House of Leaves: Book Nook

This little treasure was recommended to me by a college friend, and let me tell you- it's something else. House of Leaves was written by Mark Z. Danielewski. Very interesting, particularly because of the way it's put together. You follow two stories- the story of the narrator and the story of the House. Well, of the people in the House.

 I don't want to give too much away, but it's a truly thrilling and engaging read. It's also a little mind bending. Not just because of the duel story lines, but also because of the fantastic subject and the way it's laid out. You'll read this book sideways and upside down- literally. It's a big book, but there are endless footnotes and endnotes.

The endless source citations are fascinating for a number of reasons. First, the book is entirely fictional, so many of the sources are entirely made up. Coupled with my background in English, this was completely hilarious. It made a complete mockery of every academic paper I ever wrote.

But, it also shows how easy it is to make something seem completely substantiated. Just having the footnotes gives a serious weightiness to the words. It doesn't even matter many of them are fake. We're trained to trust footnotes without ever looking them up. It's a really interesting critique.

You can't find it as an eBook because of the formatting, so you'll have to read it the old fashioned way. I must caution you not to drink alcohol while reading this book. It'll freak you out if you're intoxicated. Honestly, it will probably freak you out even if you're sober and just reading it in the dark. I wouldn't call it horror, so much as suspense, although it has elements of both.

The Jungle: Book Nook

Somehow, I managed to go through highschool with only the barest knowledge of this book, rather than actually having been asked to read it. It was this month's selection in my local bookclub and I was very happy to pick it up and check it out.

Quick history lesson: the book was originally published as a serial in a socialist magazine, and shortly after was published in novel format in 1906. It caused quite an uproar, and even lead to an investigation of the meatpacking industry and legislation being enacted (legislation I am personally rather fond, because it lead to the creation of the FDA not long after).

The story centers around a Lithuanian family who immigrates to Chicago to make a better life for themselves. Instead, however, they're met with swindlers, abhorrent working conditions, sickness, death, and despair. Without giving too much away, several family members die from these hardships caused by the disease of industrialization. I don't recommend you read it when you're in a sad mood.

That being said, however, I do highly recommend you pick it up. It is incredibly relevant to things going on today both in the US and abroad, particularly where immigration is concerned. Sinclair intended to open people's eyes to the plights of immigrants in the States, but, selfish creatures that we are, we were more worried about eating contaminated meat that people being worked literally to death.

Yes, it was published in a socialist magazine and it has a socialist message at the end- but if that's what's turning you away from the book, then you definitely need to pick it up more than anybody else. Socialism isn't a dirty word and thinking so should not deter you from acquainting yourself with this terrific read.

The Satanic Verses Review

Today, I finally get around to the very first Book Nook post! I sometimes read too many books at once and it takes me ages to finish any one of them. This book was selected for a local book club meeting I had planned to attend, but I ended up missing it due to unforeseen circumstances. I did, eventually, manage to finish reading it.

Satanic Verses was written by Salman Rushdie in 1988. It's still a controversial book, as it lead to a call for Rushdie's death. Numerous attempts were made on his life (to the point where he went into hiding), as well as the killing of many others. The book itself was banned in many places and copies were burned because it contains what some people consider blasphemous content.

Unfortunately for the book, the controversy surrounding it is far more interesting than the text itself. The magical realism throughout should have been a draw for me, but between his superfluous descriptions and the way it skipped around through time, I could not really get invested. It's not the easiest read because of those time jumps (and because Rushdie uses a lot of untranslated Arabic), but sadly, it's not worth the effort put into it.

New Segment: Book Recommendations!

Long ago, in a far off land, I earned a BA in English, and I didn't just pull that major out of the air. Ever since I was young, I have loved reading. I was lucky enough to have parents who read to me and a grandmother that gave me books for every holiday, so you can just imagine how excited I was each time Reading Rainbow came on.

In the spirit of my joy of reading, I will occasionally post a little book suggestion/review. It will be a new segment called:

I am currently in the middle of a very good, but rather long, read. I tend to read a few books at once, but I think I can tear myself from the others to finish this one up. There are still several hundred pages to go, but it won't take me too long with a little dedication.

I'm also still catching up on some old projects, but they're slowly winding down.