Booking Through Thursday: Curse of the Unread?

This week's Booking Through Thursday topic comes from The Toddled Dredge (via K for Kat), and it's about that ever-expanding To-Be-Read list:

So here today I present to you an Unread Books Challenge. Give me the list or take a picture of all the books you have stacked on your bedside table, hidden under the bed or standing in your shelf – the books you have not read, but keep meaning to. The books that begin to weigh on your mind. The books that make you cover your ears in conversation and say, 'No! Don’t give me another book to read! I can’t finish the ones I have!'

Gosh, what a request! List or show a photo of "the books you have not read, but keep meaning to." Such an innocent-sounding request, too.

But since I "keep meaning to" read just about every book ever written, that would take in an awful lot of books! OK, that's an exaggeration. But just in my own home library, there are hundreds of books I haven't read, but would like to get around to reading someday. And I have an actual physical TBR list that has now expanded to two volumes of spiral-bound 3-subject-size notebook space. You guys don't really want to wade through that, and I'm not going to spend the day photographing all those tomes.

And none of these books weigh on my mind. I love adding books to my list. Even though I know it would take me two or three lifetimes to read them all, I have no qualms whatsoever about throwing one more book onto the must-read pile. You'll never catch me saying anything like "Don't give me another book to read!" My sentiment would more likely be "I can't finish the ones I have! What the hell – bring on a few more new ones!"

However, in the spirit of playing along, here's a photo of me with a few of those books – some I've read, and others I haven't yet but fully intend to read someday. Yes, I know it's blurry. I think that has something to do with the wine my hubby was drinking when he snapped it. Yes, I know the place is a mess, but it was taken on a Sunday and we have a "day of rest" policy at our place on Sundays (guess you could say I'm religious about my relaxation).

Tuesday Thingers: Too Much Networking?

This week's topic for the Tuesday Thingers group is all about social networking:

How do you feel about social networking sites? Do you have any you like more than others? Are there any you don't like? Do you have any that you don't associate with your blogs and/or book reviewing? If you could only belong to one of these sites, which one would it be and why?

Well, I guess I should start off by saying that I don't really consider Library Thing a social networking site, although I know that technically it is one. I first joined LT in order to have a way to catalogue all my books, and that's still how I see it – mainly. I do have a few discussion groups I follow, although I don't often post any messages (yes, I'm one of those famous "lurkers"). The only one I'm really active in is the 50 Book Challenge discussion group – it allows me to keep track of the books I read, and even post little mini-reviews, without worrying too much about how other people are going to react.

I'd be very upset if I had to give up LT. As I say, I love their cataloguing feature – I believe it's the best on the Internet. So I suppose if I had to pick just one site to continue with, LT would be it.

I do have accounts with Facebook, Good Reads, My Space, Shelfari, and Twitter. But of all those the only one I really use with any regularity is Good Reads: I use it to keep track of books I've actually read and books I want to read, whether or not they're actually in my library. Of course, when I started doing this, LT hadn't yet come up with their "Collections" feature. Now that they have, I can list books I don't own as "read but unowned" or "to be read" or "wish list"; so I suppose there's really no reason to keep up with the two separate accounts. But there are a few discussion groups at Good Reads I keep up with, so for the time being I'm going to keep things as is.

And all the other sites? Well, I've always found Shelfari a little awkward. I do like the look of all my books on those virtual "shelves," but the site just seems difficult to maneuver around in. I joined Twitter because I had heard that sometimes publishers give away free books there; but so far, no free books have materialized – and I rarely do any tweeting.

I signed up with My Space several years ago because I had found Grace Slick's My Space page, and had to be a member to look at all the info there. I played with my own account for a while, but soon realized it wasn't anything I'd ever be interested in. Still have the account, but I haven't signed in for months now. I find Facebook a little more interesting, although again, I haven't really looked at my account there for a couple of months. I guess I just assume that if anyone wants to contact me, they'll use email or leave a comment on one of my blogs, since that's probably the surest way of getting my attention. I know it says terrible things about my character, but I have to admit that when all is said and done, I'm just more of a blogger than a social networker.

Tuesday Thingers is hosted by Wendi of Wendi's Book Corner. If you'd like to see more or participate yourself, head on over to her blog and leave a comment.

Teaser Tuesdays: A Brief Editorial Moment

This week I'm getting back to a book I started a month ago in early June, Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I think I'm developing an addiction to their Pendergast thrillers. This snippet is from page 139 of the paperback edition. I know it's more than two lines; and, yes, I know cheaters never win.

"With his high, soft voice and effeminate mannerisms, Davies might look to the uninitiated like a pushover. But Smithback had learned that this was not the case. You didn't get to be an editor at the Times without at least a few pints of barracuda blood coursing through your veins. But his delivery was so mild it sometimes took a moment to realize you'd just been disemboweled."

Well, I've known some editors who were perfectly lovely people, but then they weren't working at the Times (New York or London).

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by mizB17 at Should Be Reading. If you'd like to read more teasers, or participate yourself, head on over to her blog. And these are the rules: Grab your current read; Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given! Please avoid spoilers!

Wrapping Up the Victorian Challenge

The Victorian Challenge came to an end on June 30. I actually finished the reading several weeks ago, but I didn't want to write a wrap-up until I had all the reviews written. Now that I've finished that task, I can say finis. I chose Level 2: A Walk in Hyde Park, which meant I read four books for the challenge. Started out with quite a list of possibilities, but as it turns out only two of the books I actually read were on that list. So, the best-laid plans and all that . . . .

Here's what I read, with links to reviews:

1. The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton
2. Angels & Insects, by A.S. Byatt
3. The Master, by Colm Toibin
4. The Valley of Fear, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I'm also noticing that while all my books were set during the Victorian era, none was actually written then – something of a disappointment. Guess I'm just a modern girl at heart.

I enjoyed all the books, although of the four I think The Valley of Fear was one that didn't really live up to my expectations. My favorite was without a doubt The Age of Innocence – it's now on my list of all-time best reads, and it's inspired me to go back and give Wharton's House of Mirth another try, after abandoning it many years ago.

I want to thank Alex for coming up with the idea for the challenge and hosting, and all the other participants for all those great reviews and blog posts. This was a wonderful idea – I only wish I'd had time to read a little Trollope. Well, maybe next time.

Review: Angels & Insects

Written by A.S. Byatt
Random House, 1992; 339 pages

Angels & Insects, by A.S. Byatt, is made up of two novellas, both set in Victorian England. The first, "Morpho Eugenia," is the story of explorer and amateur entomologist William Adamson who has come to live in the home of his wealthy benefactor, the Reverend Harald Alabaster, after a shipwreck leaves him homeless and without other means of support. Sir Harald is also an enthusiastic naturalist, and has an extensive collection of specimens that he wants Adamson to help classify and catalog. There, in the Alabaster household, Adamson meets and falls in love with the Reverend's oldest daughter, Eugenia. Eventually, he asks the young woman to marry him and is thrilled, and more than a little surprised, when she accepts. At first ecstatically happy with his bride, Adamson soon begins to be puzzled by her frequent changes of mood and behavior. Eugenia's brutish brother frequently voices his disapproval of the marriage, believing Adamson to be an unworthy match for his sister. And more complications arise when Adamson begins to form a close friendship with another young woman in the household – a sort of governess or tutor who shares his interest in insects and the natural world. Eventually, the story's Gothic plot turns very dark indeed, as Adamson's discoveries make him reconsider his seemingly perfect existence.

The second novella, "The Conjugial Angel," is (quoting from Library Journal's description) "a philosophical ghost story, bizarre and comic." It's the story of Lilias Papagay who believes her sailor husband has died while on a sea voyage. She gets herself involved with a group of mediums who meet to conjure up spirits for their clients and patrons. One of those patrons is Emily Tennyson Jesse, sister of the poet Alfred Tennyson. As a young woman, Emily was engaged to Tennyson's great friend Arthur Henry Hallam, who died suddenly in 1833 while traveling to Vienna. Tennyson dedicated his famous poem "In Memoriam" to Hallam, and that poem plays a role in Byatt's novella. It's a little difficult to write much about the story without giving too much away, so I'll stop there.

Of the two stories, I think the second one was my favorite, even though I suspect it requires a fairly extensive knowledge of Tennyson's poetry to be fully appreciated – and that's something I don't really possess. But I liked the humor – something you don't usually expect from Byatt's work. Also, having seen the film "Angels & Insects" before I read the book, I was familiar with the plot of "Morpho Eugenia" – the film was based on that first novella. Although, even if I hadn't seen the film first, I think I'd have seen the surprises coming – they're not particularly subtle. And I found all the talk about ants and insects and Darwin and nature just a tad boring after a while. OK, maybe more than just a tad.

Would I recommend it? Well, I always have problems with Byatt – I think she's an acquired taste. Her work tends to be fairly scholarly and can be very rewarding if you don't mind doing a certain amount of intellectual work. I generally like that. But if you're just looking for a quick, entertaining read, I'm not sure this is the book to choose.

Review: The Valley of Fear

Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Book-of-the-Month Club Special Edition, 1994; 320 pages
First published 1915

The Valley of Fear was the last Sherlock Holmes novel written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. First published in installments as a magazine serial in 1914, it was brought out in a single volume in 1915. The action takes place before the period of "The Final Problem," the story in which Holmes and his archenemy Professor Moriarty apparently plunge to their deaths at Reichenbach Falls.

At the beginning of the tale, Holmes receives a coded letter informing him that something sinister is about to happen at a country estate called Birlstone. Shortly afterwards, and before Holmes can act on the warning, he receives further word that Birlstone's owner, the American Jack Douglas, has been found dead in his study at the manor house, his face destroyed by a shotgun blast. Douglas's body was discovered by his old friend, Cecil Barker, who was a frequent visitor at the estate.

As Holmes and the local authorities pursue their investigations, the plot thickens (doesn't it always?). Certain clues point to the fact that the killer might also have been an American. Then there's the problem of the drawbridge – the estate is equipped with a large moat and a working drawbridge which was raised (that is, closed) every night. The moat is too extensive to cross easily, and with the drawbridge up and no strangers in the house, the murder begins to look like "an inside job." Add to that the odd behavior of the dead man's widow, a strange tattoo on his body, the discovery of a hidden bicycle which might have been used by the murderer, and a single dumbbell that seems to fascinate Holmes – and the mystery becomes more and more puzzling. Of course, Holmes eventually presents his solution of the crime – but only after uncovering the story of Douglas's past life in America.

I've read most of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and novels – well, a lot of them anyway. But I had managed to neglect this one until now. I believe by the time Conan Doyle brought this one out, he'd really grown pretty bored with Holmes; he'd already tried to kill him off at least once. And I think that boredom shows here – much of the story revolves around several recycled plot elements from other Holmes stories, and only half of the book is concerned with Holmes and his investigation of the murder. The other half is taken up with a lengthy flashback to the apparent victim's earlier life in America. Interesting enough, but not what I signed on for. The book definitely loses momentum when Holmes disappears from the action. If you've read all the other Holmes stories and novels, by all means finish up with this late appearance of the master detective. But if you're just making his acquaintance, I'd definitely recommend starting with one of the earlier works.

Booking Through Thursday: Celebrities?

Thursday again. And July already. How can that be? Ah well, time for another Booking Through Thursday question, suggested this week by Callista83:

Do you read celebrity memoirs? Which ones have you read or do you want to read? Which nonexistent celebrity memoirs would you like to see?

Well, at first, I was tempted just to say no. But I do read the occasional memoir or autobiography. And some of the authors of those would, I suppose, qualify as celebrities – at least in the literary world. I read the entire series of memoirs Anthony Powell wrote back in the '70s and '80s, and I think I'd definitely consider him a literary celebrity. And I've got Muriel Spark's autobiography, Curriculum Vitae, on my TBR list at present.

But if we're talking about more traditional celebrities – movie stars, sports figures, political types – then, no I don't generally read those. I've read a few in the past, but these days I read mostly fiction. Although, come to think of it, some celebrity memoirs might actually qualify in that area.

I guess the problem I'm having here is with the word celebrity. Because today we're saddled with so many "celebrities" who are mostly famous just for being celebrities. Like those instantly-famous individuals from the "Survivor" TV show. Or lottery winners. Or Donald Trump. I'm sure they've all lived fascinating lives, but it's unlikely I'm gonna be reading about them.