awarded to one lucky subscriber of Roof Beam Reader!  All you need to do to win is fill out this form. Giveaway will close on Wednesday, May 16th.  Please also feel free to share this Giveaway on Twitter/Facebook/Your Blog & leave your thoughts/comments about the book and interview on this post – let Jan know what you think!   Good luck!

This Giveaway is now Closed. Winner will be announced soon.

To quote Andrew Smith, this summer, heads will explode.

You heard that right! Four book bloggers are taking a trip into the incredible, exciting and frightening territory known as Andrew Smith’s mind. We hope you will join Smash Attack Reads, Not Now…I’m Reading, Roof Beam Reader and Lady Reader’s Bookstuff on this journey!

This will be a 4 month read-a-long featuring one of Andrew’s books each month as a celebration for his new release, Passenger, the sequel to The Marbury Lens, which is due out on October 2, 2012.

Schedule

May 12: Major Announcement to include the breakup of chapters for entire event. We have decided for the designated blog to host the discussion for the designated book, instead of a traditional read-a-long where people post answers to questions on their own blogs and link up to host blog. This will keep things streamlined and the discussion easier to follow.

June: In the Path of Falling Objects (Hosted by Lady Reader’s Bookstuff)
Saturdays: 6/2, 6/9, 6/16, 6/23, 6/30

July: Stick (Hosted by Roof Beam Reader)
Saturdays: 7/7, 7/14, 7/21, 7/28

August: Ghost Medicine (Hosted by Not Now…I’m Reading)
Saturdays: 8/4, 8/11, 8/18, 8/25, 8/31

September: The Marbury Lens (Hosted by Smash Attack Reads)
Saturdays: 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, 10/6

Aside from awesome reading material and mind-fuckery, there will be prizes and interviews and fun things for all. So put that library card or credit card to good use and get prepared for four months of awesome!

Where to buy:

• In The Path of Falling Objects
• Stick
• Ghost Medicine
• The Marbury Lens

Please join us in celebrating the amazing Andrew Smith!