Soulless --Gail Carriger

• Soulless 
• Gail Carriger
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• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Orbit; Original edition (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316056634
• ISBN-13: 978-0316056632

Synopsis from GoodReads

Without a morsel of exaggeration, its publisher describes this debut novel as "a comedy of manners set in Victorian London full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking." At the center ofSoulless's "parasol protectorate" is Miss Alexia Tarabotti, a young woman who lacks not only a suitor but also a soul. And those are not her only problems: When she accidentally kills a vampire, it begins a series of events that she must set out to resolve without the help of any proper authorities. A charming mass market original.

Truthfully I went into this book not sure if I was going to like it.  I am not big on romance-y style novels. Carriger created a world of Victorian steampunk elegance that sucks you in.  Alexia Tarabotti is likable and a wonderful strong female character.   Her Werewolf and Vampire companions are just as witty and well developed.  The first book in the Tarabotti series is definitely something that lures you in to the point of wanting to pick up the next book.  As I only listened to the audible version I really don't feel I can comment on the writing style as much but I think that regardless of any imperfections in writing style the novel is definitely a too read piece.

005--The Whole Five Feet--Christopher Beha

•                        The Whole Five Feet
• Christopher Beha

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (May 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802118844
• ISBN-13: 978-0802118844

Synopsis Via Goodreads:

In The Whole Five Feet, Christopher Beha turns to the great books for answers after undergoing a series of personal and family crises and learning that his grandmother had used the Harvard Classics to educate herself during the Great Depression. Inspired by her example, Beha vows to read the entire Five-Foot Shelf, one volume a week, over the course of the next year. As he passes from St. Augustine's Confessions to Don Quixote, from Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast to essays by Cicero, Emerson, and Thoreau, he takes solace in the realization that many of the authors are grappling with the same questions he faces: What is the purpose of life? How do we live a good life? What can the wisdom of the past teach us about our own challenges? Beha's chronicle is a smart, big-hearted, and inspirational mix of memoir and intellectual excursion-and a powerful testament to what great books can teach us about how to live our own lives.

     I came across this book via Lifetime Reading Plan , I read her blog post regarding this book and found myself intrigued enough to want to read it.  I had always made promised  myself at some point I too would read the Harvard Classics Five Foot Bookshelf, to this day I have been unable to fulfill that promise.   I think this desire is what also lead to me wanting to read this book.  Christopher Beha wrote an intriguing memoir that deals with his decision to read the Harvard Classics and the trials and joys he faces in his life.  His book does not serve as a reading guide for the classics but document his journey as he reads through the 52 volumes.  The reader is given insight as to how the novels effect him and relate to his own personal life.  What the reader takes away from this novel  is what all lover of books will take away.. How books influence and affect our daily lives and impact us in a way we may not fully understand.  The changes are subtle and enriching and Beha's readers become part of his transcendental experience with the classics .

  

A Quick Update.

Dear readers please forgive my lack of posting... I have been very busy with work and trying to get things.. organized..I have also been struggling with migraines and some personal issues.  As of late reading has fallen by the wayside, not because of a lack of desire to read, but when one works 4/10 hour days and adds an additional 10-15 hours of overtime a week, it becomes hard to focus on anything else other than sleep.  I am still working on finishing The Epic of Gilgamesh, and Drood has unfortunately fallen to the bottom of my cavernous backpack, not seeing the light of day for a while. .. I just wanted to keep you readers abreast of the situation with bookgeekism.  I promise soon to write up an offering for your perusal for now I just ask your forgiveness dear reader for the lack of anything promising these last few weeks.

Sincerely,

GeekyBookGirl

The Next Two Selections.

Dear Reader, I have been thinking about my bookgeekism blog a lot as of late.  I have had some issues go on in my personal life that caused a delay in updating.  I had also at the same time begun work on an alternate blog for my adventures in Self Education.  As I thought more and more about it I realized that I did not have the time to maintain 3 blogs: a personal one and an additional 2 related to books.  So Dear reader I have come to the decision that I am going to combine the self education blog and this blog together.

Ultimately I had planned to read The Girl In The Steel Corset  as my next book selection, but due to a recent...err restructuring of my bookshelves its currently been...for lack of better wording, misplaced.  This dear reader is an unfortunate habit of mine and could possibly explain why I own 2-3 copies of some books (the major reason for the book restructuring is so that I can used Hooked In Motions book cataloging app on my iPhone to keep track of those books that I do own.)

For now I intend to read The Epic of Gilgamesh  as it is the first book off the Lifetime Reading Plan.  I had also been reading Don Quixote, but that book has also been misplaced for the time being.  I will endeavor to finish the Epic by the end of this weekend or hopefully by the end of this week at least.  Drood, was a gift from my mother who came across it upon one of her trips to the used book store (we believe in recycling books, we give books to the used book store and pick up new ones along the way sometimes).  I've read the first few paged of Drood and will have to say that I am very interested.  Drood centers around Charles Dickens, who I will openly admit is one of my least favorite authors.  I personally have never cared for the writings we were forced to read in school and can only say the one I really enjoyed was A Tale of Two Cities.  

I've been very ...very lax in my reading, I used to read as much as possible and now it feels like I am hardly reading anymore.. I used to try and read as much as possible at work, but it's been so busy at work and I am unable to read as much as I would like. I am going to try and find ..  or at least work on putting more effort into giving myself adequate time to read and work on my self studies.

004-Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

• Abraham Lincoln  Vampire Hunter
• Seth Grahame-Smith
• 
  
• 
  
• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening  Length: 10 hour(s) and 14 min.
• Program Type: Audiobook
• Version: Unabridged
• Publisher: Hachette Audio (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003AOVPN4

I have always been hesitant when it came to audiobooks.  I've always considered myself a purist in the sense that I loved the tactile feel of books, the feel of the paper, the smell of old books etc.  The first Audiobook that I recently experienced was The Sherlockian, a few months back.  The narration was amazing and made me want to listen to another audiobook. This was my second pick.  

Synopsis: (Taken from goodreads.com)

  

When Abraham Lincoln was nine years old, his mother died from an ailment called the "milk sickness." Only later did he learn that his mother's deadly affliction was actually the work of a local vampire, seeking to collect on Abe's father's unfortunate debts.

When the truth became known to the young Abraham Lincoln, he wrote in his journal: henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become learned in all things—a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose."

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for reuniting the North with the South and abolishing slavery from our country, no one has ever understood his valiant fight for what it really was. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time—all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War, and uncovering the massive role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

This was a great story and I really wish I had read the book instead of listening to it.  Although the narration was a bit flat, the story line was enough to keep me listening.  If you liked the authors first novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, you will definitely like this.   If you're willing to try it as an audiobook.. I definitely recommend it.