Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You by Peter Cameron

A few people recommended Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You to me. I think Peter Cameron did a great job with his material. The voice the novel is written in is very believable, and I really liked the narrative.

I just wish I liked it more. I should have known better when James Howe, and a friend of mine mentioned the book in the same sentence with The Catcher in the Rye. I have no patience for The Catcher in the Rye, and usually don't have patience for books that are similar. I will say this, of the few books in this vein that I've read, I liked this one much more than other. This one wasn't a chore to read like The Perks of Being a Wallflower was.

Saying it wasn't a chore to finish makes it sound like I hated it. I didn't. I liked it, I just don't think it's something that will stay with me very long, or that I would pick up again.

The biggest issue I probably had is that James was all problems and issues. I didn't see any growth in his character at all. What probably would have been the most interesting part of the book for me was missing. I would have liked to see what happened in the middle of the last chapter. Instead, the book just sort of ends and we get a quick glimpse at the future.

For me, it wasn't exactly clear why James was such a misfit. I didn't really see where his issues were coming from, and just saw excuses. I'm probably not being fair. I'm sure I was the same when I was 17 and 18. I just don't seem to connect to the "aimless and miserable for no apparent reason" characters at all.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I have to admit, it seems a little silly for me to be writing a review on Pride and Prejudice. it's Pride and Prejudice. It's a beloved classic. It's story has continued to spawn sequels, numerous TV and Film adaptations, zombie mashups, and more.

This was my first time reading any Jane Austen. Despite owning a fair share of them, my reading history is severely lacking in the classics. I pick them up when I find them in used book stores for cheap, and always say I'll get around to reading them. That's why this year I've decided to challenge myself. I'm going to make 1 of every 4 books I read a classic.

It wasn't until after I finished the book that I really loved it. I enjoyed reading it, and I was glad I was reading it. I just didn't love it. It probably doesn't help that most Victorian Lit that I like and typically read is more on the Sensation Novel side of the Victorian Lit spectrum. I love Wilkie Collins and Mary Elizabeth Braddon. There's a lot of twists and turns in those books to keep you reading, not so much in Pride and Prejudice.

Jane Austen had a way with witty, passive-agressive dialogue though. I was actually hoping there was more dialogue because that's what I really loved. When Mr. Collins basically tells Elizabeth that she doesn't have to worry about dressing up because Lady Catherine wouldn't expect her to be in nice clothes anyway? That's comedy gold! I was also really, REALLY hoping for Elizabeth and Lady Catherine were going to get into a cat fight. Their verbal assault on each other over Mr. Darcy's hand in marriage was by far my favorite thing in the whole book.

Most of the characters infuriated me. I'm thinking that was probably the intention. The only one who didn't was Jane (was that intentional?). They were all so critical of each other, and so quick to point out pride in others while quick to ignore it in themselves. I especially loved how Mr. Bennett somehow thought Elizabeth was less frivolous than his other daughters. Really, it was just less obvious because she wasn't out chasing soldiers down the street.

I did find it interesting that you can easily see shades of Mr. Darcy in Edward Cullen. He's surely, anti-social and just a little creepy at the beginning of the book. It's clear that Stephenie Meyer was a big fan of Pride and Prejudice. I enjoy that kind of literary archaeology. It's always interesting to see where people get ideas and inspiration from, even if it might be completely intentional. (Sorry to throw some Twilight in there, but I couldn't help noticing how obvious it was.)

Publishers have recently started publishing classics with covers inspired by the Twilight Saga. On the Pride and Prejudice edition the tag line is "The love that started it all." It seems like that completely misses the point. I didn't see a real love story in Pride and Prejudice at all, except maybe between Jane and Mr. Bingley. To me, Pride and Prejudice was more a commentary on marriage, and how frivolous all these ladies were. Of course, I freely admit that the marriage commentary could completely be me projecting my own issues onto the book (which is part of the beauty of literature).

I'm looking forward to reading more Austen. I'll tackle a different author for my next classic, but the rest of Austen's work will be something I return to soon.

Bookcases

Here are a few of my favorite quotes about books...

"The truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more."
- Gabriel Zaid

"The buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching for infinity"
- A. Edward Norton

"All the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal. With each passing year, and with each whimsical purchase, our libraries have become more and more able to articulate who we are, whether we read the books or not."
- Nick Hornby

I've been working in a bookstore for over 6 years, so I tend to accumulate a LOT of books. We moved into our home in April, and since then have acquired 3 more bookcases to hold them all. I finally got around to unpacking the last of the books today. Here's a quick look at our bookcases. (for some reason some of the pictures are getting cropped when I post them, if you click on them it should show you the full picture)

This case is upstairs in the master bedroom. It holds all of my boyfriend's Terry Pratchett, Wheel of Time, and Harry Potter books. The Amelia Peabody series books by Elizabeth Peters belong to both of us, they're one of the few things that we both enjoy together. Also on this case are all of my old Daphne Du Maurier, Wilkie Collins, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, and Henry Bellamann books.

These two white cases are the new additions. They're downstairs in the guest bedroom. Housed on these cases is all of our non-fiction. It's mostly all my biographies and his history books. (click the pic to see the full version)

(click the pic to see the full version)

Finally, we have the four bookcases in the office/computer room/library. This holds everything else. These cases are a mixture of his books and mine. Most of the stuff on them is mine, but when you look closely you can tell what's his. The Dragonlance, and Orson Scott Card are his. The Zora Neale Hurston, urban fantasy, and OC novelizations are all mine

Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford

Michael Thomas Ford is a very, very funny guy. His nonfiction collects had me in stitches the whole time I read them. He's also a great novelist. While there's humor in his novels, I don't think they really show the reader just what a funny guy he is.

Luckily, Jane Bites Back totally solves that issue. The premise of the book is simple. Jane Austen is a vampire, and she runs a bookstore. While she watches the world embrace her novels and their spin-offs she has an unpublished manuscript that she can't get published.

When I say this book is hilarious, that doesn't even begin to cover it. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I spent an entire evening in bed reading and laughing out loud. I don't remember the last time I laughed that much while reading a book. My boyfriend was downstairs on the couch watching Lost and called up the stairs to shush me a few times.

As with Ford's other novels, the characters really shine here. Jane, while a vampire, still lives a pretty fairly normal life. It's endearing to see Jane Austen cast in the role of insecure novelist. She's completely clueless as to how modern publishing works. Ford does a perfect job of casting her as slightly vulnerable, but completely able to take care of herself.

I absolutely loved Lucy, Jane's spunky bookstore assistant. Her love for all things Austen, including Jane Austen finger puppets really captured the public's love for Austen. Throughout the whole book, Ford perfectly straddles the line of making fun of all the Austen spin-offs, sequels, and mash-ups while also fully acknowledging that he's writing one himself.

Michael Thomas Ford has done more than just write a sequel, or throw a zombie plot into the middle of a Jane Austen book. He's really created a new world that compliments Jane Austen's actually world, and gives her some new depth. He approaches the material with a lot of respect for Austen, and you definitely feel that coming through in his pages.

I don't want to spoil it because it was one of my favorite parts of the whole book, but the creative way that Ford tackles the age old Bronte vs. Austen debate was the most clever thing I've read in a long time. It still makes me giggle thinking about it now.

While reading Jane Bites Back, you'll definitely get a sense of Jane Austen as a real person, and you'll love her just as much as you may love the characters she has created. And if you're not well versed in all things Austen? Don't worry. I (to my own embarrassment) have never read a Jane Austen novel, and was able to keep up and enjoy the book. Because of Ford, I'm rectifying that situation immediately and have already started Pride and Prejudice.

If you like vampires, if you like witty authors, or just want to read something really fun, you need to pick up Jane Bites Back.