marvelous mediocrity

Alrighty, so I’ve finished two books so far of my summer reading challenge, the first a bit of paranormal romance fluff Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

This genre doesn’t quite absorb me the way that it used to, but I still enjoy the fast, fun reading experience it provides. I found the romance story predictable (which is almost the point of romance novels, I think), but I enjoyed the basic world of the Dark Hunters. The writing style is fun, and there were many genuinely funny moments between the characters, which I thought were very well written. I really look forward to getting to know some of the other characters in this world in the Dark Hunter Series, the author definitely took the time to set up an interest in her secondary characters by making them substantial in this story, even though they were not the focus of the novel. Overall, a great summer read from the paranormal romance genre!

Second book I swallowed whole after I saw it online and rated it. The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery.

This was easily my favorite by L.M. Montgomery growing up, and Megs and I were devoted L.M. Montgomery fans. I’ve read the copy of this little paperback so many times the cover is gone, and the pages came unglued. This last reading did it no favors, either, the first 60 pages fell off completely. :( I think it is time to buy a new copy. Too bad they don’t publish it in hardcover!

I saw it online and immediately went home, pulled it off the shelf and proceeded to test it out. Some of those OMG I LOVED IT books growing up just don’t hold up anymore at this point, but The Blue Castle stood up even more firmly than I remembered it.

The book starts out with Valancy as a depressed, meek little thing who is trapped in a bland existence despite her spunky inner life and follows her on her journey as she finally finds the strength in herself to be true to who she is and her hopes and dreams and learns how to live life on her own terms. Such a strong female main character for the early 1900s (a little early feminism for ya! whee!), who has the nerve to have faults, to not be insanely beautiful, but to believe in the worth of every day of her own life, and despite the insane pressure of her friends, family and the society at large reaches out for her dreams and finds a sweet contented happiness of her own making. As Valancy would say, she made her own little dust pile, it didn’t have to be the biggest or most glamorous, just a little something that she loved and was her own.

I LOVE that I got to reread this book after so many years at a time that resonates so closely to my own journey of self-discovery. I’ve always related to these “I’m invisible” sort of female characters, mostly because that is how I’ve always thought of myself, as invisible and insignificant. Reading a book about a woman who lives with the daily pressure of defining herself by her beauty and ability to “catch a man”, who then dares to defy all expectation and find her own little happiness by being who she is instead of who she is expected to be, encourages me to keep searching and know that in time my little sweet spot of contentment will come along as well. We don’t have to live into the expectations of others in order to please them at the cost of our own happiness.

While obviously intended for an older audience than her Anne series, I still think this would be a lovely addition to any young woman’s reading list. L.M. Montgomery’s writing is beautiful, and while the ending is a little happy and rounded around the edges, the journey of the main characters and the ramifications of their behavior on their family and friends is powerful writing.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is when Valancy says, “Yes, I’m “still young”, but that is not the same as young.” This woman, full of cynicism, compassion, love and humor finds true joy in experiencing her present. An admirable trait in anyone.

I’m currently STILL working on Corelli’s Mandolin. Despite the slow lumbered way I’m reading it, the book is quite enjoyable, the characters are lovely and witty and the story intriguing. I’m only into the first 70some pages, but I guess that what slows me down is how quickly the story changes voice from one character to another, as soon as I get absorbed with the journey of one character I feel slapped when I have to swap into someone else.

On the other hand, I can’t WAIT for when all these characters become intermingled. I’m definitely intrigued with this journey. It is also interesting to read a work set in the experience of Greece and Italy in the second World War. I don’t generally read many novels set in WWII, but this definitely isn’t the dominant viewpoint I’ve experienced the story told from.

This challenge is soooo much fun.

I have most of my reading list fleshed out, I will work on getting that posted for people to peruse if they are interested.

Aren’t books the coolest?

Labels: reading, Summer Reading Challenge 2009