Grania

     Currently reading Grania by Morgan Llywelyn.  This is another my mom lent me, but Llywelyn is not at all new to me; I've been a fan of hers for some time, ever since I picked up The Horse Goddess to pass a flight to visit my dad several years ago. 

     One thing I love about her:  she knows her facts.  As a historical fiction writer, she's got it all-- she knows the legends, the mannerisms and customs, the dress and architecture.  Each of her novels are set in Ireland, but she refuses to get stuck in one time period.  She knows ancient Ireland, druidic Ireland, transitional Ireland.

      Grania takes place in Elizabethan Ireland, when the Virgin Queen is invading the land.  Our heroin, Grainne Ni Maille (also known as Grania, called Grace O'Malley by the English) has just suffered the loss of her greatest love-- her ship.  Raised to sail, that ship was a dream fulfilled.  Forced to return to her estranged husband's home, Grania should feel defeated.  Instead, she is locked in the safety of her sanctuary, already plotting her next move. 

     Until the head of her branch of the O Flaherty clan dies, leaving her in charge of her husband's kinsmen.  Grania now has a new direction, a new place to expel her energy, but she does not forget her own goals.  And with the growing threat of England looming in the north, she is about to embark on more than just a seafaring expedition.
    

An unsatisfying call girl..

     I finished Secret Diary of a Call Girl.  It got more interesting with some relationship drama, but was ultimately a let down.  I guess at the end of the book I expect...something.  I should be able to take something away from it, right?  But the last page felt the same at the first.  There were a lot of predictable potential turnouts:

1. Belle gives up being a call girl.
2. Belle falls in love with a client.
3. Belle gets pregnant.
4. Belle and her boyfriend get married.
5. Something humorously traumatizing, like meeting a client only to find out it's her father.

   
     None of that happened.  There was an argument, and then everything was about the same.  Usually when I finish a book, I feel...something.  I feel happy, or (if it ends badly), I feel sad.  Here, I just felt... disappointment.  It felt like a waste of hours of reading.  Belle went back to her old ways, and I went on to another book.

Fetish?

     Just had to post something quick, as my friend and supporter Stef just shared a link via Facebook for a site called Bookshelf Porn.  This is not actual porn, mind you, it's just photos of shelves upon shelves of books.  So if you're like me and get excited by a big collection (I want my own library one day, so I've got major envy right now) head over there and let yourself slip into a spine-cracking fantasy.

Not your stereotypical strumpet

     The new year hasn't started off so well here at Cracking Spines.  I feel bad for neglecting you all.  In my defense, things have been chaotic.  I've been meaning to make it up to you this week, but was taken down by a nasty bought of bronchitis. 

     Enough with the excuses now.  I'm on the road to recovery but not quite well enough to go to work, so I've got a bit of free time for blogging.  Let's get down to the dirt inside Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

(If you haven't reached adult status yet, I ask that you seriously considering turning back now.  This is your final warning.)

Welcome to February!

     It's February, and that means I'll be cracking the spines you chose.  At first the fact that Secret Diary of a Call Girl was the top pick made me think that you're a bunch of pervy people.  Second thought was that I'm the one who put it on the list and therefore have no room to judge. 

     This book has been on my reading list for quite some time; I first discovered it after discovering the Showtime series of the same name.  Inspired by the book, the show follows high-class call girl Belle du Jour through the chaos of living a double life.  It is, in one word, fascinating.  I watched the first season online, finishing rather quickly (the series, I mean).  I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to book-based media, so I had to investigate.  My big question:  is the book as smart, sexy, and witty as the show?

     I started reading the book before the polls were closed-- I'm that curious.  However, I understand that this is some sensitive material and don't want to mentally scar any minors.  So parents, cover the eyes of your offspring.  Offspring, back away from the computer.  Everyone else, proceed with caution. 

All good things...

     What are you guys reading lately?  I hardly cracked a spine during December, but my page-turning cravings are back full force now.  I dove into The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll; it's been on my shelf for some time, and I finally felt up to the task. 

     I acquired this book over a year ago; after parking the car, my beau and I were walking through the garage to get into the house.  The golden-edged pages caught the light, glimmering at the corner of my eye.  I picked up the book, asked where it came from (it was quite odd, since he's not much of a reader).  Apparently someone had left it at his workplace and then never returned for it.  Instead of throwing it out, he took it home and left it with other unused, forgotten things.  He told me I could have it.  I walked into the house with the heavy book in my arms, hugging it to my chest as a precious treasure. 

     Alice in Wonderland was the first piece of work in the heavy volume.  I have a smaller copy bound with Through the Looking Glass (the sequel), so those two were old friends to me.  I then encountered Sylvie and Bruno.  It took me a little while to understand the story, but once it was made clear I found myself absorbed.  I've become quite fond of the characters, and though it's impossible, I find myself trying to guess at the path the story will take.  Sylvie and Bruno had to end, of course, but flowed easily into Sylvie and Bruno Concluded.  I'm perhaps halfway through, and already disappointed that it will have to end. 

New Year, New Spines, New Poll.

     Well.  Here we are again.

     The past few weeks have been chaotic, messy, heart-wrenching.  All that is over, the waves have calmed.  Now is a time for tranquility and healing. 

     It's a fresh year, and therefore time for a fresh start.  I've made personal resolutions, but I want to make one for Cracking Spines, too.  I feel as though I've been hiding behind the technicalities of the written word.  I've read a few older posts, and they're... well, they're boring.  There's no feeling to them.  So I resolve that this year, Cracking Spines will be reformed, reshaped.  I'm going to share the personal, the beautiful, the emotive side of reading.  I want to share with you, the readers, the Spine Crackers, the things that made me fall in love with reading, with opening a book and discovering the mystery of the pages.

      In honor of this resolution, there is a new poll!  You're in control, you're the boss now-- what am I reading in February?  Here are the options:

1. The Complete Poems and Plays of T.S. Eliot
2. The Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Anonymous)
3. The Dead Sea Scrolls (Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr, Edward Cook)
4. Living a Jewish Life (Anita Diamant, Howard Cooper)
5. The Case for the Real Jesus (Lee Strobel)
6. Grania (Morgan Llywelyn)
7. The Great Influenza (John M. Barry)
8. Small Avalanches and Other Stories (Joyce Carol Oates)

     Ready?  Go!