2010 October » Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog

Dewey's 24-hour Readathon is this Saturday!

Posted by Anastasia on October 8, 2010 No Responses »

Oct 082010

Dewey’s 24-hour readathon is TOMORROW, and I’ve only really remembered by virtue of having everyone else post about it. My memory’s been all over the place this week– I did at least two homework assignments that weren’t due until next week, and I completely forgot about a midterm (it hasn’t happened yet so I have time to study, no worries). I suspect I glued it to a collage or something– anyway.

The blog plan

This is my fourth! readathon, and I think I’ve got all the kinks ironed out. For my first readathon I didn’t prep beyond getting a pile of books together, and for this one I’m even making small premade snacks I can grab and eat.

As for posting, I’m going to do something similar to what I did for the spring readathon, with one post for stats and mini-reviews and challenges and another for a wrap-up once it’s over. I’ve got all my forms ready to go, and as long as I remember to check the official blog pretty often I should be set!

The reading plan

Here’s what I’ve picked out to read:

The books: Lord Foul’s Bane , The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents , An Earthly Knight , The Dreaming volume one and two , People of the Book , Sport , Scrapped Princess #1 , Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go , Offshore , The Romance Readers Book Club , The Sherwood Ring , and Heart-Shaped Box . (You may notice that two of them are the same from the last readathon. Well, this time I mean to REALLY READ THEM.)

This pile is different from previous ‘thons because there are no library books! All of these come from my TBR pile, and I really do need to read them. If I get bored I can also always go to my Kindle, which has tons of more books on it I need to read, but I’m going to try to stick to these. I read seven books for the last readathon and four for the one before that, so for this one I’m aiming for eight or more.

Sort of unfortunately, however, I’m going out sometime in the day to walk around an overpriced corn maze with my family, and then we’re going to get a pumpkin from the patch and then I’m being dragged to a few shops. I’ll be bringing books with me, but I won’t be able to update or check on challenges or talk on Twitter or ANYTHING for at least a few hours.

Unless it rains! It might rain tomorrow! Hmmmm.

More info: Dewey’s 24-hour Readathon, my Twitter, which I’ll be updating, and my DailyBooth account, where I’ll be posting pictures. You may also be interested in my prep post for the spring readathon, which has some tips for newbies.

Books I haven't read yet but probably should

Posted by Anastasia on October 6, 2010 No Responses »

Oct 062010

Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.

Why? It’s a medieval mystery with manuscripts and monks and other exciting things like that! And I’m minoring in medieval studies, AND my mom gave it to me to read.
Why not? I must be in the wrong mood for it every time I’ve tried to read it, because it just isn’t catching my interest. And yet it SHOULD interest me, yes?

Any Francesca Lia Block book.

Why? Because she’s, like, a BUILDING BLOCK of YA fantasy lit, and a major influence on many new YA authors.
Why not? Just haven’t made the effort. And I’m not sure which one to start with? (Weetzie Bat?)

Neuromancer by William Gibson.

Why? Because he’s the father of cyberpunk, which influenced modern sci-fi lit, including steampunk!
Why not? I got like five pages in before I quit, which I think was because it requires a lot of concentration to decode what’s going on (sort of like Clockwork Orange), and I wasn’t willing to spend that much effort on it at the time.

Any Jane Austen book (alternatively, any of the Bronte sisterss books as well).

Why? Duh.
Why not? The last time I tried to read an Austen book I was also reading three other books a the same time and I lost interest. But I remember liking what I did read of Pride and Prejudice, so next time I try I’ll focus only on that one book.

The Charioteer by Mary Renault.

Why? She’s such a big name in both historical fiction and GLBT fiction, and I’ve heard her books are really good!
Why not? Laziness, and the fear that her books are also depressing. No one’s TOLD me they were depressing, but from the covers they definitely look at least a little depressing. I couldn’t handle it before, but after reading so many Virginia Woolf books I think I can now!

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Also anything like Hush, Hush or Fallen or any of the other big YA paranormal romance books of the past year.

Why? Because they’re such big deals in the YA fiction world.
Why not? Is just being popular really a reason to read something? They hold almost no interest for me, and I didn’t read Twilight just because it was popular (or the last three Harry Potter books, for that matter). Maybe I shouldn’t cave to peer pressure. But what if I need to talk about them for my future dream job interview? And then they don’t hire me because I haven’t read Mockingjay?!

Ulysses by James Joyce.

Why? Because I like Joyce’s books, but haven’t actually completely finished one yet. Plus I said I would over the summer, and I didn’t.
Why not? It’s freakin’ HEAVY. I don’t want to carry it around, and I don’t want to drag it home from the library (and then back again). But the paperback version of the “correct” edit is SO ugly I don’t want to buy it, either. Is there an ebook version?

The Young Wizards books past #2 by Diane Duane.

Why? Because I have them already! Up to #7, I think. And I really enjoyed the first two.
Why not? I don’t think I understood them when I was younger, when it started getting more science-y and mathematical and sort of Madeleine L’Engle-y. Little bit confusing to my 14-year-old future-English-major brain.

The Dresden Files past #5 by Jim Butcher.

Why? Because apparently some AWESOME STUFF has happened and I’m missing out!
Why not? Because it’s been so long since I read the first five that I want to reread them before continuing onward, but that’s such a big time suck and I have other things to do and really I’m lazy lazy lazy. If you hadn’t noticed already.

Also: my TBR books, obviously, including the new Diana Wynne Jones book which I own but have been saving for a day when I feel super crappy.

What books have YOU not read but probably should?

Review: Voltaire's Calligrapher by Pablo de Santis

Posted by Anastasia on October 5, 2010 No Responses »

Oct 052010

193. Voltaire’s Calligrapher by Pablo de Santis
Publication: Harper Perennial (October 5, 2010) originally published 2001, Paperback ARC
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Dark Fantasy (according to Kirkus)
Rating: Bin it
Read: September 26-28, 2010
Source: Publisher
Summary from Amazon:

Dalessius is twenty when he comes to work for one of the Enlightenment’s most famous minds, the author and philosopher Voltaire. As the great man’s calligrapher, Dalessius becomes witness to many wonders—and finds himself in the middle of a secret battle between the malevolent remnants of the all-but-dead Dark Ages and the progressive elements of the modern age. The calligrapher’s role in this shadowy conflict will carry him to many perilous places— through the gates of sinister castles and to the doors of a bizarre bordello; toward life-and death confrontations with inventive henchmen, ingenious mechanical execution devices, poisonous fish, and murderous automatons. As the conspiracy to halt the Enlightenment’s astonishing progress intensifies, young Dalessius’s courage—as well as Voltaire’s unique cunning and wit—are put to the ultimate test as they strive to ensure the survival of the future.

Review

You know how sometimes a book just doesn’t work for you, but you don’t know why and everyone else seems to like it and so you try to make excuses explaining why you didn’t like it? That’s what I’ve been doing every since I finished reading Voltaire’s Calligrapher, because I don’t know why I wasn’t as enthusiastic about it as everyone else the world seemed to be.

Here’s the thing. This book’s narrative depends heavily on telling, not showing, and that drives me up the WALL. It just made the book drag on and on, when it’s really only a novella-sized book and not the 300-page clunker it seemed to be when I was reading it!

There were other things I didn’t like. Characters info dump on each other nearly every chapter. There’s a lackluster “romance” between Dalessius and Clarissa, a shut-in who likes pretending she’s an automaton. I’m not even sure you could CALL it a romance between it seemed entirely one-sided to me, almost to a farcical degree. What dialogue there was was boring as hell. I don’t get the point of having Voltaire in there except to attach the book to a specific time period because he doesn’t seem to do anything except give Dalessius a reason to stick his nose into the mystery.

The author

For all that I had problems with the book, I did like parts of it. I liked the calligraphy aspect, especially when Dalessius explained how calligraphers worked and why it was a dying art (because of the printing press, of course) but still an important one. I like how Dalessius’ philosophy about calligraphy changed as he grew older and learned more about himself. I liked how he experimented with different inks, including invisible ones. And I liked the bookish aspect about it!

I also liked the mystery…sort of. I suppose I’m not as up on my history as I should be, because I honestly didn’t know what was going on most of the time. I knew who Voltaire was, I knew about the French Revolution (something that was hinted at in the book), and I knew a bit about the Jesuits and the Catholics and whatnot. But the bishop that was so central to the mystery? Who was that? Was he ever named? No idea.

The sci-fi aspects– the automatons, basically– were fun but I didn’t see how they fit in with the rest of the world. It seemed like a world that was remarkably like ours, and yet I don’t think we ever had automatons that could be mistaken for alive human beings. I think this is something that I didn’t get; I was expecting a straight up historical mystery, and the inclusion of robots threw me off a little. So…maybe it threw off my enjoyment of the book, as well? Possible.

I REALLY wanted to like Voltaire’s Calligrapher. It seemed like it had everything I enjoy in a book: mystery, romance, historical thingies, a bit of science fiction, conspiracies and evil priests and theaters and mad Frenchmen. But the way it was written was so…boring. Would it really have been so terrible to stick a few interesting conversations in there, a few more details about the world Dalessius was living in?

Maybe I just wanted it to be another A Conspiracy of Paper, but set in France. Oh well.

Have you ever disliked a book that everyone else seemed to love? I’m talking ones that are universally liked, like The Hunger Games maybe. Twilight and Dan Brown don’t count!

And

Get your own copy @ Amazon or Powell’s and support Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog!

Other reviews: The Complete Review (who liked it more than I did) | Kirkus Reviews (who gave it a STAR wth is wrong with me?)

Birdwatching: Airships!

Posted by Anastasia on October 4, 2010 No Responses »

Oct 042010

I love Once Upon a Bookshelf‘s Listed feature, where 10 books with a similar theme or trope are put together in a list. I’ve been wanting to do something similar for myself, so I’m yanking the idea and calling it “Birdwatching” because I thought it sounded vaguely clever. Yes/no?

Probably my most favorite thing about the steampunk genre is the idea that people use airships to move around instead of cars/planes/buses/etc. (Trains are a close second.) There’s just something so exciting about airships! Maybe because they’re such an unusual way to fly, I don’t know. All I know is that I adore them.

Here’s some of my favorite books that have an airship or two in them:

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (2009). Also Dreadnought (2010), its sequel.
Changeless by Gail Carriger (2010). They even have fancy clothes to wear when on an airship! Smart.
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (2009), and also it sequel, Behemoth (2010). Although these airships are part animal…
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel (2004). (Although technically I haven’t read all of it yet.)
The Fantastic Flying Journey by Gerald Durrell (1987). This is SUCH a good kids book, and one that I think is somewhat under-appreciated. They fly around the world in a hot air balloon made of bamboo and spiders’ silk! And they can talk to animals! And the illustrations are lovely!

Runner up: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (1961).Technically since it’s a peach and it’s levitated by seagulls I don’t think it quite fits under the category of “airship,” but it’s still a fun read!

Do you like airships? What are some of your favorite books with airships in them?

Winners of The Mental Floss History of the United States!

Posted by Anastasia on October 4, 2010 No Responses »

Oct 042010

I have the results of the Mental Floss History of the United States giveaway! Using random.org, I got two numbers: 15 and 22.

#15 is: Natasha of 1330v! Yay!

#22 is: Stephanie of (I think) Open Mind, Insert Book! Yay!

I have emailed the publisher your addresses already, so you should hopefully be getting your books soon. Huzzah!

Thanks to everyone who entered! And if you didn’t win, don’t worry. I’m hoping to host a few more contests in the upcoming months, so you can try again if you want.

Book Blogger Hop (2)

Posted by Anastasia on October 1, 2010 No Responses »

Oct 012010

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer of Crazy for Books, where bloggers visit each other from Friday to Monday, answering questions and generally being friendly people.

To everyone stopping by my blog for the first time: hello! I’m Anastasia, and while I started out as a mostly YA book blogger I have since branched out in nearly every other genre out there, although I still can’t enjoy paranormal romance as much as everyone else seems to. If you have time, feel free to check out some of my reviews I’ve post this week: Running With Scissors (memoir) and Juggler in the Wind (YA fantasy). My monthly review for September is also up, if you’re interested in looking at what happened here at Birdbrain(ed) over the past month. And finally, I have a giveaway going on!

This week’s question is:

How do you spread the word about your blog?
(e.g. Social Networking sites, Book Blog Directories, comments on other blogs…)

I’m actively promoting my blog on only one site, really: my Twitter account. The rest is more passive/only occasionally. For instance, I have a Tumblr account, a personal Facebook, I’m a member of the Book Blogs Ning and sometimes I post links on LibraryThing. They aren’t where I go to to promote my site first, but if I think a post needs a little more attention I go to them.

I’m also included in a few directories: the book blogs search engine, the Delicious Book Blogs Directory, and Blog Catalog. For these I just really had to post about my blog once and the directories continues promoting it even when I’m not doing anything (although Blog Catalog might work better if I DID do something). I have a Technorati account, too, which isn’t really related to promotion but it’s nice to see who’s linking to me (and which posts they link to).

And finally, I comment on other people’s blogs pretty regularly– at least three every day, if I can swing it! I also TALK to people on Twitter. Making friends and connections through the social networkings sites I use is even more important than just linking to every new post I put up– no one’s interested in someone who just promotes and doesn’t participate. Friends are more important than links, I think.

Anyway, I’ve tried to do some other things but those up there are the ones that are the easiest for me. I also think that in addition to social networking sites and commenting, bloggers should try to do community activities, like memes (hi!) or readathons or even just blog carnivals. Participating in group events is actually probably the best way to promote your blog, and you can have a lot of fun doing it, too!

I would ALSO warn against a) spreading yourself too thin and trying to do EVERYTHING, and b) promoting yourself too heavily, i.e. Tweeting about your new posts every hour, or posting comments merely to get your link on someone else’s blog. You know? You have to be genuine and you have to be thoughtful when promoting, and you can’t just think of people as potential subscribers. You have to think of them as, well, friends.

That comes with time, though. If you’re new to promoting, try Googling some tips, figure out what works best for you, and remember to have fun.

GOSH that was a long answer!

Monthly Review (September 2010)

Posted by Anastasia on October 1, 2010 No Responses »

Oct 012010

Now with fancy headers! Ooooh~

So! A lot of stuff happened in September. Last month I was all “oooh, no more blogging as much! Schoolwork to do! Byeee~” and then I realized that I CAN’T stop blogging a lot because blogging has somehow become my safety blanket. It makes me feel good! It comforts me in the night when the monsters are staring at me from my closet. To give it up even a little bit was sad.

So no more of that nonsense.

Sometimes it’s good to take a step back for a while, though, because now I’m feeling really energetic about my blog and what I can do with it. (It helps that I have ore free time because I…quit my job.) I’ve also finally gotten more involved with other bloggers, both on Twitter and their actual blogs, which is something I’ve been saying I wanted to do for, like, a year now. I’ve made some lovely new friends and reconnected with old friends and it’s been a jolly ol’ time these past few weeks.

Anyway, my goals for October are: get more conversation going on my blog (more discussion posts, maybe?), do Dewey’s 24-hour readathon, and celebrate Halloween somehow. Also, I want to keep commenting on blogs and making new friends!

I changed my blog’s look and organization several times, and I think it looks pretty nifty now!
I did an interview swap with Stephanie of Reviews by Lola for Book Blogger Appreciation Week.
I participated in Banned Books Week 2010 by reading Running With Scissors and ranting about people who ban books being stupid.
I got a Kindle! And now that my skin and case have come in, I’m ready to do my review of it. I’m thinking video review, maybe?

11 total books read
14 total books reviewed
2 ebooks
1 audiobooks
8 pbooks

10 were by authors new to me
0 were rereads!

186. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Edward Albee [rating: 4.5/5]
189. Grey – Jon Armstrong [rating: Buy it]
192. Running With Scissors – Augusten Burroughs [rating: Buy it]

List format, for those who want ratings.

Click on the book cover to go to the review! This is in reverse order, just to switch things up.

Amazon: $13.40! (Picture proof.) REALLY good, yes. That’s at least…what. Two mass-market paperbacks? Yay!
Powell’s: $0. Still. (Proof.) Hm. Do I need to try another affiliate? Or am I doing something wrong with this one? Probably should Google it, huh?
Total for the year so far: $65.51
Results: My earnings from July got posted, so– whenever my gift card from Swagbucks shows up– I’m buying some Persephones! A Noel Streatfeild and a Frances Hodgson Burnett. SO excited, yes!

Being more involved in the blogging community means that I find new-to-me bloggers, and I’ve been TRYING to keep track of them in my feedreader (under a special “found in sept” folder). I don’t know how well that’s worked out, since I think I forgot to add some people to it instead of the General folder, but, well…here’s who I found during September! (Maybe.)

Start Narrative Here is a blog done by Jess, an Australian who writes really awesome reviews that I’m jealous of.
A Home Between the Pages is written by Rachel, who has a semi-colon tattoo on her neck (so cool!).
Kiss a Cloud which I found through Vasilly’s That’s How I Blog interview!
Reading While Female is a blog about books written by women! I think I found Emily’s blog through the Book Blogger Hop?
Tif Talks Books was already familiar with me before September, but for some reason it wasn’t in my reader! Then Tif’s Twitter was recommended to me through Twitter’s recommendation thingy, I followed her, we got to talking, and now I’ve remedied my lapse in thinking.
With Extra Pulp. How did I find Elena’s blog? I can’t remember! All I know is that I’m glad I did, because I realy like her posts. A LOT.