So a while ago…quite a while ago, Amy from My Friend Amy did a challenge to have various bloggers review one of what Newsweek considered the 50 books of our times, which they defined as “which books—new or old, fiction or nonfiction—open a window on the times we live in, whether they deal directly with the issues of today or simply help us see ourselves in new and surprising ways.”

I was a little late to the party, so some of the books that I might have preferred were already claimed by other bloggers. Frankenstein leapt out at me because it’s a classic, and I figured it would be a good experience no matter what.

I don’t want to get too much into the book, but here’s a couple of things you should know that I didn’t know when I started Frankenstein:

• Frankenstein is not the monster; rather, he is the creator (Victor Frankenstein).
• The story starts out in epistolary form, and later changes to Victor and the monster recounting their portion of the story.

Victor is a completely unsympathetic character, and the monster is a lot more sympathetic than I would have thought. However, I found this book hard to get in to, and I had absolutely no desire at any point to continue reading, though I did so so that I could complete it for Amy’s challenge.

I can only assume that the writing was great back in 1818, but the English language has changed such that reading Shelley’s writing was slow going and frustrating at times.

Does Frankenstein “open a window on the times we live in”? Ehhh…not for me. I’m sure there are more modern books that are just as profound (don’t get me wrong, Frankenstein definitely had profound moments, though I *did* feel like Shelley beat me over the head with the poor monter/bad Frankenstein thread), books that are just frankly easier to read.

While Frankenstein wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience, I AM looking forward to reading Dracula, which I’ve heard is much better.

“It’s a harrowing tale: bleak, haunting, often heartbreaking — and not to be missed.” SOLD! To the redhead in the back. What is it about bleak, haunting, and heartbreaking that’s so appealing? Whatever it is, I buy those books in bulk. (I do know what draws me to these kinds of books, but that’s a long post for another day.)

The Surrendered by Chang-Rae Lee

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover (March 9, 2010)

“Starred Review. Lee’s masterful fourth novel (after Aloft) bursts with drama and human anguish as it documents the ravages and indelible effects of war. June Han is a starving 11-year-old refugee fleeing military combat during the Korean War when she is separated from her seven-year-old twin siblings. Eventually brought to an orphanage near Seoul by American soldier Hector Brennan, who is still reeling from his father’s death, June slowly recovers from her nightmarish experiences thanks to the loving attention of Sylvie Tanner, the wife of the orphanage’s minister. But Sylvie is irretrievably scarred as well, having witnessed her parents’ murder by Japanese soldiers in 1934 Manchuria. These traumas reverberate throughout the characters’ lives, determining the destructive relationship that arises between June, Hector and Sylvie as the plot rushes forward and back in time, encompassing graphic scenes of suffering, carnage and emotional wreckage. Powerful, deeply felt, compulsively readable and imbued with moral gravity, the novel does not peter out into easy redemption. It’s a harrowing tale: bleak, haunting, often heartbreaking—and not to be missed.”

So can I just ask you to go read Raych’s review of Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith? Because there’s things she wrote that I can’t get out of my head, things like “Tom Rob Smith – the man with two first names” (which cracked me up the first time I read it) and “Leo SomethingRussianov”. So my review would only be me trying not to be a copy cat. Instead of trying to stretch my brain to find something witty to say about this book that Raych perhaps overlooked, I will, instead, just send you over to her.

Rating: 85 out of 100

The man with two first names has a website!

Other reviews (that don’t make you read Raych’s review):

Shelf Love

Reactions to Reading (listened to it on audio!)

Asylum (this review has me questioning whether I should like the book after all; fantastic review!)

(there are many more reviews, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you)

Book source: I bought this book myself when I was at a book signing for another author but I already had that author’s book, and since I like to support indie bookstores when I go to a book signing, I bought their last copy of Child 44.

And one more thing? If you click on one of the Child 44 links and buy something from Amazon, I’ll make a commission! Mwahahahaha!! Maybe with the pennies I make I’ll be able to call someone who cares.

You can thank the FTC for this disclosure!

Holy torpedo! The books for The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott  by Kelly O’Connor McNees went FAST! I’m glad I wasn’t physically handing them out…I think I would have gotten some fingers bitten off.

Here’s the folks participating in the reading series:

1. Lisa from Books on the Brain

2. Jilleen from Seaside Book Nook

3. Kristi from peetswea

4. Laura from Reading and Rooibos

5. Ti from Book Chatter

6. Mari from Bookworm with a View

7. Carrie from nomadreader

8. Colleen from Books in the City

9. Jenn from Jenn’s Bookshelves

10. Susan F.

11. Kathleen W.

12. Jennifer from The Literate Housewife Review

13. Heidenkind from Heidenkind’s Hideaway

14. Diane from bookchickdi

15. Jennifer D.

16. Jenny from Takemeaway

17. Jennifer from Rundpinne

18. Irene Y.

19. Susan Gregg Gilmore

20. Beth Fish from Beth Fish Reads

.

This Reading Series is going to rock my socks, I’m sure. (How can something “rock your socks”? Have I mixed two sayings?) ANYway, all this to say, I can barely contain my excitement for this. This will be like a regular book club meeting but on performance enhancing drugs. Fun!

All copies have been claimed! I look forward to discussing this book with all of you!

There’s been a lot of buzz about The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees. I mean, who hasn’t read Little Women? Who hasn’t wanted to be Jo, and who doesn’t wish that Jo and Laurie had ended up together?

In case you haven’t heard of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, here’s a description:

In her debut novel, The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, Kelly O’Connor McNees deftly mixes fact and fiction as she imagines a summer lost to history, carefully purged from Louisa’s letters and journals, a summer that would change the course of Louisa’s writing career—and inspire the story of love and heartbreak between Jo and Teddy “Laurie” Laurence, Jo’s devoted neighbor and kindred spirit.

In the summer of 1855, Walt Whitman’s controversial Leaves of Grass has just been released, and the notion of making a living as a writer is still a far-off dream for Louisa. She is twenty-two years old, vivacious, and bursting with a desire to be free of her family and societal constraints so she can do what she loves the most—write. The Alcott family, destitute, as usual, moves to a generous uncle’s empty house in Walpole, New Hampshire, for the summer. Here, a striking but pensive Louisa meets the fictional Joseph Singer. Louisa is initially unimpressed by Joseph’s charms. But just as Louisa begins to open her heart, she learns that Joseph may not be free to give his away. Their newfound love carries a steep price, and Louisa fears she may pay with the independence she has fought so hard to protect.

Isn’t this just the perfect book club book? And are you drooling yet? Because you should be.

I’m really excited to tell you that there will be a Reading Series for The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott (TLSoLMA)! Riverhead Books has graciously agreed to provide 20 copies of TLSoLMA.

The way the Reading Series will work is that it’s basically a book club, but you can stay in your jammies at home because the discussion will happen here at Hey Lady. Sounds great, huh? Those who sign up for the Reading Series need to be able to come and discuss the book on Wednesday, April 14, 2010. I’ll post questions about a week before the 14th so you can think about them and mull them over, then on the 14th, we’ll discuss TLSoLMA in the comments, and we’ll even get to have the author, Kelly O’Connor McNees, ‘live’ on Hey Lady for an hour so you can ask her questions and discuss the book with her!

To participate in the Reading Series, all you need to do is email me with your name and address. Please put “The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott” in the subject line, but please only request the book if you know you can participate in the discussion on April 14th! Unfortunately, this is only open to folks in the United States and Canada. The books are first come, first served.

I look forward to discussing this book with you!