Soulless --Gail Carriger

• Soulless 
• Gail Carriger
• 
  
• 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.

0003-Matched By Ally Condie

Matched 

• Author: Ally Condie
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; First Edition edition (November 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780525423645
• ISBN-13: 978-0525423645

Synopsis: (from www.Goodreads.com)

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Can  a society statistically engineered to be perfect be fallible?  That is ultimately the underlying tone of a novel that is engrossing and for lack of better wording completely devour-able.  I cannot begin to discuss how much I loved this book, the simple writing style, the subtle G-rated romance and the dystopian society that is ever oppressive.   Ally Condie constructs for her readers a world so reminiscent of Orwell's 1984 and Zamyatin's We that even older readers will enjoy this novel.  Although other YA reviewers will say this owes quite a bit to The Giver, I noticed far more of these two classics intertwined throughout the narrative, especially in the heavily regimented society.

Condie created characters that are memorable and that can be related to.  Cassia is, in her own way, a strong female who comes into her own as the novel progresses. Xander and Ky are the men in Cassia's life who are dedicated and amazing in their own right.   Even Cassie's younger brother Bram who's appearances are fleeting is memorable.  The storyline itself will leave you eager for the second part of this series due to be released November 1st of this year.   I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys the dystopian genre.

GIVEAWAY!!!!

So because I loved this book so much I am giving away 1  copy to a random follower or subscriber.  This giveaway will run from today till June 14th.    To Enter Leave a comment, Subscribe via the feed or through the google connect  

0002-The Girl In The Steel Corset

• The Girl in the Steel Corset

Kady Cross
Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Harlequin; Original edition (May 24, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373210337
ISBN-13: 978-0373210336


Synopsis (From Goodreads.com):

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

So I have anxiously pre-ordered this novel.  I had come across in  amongst one of the posts of a steampunk page on Facebook.  I decided to look it up on good reads and proceeded to order it almost immediately.   Now I am awaiting that brown UPS truck to arrive at my door with that lovely cardboard box from Amazon.com so that I may devour this dear reader and offer up a review for you within a few days.  So now dear reader we must otherwise find another book to occupy my time until this arrives on the 25th.

0001-The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had

So where will Bookgeekism begin this new journey at?  It begins with a book by Susan Wise Bauer.

• The Well-Educated Mind:  A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had.
• Susan Wise Bauer
• ISBN: 978-0393050943
• Released Date: 08-01-2003
• Published By: W.W. Norton & Company
• Pages 432

This text is actually comprised of 2 real parts.  The first part discusses the 4 basic parts of Bauer's technique for attaining the classical education.  The second part discusses the different genres of text she has choses, Fiction ( Literature), History, Autobiographies, Poetry and Verse.  Bauer makes interesting points and her steps are pretty basic really.  My only real issue with her approach is that she recommends for beginning that one only reads the books she recommends for 30 minutes a day, four days a week.  I did not agree as a reader this was a sufficient amount of time to delve into a book.  maybe if you are not a reader by nature and are more casual in your approach to reading that may be of more use to really help one focus on the text.  This is also more true if you have never really been exposed to critical analysis of books.   The only other fault I find with the  book, is Bauer synopsizes each of the text she recommends and gives away essential plot points.  It would be best if you only really look at the book title and author, and then which edition Bauer recommends.   She also tends to refer back to Mortimer Adler's text, How to Read a Book. ( Which I will admit I also now have sitting on my to be read pile. )  I did like this text a great deal and actually have passed it along to my mother to read and given a copy of the text to a friend to read.  I do highly recommend this book.

This book was a game changer for me in the sense that it really helped me realize that in the absence of completing college (for now)  I really needed to focus on classically educating myself so as to keep my mind acute and not let it fall into atrophy.  I (and my mother who I have also recruited in this path of self education --for she desires to better her understanding of literature)   have even begun reading the first text Bauer recommends under fiction which is Don Quixote, which I will admit has always been an intimidating book due to its sheer size, that I now find myself looking forward to reading. 

A change in direction for BookGeekism.com

I have taken a lengthy sabbatical from blogging due to some unforeseen issues that occurred in my personal life.  If you will excuse me I would prefer not to go into detail in these matters at this time and only apologize for the lack of any substantial update.  Now on to what I really intend to say at this juncture in time.  I have spent the last week really thinking about this blog which I have neglected for far too long mainly because as I sat and looked at the plethora of books that lay stacked and unread on my bookshelves I discovered a sorrow that even now I cannot articulate.  This 3 week vacation I have taken from work due to a medical issue has left me with the ultimate question, why had I abandoned this blog for so long?   Why had I cast my love of books as reading by the wayside?   Why did I allow myself to become entrenched in trite dilemmas that had left me feeling academically and socially hollow?  After a lengthy period of self examination i found  I had the desire rekindled in me to refocus on my reading, my own effort in self education and the betterment of the mind.

During this introspective period I had a discussion with a close friend of mine that allowed me to really think about the idea of self education.  My friend and I came from the same educational background which I will elaborate on.  (Note: Dear reader, if what I am about to explain changes your opinion of me and the validity of my reviews and criticism of literature I do apologize, but as we learn in literary theory...we must always question  "what is literature?" .  Please do not let my explanation lead you to believe that I am unqualified to offer a layperson's review of books.)

My educational background along with my friends is mostly a high school diploma and a smattering of college classes interspersed through these last 13 years of adulthood. Most of my education has been self taught, through literature and textbooks I have purchased, along with magazines and journals in topics that I have always had an interest in.    In these past few months, as my friend and I were discussing, I found that I had almost totally abandoned my pursuit of self education and allowed those things which had always been of keen interest in me to fall along the side of the road, cast aside by more vain pursuits that left me feeling sort of hollow and empty. (Note:  One should not try to change their identity to conform to what someone else whats of them or what others expect of them. Society and Media have always dictated that we should look and behave a certain way.  Falling prey to this leads one to lose sight of themselves.)  So after this rather deep discussion with my friend I found myself reoriented, directing myself back to the original path that I had always followed but due to a lapse in judgement I allowed myself to deviate from.   So here I am book geek girl renewing myself .. my original self so to speak..

And in this rambling I guess I should ultimately explain what I intend to do here, and in sincerest hopes to make it manifest.  Bookgeekism.com is in for a change.  the 1001 books idea has kind of been discarded but not entirely.  This book blog will still focus on reviews but it is going to take on a new sort of direction. I still will review books, classics and newly published or more current novels, but I will also be blogging about my journey through the path of self education.

Certain Books have lead me along this newly navigable path of academic enlightenment.  I will no longer approach books as some obstreperous child choosing books and devouring them without gleaning any real education from them.  Dear reader please do not thing I intend to force my own intellectual observations on books on you, I will continue to review them and if anyone is interested in discussing them I am considering creating a forum to discuss said books if anyone has read them or after one reads them.

Ohh I so can't wait to read this

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A Picture of Dorian Gray--Oscar Wilde

•                          Pub. Date: June 2003
•                          Publisher: Barnes & Noble
•                          Format: Paperback , 288pp
•                          ISBN-13: 9781593080259 
•                          Genre:  Gothic Fiction        
  

A Portrait of Dorian Gray was the only novel written by Oscar Wilde.  It was originally published in 1890.  

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The Windup Girl

(review under construction)

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We by Zamyatin

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library (July 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-0812974621
• Language: Russian (originally)
• Genre(s): Dystopian Novel, Science Fiction

This novel was originally written by Zamyatin during 1920-1921, and paints an interesting picture of a dystopian totalitarian state. The tale itself centers around D-503, a cipher of the One State, and is written in almost a journal entry style.

The One State, a world where buildings are created of glass and the Guardians/Spies can watch every ciphers movement and behaviors. Daily life is regimented by a time table that clearly lays out how each Cipher is to expend their time in the most efficient way and is the most beneficial to the one state. D-503, as stated previously, is a cipher of the One State. He is a mathematician who is working on building the Integral, a spaceship designed to help the One State conquer the universe. The book is actually a record that he plans to send along inside the Integral during it's maiden voyage. During the course of the novel he becomes entangled with a female cipher who he develops an obsessiveness for and may or may not be his undoing.

I found the novel to be a quiet enjoyable read and rather intriguing, but as I have stated before I enjoy dystopian literature. Although at times the novel seemed a bit dry and the ending seemed a little forced and possibly even quite predictable I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Orwell's 1984.

The Windup Girl and next read

This is just a quick update, finished the WindUp girl on the 1st and started to type up the post.. That should hopefully be up by tomorrow. The next read is actually from the 1001 books to read before you die list and a selection for the shelfari group dedicated to that list. The book is We by Yevgeny Zamyatin.





If I get to read like I want to I should have this and Dorian Grey finished by the end of this week along with the posts related to them.


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Finally an update...ftw

Alright guys after a long sabbatical due to reasons I cannot explain thoroughly at this time I come bearing good news....



A new review and updated reviews will follow soon. This book was actually ordered and sat on my to be read pile for a bit. To my surprise it is a selection for my science fiction reading group's book of the month...along with a previously reviewed book The Hunger Games





You can see the review in a previous post. Also this is being turned into a movie with a tentative release date in 2013... And for Geek out purposes I would just like to share a Hot Topic find.




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Audio Books:....

I am still struggling with the notion of audio books, I had briefly listened to a few classics many winters ago while living in Nebraska, but as I've moved back to Ca..I find that I just don't listen to them.  I ended up getting an Audible account and to this day only downloaded one book.  So now i sit here with 7 audible credits that I'm trying to find books I'm willing to give a chance to.  I don't know why I cannot get through them.  

On a side note I have been reading but not been updating the blog.  A lot of it stems from my staying away from my pc.  I promise dear readers that I will get myself back on track...

autobiographies.. destroy the myth of heros in our mind..

Now I remember why I usually refrain from reading autobiographies about some of my favorite writers.  The myth and ideal of them I keep in my mind about them from their writing is always so much better then coming to terms with tragic faults of one's hero. Esp. in the context of Salinger and Kerouac... they go from being hero.. to their human roots when the myth of them is destroyed by the errors of their lives.. to be honest although it does change my opinion of them it does not make them any less my literary heroes ....

an abrupt end to a unexpected sabbatical

I know that there has been such an extended delay since my last update, due to a series of unfortunate events (no book pun intended),a result of  personal issues that had become all consuming in my life.  I have not been too distracted from my current reading habits but I was unable to harness the willpower to update regularly. So consider this another mini update.

Reviews to come:
The Devil and Miss Prym -Paulo Coelho
The Pilgrimage-Paulo Coelho
Eleven Minutes-Paulo Coelho
Off Magazine Street-Ronald Everrett Capps
Put the Book Back on the Shelf-Anthlogy
The Reincarnationist-M.J. Rose
Automated Alice-Jeff Noon
Pollen-Jeff Noon
The Unit-Ninni Holmqvist

I promise reviews on all these books and they shall be updated soon.  I am taking a personal vacation for three weeks starting in May.  There will probably be more books updated on the list prior to all the updates being added.

Current lack of any real update

My current lack of any real update these day hasn't simply been because of any lack of reading, I've completed like 3 books since finishing Pandemonium. Paulo Coelho and books revolving around Gnosticism have been topics of interest that I have been reading lately. .. I promise and update soon. I've been enduring some personal issues that have caused a bit of a drop my enthusiasm or desire to do this. I promise,mainly to myself here, that I will be returning with reviews soon.

Pandemonium-Daryl Gregory

Pandemonium

Daryl Gregory

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st Edition/1st Printing edition (August 26, 2008)
• ISBN-13: 978-0345501165

    Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory is this authors first full length novel.  The novel centers our Del Pierce, who was possessed at the age of 5 by a demon called the "Hellion" who never left his body although had been believed to have been exorcised. Del embarks on a dangerous journey to free himself of this demon. His world is plagued with demon possessions, an appearance by Philip K. Dick. and Jungian Psychology...Metaphysics..and an a conclusion that leaves you hoping for a sequel.

     Where to start the review, I had been contemplating this most of all after I completed the novel last night during work. I didn't have horrible things to say, and I have a huge habit of gushing over the novels that I absolutely love. This falls into the latter category of course.  Gregory's fast paced prose and wonderful story line intrigue the reader almost instantly and lead the reader to devour the novel as quickly as possible because you have to know what happens. The novel reads fast and I definitely wouldn't consider this a "snack" book because as you read this you're left questioning you own ideas of Possession, Psychology, and even Mental Illness. Unlike most possession novels there aren't very overt religious overtones, no "power of Christ compels you", this one centers  a lot around psychological aspects of possession and that's what had sucked me in. Would I recommend this novel to anyone? Hell Yes. It's a quick great sci-fi read that I think most would enjoy.  My only real disappointment with the book was in the format, for those of us who like the format, the publisher only released this in paperback. I would have loved to have it in Hardcover.

-you may now return to your regularly scheduled programming-
GeekybookGirl