November Reading Report

1. Dracula, Bram Stoker (CraftLit podcast)  I've decided this is my most read book ever.  This is the second time I've listened to an audio version, and I have no idea how many times I've read it.  One day I should sit down and think about what this means in terms of why I read the way I do.  Irregardless...it never dissapoints.  Having the extra commentary was interesting, even if it didn't provide much in the way of information I wasn't already aware of. 
2. The Magician, Lev Grossman (Ebook)  For the record, I don't believe that Harry Potter or the Narnia books are oh so precious that they can't be lampooned a bit.  (Although the Narnia movies make my blood boil.....)  I enjoyed it, but I didn't find it as fabulous as so many of the reviewers/other readers have.  It's often described as what happens when normal kids discover they have magic and go to school.  Perhaps my problem is that I was never a 'normal' kid, and so I had a lot of trouble relating to the characters.  I also thought the ending was a bit of a cop out.  I have the second book, and am having trouble getting excited about reading it. 
3. Thursday's Child, Sonya Hartnett (print)  This is an Endicott selection, and it is fabulous.  In fact, I may have to track down Hartnett's other books.  I also may have to go back to the Endicott book list on Goodreads, which I've sadly been ignoring as of late.  I believe Thurday's Child is a YA or child's book....which reinforces the notion that often the very best books are not written for adults.
4. Zone One, Colson Whitehead (ebook, library)  It's pretty bad when you fall asleep repeatedly trying to read a zombie book.  I didn't even bother finishing it - even though I found some of the ideas interesting.  This book is getting a LOT of press right now, mostly because Whitehead is not a genre writer.  My problem is that I believe he's incapable of telling a story clearly because he's so caught up in his literary conventions.  I consider myself to be a good reader, and I love it when writers create beautiful non-linear stories.  BUT, I detest fancy or clever just for fancy or clever's sake...and that's what I feel Whitehead has done. 
5. The first four Harry Potter books, JK Rowling (library CD, copied to my computer!)  I checked them out this summer and then spent hours putting them on my computer so that I could enjoy them this fall.  Soooo much fun!  And a perfect background for handwork and holiday preperations.  I must say that the audio by Jim Dale adds a very great deal to the stories.  Also, it's been so long since I read them that it's honestly like I'm discovering them for the first time.  I do find myself crying quite a bit over them....which is silly, but it happens.  A good story is a good story.  (And incidentally, while I detest the Narnia movies, the Potter movies are among my favorites.  Go figure.)