We Have Always Lived in the Castle

We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Shirley Jackson. 1962. Penguin. 214 pages. 

My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.

Our narrator, Merricat--Mary Katherine Blackwood--tells her story in the first person. It's a strange story--to be sure--about two sisters who are still haunted in many ways by their tragic past.

Merricat--the sister "brave" enough to leave the house--hates to go to town. She does it because she must. Because groceries and library books are essential to life. Constance never goes outside the gates of the family estate--though she loves to be outside in her garden.

Most of We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a flashback. It shows how things went from bad to worse after the arrival of their cousin Charles. I'll say no more. I think it's better not to know what this one is "about" before beginning.

Did I like it? Well enough to keep reading! I read this one for the 24 Hour Read-a-thon. And it was a great choice. It was a quick read. In part because it's so short, but also because it's suspenseful, compelling.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Readathon Update (Updated)

 Just finished reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I don't think I'm ready to review it just yet.  I think I'll go back to reading.

ETA: End of Event Survey

End of Event Meme Time. Fill out these and link up to the direct post when you’re done:
1. Which hour was most daunting for you? 
I went to bed a little after midnight.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? It depends on the reader. Personally, I find dystopia the most 'compelling' for the Read-a-thon. I think I almost always recommend Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer for this event!
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
It would be nice to have a few surprises. Maybe some new memes?
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I liked having videos in the read-a-thon hour posts.
5. How many books did you read?
Seven. Reviewed six. I didn't get We Have Always Lived in the Castle reviewed yet.
6. What were the names of the books you read?
Elizabeth, Captive Princess, Touch Blue, Inside Out, Restoring Harmony, and Fahrenheit 451 and The Road to Paris. We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
I enjoyed them all in very different ways. Touch Blue and The Road to Paris had similarities--starring kids from the foster care program with elements of faith/spirituality. And Inside Out, Restoring Harmony, and Fahrenheit 451 are all imagined futures. I didn't really plan to read thematically! It just happened that way! (I don't think I can make any connections between Elizabeth, Captive Princess and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.)
8. Which did you enjoy least? I enjoyed them all--though they were all very different from one another. We Have Always Lived in the Castle was a very quick read. Definitely creepy in places, but good at characterization all the same. Highlighting eccentricities. Elizabeth, Captive Princess was probably the trickiest to connect with because of all the names. But if you let that go--let go the idea that you had to *know* who all these historical figures were--then it was enjoyable enough.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? Not a cheerleader.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Chances are I'll keep participating as a reader.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Mid-Event Survey

Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now? I've started a handful of books. Not sure which I'll go with as my next book. But I've started Ballet Shoes, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and Behomoth.

2. How many books have you read so far? I've read five books and reviewed four books. The four I've reviewed are Touch Blue, Inside Out, Restoring Harmony, and Fahrenheit 451. The fifth book I've read is The Road to Paris. I'll be reviewing that one soon--probably within the hour.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I'm not sure yet what I'll be reading. I've got some great books checked out from the library though!

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? No

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Not really.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Not to use the word "no" again. But. It's going like I expected :)

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Not really.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? I'm not sure I'd do anything differently.

9. Are you getting tired yet? Yes. This time is always hard for me. But it always gets better. I'll wake up again soon.

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? I don't think I have any new tips. I like listening to music. I like having a variety of books--children's, YA, and adult. And graphic novels can be great!

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Touch Blue (MG)

Touch Blue. Cynthia Lord. 2010. August 2010. Scholastic. 192 pages.

"The ferry's coming!" High on the cliffs, my five-year-old sister, Libby, jumps foot to foot. "Come on, Tess! Mom says we can run down to meet it!"

To save their island school from closing, there is nothing the community of Bethsaida won't try--which is why five foster children are being welcomed into the neighborhood. Aaron is one of them. He'll be the big brother to Tess and Libby. If he stays. As much as Tess wants him to stay--so that she can stay, so that she won't have to move to the mainland, so she won't have to go to a new school--she's heard her father say time and time again that island life isn't for everyone. And Aaron--with his bright red hair and pale white skin--doesn't look like he'll be a good match. Tess wants to be friends with him. At least on friendly terms with him. But Aaron seems hesitant to reach out to anyone, to trust anyone. Can Tess and Aaron find common ground? What can these two learn from one another?

I loved this one. I loved it! Cynthia Lord has created such great characters! I enjoyed Tess very much. And Aaron. I liked the whole community really. I enjoyed spending time reading this one.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Restoring Harmony (YA)

Restoring Harmony. Joelle Anthony. 2010. May 2010. Penguin. 320 pages.

When the plane's engine took on a whining roar, my grip tightened on my fiddle case.

Molly McClure has led a good life, a sheltered life. Her family hasn't suffered terribly since the Collapse of 2031. They've lived well--or at least well enough--on a small farming island in Canada. Molly has heard stories about her American family--her grandparents--but she's about to meet them for the first time. Her parents are sending her away. Why? Well, her mom has heard--quite incompletely--that her mother has had a stroke. Is she dead or alive? We just don't know. Either way, Molly's grandfather might need her. And the truth is that they might just need him. He's a doctor and Molly's mom is pregnant. If all goes well, Molly should not be returning alone.

Restoring Harmony is about her journey, her experience, leaving the only life she's ever known. It's a story about growing up, being brave, and facing the unknown. What does Molly think of 'the real world'? What does she think of this 'new reality'? It's nice that readers see this collapsed world through her eyes--not as someone who has lived it for a decade--but as someone realizing for the first time, perhaps, how lucky she is. Most people are struggling just to provide the basic necessities--food, shelter, etc. Not everyone Molly meets is struggling, however. There is one mystery guy--just call him Spill--who seems to have all the right connections. And since he's fond of "Handsome Molly" her luck may just continue during her trip. But. She may never be the same...

I really enjoyed Restoring Harmony. I'm not sure that I LOVED it. (The last two sentences didn't quite work for me.) But I really enjoyed it. I liked Molly. But I loved Spill. It has its dark, dangerous moments that make it interesting.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Inside Out (YA)

Inside Out. Maria V. Snyder. 2010. April 2010. Harlequin Teen. 320 pages.

A vibration rippled through my body. I awoke in semi-darkness, unsure of my location. Reaching out with my hands, I felt smooth sides arching up and in. My fingers touched overhead. Pipe. A distant roar caused unease, but with sleep fogging my mind, I couldn't quite grasp its significance. The pipe's vibrations increased as the thunder grew louder. Water. Coming toward me. Fast.

Trella, our heroine, is Queen of the Pipes. As a 'Scrub' living in the lower levels of Inside, she doesn't have much privacy. Or much of anything really. Scrubs are nobodies. Not raised in families--but raised in groups of ten by care mothers. 'Mothers' who watch to see what jobs they should fill when they're old enough. They work, work, work. Sure, they get some off-duty time. But not nearly enough.

Trella is a loner even when surrounded by people. She doesn't have many friends. She doesn't want to have friends. She's got her brother, Cog, and that's enough. (Not that they're really brother-and-sister, but they were raised by the same care mother. They grew up with each other.) But when Cog introduces her to the latest prophet, Broken Man, Trella gets more trouble than she ever expected. Broken Man is hoping that she can steal some disks he's got hidden. And, since she is "Queen of the Pipes" and so super-sneaky at maneuvering through all the systems without getting caught, well it seems like just another challenge to do during her off time.

She doesn't believe in the Gateway. She doesn't believe the nonsense about the millionth week. But. A challenge is a challenge.

Inside Out is science fiction, dystopia. It's an exciting read, a book I didn't want to put down! Is it the best book I've ever read? Probably not. But I definitely wanted to keep reading! I just had to know how it all ends.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Fahrenheit 451 (graphic novel)

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation. Ray Bradbury. Illustrated by Tim Hamilton. 2009. July 2009. FSG. 160 pages. 

It was a pleasure to burn. 
It was a special pleasure to see things eaten...
...To see things blackened and changed.

Wow! I loved this one. I just LOVED it. It wasn't my first time reading the novel--though this is the graphic novel adaptation--but it still wowed me.

Montag, our hero, is unhappy with his life. But he hasn't a clue until he meets a young girl, Clarisse, who is 'seventeen and insane.' Through his all too brief friendship with Clarisse, he begins to really look at the world around him, to think about things clearly and deeply, to question himself. Montag is a fireman. He starts fires. He burns books. He hasn't always questioned his life, his choices, but he's questioning everything now. And it is his recent choices--to 'save' books from the fire, to keep books in his own home, to quote poetry--that put his life in danger.

Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man? Me? I won't stomach them for a minute...Remember, Montag, we're the happiness boys. We stand against the small tide of those who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought. (50-1)

 We've started and won two atomic wars since 1990! Is it because we're having so much fun at home we've forgotten the world? Is it because we're so rich and the rest of the world's so poor and we just don't care if they are? Is that why we're hated so much? Do you know why? I don't, that's sure! Maybe the books can get us half out of the cave. God, Millie, don't you see? An hour a day, two hours, with these books, and maybe... (62)

Do you know why books such as this are so important? They have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores. It has features...."detail, fresh detail. The good writers touch life often. You see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life." (74)

Good God, it isn't as simple as just picking up a book you laid down half a century ago. Remember, the firemen are rarely necessary. The public itself stopped reading of its own accord. (78)

Fahrenheit 451 is a great book. Very intense. Very compelling. I definitely think it's a must read.
I think it adapts quite well to graphic novel format. I enjoyed the art--it was great at helping set the tone. 

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Starting the Readathon

Today is the Read-a-thon!

Where are you reading from today?

my home

3 facts about me …

I love reading.
I love blogging.
I am NOT a morning person.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

I haven't made a separate pile for the read-a-thon. Yet. But I'm hoping to read from some of my library books. Namely Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld, Inside Out by Maria Snyder, and especially Fahrenheit 451 graphic novel. I'll also be reading some of my own books.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?

I'd love to read 1,000 pages. 

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Remember it's about enjoying books--not rushing through them. So if you're not enjoying a book--even if it's oh-so-short--put it aside. Find a book that you really, really want to read. Loving what you are reading will keep you motivated.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews