Caramellunacy joins the mission (fashionably) late!

Still excavating the TBR for buried treasures - hopefully nothing explodes!
Given my late start - my current goal is 25 found and documented by the end of the year. Wish me luck!




MAY
1. Lucky Break by Esther Freud
2. Notorious Eliza by Barbara Monajem
3. The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne
4. Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William R. Maples
5. Typhoon by Joseph Conrad
6. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
7. A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont
8. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
9. The Sugar Queen - Sarah Allen Addison

JULY
10. Paris I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down - Rosecrans Baldwin

Artefact: Lucky Break by Esther Freud

Trove: Paperback
Status: Rubbish Heap

Fieldnotes:
3 Self-Absorbed Unsympathetic Struggling Actors/Actresses
1 Pretentious Drama School
1 Obligatory Casting Couch
1 Obligatory Will She Won't She Nude Scene
1 Titular Lucky Break
1 Nagging BabyMomma with Crushed Dreams
1 Pseudo-Homosexual Encounter Never Spoken of Again
Several Inexplicable Time Jumps
Several Very Bad Friends
Several Bouts of Ill-Considered Bad Behavior (Especially in the Bedroom)
including Several Bouts of Adultery/Aiding and Abetting Therein

I was hoping to read a more grown-up version of Fame! But really, I got the 'literary' navel-gazing version of self-absorbed unlikeable protagonists doing self-absorbed unlikeable things. Very little love of the stage or the craft or of cameraderie crept in. Definitely not for me.

Artefact: Notorious Eliza by Barbara Monajem

Trove: E-book (Novella)
Status: Museum - Rotating collection

Fieldnotes:
1 Scandalous Widow who Paints Nudes
1 Charming Friend of her now-Deceased Husband
1 Very Scandalous Self-Portrait
2 Deceased Spouses (good)
2 Adorable Moppets In Need of an Extra Parent
1 Mob of Busybodies
1 Very Unladylike Painting Job
1 No-Longer-Quite-So-Lecherous Aristocrat

A sweet novella from the Harlequin Undone! line most notable for both protagonists having had a perfectly healthy happy relationship with their now-unfortunately-deceased spouses. Far less angst here. Enjoyable, but a bit rushed at the ending (due to length constraints - that is not a euphemism).

I'm so glad you're doing the challenge -- I absolutely love your fieldnotes!

I love the fieldnotes too! What a hoot.

Looking forward to reading more...

Thanks both! Very obligingly (I hope):

Artefact: The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne

Trove: E-book
Status: Practice for the Interns

Fieldnotes:
1 Eighth Grader Desperate Not to Stand Out
1 Genius Little Sister Single-handedly Destroying Her Bid for Anonymity
2 Kooky Clueless Parents

2 Hopelessly Unclear Assignments
Countless Class Periods that Last Five Minutes Worth of Dialogue
1 Unexpected Talent
1 Failed Math Exam Requiring Tutoring
Several Excerpts from Shakespeare of Dubious Relevance or Value
1 Excruciatingly Poor Choice of Example to Illustrate Iambic Pentameter

1 Milquetoast Love Interest
1 Super Secret Admirer providing Several Origami Pigs
Several Afterschool Special Style Sibling "Fights"
Several Middle School Humiliations

I really thought I would like this one more than I did - I have a definite affection for all things Shakespeare, but more than anything else, I found this book intensely frustrating. Over and over. In so many ways. It may just be too well-aimed at the No One Understands Me Age Group.

Class periods only lasted long enough for Hamlet to come in, have a snotty conversation and be saved by the bell. The villainesses' scheme is painfully obvious and everyone else is painfully oblivious - what kind of parents take the word of a sheltered home-schooled seven year old as to how things are progressing in the socially painful place of middle school rather than the middle-schooler's?

Plus for Shakespeare experts to choose certain lines to illustrate iambic pentameter where you have to cheat on the stresses to make it work (Seriously, it wouldn't have been Wea-VING spi-DERS come NOT...that makes no sense) KILLS me. There are SO MANY speeches where you don't have to cheat for it to work. Use one of those!!!

But - to end on a positive note: There were some nice moments with the therapist (once she finally goes) and some fun snippets about Shakespeare and contemporary artists. And I really liked how the secret admirer plot line finally turned out. Sweet.

Artefact: Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William Maples

Trove: Paperback
Status: Sold to Collector

Fieldnotes:
1 Expert Forensic Anthropologist
1 Utterly Unnecessary Chapter Regarding Baboons
Several Largely Irrelevant 'Soapbox' Chapters Regarding Suicide and His Moral Qualms Therewith, Child Abuse, Disdain for Psychology, etc.

3 Famous Historical Cases (Pizarro, Zachary Taylor, Romanovs)
including 2 Instances of Blatant Hypocrisy
namely 1 Overly Intricate Theory Ignoring the Most Likely Scenario Given the Evidence and
1 Case of Leaping to Identification Conclusions based on Insufficient Evidence

1 Intriguing Criminal Case (Meeks/Jennings)

1 Painfully Overabundant Ego Evidenced by:
Countless Instances of Ostentatiously Not Giving His Opinion as Irrelevant
An Equal Number of Instances of Giving His Opinion Despite an Utter Lack of Expertise in Pathology/Psychology/Other Discipline

When Maples focused on his actual cases, his discipline (and his conclusions) are generally quite interesting - though his arrogance put me off. Seriously, never tell me as a reader that something is 'beyond any doubt' - especially when the evidence is far from conclusive. Unfortunately for much of the book, Maples doesn't talk about his actual expertise and discipline - that of making skeletons 'talk'. Instead we're treated to snippets here and there interspersed with Maples views on suicides, sexual practices, child abuse, dismemberment, etc. While some of this might be link-able to his profession, most of these links are poorly done and don't really tie back to forensic anthropology. And I'm just not that interested in his soapbox.

Artefact: Typhoon by Joseph Conrad

Trove: E-book
Status: Washed overboard

Fieldnotes:
1 Unimaginative Stolid Captain (closely resembling a Bear of Very Little Brain)
1 Excitable First Mate
1 Brand New Ship
200 Irascible Chinese workers
1 Hellacious Titular Typhoon
Several Instances of Regrettable (though Period-Appropriate) Racism

On the whole an interesting enough tale of how people react in a crisis - and how they respond to authority/someone else taking responsibility no matter how ill-conceived the plan. But I was never particularly engaged nor captivated and the little side-story about the Chinese workers locked in the hold fighting over money was distasteful and I'm not sure why it was in the least bit necessary.

Artefact: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Trove: Paperback
Status: Museum - Rotating Collection

Fieldnotes:
2 Rival Quarterbacks - of which:
-1 Girl with Serious Talent and a Desire to Play College Ball, not be Poster Girl
-1 Smokin' Hot New Kid with a Tragic Backstory
1 Best Friend with Issues
2 (Mostly) Realistically Good Parents
3 Vapid Cheerleaders
2 Awesome Cheerleaders
Several Bouts of Promiscuity
Countless Scenes that Reminded me of Remember the Titans (that's a Good Thing)

I actually really liked this one. I have found I really enjoy girl playing football stories (Dairy Queen, Playing with the Boys) and while Jordan never won me over quite as much as DJ, I liked her a lot and I always understood her - even when I was yelling at her on-page for making short-sighted stupid decisions.

Best though was the fact that she had a really good relationship with her mom (though quiet) and a genuinely concerned father - it was nice to see involved parents in a YA novel. I liked the frank and non-judgmental way sexuality was dealt with, and I could've smacked Jordan for not realizing earlier that girls can be good and fun friends too. Marie is seriously awesome.

Finally - I'm not into the love triangle, here or in general. But I did like how Jordan eventually dealt with this one.

Artefact: A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont

Trove: Paperback
Status: Auction to a Worthy Collector

Fieldnotes:
1 Contemporary Re-telling of Jane Eyre
1 Time-slip (Maybe) into Jane Eyre leading to:
- Several Swaths of Text Only Marginally and Uninspiredly Taken from the Original
4 (!) Near-Death Experiences
1 Wholly Unnecessary Injection of Voodoo

2 Brooding Possibilities for Mr Rochester
0 Love Triangles (YAY!)
1 Irascible Roommate with Issues
1 Super-Creepy English Teacher
1 School Dance
1 Game of Poker Polygraph

2 Attempts at an Essay of which
- 1 Intriguing and Critical Thesis Regarding Source Material
2 Important Competitions
1 Pretty Bad Poem of Great Import
1 Disciplinary Hearing Threatening Expulsion

I was lured in by the pretty cover, by the title, by the promise of what I like to call 'Book Hopping'. And it is probably partly due to my expectations (that this would be a mixture of Wuthering High by Cara Lockwood and The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde) that I was a bit disappointed with A Breath of Eyre.

While I really enjoyed the more critical feminist reading of the text and the exploration (though a bit one-sided without considering the historical context - though admittedly that might have made the entire book read like an essay) of Bertha's role in Jane Eyre, I wasn't as sold on Emma's life mirroring the story (though Grey is more charming than Mr Rochester in my eyes).

And most surprisingly as it was the part I was most looking forward to, I really disliked the sections where Emma slipped into the story. The means (which seemed to involve her ending up in the hospital a lot) were not terribly satisfactory and after the first seemed increasingly contrived. And once arrived, large sections seem to have been simply taken from the Bronte novel and reworked/reworded to include Emma's POV. Not the wonderings of a girl suddenly trapped in an unfamiliar environment (other than an initial chamber pot incident), but an easy acceptance that seems out-of-place. Especially in the first section where she simply gives herself over to the Jane Eyre character, there is barely any of Emma's voice left at all. And when she starts deviating from the story line, there's barely any Eyre left at all. It just didn't work for me.

Surprisingly, the modern sections worked much better for me than the reworked Jane Eyre sections, and I found myself wanting to spend significantly more time with Emma's roommate of Haitian descent Michelle and her awesome Aunt Darlene at the incredibly tasty-sounding bakery (rather than with the actual protagonist who came off as oblivious and kind of whiny).

Artefact: Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

Trove: Paperback
Status: Auction to Worthy Collector

Fieldnotes:
Countless towns in UK visited
Countless rants about poor architectural choices
Countless shopping malls visited (?)
Countless beers drunk
Several amusing anecdotes

I don't know - I wanted to like this, and there are definitely some stories that had me laughing and there are plenty of stories where Bryson points out something a bit absurd about British culture (like where they are huddled behind boulders on a cold rainy mountaintop for FUN). But a lot of the time I felt like Bryson was whining about the exact same thing over and over again in largely indistinguishable towns.

Occasionally when he focuses on something particular (like the pitmen painters), I was genuinely intrigued. But he didn't do much to evoke the beauty or charm or even the interest of many of these places - and I'm left with an impression of a jumble of architectural atrocities, Marks and Spencers and ill-placed dingy shopping malls.

Oh, that's disappointing when a book you want to like falls short! I have this one on the "to borrow from my parents" list...perhaps I should parcel it out into smaller chunks so it doesn't seem as repetitive?

>12 rabbitprincess:, rabbitprincess

I think that reading it in smaller chunks - a chapter here and there - would probably work better. There are still really funny bits strewn throughout (when he gets drunk on a pub on a steep hillside springs to mind), but the whole didn't work for me.

I'm going to give something else of his a try in a bit to see if Mr Bryson and I get along better in a different milieu!

I've been planning on picking up Notes From a Small Island so I'm disappointed too. I read A Walk in the Woods and The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid last year and enjoyed them both. I do think that he has the tendancy to be repetitive, so reading him in smaller bits might be the way to go.

To round up May - I read 9 (The Sugar Queen still needs to be documented), but was taken to a lovely used bookstore so bought plenty new, pretty much negating any real TBR progress. Off those read - 5 were printed (4 to be removed from the shelf) and 4 were e-books (3 to be removed)

Read:
1. Lucky Break by Esther Freud -
2. Notorious Eliza by Barbara Monajem
3. The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne
4. Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William R. Maples
5. Typhoon by Joseph Conrad
6. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
7. A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont
8. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
9. The Sugar Queen - Sarah Allen Addison

4 To Remove from Shelves:
Lucky Break
Dead Men Do Tell Tales
A Breath of Eyre
Notes from a Small Island

3 To Remove from Hard Drive:
Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet
Typhoon
The Sugar Queen

This Month's Exhibits:
Notorious Eliza - quietly lovely with a painter heroine
Catching Jordan - football playing heroine, interesting and frank portrayal of romantic/sexual choices

Artefact: Paris I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down by Rosecrans Baldwin

Trove: Hardback
Status: Auction to Worthy Collector

Fieldnotes:
1 International Move to Paris
1 Ex-Pat Couple Trying to Squeak by with Barely Passable French
Several Loud Parties
Several Affectionately Frustrated 'Only In Paris' Moments

A quick read about a man who (along with his wife) heads off to Paris to write a novel and to work in advertising (particularly luxury brands) on the Champs-Elysees. Neither of them speak much French, there's a ton of red tape and messiness. The book covers all the travails of trying to sort out life in Paris (though it would have been nice to include some sight-seeing), sometimes it's funny, sometimes a bit crass, but always with a clear affection for the city, the lifestyle, as well as the Parisians they meet and befriend.

A more pleasant version of most ex-pats diatribes, but not something that got my armchair traveller wistfully eyeing the calendar for another trip...

Back after a long hiatus with another artefact excavated from Mt. TBR

Artefact: Finding Monsieur Right by Muriel Zagha

Trove: Paperback
Status: Auction to Collector

Fieldnotes:
1 Bubbly London Fashionista
1 Serious-Minded Parisian Academic
1 Year Long Apartment Swap
1 Lost Manuscript of an Unpublished Novel Forming the Basis of A Thesis

1 Good For Nothing Misogynist Jerk
1 Descendant of Pulp Fiction Writer Being Studied
3 Party-Crashers of Dubious Moral Fiber but Charm to Spare
2 Back-stabbing "Friends"
1 Graphic Novel Artist & Writer
1 Insane But Revered Fashion Designer

A brief fun read that reminded me of the movie The Holiday about a budding fashionista who picks up swaps apartments with a woman she's never met in Paris on a whim for the adventure and the serious-minded methodical Parisian academic who is left living with her uber-gay fashion designer & gloomy Goth musician housemates. While there were threads left hanging, the settings not played up enough and the plot was fairly predictable, it kept me turning pages and I enjoyed rooting for Daisy & Isabelle to each find Monsieur Right.