Till We Have Faces

Till We Have Faces
by C.S. Lewis
324 pages

*** About the Book ***

In Greek mythology there is a story about Psyche, a beautiful mortal woman, who becomes the lover of the god Cupid. He gives her a gorgeous palace to live in and everything she could ever need. The only catch is that she is never allowed to see his face. Her two sisters visit her in the palace and become extremely jealous of her many blessings. In their jealousy they convince her to break her lover's one rule. This results in her being thrown out of the palace and suffering through many years of nearly impossible tasks before eventually being reunited with Cupid and becoming immortal.

But what if one of her sisters was to tell the story? Would it be the same story or would it be a completely different tale? In this book we meet Orual, the older and quite ugly sister of beautiful Psyche. It is she who raised Psyche from infancy and she who tells the tale ... and things are definitely different from her point of view.


*** Why I Choose It ***

This is not a book I would have picked up since 1) I don't really like CS Lewis and 2) I'm not familiar with this particular myth. However my book club pal Melissa says is it fantastic and it is our club's pick for September.


*** My Thoughts ***

When she recommended this book, Melissa warned me that it was the story she loved and not the writing (she isn't a CS Lewis fan either). And I'm glad she did, because the writing is definitely not my cup of tea. This won't be a problem for those of you who like Lewis because it is similar in style to his other books, but it was a real drag for me.

Getting past the writing itself, lets discuss the story. I was entranced for the first half of the book - I was so drawn into Orual's world that I didn't want to put the book down. This kind-hearted but very ugly woman is bringing a complaint against the gods for their treatment of Psyche and of herself. I loved her brazenness!

And then the story bogged down in the final third of the book. There were parts that were interesting but I got hung up on the wordiness and the awkward writing until I couldn't bring myself to care much what happened next.

The authors note at the end explained the "true" story of Psyche and Cupid and also where Lewis got the idea for this story. I very much enjoyed reading that, more so than the final third of the book.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. And it had some promise. But in the end I can't say I'm a big fan.

My club meets to discuss this on 9/16 - I'll be sure to let you know what the rest of the gals thought of it.


*** Other Reviews ***

I only found one other review - did I miss yours?

• A Library is a Hospital of the Mind - she read it for her book club too
  

Guest Post: Author Kathleen McCleary

Please welcome Kathleen McCleary, author of HOUSE AND HOME. I reviewed and loved her book last year, and I also had the opportunity to meet and video her at the 2008 Baltimore Book Festival. Her novel is now available in paperback and she is on tour with TLC Book Tours this month.

Childhood Imagination
By Kathleen McCleary

When I was nine, my best friend was a girl named Joanna who lived around the corner from us, in a rambling old Victorian house with an overgrown garden. In those days of no Internet, no cell phones and just three TV channels, we spent a lot of time playing “imaginary games” in the corners and cubbies of our respective houses, or roaming through the woods and meadows beyond our street.

The favorite game in my house, on Wakeman Road, was called “Falling through the floor.” We’d pretend the floor would give way and each time we’d find ourselves in a different world. In another game, called “Krakatoa,” we were survivors of a volcanic eruption, fleeing the burning lava and trying to survive a harsh new landscape. We ran a dancing school in the bonus room above my garage, teaching elaborate dances to other neighborhood kids while Diana Ross’ “Love Child” boomed from our tiny turntable. We found an old trunk and “sailed” it down the small river beyond our house, pretending to be explorers.

We moved when I was twelve, and I lost touch with Joanna. A few years ago, though, I discovered what she’d been doing. Joanna was a novelist, an amazing novelist, who had received a MacArthur “genius” grant, a Guggenheim fellowship, and been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Two years ago, I wrote my first novel, and sent Joanna a note asking if she’d “blurb” it for me. Even though we hadn’t been in touch in more than thirty years, she wrote back right away, a wonderful letter full of reminiscences about those childhood games. “I wonder if in all the imagining we did as kids,” she wrote, “we ever came close to guessing what lay in store?” (She wrote a lovely blurb for my novel, too.)

This is why I push my kids to turn off the TV and computer and lock up their cell phones. This is why we vacation for several weeks every year in a cabin on a mountain lake without any technology (not even a phone). This is why I believe letting kids get just a little bit bored is a good thing.

So here’s to the power of the imagination, to cultivating it, nurturing it, letting it run wild. You never know where it might lead.

Note: Kathleen’s childhood friend, the novelist Joanna Scott, is the author of Follow Me, The Manikin, Arrogance, Make Believe, and Everybody Loves Somebody, among other works.

Thank you, Kathleen, for stopping by today. I hope my readers enjoying hearing from you as much as I did.

And to my readers, if you haven't read HOUSE AND HOME, I encourage you to check out this book trailer - it will give you a very good idea if this is a book you will enjoy as much as I did.

BBF: The Book Club Toolkit (part 2)

This is the 2nd post in a series about The Book Club Toolkit panel I'm moderating at the Baltimore Book Festival on 9/26 @ noon. You can read the first post here, part 3 here and part 4 here.

Meet the Panelists

Moderator (that's me!):

Heather Johnson, also known as The Book Club Madam, is the head of Storie delle Sorelle, a 20-member book club in the Glen Burnie area. She reviews everything she reads on her book blog (www.age30books.blogspot.com) where she also writes about topics of interest to readers everywhere. If Heather could make a living out of reading and running book clubs, she’d do it in a heartbeat; until then she freely shares her knowledge and experience with anyone willing to listen.

Panelists:

• Natalie Weikart is a library consultant whose workshops have been launching lively, popular book clubs for 20 years. She was a presenter at Random House's 2004 "Reading Between the Lines" program on encouraging and marketing library reading and discussion groups. At Howard County Library she was head of adult educational and cultural programs, as well as coordinator of The Maryland Center for the Book. She also serves on an advisory committee to the Maryland Humanities Council.
  
  
• Trish Collins has been trying to join or start a book club for almost 10 years, and she finally has one she can call her own. Since starting her own, she has helped start a second book club and is in the process of starting a third. She is an avid blogger (heylady.net) and loves discussing books, thus her obsession with book clubs. As a natural extension for her love of books and blogging, Trish has started a blog tour company called TLC Book Tours, which you can find at tlcbooktours.com.
  
  
• Ladetra Robinson belongs to Sisters In Spirit, a Western Maryland book club comprised of a group of diverse women that reads books by African American authors. S.I.S fosters sisterhood among women who possess a passion for literature and enjoy cultural events. In the two years the club has been in existence it has registered over 25 women. Ladetra is the Director of Blossom School of Etiquette where she teaches young ladies from the ages of 6-17.
  
  
• Cheryl Hazel is a lifelong reading enthusiast who majored in English in college. She believes that good books are like good movies—more satisfying when shared with others. As an educator, she’s learned that if you share an experience with other people, there will be multiple perspectives and reactions to that same experience. After moving to Baltimore City last year, Cheryl connected with other readers through Femme Nouveau, a book club she found through Oprah’s website.
  
  
• Nancy Berla has been active in book clubs all of her adult life. She helped start a book club in Columbia called The Second Wednesday Book Club; it has been in operation almost 30 years. In addition to this group, Nancy coordinates book clubs at two retirement centers in Howard County. She has recently joined a fourth book club, whose members read literature in Spanish and discuss the books in Spanish.

So what do you think of the panelists? I'm really excited to bring together this great group of women. Between us we have about 60 years of experience organizing and running book clubs - I'm sure we'll have lots of tips to offer to our audience!

And on a completely different note, what do you think of my logo? I had lots of fun creating it. :)

August '09 Recap

The end of August ... *sigh* ... means the end of summer. :( I had big plans for this summer but few of them came to be. Ah well, we still had a great and safe time, and that's really all I can ask.

Below are my measly stats for this month. Ok, so my audio book total isn't that measly, but my "real" book total certainly is! As always, the links take you to my reviews.


Books - 3 (953 pages)

• Golden Boy (337 pages) - a memoir of growing up in 1950s Hong Kong - I loved this book
  
• Old World Daughter, New World Mother (224 pages) - reconciling feminism and family - well written and interesting
  
• The Lightning Thief (392 pages) - for online book club and Mom & Son book club - read aloud to Kiddo who really loved it
  

Audio Books - 6 (83.25 hours)

• The Iliad (16.75 hours) - the epic Greek poem by Homer - this classic was the perfect kind to experience as an audio book
• A Study in Scarlet (4.5 hours) - the first Sherlock Holmes story - I liked it but not as much as other Holmes adventures
• The Voyage of the Narwhal (13.25 hours) - a fictional 1850s polar expedition - a bit slow but the ending made it worthwhile
• Jane Eyre (18 hours) - the classic tale - still loved it after all these years
• Agincourt (16.25 hours) - a novel of the historic battle - I didn't really like this one
  
• Beside A Burning Sea (14.5 hours) - a fictional tale of a shipwreck during WWII - somewhat predictable but still very enjoyable
  

Mom & Son Book Club

• As I mentioned above, we read The Lightning Thief this month. You can check out our joint review here - it includes a video of Kiddo. :)
  
  

Other Stats

• I wrote about some of my favorite books from the preblogging days as part of the weekly meme "My Favorite Reads". This month I shared books by Fantasy author Melanie Rawn.
  
• I picked up an audio book of some Sherlock Holmes stories but gave up on it once I realized it was a radio dramatization - NOT what I was looking for at all.
  
• My TBR list gained 12 titles this month and I added 3 to Kiddo's list.
  

Now Kiddo is back to school, we are getting into our "normal" routine, and our fall schedule is heating up. Let's see how this affects my reading time!

3-Prize Giveaway from author Michelle Moran

*** This contest is now closed. Results were announced at this link. ***

Are you intrigued by ancient Egypt? By the pyramids, the Pharohs and the Queens? I certainly am, and so is author Michelle Moran. She's written three books set in that world, all of which have received excellent reviews. I have yet to read them but all three are on my TBR list.

Michelle is also an active participant in the book blogging world. She does guest posts, interviews, giveaways, and even has a page on her website just for bloggers. (And wait until you see what she's written for Book Blogger Appreciation Week!) Her blog, History Buff, is a wonderful resource for information about archeological discoveries around the world. I've been a subscriber to it for a long time now.

I'm looking forward to receiving a review copy of Michelle's latest novel, CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER. Cleopatra's and Ceasar's children have fascinated me since I watched the show ROME on HBO so I'm very excited to read this book.

Are you interested in Cleopatra? Or maybe in other female rulers of ancient Egypt? Then I have got some wonderful prizes for you!



First prize is a hardcover copy of CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER.

















Second prize is a paperback of THE HERETIC QUEEN.




And third prize are these gold-plated Cleopatra earrings.


Sounds pretty good, right?! Read on for your chance to win.


*** How To Enter ***

• Leave a comment saying what intrigues you about ancient Egypt or if you've read one of Michelle's books let me know what you liked about it. A simple "enter me!" won't get you in.
  
  
• If your email address is not available through your profile or your blog, please include it in your comment.
  
  
• The author is anywhere in the world so there's no excuse not to enter this contest. (Thanks Michelle!)
  
  
• I'll draw the three winners on Tuesday, 9/15, so be sure to enter before then!

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Mom & Son Book Club #11: The Lightning Thief

It has been a long time since I've done a Mom & Son book club post. Kiddo has been working on reading independently and he is definitely improving (but still needs lots of practice). Of course that means we're reading fewer books together. But today we're talking about the book I read to him during August ... enjoy!

The Lightning Thief
Book 1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians
by Rick Riordan
392 pages

*** About the Book ***

This is the story of Percy Jackson, a modern-day kid who finds out he is the son of an ancient Greek god. Oh, you didn't know that the Greek Gods were still around? And that they live on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building? Yeah, Percy didn't know that either. But now that he does, he's caught up in a dangerous quest, beset by monsters, and in the middle of an impending war between the gods. What fun (for us, not for Percy!).


*** Why I Choose It ***

Kiddo loves Harry Potter and he has already listened to all 7 audio books. When I heard about a new kids series that dealt with magic and adventure AND that was being made into a movie, I knew I'd have to check it out for him. So when Becky's Online Reading Group chose it for their August pick I decided to read it aloud to Kiddo and see how we liked it.


*** Kiddo's Thoughts ***

I'm letting Kiddo tell you about the book himself in this video - enjoy!



In case you couldn't tell, he really liked the book!


*** My Thoughts ***

Kiddo can't ever stay still, especially when I'm reading him a book. He was never a child to cuddle up on my lap for story time. BUT ... this book really captured his attention. We'd usually read one chapter per night and most times Kiddo would be totally engrossed in the story, eyes wide, and practically on the edge of his seat. The chapter titles made him laughing out loud (they were quite funny, I must say) too.

Since Kiddo is almost completely unfamiliar with ancient mythology our reading time was usually interrupted by me giving him short history lessons (which he really enjoyed). I used to love mythology as a kid and my recent time spent listening to The Iliad and The Odyssey (my current audio book) definitely came in handy with this as well.

So Kiddo loved the book and I loved reading to him. But I didn't love the book.

Let me rephrase that. As an adult reader, I could definitely tell this book was written for middle grade kids. My biggest complaint is that the plot was really predictable. I had things figured out almost from the beginning and nothing took me by surprise. Of course Kiddo didn't figure things out like I did, so the book was successful in that way. But whereas I really enjoyed reading the Harry Potter books for myself, my enjoyment of this book came from seeing how much Kiddo loved it.


*** The Movie ***

The movie is coming out in February 2010 and has some amazing actors in it. (Poseidon will be played by Kevin McKidd ... can we say eye candy for mom?!) My family will definitely be seeing this in the theaters. You can check out a really short trailer here if you haven't seen it already.


*** Your Thoughts? ***

Are you interested in either the book or the movie? Why/why not?

If you've reviewed the book let me know and I'll add your link here.

• Booking Mama's mother/daughter book club read this
• Naked Without Books enjoyed it
• so did It's All About Books
• and Maw Books
  

Kids' Picks is coming up on 9/15 at 5 Minutes for Books. Since that is in the middle of Book Blogger Appreciation Week I'm going to post this now and simply link up to it then.

Winners of "that Guernsey book"

Thank you to all of you who entered the giveaway for 5 copies of "that Guernsey book". After visiting randomizer.org I'm thrilled to announce that the winners are ...

#27 - Barb
#10 - longbrakeliving
#15 - Mary Ann D.
#11 - Jaime
#14 - Jenny N.

Three of these are new-to-me bloggers but I do know longbrakeliving from the LOST Books Challenge, and Jaime's son Kiddo's friend. Congratulations to all of you! I sincerely hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Winners should have received an email from me already - I'll need your addresses to submit to the publisher, so please get back to me asap. And congrats again!

"The Gathering Storm" Tour Dates Announced

Full details are at Dragonmount.com but I have to say that I am THRILLED BEYOND BELIEF that there is a tour stop at the mall just down the street from my office!!!!!! I'll be at the 10/29 event in Maryland for sure - anyone joining me?!

(For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, THE GATHERING STORM is book 12 in The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Upon his untimely passing, the series is being completed by author Brandon Sanderson. More details are in my left sidebar.)

Old World Daughter, New World Mother

Old World Daughter,
New World Mother
by Maria Laurino
224 pages

*** About the Book ***

According to the press release I received, this book “offers a fresh and sometimes controversial perspective on some of the most difficult issues of contemporary feminism. Laurino tries to sort out dueling influences in her life: growing up in an "Old World" family, in which the word "dependence" was considered a good thing, versus embracing a "New World" feminism that champions personal autonomy.” It goes on to say, “Having come of age in the 1970s, Laurino draws on her own experience both to celebrate the Mary Tyler Moore dream of unfettered independence and to take apart some of the anti-family biases, rigidities, and pathologies of 1970s feminism. And as the daughter of second-generation Italian immigrants for whom family was always first, Laurino also seeks to reconcile, as she writes, ‘two dominant, divergent traditions: a fatalistic Mediterranean culture in which familial dependence is prized and a ruggedly individualistic American culture that neglects its needy dependents, young and old.’”


*** Why I Choose It ***

I first heard of this from a review at 5 Minutes for Books back in April of this year. Then in May I was offered a review copy. After reading the press release I felt like the author could have been a member of my own Italian family. I agreed to review the book in the hopes that Laurino's writing might give me some insights into my family and even maybe tips on how to better handle some of the issues mentioned above.


*** My Thoughts ***

I both liked and didn’t like this book, but the “didn’t like” part was due completely to my preconceived notions of what the book was going to be about.

I loved the first few chapters. I completely identified with the culture clashes that the author experienced. How do you reconcile your desire for independence and freedom with a family culture that stresses togetherness and interdependence? Is it possible to see the world other than through the lens of ancestry and culture you grew up with? These are questions she faced in her own life and they are questions I’ve faced in mine as well.

I wanted the content and feel of those first chapters to continue throughout the book. I hoped that Laurino would possibly even suggest solutions to the questions she posed. About a third of the way into the book though, things changed.

The remainder of the book had two focuses. It chronicled the author’s culture clash with “the real world” and detailed the ways she tried to reconcile her feminist outlook with the reality of being a single woman and later a married mom. It also provided a critique of the 1970s-era feminist outlook on the world. Both of those topics, although very interesting and valid areas of concern, simply didn’t interest me as much as the family dynamics discussed earlier.

The book is very well written and presents some damaging critiques to “traditional” feminist thought. I just wish it had dealt more with the culture clash that I am particularly interested in.


*** Other Reviews ***

• 5 Minutes for Books - we are opposites on this book - she liked the sections I wasn't a big fan of :)
• any other bloggers out there read this one?
  

Cranford Read-a-long: Let's Begin

Welcome to the September Read-a-long of Elizabeth Gaskell's CRANFORD.

Participants

Amateur Reader @ Wuthering Expectations - Suey @ Its All About Books - Ruth @ Booktalk and More - Amanda @ The Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker (she was a maybe - are you in Amanda?) - anyone I missed, or who still wants to join?

UPDATE: We've got more participants! Meghan @ Medieval Bookworm - Becky @ Becky's Book Reviews - mel u @ The Reading Life

Reading Schedule

I plan to read one chapter per day. With 27 chapters, that should allow me to finish the book just before the end of the month. You can read at whatever pace works for you though.

Update: I'm not sure why I thought this book had 27 chapters ... I must have been delusional that day! In point of fact there are a mere 16 chapters. I'm reading online at Gutenberg.org but according to Amazon.com the most common version of this book has only 266 pages.

Posting Schedule

My review will go up on 9/29 and will include links to all your reviews. Feel free to post your review any time this month, just be sure to send me the link when it goes up.

I'll do a check-in post around the middle of the month to see how everyone is coming along.

Discussion Suggestions

Despite a lengthy search I was unable to find any "official" discussion questions for this book. If you know of any please let me know. I did find a summary of the themes that sounded interesting though. Click here and scroll to the "Major Themes" section (there are spoilers in some of the other sections). If you like, you can include your thoughts on the themes in your review.

Other Ideas?

Since I have not yet read this book I don't know what to expect. If you have questions you'd like to pose to the group or topics you'd like to discuss please suggest them in the comments.

Happy Reading!


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