I Love... Bite Me!

So, one of the problems in writing a book blog is that it's hard to talk about books I've read in the past; I want this blog to be current and keep it as a sort of diary about the books that I'm reading now and my thoughts on them. So I decided that I wanted to start a new blog feature titled "I Love..." Due to the weird, hectic nature of my summer vacation schedule, I'm still trying to figure out a decent update time. Hopefully once I go back to school, I'll be able to commit to something concrete, but for now it's whenever I can get either the time or the gumption to write.

But enough about that. This post, I want to talk about the magical, fantastical, hilarious and revolutionary webcomic Bite Me! by Dylan Meconis.

Via

Some background about me: I really love comics. 

I'm not one of those people that can name issue numbers and list obscure comic details that only a "real fan" would know (which, really, the entire concept of a "real comics fan" is just bullshit). But I am familiar with certain artists, and I do love and appreciate how some stories that can be told in comics aren't possible in just prose. I am all about visuals, and as someone who personally loves to draw, I love taking in comics pages just so I can look at the artwork. 

But because I didn't have a disposable income as a child, and had (correction: still have) a mother who really would rather have me reading "literature" than comics, I had to find other (read: free) alternatives. Enter, webcomics.

Dylan Meconis's Bite Me! was one of my first discoveries, and it has more than held up over the years. It's about a group of vampires trying to rescue their coven from French revolutionaries. There are tons of jokes about Robespierre, mobs, how to raise a riot, and chickens. (Revolutions are a surprisingly fabulous time and place to make jokes about the ruling class.) Meconis is absolutely hilarious, and the variety of characters means that each one is a screwball in their own right.

Claire. Literally one of my favorite characters ever. Via. 

The art is absolutely fantastic, and this work (? what else should I call it?) continues to inspire me every time I read it. I'm asking for it for my birthday, but it's all online!

Although Bite Me! is over, the story (kind of) continues in her comic Family Man, with the werewolf Luther Levy. Like Bite Me!, Family Man is fantastic, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Has anyone else read Bite Me! before? Or is anyone else interested in webcomics? List the title in the comments, and I'll give them a try!

Happy reading!
-M

Eleanor & Park & the 1980s

Not a very creative title, but whatever; it speaks for itself.

A book that I read a few weeks ago that I hadn't been able to post about until now is Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell. I had only heard about it once before (through the blog of an author I like), and decided to put it on my "to read" list. Lucky for me, a few days after I saw that it was on sale at the Kindle store for less than $3! I snapped it up instantly.

Eleanor & Park is, at its heart, a story about first love and all that it entails. A lot of people, when reviewing this book, notes its ordinariness; how it isn't groundbreaking, or different (in terms of the characters, situation, etc.). Some people criticized the 1986 setting; some people claimed that they could relate the Eleanor and Park, and the Midwestern setting. Some say that while it isn't the story that's new and amazing, but the way that it's told. (I don't exactly agree with that idea, but that could be because I haven't really read YA Fiction in a while.)

I thought that it was kind of brilliant. And not like "yeah, I mean, it was almost brilliant." No. "kinda," as in, "well, goddamn. She's got me pegged."

Too often, when I read YA books about romance and love, it becomes more "adult" than I think authors mean to. And that isn't their fault; but I want to say that Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell has come the closest to captioning what I felt when I fell into like, and then into love. And that, for me, makes it groundbreaking.

I read this book on my Kindle (one of my first, might I add!), and as my boyfriend can attest, I brought this book everywhere with me. Hell, I brought it with me while driving to see Jurassic Park: 3D when with our friends, and they probably thought that I was acting like an antisocial nutcase. But that's OK, because for this book I would do it all again! This book filled me with sympathy, sadness, and dread as much as it filled me with excitement and longing.

I felt like I really connected with the characters; like them, I often experience the frustration that comes with practically being an adult, but still living by someone else's own rules, and feeling restricted in expressing myself as a result. But maybe that's just a trademark of the Midwest? (Kidding. I love the Midwest.) I understand what it's like to come into an insulated community as a newcomer, someone who has "I DON'T BELONG" written in red ink on their foreheads. Making the transition, as Eleanor did, from community to community, is hard because all of a sudden your own rules and standards are invalidated by those around you. I'm not from "the Neighborhood" in Omaha, Nebraska, but my mom did live there for a time when she was going through her own family drama, and her experience sounds very similar to Eleanor. I'm from Kansas City, myself, so while I am not intimately familiar with Nebraskan life, I do feel like the area that I moved to in elementary school (and later high school) is very similar to the one in Eleanor & Park. 

While some people really liked the settling, other reviews I've read criticized the use of the '80s in the novel, claiming that it wasn't "utilized" properly. To that, I say "seriously?" Because here's the thing about teenagers living in any time period: we don't care. We don't care that it's the '40s, '80s, '90s, whatever. We don't stop and think, "You know? I think that America is at an interesting cultural point; considering of course the ongoing Iran-Contra scandal (What was it being called then? Same thing?), the fact that Lady Gaga - oh it's ok if you don't know her yet - has just been born, and all of these other things." Did I lose my point? Let me start again.

Teenagers don't often think of the significance of the time period they were in in the same way that adults do. We think about things generally, sure, but we don't analyze. The fact that Eleanor & Park took place in 1986 but didn't mention at every available opportunity that the time period was 1986 is in itself significant. When John Hughes made Pretty In Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, one could argue that the 1980s weren't really exploited in the way that they are now.

the 1980s, as imagined by youths today. Via 

Did Ferris and Andie and Blane and Duckie and Cameron really think about the "big picture" of the period they were living in? No! They were doing what every other 1980s teenager was doing: ditching school to sing on parade floats and New Wave-ing it out. They were just living life; they were just being teenagers.

Living every 1980s teenager's dream. 

Ferris Andie

(I'm assuming my point was made. Hopefully the visuals helped.)

I would definitely recommend Eleanor & Park to anyone that's interested in YA fic. And hell, if I found the right adult, I'd probably recommend it to them, too. I think that this novel has a lot of heart and a lot of truth to it. (Also, a lot of comics. It seriously made my little nerd-heart sing.) I felt like I really connected to the characters, and like I really identified with them and their struggles with their bodies, their families, etc. And not to sound totally cliche, but that doesn't happen very much for me anymore. 

I don't want to say that this book will change your life. It will, however, hopefully reaffirm yours. 

-M

Have something to say about Eleanor & Park? Feel free to leave a note in the comments!

Are You My Mother?

I really, really, really wanted to read Are You My Mother? (by Alison Bechdel) immediately after finishing her "tragicomic" (and other memoir), Fun Home. I put it on hold at the library immediately after I finished, and began my anxiously wait for it to arrive. Although it was probably only like four or five days, it seemed like forever, and (as I mentioned in my last post) I went and picked up more books in the interim. (I was probably seen by the librarians as some weird college kid, who had nothing better to do than search the "Holds" shelf and walk around picking up and putting down books. I was really hoping that it had come in already, and they hadn't had the chance to email me about it.)

Are You My Mother? centers on Bechdel's complex relationship with her mother. It's longer than Fun Home, and is acknoledged by Bechdel to have begun long before her father's story. It's a long, complex narrative involving psychoanalysis, therapy, feminism, and sexuality. And really, that's just the beginning. This book was way harder for me to read than Fun Home - I was able to knock out Fun Home within a few hours, whereas with Mother took me multiple readings of working my way through it, carefully going over the dialogue, trying to digest ideas and theories that are way above me. Not to mention vocabulary that just... went by me. It was like a wind tunnel, and I was trying to grab at ideas in order to make Bechdel's story make sense.

Not to say that Bechdel didn't do a good job with this graphic novel; on the contrary, she composed a perfect companion piece to Fun Home. The fact that her mother is still living, and that their relationship is still unfolding, means that she does not have the luxury of having the years between her father's suicide and her writing the book to reflect and examine him. In any case, both books seem to have taken multiple years to complete. (Maybe a decade in total? I have no idea.)

It's kind of frustrating for me to admit that this book might be more advanced than me; often I found that I was comparing myself to Bechdel while I was reading the book. I compared what we're reading, writing, drawing, listening to... what we're aware of, quite simply. Whether or not she was the same age as me when I was making the comparison is of no consequence. The sad competition still remains; I acknowledge that Bechdel is superior, not only being older than me,  but also more worldly. She has obviously done more than her fair share of research in terms of psychology terms, and such. She mentions how (for a time), all she seemed to do was go to therapy, read about it, and write about it. Her experience serves her well; she knows her stuff, and is probably an expert in her own right.

(I've tried to get that last bit right, and hopefully it came off ok; I just really admire Bechdel, and I want that to come through in this not-quite-a-review.)

While I will probably try to read Mother again at some point in the future (when I feel more prepared, haha), I'm ready to return it to the library. I feel like this book is one where I need distance from it in order to cultivate my appreciation of it (ha!).

Since finishing, I've been researching Bechdel, and was surprised to find out that she is the person behind the Bechdel Test.

For those of you who don't know, the Bechdel Test is a series of criteria used to test gender bias in fiction (usually movies). To pass the test, the work must contain (1) two female characters who (2) talk to each other (3) about something other than a man.

Via Feminist Frequency

As Sarkeesian states above, it isn't about whether or not a movie is feminist, but merely reveals gender biases in film. Although what this test reveals is a bit frustrating (here is a list of movies that do/don't pass the test*), I still think it's kind of cool that Bechdel is kind of the reason behind it. I'm kind of nerding out about this because I've only recently learned about the Bechdel test, so it's (for me) a way of connecting the "real world" and books. I guess having stuff like that, not-really "coincidences," is something that happens in the real world? Haha I need to get out more. 

(No, really)

Hopefully I will have another piece up before next Thursday, but we'll see! 

-M

*Although admittedly, this list is subjective to the viewer. 

Another Book Haul! And Thoughts on Reading

I haven't started my summer programs yet, so until then, I have looooong stretches of free time that I need to fill. So what do I do with my free time? Go to the library. And pick up everything pretty.

My latest haul. Seems like I have a problem...

(In my defense, I've been anxiously waiting for my hold on Alison Bechdel's Are You My Mother? to come through.)

Also, I'm almost done with my last batch - I'm currently working through The Lonely Polygamist, but I kind of wanted to have a back-up in the mean time. Or *cough* a lot of backups. I'm worried that I'm not as interested in Polygamist as I should be, and that I'm not really invested in these books like I should. I've actually returned Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, two days after picking it up. I can't put my finger on why, but I just didn't care for it.

Why is that? The idea of reading a book a day is crazy insane, but also really appealing to me. I really wanted to read this book... but why? Because if I read it, I too could read a book every day? Or because I would be living vicariously through the author?

It bothers me that I didn't like Tolstoy like I feel I should have.

But something has been on my mind lately; about reading, and books, and what I'm choosing to read and why. Also, trying to account for my huge surge in reading.

Why am I reading these books, and why so quickly? Am I giving myself the opportunity to really read and understand, or analyze them? Or am I blowing through them like candy, not really taking them in in any meaningful way? My mom was the first one to ask me this, but there's a quote that I've read recently that, for a lack of being able to find it, says that it's better to read one book ten or twenty or an infinite amount of times and have a deep understanding of it and the author than reading a ton of books and have a shallow understanding or knowledge of it.

I worry a lot about whether or not I'm well read for my age. Part of this insecurity is because A) I'm in college, and comparing myself to my friends and not-friends is unavoidable, since I'm a competitive person and pride myself on being smart or well educated; and B)I'm more involved online, and am exposed to more people who are my age and have read more, created more, know more than me. And I don't like that feeling; it's deeply unsettling for me, and while I'm working on nipping it in the bud when I can feel my competitive side rise, it's still an issue.

I want to know things. And I want to understand them. More than that, I want to be able to understand other people when they mention things casually in discussion. It isn't that I hate ignorance; it's just that I don't tolerate it in myself. And lately I've been feeling like I haven't been really getting the full benefit of the books that I'm reading.

Literally my nightmare. Via

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm going to make an effort to actually read and understand the books that I'm checking out. While I understand that there is literary fluff out there (and I'll gorge myself on it), I want to be able to understand the books I read and why they're important. I want to be able to have a discussion with someone about them, and have it go beyond, "Yeah, I read it. I liked it." (Because WHY did I like it? I've found that I like books a LOT better after I've given them critical thought.)

I'll sign off on that note; stay cool y'all!
-M

TELL ME MORE, TELL ME MORE

(like does he have a car?)

Today was my first full day back home, and I am so glad that it is finally summer vacation! While I am sad to be away from my school friends, I am kind of glad to have some time to myself for a change!  Well, kind of; I have about another month home until I go BACK to school for a language program. Once that's over, I have two more weeks here until the Fall semester starts. This summer will probably fly by!

While I do LOVE lazy summer days, at the same time I'm the kind of person who always feels like she needs to be doing something (whether it's watch documentaries on Netflix or look up style blogs or read actual books). This year, since the language program kind of wipes out the chance to really have a full-time job, I'll be part-timing, working odd jobs until I have to leave. (This sounds more impressive than it really is; I'll be babysitting and doing some computer work. There.)

I started off my first day unpacking a bit (although I certainly have a ways to go!), and while I was planning on dropping off some old books at the library sometime this week, I got a notice last night (technically yesterday morning; my packing didn't allow me much internet time) AND this morning from the library that my books were on hold and ready! I was surprised, and a little excited, since I hadn't been expecting them for a while (I don't know why not. Probably because it seemed like it would be forever until I would be done with finals...?).

So (without dropping the to-be-donated books off) I went to the library to pick up my holds! ...And three others.

(I also picked up Breaking Up, by Aimee Friedman and Christine Norrie, but I couldn't find a good enough picture. :/)

Despite the pile of books that I've already need to finish, I read Fun Home and started Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? today. 

Both were/are absolutely excellent. 

They're both memoirs, but are done very differently. Bechdel's Fun Home is a graphic novel, whereas Kaling's Everyone is more traditional (although she does utilize old pictures well); Fun Home is also more introspective, and reads like a drama/tragedy, with lots of mentions of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ulysses, and the like. There are also a lot of gay/lesbian/queer authors tossed in as well (I am not as familiar with them, although claiming that I am familiar with Ulysses is pretty close to a bold-faced lie), although they did not receive as much comparison with the author and, the subject of the book, Bechdel's father.

Fun Home was a great read, and very engrossing; however, I had to be sure to read carefully so I wouldn't miss anything. More than once I had to look up a word to be sure that I was getting the full meaning. To those who claim that graphic novels/comics can't be serious: read this book. It is "serious,"filled with analysis, both sexual, historical, and psychological. I'm probably going to reread this a few more times.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Is also a really fun read so far. It isn't as "introspective" as I said Fun Home was, but that's because being serious and deep wasn't totally the point of Kaling's book. (Although maybe it was, and I just hurt her feelings) But she is a writer, and a comedic one at that; she knows what she's doing, she's just doing it in a different way from Bechdel. I'm really liking Everyone so far, and actually laughing out loud at parts (which hasn't happened with me and... anything in a while). Mindy Kaling has a fun "voice" as a writer, and I can see how it translates to her TV show, The Mindy Project, so well. I also relate to her, since she talks about being a wallflower in high school, working hard, being respectful of adults and generally never getting into trouble. Ever. She chalks this up to being the daughter of immigrant parents; I figure that I would do quite well with immigrant parents. (Or at least her parents) 

I'll probably be going to the library again this week, because tonight I requested Are You My Mother, by Alison Bechdel. It's about her relationship with her mother and, from the few pages I've read, it starts with her in the beginning stages of writing/drawing Fun Home and deciding that it would be impossible to ignore her mother. I'm really excited to get it, and (stupidly) I'm excited that my public library system has such things. I always seem to forget to utilize the library, so I'm glad that I'm able to access these new books that I've been wanting to read (but have been loathe to spend money on). 

Hopefully I can finish these books in time! Have you read any of these books before? What did you think?

Cheers,

-M

The Marriage Plot, and why it took me almost 6 months to finish

That's right! After almost 6 impossibly long months, I've finally finished Jeffrey Eugenides's latest novel, The Marriage Plot! And Jesus Christ, it's about time.

I picked up The Marriage Plot for two reasons: 1) I thought the title was interesting; 2) I liked the cover art. (Very shallow methods here, friends.)

Before Marriage Plot, I had never read anything my Jeffrey Eugenides. I had heard of Middlesex and The Virgin Suicides (it seems like everyone has read that, at least. What bandwagon to I have to jump on to join?), but I never really looked at the authors or put two and two together. I don't really consider the author when I'm looking at new books, unless I'm not looking for anything particular and want to flesh out my current collection. I guess it's because I'm kind of still starting out in the world of modern adult fiction, whereas I'm pretty familiar with the "classic literature" and YA circuit.

So, my question to those out there who have read Eugenides before: Does Eugenides always write like this? The book felt like every time some actual plot started to peek through and make some headway, he would STOP EVERYTHING and like, describe the process behind picking the wallpaper of the character's childhood bedroom.

Quick tribute to my (and The Marriage Plot’s main character’s) namesake, Madeline.

It was like detaildetaildetaildetailPLOTdetaildetaildetaildetaildetaildetailPLOT. “Let me tell you the life history of Madeleine/Leonard/Mitchell/the wallpaper/let’s talk about sex, bay-be/let's talk about you and me/theory and books” ETC. I got very, very tired of this fad. Luckily (for Eugenides or for me…?), the constant details/backstory stopped about halfway through the novel. That’s when I actually started to make some real progress on the book, and I think that my reluctance to deal with all of the background information was the reason that I was so reluctant to read the book; I guess I felt like I was moving too slow? That no matter how long I read it wouldn’t matter?

One problem I had with the book was the language that Eugenides used. It’s obvious that he’s got a great vocabulary, and a lot of his prose was really quite poetic and wonderful. But there were times, for example when sex/masturbation was brought up, that the language became clunky and awkward. I don’t know if this was on purpose or not, and I’m not against using plan words in lieu of longer, more elegant ones… But I guess it interrupted the rhythm of the text, is what I’m trying to say.

But I don’t want to make it seem like I didn’t like this book; I mean, yeah, at times the style frustrated me, and yeah, sometimes I wish that I had been able to move through it better… but I do think that it was an interesting read. I’ll probably read it again, because I worry that I missed some of Eugenides’s question to his audience (which was the possibility of a great love story taking place in modern times). To be honest, I feel like I missed the Eugenides's Answer to the Question; the book ended very quickly, and the final "reveal" was very abrupt.  I did like the idea of setting this book in the ‘80s, and how he utilized settings like Detroit, Providence, and Storybrook NJ. I feel like that was done well, especially to reflect the characters’ own personal values and thoughts.

I wouldn’t mind reading something else by Eugenides, and when I finish some of the books that I’m working on now, I’ll probably pick up Middlesex or The Virgin Suicides. His writing intrigues me, and it makes me want to think deeper about some things… namely, marriage, love, relationships, and our own connections with spirituality and insight. What makes a good relationship? Do we have soulmates, or just people whom we can’t let go of? What is an "aha" moment? Is it still possible to have faith like Mother Teresa? And are we the products of our environments, or are we fated by our genetic code?

Finals time is nearly over, so hopefully I’ll be able to post sometime soon.

-M