Esquiress: Atwood April Showers, Thread 4

Hey there, and welcome to April with Esquiress! I'm excited to still be kicking along here in this 75-book challenge.

I've gathered some nice pals throughout the process these past few months, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the year.

April is particularly special to me because I love Margaret Atwood, and it's Atwood April!

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Just FYI:

My Rating System, Explained

5: Awesome read. I loved reading it.
4.5: Really good read. Kept my attention. Had one or two minor things that bugged me.
4: Good read - I liked it. Had some flaws, though.
3.5: Pretty good read, but there were just some things about it that really bugged me.
3: Mediocre read - neither good nor bad.
2.5: Less than mediocre. While there were things I liked, it was hard to finish.
2: Quite flawed. Very hard to finish. Maybe one or two redeeming bits.
1.5: Very flawed. Finished, but just barely.
1: Highly flawed. Dragged self to finish it or just abandoned it. Really didn't like it.

The books that I have read so far are as follows:

Atwood April (participating in one all books encompassing TIOLI challenge)
29. The Penelopiad
28. Life Before Man
27. In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination - e-book
26. Bodily Harm - BOTS, PBS
25. Surfacing - BOTS, PBS
24. Lady Oracle - BOTS, PBS

March (participated in a March TIOLI challenge for every book I read)
23. Nothing Serious - ER
22. Me Talk Pretty One Day - e-book
21. Gertrude and Claudius - BOTS
20. The Round House - e-book
19. The Bean Trees - PBS
18. The Gilded Chamber - BOTS
17. Bimbos of the Death Sun - PBS
16. Approaching the Hunger Games Trilogy: A Literary and Cultural Analysis - ER

February (participated in both Fantasy February and some of the February TIOLI challenges)
15. White Lines - ER
14. The Simultaneous Man - PBS
13. The Woman Who Died a Lot - BOTS
12. The Alloy of Law - BOTS
11. The Knife of Never Letting Go - e-book
10. Graceling - Library
9. Shades of Grey - BOTS

January (was new to the group, so didn't know about TIOLI challenges, or even what TIOLI stood for!)
8. About a Boy - e-book
7. Mania: The Story of the Outraged & Outrageous Lives That Launched a Cultural Revolution - ER
6. Ready Player One - BOTS, SantaThing
5. American Psycho - PBS
4. Eberron Campaign Setting - e-book
3. Complete Arcane - e-book
2. Complete Warrior - e-book
1. The Silver Linings Playbook - e-book

This post is just a place for me to keep track of some things.

Book Bullets Caught in April:
1. My Ideal Bookshelf
2. Warbreaker
3. Jane
4. The Flight of Gemma Hardy
5. Gone to Soldiers
6. Alif the Unseen
7. Lamb
8. The Shipping News
9. Where'd You Go, Bernadette
10. Regeneration
11.

Scarves Knitted in April: 3!

Books Acquired in 2013:
From PBS - 15
Purchase - 5 (3 from PBS Marketplace)
Gift - 1
Early Reviewer - 4

Books "out the door" in 2013 (via PBS): 22

April Plans

TIOLI Challenge #16 - For "Atwood April," read a book by Margaret Atwood

Lady Oracle - read
Life Before Man - read
Surfacing - read
In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination - read
Bodily Harm - read
Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth - saving for AA '14
The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus - read

Reading Now:

Happy Easter, Es!

Thanks, Roni! Man, you are on the ball with first posts!

I found your new thread, Es! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

I am, thanks :) You all are so quick to get here; I hope you don't mind that I've still been gussying things up around here!

Hi Es! Congrats on the new thread! April should be a great reading month. And think of all that prime Atwood to consume. Nice.

Indeed, Mark :) Thanks!

Hi Es, congrats to a new April thread :) I see, that you are in the perfect mood for Atwood April

Looking forward to seeing what you read this month. Happy Reading

Hi Es! Beautiful new thread you have here. Are you seriously only going to read Atwood this month?

Here's to Awesome Atwood April!! Love that you have a scarf counter going, too. What's first up on the list?

*Hugs* Hi Es! :)

>11 drachenbraut23:: Why, thank you, Bianca. I'm rarin' to go with Atwood April :)

>12 Kassilem:: Thanks, Kassilem! It's always nice to have you around.

>13 Dejah_Thoris:: Only Atwood this month. I have several unread novels of hers, and if I manage to plow through those and the two non-fiction, I have some poetry ones that I've never read. I'd say I've read about half of Atwood's books.

>14 Berly:: For scarves, a lovely one out of Starbella Eventide that I started last month and didn't finish. For books, Lady Oracle.

>15 Ape:: *huggles back* Hey, Stevie. I've missed you!

So tonight, my roommate and I watched the film version of Anna Karenina. It was many things, including cinemetographically interesting, not as sordid as it could have been, and better than the book in quite a few ways.

Sorry, folks. Reading the book almost killed me the summer I got my tonsils out (when I was 28 - ouch ouch ouch ouch, don't try it at that age).

17. Don't take your tonsils out or don't read Anna Karenina? Speaking as a 28-year-old, it'd be good to know... ;)

I'm a big Atwood fan, too, Es. I'll be reading Surfacing with you, and I've read enough of Moral Disorder to know it's another Awesome Atwood book!

>18 PawsforThought:: Actually, both :) But my original intention was that one should not get one's tonsils out at such an age. Once you're past about 10, the pain is ridiculous - the older, the worse. I had about four to six weeks of recovery before I was fully able to eat "normally."

>19 Donna828:: Cool beans! I really need to get further into Lady Oracle so I can finish it and get moving onto Surfacing :) When in the month are you planning to read it? Do you have it posted as a shared read in TIOLI challenge #16?

Not yet but I will list it there. I will probably get to it after the middle of the month. I have a few more library books to get through first.

>21 Donna828:: Cool beans :)

Actually, that was a question I am going to ask on the AA thread. How do her earliest books hold up?

I missed the audio book discussion in your earlier thread (too many activities), but wanted to add that I've found that with books I'm having difficulty starting because of style or theme, that if I listen to the first chapters, I'm often hooked into the story. Every so often I get a really great narrator (Tarzan of the Apes in a Libravox (free audio books in the public domain) offering) and it was so marvelous, I've managed to read four or five of the sequels. Sometimes I will listen to the book while following the text online (often Gutenberg), especially if it's a shorter novel. But mostly, I, too, have found that the non-fiction narratives are great audio "reads" for me.

And, *sigh*, another couple of books were added to that neverending TBR list.

Hi Es! Dropping in to say hello! Hope you are well.

*waves hello*

I have zero fear of dentists at all, but the idea of having my throat-area operated on sounds mortifying.

>23 msf59:: Well, Mark, I'm still working on Lady Oracle, her third book, but I absolutely loved The Edible Woman, which was her first. I guess I won't be an authority until I've finished Lady Oracle, Surfacing, Life Before Man, and Bodily Harm this month :)

>24 Prop2gether:: Hm... using audio to hook you into a book. That's something I ne'er thought of! Cool perspective.

>25 TinaV95:: Hey, Tina. I'm doing pretty well. I interviewed for a part-time, temporary library desk position today, and I was recently hired by the PA Renaissance Faire to work in their pub. I feel like those are signs that things are looking up for me!

>26 Dejah_Thoris:: *vigorous wave* How's things, Dejah?

>27 Ape:: Well, I was asleep, so I didn't really notice. :) I did get weird beforehand and asked the workers all these questions about why there were so many people in the room and why the room was so cold. Then I asked the anesthesiologist if he liked his job. I think they were glad to have me out and thus no longer curious about how everything was going to work! My ENT later came in when I was recovering and said that my tonsils had been huge and filled with grit. Good thing they came out! But frack did it HURT getting them out at such an age.

Fully agree with you on the tonsills Es. I was almost 20 when my ones had to be removed and it was absolute horror, what I also find is when I get a sore throat nowadays it appeas to be worse :(.

Well, I am almost finished with my re-read of Anna Karenina and aside from the lengthy discriptions on how to use a plow I am still quite taken with the book. I recently watched the new movie and had quite mixed feelings when watching it.

>29 drachenbraut23:: Oh, woe upon the tonsils indeed :( These days my sore throats aren't nearly as bad, but I drain a lot worse, and that hurts. That school year before they came out, I had tonsillitis 12 times, and it was horrendous. I was miserable.

Oh, those blasted plow descriptions! I was so glad all that shenanigans (which must have been interesting and relevant at the time, but BLECH!) was eliminated from the movie for the most part.

Stylistically, the movie was very intriguing. What were your mixed feelings?

Hey Es.... I think you would like Atonement.... I liked it... but I think I would have like it better if I had waited until this week (spring break) to read it when I had time-a-plenty.... you should give it a try when you get the chance!.... sorry I haven't been by in a while... I will try to keep up but catching up (on everyone's thread) looks too daunting.... Hope all is well and you are having a great time reading!

Hey, lovely! Welcome back :) I'd like to try to get to it some time this year.

I'm doing ok, and of course, since I'm immersed in Atwood, I'm quite happy reading.

I finished my first April scarf tonight, and am about 1/3 of the way through another.

The one I finished is Starbella Eventide, for a woman at my mom's work.



Tomorrow morning (in about 8 hours, actually), I'll be going to a flea market type setting with all of the scarves I currently have done, plus the ones that are in the thrift store where the flea market is going to be. Let's hope I sell some more scarves!

Es, I read Surfacing years ago (like, decades....) and remember loving it. I am joining in Atwood April and might even consider giving that a re-read.

I have also read The Handmaid's Tale a long time ago and maybe Cat's Eye (memory failure....).
I'm definitely planning to read The Blind Assassin and perhaps Alias Grace this month, so we'll see what unfolds. I'm glad we're doing this author focus because even if I don't get around to reading a whole bunch of her works this month, it will jump-start me for some future Atwood reading.

Enjoy!!

Happy scarf-selling, Es! I hope you have a great day.

I hope the scarf selling is great fun today, Es!

Found this link on Mark's (msf59 thread here. I thought it was cool beans :)

http://qwiklit.com/2013/03/21/50-reasons-you-should-be-a-bookworm/

Hey, Ellen: I'm loving Lady Oracle right now. The only re-read I have planned for the month (if I have time, as I'm only nearly finished my first book this month) is The Penelopiad, of which I remember nothing so will probably still count toward my 75. I know way more about Penelope and Odysseus now that I've taught The Odyssey. I heart Atwood...

Hey, rosalita and Dejah - thanks for the well-wishes. I sold nothing and nearly froze to death :) But my fingers are un-numbing as I type on LT, so things are looking up! I'll be going back again either next week or in a few weeks, once things warm up a little bit. There's a church flea market on May 18th that my husband will sell scarves and books at for me too, so I'm hopeful.

Hi, Es. I'm just dropping by - getting back into LT after my Easter break is a bit scary, things move so fast here. Nice scarf up there; hope the May flea market is more profitable for you.

Hey Es! I'm not sure why I keep lapsing out of the conversation! I hope the scarf-selling goes well. :)

Hey, humouress: Welcome back :) I hope so too. Thanks!

Stephen... is it because you don't love me? :(

I finished Lady Oracle today and started Surfacing. Review to come!

Of course I don't not love you! *Hugs*

Oh, good. *huggles back*

I know you're not really into scarves and knitting. Maybe that's what the problem was :)

Review of Lady Oracle:

Lady Oracle bore some similarities to others of Atwood's novels in that the female protagonist is faced with a crisis (or several crises) and has to work her way out of the problem(s). These women vary in personality, of course, and their situations are always unique, but I see that common thread running through the novels of Atwood.

Lady Oracle had two things that I found really fascinating.

One is that it deals with the occult, spirits, astral bodies, and the like. The protagonist of the novel is inspired to write in a new way after attending a chapel with her beloved aunt. This new way of writing kind of weaves itself through the novel, popping up in several places. In addition, the idea that the spirit, or part of it, can separate from the physical body appears several times as well. I felt that this was a unique feature of Lady Oracle, and it helped the title to resonate with me.

The second thing is that this novel bears some similarities to The Blind Assassin in that the protagonist is writing a story that appears at multiple points in the novel. It's not as structured as it is in The Blind Assassin, but I can't help but hope Atwood first germinated the idea of story-within-a-story here in Lady Oracle. As the novel comes closer to the ending, the written words of the protagonist and her actual life begin to merge more and more, and I thought that was quite well done.

There were some bits that were a little slow-going for me (but not *too* slow-going; just a hair), which is why the 4.5 stars instead of the full 5. However, I think this earlier novel of Atwood's definitely holds up against some of her later works with which I am more familiar. I quite enjoyed my reading.

Rating:

TIOLI Challenge: #16 - in honor of "Atwood April," read a book by Margaret Atwood

Book #24

I'm sorry it was a tough selling day - I hope nicer weather or another venue will work out better for you!

I came across my copy of Lady Oracle today and thought of you. I hope you enjoyed it!

ETA: We cross posted - obviously you liked it!

I hope so too. Thanks, Dejah!

I did enjoy it quite. I recommend it!

Yes, I'm liable to go quiet when the conversation turns to knitting, or cooking for that matter. Because I'm liable to impale myself and set fire to the house doing those things.

I'm sorry you didn't sell any scarves, by the way (not sure how I missed that earlier.) Obviously people have no taste there, sheesh. ;)

>48 Ape:: I'm sorry that we've been a bit focused on the knitting lately then :( It's true... the few customers who stopped by obviously had no taste!

I think you have so little faith in yourself. You can't truly impale yourself with knitting needles - too blunt. If I could drive all the way to Ohio (oh, how I wish), I'd teach you to cook... among other things :)

Are you reading any Atwood this month?

Hi Es. Now that you're on your fourth thread I'm finally delurking to say I enjoyed your review of Lady Oracle. I've read and loved most of Atwood's more recent novels and I'm hoping to read Cat's Eye this month.

Also sorry to hear you didn't manage to sell any scarves :-(

Hey there, soul! :) Thank you - I tried out some of my points and ideas on the hubs before I actually wrote the review; normally I don't talk about the book before I write the review. I wonder if the pre-talk did anything to help me solidify my review.

Oh, Cat's Eye! I loved that one!

I'll eventually sell some to more than just the ladies at my mom's work :)

49: Maybe I meant that I would impale myself cooking and set my house on fire knitting. Yeah, definitely! :P

I don't have any plans to read Atwood, but that could change. I'm in the middle of a 700 pager that will probably take another week to finish, and I have an Early Reviewer book on the way, so I'm not sure if I'll have any time. We'll see?

>52 Ape:: We'll see? Pish posh, the ER can wait a week or two :) The Handmaid's Tale is my favorite, but I can't not recommend The Blind Assassin too, which weaves together some really cool multigenre stuff. However, I haven't met an Atwood book I didn't like so far, so I might be a little biased.

I can see impaling yourself cooking (I've practically done so trying to clean knives), but setting the house on fire knitting? That's just crazy talk. Not enough friction from the needles even for a small campfire.

Gee, Esqrs, you are smoking through the Atwoods! I haven't read any of the very early ones although I have them and hope to. You will maybe inspire me. I do really, really agree with you about *Assassin*, my very least favorite of those I've read so far.
Keep knitting!

I read The Handmaid's Tale earlier this year and loved it! I gave it 5 stars in fact, it was great.

Also, never underestimate a young single man's ability to create friction with oblong objects in his hands. :P

*snicker*

Tempting you? I was WARNING you. I'm a safety hazard...I mean, that amount of friction could totally, like, set the drapes on fire or something. :P

I just finished Surfacing tonight. Review will be posted... either tonight or tomorrow :) On to Bodily Harm!

Review of Surfacing:

As a huge Atwood fan, I've really been meaning to get to her older fare, having read most of her newer novels and short fiction; I'm a bit lacking in the poetry and non-fiction departments of her work as well. Surfacing is definitely an older novel of hers, so I was very eager to get into it.

While reading Surfacing, I kept a close eye out for mentions of things that surface in a variety of ways, and I was not disappointed by this avenue of looking into the work. The word "surface" comes up several times, and as most of the action takes place near a lake, many things "surface" - the protagonist's brother and father, for one, plus fish and the like. Several things also surface metaphorically - secrets about the other couple staying at the cabin with them, latent feelings, personal secrets about the protagonist herself, jealousy, and so on. In fact, the protagonist talks about the head being separate from the body - separated by the neck - and having a life of its own. At one point in the novel, she plunges her head underwater, and I thought about the head surfacing first, then the rest of her. There's a lot of underwater, plunging, and diving going on throughout the novel too. I found my paying attention to the title to be very satisfying as I read.

However, the ending was weird. I think the protagonist was hallucinating or trying to get back to the primal or something, but it was just plain weird and inexplicable. I've run into the weird and inexplicable endings with Atwood before, and I hate feeling like I'm missing something importantly metaphorical or symbolic, which I'm certain I did here. Ah, well. Perhaps I will find a kind soul who will explain what in the Dickens was going on in the last few chapters, and then I'll feel better.

The prose was lovely throughout the book. I noticed longer sentences, almost run-ons, which were not present in Lady Oracle, my most recent Atwood read. I wondered at this as I read. The protagonist is an artist, and I posited that perhaps the style was meant to flow more around the protagonist's own artistic stylings.

In all, I appreciated the read, though I was disappointed with the ending, I have to say. It wouldn't stop me from recommending the book, however.

Rating:

TIOLI Challenge: #16 - in honor of "Atwood April," read a book by Margaret Atwood

Book #25 - 1/3 of the way to 75!

Love the bookworm site you posted... Had to post / share to Facebook!

Hey, Tina. I can't take credit for it, though. Mark is the one who found it and posted it first :)

Hi Es, I've been enjoying reading about your enthusiasm for Margaret Atwood. I am planning on reading Alias Grace for Atwood April, but I have to admit I have always avoided this author. I tried one of her books years ago, in fact, it may have been Surfacing and didn't like it at all. I am hoping a different book and my much more mature attitude will allow me to enjoy her writing now.

I've only read a few Atwoods, so I'm very much looking forward to reading your reviews as you work your way through her oeuvre this month. :-)

>64 DeltaQueen50:: Hey, Delta. Yeah, if going for one of her older books, I'd go for Lady Oracle WAY before Surfacing. We'll see how Bodily Harm works out for me. Alias Grace has a lot of avid ravers; while it wasn't one of my favorites, that doesn't mean it wasn't good!

>65 rosalita:: Why thank you, rosalita! I hope my reviews come up to snuff :)

Hi Es- Good review of Surfacing. I am really enjoying the thoughts about these early Atwood works. I am always curious to see how an author evolves. I wish The blind Assassin was more satisfying. I did like it and her writing is always a joy to read, it just didn't come together, the way I hoped it would.

>67 msf59:: It'd odd to see such mixed reviews of a real favorite of mine. I thought it all pulled together quite nicely but not too conveniently. Ah, well. To each his own :)

Thanks, btw. I'm really liking reading her early works.

*grumble* I'm a grump bucket this morning. Going to try to get some more sleep before the day starts in earnest. *further grumble*

*Gives Es de-grumpifying hugs*

Thanks, Stephen. I'm less grumpy now.

I'm glad. :)

Good. I like a happy Stephen around my thread :)

A happy Stephen is a rare Stephen. Quick! Douse him in perservatives and stuff him in a jar, so we can have some for later!

Why so rare?

I'm an eternal pessimist? :)

Me too, but only when it comes to myself, not other people.

Oh, I hate pretty much everybody, except book readers. I guess that makes me a prejudice bastard too. :)

So since I read books, I'm ok? :)

I'm about halfway through (well, slightly less than half) Bodily Harm, and I'm enjoying it so far. Similar independent female character as protagonist, which probably could get old if Atwood weren't so diverse.

80: Absolutely! :)

Hi Es,

sorry to hear that your scarf selling didn't work out that well :( Maybe, at another time :).

Enjoyed your reviews on the Atwood books and just started myself on The Handmaid's Tale.

Wish you a great weekend!

I think my Atwoods this month will end up being Alias Grace and The Blind Assassin.

>82 Ape:: Oh, good. I was worried there for a minute.

>83 drachenbraut23:: Thanks, gal! We have a flea market in May, so I'm hoping things will sell then :) Oh, I just love The Handmaid's Tale. Love.

>84 EBT1002:: Both excellent choices! I hope I can finish Bodily Harm soon and get onto my next book.

You should be more worried that I like you, that's rarely a good thing. *Builds Esquiress-shaped cake and licks off the icing*

>86 Ape:: How can you do that when you have no idea what I look like? :P

That's not the point! You taste like chocolate! And improperly-cooked cake.

>88 Ape:: Excellent. No strawberries, though? :(

No cake should be spoiled with strawberries! Unless it's artificially-flavored strawberry cake mix. :D

Well, you said you lick anything that tastes like strawberries, so I was curious.

Oh, I would definitely lick a strawberry-topped cake, but I would not have a hand in its foul creation.

Why not?

Because they are an affront to everything cakes stand for! That being...deliciousness! Although, don't get me wrong, pineapple upside down cake is the Ultimate Evil. *Shudders*

I love fruit, but not on cakes.

Oh, ok. That makes sense.

So... an update. I'm still only halfway through Bodily Harm, not because I don't like it but because I just haven't been able to carve out reading time. Things have been busy.

Let's see. I think we know that I got a job serving in the pub at the PA Renaissance Faire. There are events there all year long, in addition to the August-October Faire season. So I actually am starting work this Thursday-Sunday, and I'm nervous as heck. I haven't served for a while, and I just don't know what to expect from everything.

So there's that, plus my chiropractor sent me to the personal trainer at the place I go since my car accident. Now I'm doing personal training twice a week for an hour, plus am required to do an hour of cardio every day of the week and track everything I eat. I guess it's campaign weight loss for Es now too :) I'm in my second week of that; I'll probably keep going to the gym even once the six weeks of training are up. I know it's good for me, but it's hard to get motivated.

I'm wrapping up the end of the choir season with the choral society I'm part of as well, so there's lots of rehearsing, and I have a vocal review tomorrow night, for which I'm terribly nervous. I just know he's going to have me sing the hardest part of the one song that my hospitalization got in the way of good rehearsal of. Ugh.

I generally have a lot of appointments to follow up on my treatment from the last two times I was hospitalized, and I'm going through some... other rough things that are part of the reason I don't share my real name much.

All that's been getting in the way of my reading, plus Friday night we went to a concert (awesome!), and Saturday almost all day we were at a 1st birthday party for our close friends' child. Hanging out afterwards pretty much killed the day, and I tend to sleep in on the weekends whenever I can.

Let's see. Two weeks ago, I had an interview at the local library for a part-time, temporary position, but I didn't get that (bummer). I've been trying to find non-pub work, but things haven't been looking that great on that front.

Well... that's my life in a nutshell right now. I'm about halfway done only my third book of the month and second scarf of the month. But I get plenty of sleep :D

Oh, and, Stephen, if you like cake, you should read Atwood's The Edible Woman. You'd love the climactic moment.

Hi, Es; checking in. Your life sounds quite full and exciting at the moment! Me, I have boring stuff that cuts into my reading time - ferrying the kids around etc (though I use the time while I'm waiting for their classes to run as reading time), ironing and so on.

By the way, do you prefer Es or Esquiress (which fits in with my preferred high fantasy and sounds quite elegant)?

ETA: If it helps, you could join us on the 'Lose 20lbs while reading' thread. Mutual support is always good.

ETA: for Stephen:

Hey, sista! Full, yes; exciting... only sometimes :)

I prefer whichever you prefer! I love my username and will take it any way I get it :D

I definitely don't have a reliable scale at home. If I get one, then I will join up to get some support. I did some reading of Bodily Harm while at the gym tonight. It did help the time go by more quickly, thank heavens.

That picture, on my screen, is very turquoise. Is that the way it's supposed to look, or is something wrong on my end? BTW, anything to torment Stephen is good in my book :)

Turquoise? How odd! It's all reds and creams on my screen. I think we need a third opinion. If anyone else has a problem with it, I'll re-post it.

The picture is in normal colors for me, Nina.

Here's the first installment of your retainer fee, Es.

Oh, a sweet kitty made of chocolate! I love it!

ETA: I wonder why mine comes up turquoise. So. Weird.

The picture in post 98 is very turquoise when I load the page as well and doesn't look quite right. I can make out the fork and the tops of the strawberries but everything else is ghosty turquoise.

98: Oh, yuck! Actually, that looks a million times better than the Pineapple upside-down cake I had, it didn't even have icing! It was just cake with huge pineapple splices baked into the top (or, errr, bottom?) of it. That looks marginally better, but still icky.

Review of Bodily Harm:

I found Bodily Harm to be really interesting, though at some points slow-moving. It was the first Atwood that I had read that blatantly had local politics at his core and really emphasized it. That is not to say that any of her other works don't have politics in them; it's just that this one had small-island politics and revolution at its core.

At first I thought it was another identity-crisis novel, but this had so much more to it. Yes, Renni was having a bit of a crisis, but then she found herself intertwined in the local politics of a small set of islands she was supposed to be writing a travel piece on. It was really interesting to see how it unfolded, especially as the novel drew to a close.

I was very interested in the changes of verb tense throughout the different portions of the novel. Also, the novel was broken into parts rather than chapters. I'm not quite sure why the distant past of Renni's life was in present tense, the closer past was in past tense, the current story was in present, and the ending was in future tense. It definitely helped me differentiate among the different threads of the story that was being woven.

Stylistically, the novel used a lot of dialogue, and the sentences were easy to follow and relatively short. The locals' version of English was very distinct, and I thought it came across well.

I would rank this early novel between Lady Oracle and Surfacing, with Lady Oracle above. I'd definitely recommend it.

Rating:

TIOLI Challenge: #16 - in honor of "Atwood April," read a book by Margaret Atwood

Book #26

How odd that some people get a turquoise version, and some don't. Is this one better? (Not that I intend to take over Esquiress's thread with pictures of fruit cakes)


>101 ronincats:: That retainer fee looks yummy; can I be on retainer, too, please?

>106 humouress: The first one was turquoise, but that one is better. Looks delicious!

*waves* Hi, Es! Just catching up on threads. Hope your weekend is a relaxing one. :)

I love Atwood, but I haven't read Surfacing or Lady Oracle. Both go on the list!

>106 humouress:: That cake is colored perfectly and looks quite yummy :) I'm on retainer for boosting Roni's ego because she's so amazing. Maybe you can be too!

>107 bell7:: Hey, girl! *waves* I hope yours is relaxing as well. I think mine's shaping up to give me some reading and cleaning time, both of which I desperately need!

>108 Tanglewood:: Atwood is amazing. Just a head's up - Surfacing has a... weird ending.

Sorry to hear things are so busy for you at the moment Es but great review of Bodily Harm. I'm ashamed to say that I still haven't managed to read any Atwood so far this month. Hopefully I will still manage to squeeze something in...

I'm dithering over whether or not I will be able to finish all I planned for this month. I'm reading a fiction and a non-fiction of hers right now, and I still have another fiction and non-fiction planned. Sigh. Oh, how the days pass us by so quickly :)

Go for it, Es!

You're fantastic, Roni :)

Mmmm, cream cake with fruit and chocolates, your thread is full of good things to eat, Es!

>114 DeltaQueen50:: Yes, and apparently, according to Ape, I am also good enough to eat :)

My chocolates are courtesy of Roni, as I'm being kept on retainer for ego boosting :D

How have you been, sista?

Hi Esquiress, I'm just stopping by to make some noise. ...you mentioned in Bianca's thread how quiet it is on LT right now. You still might reach 200 posts - at least this is one more. :D Have a nice week!

Thanks, pal :) It really is eerily quiet. I hope your week is lovely, dear one.

first one was turquoise for me as well, but the second pic --- YUM!!

#96 - Boo. Sounds like you've had a rough go lately. (((hugs))) to you. Wish I knew how to make little hearts and I'd put some of those in here too... Just imagine *heart* *heart* *heart*

:D Tina, you're so sweet.

I've found if I make the little less-than-three hearts, it gets cut off here on LT (I think the site thinks I'm trying to write HTML with the sideways caret).

Does anyone else know anything about heart-making on LT?

(((hugs))) back. You need them more than I do, sista! :)

First picture: turqoise with a few faintly peachy blobs. What was it supposed to be again?
Second picture: strawberries and pineapple slices --- you know, I think I'm with Stephen unless the only cake going is one with fruit. On the other hand, my grandmama made pineapple upside down cake, and the caramely goo around the pineapple slices was awesome.
I didn't even know that Atwood had written a book named Bodily Harm. I do love LT.
AND --- Esqrs, you have a lot going on, it seems to me. Hope hanging out here with people who value you is a stress-buster.

To make hearts use & + hearts (spelled out) + ; Omit the +s....

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (Those are for you, ma'am.)

Ohhh, thanks! I've seen those but wasn't sure how to make them. ♥? :)

Ah, so that's pretty simple, in other words, it's:

&hearts:

But switch : with ;

>120 LizzieD:: Yeah, it's hard for me to find people to talk about my books with, because none of the people in my life read the same things I do. Being on here is good for me, I think, in that I get to commune with great minds :)

Like minds who show me how to make hearts! Thank you!

>121 Ape:: Tell me that heart's for me, Stephen :)

♥ ♥ ♥ for Tina, Lizzie, and Stephen!

*Licks Esquiress' heart*

Okay, that could be very creepy, if taken out of context. :P

I am not going to lick anything but I am going to say hi and see how you are doing?

>123 Ape:: *licks back*

>124 msf59:: Please don't feel the need to lick anything on my thread if you don't want to :) I'm doing... ok. I am in the midst of two Atwoods and am not sure if I'm going to finish them before the end of the month or not. Ah well. There's always next year (or next month for the two I've started, though I have so many other things I want to read too).

Is this the sweets thread?

***STEPHEN ATE ALL THE COOKIES!***

Stephen, you may lick your screen. Es, you may watch him.

OH MY DELICIOUS!!! *Drools*

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Hi Es, I see that your life isn't as smooth at present either and I sincerly hope that things will be better for you soon. I agree with Peggy. Since I have not been feeling to top notch either for the past few month I feel that LT does help to give me stress free and enjoable boosts. I hope that will apply to you as well.

Yes, and I agree with you it does appear that it has been very quiet lately. Which is absolutely great for me, as it makes it so much easier to catch up on the threads. :)

However, I forgot to ask how your knitting is going?

Ahem, I also just remembered to remind you that you should indeed get The Night Circus as an audiobook it is absolutely wonderful.

>126 UnrulySun:: YUM!

>127 Ape:: *wipes up the drool from the floor, begrudgingly*

>128 norabelle414:: ♥s for me or for the chocolate or for both? :)

>129 drachenbraut23:-132: You are so cute with your multiple posts :)

Yeah, things are a little rough for me at the moment, but LT gives me an upper, something to look forward to every day. Even if I'm not finishing as many books as I'd like at the present time. Here's to hoping that both of our lives start looking up soon!

It does make it easier, especially with people like Mark and Paul!

I am almost finished a really pretty white scarf with silver edging. I just want it a bit longer. I haven't knitted since Sunday, though. I tend to do it while doing other things, like playing D&D or watching a movie; we watched Safety Not Guaranteed Sunday, and it was really fun. I haven't sold anymore recently, but there's a flea market on May 18 that we'll be selling at, so I want to get more done for that!

I will see if my library has it as an audiobook. There's going to be a book discussion on it coming up, and I want to read it before that so I can go to the discussion.

Girl, your posts made my day :D

*experimenting*
♥

Okay! Got it.

 ♥♥  ♥♥
♥   ♥   ♥
 ♥      ♥
    ♥ ♥
     ♥

OOOOOOOOOh how do you make the hearts? I want them as well.

>134 humouress:: So. Cute.

>135 drachenbraut23:: &hearts: (substitute a semicolon for the colon) ♥ voila!

Hi Es- Yes, LT can be very therapeutic. Lots of positive vibes floating around. That's why I don't think negative people, (yes, there has been a few) last very long around here. Sorry you are feeling a bit down. Take 2 LTs and see me in the morning.

Take 2 LTs and see me in the morning.

Will do, doc :)

I find the people around here whose threads I've been following to be good, honest, and hardworking folks. It's nice to be surrounded by people who remain positive most of the time.

Es,
I'm a million miles behind, but loving Alias Grace.

alt-3 on the number pad works too. :) ♥

More positive vibes headed your way! I too find most of our fellow LTers to be upbeat and positive, even when life sucks.

**sorry about the big cookie picture Stephen. I'm sure you've cached it already but I'll take it out just in case. Everyone else's pics are so small... **

Cookie pictures are always welcome! :)

>139 EBT1002:: E, I'm glad you're enjoying Alias Grace!

>140 UnrulySun:: Sweet, thanks! I hate seeming like a Debbie Downer, though, so I try to keep it upbeat still.

>141 Ape:: I agree.

*waving* Hello

Hey there! Long time no see! How've you been?

Busy with schoolwork, but now I have a break for a while - thank goodness!

Breaks from schoolwork are always welcome, as are breaks from housework, which never seem to happen :)

Housework? That word is not in my vocabulary!

Apparently, from the looks of things, it isn't in mine either... :)

Too much reading to be done anyway.

Agreed!

6 days to get to 200 posts. 50 posts to go? No problem!

*Licks Esquiress' post count* There, it's bigger now.

>150 humouress:: I hope so, humouress :)

>151 Ape:: Wait... things get bigger after Stephen licks them?

Okay, maybe I'm confused about how all this works... :P

I finished In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination in the wee hours of the morning - about 12:30am US EST. Review to come some time today, probably.

Stephen sure does a lot of licking around here.... I'm so behind I don't even no why.... but at least he's good for a little laugh here and there!.... LT always makes me smile... wish I could get on more often then I do right now.... housework- a word that is slowly finding it's way into my vocab... as I try to convince my husband that when I was a stay home mom our house never looked as crappy as it does now.... BIG SMILES :) from me....

#154: Looking forward to that review! The book sounds right up my alley.

thought of you and stephen and retainer fees when I saw this! ...

More lickin'? Wow, that's a lot of spit. I learned from Gulp that the body produces 2-3 pints a day. At least Stephen won't dehydrate.
Hope you had a good day, Es.

>155 lovelyluck:: He does, doesn't he? :) LT is a nice getaway. Oh, housework. Pshaw. Who needs it?

>156 alcottacre:: I'll get on it :)

>157 lovelyluck:: It's perfect!

>158 msf59:: Yeah, I guess things around here are pretty tasty! Way to put your knowledge to work there, Mark. I did have a good day. I hope you did too, and a good one tomorrow as well.

I wonder what Roach would think about that baby and all that chocolate?

>159 Esquiress:: Oh dear. I have no idea, as all the talk has been my first introduction to her. BTW, what should be my first work by her?

Review of In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination:

In Other Worlds was my first true foray into Atwood's non-fiction. I've browsed some of her essays that I've come across, but not an entire book. I was very impressed at the level of academic knowledge Atwood has, and how uniquely she views the terms "science fiction," "speculative fiction," "fantasy," etc.

Ursula K. le Guin once said that Atwood didn't want any of her work labeled "science fiction," but that isn't entirely true. The two women later had a discussion and realized their working definitions of "science fiction" and "speculative fiction" were sort of overlapping. I think that's why Atwood uses "SF" in the title rather than something written out. She talks extensively about the use of the terminology in one section of the book.

Another term that Atwood uses when talking about utopias/dystopias is "ustopia." Each utopia or dystopia contains the seeds of its opposite, therefore necessitating a combined term, in Atwood's opinion. She talked a lot about the terms and what they mean and evoke, and how they've been viewed in various novels, including hers.

A portion of the book is book reviews or essays about various books that seem to fall into the SF category in one way or the other. She discusses these books at length and their ramifications.

I this book to be fascinating and intellectually rewarding. Some of the essays I did not find relevant to me, however, hence not having five stars.

Rating:

TIOLI Challenge: #16 - in honor of "Atwood April," read a book by Margaret Atwood

Book #27

Good review of In Other Worlds. I wasn't even familiar with that one. Is there anything this woman can't do?
My favorite Mary Roach is Packing for Mars but they've all been good.

That's the one I put on my wishlist, Packing for Mars.

Mary Roach is the best! *Sighs lovingly* I desperately want to read Gulp. The last time I checked, my library didn't have a copy, and I have an ER book to read anyway, so I guess I'm going to have to wait awhile. *Pout*

I'm 68th in line at the library but they have 47 copies of Gulp so it shouldn't be too much longer.

>165 Ape:: I know you're a big fan, Stephen. Can't you put in an inter-library loan request? Aw, he's pouting...

>166 Morphidae:: 47 copies?! Is that among all the local libraries, or just yours?

You mean...talk to a librarian? *Gulp*

Now what? You've talked to Game Stop girl! Why are librarians so scary? Because they just happen to be an extraordinary species of awesome?

Yes!! I wilt under their piercing, intellectual gazes. That's pefectly reasonable, don't you think?

The Year of the Flood has been so enjoyable! Is this woman have an incredible imagination or what? And what a sly sense of humor.

>170 Ape:: Not reasonable at all.

>171 msf59:: Isn't it fantastic? She is just great.

Wow. April has been a heavy book bullet month. 9 bullets, and the month isn't quite over!

♥ ♥ ♥

Hi Es- Every month is "heavy book bullet month" around these parts! Have a good Friday.

Huzzah for Friday! We'll possibly be playing D&D tonight. That makes me smile.

Thanks for the ♥s, Tina. We're all thinking of you!

You're right, Mark, but I've not had a "9-bullet" month yet! At least not that I noticed. Maybe I was just so busy putting things on my wishlist that I forgot to keep track :)

>166 Morphidae: That's among all the local libraries. We have a very large library system.

>177 Morphidae:: Gotcha.

Es- I try not to count the book bullets. Don't want to know, just keep stock-piling.

>173 Esquiress: that is a hard hitting total! How comforting and stressful and wonderful and anxiety-inducing to have so many on your TBR pile. Ah- a complicated thing, is a book addiction.

Avoiding carefully the licking, lapping tongues, nudging against the preponderance of hearts and eschewing the bullets to wish you a wonderful weekend Es.

>179 msf59:: You're right, I should just add them to my wishlist instead of listing them on my thread :)

>180 LovingLit:: Oh, such a complicated thing.

>181 PaulCranswick:: Why thank you, Paul, my dear :) Sorry there is so much to dodge around here, especially the tongues! It feels like Stephen's thread or something!

Last night, I got to be with some friends of ours to play Dungeons and Dragons, and I brought my knitting, of course. Turns out, I was able to finish a scarf that had been sitting dormant for weeks and knit an entire other one. I should've brought a third skein or Life Before Man, because I had plenty of time to twiddle my thumbs after I finished the second scarf.

Here's the second one I finished last night.


I'll post the other one, a gorgeous white with silver, when it finally comes from my phone to my e-mail :)

*Licks Esquiress' knitting utensils*

eewwwww! that's gross.... I hate wet knitting needles..... LOL utensils

>184 Ape:: *pats Stephen on the head and offers him a treat instead*

>185 lovelyluck:: What if he wasn't talking about the needles? Oh, jeepers... that would just leave my hands! Weird... :)

*Licks the hand that is holding the treat*

What if the treat is tastier than my hand, hm? :)

Here is the picture of the other scarf I finished last night:



I love the Starbella Flash yarn!

Oh, and I'm excited that I've started to do some editing around here at LT, and I've already gotten three badges to prove it! Woohoo :D

what if the treat is chocolate and has melted onto your hands.... then maybe he would lick them both and clean them up for you before you start your next scarf... but it's still kinda weird.... I think I got licked last time I posted on stephen's thread too... it tickles LOL

>190 lovelyluck:: *giggle*

Well hello, Es!

Sorry I haven't been around much - but since you've been over on my thread you know why. I had good intentions about Atwood April, but I think I'm going to close out the month without having read a single one. You, on the other hand, have done an impressive job of rising to the occasion. I bow to your...ermm...Atwoodyness. Or something like that.

I hope your physical therapy and exercising are giving you the results you're looking for - and I'm on the Lose 20lbs While Reading thread, too. I can't say I've lost any weight lately, but I enjoy the company!

So what's with all the licking?

Hey, cupcake!

"Atwoodyness" - I like that word :) Why, thank you! I've loved reading Atwood's old stuff, but I just hope I finish Life Before Man before month's end.

Thanks for the well-wishes. Things seem to be going well so far. I hope they continue to do so. I must say, it's hard to get myself to the gym for an hour of cardio every day!

I have no idea. Stephen licks *everything* :)

Are we certain that Stephen isn't a dog with excellent reading and writing skills? Just asking....although probably not since chocolate is deadly to dogs.

BTW, I don't think you'll have too much trouble hitting 200 for May, Es.

>194 Dejah_Thoris:: I don't know... I'm not certain, myself... I've never met him :) One of my dogs ate chocolate once and didn't die...

You're right, Dej. It always works out that way, doesn't it?

Here's a super secret picture of Stephen that explains everything:

super secret picture of Stephen that explains everything

Haha! You're probably right :)

>196 UnrulySun: LOL.... i love it!....

Well, I'm a man, so I'm sure the dog comment isn't far off. ;)

Morning Es- You were worried about not reaching 200 posts. I think you can put those concerns behind you and focus on something else. LOL. Have a great Sunday.

ETA- Nearly finished with The Year of the Flood. I was waiting for all the characters to finally hook-up and they did. Yah!

now you got 201 woot woot... passed your goal :)

Ah...you make me feel guilty that I STILL have never read a Margaret Atwood book! Bad Hibernator!

>199 Ape:: Yep, so true :)

>200 msf59:: True enough indeed.

Don't you love it when the characters all connect? That's what I loved about Seven Types of Ambiguity - the way the characters come together and interconnect.

>201 lovelyluck:: So true, and still a few days to go!

>202 The_Hibernator:: Don't feel guilty, just make sure you do some day :D She's fantastic.

Bad Hibernator, indeed! We are wrapping up a wonderful Atwood April. Where were you?

Um..well...is "real life" an excuse?

>204 msf59:: No chastising on my thread! Yes, AA has been wonderful, but no calling her "bad" just because she missed it! *tries to glower, but ends up laughing*

>205 The_Hibernator:: YES. Real life is definitely an excuse for not reading something or for missing Atwood April. Hey, I only finished like four books this month (there's a fifth that I'll be durned if I don't finish, though). No one's chastising me :)

Hi Es!
*waves*

Definitely no chastisement allowed!

Have you ever wondered if chastisement and chastity have the same root?

Hi, Es!

>207 EBT1002:: Hey, E! How's it?

>208 ronincats:: More chocolate! Yum! I often wonder about etymology, and that's an interesting one you bring up. I'll have to look it up in my "compact" OED and let you know what language both words come from.

Chocolate....wonderful chocolate....

No trouble getting to 200+ this month I see!

Not if she's got chocolate like that (Congratulations, by the way!); what a cute chocolate mouse.

Atwood is sounding great; obviously one I'll have to look into. Somehow, I assumed she was mainstream literature.

>196 UnrulySun:: That explains ... a lot.

By the way (and you've probably answered this before), how do you knit when you're playing D&D? Not that I do either.

>210 Dejah_Thoris:: Indeeed, Dejah... on both counts!

>211 humouress:: I can't wait to post my last two reviews for Atwood April before we move on to May!

Well, when people are taking their turns in combat, I have some downtime, unless my character is being attacked. Plus, if we're just talking through something, I can do that and knit at the same time.

I used to think D&D looked awesome. Then I realized lots of talking and role-playing was involved. Eeek! I'll stick to Magic: the Gathering, I guess. :P

D&D *is* awesome, Stephen.

I was playfully teasing Hibernator! I hope she knows that and RL is always a perfectly good excuse. Now, Hibernator can be ready for Atwood April 2014! Yah!

Indeed :) I was also teasing.

I'm glad I'll still have some books left to read for AA14. I will be saving poetry, short fiction, and Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth for next year. I do not think I'll be able to wait until next April to read MaddAddam, though.

Hello Es! Goodness, I feel fatter just looking at this page! I think your scarves are a-maz-ing!

>213 Ape:: Too much socialising, Steven? ;0)

Still here, Es? I see you've got your continuation pointer, all ready for your May thread.

I need to get to the last two reviews of April, and then will move on to the May thread :) I've just been all out of sorts the past few days...

Ok, here's the plan. I'm not up to reviewing Life Before Man and The Penelopiad right now. I will post links to those reviews, when I finally get them done, on the May thread, rather than holding everything up until I feel like I can get them done.

I'm going to tidy a few things up around here, then start to fill out the May thread with all those beginning posts :) Give me a few minutes, though.