SCHOOL'S OUT!!!

School's out for me as of 10:30 this morning! Well, actually, only half of my classes ended, but it's some of the ones requiring the most work and it seems like a huge deal of stress is gone. What does this mean for the blog? I now have about fifty million times more time to do stuff I want to do - like, let's see, read, watch movies, read, hang out with friends, read - so I'm anticipating much more activity than before. More reviews, mostly. I'm rather excited. :) I mean, really. This was my schedule for this semester (note that I go to an early college high school and have a weird mixture of high school, college, and online classes):

7:45-8:30 English IV Honors
8:30-9:20 French III Honors/AP European History (both online)
9:20-11:45 calculus (college)
11:30-1:00 world history II/American lit I/English lit I (all college online)
1:30-3:00 concert band

So, eight classes. I don't recommend it. But four of those are over now, and the others are beginning to slack off in anticipation of the end of the year. More reading time for me!

Spring Blog Carnival Hop Winner!

And the winner of the Spring Blig Carnival Hop giveawway is... *drumroll*

Lyddz!

She chose Stones for My Father by Trilby Kent as her prize, meaning that Squire will be up for grabs once again between May 25 and 31 as part of the Splash Into Summer giveaway hop. Congratulations Lyddz, and I will mail the book out as soon as possible.

Thank you to everyone who entered and started following me (hmmm, that sounds rather stalker-ish...). About 45 people entered the giveaway, and I got over thirty new followers. :) Ooooh, and don't forget to enter the giveaway for Caleb's Crossing that ends 5/18!

New Books This Week

I could just do the "In My Mailbox" meme and have a cool name for my weekly listing of the books I've acquired, but I'm too lazy to add the names and urls of the people who started it to this post every week. Maybe in the summer, when I'm not burned out from homework....speaking of which, school's finally winding down (I've been going non-stop since the first week of August, pretty much), and after this Wednesday I will have so much more time to read and review and blog and whatever else I feel like doing that's not schoolwork! But to the point of this post:

For Review:
The Sojourn by Andrew Krivak (LibaryThing Early Reviewers)
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma, which also came with a copy of The Time Machine* by H.G. Wells (from publisher)
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (thank you, Rebecca at Penguin Books)
Have you seen the giveaway for Caleb's Crossing yet?

*One of the genres that I initially planned to review was science fiction/fantasy of Wells' vintage, so I am overjoyed that the publisher is sending promotional copies of this book with ARCs of The Map of Time. Old sci-fi/fantasy reviews to come over the summer, when I have more time for reading 19th and early 20th century prose instead of doing homework...

Won:
Enclave by Ann Aguirre (Holt InGroup)
A Thread of Sky by Deanna Fei (thanks to Lisa at Alive on the Bookshelf)

Fiction: The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe

"Two reviews in one day? But that never happens!" [Meaning for me, not other bloggers.] Yeah, well, I'm procrastinating on that mountain of homework I've been ignoring all week due to studying for the AP Euro exam. Now I'm trying to recover from said exam (I can't remember the last time a test made me feel so tired!) by reading and writing a review of the book I just finished. I really can't wait for summer....just five more days. *sigh* Anyway:

The Butterfly's Daughter tells the story of Luz Avila. Twenty-one years old, she lives with her grandmother in Milwaukee. Her mother died when she was five, and she's never met her father. Luz, while she loves her abuela and has a great boyfriend, Sully, isn't completely pleased with her life. She wants to go to college, but she's stuck working in a factory and she's not sure if Sully's the right guy for her. Then Abuela comes up with a harebrained scheme: she and Luz are going to drive to San Antonio in an old beat-up VW Beetle to meet their extended family, then follow the monarch butterflies down to their family's traditional home in Mexico. Luz rejects the spur-of-the-moment plan, but when her grandmother suddenly dies, she decides to embark on the trip, alone, and try to figure out what her grandmother wanted her to do. Along the way, Luz meets a series of quirky, extraordinary women, each of whom will impact her journey of self-discovery.

First off, this is not my type of book. I only skimmed over the blurb when I requested it on GoodReads and missed the part about it being chick lit that's best suited for an older age group than mine. Though Luz is twenty-one, she's more of a mature woman than a college kid, so the plot of the story is really better for grown-up women, not teenagers like me. But Monroe's writing is good, even if the plot's not my thing (and she keeps it appropriate for younger readers, too). The storyline seemed very predictable to me - woman goes on journey of self-discovery, meets quirky characters, comes to new realizations of herself and women and life in general, figures out whether her guy is the right one or not, runs into some kind of conflict but it gets resolved, and goes on to have a happy ending. In this respect, The Butterfly's Daughter is an excellent feel-good read if you're into that sort of novel. For me, it's not my style and, while I enjoyed reading it for the most part, by the end I was getting bored and ready to move on to the next book. My fault, not the book's.

Maturity Factor: Mild profanity, a few very non-explicit adult situations.

My ARC of The Butterfly's Daughter was received through GoodReads' First Look program. Published by Gallery Books, it went on sale May 3, 2011.

Review: A Tomb for Boris Davidovich by Danilo Kis

Wow, I actually got a review in this week between studying for the AP European History exam today and all the normal homework I have! Probably because I read this book as a supplement to the AP Euro material and I'm writing this review as I wait for test time...

A Tomb for Boris Davidovich (1976) is a collection of seven short stories that are loosely connected together. The common thread of the stories is that they all have to do with the repression and corruption of the Soviet system. Kis' characters come from varying nationalities, religions, and backgrounds, but they all get caught up somehow in the political deception and betrayals of the USSR.

This is one of those books whose significance grows on me only after I've finished reading it. Some of the stories were confusing to me, with the causes and sequences of events seeming muddy when they should have been clear (I'm not sure if this is Kis' fault or the translator's). It shouldn't have been a hard read, but it occasionally was. Still, the stories were interesting. I haven't read much Soviet literature, and I found Kis' depictions of the repression, corruption, general back-stabbing, and psychological impact of the USSR fascinating, if not enjoyable. Like I said, though the book was, at times, frustrating to read, after finishing it I realize its importance as literature and deeper meaning as political commentary.

My copy of A Tomb for Boris Davidovich is the 1980 Penguin edition (translator: Duska Mikic-Mitchell), purchased for the princely sum of 25 cents from my local Habitat for Humanity thrift store. The book was originally published in 1976 and was first translated into English (by Mikic-Mitchell) in 1978.

Q&A with Geraldine Brooks, Author of Caleb's Crossing, and Giveaway

Geraldine Brooks' newest book, Caleb's Crossing, came out yesterday! This historical fiction novel takes place in Martha's Vineyard in 1665 and is about a lesser-known, yet still quite interesting, figure in colonial American history. Here's the publisher's blurb about the book: The narrator of Caleb's Crossing is Bethia Mayfield, growing up in the tiny settlement of Great Harbor amid a small band of pioneers and Puritans. Restless and curious, she yearns after an education that is closed to her by her sex. As often as she can, she slips away to explore the island's glistening beaches and observe its native Wampanoag inhabitants. At twelve, she encounters Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a tentative secret friendship that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia's minister father tries to convert the Wampanoag, awakening the wrath of the tribe's shaman, against whose magic he must test his own beliefs. One of his projects becomes the education of Caleb, and a year later, Caleb is in Cambridge, studying Latin and Greek among the colonial elite. There, Bethia finds herself reluctantly indentured as a housekeeper and can closely observe Caleb's crossing of cultures.


And now for a Q&A with author Geraldine Brooks:

Caleb Cheeshahteamauk is an extraordinary figure in Native American history. How did you first discover him? What was involved in learning more about his life?

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah are proud custodians of their history, and it was in materials prepared by the Tribe that I first learned of its illustrious young scholar. To find out more about him I talked with tribal members, read translations of early documents in the Wopanaak language, then delved into the archives of Harvard and the Massachusetts Bay Colony, especially the correspondence between colonial leaders and benefactors in England who donated substantial funds for the education and conversion to Christianity of Indians in the 17th century.   There are also writings by members of the Mayhew family, who were prominent missionaries and magistrates on the island, and John Cotton, Jr., who came here as a missionary and kept a detailed journal.

There is little documentation on Caleb’s actual life. What parts of his life did you imagine? Do you feel you know him better after writing this book, or is he still a mystery?

The facts about Caleb are sadly scant.  We know he was the son of a minor sachem from the part of the Vineyard now known as West Chop, and that he left the island to attend prep school, successfully completed the rigorous course of study at Harvard and was living with Thomas Danforth, a noted jurist and colonial leader, when disease claimed his life.  Everything else about him in my novel is imagined.  The real young man—what he thought and felt—remains an enigma.

Bethia Mayfield is truly a woman ahead of her time. If she were alive today, what would she be doing? What would her life be like with no restrictions?

There were more than a few 17th century women like Bethia, who thirsted for education and for a voice in a society that demanded their silence.  You can find some of them being dragged to the meeting house to confess their “sins” or defending their unconventional views in court.   If Bethia was alive today she would probably be president of Harvard or Brown, Princeton or UPenn.

The novel is told through Bethia’s point of view. What is the advantage to telling this story through her eyes? How would the book be different if Caleb were the narrator?

I wanted the novel to be about crossings between cultures.  So as Caleb is drawn into the English world, I wanted to create an English character who would be equally drawn to and compelled by his world.   I prefer to write with a female narrator when I can, and I wanted to explore issues of marginalization in gender as well as race.

Much of the book is set on Martha’s Vineyard, which is also your home. Did you already know about the island’s early history, or did you do additional research?

I was always intrigued by what brought English settlers to the island so early in the colonial period...they settled here in the 1640s.   Living on an island is inconvenient enough even today; what prompted the Mayhews and their followers to put seven miles of treacherous ocean currents between them and the other English—to choose to live in a tiny settlement surrounded by some three thousand Wampanoags?  The answer was unexpected and led me into a deeper exploration of island history.

You bring Harvard College to life in vivid, often unpleasant detail. What surprised you most about this prestigious university’s beginnings?

For one thing, I hadn't been aware Harvard was founded so early.  The English had barely landed before they started building a college. And the Indian College—a substantial building—went up not long after, signifying an attitude of mind that alas did not prevail for very long.  It was fun to learn how very different early Harvard was from the well endowed institution of today.  Life was hand to mouth, all conversation was in Latin, the boys (only boys) were often quite young when they matriculated.   But the course of study was surprisingly broad and rigorous—a true exploration of liberal arts, languages, and literature that went far beyond my stereotype of what Puritans might have considered fit subjects for scholarship.

As with your previous books, you’ve managed to capture the voice of the period. You get the idiom, dialect, and cadence of the language of the day on paper. How did you do your research?

I find the best way to get a feel for language and period is to read first person accounts—journals, letters, court transcripts.  Eventually you start to hear voices in your head: patterns of speech, a different manner of thinking.  My son once said, Mom talks to ghosts.  And in a way I do.

May 2011, Tiffany Smalley will follow in Caleb’s footsteps and become only the second Vineyard Wampanoag to graduate from Harvard. Do you know if this will be celebrated?

In May Tiffany Smalley will become the first Vineyard Wampanoag since Caleb to receive an undergrad degree from Harvard College.  (Others have received advanced degrees from the university’s Kennedy school etc.)  I’m not sure what Harvard has decided to do at this year's commencement, but I am hoping they will use the occasion to honor Caleb’s fellow Wampanoag classmate, Joel Iacoomis, who completed the work for his degree but was murdered before he could attended the 1665 commencement ceremony.

Giveaway: The publisher, Penguin Books, has generously offered two copies of Caleb's Crossing for a giveaway! To enter, simply leave a comment with your e-mail address. Extra entries for new and old followers, just note which one in your comment. US only (UPDATE: and Canada!), and the giveaway ends in two weeks, on May 18.

Spring Blog Carnival Hop Giveaway!

Welcome to my stop on the Spring Blog Carnival hop, hosted by Candace's Book Blog, Reading Angel, Pure Imagination, and The Book Swarm! There's over 200 other blogs participating as well, so don't forget to check them out on the linky list below, too!

For my giveaway, the winner's choice of one of two books is up for grabs (both of these are brand-new duplicate copies from my personal library). To enter, just leave your e-mail address in the comments section at the bottom of this post. Tell me which book you'd like, too. Extra points if you're a new or old follower, just let me know in your comment. Sorry to international blog hoppers, but this giveaway's only open to people with US mailing addresses.

Squire by Tamora Pierce
This is the third book in Pierce's Protector of the Small series, which is part of the Tortall universe. My extra copy of this is the 2001 Random House paperback edition. Synopsis of it here.

Stones for My Father by Trilby Kent
This is a great middle grade/YA historical fiction book about the 1890s Boer War in South Africa. The copy up for grabs is the hardback edition, published by Tundra Books back in March. My review of it can be read here.




Thanks for stopping by, and happy blog hopping!