Greetings, fellow readers! As some of you know, I have long resisted the encroachment of Kindles, Nooks, and other pernicious e-readers upon my reading domain, but tonight marks the moment of my conversion: I have downloaded the Kindle reading app onto my computer so I can read a book published only as a Kindle single. The story:
Ajax Penumbra 1969 by Robin Sloan
Those of you who have been following my blog will no doubt recall my review of Mr. Sloan's novel Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, which I read over the summer. This short story is a prologue in which we are introduced to Penumbra and Corvina as young students, and to al-Asmari, their teacher and owner of the 24-hour bookstore.
While I was excited to hear that Sloan had written a prequel, I have mixed feelings about the quality of the work as a whole. On the one hand, the writing is awkward and lacks the narrative flow of the novel, hitting its stride only about halfway through, which, for a Kindle short, is too late. Penumbra and Corvina's "National Treasure"-esque quest to recover a lost book is not a well-developed plot, though I could see shades of a Dumbledore vs. Grindelwald clash of wills in the relationship between the young men. Other characters from the novel make cameo appearances, but the most interesting figure is the enigmatic al-Asmari. Through this character, Sloan gives us a window into the 24-hour bookstore as a tradition, a legacy passed down from teacher to student. And who wouldn't love a man whose recommended reading list includes Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and "a copy of Through the Looking Glass with a slightly psychedelic cover"?
Though Ajax Penumbra 1969 did not quite live up to my expectations, I enjoyed it for what it was. Sloan has the ability to create an immersive "bookiverse," and I hope he will continue to write. We must remember that Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore started out as a Kindle short, also. I did not read it because I choose to read only the final version of the book, the finished product rather than the work in progress, because that is what the author presents as the definitive story, but perhaps Sloan will work Penumbra 1969 into a more fully developed sequel.
Final thoughts: I read this story as a member of a cult following, and on an electronic device to boot. My love of books combined with my use of technology is making me consider new methods of reading and literary analysis. I think Mr. Penumbra would be proud.
Festina lente,
Anna
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Gray Day
Gray day. Everything is gray. I watch. But nothing moves today.
It's that time of year, fellow readers. The equinoctial storm is upon us, and today I want nothing more than to retreat into a fortress of blankets, drink hot black tea, and read my book. It doesn't matter what the book is: any story will do as long as I don't have to get out of bed.
Unfortunately, my college courses have other plans. I have an essay on the poems of Robert Browning, a midterm analysis of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and a stack of reading looming as large as the battalions of iron gray nimbus clouds on the horizon. Now I know exactly how Aragorn felt at the Battle of Helm's Deep!
I'm sure that you, too, know these days, the kind you wish you could fast forward through until the sun starts shining again. In the meantime, my books will be a light for me in dark places, when all other lights go out, as Galadriel said to Frodo. I may not possess the light of the elves' most beloved star, but I do have my stories to keep the gloom and thunder at bay.
Until next time,
Anna
It's that time of year, fellow readers. The equinoctial storm is upon us, and today I want nothing more than to retreat into a fortress of blankets, drink hot black tea, and read my book. It doesn't matter what the book is: any story will do as long as I don't have to get out of bed.
Unfortunately, my college courses have other plans. I have an essay on the poems of Robert Browning, a midterm analysis of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and a stack of reading looming as large as the battalions of iron gray nimbus clouds on the horizon. Now I know exactly how Aragorn felt at the Battle of Helm's Deep!
I'm sure that you, too, know these days, the kind you wish you could fast forward through until the sun starts shining again. In the meantime, my books will be a light for me in dark places, when all other lights go out, as Galadriel said to Frodo. I may not possess the light of the elves' most beloved star, but I do have my stories to keep the gloom and thunder at bay.
Until next time,
Anna
Sunday, September 8, 2013
When one book closes . . .
Greetings, fellow readers!
This past week, I've been thinking a lot about those Big Life Changes that we all must go through but that as a college student, I seem to be encountering more frequently than the national average. Change is good, but it's also scary. Whether willing or unwilling, we all have to go through change; it's how we grow. If we're lucky, we have good friends to help us through.
That being said, I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed this evening, as all productive college students do on Sundays when they should be doing homework, when I came across a photo posted by Toad Hall Bookstore. The caption read, "When one book closes, another one opens. Sometimes I don't even wait that long." Once again, a simple observation from a fellow book lover turned out to be a profound metaphor for life (or at least my life!)
Well, I hear you saying, that's all deep and philosophical, but what about the book? Never fear, gentle readers, for the book is one which many of you have read and most of you have heard of:
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.
I was introduced to the HBO series last spring by someone who is very dear to me, and the engaging storyline and immersive world of Westeros helped me through a very difficult time. No matter how bad things got, I knew I always had another life I could go to, one involving dragons, magic, and a cast of characters who, though they often fail, are for the most part loyal to their friends.
It's a brand new semester now, complete with a whole new set of changes, challenges, and celebrations. Though I feel a lot more sure of myself, I still have many questions, so what did I do? I turned once again to the imaginary life I learned to love this spring, only this time, I got in the old-fashioned way: through a paper and ink portal. As I read the story which is already familiar to me, I find myself thinking more and more about the characters in relation to the people in my own life. I think of my mom and how I see so much of her bravery and endurance in Catelyn Stark, of my friend Jordan and how she admires Arya's determination and audacity. I think of Jacob, whose insights are as penetrating as Tyrion Lannister's, and of my fellow Quidditch player, Jared, whose optimism and sense of humor mirror those of Robb Stark in the first chapters of the book.
They say a Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is a dull affair; they also say that fiction is the lie that tells the truth. The characters I have met in Game of Thrones all remind me of people I have encountered in life. Some of them have been good friends, some enemies, but they have all changed me, shaped me, and made me who I am today. I know that no matter what I go through in life, I will always have friends, both fictional and non, that I can fall back on. These people are my teachers, advisors, companions, and playmates. They've helped me on my path through life, and they continually challenge me to grow and become a better person.
So, these are my final thoughts for you: don't be afraid to make that leap, to pick up that book and read a new story or write one of your own. I'm not just talking about your Shelf Life, I'm talking about your life here and now. Be like Daenerys and take control of your destiny, or like Tyrion and use your strengths to your advantage. Learn from your friends, stick to your guns, and remember: a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.
Until next time,
Anna
This past week, I've been thinking a lot about those Big Life Changes that we all must go through but that as a college student, I seem to be encountering more frequently than the national average. Change is good, but it's also scary. Whether willing or unwilling, we all have to go through change; it's how we grow. If we're lucky, we have good friends to help us through.
That being said, I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed this evening, as all productive college students do on Sundays when they should be doing homework, when I came across a photo posted by Toad Hall Bookstore. The caption read, "When one book closes, another one opens. Sometimes I don't even wait that long." Once again, a simple observation from a fellow book lover turned out to be a profound metaphor for life (or at least my life!)
Well, I hear you saying, that's all deep and philosophical, but what about the book? Never fear, gentle readers, for the book is one which many of you have read and most of you have heard of:
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.
I was introduced to the HBO series last spring by someone who is very dear to me, and the engaging storyline and immersive world of Westeros helped me through a very difficult time. No matter how bad things got, I knew I always had another life I could go to, one involving dragons, magic, and a cast of characters who, though they often fail, are for the most part loyal to their friends.
It's a brand new semester now, complete with a whole new set of changes, challenges, and celebrations. Though I feel a lot more sure of myself, I still have many questions, so what did I do? I turned once again to the imaginary life I learned to love this spring, only this time, I got in the old-fashioned way: through a paper and ink portal. As I read the story which is already familiar to me, I find myself thinking more and more about the characters in relation to the people in my own life. I think of my mom and how I see so much of her bravery and endurance in Catelyn Stark, of my friend Jordan and how she admires Arya's determination and audacity. I think of Jacob, whose insights are as penetrating as Tyrion Lannister's, and of my fellow Quidditch player, Jared, whose optimism and sense of humor mirror those of Robb Stark in the first chapters of the book.
They say a Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is a dull affair; they also say that fiction is the lie that tells the truth. The characters I have met in Game of Thrones all remind me of people I have encountered in life. Some of them have been good friends, some enemies, but they have all changed me, shaped me, and made me who I am today. I know that no matter what I go through in life, I will always have friends, both fictional and non, that I can fall back on. These people are my teachers, advisors, companions, and playmates. They've helped me on my path through life, and they continually challenge me to grow and become a better person.
So, these are my final thoughts for you: don't be afraid to make that leap, to pick up that book and read a new story or write one of your own. I'm not just talking about your Shelf Life, I'm talking about your life here and now. Be like Daenerys and take control of your destiny, or like Tyrion and use your strengths to your advantage. Learn from your friends, stick to your guns, and remember: a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.
Until next time,
Anna
Monday, September 2, 2013
Welcome Back!
Greetings, fellow readers, and happy Labor Day! After a (much too long) hiatus, I am back to blogging. Don't think that while my internet presence has lain idle my reading life has ground to a stop; on the contrary, I read (and bought) more books this summer than I have in years.
This summer, I got to fulfill my lifelong dream of studying abroad at Cambridge University in England. Between tea, bookstores, and outdoor Shakespeare festivals, this girl was in heaven! There was so much to love about England, but one of my favorite memories is of a quiet Sunday afternoon in London when I walked from Russel Square and the British Museum (near Virginia Woolf's old haunts) to Charing Cross Road and Foyle's, the greatest bookstore I have ever set foot in. Picture three stories of books in every language on every imaginable subject, add to that a near-religious sense of awe and wonder, then throw in the heady intoxication brought on by the smell of fresh paper and ink, and what do you get? A bona fide case of what super-librarian Nancy Pearl would call Book Lust. Let me tell you, I had it bad!
Two and a half hours later, I staggered out of Foyle's with enough books to sink a battleship and a smile wide enough to build a bridge across the English Channel. I began reading my treasures that night, and, I'm happy to say, I'm still reading them.
Though I read a superhuman amount over the summer, one book stands out above the rest:
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Thanks to my very excellent mother, who, upon realizing that I had over 24 hours worth of air travel in store, granted me uninhibited access to her Audible account, I boarded the plane departing the U.S. with the tale of Clay Jannon, graphic designer turned bookstore night clerk, and his band of sometimes eccentric, always adventurous friends loaded onto my iPod. Clay discovers that the bookstore where he works is actually part of an international secret society known as the Unbroken Spine. With the help of his friends, Neel and Kat, he works at the crossroads of books and technology to unlock the mysteries of the coded volumes housed within the store.
This book has it all: dragons, Google, immortality, and a quirky cast of characters who charm their way into your heart. The story itself is flawed--the narrative loses focus in the middle chapters and is weakened by an unnecessary epilogue--but by the time I realized this, I was too caught up in the story to stop.
If this isn't enough incentive for you to read it, the book glows in the dark. Seriously. This is even more awesome once you read the book and realize the significance of the illuminated shelves.
I listened to Mr. Penumbra twice over the summer and would recommend it to anyone who loves books about books.
That's all I have for now; stay tuned for more Shelf Life and literary adventures in the new school year!
Happy reading,
Anna
This summer, I got to fulfill my lifelong dream of studying abroad at Cambridge University in England. Between tea, bookstores, and outdoor Shakespeare festivals, this girl was in heaven! There was so much to love about England, but one of my favorite memories is of a quiet Sunday afternoon in London when I walked from Russel Square and the British Museum (near Virginia Woolf's old haunts) to Charing Cross Road and Foyle's, the greatest bookstore I have ever set foot in. Picture three stories of books in every language on every imaginable subject, add to that a near-religious sense of awe and wonder, then throw in the heady intoxication brought on by the smell of fresh paper and ink, and what do you get? A bona fide case of what super-librarian Nancy Pearl would call Book Lust. Let me tell you, I had it bad!
Two and a half hours later, I staggered out of Foyle's with enough books to sink a battleship and a smile wide enough to build a bridge across the English Channel. I began reading my treasures that night, and, I'm happy to say, I'm still reading them.
Though I read a superhuman amount over the summer, one book stands out above the rest:
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Thanks to my very excellent mother, who, upon realizing that I had over 24 hours worth of air travel in store, granted me uninhibited access to her Audible account, I boarded the plane departing the U.S. with the tale of Clay Jannon, graphic designer turned bookstore night clerk, and his band of sometimes eccentric, always adventurous friends loaded onto my iPod. Clay discovers that the bookstore where he works is actually part of an international secret society known as the Unbroken Spine. With the help of his friends, Neel and Kat, he works at the crossroads of books and technology to unlock the mysteries of the coded volumes housed within the store.
This book has it all: dragons, Google, immortality, and a quirky cast of characters who charm their way into your heart. The story itself is flawed--the narrative loses focus in the middle chapters and is weakened by an unnecessary epilogue--but by the time I realized this, I was too caught up in the story to stop.
If this isn't enough incentive for you to read it, the book glows in the dark. Seriously. This is even more awesome once you read the book and realize the significance of the illuminated shelves.
I listened to Mr. Penumbra twice over the summer and would recommend it to anyone who loves books about books.
That's all I have for now; stay tuned for more Shelf Life and literary adventures in the new school year!
Happy reading,
Anna
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