The beginning is always today.-Mary Wollstonecraft

I finished reading Lost by Gregory Maguire on Tuesday night, it was pretty good. I was surprised though, because many of the reviews I read said it was better than the previous books, but I actually liked all of them better than this one. I think though that it’s because none of the other books were set in modern times, and because they weren’t it made it much easier to believe the fantastical things that happened. Also, I think I enjoyed the others more because they all had their basis in previous stories, i.e. Wicked and Son of a Witch (and consequently the newest book A Lion Among Men, which I haven’t read yet) have a basis in L. (Lyman, hehehe) Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (and subsequent sequels), Mirror Mirror is a retelling of Snow White, and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is based on Cinderella.

While there are a few references to Scrooge, from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, being based on a member of the main characters family and a couple of references to Jack the Ripper, this one really isn’t based on any other previous literature. I thought it would be, and so I guess that is the real basis for my disappointment.

I also found that there were a lot of loose ends that weren’t tied up, and the novel ended up seeming untidy in consequence. Maybe that’s why it was called Lost…hmmmm. As always though with Gregory Maguire it was well-written, and considering the fact that it took me less than two days to read, I really have no other faults to nitpick.

I’m currently just finishing up Aunts Aren’t Gentlemen by P.G. Wodehouse, and will be done shortly. Of course I’m enjoying it because it’s Jeeves and Wooster!

On a side note I bought (for $1.00) an uncorrected proof copy of Irene Gammel’s Looking for Anne…now I own three copies…dude, I have a serious problem.

When words are scarce they are seldom spent in vain.-William Shakespeare

Okay, so it’s basically been forever since I’ve written, mostly because I have no time now (just got a new job two weeks ago) and because my home computer is broken so I can only write while I’m at work.

Frankly, and this is odd for me, I’m really in no mood to write about the various books I’ve read since I last wrote. I’ve actually read a few, I might not even remember them all, but I’m at least going to give it a shot.

I was just finishing up Looking for Anne: How Lucy Maud Montgomery Dreamed up a Literary Classic by Irene Gammel when I last wrote. I really enjoyed the book, and thought it was fantastic. As I mentioned before, Dr. Gammel writes in a highly accessible way, and even though the book is rather scholarly, it is still thoroughly absorbing and an “easy” (not the right word, but my brain doesn’t want to work that hard) read. I did not agree with all of her observations, and at times found some of them reaching, but overall I thought it was brilliant. You could tell that she had spend a lot of time doing research (10 years I think it was actually), and she found some really interesting things. Actually, one very interesting personal part of this is that before my Mother knew that I had bought the book for myself she had already ordered the American version for me (different dust jacket). It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago, so my Mum sent the copy she ordered off to Dr. Gammel, who signed it and send it back. She also sent me a birthday card, both of these I received last weekend. So now I have two copies of this book – very cool.

I also reread The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. It probably is my favourite book out of all of them. I’ve mentioned it before (wandering the Muskokas with Valancy), and I just love it. It’s considered one of Maud’s “adult novels”, versus the juvenilia title that is usually attached to her writings (totally the wrong tag by the way, I don’t think they’re juvenilia at all). Anyways, it’s the only one of Maud’s novels that is entirely set in Ontario and actually is meant to reference Bala, where Maud spent a family vacation. A great companion book is Lucy Maud Montgomery and Bala: A Love Story of the North Woods, which was written by (KS) acquaintances of mine, Jack and Linda, who own and operate Bala’s Museum. I received Jack and Linda’s book as a gift last year and it is absolutely wonderful. The Blue Castle makes me believe in love, I know it sounds lame, but it’s true and that’s all there is to it.

Then, I believe, I read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I really enjoyed the descriptive nature of Coelho’s writing, and I thought the story was very simple, pure and true, but, even giving all that, I don’t really understand why this book is as big as it is. I’m not knocking Coelho here at all, like I said it was very well-written, but it didn’t really grab me. Although I also didn’t like The Da Vinci Code or The English Patient, so maybe it’s just me, or maybe I’m just a little too cynical (a side of myself I really don’t share with others).

Okay, then I read The Mating Season by P.G. Wodehouse; it’s one of the Jeeves and Wooster books. I love the Jeeves and Wooster books, and although half of the time I don’t understand the mid-century British slang, I find them hilarious and they always make me smile. I didn’t find this one quite as funny as The Inimitable Jeeves, but I still really liked it and have another that I bought left to read, Aunts Aren’t Gentlemen. There are actually tons of Jeeves and Wooster books, but I’ve been finding them hard to find. Wodehouse actually wrote something like 99 books during his career (not all J&W of course).

I just finished The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber, and I really don’t know whether I liked it or not. The story and concept were interesting, but it was just so overdrawn and I hated half of the characters. I think Gruber was trying to write characters that were anti-heroes or the opposite of those normally seen, but he really only succeeded in writing characters that were unbelievable. Or, conversely, he was trying to make it difficult to class people into the “good guy” or “bad guy” categories. However, the story itself was very good and engaging, but the book would definitely have been better if Gruber had fought against the urge to write as if he were getting paid by the word. I know, that was a little mean.

I’m currently reading The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egyptians to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh, and it’s really interesting so far. I like cryptography and ciphers and am enjoying learning more history about them. It’s very math-based and I think it’s interesting.

It only seems as if you're doing something when you worry.-Lucy Maud Montgomery

Okay, I know I haven't posted in a bit, but it's because I'm not done Looking for Anne yet (I'll probably finish tonight however). I've just been so bloody tired that by the time I get home from work I can't concentrate on reading, and all I want to do is stare mindlessly at the television. The book is super-fantastic though, and I'm really enjoying it. Irene Gammel writes in such an accessible way.

I remembered what those other books I bought were, here ya go: Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn by David Spoto, and that other book I was reading, Evening by Susan Minot. I did put Evening aside, and I very much doubt that I'm going to go back to it, it was just horrendous. Today I bought a book for Jen (can't say what it is here, because she might read before I give it to her tonight) and E=MC2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis. Oh ya, and on Monday I got the entire Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street) by Naguib Mahfouz. I read Midaq Alley last spring and absolutely loved it, so I'm hoping these will be just as good.

So, Jen thought that I should blog about some news I found out this weekend. At first I wasn't sure, because I don't really like to blog about articles, etc. that I have found upsetting. But, since it's about Maud, I figured I might as well. The article was published in the Globe & Mail on Saturday, here's the link: The Heartbreaking Truth About Anne's Creator. Basically, it states that Lucy Maud Montgomery committed suicide and that the family kept it a secret. Apparently there was a suicide note (although this is up for debate now, as I've read what is claimed to be the note and I don't think she's actually writing about killing herself). Dr. Mary Rubio seems to also think it may not be a suicide note, and there is speculation that Maud may have accidentally overdosed.

I was in a state of shock when I read this, and carried around a little pang in my heart all weekend (it's still there actually). Maud's books are, and have been since I first found Anne, my refuge. I wander Green Gables with Anne, New Moon with Emily, Silver Bush with Pat, and the rest of PEI with Jane, Kilmeny, Marigold, and Sara, but most especially, the Muskokas with Valancy. Whenever I need, I have another place to go. I think that is the most upsetting part for me; Maud gave me a refuge, but she didn't have that. She has given me so much, and has had a huge impact on the person I am today, but she lived in darkness for so long.

I am very glad that we live in a society and time where depression and other mental illnesses are more open for discussion (although we still have a ways to go), and I know this is part of the reason why Kate decided to bring the story out. But there's still a part of me (that idealistic part) that would rather not have known. This revelation will never tarnish what I think of Maud and her writings, but it still makes me very sad.

I've, as anyone who follows this blog knows, been re-reading a lot of the books as of late (short stories too, although I really don't mention them here). I usually try to read all the books over again once a year, but this year was a little different. I don't usually talk about myself on this blog, but here goes. I was recently diagnosed with stage 2 cervical dysplasia (it is regressing though, so no fear!), but re-reading Maud's books over the last few months has enabled me to not think about it too much. I know I'm not dying, or anything ridiculous like that, but it is very scary, and having Maud around has let me escape, even if only for a little while. I don't want to bother or scare my friends and family with talking about it constantly, plus I don't really want to talk about it constantly either, but having Maud's books has made it easier.

Okay, enough about me! Happy Punctuation Day everyone!

It's not me - it's you.-Matt Dunn

I spent most of Sunday reading (and finishing) The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook by Matt Dunn, it was absolutely hilarious! I randomly came across it at the thrift store last week, and was caught by this line on the back: "You’ve let yourself go,” she says, “so I’m letting you go too.” Bah, friggin hilarious! It's basically about a guy, Edward, who comes home one day to find a note from his girlfriend of 10 years, Jane, saying that she's leaving him and going to Tibet for three months to find herself. Edward decides that he has three months to get in shape to try and win her back when she returns. What ensues is utter hilarity as Edward gets himself a trainer, diets, and tries speed dating, among other things. This novel really just shows the lengths that someone will go to for love. It's very British, and all the good things that some along with that (if you like British humour that is). The writing and style of humour are very akin to the Shopaholic (and other Sophie Kinsella) novels, and was absolutely wonderful as a funny, yet warm, read. The only thing I didn't like were some of the assumptions put on women in the book (women DO NOT just have sex with a guy in hopes that he'll be her boyfriend/marry her...ridiculous!), but for the most part assumptions of that kind were few and far between, so they can be forgiven.

I've had a crazy book-buying couple of weeks, I need to slow down, but I really can't! If I see a book at the store (thrift store/used bookstore, I can't buy every new book I want or I'd never eat) I can't just leave it there if it's a reasonable price. Yesterday, I had the day off for a doctor's appointment, so I went to a used bookstore that I love afterwards. I haven't been in awhile because they're closed on Sundays (the only day off I have in a week). I went in and the proprietor had books set aside for me (he's knows what I'm looking for). I was stunned when he had put aside a copy of Looking for Anne: How Lucy Maud Montgomery Dreamed Up a Literary Classic by Irene Gammel for me. This book only just came out a few months ago, I couldn't believe it was at the used bookstore already. It looks brand-new, like someone got it for a gift and didn't want it, I bought it of course! I also picked up three more blue Nancy Drew's (#2: The Hidden Staircase, #3: The Bungalow Mystery, and #27: The Secret of the Wooden Lady), yay!

I also stopped by the thrift store before my doctor's appointment and got The Famous Five Adventure Collection by Enid Blyton and The Tea House on Mulberry Street by Sharon Owens, I also stopped by today on my lunch break and got Leave it to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse (and a present for Jen). Last week I bought the Matt Dunn book, About a Boy by Nick Hornby, Saturday by Ian McEwan, Nathaniel's Nutmeg or How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History by Giles Milton, and one of the Dana Girls Mystery Stories (#2: The Secret at Lone Tree Cottage). I'm almost 100% sure that I actually bought at least one more book last week, but can't remember what it is right now.

Oh gosh, I'm literally going to have to build myself a house out of books if I keep going at this rate. Oooohhh, a house made out of books, what a "novel" idea...bahahahahaha...I know, not funny.