Review: The Graveyard Book

Product Description - From Amazon.com
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy.

He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead.

There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer.

But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family. . . .

I can't count the number of blogs that have featured this book and given it rave reviews. It is considered a graphic novel for kids ages 9-12. There aren't an abundance of pictures and adults are clearly loving it as much as kids might. Although I am not much for fantasy books - Harry Potter aside - but I wanted to see what all the excitement was about. Besides, it's a short book, and I figured even I would be able to read it fairly quickly as it is aimed at younger readers.

I may be some kind of kids 'book prude, but this seemed like kind of dark subject matter for the targeted reader...murder, graveyards, being stalked by mean men...then again, I am from the Ramona Quimby and Choose Your Own Adventure generation. I'm sure kids' reading interests have changed since then.

Prudishness aside, I didn't love this book at all. It wasn't horrible. Bod was a likeable character. The characterization of graveyard inhabitants by their epitaphs was really entertaining. The creativity of the author was well-demonstrated when we were shown how certain everyday knowledge was novel to a boy raised in a graveyard by "people" who had inhabited the world centuries before. But, in general, I didn't have the significant emotional reaction to the book that some reviewers reported, and I have no burning desire to read more Neil Gaiman books in the near future.

Don't Panic - Pork Chops!

This weekend we cooked up one of our entrees from last week's marathon cooking session. They were super easy to make. We just blended up a marinade of honey, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce and put the chops in a freezer bag with the marinade.

We thawed them in the fridge for 2 days before we prepared them. (Most freezer meals take more than the recommended 24 hours to thaw completely.) My live-in grill master not only braved the cold temperatures to fire up the grill, but performed what I call kitchen chemistry and made a hashbrown side dish. He described it as "fried rice with hashbrowns in place of the rice." It was really good, and the pork chops had a wonderful flavor that was not at all overpowering.

Marathon Cooking

I am a big fan of freezer meals - the kind you assemble ahead of time and require little work on the day you serve them. I've been known to frequent Let's Dish and love the variety of meals I bring home after only two hours of "work." Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer is one of several books that helps you prepare freezer meals at home.

Yesterday my sister-in-law and I spent 5 hours preparing four different entrees. We tripled every recipe so that we would have 9 servings of each dish. When she and my brother had to go home I finished a fifth recipe. After 6 hours of standing on the ceramic kitchen floor, I was walking like a 90-year-old woman. But, I think it was definitely worth it. I literally have weeks' worth of quick meals that only require enough foresight to thaw them a day ahead of when I want to serve them. Not to mention, they're healthy. And, my "food tester for a lifetime" sampled one of the meals for dinner last night and went back for seconds!

What did we make? Chicken Tortilla Soup, North Woods Wild Rice Soup, cheese-filled manicotti, egg bake with hashbrowns and Canadian bacon, and honey porkchops. I will post pictures as I serve each for the first time.

Review: Affinity

Synopsis (from http://www.bn.com/): An upper-class woman recovering from a suicide attempt, Margaret Prior has begun visiting the women's ward of Millbank prison, Victorian London's grimmest jail, as part of her rehabilitative charity work. Amongst Millbank's murderers and common thieves, Margaret finds herself increasingly fascinated by the one apparently Innocent inmate, the enigmatic spiritualist Selina Dawes. Selina was imprisoned after a seance she was conducting went horribly awry, leaving an elderly matron dead and a young woman profoundly disturbed. Although initially skeptical of Selina's gifts, Margaret is soon drawn into a twilight world of ghosts and shadows, unruly spirits and unseemly passions, until she is at last driven to concoct a desperate plot to secure Selina's freedom and her own.

I first learned of author, Sarah Waters, at A Work in Progress. I am not typically drawn to historical fiction, but that review of Fingersmith made it sound too good to resist. I read that book last year and really enjoyed it. There were definitely unexpected plot twists. I think my previous experience with historical fiction was that it was not written in modern English, which slowed down my typically slow reading pace even further. Sarah Waters' books are quick reads.

Last month I picked up Affinity at the library. I finally finished reading it last weekend after an extended break two-thirds of the way through to read Edgar Sawtelle.

The story is told from the journals of Selina and Margaret - Selina's journal kept up to the point of the seance-gone-wrong and Margaret's current journal. It touches on several themes, the first being depression. Depression, and mental illness in general, was not well-understood. Margaret was treated by her mother as being physically frail, and the prescribed charity work was basically an attempt to distract her from her depressed thoughts. The result is that she really just trades one set of troubling thoughts for another.

Hope is a second theme running through the book. People were drawn to Selina as a spiritualist because they believed she helped them connect with deceased loved ones. As she communicated on behalf of the lost loved one, the survivors are given hope that the person still exists out there somewhere and they will see him/her again. Margaret also finds herself drawn to Selina. Their relationship gives Margaret the hope that a life worth living is within her reach, and this becomes her driving force.

There is not much else I can say without giving something away. Consistent with my previous Sarah Waters experience, there is a very unexpected twist at the end of the story, and all along the way things are not what they seem.

The Perfect Way to Spend a Chilly Day

While my handyman-for-life tore into the bathroom rennovation project, I met up with a college friend for tea at Lady Elegant's Tea Room. (Our seat today was at the blue table in front of the window.) It is a charming little place almost hidden amongst an eclectic mix of independent shops and always offers a relaxing time away from the real world. The Tea Room is modeled after an English-style front room and dining room and has only a handful of tables. Though casual dress is acceptable, many women dress for the occassion, and the Tea Room offers hats for use during your visit if you really want to be "authentic." Lady Elegant's was as busy as I've ever seen it today, which, we were told by one of the employees, was due to all the husbands being away for the open of deer hunting. Surrounded by light classical music and the buzz of tea-time chatter from other tables we enjoyed Pumpkin Creme and Apple Pie seasonal teas accompanied by finger sandwiches, cranberry orange scones, and almond cookies. The service there is intentionally leisurely, leaving us ample time to catch up on life and enjoy the atmosphere. Of course, I couldn't leave without buying a handful of teabags and some loose leaf tea (apple pie and oatmeal raisin cookie). Heading back to our cars in the brisk November wind, my friend and I made a pact to get back to the Tea Room once a quarter from now on. There's just no reason to relax like that only once a year.

My First Reading Challenge

I just joined my first reading challenge: The What's in a Name Challenge 2009! Here are the rules...

Choose one book from each of the following categories.
1. A book with a "profession" in its title. Examples might include: The Book Thief, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Historian
2. A book with a "time of day" in its title. Examples might include: Twilight, Four Past Midnight, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
3. A book with a "relative" in its title. Examples might include: Eight Cousins, My Father's Dragon, The Daughter of Time
4. A book with a "body part" in its title. Examples might include: The Bluest Eye, Bag of Bones, The Heart of Darkness
5. A book with a "building" in its title. Examples might include: Uncle Tom's Cabin, Little House on the Prairie, The Looming Tower
6. A book with a "medical condition" in its title. Examples might include: Insomnia, Coma, The Plague

I'm certain I can read six books in the next year no matter how busy I get, and I know there are books waiting on my shelf that will fit perfectly into the categories.

Happy Friday!

Review: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

From Publisher’s Weekly:
Starred Review. "A literary thriller with commercial legs, this stunning debut is bound to be a bestseller. In the backwoods of Wisconsin, the Sawtelle family—Gar, Trudy and their young son, Edgar—carry on the family business of breeding and training dogs. Edgar, born mute, has developed a special relationship and a unique means of communicating with Almondine, one of the Sawtelle dogs, a fictional breed distinguished by personality, temperament and the dogs' ability to intuit commands and to make decisions. Raising them is an arduous life, but a satisfying one for the family until Gar's brother, Claude, a mystifying mixture of charm and menace, arrives. When Gar unexpectedly dies, mute Edgar cannot summon help via the telephone. His guilt and grief give way to the realization that his father was murdered; here, the resemblance to Hamlet resonates. After another gut-wrenching tragedy, Edgar goes on the run, accompanied by three loyal dogs. His quest for safety and succor provides a classic coming-of-age story with an ironic twist. Sustained by a momentum that has the crushing inevitability of fate, the propulsive narrative will have readers sucked in all the way through the breathtaking final scenes."

Last night I reached the end of the journey that is "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle." In a word, it was heavy. Within the first 20 pages a dog and a baby had died, and that set the tone for the rest of the book. I raced through the first 250 pages, continuously curious about what would happen next but always uneasy about what the next chapter would bring. Somewhere after that, Edgar was on the run, and there were nights I looked at the book sitting on my nightstand and almost didn’t want to pick it up. The effort that was his life was making me tired, even though he was persevering. But, I had come to care about Edgar as much as one can care about a fictional character, and I knew I would finish the book because I had to know how things turned out for him.

There are so many themes threaded throughout the book, all of which contribute to the realness of the characters and the overall literary value of the story. First, the human-animal bond. Edgar’s relationship with the Sawtelle dogs, particularly Almondine and the litter of pups Edgar’s dad assigns to his care, demonstrates the strength of non-verbal communication, the power and value of the bond, and the purest kind of love. The personalities of the dogs are as real as Edgar’s, and we experience them through Edgar. Not much more can be said without giving something away, but it is a certainty that any animal lover will be deeply touched by the Sawtelle dogs and their bond with Edgar. Second, the impact of family legacies – both positive and negative. Edgar demonstrated unwavering devotion to preserving the Sawtelle breed first created by his grandfather. Along the way he encountered evil, corruption, and greed, but honored the breed and its intended purpose in every way he knew how. He believed in it will all his heart and tried to do right by those who came before him and preserve their traditions. Edgar’s story also speaks to overcoming adversity, the impact of grief and trauma, self-reliance, and moral responsibility.

The final scenes are breathtaking, and I will not giveaway the ending here. Be assured it is the type of ending that leaves you silent and reflective for a long time after you turn the final page. It’s a story that draws you in from the beginning and is worth every emotion-filled minute.

Scherzo Growing

Here's what Scherzo looks like after a week of intermittent stitching. Much more time was spent reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (<100 pages to go!) and sleeping away the effects of a stomach virus. I may set this one aside for awhile. The pattern is one that repeats in each of the four corners of the piece. It's a fun look but not quite as satisfying as seeing a picture grow as I stitch it. Now, to decide which of my other WIPs will get the attention...