The Kite Runner

By Charlotte

Book Review: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Official FC Rating:

I read The Kite Runner a few months ago. It's been recommended to me countless times over the years and it's just been sitting on my shelf, neglected. I picked it up one night, resolved to read "anything but Harry Potter, come on Charlotte," and tore through it over the next twelve hours. Needless to say, it was good. It was gripping. I couldn't put it down - you get it. All that good stuff. 

But. 

But. I don't know if I can say I loved it. I remember sending messages to Liz that said things such as, "I can't remember ever hating a protagonist this much before," and "I know he's a kid but I HATE HIM." Amir was not my favorite. 

(Plot details and spoilers coming. You're warned.)

Amir is always a little (nay, a lot) jealous of his friend, Hassan. Amir's father is good to Hassan, and Amir wishes his relationship with his father was different, better. Cool, I get it, and everyone's a little envious from time to time. I'm not gonna hate the kid for that. (And I know Hosseini was specifically interested in exploring family and familial relationships with his book.) But Amir was a terrible friend and child. I don't remember every specific example, but Amir taunted Hassan, dared him to do awful things, and was overall just mean. Have I mentioned how much I hated him at this point? It only got worse. Amir witnessed Hassan getting raped and beaten and he did nothing to help. Part of me is disgusted by this, and another part of me thinks he was a kid, what was he going to do? But there's no excusing the fact that he didn't run for help, that he treated his friend poorly after that, and that he ultimately made Hassan and his father leave. Oh man. The hatred I felt for him. 

The story afterward is one of guilt and redemption. I'm all about redemption... but I don't think Amir ever fully redeemed himself. Hassan dies and his son is in trouble and Amir sets out to save him (though sort of grudgingly at first). He succeeds at great personal cost - he gets the crap beat out of him. Like, hospital/almost dead/ICU level beating. In my mind this was a step forward but it wasn't total "redemption." He still kept the secret of what he did to Hassan to himself. He didn't fully apologize. When I was reading it felt more like an attempt to assuage his own guilt and to do the right thing in the present. For me redemption also involves confessing and apologizing, so.. the story felt unfinished. Toward the end of the book I still wasn't too fond of Amir. I don't like not liking the protagonist of a book I'm reading. Finally, Amir confessed his actions to his wife. This felt a little more full-circle to me, though... I don't know. I can't remember if he ever truly apologized? 

A story that's specifically about redemption, to me, needs to include actual sorrow, confession, and an apology. Amir seemed more concerned about his own guilty mind than he did about the wrongdoing itself. I would have liked more sincerity in his confessions, as well as a true apology. That's ultimately why I gave this book three stars (maybe three and a half if I'm feeling generous). 

That said, it was a good book. It was an exciting read that pulls you in. Some of the characters were lovable (I'm looking at you, Baba and Ali and Rahim Khan). It was interesting and thought provoking and pulled at the heartstrings. As far as I can remember, the writing itself was good. 

Final say: I'd recommend this book. I mean, don't expect to feel all cheerful while reading it. And maybe expect to spend most of it hating the main character. But read it nonetheless. It's good. 

__

Char      

A BOOK ABOUT HARRY POTTER, YAY HARRY POTTER

By Charlotte

Book Review: How Harry Cast His Spell: The Meaning Behind the Mania for J.K. Rowling's Bestselling Books by John Granger

Official FC Rating:

There is one major spoiler in this review. If you haven't read or watched Harry Potter, you might not want to read this.

I am slightly obsessed with Harry Potter, guys. Ever so slightly. So I was giddy as a gargoyle when I got my hot little hands on this book. I first heard of it while I was reading one of my favorite blogs - Carrots for Michaelmas (or at least.. I'm pretty sure that's where I first heard about it). I headed over to Amazon and soaked up the reviews, knowing this book would be perfect for me. It is a trifecta of good topics: Harry Potter, writing, and religion. Swoon. (And the author's name is Granger! Like Hermione! Insignificant but mildly fun, yes?)

I enjoyed this book very much. Granger makes the argument that so many people are drawn to the Harry Potter series because of its Christian symbolism and meanings. Not in an "oh! It's Christian! We need to read it!" way, rather in a subtler way. The books never mention Christianity, but they're filled with Christian themes, whether or not readers immediately recognize them (I didn't catch every Christian symbol while reading them by a long shot). Granger argues that people are drawn to these themes because they are true and good. (Side: I agree, and I think it's important to clarify: I don't think things are true because they are Christian - I think things are Christian because they're true. So for example, if I'm reading Catholic doctrine I don't go, "oh! The Catholic church is telling me this is good, so it must be true!" Instead it's "This thing is good and so the Catholic Church proclaims it to be true." The church doesn't make things true - it proclaims the truth. ANYWAY...) So yes. I get what he's saying here. Whether or not we identify as a certain religion or believe in God, we're all drawn to God and goodness which flows from Him. I dig it. That's his main argument in the book: it is chock full of Christian symbols and stories and we're therefore drawn to it.

Using bc Christians are thought to be the most judgmental bastards. eek. 

Now, when I first told my friend about it, she hypothesized that Granger probably just nit-picked parts he wanted from the books to make it seem like it was Christian, or at least stretched certain situations to fit his own theories. I admittedly worried about this myself when I first bought the book. But there were very, very few instances where I thought Granger was really stretching it to make something fit his case. Also, he mentions several instances where Rowling herself said she was using Christian symbols or that she specifically studied alchemy (which is tied to Christianity) while writing Harry Potter, so Granger's arguments are, I think, valid.

Some things he wrote about were obvious - there's no doubting the Christianity of Harry's decision to walk into the forest and sacrifice himself to save everyone else. But there are so many other things I hadn't noticed!!! They seem obvious now, of course. Example: In Sorcerer's Stone, Harry woke up three days after his struggle with Quirrel/Voldemort. Sound familiar?

Even if you don't dig the premise, the book is still worth the read. You can disagree that everyone is drawn to God in literature and still dig the really cool meanings throughout the books. Also! Granger talks about interesting names of many characters, how the characters interact with one another and how that relates to alchemy, and so much more. I don't want to give much away by describing everything I liked.

As for the things I wasn't wildly fond about.......

Sometimes (not throughout the entire book) the tone would become slightly patronizing. Not even in a very condescending way, but definitely in an "I know more than you" kind of way. It wasn't often enough to make me dislike the book or the author, but it did annoy me. Another thing, and this happened at the end of every. single. chapter., instead of smoothly transitioning into the next chapter (or just.. not mentioning the next chapter until the next chapter actually started...), Granger would say things like, "Turn the page to see what we think about ____!" or "Keep reading to find out how Goblet of Fire ______!" Unnecessary! SO UNNECESSARY. And again, while most of his examples of Christian symbolism or meaning were solid, there were a few stretches (but very few - five at most).

Over all though, I loved this book so much! I thought the structure was smart and made sense (divided into chapters like "alchemy," "names," "magical creatures," etc and then moving into the meanings of each individual book). Other than the occasional patronizing, the tone was light and fun while still being smart. It was also really helpful to me since I'd like to write a book. And most of all, it made me love Harry Potter even more, if that's possible! I ended up rereading some of the HP books while/after reading this one because I was eager to delight in even more of the meaning than I usually do. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to write, anyone who loves Harry Potter, and people who enjoy religion.

You can never have too many Harry Potter books, after all.

xoxo
Char

  

Reading Round-Up

We have failed you, Casketeers! It's been over a month and a half since we've posted anything. The "currently reading" books are already read (or mostly read). As I write this, our blog header still says books are a good antidote to winter's cold nights. It's almost May.

For shame. 

Actually, Liz has been in a really busy season at work. And I've been sick (hospital level sick, so I'm not just making excuses). Together, it's made blogging very difficult. But we're both looking forward to getting back to posting regularly. We've read some good books over the last couple of months, and we're eager (slight exaggeration, possibly) to get reviews up for them.* 

But in the meantime, have you seen some of these bookish links? 

For those of you with a dark or vulgar sense of humor, there's this video of a man who took fake book covers on the subway and recorded people's reactions. Or, a bit tamer but still a little edgy - here are some classic children's books with updated funny titles.

Here's a nice list from Bustle of books with slow starts. Some of these are on our to-read lists. I have mixed feelings on books that start too slow. The Book Thief was super hard to get through simply because the first half of it just dragged on and on and on...  

And check out this wonderful list from Verily that explains various ways reading fiction improves mental health and keeps your brain agile. 

Liz and I often share book-related products with each other and this list was no exception. The pillow chair! The shirt with the anatomy of a book lover! The candle that smells like the Shire! Can't stop!

Both of us adore this apartment that has the feel of a library.

If you love Harry Potter (of course you love Harry Potter), you will likely enjoy this list of potential Harry Potter sequels. Although... the title annoys me because many of these ideas are prequels. Dammit, Buzzfeed! I've often said that I'd really enjoy prequels that focus on the original Order of the Phoenix. I'm also really loving the idea of the seven original books, but from Dumbledore's perspective. (Obviously I don't expect that to happen, but it would be amazing!)

Speaking of Harry Potter... I'm not above a little self-promotion now and then. Go check out my list of Harry Potter-inspired baby names.. Part 1 and Part 2. (And while we're on the topic, check out this post about literary baby names over on Barnes and Noble.)

We might need to check out some of these historical fiction novels based on real women. 

Here's a list of "inspiring books to read when you're feeling lonely and need some cheering up." I've read three of the books: Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Martian, and Why Not Me? I can't comment on the others, but I can say that Perks will most likely not cheer you up. The Martian was pretty awesome, but is about a dude who is stranded and alone, so I don't know if it'll necessarily help with feelings of loneliness.... but Mindy's book, yes, will cheer you up. Good books, nonetheless. 

And here's a super cute little bookish DIY project, in case you're in the crafting mood. 

xoxo

Liz & Char

*Oh, and quick announcement: I really did not like the flirting book, so I am no longer writing reviews of the chapters. I even brought it to the library to donate. If you need help flirting, look elsewhere. <3 

A Self-Help Book Worth Reading

By Charlotte
Book Review: Meet the New You: A 21-Day Plan for Embracing Fresh Attitudes and Focused Habits for Real Life Change by Elisa Pulliam
Official FC Rating:

Ah, the wonderful world of self-help books. You know I've been there. Most of the self-help books I've read have been so-so. Nice talk, but no clear cut directions. (Others have been downright awful.) The very best author I've read in the genre is Gretchen Rubin (cue realization that I've not written a review of any of her books, slacker). So on a scale from 1 to Gretchen, this book is somewhere around a 6 or 7. I know it shows 3 stars up there, but really it's more of a 3.5.

Pulliam rises above most other self-help authors in that she doesn't just offer up happy stories and pretty, encouraging rhetoric. Sure, she mentions repeatedly how beautiful life can be and how it's never too late to change or to form good habits, but she also gives us stories of her own experiences. Moreover, she gets groovy with list-making and question-answering! I don't know about you, but for me it's pretty essential that self-help or guide books have very detailed info, examples, and prompts. This is where Pulliam is similar to Rubin. They don't just talk about change, they put the tools in front of you. I like to think I'm a "big idea" person........ but that's definitely not the case when we're talking about self-improvement and self care. I like bullet points, targeted questions, good instructions, etc. Can anyone relate? 

So Pulliam's book really excels with that. Another thing I really like about that book is that it's rooted in faith. She draws inspiration and guidance from the Bible and other holy writings, which can be really terrific if you happen to be Christian. Would I recommend the book? Yes, absolutely. My one caveat would be that it might not be your flavor if you're not religious. Could an atheist glean insight from this book? Yep! But if you don't believe in God, I can see this book being frustrating. The entire thing is rooted in faith. Good for me, yes. Good for you? Maybe! (I guess now is a good time to mention - this book is specifically aimed toward women. But never fear, menfolk, I shall review Gretchen Rubin's book soon.)

Overall, I count this book a success and am glad I read it. It's not often I find a truly good self-help book. 

xoxo 

Char

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from theBlogging For Books program in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

The Aesthetic of Books

Us bibliophiles don’t just love reading- we love just about everything about books from the smell, to the covers, and even the texture of the pages. There are hundreds of Tumblr blogs and Instagram pages dedicated to all things bookish- pictures of intricately posed books with a mug of tea or coffee, young people in cafes or public transit engrossed in a book, and more.

Libraries and book shops are art galleries, in their own way. You may not consciously think when looking at a book or browsing a library “this is artwork,” but think about the feelings that are evoked. When I browse through my Instagram feed and see that picture of a girl in her bed (covered by a crisp white comforter artistically strewn about, of course) with her cup of tea and a cat, the words that come to mind are “cozy, quiet, warmth.” Art is intended to evoke feelings from the viewer. Libraries can just draw you in like a spell- much like artwork. You get where I’m going with this?

Picture I took of the Providence Athenaeum last summer. It was founded in 1831. The whole library was stunning, and surprisingly huge! 

This weekend, Sean and I decided to take a trip to visit MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. I absolutely love art and visiting art museums. My favorite art museum, The Clark, is in North Adams’ neighboring town, Williamstown. Even though my nose was running nonstop (thanks, cold from hell), I was pretty pumped about this visit.

A very cliché picture of me in front of one of the MASS MoCA abstract paintings. I made Sean take a bunch of these artsy fartsy pics because I was too hype. The amount of snot rags in my purse at this point was appalling.

Well, to my surprise, there was an interesting exhibit there called Bibliothecaphilia. This exhibit explores the nature of libraries, how they currently exist, and how they could exist in other spaces. As described on the website:

“The six artists in Bibliothecaphilia, explore the medium and ethos of libraries: institutions straddling the public and private spheres, the escapism that libraries offer, libraries’ status as storehouses for physical books — and thus for experiences and knowledge — and the way that these objects circulate and are re-used.”

I never would’ve expected to see an exhibit like this in an art museum, to be honest.

The first piece in the Bibliothecaphilia exhibit. This was actually a very large piece- I couldn’t actually get the whole thing in one shot. The paper swirled and wove throughout the room. It felt magical!

The exhibit was also interactive, and who doesn’t love when you can actually touch stuff at a museum? One piece, entitled Marginalia, actually encouraged you to lounge in a chair and take a book from the small library. The library in this piece contained a wide ranging collection with one thing in common- all the books had bookmarks inside them to indicate where notes were written from past owners. The bookmarks also had observations written on them about the notes in the book. I could’ve spent days going through all of them!

Marginalia. Picture from: http://www.massmoca.org/event_details.php?id=963 

Another piece (possibly also apart of Marginalia, but I’m not sure) was in a glass display case with a bunch of memorabilia that was found within books. Things like photos, handmade bookmarks, letters, bracelets, and more, were in the display. I love that this display and the library piece with marked up books shows how a book has a life, and this life can reveal so much about past owners. It was like this exhibits weren’t about the books alone; they were also about the people who read them.

“Wow, look at all those books!” You think to yourself. Well, you’re wrong. That’s actually clay this artist used to imitate the appearance of books.

While I do follow bookish Instagram accounts and Tumblr blog, take pictures of my book collection regularly, and am awestruck when I enter a great library, I never thought the word “art” in my head. This exhibit helped me realize that books are art, in more ways than one.

One of my bookshelves, accompanied by my cat, Max.

All of MASS MoCA’s exhibits made me think broadly about what we do and don’t consider art. What we consider artwork is a longstanding philosophical question, and I enjoyed getting to ponder it over during my visit.

If you can, I highly recommend you make a trip over to MASS MoCA to see not only the Bibliothecaphilia exhibit, but all of their exhibits! In the meantime, I hope you are wrapped in a cozy throw blanket, a candle is flickering, you have steaming tea by your side, and you’re about to read a great book. Maybe you’ll even take a picture and share it on Instagram to show off your envy-worthy book aesthetics.

xoxo

Liz 

The Tsar of Love and Techno: Liz's Review!

By Liz

Book Review: The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

Official FC Rating: 

By now, you may have read Charlotte’s excellent review of The Tsar of Love and Techno, so you’re aware that she absolutely loved it. While she was reading it, she highly recommended it to me as well, so I decided to make it my final read of 2015. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed!

At the end of 2015 this book could be found on nearly every “best of 2015” list, and for good reason- it is phenomenally written. Charlotte mentioned how she would occasionally have to put this novel down to pause and just take in the writing, and I found myself doing the same. The writing, and the storytelling, leaves a remarkable impression.

Set in Russia, The Tsar of Love and Techno, a collection of stories that weave together to become one, is about love, politics, the complicated nature of choice, and how a community is connected together over the course of generations. Anthony Marra brilliantly weaves the stories of an artist, a ballerina, a soldier, and many others by connecting them to a single object.

The stories were mind-blowing. I was literally in awe following the end of the first story and the end of the last story. Marra’s writing makes us question, “what really happened here, and what did it mean,” at various points in the novel. A talented writer often will allow a reader to have a certain amount of freedom to wonder and answer things for themselves- Marra has truly nailed this.

Unlike Charlotte, I hate to say that this, I didn’t love every single story in the collection. The first story absolutely blew me away, and the last story had the same kind of impact on me as the first. There were a few in between stories I enjoyed, but none impacted me quite the same as the first and last, unfortunately.

I am not well versed in Russian history, so I occasionally found myself confused at some of the references and googling quite a bit. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just made me want to know more. It also sparked great conversations between me and my partner. He helped me understand the differences between Trotsky and Lenin, and the conversation inspired me to read more about Marxism. I love it when a book makes you think and learn about things you may not have otherwise thought about.

Another big plus about this book was the cleverly inserted humor and references to pop culture. This book literally made me laugh and cry, which is not something that many books accomplish!

The Tsar of Love and Techno will have you all over the emotional spectrum- in a good way! It covers a broad array of themes and will challenge you to think differently. As many before me have said, this book is worth reading. 

___

Liz

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Blogging For Books program in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own. 

The Flirting Book: Chapter 3

Hey hey. This is part of an ongoing review. See the other installments here. 

Alright so we left off at the end of Chapter 2. I thought some of the advice was solid, but I was starting to feel a bit on the fence about the book's tone. What about Chapter 3? 

Chapter 3 is titled Flirting 101 - The Basics. Ah, we're finally getting to the nitty gritty. 

It's starts off with a Shakespeare quote - cool. But then we get a quote from a 24 year old man, describing a woman he saw who had red hair and red lips and a body that says, "spend a day with me and you'll die happy." He goes on to say that everything about her screams "sex." The author says she loves this quote, because we've all noticed people like that, and we've all felt like that woman ourselves. This is another instance where I feel like the book is kind of playing with a line. There's a difference between thinking someone is sexy and thinking they are "sex." It's a subtle difference, but I think it's an important one. If the man had said he saw this woman's body and he himself thought, "I could spend a day with her and die happy," that'd be one thing. But suggesting that her body gives off that signal... problematic. 

My point: I don't like the tone of the book. 

Moving on! 

Rabin's going to tell us about the Big Three - the three fundamental things that can help us flirt confidently (and just interact with all people more confidently). The first of these Big Three are the eyes. 

There doesn't seem to be anything monumental here. The advice is to avoid aggressive gestures (staring, winking, raising eyebrows in a "woo woo" manner, etc), and to instead stay positive and inviting with the eye play. It's all good advice, but it isn't exactly new. I know this stuff already. Most people know this stuff. The one kind of interesting part is the idea of a "flirting triangle," when we look at other people's faces as upside down triangles, from the two sides of their forehead down to their chin. The metaphor goes that your eyes are like a paintbrush, the triangle is your canvas, and you want to move over the whole canvas gently rather than just focusing on the eyes. Or something. Basically, steal glances of people's chins, lips, nose, cheeks, etc. Don't just stare at them. Weird metaphor, but there it is. Again, not revolutionary. In my experience, it does improve interactions when you focus on someone, but occasionally glance at other areas of their face, not just the eyes. (That's true for interactions in general, not just flirting.)

The next of the big three is the smile. To be honest, I mostly skimmed this section because it got really annoying really quickly and started to feel like a glorified Cosmo article. It's also repetitive, which I find frustrating. Smiling is another flirting technique that I don't think requires a book to point out, but hey. Unfortunately, it's tedious and cumbersome. This part of the chapter is a lot like my physical therapy. In PT I'll be balancing on a wobbly piece of wood. I have to close my eyes and do squats on this piece of wood, while balancing (LOL YUP). While I'm doing it, I'm told, "Feel your ankles, pay attention to the small shifts in your ankles that occur when you re-balance, keep your shoulders back and low, don't lock your knees, lift your chin" and on and on and on. That's this chapter. Smile invitingly, make it happy but not too corny, don't let it be a cheshire smile, keep it charming. OKAY. So I'm not super wild about this advice. 

The third of the Big Three: Body language. After the annoying smiling advice I totally skimmed the rest of the chapter. It seems like more common sense stuff. Positive, inviting body language. 

My review for this chapter: boring, repetitive. Fine advice, but nothing I couldn't have learned from a million other sources. 

If you're reading this book, honestly just feel free to skip to the last page of the chapter, where there are handy dandy bullet points. 

And smile, dammit. 

__

Char