- I purchased Mockingjay the morning it was released at the Brookline Booksmith (my favorite indie). I was a little nervous about just how long I’d have to wait in line to get it–I only had about half an hour before I had to get back on the bus to be at work in time, and if I was the type to bite my nails, they would have been to the quick because of my worry I wouldn’t be able to get my hands on it. So imagine my surprise upon finding only one other customer in the store! And she wasn’t even buying Mockingjay! I had to break out my Blackberry and check out everyone’s tweets to be sure I hadn’t imagined the excitement.
This is the opposite of what the "line" looked like at the Booksmith. (Image via Wikipedia)
- In subsequent news, I am officially anti-epilogue. And note to self: Do not leave books you really want to read on your work desk when you can’t read them for hours. It will bring unnecessary anxiety.
- I started listening to The Boy With a Cuckoo Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu on Friday because it is narrated by Jim Dale (who also narrated the Harry Potter series). It’s not exactly my favorite book, but hearing Jim Dale repeatedly say “cunnilingus” is a life event every one should experience. …Or not, your choice.
- Book candy alert! I listen to a lot of audio books at work because a) the Boston Public Library has an amazing online collection that you can download, b) because I’m actually allowed to use my iPod at work, and c) it helps block out the conversations about Lady Parts and giving birth that my co-workers partake in on an almost-daily basis. This past week, I discovered Harlan Coben mysteries, and listened to not one, not two, but three of them. They are total ear candy, similar to watching a Law & Order: SVU marathon on television and bringing a similar guilty-pleasure feeling. (I kind of loved them.)
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Even the cover makes me feel slimy.
I attempted to listen to a Philip Roth novel this month; I’d never read anything by him before and I figured it was about time. My mistake was to choose The Humbling, a novella involving a past-his-prime actor who tries to reclaim his glory by exacting power over a masculine lesbian (dressing her up in sexy lady lingerie and having, uh, “hot” heterosexual sex with her). “Hot” is in quotes not because of the hetero-sex, but the ABSOLUTELY GROSS over-the-top descriptions of their interludes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to be celibate.
- Despite that tragic experience, I will be trying another Philip Roth novel. I received The Plot Against America through Paperback Swap, a book recommended by Frank Rich in his excellent book The Greatest Story Ever Sold. Roth’s book is a speculative fiction work, on the premise of what could have happened had Franklin Roosevelt lost the Presidential election and the anti-Semitic pilot Charles Lindbergh had won. I have much higher hopes for that one, especially since it seems unlikely that there will be gratuitous, nauseating sex scenes.
Bookish Thoughts of the Week
Filed under Lists
Funny, I have decided to take on Roth as well. The Great American Novel, I couldn’t do it, hate. But, now I am reading My Life As A Man, which is the 1st Nathan Zuckerman, I like it much better. I feel that I haven’t read much of his work and since he is considered one of the great American novelists of the last fifty years, I’m making a genuine effort. I have 2 volumes of the Library of America Roth collection. Enjoy.
I’ve always avoided him because he seems like one of “those” men who don’t have a role for women in his novels beyond wives and mistresses. I’m excited for The Plot Against America because I have an unabashed love for alternate history, so I’m more willing to forgive a lack of well-rounded female characters. I am interested to hear about your relationship with his other work; maybe I’ll dip a little deeper into the Roth collection.
That is a Roth book I have definitely not read, and I’m not making any plans to either after reading this. And I can’t stop laughing – I may have to get the Malzieu audio for the “cunnilingus”. Too funny.
Trish, he seriously says cunnilingus like 22 times in about 6 minutes. In a Scottish brogue. A-mazing. And regarding the Roth book: if someone less acclaimed and regarded had written the very same book, they would have been laughed out of the literary world. It’s kiiind of worth a read just to understand the awfulness.
I have something to say about all of your points, so I numbered them.
1.) I saw people on Twitter saying that it seems like only the blogging world is going crazy over Collins’ series — that so many ‘civilians’ (I couldn’t think of another word, haha) hadn’t even heard of them. Wonder if that’s true?
2.) Must be something about Mockingjay epilogue that is turning people off. I keep hearing this (are you anti all epilogues or did this one set it off?). I haven’t read it yet, so I don’t know what the deal is.
3.)lol! tempting…
4.) Will be adding these to my TBR. Are they scary? One of my best friends is a crazy Law & Order fan. I didn’t know there was another young woman out there who loved it as much as she. The only other people I know who adore it as much as her are 60 year old men! (I love her for this, btw).
5.) Philip Roth: I have also not read him, but have Human Stain sitting on my shelf. A friend of mine hates him very much and her mother calls him a misogynist pig. I have to say I am utterly curious but a little frightened of him. Even more so now.
6.) Not that I’ve studied him much, but I had no idea Lindbergh was anti-semetic. Disappointing. His wife’s book “A Gift from the Sea” is one of my favorites. Hopefully they had different views.
1) Hmm, that’s an interesting theory. It has been getting a lot of press in the mainstream media (front page of the Huffington Post, reviews in Entertainment Weekly and a mention in TIME, for instance), but I haven’t really heard anything from teens, its purported audience. It could also just be that the people in Brookline aren’t big fans; I know now that there was an event in Cambridge for it that had a big turn out.
2) The epilogue for Mockingjay was frustrating; I also really disliked the (very similar, in a way) one for Harry Potter. I’m sure I’ll change my mind again eventually, lol.
3) Dooo it.
4) I don’t think they’re scary, although Hold Tight is especially suspenseful. lol @ L&O: it’s a secret pleasure.
5) I’m going to give him a chance, but I don’t think he’s very nice to women in his books.
6) Riiiight? I didn’t really know about it either. It seems like “secret history,” hidden under the rug to keep his Heroics virtuous.
Bonjour! I followed your kitty over from the old blog.
That Roth book sounds disturbing. Think I’ll skip it.
And I think a lot of the Mockingjay hype was internet driven. People in the real world weren’t rioting in the streets.
Thanks for comin’ on over! I’m really interested to see the actual numbers of copies Mockingjay sold! I guess I’ve been in the book blogger bubble with the whole process.
I agree in the thought that a lot of the Mockingjay hype was internet driven BUT, my small town had a release party that was pretty well attended, and I know some others who were reading it and loving it as well that don’t read a lot of YA.
Oh, and I didn’t like the epilogue either. Bleh.
As for Philip Roth… I tried one book by him and was not a fan. Maybe I’ll try again eventually. No desire to do it any time soon though.
I went to a signing of Mockingjay at Borders in the Boston ‘burbs and it was packed (with young kids, like 10-12, but still). I think Collins’ is doing alright, sales wise.
(Although I don’t get why she’s stamping books instead of signing them. Have you heard about this??)
Somehow I missed that you changed blogs…not sure how. Well, mistake corrected now. I’ve unsubscribed to the old blogspot feed and resubscribed to this one!
I hadn’t said anything because I was trying so hard to apply the special code to bring over all the followers from blogger…but I clearly failed. Thanks for understanding!!
I love (love, love, love) Law & Order: SVU. Except all I ever watch are the re-runs, because I go to bed too darn early.
I especially love the early seasons when Benson is all tough and Munch has more lines.
I have come to see the kitty but there are no kitty pictures here – tricks!;)
I was talking to a YA author on Twitter the other day and he had never even heard of the Hunger Games series. I know he tends to avoid the big popular series like Harry Potter and Twilight while he’s writing, but I was amazed he hadn’t even heard of the series. I think the internet is skewing my perception of what people know about, but I thought it was at least as big as Twilight.
Any chance you want to make ‘The Plot Against America’ a future joint read? I am terrified to attempt him, because of all the crazy women hating things I’ve heard about his books. It would be nice to be able to compare notes.
And what is this about ‘The Boy with the Cuckoo Clock Heart’?! I was expecting a lovely folksy/gothic tale – I need to readjust my expectations obviously.
Jodie, I added a kitty picture JUST FOR YOU.
Woah woah woah, wait, a YA author hadn’t heard of The Hunger Games? Isn’t that being a little out of touch? Weiiiird. He probably will HAVE to hear about it now that Mockingjay sold 450,000 copies in its first week.
I’d love to read Plot Against America with you! I think you’d be the perfect person to analyze any lady-hating with. I should probably email you about it in case you don’t come back.
The Boy With the Cuckoo Clock Heart IS folksy and gothic, it just also has a hamster named Cunnilingus. Like ya do. It’s still a very sweet book.
Ahem I could not resist educating him and looking smart (even though I haven’t read the books yet, cuz I am a loser)
I think he trys to keep away from the news about the latest popular YA when he is writing like some writers do in case another persons style infiltrates their writing.
Oh yes email me (bakerjodie at googlemail dot com) and we will set something up, hurray! Maybe it will not be woman hatery this book, maybe we will have happy alternate history reading times (crosses fingers).