The Bookshop

By Liz

Book review: The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

Official FC rating: 

I’m actually disgusted with myself for having been deceived by this book, because the back of the book describes it perfectly. It’s a book about a widow, Florence Green, who “risks it all” to open a bookshop in her small seaside town. From the onset, when the people of her town hear that she is opening a bookshop it causes a stir of rumors. Her bookshop slowly becomes a success, but small-town politics create hostility since the shop is seen as impractical. Only until it is too late (for both Florence and the reader) does she realize a town that doesn’t have a bookshop doesn’t necessarily want one.

Shocker: the book ends with Florence leaving the town she has lived in for ten years of her life because the town never wanted a bookshop.

And that’s it. That is literally all this book is about. All 156 pages are about the small-town politics and economics of opening, and eventually closing, a bookshop. I actually didn’t bother reading all 156 pages once I got to the half-way point and came to my senses that this book was not going to get any better. So, I skipped to the very end and was not remotely shocked by the depressing AF conclusion.

This novella was so even keeled. I got past the half way point and was like, “oh…this book isn’t going to have a climax…because there’s hardly any direct conflict…” Penelope Fitzgerald, did you think straight up not using plot devices that typically hook readers was going to work out for you, or what?

I have no idea why I expected this book to be more exciting or interesting. Maybe I had high hopes for this book because, in the back of my mind for years, I’ve had dreams of one day owning a bookstore or working in a library (like when I retire or something).

The kicker is that Florence isn’t even that into books. She describes herself as a trained retailer, not a person who understands the arts or whether or not a book is a masterpiece. WHY EVEN OPEN A BOOKSHOP THEN??? (Maybe the ending was poetic justice, then. I just don’t know).

I thought maybe this book will be a deeply thought-provoking commentary on how society is more interested in money and technology than literature and the arts. To some degree, the book probably was about that a little- but mostly it was about small-town politics and how they generally suck.

I will grant that the author has captured the nastiness and pettiness of small-town politics well, but I don’t need to read a book about small-town politics- all I need to do is visit my hometown in rural, Upstate New York for that. And frankly, the small-town politics of my hometown are more interesting than this damn novella.

Small-town characters have the potential to be interesting and have a lot of personality (not a book, but see Gilmore Girls as an example). Like the style of writing itself, the characters were given little description and were also boring.

If you would like to read passages about bookkeeping, taking out loans, and random details about a small town in the UK, then by all means, read this book. Otherwise, don’t waste your time. 

Murder on the Orient Express

By Liz

Book review: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Official FC rating: 

My first Agatha Christie novel was And Then There Were None, and it was fantastic! It was your perfect mystery- a bit scary, difficult to predict, and atmospheric. Dame Agatha Christie isn’t called the “Queen of Crime” for nothing, after all.

Both Charlotte and my partner, Sean, love Agatha Christie, so Sean stocked me up with a few of her novels from his collection, and I decided a mystery novel would be perfect to read in October. Thus, I chose Murder on the Orient Express.

Wikipedia summarizes the novel as follows (I’d summarize it myself, but I am a lazy mother effer this evening):

Upon arriving at the Tokatlian Hotel in Istanbul, private detective Hercule Poirot receives a telegram prompting him to cancel his arrangements and return to London. He instructs the concierge to book a first-class compartment on the Orient Express leaving that night. After boarding, Poirot is approached by Mr. Ratchett, a malevolent American he initially saw at the Tokatlian. Ratchett believes his life is being threatened and attempts to hire Poirot but, due to his distaste, Poirot refuses. "I do not like your face, Mr. Ratchett," he says. 

On the second night of the journey, the train is stopped by a snowdrift near Vinkovci. Several events disturb Poirot's sleep, including a cry emanating from Ratchett's compartment. The next morning, Mr. Bouc, an acquaintance of Poirot and director of the company operating the Orient Express, informs him that Ratchett has been murdered and asks Poirot to investigate, in order to avoid complications and bureaucracy when the Yugoslav police arrive. Poirot accepts.

Murder on the Orient Express didn’t grab me as quickly as And Then There Were None. And Then There Were None had a chilling element to it that I loved, but Murder on the Orient Express lacked that completely. I felt that the beginning of the novel sort of dragged, but I pushed through (Sean insisted that it got better). I would say the book finally caught me not long before the actual murder takes place.

Once the murder happens, it’s a whirlwind of information. As I was reading I was thinking to myself, half seriously, “should I be taking notes? Is this like ‘Clue’?” I’m terrible at solving mysteries, so naturally my first instinct is to suspect everybody, or to suspect the one person one would assume is the least likely to have committed the crime.

SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU PLAN TO READ THIS BOOK.

I should’ve just continued to suspect everyone because, Agatha Christie, looking to fuck with us all, made EVERY SUSPECT GUILTY OF THE CRIME. Almost every suspect stabbed Ratchett, except, of course, the person with the best motivation to kill Ratchett.

I literally laughed at the ending. It was great. I enjoyed that the novel has humor now and then at various parts. For example:

Such sass, Poirot.

“I DON’T LIKE YOUR FACE.” Man. I just need to channel that in my daily life. #PoirotGoals?

Christie’s character descriptions are both a great strength of hers, but also a great flaw. She creates unique characters that are easy to envision, but she also relies heavily on racist and anti-Semitic descriptors. I noticed this in both And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. In Murder on the Orient Express she type-casts the lone Italian character as brusque, thick, burly, and mafia-like. There is at least one Jewish character in Murder on the Orient Express, but, thankfully, I did not see any overt anti-Semitism. In And Then There Were None, however, the character, Lombard, describes a young boy as “Jew-Boy,” and characterizes him as sneaky and conniving.

To be honest, when I noticed Christie’s anti-Semitism in And Then There Were None, I almost put the book down vowing to never read her books again. Of course, that didn’t happen. I enjoy her writing, and her books are easy reads. However, Christie is undoubtedly one of those authors that I could never be friends with. In fact, I’d probably hate her.

In summary, I enjoyed this novel, and I’m looking forward to reading another novel of Christie’s. I’d recommend her books to someone, but I would always be sure to let them know that Christie is a racist, anti-Semitic piece of trash.

Reading Round Up

Hey hey. We know things have been a little slow over here lately. Liz is busy at work and Charlotte is busy constantly being sick. We do have a nice line up of reviews planned for later this week/early next week though, so don't fret. 

In the meantime, here's a terrific bunch of book-related stories from around the web:

First and foremost, did you all hear that Entertainment Weekly has published some of the first pictures from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?! We're both very excited and Liz has proclaimed that Eddie Redmayne has never looked better and Charlotte has decided she must read the book before the movie is released. (Also, check out America's version of  the word for non-magical people. It's different from the UK's "muggle." Don't know why.)

In related news, Queen Rowling has announced she's working on a children's book. She's said this before, so it makes us nervous, but we're going to throw caution to the wind and let ourselves be hella excited. 

(And because we simply cannot post a Reading Round-Up without a plethora of HP/Rowling related stories, check out this stellar review of "Career of Evil," Rowling's newest book published under pen name Robert Galbraith. After such praise, the book is certainly on our radar.)

Charlotte loves Gretchen Rubin's books but never read Happier at Home after hearing much of it was a reiteration of Rubin's first book. But! After happily finding this old post, maybe it's a must read?! The idea of shrine-like areas filled with things we love throughout a home sounds wonderful.

Bustle threw together a list of books that ambitious women ought to read. What do you think? (Charlotte thinks there's a fine line between ambition and selfish, predatory, shark-like behavior, but she's willing to read some of these if they offer good advice.) 

Both of us loved this post of tattoos inspired by books. Liz already has a pretty awesome idea for one, and Charlotte is... trying to think of one.

If you like powerful, emotional stories, hop on over to this list of books that are just sure to make you cry. We can personally attest to the cry-factor of several of them.

The Royal We is a book that neither of us would read without prompting, but Charlotte is reading the first few chapters to gauge interest. We do love Lauren Graham though, so it's exciting that she's involved.

Do you love YA? Check out this list of most-anticipated young adult novels coming out this month!

They are turning the extremely popular self-help book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, into a television show. Weird? Not weird? What do you think?

Khloe Kardashian wrote a book and it seems as though it's not all bad.

One more HP link: here's a list of fan fiction you might want to read if you love HP. 

And we'll leave you with this awful, awful idea of building a Hunger Games theme park.

xoxo

Liz & Char  

THE FLIRTING BOOK - An Ongoing Review

We're gonna have a little fun on Filthy Casket with an ongoing review of this book that is supposed to help you flirt better. 

I'd never, ever buy this kind of book without prompting. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I'd be too fake-confident to purchase it myself. But the world is funny and one day several of us were at the house of someone who was getting rid of old books. She'd hold up a book and one of us would claim it (me, an aunt, and several cousins). Well, she held up How to Attract Anyone, Anytime, Anyplace: The Smart Guide to Flirting and all of the voices sans mine shouted, "Charlotte!"

These motherfuckers.

At first I got a wee bit defensive. Just because I'm single doesn't mean I don't know how to flirt! I know how to flirt! I just don't engage in flirtation while I'm with a bunch of people, especially if it's family! I was mighty close to rejecting the book and insisting the fifteen year old would make better use of it when... 

I remembered that time in college when I was walking into the campus center and a handsome fella happened to be walking through the doors at the same time. I unintentionally but definitely audibly said, "You are scrumptious!" Commence a lot of internal "no no no no no no no." Not one of my finest moments, which is saying something, my friends. 

So with that memory suddenly fresh in my mind I shut my mouth and threw the book on top of my pile.

I picked it up once or twice but never really read it. I have no interest in starting a relationship here, since I'm going back to New York. There's one guy here who is very charming and if I have to endure even one more "Yes, ma'am" or "You look real pretty today" in his southern accent I might actually die because I know I can't pack him in my suitcase and take him up north with me. Le sigh. Knowing all that, I still think it'll be fun to read the book and try out some of the advice (not on the aforementioned farmer because again, it might cause my literal death). I normally hold back on flirting unless I already start to like a guy, but now that we're reviewing the book I've got to think about the greater good! I've got to flirt!* Think of all the people who might benefit! 

There are seven chapters and I think I'll probably do one post each week, so this will last for about two months. I'm not trying this to get a boyfriend. I just think it'll be fun and, always more importantly, funny. Maybe it'll even change some of my communication habits right in time for my return to NY. Who knows. From what I've seen so far, this book sounds super corny. I suppose that's to be expected. 

A quick glance at the table of contents tells me I'll be rediscovering the flirt in me. And by that I just have to assume she means *discovering for the first time. 

See you in a week. 

xoxo

Char         

Chapter 1's post here
Chapter 2's post here

Chapter 3's post here

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

By Charlotte
Book Review: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Official FC Rating: 

This book was very well written (I mean obviously, it's Maya Angelou) and so very enjoyable... but it also took me longer to read than most books do. My reading level probably isn't what it ought to be. Remedy: Read! More! Books!

Even if they're harder to read, extremely well written books are my favorite. Not only do we get to delight in a beautiful story, but we also get to sit and marvel at the English language. Reading it gave me the same sort of feeling I experienced after reading The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis (though, and I feel like this is nearly blasphemy, but I think I enjoy Mathis' writing more than Angelou's). It's autobiography, but she does such a wonderful job writing it that it feels like a beloved piece of literature.  

Angelou's story is beautiful, if haunting. There are very, very sad parts. But she writes us her life from childhood on, and despite all of the hard circumstances or violent actions, she makes us smile often. She writes with total authenticity, giving us glimpses of childhood in such a way that transports the reader to Stamps, Arkansas. I've read many memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies, and none have made me feel quite as present as Angelou's. Her writing is vivid and honest, and it feels like a privilege and a treat to be able to read her story of self discovery and confidence. 

Bottom line: I'd recommend this book to anyone. Especially in our current political climate. Many of the things Maya Angelou experienced are things people still experience today. Read this book for the writing but also for the story of a black woman in America.

__

Char

Book Review | Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods

By Charlotte
Book Review: Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins
Official FC Rating: 

This is a review of the third book of the series. You can read the review for the first book here and the second one here. 

In the third book, Gregor is called to the Underland once again, this time to help find a cure for a plague that is spreading and killing the world's mammals. Our familiar main characters set out on this journey - the cure is said to exist, but only in the cradle where it was created - and we're introduced to new characters as well. There's death and destruction. But this book might be my favorite in the series, because it does a great job asking moral questions and it emerges as a sort of allegory of American military policy. (Granted, I'm not sure if Collins meant to mirror America, but I'd be surprised to learn she didn't.)

Basic review: It's a riveting tale, it's well written, and Collins, as always, plays with excellent themes and moral questions. I'd recommend it to a friend. I have recommended it to a friend. That friend is Liz and she still hasn't read Harry Potter but I'm convinced there is still hope for her.  

*Major spoilers ahead.*

Alright, so. Bats, humans, and rats are catching the plague. Beyond the obvious problem - sick people - it threatens to literally eradicate all mammals in the Underland. Of course, there's a prophecy that warns of the plague but suggests there is a chance of hope. Gregor, the prophesied warrior, must travel with several companions to the place where the plague was made.

I haven't gone into much detail about the characters, but let me attempt to give a rough idea real quick of the characters that are important in this review:

Gregor (often referred to as "Overlander"): a boy from NYC, falls into the Underland after his baby sister, Boots (they miraculously both survive, and it's determined that he is the warrior mentioned in several prophecies), Christ-figure, struggles with questions of when/if to fight

Luxa: the future queen of Regalia (the main human city in the Underland), her parents were killed by rats, her cousin died after he betrayed her and all of Regalia by secretly working with rats, granddaughter of Vikus and Solovet (who are powerful members of the council), extremely stubborn, highly trained fighter

Ripred: an old-ish and extremely tough rat, never loses fights, scruffy, harsh, sarcastic, has some followers, is attempting to lead the rats to a new way, wants humans and rats to achieve peace

Hamnet: son of Solovet and Vikus, unknown by younger characters until third book, left Regalia because his mother wanted him to fight and to commit violent atrocities against other creatures

Vikus: an old and wise council member of Regalia, very powerful, grandfather to Luxa, husband to Solovet, wants peace among all Underland creatures if possible, believes violence and war should be last resort, doesn't generally adhere to an "end justifies the means" philosophy, caring

Solovet: harsh, believes the end justifies the means, severe, mother to Hamnet, grandmother to Luxa, not very loving, values humans above other Underland creatures

Phew. There are other important characters in the book, but these are the ones that are important to major plot points.

Also essential to know: all of the Underland creatures are intelligent and sentient. In our real world, of course we value humans above rats. In the Underland, rats are 5+ feet tall, they think, they feel, they are capable of love and of all things humans are capable of (except things that require thumbs. Rats don't have thumbs..). This is also true of bats, cockroaches, spiders, mice, etc. They are human-like in their abilities and their capacities to think and feel.

So like I said, Gregor and some of the characters set out to find the cure, which comes in the form of a plant that only grows in one place. They find it and begin collecting it when a bunch of ants come and destroy every last bit of it. But it's okay, because............

The plague was actually created in Regalia.

Solovet The Vicious assigned a scientist to create a "plague" that she planned to use as biological warfare against the other creatures of the Underland. The plan went awry, obviously, but they still tried to keep it a secret. They already had the cure, they just couldn't tell anyone about it, because then everyone would know that humans were responsible for all of the destruction.

Of course, this caused huge problems. Distrust of humans became stronger, and even humans themselves were embarrassed. Naturally, the scientist was punished, but Solovet, if I remember correctly, just had to stay in her nice home. (Such is always the case, even in the real world. The rich and powerful face no consequences.) She was put on trial, but nothing happened.

This was the first really meaty book in the series. They're all short - nothing on LOTR or HP, but this dealt with complicated issues that we see in the real world. Things like:

preemptive tactics
biological warfare
rules of war
ethnocentrism
exceptionalism
and more

This book called to mind some of the things we learned about in history class as kids. It also made me think of some things our own country still does. Insisting an entire race or region is guilty of something or lesser than you? Attacking innocent people so that they can never even think of becoming threats? Familiar themes, sadly.

It's these things that lead me to believe my friends would enjoy the series. Also, it's what makes me think it's a great series for kids. When I have kids, I want them to think about these things. I want them to question what they've been told about military might and exceptionalism. It's one thing to be proud of who you are, it's another to think everyone else is lesser than you and unworthy of life. This book, and this series, talks about those things in an age-appropriate way for kids. And for adults, it's an engrossing but easy-to-read book to fly through. Win-win.

Stay tuned for the next review in this series!
__
Charlotte

Reading Round-Up

Ciao bellas. Thanks for all the Filthy Casket love the last couple of weeks. We're getting good feedback, and nothing makes us happier. (Okay, maybe books make us happier. And puppies. And Star Wars. But nothing else!)

We've got a great bunch of book-related links from around the interwebs!

Liz is a huge Alice in Wonderland fan. Are any of you? Check out this list of little known facts about the Mad Hatter.

We've dissed romance novels quite a few times on this blog, but here's a list of 13 such books that allegedly must be on every woman's list. Maybe we'll have to give them a chance?

Strand Book Store is keepin' it real, telling us what book we could buy instead of wasting money on America's beloved Pumpkin Spice Lattes. (Also, how perfect is "coffee industrial complex" ??????)

We literally expelled lots of laughs out loud while reading this Twitter war between two book publishers.

Charlotte may or may not be addicted to lists, and after reading this, she's considering making her own list of books to read in the winter. (You're forewarned.)

Do you love plot twists? Or do you loathe them? Are you known to google the plots of the books you're reading to avoid heartache? If you love them, you might be interested in these books with killer plot twists. (Not literally killers. We think...)

Did you love Friends? (Mixed opinions over here.) If so, check out this list of novels that might be right for you!

Maybe you're Christian, maybe you're not, but this list of books that are influenced by the Bible is stellar. Superman! Harry Potter! The list goes on. 

We all know Buzzfeed loves quizzing us! Hop over and take this quiz to see which series you ought to read (based on your favorite Harry Potter character, of course!).

Not really into reading fiction? Depending on your reasons, maybe you'll enjoy one of these books for people who tend to hate novels.

It would be weird and very self-promoting to link to our own superb list of books to read in your twenties, wouldn't it? Alright, so we won't mention that...

;)

If you like Russian literature, maybe you'll fancy giving one of these books a read?

Here's a really helpful list of YA books coming to stores this season, if that's what you dig.

And we enjoyed this list of short novels you could read in a day, although... not entirely convinced that all of these are quite that short. Maybe 2-3 days.

And that's all for this time. Stay tuned.

xoxo
Liz & Char