#5 - Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Fiction, 242 pages

This is one of my favorite movies. It has my three favorite things: A quaint French village, chocolate, and of course, Johnny Depp. Although I haven't seen the movie in quite a while (not Corey's style), imagine my delight when I discovered, using the Based on the Book website, that this gem was a book first.

Chocolat is the story of the bohemian Vianne Rocher and her daughter Anouk who blow into the sleepy French town of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes on the carnival winds. Vianne takes a lease on the old bakery and turns it into a chocolaterie. The rigid curé, Reynaud immediately takes a dislike to Vianne, with her bastard child, heathen and un-Catholic ways and, above all, her sinful, tempting, indulgent chocolate shop. The fact that the chocolate shop opens during the Lenten season is further evidence to Reynaud that she is an evil temptress, sent to seduce him along with his flock into the sin of gluttony.

Vianne and Anouk try to make inroads in the secluded and unchanging Lasquenet, and they do finally begin to tear down some of the invisible walls around the townsfolk. For every inch of friendship, good humor and kindness Vianne gains with the community, the curé Reynaud increases his self imposed puritanical fasting and rigorous denunciations of the chocolate shop, Vianne and her daughter, even going so far as to 'name names' of those who need to be 'brought back to the fold' during his Sunday sermons -- always those in Lasquenet who have befriended Vianne and patronized her shop.

The unspoken war between Vianne and Reynaud (she does not witness his actions in church, where she does not attend) comes to a head with the culmination of her intervention to help a battered woman leave her abusive husband for good, her support of the 'river people' (shunned by the rest of the town) and her proposed chocolate festival on Easter Sunday. Reynaud does all he can think of to put an end to the chocolate festival, seeing it as a desecration of the holy day of Easter. In a fit of rage, (hunger induced, in my opinion), he sneaks into her shop early on Easter morning to destroy her display window. Instead of destruction, he gives into the sin he so vehemently preached against and gluts himself on Vianne's fine chocolates. This act is witnessed by the townspeople, he runs off in shame, and thus the war is finally at an end.

The author's descriptions of Vianne's chocolate delicacies was intoxicating. I could almost taste the chocolate as I was reading the book. Likewise, I could see the town in my mind's eye as I read, and I felt like I knew the characters. This could be because I have seen the movie, but still, I got a great visual and emotional sense of the story, just from the words on the page. The dichotomy between Vianne and Reynaud grew more and more pronounced during the story. Although much of Vianne's past is a mystery or a nameless blur of travel, we get the feeling that Reynaud is the one with something to hide, and indeed, he is.

Much like in the movie, Vianne's coming to the town of Lasquenet-sous-Tannes is the catalyst that wakes the town and brings it out of the decaying slumber of stagnation. I love the character Vianne. She is a gypsy at heart, but decides to stay put for her daughter's sake. This relationship between mother and daughter is central to the story. Vianne just touches on some of her experiences with her own mother, and we see how she strives not to repeat those mistakes with Anouk. Vianne and Anouk also have their own special gypsy magic, which one could argue really just comes from being able to see past people's façades, but the little element of the fantastic certainly appealed to me.

I enjoyed this book, although some of the hints dropped by the author were maddening. I wish that she had explored Vianne's past a bit more closely, but it wasn't really part of the plot of the story. That being said, I was unsure why the tantalizing glimpse of this past was even in there. It seemed odd to me to just mention in passing but not explore. In spite of this glaring, unnecessary omission, I would definitely read this book again. If you want something a little whimsical, it is a good read. I give it a 4 out of 5.

#4 - Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Nonfiction (suggestion), 334 pages

Since this book was suggested by two people, I decided it would be the first of the 'suggestions' that I read. The subtitle, 'One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia', pretty much sums up the book.

Eat, Pray, Love is a collection of tales, chronicling the author's personal journey from despair, loneliness and suicidal thoughts to peace with herself and her destiny. After a bitter divorce and some soul searching, Gilbert decides that her journey to find herself will happen over the course of a year, and will take her to Italy to learn about pleasure, India to learn about devotion and Indonesia to learn how to combine the two. The book is organized to detail Gilbert's journey chronologically, although some of her vignettes are about her life as a child or before, during or immediately after her divorce. These, however, generally directly relate to what Gilbert is experiencing at the time.

The first part of the book (as ingeniously suggested by the cover art), takes Gilbert to Italy, where she mostly eats. A lot. Which is fine with me. As someone who has travelled to several different countries myself, I can tell you that I have a lot of memories along the lines of: "Oh my GOD, when I was in this country, I ate the most divine specialty of said country at this little hole in the wall place." In Italy, Gilbert also learns to let go of many things. She takes time to figure out what she wants to do, and doesn't really fill her time with a task, which is something that most Americans should do, in my humble opinion.

After living life to the fullest in Italy for four months, Gilbert goes to live in an Ashram in India for another four months. If ever there were two things that were more different, I couldn't tell you what they were. This is where Gilbert expects to find God and come to a higher understanding of divinity. And she does. She struggles the most in India, it seems, because she just doesn't want to let go of her inner torments, demons and self-destructive thoughts and behaviours. She meets many wonderful people at the Ashram, and while she was initially going to stay there for six weeks and travel India for the rest of her time there, she decides that her spiritual health demands she stay the full four months. I have to say, I really admired her in this part. She managed to be determined and laissez-faire at the same time.

Spiritual enlightenment achieved, Gilbert finally travels to Indonesia to end her journey in Bali. This is probably my favorite part of the story, because I feel like this is where she finally took the lessons she had learned and was able to live in her own skin for the first time. She learns how to be truly happy, and to truly love others.

At first, I wasn't sure how to relate to this book. I have never had depressive episodes like Gilbert describes, and I have never attained the highest level of divinity. I also couldn't figure out what I was supposed to be rooting for in this book. This is why non-fiction is so hard for me. Many times, there isn't a clearly defined plot, and I don't know how I am meant to approach the book. The Indonesia section really made the book for me, because this is where the author finally reaches her goal, which, while very tangible, is kind of hard to describe.

When I described the story to Corey, he said that believing a spiritual journey and a physical journey to be analogous was kind of an immature way of looking at things. I have to respectfully disagree with him. I think that Americans especially have a tendency to minimize our self-reflection. Unless we are faced with extraordinary circumstances, we have a tendency to just glide through life, never examining or improving ourselves. The author's spiritual journey started long before she travelled to these countries, and part of that spiritual journey was the recognition that she would not be able to grow to her full potential until she forced herself out of her comfort zone with the physical journey.

Even though this is not my favorite kind of book, I did enjoy reading this one. I can definitely say that this elicited a lot of strong emotions from me, and really did make me think about my own spirituality and my own life in ways that most books do not normally make me think. That being said, I definitely think that some people might find it difficult to relate to this book. My husband, for example, would hate it. And while I wouldn't go so far as to say that I loved it, I did really like it, and it did have an impact on my life, so I give this one a 4 out of 5. If you haven't read it, you should give it a try.

#3 - Origin by Diana Abu-Jaber

Mystery, 384 pages

OK, I'll admit it; I picked up this book because the cover looked cool. So, when I opened the book to the front cover and read that the mystery was about SIDS cases and an infant murderer, I almost decided not to proceed. Thankfully, there are no graphic descriptions of infant killing in this book.

Origin is told from the perspective of Lena, a socially inept fingerprint analyst with an intuitive gift for discovering hidden motives and mysteries at crime scenes and among evidence. Cases that had previously been closed and attributed to SIDS have now been re-opened because a wealthy parent had the right connections, and Lena is suddenly central to the investigation. This thrust into the limelight coincides with (and is perhaps the cause of) a large scale unravelling of her world and lifestyle. As Lena examines evidence and crime scenes, she also begins an examination of her own origins, as she seems to be integral to both the case and the crimes. Lena (with a little help) finally does manage to solve the case, and her life will never be the same again.

I will stop there with my synopsis, because I don't want to give anything away. Although I am not generally a fan of mystery novels, I did enjoy this one. Lena really fascinated me. Throughout the book, I had a variety of opinions about Lena. First, I thought that the author just made her weird for the sake of having a weird character, and that Lena's suspicions about her past were completely true. Then, I thought that she was just on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Finally, I came to the conclusion that Lena suffers from some kind of mental illness or is perhaps autistic. This was an intriguing choice for a protagonist. I enjoyed experiencing Lena's emotional and mental growth as the story progressed, and, although I didn't love her or feel a personal connection to her, I was glad for her at the end of the story. For Lena, the story didn't have an 'and they all lived happily every after' ending. It was more of a 'I am making baby steps toward getting better' ending, which is frankly a lot more like real life.

The 'whodunit' part of this book was interesting as well. I had my suspicions about the killer, and I can't say that their identity was a real shock when it was finally revealed, but it wasn't something that I got right away either. The motive of the killer, however, was something that really took me by surprise.

All in all, it was an enjoyable read. The protagonist was interesting, the supporting characters were vivid and the end was definitely a bit unexpected. After reading this work, I definitely want to check out more by this author. I would give this one a 4 out of 5.

#2 - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Classic, 60 pages

In honor of Halloween, I wanted to read a somewhat frightening book, and we had Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on hand, so that is what I chose. At 60 pages, it is really a novella rather than a novel, but it is by no means an easy read. Written in 1886, this is a great example of a Victorian horror tale, and the language definitely takes some getting used to. I finally got into it, though, and made short work of the rest of this intriguing oeuvre

The story is told not by Dr. Jekyll, as I expected, but by his good friend Mr. Utterson, a lawyer. Mr. Utterson one day hears from another friend an appalling story regarding the behaviour of a Mr. Hyde. Utterson sets about to meet the Mr. Hyde for himself and see what can be done to separate him from his good friend, Jekyll. He waits for him at varying times over several days at what we later find out is the back entrance to Jekyll's laboratory. Eventually, he meets Hyde, and after this encounter determines, "If ever I read Satan's signature upon a face, it is on that of [Jekyll's] new friend."

Eventually, Hyde brutally murders a member of the upper class on the street, an act which is witnessed by a maid who sees the grisly scene from her window. This is the last straw for Utterson, who finally sees his friend and insists that Jekyll no longer have any dealing whatsoever with Hyde. For a time, all seems well. Jekyll is more genial than ever, donates to many charities and has his friends and acquaintances over for dinner on several occasions. This period is followed by a rapid decline, during which a mutual friend of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Utterson, mysteriously falls ill and quickly succumbs to death. Utterson receives a letter from this friend the day after his funeral, which contains another another sealed letter, which is "not to be opened until the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll".

Finally, Utterson is summoned to Jekyll's residence by his servant, Poole. For several days, the servants have been hearing the light footsteps of Mr. Hyde in the laboratory, and they suspect foul play. After much deliberation, Utterson and Poole finally burst in on Hyde, only to discover that he has taken his own life. After a search of the premises to discover if they could find Dr. Jekyll, Utterson finds yet another letter addressed to him, this one sitting on Jekyll's desk. Utterson goes home to read his letters, and everyone discovers the true identity of Mr. Edward Hyde.

Spoiler alert: Dr. Jekyll is Mr. Hyde. I must say that I was kind of familiar with the basic plot of the story, and I don't feel like I have just given anything away. Who hasn't heard some sort of comparison to Dr. Jekyll and his alter ego, Mr. Hyde? Therein lies the problem. The story seemed kind of anti-climatic to me, because I already knew Dr. Jekyll's terrible secret - he was Mr. Hyde. That being said, I still enjoyed knowing more about how the story actually unfolded, and I could almost imagine what it would have been like to read this tale in the Victorian era, when giving into your baser nature was the height of scandal and horror.

In finally reading Jekyll's confession, I was struck that it was something I wished I had read in an English class. It would make for a really good discussion, because we learn that, as Jekyll transformed into Hyde more often and indulged his baser nature, he had a harder and harder time becoming Jekyll again, until he didn't need his potion to transform into Hyde at all, only to turn back into Jekyll. I have to say, Jekyll's descriptions of how much he enjoyed the freedom of being Hyde kind of reminded me of the Dexter books by Jeff Lindsay. The internal dilemma that Jekyll faced in unleashing the monster reminds me of Dexter's conversations with his 'Dark Passenger'. You wonder if Jekyll ever would have stopped transforming himself into Hyde or back to Jekyll if he hadn't had to stop. He was like a drug addict thinking that he could control himself and just needed 'one more hit'.

All told, it was an interesting story, and I am glad that I read it. Even though I knew the big reveal, it was interesting to get a glimpse of Jekyll's psyche. Further, seeing that Lanyon fell ill and ultimately died because he witnessed first-hand the transformation from Hyde to Jekyll makes the reader understand the implications this kind of story had in Victorian society. I am sure the people who read this novella when it was contemporary literature rather than a classic would have a much heightened sense of horror at the events. I give this a 3.5 out of 5 stars - an interesting read that doesn't live up to its full potential because we all know how it ends.

#1 - Chainfire by Terry Goodkind

Fantasy, Book 9 in the Sword of Truth Series, 748 pages

So, the first book in the 100 book experiment almost felt a bit like cheating to me, since it is book 9 in a series of 11. But, it is a fantasy book, and I read it, so I say that it counts.

From the day that I picked up the first book in this series, Wizard's First Rule, and started reading away, I was irrevocably hooked on these books. It isn't just Goodkind's writing and narrative style that draws me in, it is the fact that his characters come alive for me. I feel like I know the protagonists, Richard and Kahlan. That level of emotional involvement with the characters made this book (and many others in the series) kind of hard for me to read. I know that I have recommended Wizard's First Rule to several people, so I will endeavor to summarize without giving too much away.

Sometimes Goodkind's books have a kind of hook at the beginning and then unfold slowly. This was not one of those. It opens with a bang that leaves a reader who has come to love the characters over the course of the other eight books reeling. I read the first eight pages, freaked out and put the book down for a couple days before I could continue. In those eight pages, Goodkind turned the world he had created upside down, and that was just the first drop in the ensuing emotional roller coaster.

Richard, the beacon of hope for all the other protagonists in the series, suffers a devastating setback. The wizards and sorceresses we have met so far in the series make a gruesome discovery about prophecy. The evil emperor looses a new horror to stalk and kill Richard, and the most evil and cunning of the Sisters of the Dark unleash a unpredictable terror on the world, in the effort to bring Richard to ruin. As with Goodkind's other 'bad guys', you are reminded that evil for him is REALLY, utterly evil, and capable of heinous and unspeakable acts.

Throughout the book, the other characters doubt Richard's sanity, and we see him experience emotions that Goodkind had previously not explored for Richard. We get to watch him grow in new ways. We see the remarkable changes in the personalities of some of our favorite Mord-Sith, particularly Cara as she comes to know more about Richard's deepest emotions when he heals her, and Berdine as she quietly comforts Sister Verna in her despair. And Nicci grows and is changed so completely from who she was when the reader first encounters her that you almost forget it is the same character.

In typical Goodkind fashion, you meet new and pivotal characters approximately 400 pages into the book, are convinced that everyone is going to die once you are about 200 pages from the end, and ravenously devour the last hundred pages in a mad dash to see how some of the issues are going to be resolved. Because Chainfire is the first in a trilogy of books, the resolution at the end is somewhat unsatisfactory. Some of the secondary issues that have infuriated the reader are, indeed, resolved. Basically, you are still sure that the world is probably going to end, but at least Richard is no longer trying to save life on his own.

As with Goodkind's other books, I give this one five stars. It is probably one of my favorites in the series so far. Reading these books had definitely enriched my life. They aren't just fantasy - I almost feel bad labeling this book as fantasy. Yes, there is magic and prophecy. But there is also a ton of action and logical reasoning to resolve problems. And most of all, the deep and abiding love story between Richard and Kahlan is truly timeless. I think that everyone should read these books. You will be glad that you did.

Books just layin' around the house

When I got home today, I, of course, insisted that Corey read my first blog post about the reading project while I spent several minutes looking at the bookshelves in the house to find some books I had not yet read. I was shocked at the number of books I already have on hand:

1) East of Eden by John Steinbeck
2) The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
3) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
4) Don Quixote by Cervantes
5) On the Road by Jack Kerouac
6) (a very ragged and dog eared copy of) Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
7) Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
8) All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
9) The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
10) The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton
11) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
12) The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck
13) The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
14) Democracy in America by Alexis DeTocqueville
15) The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
16) Forrest Gump by Winston Groom
17) Billy Budd by Herman Melville
18) Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
19) A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
20) Native Son by Richard Wright
21) The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
22) 1984 by George Orwell
23) The Foundations of Dialogue in Science & Religion by Alister McGrath
24) About Time by Paul Davies
25) Washington Square by Henry James

Additionally, Corey has (so far) decided that his picks for us to both read are going to be Ulysses by James Joyce and Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner.

This whole project seems a lot less daunting to me now for some reason. I am glad to have Corey's support, and I am really glad that he and I have such diverse tastes in books. Now, where to start?

Are you up for the challenge?

I was checking out my friend, Maggie’s blog, Magnolia Reads, and was immediately taken with the idea to do a ‘100 books in a year’ project myself. I am quite the avid reader (my husband says I devour books), and I really love recommending books to friends. Nothing makes me happier than getting a friend hooked on a series that I really and truly love. Hearing their take on it always makes me excited, because I get to relive the series again.
In spite of my voracity for books, I find that I tend to fixate on certain genres, and that does not a well-rounded reader make. I have a tendency to get really bored with certain genres and just not finish a book I have started in a genre that doesn’t really move me. The 100 books in a year challenge is (hopefully) going to force me to broaden my literary horizons.

Rules:

Rule #1:
All new material. Although I love to re-read books, and have a number that I re-read on a yearly basis, re-reading kind of defeats the purpose of this exercise.

Rule #2:
No audio books. I will limit my audio book listening in the workplace to books I have already read.

Rule #3:
The 100 books have to represent a variety of genres and subjects.
Here's how I’ve decided to break it down:

20 suggestions - 9 down, 11 to go
Send me some suggestions, and I will gladly read one of your faves! You can leave a comment on this post or e-mail me. I will read 20 books that have been suggested, no matter what. Unless I have already read them (see rule #1). If I get more than 20 suggestions, I will choose first based on books that are recommended multiple times and then in date order of recommendation.

20 "classics" - 5 down, 15 to go
I realize the term "classic" is subjective. I will base my selections on The Complete List, Random House's Modern Library and Eagle Forum's Classics That Endure lists.

10 books that have been adapted into movies - 4 down, 6 to go
I actually thought that, if I were to ever become a teacher, I would do a unit on reading books that have been adapted into movies. I can’t wait to check these babies out!

5 biographies and/or autobiographies - 1 down, 4 to go
Although I am not, in general a fan of biographies, I am willing to give them another shot. There are some really intriguing people out there, and I think that I would be able to pick 5 that I could read about.

10 other non-fiction - 2 down, 8 to go
I really, really, really dislike non-fiction. Could I throw another ‘really’ in there? Non-fiction always reminds me of reading a school text book. However, I will give it a go. And I will try to read about a variety of topics (read: I will try not to read 10 books about politics, which I actually enjoy).

5 historical fiction - 3 down, 2 to go
Mary, please give me some good suggestions. Seriously. I know that this can be a wonderful genre – I mean, who didn’t like the Little House on the Prairie books? However, since reading those books, I can’t say that I have opened another piece of historical fiction.

5 mysteries - 3 down, 2 to go
I am not generally a mystery fan, although I can sometimes get into them. I’ll give it a chance.

5 science fiction - COMPLETE!!
I am not the biggest sci-fi fan. I look at the sci-fi books I have read as a gateway to (better) fantasy books, but I am going to give this genre a go again. I have the sneaking suspicion that, like fantasy, there is a LOT of bad sci-fi literature out there.

10 fantasy - COMPLETE!!
I. Love. Fantasy. Books. Love them. I generally find new reading material by searching Google for new fantasy book series. For the purposes of this challenge, I will try to limit myself to only 10 fantasy books in a single year, and I will be shocked if I don’t find a way to sneak in more than 10.

3 graphic novels - 1 down, 2 to go
I have read and enjoyed several graphic novels, but, it was a while ago, so I think I am going to pick a couple for this challenge.

1 romance - COMPELETE!!
I will try not to make it a ‘paranormal romance’ (see limiting my fantasy reading, above), but I make no promises.

1 Oprah's book club pick
Not that I care about her opinion on books, but she has picked several good ones in the time that she has been doing the book club.

3 kids/YA books - COMPLETE!!
Because, why not?

2 Corey’s pick
Over the years, I have read several books recommended to me by my husband. In fact, I think that my relationship with him was definitely the only one that had a required reading list. I figure that if I could get through Moby Dick so that I could date him in college, I can read anything he can throw at me.

Rule #4:
I will post a book report style review for each book that I finish, and I will also rate them, using a 1-5 star rating.

1 star: This is the kind of book that I had to force myself to finish. I don’t usually do this, so I have nothing to give as an example. Seriously, even if I am 50 pages from the end of a book I can’t stand, I just put it down and don’t finish it, and I am completely OK with that.

3 stars: These are ‘sitcom’ or ‘brain candy’ books – something you enjoy and could read again, but that didn’t really have a significant impact on your life. This would be something like Bridget Jones Diary or the Southern Vampire Series, which I enjoyed immensely, and would read again.

5 stars: This is the type of book that spurs conversations, makes you look at your life in a different way and causes some serious self-reflection. For me, this is something like Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man or The Fountainhead. Well, that’s my plan. I can’t wait to get started. Hopefully I am smart enough to ration my fantasy books throughout this project…

Stay tuned everyone, and start sending me suggestions!