Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys

I decided to read Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys because of Twitter. Yes, that's right. Because of Twitter. I follow @WNBA_NRGM which is National Reading Group Month from the Woman's National Book Association. They mentioned this article from NPR. Confused yet?

I had no idea that this novel had anything to do with Jane Eyre [my review]. **If you've never read Jane Eyre and are planning to, you might want to stop reading here. **I happened to see it the other day at the library and picked it up. So here we go.

Wide Sargasso Sea imagines the background of "Bertha" the first wife of Rochester from Jane Eyre. It's supposed to clear up the mystery of why she ending up being the crazy lady in the attic.

And I say "supposed" because it didn't really clear up anything to me. At the end of the book, I still feel that "Bertha" a.k.a. Antoinette Cosway, the wealthy Creole girl from the Caribbean, is still such a mystery.

Let's be honest. I didn't really like this book. Classic literature it may be but here's why I had problems with it.

1) Rochester doesn't really seem like the Rochester from Jane Eyre. That said, if he's supposed to come off as an evil man who enslaves her in his attic....it kind of failed. You could see where he seemed just as stuck in having to marry her as she was to him. And there was no logical reason for him to start calling her "Bertha", it was out of character, and it just bugged me. (A large portion in the middle of the book is written from Rochester's perspective. I DID like that.)

2) The book jacket made it seem as if she had no choice in marrying him. As if against her will she was forced. But I didn't really see that in the book either. I couldn't really see WHY she had to marry him or why she did.

3) She remains a complete mystery. If she's supposed to be strong-willed, I don't see it. If she was supposed to be an innocent who was manipulated, I don't see it. I'm just not sure where the author was wanting to take this character.

4) The characters were confusing, the writing was confusing...I'll just leave it at that.

What I did like about this book:

1) The very beginning is very vivid. It's the part where Antoinette is a child, growing up as a Creole without a father, and the social changes that happen on the island where she lives. I'd tag this as "classic" just from that small section. Then the book just goes down-hill from there.

2) In a weird way, I could never get a picture of what Antoinette looked like. Maybe it was purposeful since Antoinette was caught between worlds, not fitting into either one. I thought that was a really powerful writing tool she used.

3) I did like the parallel between Jane's upbringing and Antoinette's. Lots of similarities.

4) Jean Rhys. I am kind of fascinated about the author herself. I'd love to read a book just on her.

***Has anyone else read this? Did you like it? If so, what was I missing?



Also Reviewed By:

Books I Done Read (Jane Eyre vs Wide Sargasso Sea)

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

I wasn't going to jump on this bandwagon. If you haven't heard, The Hunger Game Series is huge. I mean HUGE. The Hunger Games is the first novel in the series and the second book, Catching Fire, just came out.

So I put a hold on the book at the library and it came in just in time for me to read it for Dewey's Read-a-thon. And O. MY. I loved it. It honestly reminded me of one of my favorite books growing up, Invitation to the Game. If you or your kid like The Hunger Games...check out that one.

Anyway...the story (and please ignore the oddity of the names, because I think most of us think they're a bit silly):

It's the future and what was the U.S. has been demolished and what exists is the Capital (I'm thinking it's Denver) and 12 Districts (District 13 was destroyed). Katniss is 16 years old and lives in District 12 (Appalachia...think Tennessee). She's basically taking care of her little sister and mom because her dad died in a mine explosion/cave-in. To stave off starvation, Katniss sneaks out of the Districts fences and poaches for food with her friend Gale, an 18 year-old guy-friend.

Enter THE GAMES. Once a year the Capital holds The Hunger Games which basically reminds the people that the Capital rules over everything. Every kid ages 12-18 has an entry into The Games. A boy and girl from each district are randomly chosen to represent in The Games, which a duke-it-out Death Game with only one winner.

We know where this is going. Obviously Katniss is the girl representing District 12. To add to the problem, the boy chosen is handsome and nice Peeta who helped her years ago after her dad died.

Why did I like this? I think Katniss rocks. She's taken the hunting skills her father taught her (including her prowess with the bow and arrow) and is now using them to save her life. She knows a heck of a lot about foraging for edible and medicinal plants. It just reminded me of all the books I liked growing up about self-sufficient kids. You know, My Side of the Mountain, Island of the Blue Dolphin, and of course Invitation to the Game.

For some reason I kept imagining The Games to take place in some sort of arena, instead of them being dropped off in the wilderness. And obviously the deaths can be pretty gruesome because, well, you've got 24 kids killing each other in the wilderness.

I immediately made my husband read it. He liked it but I don't think as much as I did. I put the next book on hold at the library and of course we're both going to read it.

Here's an alternate cover which looks more YA:

Here's their idea of Katniss and Peeta. I think they look too young. More 12 years-old than 16+

And I have to say that GalleySmith and My Friend Amy crack me up. They made Team Peeta and Team Gale buttons.

So I'll admit I'm on Team Peeta, although I wish Suzanne Collins had written him as a brunette rather than blond. Just my preference :)
Also reviewed by:
Tedious & Brief
Book Lust
The Literate Housewife
All About {n}
My Fluttering Heart
Devourer of Books
S. Krishna's Books
Monniblog
Medieval Bookworm
Great Books and Fresh Coffee
Muse Books Reviews
Stephanie's Written Word
Books I Done Read
Ticket to Anywhere
Serendipity
GalleySmith
Booking Mama
At Home With Books
Maggie Reads
Books and Bards
Nothing of Importance
Stuff as Dreams are Made On
Regular Rumination
Today's Adventure
Maw Books Blog
Phew...what a list! Let me know if I missed yours!

Street where I live

Last Saturday during Dewey's Read-a-thon I realized that I had a package to pick up at the Post Office (check out the blog post from The Streets Where We Live for great photos of that post office). So I grabbed the umbrella, put on my iPod to listen to Gourmet Rhapsody, and trekked off.

On my way home I thought I'd take a couple photos with my phone of my street with the fall rain.

Here's looking South...

Here's looking North...


And here's looking down...
It's dumping rain today so I thought these photos were appropriate for a rainy fall day.

Last Dickens Giveaway Winners!!

Sorry I've taken so long to pick the winners. I am impressed how many Dickens novels you all have read. But without further ado, the winners of The Last Dickens are:

Anonymous (email bgcchs)

Who wrote:

I've read many of Charles Dickens' books, primarily in school-A Tale of two Cities,David Copperfield, Great Expectations, etc.but sadly I haven't read any Matthew Pearl yet.

and

Gaby317

Who wrote:

I read Hard Times (loved it!), David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, Barnaby Rudge (didn't like it that much), Great Expectations, and the first chapter of Bleak House.

Congratulations! I will be emailing you for your contact information!

Real Murders - Charlaine Harris

I found a paperback copy of Charlaine Harris' novel Real Murders in the freebie shelf in our apartment's basement. I haven't read her Sookie Stackhouse series yet but plan on giving it a go. But I thought this short mystery novel would be a great book to read for Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon. And I was right!

This is the first book in the Aurora (Roe) Teagarden series. Instead of vampires, this series follows Roe, a librarian in Georgia with roundish glasses who is almost five feet tall. Cute, right?

Well, in this book, Roe is part of a group called the Real Murders club which meets to discuss various real life murderers...how they did it, why they did it, and all that controversial stuff. You know...Lizzie Borden, serial killers, etc.

All is going boring and predictable in Roe's life until one night at the Real Murders meeting, Roe finds the dead body of one of the members who's been murdered. And this murder replicates a famous past murder. Enter a serial killer in this tiny Atlanta suburb who seems to be focused on the various members of the Real Murders club.

Also, of course, Roe is in the middle of a love triangle. Should she date the handsome, short, muscular cop or the tall, red-headed mystery writer?

I thought it was a quick cute book. Although I will admit the ending was pretty surprising (did not see it coming) and it was pretty terrifying....I mean for a cute mystery book like this.

***I know the Sookie Stackhouse books are pretty popular right now, but has anyone read this series?

***If they made this a series, I see Christina Ricci as Roe...with round glasses.

Personality Test

I saw this over at Bibliophile By the Sea's blog.

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)

Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant. Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all men You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

Dewey's Read-a-thon Update 4

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?
Charlaine Harris - Real Murders (Murder mystery series staring Aurora Teagarden, a librarian!)

2. How many books have you read so far?
1 - The Hunger Games
Almost done with The Old Man and the Sea but took a break
A good chunk of Gourmet Rhapsody

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
This Real Murders book.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Yeah, arranged with the husband. With Grand Theft Auto and College Football, he's been great!

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Many - breakfast, puppy walk, post office run, bubble bath, and nap.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
How hard it is to juggle reading and updates. And I get tired! Hmm.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Not yet! Can't think that far ahead.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
Hmm...definitely be better prepared. I had to upload stuff to iPod today. Would have done that earlier.

9. Are you getting tired yet?
Yes. I took a nap.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Not yet. THANKS to all my commenters so far. You've kept me going!