June 13, 2015

It’s time… A decision

By Camilla ¶

It’s time for a decision. A very difficult one, but necessary.

I love reading, and I love spreading my love of books and discussing the wonderful literary worlds, but finding and taking the time to properly share that love here on the blog is somehow not happening. I have no real idea why.

I love reading about books and have a thousand ideas about what I’d like to discuss on the blog, but for some reason, weeks pass and nothing appears. I plan and arrange and think, and then the second I sit down in front of a blank post page: nothing. There’s no doubt that a lot of it comes from the fact that I write and sit in front of computer all day for work, and that my amount of both physical and mental freedom and energy is considerably less today than it was when I decided to start this second blog. But I just can’t get past the fact that I so want this, and yet somehow don’t manage to do the actual writing.

Book Review

I’ve wondered and discussed the future of blogging in my life with both myself and the Hubby. I never wondered about the books – they are always there even if I’m not feeling too inspired 🙂
This is nothing new. Anyone who follows either this blog or my other Danish blog will know that calling my blogging “irregular” or “sporadic” is being extremely kind. It’s probably more correct to call it “almost non-existent”, and that’s still being pretty nice about it.

Something has to happen. Something has to give. And no matter how much I wish it were different, I have to be honest with myself and realise that I’m at a point in my life where there is just not a whole lot of space and energy for running two blogs and actually enjoying it.
So, thought it breaks my heart to have to write this, for now – and for an undetermined amount of time – I have to close down “The Girl Who Loved to Read”.

Probably, no one will much notice as there’s been so little activity for so long. However, if you are one the very lovely and amazing people who might care just a little, my plan (and I say this with some trepidation) is to go back to focusing on my main blog Twenty Years From Now, so hopefully, you can still come visit me when I do my “sporadic” blogging over there.
As some of you might know, that blog is focused primarily on my experience with living abroad and is in Danish, but I plan to incorporate more writings about the beloved books over there and implement some things that would let my international readers join in as well. I won’t give up entirely yet, so I hope that those of you who haven’t given up entirely on me yet either will come by Twenty Years From Now and say hi.

Thank you all SO much for reading and following and commenting! You’re what has made this whole thing fun and worth and so hard to let go, and I hope to still see you around – I definitely haven’t lost any interest in following you all, so I’ll continue to pop around and say hi wherever you are. See you!

Tagged Goodbye ¶ 7 Replies

April 25, 2015

In 100 years… A Dewey Read-a-thon Challenge!

By Camilla ¶

AND THE WINNER IS: Lindsey from Literary Lindsey, who believed that the following books were likely to still be classics in 100 years:

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

Thank you ALL so very much for participating! It’s been so much fun to see all your answers, and I will create a post in the next couple of days to show you the results and maybe start a little discussion. Hope you all had a great read-a-thon! See you in October 🙂

—————————————————–

Welcome, read-a-thoners! I’m so happy to welcome you to my little corner of the internet and to host a challenge for you 🙂

In 100 years…
When the opportunity to host a mini-challenge at this year’s first Dewey’s read-a-thon came along, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. For quite some time, after reading several posts and articles about the topic, I’ve been wondering about classics. What makes a classic and who decides which books are made into classics? Or rather, what is that something special in a book that makes it stand the test of time and be as (or even more) beloved as the day it was published? Challenge1

In 1936, a magazine asked its readers which authors that were popular at the time they believed would still be read in the year 2000. While the list contained several authors that Wikipedia will tell us today were quite established, including Nobel Prize winners, I doubt whether even the most well-read bibliophiles today would recognise very many names. And almost none of the authors that we today consider the most prominent of that time including Ernest Hemingway or Virginia Woolf appear on the list.
The test of time and the books we love is indeed not straight-forward!

Now, for your challenge, should you choose to accept it:

Whether you feel like answering with a comment below or a special post on your blog, on Twitter, Instagram, or with a sky-written signal, just link in the comments.

And then, in about 3 hours (at the beginning of Hour 14) I will pick a winner, who will have a choice of receiving either:

One of your selected books (since you already know it’s going to be a classic)*
A secret parcel with a couple of my favourite books
Any book with a value of up to USD 15 from the Book Depository

*assuming it’s reasonably available for purchase.

Tagged Challenge, Classics, Dewey Read-a-Thon, In 100 years ¶ 116 Replies

It’s that time again: Dewey’s 24-hour read-a-thon!

By Camilla ¶

I feel like when I was a little kid and waiting for Christmas Eve to come. That flock of butterflies in your stomach that slowly grows to a legion. The feeling that any time now something magic will happen. Wondering what’s in store this time and wanting to start now, now, now!
It’s time. It’s finally here. It’s Dewey’s!

My goals for this (my fourth read-a-thon) are simple:
Have fun!
Read a bunch!
And interact with all the other lovely readers!
As always, my ambitions are well beyond even my comprehension 😉

As per usual, I will be updating this post throughout the day, but I will also be active on Instagram, Goodreads and Twitter.

I’ve got a nice night’s sleep behind me, a tidy house, the snacks ready, a cup of tea brewing, and a towering stack of bookish treasures at my side. Now if only that darn clock would run just a little faster…

14.00: It’s time! Let’s read…
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Bruxelles, Belgium
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to all of them, but especially my newly purchased “Saga” omnibus. “A Wrinkle in Time” and some supernatural tales from Algernon Blackwood.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
There is a cheese cake that has been sitting in the fridge since last night, so I’m expecting that to be pretty delicious. Also, The Hubby has started making Boeuf bourguignon, which already smells epic!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
My name is Camilla, I am 34, I’m originally from Denmark, but have lived in several different countries and am currently reading from Brussels. I love to read most genres of books, but have a soft spot for all things magical and fantasy, and like during previous read-a-thons, my reading buddy today is my extremely fierce (and cute) pet dragon, Rognar The Destroyer!
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?
Mostly I’m doing all the things I know work for me, but this year I’m also hosting a mini-challenge later, which I’m really looking forward to! Dragon readathon

15.45: Wrinkling through time
I had actually planned to start today with “The Bunker Diary” which had just arrived in the mail this morning, but after just a couple of pages, I realised that it’s probably more the sort of story that will be great at keeping me awake when the darker hours come.
Instead, I’m currently about half-way through “A Wrinkle in Time”, which so far is a very sweet and enchanting, yet clever story – I’m getting why it’s a classic. The sky outside is overcast and every once in awhile I hear the rain pattering on the windows, and even though it would have been nice with a reading excursion to the park, I adore the rain and is there really any better weather for reading and a hot cup of tea in your favourite Doctor Who mug?

18:00: First book done!
I’ve just turned the final page of “A Wrinkle in Time” and it was a perfect first read for today. Sweet and whimsical with strong messages of love and family and the world being much more than what we perceive and see every day. The ending was a bit too quickly and easily resolved for me, and as the overall concept of the story was wonderful, but felt a bit underdeveloped, I think I’ll definitely pick of the next books in the series sometime.
Now for a little quick break of walking around the house, and then to pick my next read… Any suggestions?

20:15: Cheering for scoundrels! No, wait…
After finishing my first book, I spend almost 1½ hours hopping around blogland – cheering and checking in with friends and constantly smiling at all the loveliness going on everywhere in the world in the name of reading and Dewey!
Following all the merriment (and a prompt from Rikke), I decided to go with my Penguin Little Black Classic “The Great Winglebury Duel” which consists of 2 short tales of scoundrels and ne’er-do-wells and such silliness as only Dickens can manage! Typical tales of mistaken identity and pompous airs being brought down to earth (in a way very reminiscent of Austen), it was just what I needed 🙂
Now, the delicious and mouth-watering scent of the Hubby’s home made Boeuf Bourguignon, which has been tormenting me for the last many hours, is finally ready to be eaten! And I think I will accompany it with another book…

22:46: Drifting out to sea.
Every time! Every time we do this, I keep thinking that 24 hours is such a long time that I’ll be able to read so much and race through thousands of pages. And every time, I have to realise that I don’t read that quickly and I should stop being surprised when the sun goes down and I’m still only on page 33. Or you know…
But it’s all perfectly fine, because I am having a wonderful time interacting with all you lovely readers and just relishing the fact that I don’t have anything else planned today. And that right now, I am immersed in a sea world unlike any I’ve experienced before with “The Changeling Sea” – a tiny book that it turns out contains so many beautiful and lyrical words that draw me out to sea…

In a little while, I will be getting ready to post my mini-challenge! It’s my first time, so I’m really excited to see how everyone likes it and their answers.
I will post it in a new post and leave that at the top for the next couple of hours (it goes online at midnight), but I’ll keep updating my own progress here. After the challenge is over, I’ll re-pin this post to the top 🙂
Hope you have time to drop by after midnight for some challenge fun!

00:54: Relaxing with cheese cake and wonderful answers
We’re almost at the half-way mark, and I don’t think I’ve ever read this little so far along in the read-a-thon as right now! I’ve just finished “The Changeling Sea” at 137 pages, but even though my “numbers” might be a bit low this year, I am having a wonderful time. The book was so very different than I had expected – instead of a whimsical fantasy, it was a lyrical and melancholy story of changelings who can never belong in any world. Very beautiful and makes you want to sit in a cottage by the sea and stare out forever… Just in case you might catch a glimpse of the land under the waves.

Right now, I’m loving reading all your fun and varying answers to the challenge – there are some very interesting answers in there! And I’m so happy so many have joined in 🙂

03:19: Trapped underground
We’re an hour past the half-way point and I’m completely into my YA “horror” story about a boy waking up in an underground prison “The Bunker Diary”. So far, it’s really catching and I’m speeding through the pages – I love when that happens!
So far, despite the lateness of the hour, I’m not too tired, but I’ve been known to say that before and then horribly crash 30 minutes later, so I’ll try not to jinx myself too much this time 🙂
I’ve had some amazing response to the mini-challenge – thank you to everyone who participated! I’ll have a closer look at all the answers and draw a winner before the end of the read-a-thon, but right now I want to get back to my book 😉
How are you all doing here in the 14th hour? Still reading?

06:14: Still awake and reading
The birds are singing up a storm outside my window and the street lights have just been turned off. It’s officially morning, and I’ve just finished my fourth book “The Bunker Diary”, which did an amazing job of keeping me awake through the dark hours with its rather disturbing tale of imprisonment and hope and despair.
I can definitely feel in my eyes and body that it’s not completely sane to still be up at this time, but I’m determined to try and stay up, so I think I will spend some time cheering and checking in with everyone else before I choose my next book.

09:27: The slow crash, the long hours and the second wind
I’m still here! Barely… Around 7.30, my eyes started to lose their ability to remain open for more than 20 seconds at a time, and while I really liked the strange short story I was reading – “The Bloody Chamber” – I had to relent. And break out the secret weapon: The Saga Omnibus Vol. 1!
And while the battle was fierce and not easily won, the troops rallied under the beautiful colours and amazing storytelling of the Saga, and I’m still here – 3 hours and 14 issues later.
It is a truly mind-blowing, provocative, lovely, strange and heart-breaking story and the drawings are mostly beyond description – all I can say is, whether you’re a “comic book person” or not, you MUST read Saga if you love good storytelling! Simple as that.

Now, I think I will make a some breakfast and commence my traditional reading of yet another book in the “A Series of Unfortunate Events” series.

11:59: Getting ready for the final sprint!
I’ve just finished “The Wide Window” and as always, the Series of Unfortunate Events provides a silly and quick read, which means I’m now ready to spend the final two hours on a sprint 🙂 Whether I will go for another whole book or read a bunch of short stories and the last chapters of “Saga”… I’ll let fate decide (which basically means I’ll just pick whatever I feel like once I get back to my chair) 🙂
Update: I decided that no read-a-thon is complete without some Gaiman (I’ve read something of his every time), and so I decided to read the short tale “Odd and the Frost Giants” to finish off the day.
Update @ 13.05: I still have another hour to go, so I will continue my reading of the sensuous short story fairy tale re-tellings of Angela Carter in “The Bloody Chamber”.

14:03: And now we come to the end…
We made it! For the first time, I managed to stay awake for the full 24 hours and I’m full of a feeling of accomplishment 🙂 It was tough, but it was worth every minute, and I’m already excited for the next read-a-thon – October cannot come too soon! In fact, can we do it again next weekend?

I managed to read 6½ short books and the entire Volume 1 of the Saga Omnibus, and considering how much time I also feel like I managed to spend on socialising and cheering and updating, I’m very happy with that!

The final “tally” looks something like this:
1143 pages read + 504 pages graphic novel
“A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle – 203 pages
“The Great Winglebury Duel” by Charles Dickens – 64 pages
“The Changeling Sea” by Patricia A. McKillip – 137 pages
“The Bunker Diary” by Kevin Brooks – 268 pages
“Saga Deluxe Edition, Volume 1” by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples – 504 pages (graphic novel)
“The Wide Window” by Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events 3) – 217 pages
“Odd and the Frost Giants” by Neil Gaiman – 104 pages
“The Bloody Chamber” by Angela Carter – 75 pages read (not completed)

It’s been absolutely wonderful! See you again in October, but please excuse me for now, as I must go sleep… 😉

My previous read-a-thons: October 2013 (in Danish) – April 2014 – October 2014

Tagged Algernon, Booklove, Changeling Sea, Dewey Read-a-Thon, Dewey's, Dickens, Gothic, Pynchon, Read-a-Thon, Reading, Saga, Series of Unfortunate Events, Wrinkle in Time ¶ 68 Replies

April 23, 2015

What are you doing on Saturday?

By Camilla ¶

I got asked today what my plans were for the weekend… And even though I tried to play it cool, my face erupted in a giant smile and I managed to say something terribly geeky about reading and blogging and cheering and snacking. My colleague tried her very best to smile and nod, and act like I wasn’t acting like some kind of crazy woman. It was nice of her, but completely unnecessary, because I am in fact a madwoman when it comes to the fantastic wonderfulness that is Dewey’s 24-hour Read-a-thon! (since I can’t be a madwoman with a box :))

dewey1

So, on Saturday at 2 p.m. Central European Time, you will find me in my reading chair with a cup of tea, a snack and reading the first of what will hopefully be thousands of words. For 24 hours, I will join more than 1000 people around the world reading at the same time, and sharing my reading with them and gleefully following their reading. It’s the most magical and making-you-feel-like-a-kid-at-Christmas experience, and anyone who loves reading and sharing that love should try the read-a-thon.

As this is my fourth read-a-thon, I’m starting to feel a bit like a Dewey veteran, so here are a few tips I know work for me, and might help you:

I have a nice mix of genres and styles to read, so I can always opt for a change of pace if a book turns out not to be for me right then.
I make sure to have a selection of short stories ready, as I adore them, and to have something for those little “breaks” when you don’t feel like starting a new book right away.
I have at least one scary book to help keep me awake during the long, dark hours of the night. It’s unsurprisingly effective
I generally choose shorter books to have a greater feeling of achievement and variety
I have signed up to cheer at every read-a-thon, and it’s the perfect break from the reading to be able to spread some reading love to all of the other fabulous readers around the world!
I try to remember that the only “rule” is to enjoy myself and not worry about how much others are reading, stress about how much time I spend doing other fun things or if I suddenly feel like reading something completely different. After all, that’s what the loaded Kindle is for 🙂

However, I also try to do something new – this time, I have included a graphic novel in my reading pile and I’ve added to the fun by signing up to host a mini-challenge, and I look forward to hopefully seeing many of you and the other readers coming by for some in-between-reading fun! pre1filter I’m really, really bad at sticking to reading just books from a pre-selected pile, but browsing and selecting your read-a-thon stack is such a huge and fun part of the preparations that I can’t help myself!

So therefore, here’s my carefully selected Dewey stack:
“A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle – I’ve wanted to read this children’s fantasy classic forever, and recently found a lovely hardback copy.
“The Changeling Sea” by Patricia A. McKillip – I found this slim volume at a book sale, and only later realised that it was from one of classic fantasy’s greatest authors and I think I will start my read-a-thon with this beauty.
“The Crying of Lot 49” by Thomas Pynchon – Another slim volume, but likely filled with lots of deconstructionist detective on-goings for something a bit “heavier”.
“Dreamdark: Blackbringer” by Laini Taylor – I actually have another “tradition” when it comes to selecting books for the read-a-thon, and it’s to pre-select this book and NOT read it! All 3 times so far… Let’s see what happens this year 🙂
“The Great Winglebury Duel” by Charles Dickens – I received this little beauty in the recent Ninja Swap and think that it’s the perfect way to add a quick bit of that Dickens magic to my read-a-thon.

pre2 “The Wide Window” by Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events 3) – This has become an actual tradition for my read-a-thon: Except for my first Dewey, I have read one book from this series each time, so now I have decided that I will only read this series for the read-a-thon. With another 10 books after this one, it’s a sure-fire way to keep coming back (as if I needed it) 🙂
“The Bloody Chamber” by Angela Carter – I read “The Magic Toyshop” many years ago and very much enjoyed the style of Carter and this collection of fairy tale re-tellings promises to provide lots of magical mini-breaks from the larger volumes.
“ZOM-B” by Darren Shan – This is another repeat participant from October’s read-a-thon, which I think might be good in the late hours with its scary zombies and large writing.
“Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural” by Algernon Blackwood – the “unknown Poe” they call him. The relatively unknown supposed master of the haunting, creeping, eerie supernatural short story of which there are lots in this old, but amazing hardback I recently found hiding in the dark recesses of my favourite book shop. I very much look forward to making your acquaintance, Mr. Blackwood
“Saga Deluxe Edition, Volume 1” by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples – I’m not a big graphic novel reader (yet), but I’d only read the first 3 issues of “Saga” before I knew I needed to jump on the Saga band wagon, and absolutely had to own the whole thing! So, hopefully tomorrow my very own copy of the first 18 issues will arrive in the mail just in time for Saturday.

For those times when my eyes need a break or the body needs some exercise and fresh air, I also have a couple of audio books ready and loaded, and I’ll likely end up with the last book in the Iron Druid series “Shattered” by Kevin Hearne – (I love Oberon!)

Of course, no read-a-thon is quite right without lots of snacks! The Hubby has kindly offered to make me some dinner once evening falls, so I won’t be surviving solely on sugar, but I’ve got plans for homemade Danish cake, caramels, Belgian waffles, fruit salad, and lots of coffee and tea.

And finally, as for the practical aspects, I will be Instagram‘ing and perhaps Tweeting a bit, but mostly, and as per usual (I really love being able to say that about Dewey!), I will be creating one primary post here on the blog that I will update throughout the day.

It’s going to be absolutely amazing! See you there?

Tagged 24 hour readathon, Booklove, Dewey Read-a-Thon, Mystery, Read-a-Thon, Reading, Supernatural ¶ 4 Replies

March 28, 2015

Reading by candle light

By Camilla ¶

During any given weekend, I spend the majority of my time relaxing either with a book in my hands, in front of the computer or in front of the TV. And usually, I don’t think much about what that might mean in terms of my energy usage. I’m not the sort of person that thinks about everything I consume every day – I try to be conscientious about recycling my trash, using public transportation and turning out electric equipment in rooms I’m not using, but that’s about as far as it goes.

Tonight between 20.30 and 21.30 the whole world comes together to turn off their light and electrical equipment for just 1 hour for Earth Hour. To show how much of a difference even one tiny hour makes in a whole year, and to make a statement. Perhaps about just how much we use electricity and often in situations where maybe we could have performed the same task with just a little more effort and a lot of saved energy.

I’m not going to preach. I believe that each intelligent person does as much as they can to help make sure this world is alive and well for as long as possible. And tonight, making a statement and using a little less energy can happily coincide with just I was planning on doing anyway.
So, at 20.30, I will turn off all the lights and unplug all but the most necessary cables (I need to keep on the fridge, otherwise how will the ice cream survive!?), light a circle of candles around my reading chair and spend (at least) the next hour travelling to a magical land.

The way I see it that’s what I’d be doing anyway, and the loveliness of making it even more cosy with candles and hot tea and really disconnecting from the outside world, while celebrating that actual world (without the computers and TVs and dish washers) for just one hour is perfect.

If you’re also planning to spend your Saturday night travelling the wonders of literary worlds, why don’t you join me in doing it in the soft glow of candlelight… for an hour… for the earth?

Tagged 28th March, Candlelight, Earth Hour, Electricity, Energy, Reading, Saturday ¶ 2 Replies

March 12, 2015

Terry and I

By Camilla ¶

I’ve spent most of today looking through 2 entire shelves of my library. Picking books out at random and remembering when I read them, where I bought them and how much I loved each of them. My shelves of Discworld stories are mostly inhabited by tatty paperbacks with cracked backs, but nonetheless it’s some of the most beloved.

Sir Terry Pratchett passed away today. He was diagnosed with a rare form of early onset Alzheimer’s in 2007, and fought valiantly since then against such a horrible fate, yet somehow still managed to write books – even after he lost the ability to type the words himself.

Sir Terry Pratchett was probably the first favourite author I ever had. Those authors that you honestly love and happily devour everything they’ve ever written and really feel a close personal connection with. My shelves of 30+ books have been collected from literally around the world and each one has a story of its own in addition to the wonders inside from the mind of one of the cleverest, warm, funny and brilliant story tellers and wordsmiths ever.

I feel a bit silly being genuinely sad and shedding a tear as I consider the fact that someone I didn’t even know has passed away. But I feel like I knew Terry Pratchett. His words and stories are some of the most central and deepest in my reading history and book-loving heart. I have read them over and over throughout the years. I feel at home when I delve into the pages of the Discworld and consider its inhabitants (Rincewind, Granny Weatherwax and the magnificently written Death) as old, very odd and quite disturbing friends. And meeting Sir Terry in person was one of the few times in my life that I was actually (star)struck silent and absolutely unable to think of anything to say.

pratchett3

Because I was fortunate enough to have the pleasure of meeting my idol many years ago. I stood in line for several hours for a scribble in his newly published illustrated novel, that I had spent the very last of my poor-student money for the month on, and I had no regrets. I had a head full of clever remarks or just kind words that would properly express just how much that funny-looking man in the black hat and white beard’s stories meant to me…
And all I managed was to say: “I’m Camilla – I really love your books”. And yet, the kind Sir Terry took the time to smile for the hundredth time that day and say thank you, and wrote my name and his next to each other.

Pratchett’s books and stories will forever be some of my most cherished and I will mourn the loss of one of the world’s most gifted and brilliantly humorous story tellers for a long time.

pratchett1

Tagged Booklove, Discworld, Favourite author, Mourning, Terry Pratchett ¶ 4 Replies

February 17, 2015

A short story a day keeps the…

By Camilla ¶

“Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.”

If I had to choose one type of storytelling to read forever, I would very likely chose the short story. I find it amazing how the best short stories can affect me more and tell a larger and more complex story than some novels take thousands of pages to do. Some of the stories and phrases that have stuck in my head when I don’t remember anything else come from short stories – little sudden bursts of emotion, be it horror, love, shock, joy, that have embedded themselves firmly in my brain and heart.

Particularly, I enjoy the strange tales. The tiny glimpses into worlds and scenarios where so many unseen and unspoken things and happenings and creatures lie just outside the narrative, and even without ever having actually seen or heard them, they burrow into your mind and make you think peculiar thoughts.

“A short story is a different thing all together – a short story is like a kiss in the dark from a stranger.”

My collection of short stories is quite impressive, ranging from well-loved masters of the art to small unknown story tellers trying to impress their passion upon the world. And for all of them, it is true that despite their tiny physical natures, I often forget to give them the attention they deserve when they compete with the novels for my reading-hungry eye.
It makes me sad to realise it when I’ve passed them over, knowing that they require so little of me while having the potential to give so much!

Therefore, as of today, I will endeavour to read 1 short story every day without being bound by having to read a whole book, but rather just dive in to stories that strike my fancy. Taste and sample from the large variety of morsels that wait on my shelves.

Short Story2

I’ve never been any good at reviewing a whole short story collection – it hardly ever seems reasonable to give just one rating or general comment on what is a motley gathering of many different stories – and thus, I often end up bypassing sharing my love of short story collections despite a book perhaps containing one of the most touching stories I’ve ever read.
So, I can’t tell you how this is going to play out. Whether I will be able to write reviews of single stories, or even just gush about the ones that strike me particularly.

More than anything, this is to promise myself that I will no longer neglect those little pieces of wonder that I love so much and have so much potential in their tiny forms.

“A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick — a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.”

Do you love short stories as much as I do? Are there any fantastic authors/books I should add to the list (as if it wasn’t long enough already)?

Tagged Algernon, Barcelona Plates, Bolano, Collections, Dear Life, Fairy tales, Kelly Link, Labyrinth, Neil Gaiman, Rags and Bones, Roald Dahl, short stories, Some Rain Must Fall, The Bloody Chamber ¶ 4 Replies

February 14, 2015

Atlantis Rising

By Camilla ¶

A young girl feeling left out and struggling every day with who she is. Strange events suddenly take place around her, and despite her attempts to stay away, she is drawn into a whirlwind of supernatural happenings. Oh, and there’s a handsome boy.
Sounds like the beginning of every single YA supernatural story in recent years, right? It is, but Gloria Craw has managed to throw a few twists on the by now classic story and the end result is actually quite entertaining.

Alison is what appears to be a normal teenage girl, who is carrying a secret which causes her to distance herself from everyone except her family. She’s different and constantly ponders and worries over what that might mean for the safety of her beloved adoptive family. Enter a handsome boy and his kind cousin into her school who clearly know something about her, a mysterious man stealing books from her after-school job, some latent powers, and the scene is set for an action-filled story of a girl realising who she really is.

I am different. I have always been different, but no one can know or my life will be in danger. So I hide in plain sight, wearing drab clothes and thick glasses and trying to be invisible. I’m so good at hiding, no one has ever noticed me.Until Ian…the mysterious and oh-so-cute boy I know I need to avoid.

Now I have been seen. And more terrifying still, I am wanted—by those who would protect me and those who would destroy everything and everyone I love. But if they’re all terrified about who I am, wait until they see what I can do…

Now, I’m not a die-hard YA fan. In fact, I generally have no preference about a main character’s age as long as the story entices me; I don’t mind young unreasonable characters who act like the know-it-all teenagers they are, as long as they seem real; and I don’t instantly object to insta-love when it comes to teens, because while I might take issue with it being actual we’ll-stay-together-until-the-end-of-time love, I do know that when teens fall, they usually fall quick and hard.
But I do have issues with run-of-the-mill type of YA supernatural stories that seem to be so prevalent since Twilight bursts its way onto the scene (and I actually think Twilight is not half bad on that measuring scale). Undeveloped story lines that seem to run along the same course as every other similar story: girl is nerdy/geeky/clumsy/awkward, new extremely hot boy falls madly in love with her anyway despite her attempts to stay away from him, boy is vampire/werewolf/angel-something, girl is in mortal danger because she is the Mary Sue power-house of the race/world/something, and after some struggle and oh-no-we-will-lose-each-other-forever, the happy couple defeat the evil, evil villain and live happily ever after (or at least until book 2, when there is a new evil villain).
Those kind of stories, I find frustrating and quite frankly a bit offensive.

So, where does that leave “Atlantis Rising”? The quote above from its Goodreads page is frankly not very promising in relation to my (admitted somwhat snarky) classic story line above. But rest assured, there are several redeeming qualities to the story, and it falls somewhere in the middle with big points for rather original ideas for the supernatural element, credible teenage attraction rather than insta-love, and likable characters. Unfortunately, also some minus points for not being able to completely shake the paint-by-numbers YA supernatural story structure, the very “we’re evil just because we are”-type villains, a bit of a Mary Sue main character and story that felt unnecessarily rushed.

First, the good: Despite the cover of the book seeming to indicate some kind of mermaid-type story, Craw has instead gone ahead and made her supernaturals Atlanteans, which is different and done with a decent believable story – I mean, who doesn’t love Atlantis, right? Unfortunately, the Atlantis back story was very brief and not nearly explored enough for my tastes, but the structure of the narrative leads me to believe there will shortly be another book following this one. It’s a shame though that more time is not spent on Alison exploring her cultural background rather than just accepting the tidbits given to her – for me, the Atlantis idea is the strongest quality of the book, and I wish we had seen more.

As for the romantic relationship, without giving too much away, I think Craw struck a good balance between the romantic interests of 2 young people being thrown together (including a realistic portrayal of the requisite waffling and indecisiveness that is the mark of a crushing teenage girl) without it taking over the focus of the story.

atlantis-final

Then, the less good: The biggest issue with the story is the fact that I felt like Craw was asked to keep it within a certain amount of pages – meaning that not enough time was spent on exploring each new situation and character before the story had moved along to the next scene. Which left me with what unfortunately often felt a bit like cardboard characters specifically designed to play a given role rather than actual nuanced characters whose actions would have made more sense to me.

Especially the villains were very much without any genuinely felt purpose – rather we were told why they were evil and why they were acting as they were, and once our protagonists came face to face with the really bad guy, he just reiterated himself almost verbatim what we already knew about him and his evil schemes. And it made me sad because again in the final scenes, I felt that somewhere behind the rather thinly told story there was a deep and interesting layer – which unfortunately just never actually made it to the page.

All in all, I would recommend “Atlantis Rising” to anyone who enjoy supernatural YA stories and are looking for something new from vampires and werewolves. Who are looking for a story with focus on the action and progression of a story line rather than the deep developed emotions of a love story. But I unfortunately cannot recommend it if you are looking for something completely new and different despite the good elements, as the underdeveloped characters and rushed story did not live up to the potential of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Teen for providing me with a free review copy of this book.

Tagged Atlantis, Atlantis Rising, Supernatural, YA ¶ Leave a comment

February 11, 2015

Secret Santa

By Camilla ¶

This year… no, wait, I mean, last year, I participated for the first time in a round of Secret Santa arranged by Danish book blogger Frk. Hyms, and it was such a wonderful idea!

I was lucky enough to get Sabina (who’s hidden behind the Frk. Hyms blog) as the person I had to put together a present for, which was so fun and easy, because we really enjoy a lot of the same books! She had wished for well-written fantasy books and was especially keen to learn about any good high fantasy; I got her “The Assassin’s Apprentice” by Robin Hobb, which I loved so much when I first read it (many, many years ago), and “Stardust” by Neil Gaiman, just because… Gaiman.
And of course, living in the chocolate capital of the world (so they say), I had to send along some Belgian pralines as well. SS2

But now for the really important stuff, which is what I got from my Secret Santa! I was so fortunate to get Katja from Cautious.dk, whom I’ve had a bit of contact with over the last years, and what a wonderful package I received! Because I don’t live in Denmark, the package got sent to my mother, who was kind enough to bring it all the way here when she came for Christmas. And while I did initially plan to wait to open it until it was actually Christmas, I faltered under my own enormous curiosity, and had to see what was in my package of treasures.

It really was treasures! Katja had managed to find 2 books that were completely unknown to me, but sound so interesting and just like something I would love. And as if that wasn’t enough, she had sent me an extra book of her own that was perfect for some between-Christmas-and-New-Year-reading. And chocolate-covered almonds and pretty book marks and tiny candy canes that were instantly hung on the tree! Such a genuine treasure trove!

SS1

So, what were the books, you ask?
“Dark Eden” by Chris Beckett
YA dystopian that looks really different and perhaps even a bit creepy?
“The Testing” by Joelle Charbonneau
Another YA dystopian, but this one seems more in the vein of “Hunger Games”.
“Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares” by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
A really sweet and cute YA love story about reading and notebooks and Christmas in NYC, that I already read and really liked.

All in all, I’ve had so much fun participating in 2014’s Secret Santa with both putting together a parcel and receiving one, and I hope that I’ll get to do it again next year!

Tagged Christmas, Dark Eden, Dash & Lily, Secret Santa, Swaps, The Testing ¶ Leave a comment

February 8, 2015

Even when we are Lost, we can still be Found…

By Camilla ¶

I’ve been waiting. Waiting for something I wasn’t quite sure what was, but something I wasn’t getting from the books I had been reading lately. They were most of them good books, even really good books that I’d be happy to recommend and put back on the shelf with a smile. But there was something missing, and it wasn’t until I read “Lost & Found” by Brooke Davis that I found it.

I still don’t know what it is exactly – it’s that feeling you get when a book really, genuinely stops being just a book and instead starts resonating in your head with thoughts and feelings about life. About age. And especially about death. And why.
Why are we here? What are we supposed to be doing really? And how do we make sure that all those little things we do and feel every day add up to something that is worth more than just the sum of days when we come to that inevitable place where there are no more days in which to gather memories?

“Lost & Found” doesn’t answer that question. I personally don’t think anyone or any book could really answer that properly, but it just happens to be one of those books that makes the reader reflect a little bit more about what the answer might be to them. And as often before, the clarity to see the little-but-oh-so-big things and questions in life comes from someone who has not yet been taught to not ask.

Millie Bird is a seven-year-old girl who always wears red wellington boots to match her red, curly hair. But one day, Millie’s mum leaves her alone beneath the Ginormous Women’s underwear rack in a department store, and doesn’t come back.
I feel in love with Millie after the first page – she is a lot more quirky (and honestly a bit strange) than I ever was as a child, but if I ever have a daughter, I would wish her to be just like Millie. She asks all those questions that we feel the need to ask in order to make sense of all the strange things that go on in this life: why do people die? Where do they go when they die? What happens to them and why aren’t they coming back?

Karl the Touch Typist is eighty-seven years old and once typed love letters with his fingers on to his wife’s skin. He sits in a nursing home, knowing that somehow he must find a way for life to begin again. In a moment of clarity and joy, he escapes.
Karl, whose lost aching love made me more sad than I remember having been for a long time. Who remembers (or perhaps realises?) that you can do the right thing while also doing the fun thing, and teaches Agatha those things too.

Agatha Pantha is an eighty-two-year-old woman who hasn’t left her home since her husband died. Instead, she fills the silence by yelling at passers-by, watching loud static on TV, and maintaining a strict daily schedule. Until the day Agatha spies a little girl across the street.
And Agatha, who tapped in to the same feelings that “The Hours” did; feelings about being a woman and getting so caught up in who you thought you were supposed to be that you completely forgot who you wanted to be.

The trio are perfect. In the beginning when they are on their own and later when somehow their togetherness makes them different but without ever losing who they were to begin with. And their adventure is such a laugh!
From everything I have written so far, I’m sure you’re thinking that this is a very sad and serious story about depressed people who struggle through the book while desolately contemplating life. And you couldn’t be further from the truth. I laughed out loud so hard during several scenes in this book, that despite people on the metro looking at me strangely, I just couldn’t stop or hold it in. And while the story manages to say so many things about grief and life and love, the combination of cleverness and silliness that permeates the dialogue throughout makes it that much better.

One of the recurring criticisms I have read about “Lost & Found” is that the story is unlikely, unbelievable and improbable – and I see what those critics mean. Is it really likely that the things that happen on Millie, Karl and Agatha’s trip would really have happened? That they are so extreme in their behaviour and lucky in the outcomes of some very odd situations? Perhaps not. Probably not. But I don’t think it matters at all.
For me, this book is not a real-life tale of 3 unlikely travel mates – it’s a story of grief and love and second chances and adventure – and the factual events in those kinds of stories don’t have to be tested against whether they might actually happen or not. They simply are and focusing on the credibility of events rather than what those events symbolise and bring to life completely misses the entire point of the story.

So, my warmest and most heartfelt recommendations of this lovely book for anyone who is looking for a heartwarming tale that makes you think and reminds you to also feel yourself and the life you are living.

Now, I don’t usually care much for book trailers, but this one is so lovely!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, for a free review copy of this book.

Tagged abandonment, Australia, Death, Grief, Karl the Touch Typist, Lost & Found, Millie Bird, Old age, Road trip ¶ 2 Replies