Summer Reading Wrap-Up

Yeah, so it's not summer anymore. In fact, the temperatures around my house dipped down into the 40's last night. Hubs had to grab a sweater before he left for work today. I can honestly say though that I didn't mind that because he looks adorable in sweaters and it was so soft and cuddly that I could barely stop hugging him to let him out the door. I totally love sweater weather. But this is not a post about sweaters or the impending (and awesome) early fall weather. It's about the last bit of summer reading that I wanted to update you all on, and how the "Summer of 100 Books" maybe wasn't so much.

Remember a few months ago when I told you what I was reading and what I had hoped to read? Well, done and done. So here's the scoop on those:
The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch by Neil Gaiman was really quite dark and depressing. I woke up before everyone else on vacation and wanted to get some reading in and forgot that I had only brought graphic novels with me. I finished like, 1 or 2 a day, and was left reading cereal boxes by the end of the trip. This was the last one I read and I gotta be honest? Not beach (or vacation) reading at all. I suppose I knew that beforehand, but not a good start for me as I've never read any Neil Gaiman before. Good storytelling, but I wasn't prepared to be that bummed out before breakfast. Can anyone recommend any other Neil Gaiman for me?
Before Watchmen Series. If you're a big fan of Watchmen, read these. The Moloch section gave me some context for the events that actually took place in the book, while most of the other ones just gave me background. I didn't particularly care for The Comedian, and The Crimson Corsair was just awful, and silly at that. Silk Spectre was about Laurie, the second Silk Spectre, and honestly I could've done without it. Nite Owl was actually about Rorschach, for the most part, and not the second Nite Owl. The one really stand-out piece was The Minutemen, about the first incarnation of the crimefighting group. I felt like that one could have been released on its own and it would have been a total success. I do plan to re-read Watchmen again this fall, just to try to connect some of the dots. In fact, I'm starting it this afternoon.
The Art of Fielding: A Novel by Chad Harbach. I really enjoyed this novel, but the ending wrapped up a little too cleanly and conveniently for my tastes. You kind of know what to expect from the last third of the book on to the end, and that's a little disappointing. What I can say though is that I enjoyed the story, and I wanted to finish this book whether I knew what was going to happen or not. This was perfect summer reading!
The Queen's Lover: A Novel by Francine Du Plessix Gray, a semi-historical novel about Marie Antoinette and her Swedish lover Axel von Fersen, was something I really thought I'd enjoy since I love historical fiction and more than that I do like a good story about Marie Antoinette. I also thought, hmm, there might be some naughty bits in there! I read the first hundred and fifty pages or so, and then returned it to the library. Why? Well, some of it is a dry history, the naughty bits aren't really naughty (or kind of tastelessly naughty without context). There is also the odd element of memoir by Fersen's sister Sophie. While it does well to capture most of Axel's story, even the bits about the American Revolution, I could not stay interested.  

And the "Summer of 100 Books"? That hit a snag about the time we left for our annual beach vacation in mid-August and Stenni didn't want anything to do with anything that wasn't beach- or boardwalk-related. We did slip in a few more fairy tales and I Spy-type books, but nothing to write home about. I'm just glad that we kept it going for as long as we did! But this was a definite mom-fail on my part for not planning a little better, and knowing that my kid's attention span just can't stay on one thing for too long. 

How did your summer reading go? Anything notable, couldn't-put-downable, or chuck-at-a-wallable? Tell me about it!

(Extended) Book Week Kind of Wrap-Up: I have read, I am reading, I will read.

Sorry for the mid-book-week absence. I had a much longer than expected ultrasound on Thursday (no worries; me and the little guy are fine, he was just not feeling cooperative for the sonographer), an up-all-night sicky toddler, and a bit more stuff to do than I had planned on before we left on Saturday for our camping trip (and as you know, there's no phone service or wi-fi anywhere near where we camp...such a blessing!). So I didn't get a chance to relay to you my awesome summer reading plans. Here's what we've got so far:

What I've Read:
 Barefoot Contessa, How Easy Is That?: Fabulous Recipes and Easy Tips by Ina Garten...In short, not as easy as I'd like it to be. The tips were ok, if a little obvious (only a few were truly clever and none mind-blowing), but the recipes were somewhat complicated for a woman with a toddler hanging off her leg and 15 minutes to make dinner. I wanted to like this book because I really like Ina Garten (and the book was even a WNYC member gift this year during their pledge drive!) but unfortunately, I didn't get terribly much out of it.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain I don't like Ernest Hemingway. I don't like him or his writing, despite what my husband or my freshman creative writing teacher think (I distinctly remember almost being thrown out of class for never having read Hemingway by my freshman year of college. By now I have; I don't think I missed out on too much). Now I know that this novel hovers around the "historical fiction" genre, but it's based on fact, and it gave me more of a reason to believe that I've always been right about the man, that he was something of a scoundrel. That said, I couldn't put this book down. Hadley Hemingway was such an endearing character that I really wanted her to be happy but obviously knew how the story ended beforehand. If you haven't read this yet, do it now.
Double Delicious!: Good, Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives by Jessica Seinfeld I liked the recipes in this book better than Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious. I'll be making her pumpkin ravioli, cinnamon-maple quinoa, and and butternut tomato soup (def fall recipes though), and the carrot orange popsicles will be a staple in the house throughout the summer. I'm still not sure how I feel about her use of things like all low-fat tub margarine, super-low-fat and/or skim only milk products, and a ton of cooking spray, or how I feel about tricking those in my house into eating healthy, but some of the recipes seem worth a try (I'll stick to those that obviously contain fruits and veggies though, to steer clear of any produce-related feeling of treachery from those I feed).

What I'm Reading:
Homeschooling: Take a Deep Breath- You Can Do This! by Terrie Lynn Bittner I'm still on the cusp of organized homeschooling for Stenni, and I don't know if I can handle it myself. That said, this book gave me a good bit of info that I hadn't run across anywhere else (and admittedly, I thought that I could get almost everything I needed from the library and the internet. Silly V). It answered a lot of practical questions I had about building a curriculum and even what to do when met with resistance (and how to answer snarky questions). I'm glad I found this one and looking forward to finishing it. 
The Art of Fielding: A Novel by Chad Harbach At the urging of hubs and the NPR book review, I finally picked this one up a few days ago and guys...I didn't want to put it down. Not to go camping or hang out with family or even see the sunlight. Like anything worthwhile, it's about life and baseball and the intersection of the two, but so much more than that. It's about the college experience that I didn't have, the hopes and expectations of so many people who are so different and being on the cusp of adulthood and all sorts of things. AND it's really well written. I have read the reviews though, and heard that the last half isn't as great as the first (I don't want to believe it yet, and will tell you soon if it's true or not).  

What I Hope to Read:
The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch by Neil Gaiman I don't know much about this, except that I've never read any Neil Gaiman and everyone says I should. Oh, and it's a graphic novel. I think I'll stick to those for beach reading this year, since I can only sit on the beach for so long and not swim (I really hate sand) and my attention span is really short in bright light. Oh, and the word "nightmarish" keeps coming up in the reviews, and I'd be a liar if I said I didn't kind of dig that.
The Before Watchmen Series (they're pretty much a series of comic books that come before the Watchmen story, chronologically speaking) So when I was in the city in April for a Yankees/Blue Jays game, I stopped at Midtown Comics and picked up one issue from each series of this title (each series is based on a character). I don't know why I did that. I didn't get them in any order, and now I've read from the beginning, middle and end of a few different stories with no idea what happened as a whole. I'd like to read the rest. I should probably re-read Watchmen too, just to be on the safe side.
I like reading comics and graphic novels while I'm pregnant. Right before I found out I was having Stenni a few years ago, I got The Walking Dead Compendium and read it cover to cover while lounging in front of the fireplace. It's just a strange thing that comforts me while pregnant. I can't explain it, but I fully intend to keep doing it. Maybe it just keeps the menfolk around while I chub out (ha, you know, since comic-geek-girls are so well-loved).  

I may also re-read Sin City before the new movie comes out this October (who am I kidding...I totally will!), since I will drag my 9-months-pregant self to see it whether my water breaks in the theater or not.

So what have you been/will you be/are you reading this summer? Anything worth mentioning? Probably not a bunch of comic books, but hey, we can't all have such short attention spans. Stay tuned later this week for the zombie-related book-to-movie review that I know you haven't been waiting for on pins and needles.  

A Literary Aside...

I know I promised to share my own summer reading list today, and I still will...probably tomorrow. But something more important has come to my attention.

Are you familiar with the work of Richard Matheson? You can say no, but you actually mean yes. Sadly for all sci-fi lovers, he passed away on Sunday at the age of 87. Matheson wrote several sci-fi short stories and books, and many of them were adapted for TV and film. He also wrote several well-known episodes of The Twilight Zone (like "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," you know, the one with William Shatner and the monster on the wing of the plane). You may be familiar with I Am Legend (which spawned the dismal Will Smith movie of the same name a few years ago, and a better adaptation called The Omega Man, starring Charleton Heston, in the 70's, with a truly creepy version starring Vincent Price called Last Man on Earth made in the 60's), of maybe Hell House, What Dreams May Come, Stir of Echoes, or the short story "Duel" about a terrifying chase of a motorist by a tractor trailer that was made into a movie in the 70's. His short story "Button, Button" inspired the movie The Box, released a few years ago starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. His "Steel," about a boxer who chooses to battle robots himself while the audience is unaware, recently inspired the Hugh Jackman vehicle Real Steel, which I've got to admit I haven't seen (the Twilight Zone episode was good enough for me). He has inspired countless authors, screenwriters, and directors. We wouldn't have the zombie genre if he hadn't inspired George A. Romero, who wrote and directed the original Night of the Living Dead.
So when you think about it, we as a society wouldn't have nearly as many fears and phobias without the persistent creepiness of Matheson's tales for the past half a century plus. He was a wonderful storyteller and he will be missed, though I'm sure that his influence will continue to live on for generations.

how's your summer reading going?

i haven't read nearly as much as i planned to this summer. i packed like 5 books for vacation, and then i didn't read any of them. but i have read a few, including:
the map of love by ahdaf soueif. it follows two women about a century apart from one another as they travel to egypt and embark on love affairs and adventures. the beginning was a little slow, the middle was wonderful, and then i wished it would never end. i wish that i knew more about politics in the middle east, because i feel like i certainly would have gotten more out of the novel that way.
the road by cormac mccarthy. this was a great book and generally i love reading about the "post-apocalyptic" world but this was a little too dark for me. it follows a man and his young son as they travel through what's left of the U.S. on a road bound for the coast. the story is really about the father's love for and duty to the son until the bitter end. you know what's coming the whole time but you keep reading anyway, and i guess that's the point. i sobbed like a little girl at the end, then wanted to throw myself in front of a bus. do i regret reading it? not one bit.
and then i read some cookbooks and whatnot. but nothing else of note. but i've fallen in love with the npr books website, which has given me a ton of books to think about reading. hubs tells me i need to read some more sci-fi, and that somehow sci-fi is less geeky than historical fiction, but i'm not so sure. i've still got to catch up on the latest walking dead!