The Printed Page

Thank you to everyone who stops by Mailbox Monday. Whether you comment or visit I appreciate your taking the time to drop in.

The pity party at my mailbox must have worked because the mail carrier brought a couple of nice surprises last week. I just know there’s more out there ~ maybe I need to leave cookies in the mailbox. It always worked with Santa!

This week: The Lady Elizabeth by Allison Weir. I been looking forward to this one for a while now. Speaking of Elizabeth (you know who you are) ~ should I save this one for you? I have one more book to read before I get started on The Last Queen but never fear it’s tagged for you.

Run by Ann Patchett. This is the September online book club read at Every day I Write The Book

What did you get in the mail last week? Did the Big Brown Truck make a stop at your house? Maybe the next door neighbor works for Fed Ex, like mine does, and dropped by on the way home from work. Tell me because my wishilst needs more books and I need Friday Finds!

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Friday Finds! where you can show off those book gems you’ve come across in the last week.

Me? I didn’t have time this week between work, blogging and getting ready to leave town for a long weekend.

You? Stop by and check what your fellow readers have come across. You’re sure to add a book or two or three to your ever growing wishlist or even the towering TBR pile.

As this year has moved along I’ve started to receive and read more ARCs which usually means new-to-me authors. I thought it might be fun track these authors. It just happens that every book I’ve read this month is a new-to-me author. I’m sure this won’t happen every month. Overall it’s been rewarding to read works by authors I haven’t read before.

I’ll definitely read more from them: Webs of Power by Darlene Quinn Don’t You Forget About Me by Jancee Dunn The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

I might give ‘em another try: I, Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis The Dowry Bride by Shobhan Bantwal Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg Sweet Mandarin by Helen Tse The Four Seasons: A Novel of Vivaldi’s Venice by Laurel Corona

So did you discover some great new authors this?

August was a bit slow but not by much. I finished 8 books, DNF’d one and got through most of another. The unfinished one falls into September. Here’s the list of books I made it through in August. Also I read 3,061 pages.

1. Don’t You Forget About Me by Jancee Dunn/Ballantine Books
2. I, Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis/F2F BC
3. The Dowry Bride by Shobhan Bantwal/F2F BC
4. Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg/Authors on the Web
5. Webs of Power by Darlene Quinn/Booth Media Group
6. Sweet Mandarin by Helen Tse/Elizabeth
7. The Four Seasons: A Novel of Vivaldi’s Venice by Laurel Corona/Jennifer
8. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff/Random House

Recommended

Average

Didn’t Finish

Stealing Athena by Karen Essex. I read another book by this author, Leonardo’s Swans, and absolutely loved it. This one ~ not so much. Very, very slow and I didn’t feel I’d even gotten to the main point of the story line before I put it down after reading 160 pages. Also I felt I really needed to bone up on my Greek mythology which I know next to nothing bout.

This month I meet 2 wonderful fellow book bloggers: Elizabeth at As Usual I Need More Bookshelves and Jennifer at The Literate Housewife. Our reading tastes run along such similar genres that we’ve been able to swap books ~ some good, some not so good. Thank you ladies!

In my next post I’ve decided to track authors that are new-to-me for the month.

So how was your August? Did the Olympics interrupt your reading?

Yikes I’m so far behind I think I’m ahead! I promise new posts are coming. Unbelievable how far behind I’ve gotten being away from my laptop for 3-1/2 days. I’ve spent the afternoon getting Up For Grabs giveaways caught up. Now I’m moving on to posts for my reading journal, Friday Finds!, Mailbox Monday, August reading roundup, new-to-me authors and probably one or two more things that will cross my mind later today.

This only a small taste of what December will be like when we head to Playa del Carmen for our annual 2 week winter vacation. Ah the call of white sand beaches and beautiful blue waters.

Time again for Musing Mondays. Miz B at Should Be Reading asks about Book Slumps: What do YOU do when you find yourself in a reading slump? How do you get out of it? Do you keep trying different books until you find one that draws you in? Do you just give into the slump until it passes, and do something other than reading for a time? Do you ask for help? And, if you ask for help what great (or, not so great) advice have you been given on how to get out of the slump?

This was a very interesting question for me and one that made me look at my reading in a different way. I’ve never really felt that I was in a slump with my reading ~ heaven forbid you should ever find me without a book in hand or at least nearby. Though now that I’ve pondered this question as I sit at work tonight maybe a slump is exactly what I’m going through. Miz B references that she runs into slumps after finishing a really good book. The next one she picks might not be that appealing so she moves on again and, maybe, again until resorting to book comfort food ~ a favorite author.

Once I read her response I had an “ah-ha” moment and went “maybe that’s it.” Currently I’m reading Stealing Athena and finding it’s not holding my attention the way I thought it would. I read Ms. Essex’s other book, Leonardo’s Swans, and really liked it. Spotting Stealing Athena on Elizabeth’s blog, As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves, I dropped her line and we traded books. But alas it’s not doing the trick for me. I recently finished reading The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff and absolutely loved it. So much so that I wrote 2 different blog posts about it within the same week.

For me Stealing Athena is a bit slow on the story line and this is where the slump comes into play. I’m finding it’s a letdown after finishing a really good read. I always go into a new book expecting great things and hate the disappointment that comes when it doesn’t live up to my expectations. I’m a 1/3 of way through and have yet to reach what I consider the main plot line ~ The Elgin Marbles have been displayed in the British Museum for nearly two hundred years, and for just as long they have been the center of a raging controversy. In “Stealing Athena”, Karen Essex chronicles the Marbles’ amazing journey through the dynamic narratives of Mary Nisbet, wife of the Earl of Elgin, the British ambassador to Constantinople, and Aspasia, the mistress of Perikles, the most powerful man in Athens during that city’s Golden Age (from Amazon). Also, if you plan to read this book you better brush up on your Greek mythology.

Finding the next book to read isn’t a problem for me. I usually know which book I’m going to read next before finishing the one I’m currently reading. Yes, I’m a bit of planner and because most of my reading has a commitment tied to it such as a book club or review for a publisher. That doesn’t make my reading any less enjoyable. It just means that I prioritize my books but I still love them all before opening the cover.

My rule of thumb for putting a book down is 50-60 pages. If it hasn’t decently got my attention by then I rule it a DNF and move on. There are way too many books for me to spend my time reading something that doesn’t at least peak my interest or hold my attention at a certain level. The level changes depending on my feelings about the book/author. If I feel it has potential or is from a favorite author I might give it more pages but even then I’ve fallen out of love with authors.

I’ve never asked help in getting through a slump most likely because I didn’t recognize it for what it was.

So how do you conquer a book slump?

Some of you may have noticed that Mailbox Monday has moved to Sundays. Due to my work commitments this works out better though the name won’t change.

Thank you to everyone who stops by Mailbox Monday. Whether you comment or visit I appreciate your taking the time to drop in.

My own mailbox was empty last week but that doesn’t surprise me any. Over the past couple weeks I’ve gotten so many wonderful books that I need a small break before the a new batch arrives. Now it’s time to play catch up and work my way through the TBR pile and then give ‘em away.

So what did you get in the mail last week? Did the Big Brown truck make a stop at your house? Do tell us!

The 19th Wife David Ebershoff Random House, 2008 528 pages Fiction Book provided by Random House Publishing

So I raved about this book on my blog earlier this week and I stll feel the same way about it. I really, really enjoyed reading this book. Mr. Ebershoff skillfully blends the life of Anne Eliza, the 19th Wife, of Brigham Young with a modern day murder mystery set in a polygamist sect, the Firsts. While either story would have been fine on it’s own woven together they give the reader a deeper understanding of celestial marriage and polygamy. This is an especially timely book given the current happenings in Texas. Instead of just brushing off polygamy as a religious practice that some view as offensive and perverse Mr. Ebershoff provides the background and context for this teaching and it’s affects on the families involved. At no time does Mr. Ebershoff preach or condem any religious practice in this book. He simply tells a story.

While using documented material from Church archives, memoirs, newspaper articles and interviews as a basis for his story this is a narrative work of fiction. He uses Anne Eliza’s voice to provide the background and set the stage for polygamy as it is currently practiced. He uses Jordan’s voice to tell us what it’s like to be a child raised within this community and then ex-communicated. Jordan is one of the lost boys. Kicked out at a relatively young age when he would appear to be competition for young brides and, in this case, because of his sexual orientation. While I feel this detracts a small bit from his story that doesn’t make it any less true. I might have merely wanted him to be a lost boy.

Page by page this story drew me in. The deeper into the history of Church teachings surrounding polygamy the more fascinating this book became. Overall this book makes one of my top recommendations for 2008.

If you read The 19th Wife and enjoy it I also recommend Escape by Carolyn Jessop. Ms. Jessop was one wife of Merril Jessop leader of the Texas sect of FLDS. While the FLDS differs from mainstream Mormonism, and might differ or not from the Firsts described in The 19th Wife, it is no less a fascinating read than The 19th Wife. Another book I intend to read along these same lines and haven’t gotten to yet is Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer.

X-posted: Book Club & ARC Blog

Friday Finds! is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

My Friday Finds! for this week are:

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. This is from Violet who stopped by my Readin’ Rave post this last Tuesday.

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones

Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway. I came across this one reading Shelf Awareness yesterday.

What great books did you come across this last week?

Now that probably caught your attention. I know just the scent of free books makes me light headed and I have to head directly for the laptop and say “yes please, sign me up!” My email this morning held a pleasant surprise ~ a newsletter for the Read It Forward  program from Crown Publishing via Random House. Well you don’t have ask me twice if I’d like free books. I mean did Hell freeze over last night?

This month’s featured books are:

How Far Is The Ocean From Here by Amy Shearn

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

Tethered by Amy Mackinnon