BOOKISHGAL

And it’s Sunday again! Time for us to sit with our feet up, a cup of coffee or tea at one side, and our books or newspapers before us. And what better time to have a visit with some of our bookish friends around the book-blogosphere?

Hopeinbrazil, at Worthwhile Books, posts about how she initially did not like Jane Austen’s Persuasion, but now likes it so much that she reads it at least once a year. But it’s the post a bit farther down that is the most moving, where she describes Cry, the Beloved Country, by David Patton. She speaks eloquently about the book’s portrayal of the relationship between suffering and grace, and the “avalanche of grace” at the end, that made her weep. It sounds like if you’re looking for something to restore a little faith, this is the book you should seek out.

Over at The Printed Page, Marcia talks about False Colours by Georgette Heyer, which is the choice for March of the Historical Fiction Book Lovers Club. She makes an excellent point, one that I read years ago in a “how to” book on writing, by a University of California professor who wrote novels and taught writing as a profession. The point is this: in trying to stay “true” to the dialogue of a time period or a dialect, you can go too far. You can make the reader spend way more time trying to make out what’s being said than actually reading the book. This professor said you should  include just enough words to suggest the accent or time period, and then let the reader’s imagination fill in the rest. Otherwise the book becomes an exercise in puzzling out exotic dialects, and not a story with a plot you want the reader to follow. Excellent point, perfectly illustrated here.

Melanie at The Indextrious Reader did another Friday tour of some blogs doing interesting things, and she herself is having an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) giveaway. She’s grouped them into four categories: Canadian Women writers (oh, if I only had time!!), Canadian Men, YA, and what she’s calling the HarperCollins group. Now’s your chance, if you want some new reading and would like to review!

Over at Books and Movies, Carrie has been a busy gal over the past week. Between the Book Giveaway Carnival hosted at Book Room Reviews, discussing her favourite read-alouds, and participating in the Classics Challenge 2009,  it’s a wonder Carrie ever sleeps. And she, too, does a “Bookish tour” of blogs that have interesting things going on. Obviously I approve of such tours completely!

Sheri at Bookopolis did a review of book that sounds like fun: I’m Sorry You Feel That Way, by Diana Joseph. Joseph writes one chapter for each man in her life over the years. You might think, “Whoa! She had enough men to do that many chapters??” But she also writes about her son, family members, and friends, as well as ex-boyfriends. The very concept alone would make me want to read the book.

Meanwhile, I was tickled by this week’s Thursday Thirteen from Nicola at Alpha Heroes: “Thirteen Random Thoughts about Kim Harrison’s Hollows Universe.” I happen to be in the midst of reading in that very universe, and quite enjoy it; it’s one of my guilty pleasures, you might say. So I was delighted by Nicola’s thoughts about the series. And yes, her number one question haunts us all: “Is Trent a good guy or not?” My suspicion is “No,” but I think Ms. Harrison is really enjoying letting us all hang. But I’m glad Nicola has been enjoying the series.

Finally, the Weekly Geeks challenge for the week is “A Quote a Day.” Even if you’re coming in in the middle (like me) and couldn’t do it now, it can only be fun to click on all the links there, and see what everyone else has been writing about.

So that’s it for this week. Go out and do some reading now, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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