Collective Buddhas

The Buddha in the Attic is one of the more interesting books I've read lately. I've never read a book before that was told from a collective viewpoint rather than an individualistic one, and I found the experience rather dichotomous. On the one hand, I loved the style because of the cadence and almost soporific rhythm that came of it and on the other hand I found it to be frustrating because I couldn't connect with the book overall. It was like moving through a dream, where all these experiences happened but I knew it was a dream because it didn't feel real.

I think for me, I couldn't feel close to the characters because I didn't feel like I was supposed to. I didn't really pick out any individual characters since it was written in a collective voice and that's how I read it. If the book had been written with only a few women in a collective voice, I think it would have been easier to pick those voices out individually and connect to them that way. But with the book written the way it was, I decided that the "character" was actually the group and while I could feel empathy for all of those experiences, it didn't make me feel connected. Not in the sense that an individual character would, where I could try to put myself into that person's mind and live the book through them.

While I couldn't connect to any of these women, I was still able to envision them. Again, not truly as individuals, but as a collective. The story was written so beautifully, and evocatively, that it was easy to picture in my mind. But again, I think it was with an almost dreamlike quality. The images were there, but without distinguishing features. 

But it's still hard to tell whether the characters and this book felt real to me. In one sense, no they didn't, because I couldn't connect to them or really 'see' them. But they also feel real because I know that somewhere out there, years ago, they were real. Not these characters explicitly, but what they represented. And for me, that in part makes it feel more realistic than I think another book done in the collective voice would have. If this had been a fantasy novel about slaying dragons in the collective voice, then no, they would not have felt real at all. It probably would have been quite boring as well. But since this was historical fiction, it felt a bit more memoir like to me.  Distant, but at the same time, real.

The Sisters Brothers: Spaghetti Western or Literary Fiction?

You know, I've never really understood the term, spaghetti western. Why spaghetti? Why not fettucine, alfredo, or perhaps a nice penne?

.....I think that may be a tangent I shouldn't follow right now, or I may never get off of it. 

Today's blog is about my experiences reading The Sisters Brothers, not my pasta preferences. So to this end, I shall sally forth and answer the burning questions. 

My initial feelings before reading this book, I think, were ones of mild interest. I remember seeing the book in Chapters months before and thought the title itself was catchy and that maybe it's worth taking a gander at. I'm fairly certain I read the back to find out what it was about, but I don't remember my reaction to that. It obviously didn't grab me enough to buy it, because I left the store empty-handed. I don't think it even really crossed my mind after that to be honest. 

Once it was assigned for class, I took another look at what it was all about, and my initial feelings were one of open-mindedness but not really much enthusiasm. It's not the typical book that I would pick up, but I have been surprised in the past in this same scenario, so I thought who knows, I might just find a new favourite.  So I tried to go in with a hopefully neutral attitude.

While I was reading, I think I maintained basically the same attitude. I wasn't particularly enthused or joyously overwhelmed by it, but neither was I underwhelmed or bored to tears by it. It was a slow paced book that actually turned out to be a fairly fast read. I think I finished the book in 2 or 3 days and that's because I really took my time reading it.  I think I found it was easy to put down and then pick back up again hours or even a day later, and just be able to continue on where I had left off. There was no backtracking to find out where I was, or what the main plot points were. So I enjoyed that much about the book.

I will say, one pet peeve I had with the book when I first started reading it was the way the book was written. The language seemed very formal and proper, but in my mind I read everything with a country twang, so it seemed a bit....hmm stilted? I'm not sure, but something about the writing style threw me off a bit, probably for the first 50 pages or so. Once I got more into the rhythm of it, I was able to ignore that and really get into the story, but I do remember finding it difficult to immerse myself in the story at first. 

I don't think my feelings really changed upon completing the book a whole lot. I definitely enjoyed it more towards the end than I did at the beginning, but it still didn't really inspire any sort of feelings in me. The most I felt was a sort of "aww nooooooo, Tub!!!!!" for the poor horse, but that was about it. I have to say, I liked the ending. I thought it felt resolved to a certain extent, but I think that's because I was never emotionally invested in the characters. And so, I didn't really care what happened next, nor was I interested. I felt the story was told, that was how that adventure ended, it's over now so end of story. 

If I were to describe this book in 1 sentence.....

(This may take a while)

....

Okay here, let's try this: This book is a leisurely, character driven pseudo-western  that explores questions of morality and mortality, brotherhood and self during the mid-19th century gold rush.

Maybe it could be a bit fleshier, but I'm afraid if I start in on it, it will simply run on. So I will keep it simple and say, that's all folks!

And So It All Comes to an End...

Readers Advisory is over for another semester, and once again, it was the best class of the term. Great books, great assignments, what's not to like?

My favourite read of the semester was definitely Karma. The style just drew me into the story and gave it life in such a fascinating and visceral way. The characters were full bodied and had such wonderful voices as they told their stories, it was easy to connect with them even though their experiences were completely apart from my own. I have never experienced living through a massacre, but reading through it in Karma, it was almost like being transported there and getting a glimpse of what it must have been like. I really admire the author for that.

This is something I would most definitely recommend, and I will probably bring it home with me at Christmas and nag my friends into trying it. I think it's a book that readers would enjoy if they were looking for a different style of writing, maybe something that they aren't familiar with. Especially if they already enjoy poetry and books that aren't written according to the norm. Or those who are looking for a really great coming of age story, because this one tells that story in a very impacting way and readers could really enjoy both reading this and then reflecting on it afterwards. 

I loved this book and I loved this class. I can't wait for next semesters RA!!

RA with Teens

I've really been enjoying my RA class this semester. It's really the only class I've been enjoying, actually. The assignments are fun and creative, and it's easy to see how practical they are as well as how they can actually be implemented in a real working situation. The more work I do in the RA courses, the more I think I would like to do this type of work when I do find a job. 

I'm not sure if I would want to work with teens only though. I do like children, though teenagers less so, but I find myself very awkward around them. Especially teens.  When I talk to them, in professional capacities, I find it hard to find the line between being the working, responsible adult and still being a person who is able to have a conversation with them. Knowing what's appropriate language, topics, etc. as opposed to, not inappropriate per se, but....hmm, I suppose, more how an adult would speak to them versus how they speak to their peers? 

Don't know if that makes any sense, but that's one of the things that makes me a little nervous about working with children and young adults.I like them, but I don't know how to relate to them. That, and sometimes teens are scary. I didn't really like them even when I was a teenager. 

I would definitely like to try though. I love the work that can be done for them and with them, with the programs that we as library staff can make available to them. I very firmly believe that all children, no matter their age, need a place where they can come and feel welcome and have services that cater to their needs. Sometimes they don't get that at home, and not even at school sometimes, depending on budget cuts. And if the library can offer that, then I think they have a responsibility as a part of the community to do so. 

Maybe it's cliche, but our children are our future and we need to foster their learning, their ingenuity and creativity, their health and well-being as much as we can. 

So yes. I think I would like to do RA work with teens. Or with anyone really. :)

Verse Novels

Before reading Karma, the most verse I had read was narrative poetry fanfiction. And I instantly fell in love with it. For me, poetry doesn't have to rhyme or follow a certain pattern. It's all about the flow of the words and the story it tells, no matter how disjointed it might get. I think I like verse so much because that's also how I like to write sometimes, so it's easier to enjoy and appreciate it.

Reading Karma was definitely an enjoyable experience, and I am definitely going to look for more verse novels that I might enjoy. For me, the experience of reading a verse novel wasn't about the content of the novel. I'm not a huge reader of realistic fiction, but for Karma, it was the style that won me over and made me love this book. I think part of my problem with realistic fiction is that I don't often find it realistic to my point of view and my experiences, which can make it hard to sink into. But with Karma, it wasn't a matter of relating to my experiences; it was more about getting a visceral reaction from me, the feeling that, yes this has happened. 

Karma is one of my new favourite novels, and I can't wait to find more like it. And who knows, maybe I'll try my hand at writing one too.

All Good Children

So. The CLA YA Book award committee states that "Austen's novel explores the nature and value of creativity, individuality and non-conformity with memorable characters and a gripping plot."

Huh.

Can't really say that I found either the characters memorable, nor the plot gripping. I thought it was a good plot, don't get me wrong. But gripping isn't really the word I would use to describe it. It really reminded me of Brave New World in the beginning, the way Max talked about the throwaways and the genetically superior kids, which I liked because BNW was a really interesting book. But I liked it better because of the faster moving plot. I think when you do a novel like this, creating a new world out of our own, you really need to move fast otherwise the reader can get too bogged down in the details and lose interest. 

The novel definitely explored all of the aspects the CLA states, but I think it could have been done in a more exciting way. This book didn't grip me at all, and I even had a hard time remembering anything about it after I had read it. So it wasn't very memorable at all, which I think is a hallmark of a good book. 

That being said, I can see how this book would appeal to younger readers, as it is intended to. Especially for those younger readers who like a slower paced read, who will really take the time to sit back and contemplate the issues that the book puts forth. I also think it's an interesting dichotomy to The Hunger Games, in which the masses are controlled through fear and violence. Here they are made to be peaceable little zombies. So definitely an interesting compare/contrast study could be done with those two books. 

But I just didn't find it all that memorable or exciting. :(

Realistic Fiction

Of the two books that we read for our section on Realistic Fiction, I have to say I preferred neither of them. While I really did not like Luna, I felt nothing for True Diary. 

When I read True Diary, and sad moments occurred, I had a moment where I could accept that it was sad and I would pause for a second in my reading. But then I just shrugged it off and went back to reading the rest of the book. And once I finished the book, I felt like something was missing. Generally when I read, I prefer for the story to be wrapped up at the end with some sort of conclusion, whether it be happy or sad. I don't read realistic fiction, where things can't be tied up, because that's not how life works. And so for me it was difficult to enjoy the book, especially when I didn't feel anything for the character either. 

As for Luna, I started off hating this book. And that was due to the characters. I thought they were all ridiculous and stereotypical, and the only emotions I felt toward them were anger and frustration. Really, I just wanted to throttle all of them. So, completely opposite to True Diary, I had a difficult time getting into this book because of how I felt towards the characters. The frustration made it difficult to truly enjoy the journey that the story was taking us on, but in the end I only disliked the book instead of hating it. I could at least appreciate the love that Reagan clearly had for Liam/Luna, and I did like that the book got such a visceral reaction out of me.

Would I recommend either of these books to a teen? I'm really not sure, and since I don't read realistic fiction, and I'm not sure what else is out there, it's hard to say what I would do. 

I can say that I doubt either would have appealed to me as a teen reader. I think I still would have been apathetic towards Junior, and angry/frustrated with Reagan and her family. For me, reading about Liam and Reagan was frustrating because I would never associate with people like them in real life, but them being characters in a book, I had to force myself to wallow through their lives. And by that, I mean that Reagan was irresponsible and had no spine, and Liam was also irresponsible and more than a little selfish. Not the kind of people I like to spend time with. 

Over all, I didn't really enjoy either of these books. One because it didn't evoke any response in me, and the other because it only evoked a negative reaction. But I'll still give realistic fiction a fighting chance, because maybe there will be a story out there that resonates with me. A book for everyone, and for everyone a book, after all.