WeeklyGeeks #2 Wrap Up
This post is being composed because the WeeklyGeeks were asked to post a summary of their experiences with the second challenge. If you recall from my last post: Basically, my readers were instructed to send in permalinks to their reviews that they’d done of books that I’d reviewed so that I could link them from that review, thus connecting a bunch of reviews on the same books all at once. I loved the idea (still do), but haven’t found it to be very successful.
However, I did only just post that on Tuesday, so I suppose there weren’t a lot of days to participate… Yet, I’ve read on several blogs that posted on Tuesday (or afterward) that they received several reviews. I suppose it depends on the popularity of your blog as well as which books you’ve reviewed, as when I went out searching for common reviews to submit myself to, I found very few. In other words, my contributions are limited as I’m not reviewing the same books as everyone else is.
In any case, I think I’ll keep it as a feature on my blog; I’m set to make a page about it in my “Library” section soon. I won’t openly advertise it with annoying posts (such as this one), nor will I keep a link in my sidebar, but it’ll be there if anyone is interested. I much more like the idea of people coming to me with their posts, rather than having to snoop around blog archives looking for places to submit myself. I’m much too lazy for that!
In the course of this, though, I also found a link to Book Bloggers Book Reviews, a website which seeks to bring together a plethora of book reviews all in one place. I submitted several books to it and recommend that you do as well - it’s a good read and a good way to learn about other book bloggers.
Unrelated: I am going to try displaying this page with the last 5 posts on the index. I don’t generally like doing this, because I like to have just one post up; it motivates me to write a really good post next so as to be worthy to replace the last one. However, I find myself posting more and more often these days with entries that are actually useful. Soon I am going to start participating in weekly memes that occur on the same day (Sunday, for example) and I don’t much like the idea of combining the posts. I want to give each its proper due (unlike what I’m doing now - updating about something entirely different than what my subject line says).
With that said, things might look a bit wonky for the next few days while I figure out exactly how I want things to look. I hope that my site will be much more browsable and easier to read for those who visit on a less-than-regular basis!
WG Reviews and Memes
Weekly Geeks Challenge #2 adopts a particularly attractive idea from Books and Other Thoughts. Basically, I read and review a book, you read and review that same book (whether by my influence, out of your own interest, or otherwise), you email me with the link to your review, and I add that link to my review post. It’s a wonderful way to bring together different perspectives on single titles, and I’d specifically love to see some negative reviews counter my positive ones (or otherwise). I don’t normally read based on recommendations or reviews (as, I believe, I said in my last WG post), but that doesn’t mean you don’t. This is an excellent way to give my readers a well-rounded view on the books I’ve read, so I’ve decided to participate. In fact, if things go well, I’d like to adopt this as a feature on my blog indefinitely.
So! You can access the books which I’ve reviewed by visiting my library page or by browsing the Bookmobile category, though that also includes all other book-related posts in this blog. The opportunity is open to the reviews which have comments enabled. (Some of my earlier ones do not allow commenting, as they were imported from an earlier blog which had no reason to allow commenting as it had no visitors, and I lack the motivation to go through and enable commenting. 
)
If you would like to submit a review to be linked, you can either use the contact form, comment on this blog post, or comment on the blog post for that particular review. (If I decide to implement this as a feature on my website, I’ll probably think of a much better way to do this. For now, however, this post is here for the purpose of the Weekly Geeks challenge and thus I feel no need to go about coding a new form and all that jazz.) Remember to send me the permalink to the blog post containing the book review and not just a link to your blog!
Now on to other less interesting things… a six things about me meme! I’ve been tagged by this redhead to tell you more about myself than you’ve already gathered from my “about” page. I must also tag six people, apparently, so I’ll be doing that first.
I believe that Hev once tagged me for a meme similar to this (perhaps it was this same one), but she’s going to be my first tagged blogger anyway, because I feel I can never learn too much about her! I’d also like to tag Amanda so she can prove she reads this blog (just kidding 
), Christine who makes cute comics and who is crazy enough to like my writing, Renay who I’m sure will say very interesting things, and for kicks and giggles, I’ll invite two of the book bloggers I’ve been reading since I discovered WeeklyGeeks to see if they’ll find me in their referrers and participate in a silly meme which lets us get to know each other better: Bookworm and When Troubles Melt Like Lemon Drops. Good luck and godspeed.
Without further adieu, here are six very unimportant things about me.
- I have tried several million times to stop biting my nails, a habit I formed sometime in elementary school and never got over. It annoys me that I still do it and sometimes I bite them down to intense pain, but none of those “remedies” (gross tasting polish, gum, etc) seem to ever work.
- I sometimes browse the “rants and raves” section on Craigslist for my nearest city just to reassure myself that my life is fulfilling enough not to lead me to trivial arguments on the Internet with complete strangers.
- I can’t stomach horror movies. Sometimes I won’t even be watching them and I’ll feel queasy; instead, my face will be buried in my boyfriend’s shoulder, or I’ll be in an entirely different room - but the sounds coming from the television are enough to frighten me to bits.
- All of the leather-bound antique books that I own are titles which are actually interesting to me and which I may read one day once I learn how to properly handle them. In other words, I don’t collect books just because they “look cool,” though I do appreciate a finely made tome.
- I stay awake much too late and wake up much too early most of the time.
- I have a large and impressive collection of cow-related things, from printed fabric to stuffed animals, porcelain figurines to kitchenware. It is almost entirely in storage at my parents’ house but some day, when I have room, it will come out and people will think I am crazy.
I’m also going to cheat and tag the same six people (even though I only have to tag five) for this sentence meme; I was tagged by Angela. What’s with you people tagging me lately? My ‘memes’ category was happy with just the one post. I’ve done one of these sentence ones before, but this one’s a bit different - you are instructed to post a comment on the blog of the person who tagged the person who tagged you with your answer. An interesting way to network websites. In any case.
- Pick up the nearest book.
- Open to page 123.
- Find the fifth sentence.
- Post the next three sentences.
- Tag five people and post a comment on Angela’s blog (she’s the one who tagged me) once you’ve posted your three sentences.
“She’s a feeder,” said Linny. “Gets it from her mother. Both of them devotees of the philosophy that the world’s ills can be cured if you through enough food at them, although Cornelia would probably not admit that.”
This from Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos, which I haven’t read but have heard delightful things about.
Marie-Therese, Child of Terror by Susan Nagel
My head is full of France. I have lately finished Marie-Therese, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette’s Daughter by Susan Nagel, an engrossing book that tells of Marie-Therese’s life. In this fascinating and clearly well-researched account, Nagel brings the reader from before Madame Royale’s birth on through and after her death. The book illustrates her life as a child of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, who, as one may have gathered from the recent movie depicting an interpretation of Marie Antoinette’s life, said at her daughter’s birth: “Poor little thing; you are not what they wanted, but we will love you nonetheless. A son would have belonged to the State; you shall be mine, and have all my care; you shall share in my happiness and soften my sorrows.”
I personally had not previously found much interest in the French Revolution and the events surrounding the Reign of Terror, but before I even reached Page 100 I was enthralled in the mysterious tales surrounding the time. The writing style flows comfortably and almost throughout the whole book, it tricked this reader into late nights with wide eyes and genuine sympathy. I could not put it down; indeed, I wouldn’t, even when others distractions sought my attention.
This book seeks to confirm the identity and character of Marie-Therese, which apparently has been under some debate. Marie-Therese was the only surviving child of her parents through the Reign of Terror; her mother, father, Aunt Elisabeth and brother Louis Charles were imprisoned with her at the Temple Prison and each made his or her way to death with the exception of Marie-Therese. An illigitimate half sister was said to have been switched with her, and several legends sprung forth from speculation.
Though Marie-Therese, Child of Terror faithfully follows the life of the Marie-Therese who endured years of emotional torment, withstood political uncertainty, handled annoying relatives, and even stood up to Napoleon, who, awestruck, called her the “only man in the family,” there is also mention of an unknown, unrevealed woman called “the Dark Countess” travelled with a man, Vavel de Versay. Some insist that this mysterious figure was, in fact, Marie-Therese, though the people who knew of the identity of this stranger took that secret with them to death.
Susan Nagel has used handwriting samples, DNA testing and family letters to solve the mystery. The identity of the Dark Countess is not revealed, though Nagel is certain that she is not Marie-Therese. It is possible that she is an aforementioned illegitimate half-sister; however, the woman had some resemblance to her mother. She was identified as Sophie Botta by her companion, Vavel de Versay, though Nagel later reveals that her research proved no one under the name of “Sophie Botta” existed long enough to be this woman. Years after the funeral to this Dark Countess, “a Doctor Lommler, who performed the autopsy on the body, admitted that he was stunned by the corpse’s resemblance to Marie Antoinette.”
Equally interesting to me was the mystery surrounding Marie-Therese’s brother, Louis Charles, who was said to have died in the Temple Prison. Marie-Therese was left in the dark about all deaths around her except her father’s, who died before she was forever separated from her mother, aunt and brother. A body for Louis Charles, also known as King Louis XVII after his father’s death, was never found; throughout Marie-Therese’s life, men of appropriate age attempted to prove their legitimance as the rightful heir of the throne. His heart was said to have been separated from his body, but for over 200 years there was no proof that this heart was that of the 10 year old King of France and not of an imposter switched to save the life of Louis Charles. (I have read that current DNA testing has proved it to be the correct heart, but I have also read that the testing can’t prove that it’s Louis Charles’ heart - only that it is a heart related to the family. Thus, I can’t give any conclusive evidence here until I look into it further.)
Though the book doesn’t elaborate on this mystery, except where it concerned Marie-Therese specifically, I found the parallels quite enchanting. To me, there was the possiblity that both Louis Charles and Marie-Therese were safely hidden away while others took their places in the world - for Louis, an already diseased child, and for Marie-Therese, a half-sister. Though it seems clear to me that the Dark Countess was not Marie-Therese, I still wonder about the 10 year old king.
Susan Nagel vividly writes Marie-Therese as a kind, forgiving, saintly woman who put her loyalty to France above all else. Though others have described her as cold, harsh and intimidating, Marie-Therese, Child of Terror depicts through letters, journal entries, and other accounts made during her life the astonishing and fascinating tale of a strong woman. I admit that when I received this book I didn’t expect much from it, but I now find myself enamored with this era of France and I am willing and ready to soak up any material concerning Marie-Therese, the Dark Countess, and Louis Charles that I can get my paws on. It is rare for a single book to encite such interest in me; I blame this entirely on the writing style and vivacious portrayal of an admirable Marie-Therese.
“Family”
Charlotte meandered to the back of the house. She knew she was going to the back room where she kept her family photo albums, but she never directly went towards that end of the house. She stopped to dust off the edges of the kitchen countertops, then rearranged the top of her dining room table. She looked at the book club edition hardcovers which lined her bookshelves thinking that she’d never read half of them, much less get back to the ones that she’d already read. It might be a good idea to try to sell them, she thought. She shook her head and smiled. George always liked the look of the matching leather bound books; she would find more of those to decorate her living room.
In the hallway, she straightened the paintings and admired her children from long ago. They smiled so brightly at her; Donald, her oldest, had always had bright white, straight teeth. In his fourth grade school picture, he wore a brown spring jacket with a red shirt. It was a lucky shirt to him and he wanted to wear it every day; Charlotte wondered if he remembered it at all. She probably had it in the basement with the rest of her children’s relics. Now he was a successful lawyer with a sweet wife and three beautiful children.
Eric came just a year after Donald; it was a quick and painless pregnancy. He was the explorer of the family, always getting into what was forbidden to him, always curiously taking apart toys and trying to reassemble them. She wondered why he went into activism. She was proud of her son who was always seeking to save the world, but he would have been a natural astronaut. He also had a successful family and brought the most adorable grandson into her life; he was just like his father. In the photograph in front of her now, Eric was stationed on top of a rock, completely radiant having conquered his own small island.
Gina never smiled in pictures and this one framed in gold of her holding hands with her father was no exception. Charlotte always had to smile at Gina’s pictures, because while she always looked so sullen and moody in them, she was such a bright, enthusiastic child. Gina was in Japan with her husband teaching English to younger children. Though Charlotte could never find herself more proud of one child over any of her others, the difference that Gina and Eric were making in the world made her indefinitely admirable. They truly had their father’s traits - benevolent, kind, and forgiving. Charlotte missed her terribly.
The last photograph in the hallway before Charlotte reached the furthest room showed a small girl sitting on Santa’s lap beaming. This one, her youngest, was the closest to home still. She had the fondest relationship with her father; when he died, Charlotte believed Eve stayed close to home because she was so distraught. Now, years later, she still fought to stay close despite rising prices in the area. Charlotte loved her youngest no more or less than her other children, but Eve worried her. She hadn’t had a boyfriend in ages and shied away from any motherly talk in that direction. Charlotte just wanted what was best for her children and Eve didn’t seem particularly happy to her. Perhaps she was wrong.
She sat down on the bed in the bedroom and sighed. It was meant to be a guest bedroom, but she rarely had guests; her children visited once or twice a year - with the exception of Eve, of course, who visited more often, but lived too close to stay in the guest room - and as her family got older they no longer wanted to make the trip to visit. Charlotte hadn’t seen her sister since Eve graduated high school and her husband’s family contacted her less and less every year since his death. On days like this one she found herself coming to the guest bedroom to straighten up, look through the old photographs, or just exist.
The closet held past dreams and former anxieties. With the big blue vinyl book on her lap, Charlotte revisited the past. This one was specifically special to her. She seldomly brought it out, especially not when her sons were visiting with their children and wanted to revisit their parents’ past. It was too much for her to fall into emotional outbreaks in front of her family. Now, however, she had the secrecy of locked doors and loneliness.
This book brought her through her life with her husband. The children weren’t in it except at their births; they soon after earned their own books. She saw him from the photos his mother gave her after their wedding through their four children, a dramatic mid-life crisis, and the last days of his life. She held her breath in the final pages and let the tears flow quietly but surely.
May 1, 2008
Today’s Booking Through Thursday question is: Quick! It’s an emergency! You just got an urgent call about a family emergency and had to rush to the airport with barely time to grab your wallet and your passport. But now, you’re stuck at the airport with nothing to read. What do you do??
So I was grocery shopping when I got the call and had nothing with me but my wallet and passport (even though none of my family live outside the country and my passport is expired), and for some reason I didn’t even have my purse which always has some kind of reading or writing material in it. I can’t imagine going anywhere without that, even hypothetically, because I feel “naked” without it on my arm while I’m in public. (I’m also not sure why I don’t have my cell phone, since I just got a phone call. Perhaps, hypothetically, it is implanted in my brain, in which case I’m not sure where the issues of flying come in since I don’t know how to turn this new device to “flight mode.” Will the plane crash? Will my brain explode? I guess I’ll just have to find out.) But! Okay, so I’m sitting in an aiport feeling naked.
Well, the obvious solution is that I’ll grab a book from the airport bookstore. I’ve been trying to expand my reading horizons lately - I used to stick merely to “literary fiction” and historical novels, but this past few months I’ve read historical romance, mystery (a genre which I’ve come to love), more non-fiction (I read a lot of non-fiction in school, of course, but I’m not known to read it for pleasure), paranormal romance, and horror. Next on my list is a bit of time-travel, contemporary romance, and non-historical non-fiction because, come on, that’s cheating.
So perhaps I get up off my butt and march straight to the airport bookstore to pick up some mainstream fiction, or something like Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert about which I’ve heard nothing but good things. Perhaps I’ll even look into some James Patterson, because although I have never read any more than a single chapter (2 pages), I have nonetheless made it my mission to hate him for life. If all else fails, I guess I’d pick up Danielle Steele, because apparently everyone reads Danielle Steele.
Now to address the possibility that this question is meant to convey that there are no airport bookstores, that I’m sitting in the lobby waiting for my plane to arrive next to someone who is loudly snoring, sniffling, and threatening to put his feet too close for comfort, and there is no acceptable redemption from the situtation. In this case, I’d bide my time looking out the tall glass window-walls for glimpses of airplanes, traffic directors, luggage transporters, and the occassional official on important business. I am easy to please and since childhood have found the ongoings of an airport to be utterly fantastic. I wouldn’t fidget or complain, and I wouldn’t use the time to text message or telepathically contact any friends. I’d be content with the airplanes.
Reading other responses, I see that people would be too distracted by the hypothetical tragedy to worry about what to read or what to do, but personally, I require distraction while I wait. I’ve been in this situation several times recently (though I had time to pack, among other things, a laptop computer and several books) and have found that it does no good to sit in an airport and worry. That time would be better spent in another world following someone else’s story.
