Dracula by Bram Stoker

Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Genre: Horror, classic
Published: 1897, originally
Source: Personal copy
Read for: A Classics Challenge, The Classics Club, Back to the Classics Challenge, Mixing it Up Challenge, R.I.P. VII

Does this book really need a summary? Nevertheless, I'll give you a tiny one. Jonathan Harker, solicitor, travels to Transylvania to work with a foreign client. While in the client's castle, he begins to notice many creepy and odd behaviors -- and the fact that the client doesn't want him to leave. Upon returning to London, disturbed and frightened, the mysterious client continues to appear in the lives of Harker and his friends, and they determine that he must be stopped.

I can't believe that I waited until now to read Dracula. I remember in elementary school reading a simplified version of it, but until now I'd never picked up the real book. I found it well-written, spooky, and creatively put together, with the inclusion of diary entries, telegrams, and newspaper articles.

I am always impressed when something written more than a hundred years ago manages to creep me out just as thoroughly as whatever horror trend has just recently come out. Dracula is written with disturbing details that continued in my memory after I had put the book down. Honestly, I think some of the best scenes are at the very beginning, during Harker's stay in the castle -- the wolves slavering around his carriage, the will of the wisp leading the carriage onward, and the strange, dark isolation of the castle not only provide a scary atmosphere, they also leave a little suspense to the imagination. I also found the lunatic character Renfield to be absolutely eerie, with his desire to consume as many lives as possible in order to build up his own power, thus making him particularly susceptible to Dracula. The images in this story are definitely poignant and creepy.

I also loved the epistolary style of the book. At times reading things from many perspectives can be disorienting, but in the case of Dracula, it was more illuminating. I especially enjoyed seeing all the "evidence," as the characters more than once mention that they are gathering all the evidence they have about Dracula and putting it in chronological order. Every bit of evidence that they have is present in the book, so that the reader feels they are discovering Dracula's secrets along with the characters.

I really enjoyed the characters as well, although a few of the outdated sentiments about women were highly irritating (although it seems that Stoker was probably aware of this, as indulging in those sentiments led to some poor outcomes). There was a ridiculous part of the story where all the men were saying, "We cannot tell Mina anything of what is happening to protect her poor fragile woman-soul," when the truth was that she was probably more capable of handling the situation than they were. However, I did really enjoy the way they all respected her and (eventually) took advantage of her capabilities to fight Dracula.

Dracula is a well-written book, full of adventure and thrills, as well as an interesting cast of characters. It is an excellent read for a chilly October night, and I am glad it was one of my choices for R.I.P. this year.

4 stars

Warnings: Violence, creepy images

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Title: In the Garden of Beasts
Author: Erik Larson
Genre: Nonfiction, history
Publisher: Crown, 2011
Source: Received from publisher
Read for: Indie Lit Awards

The Garden of Beasts is the Tiergarten, the home of the misfit American ambassador to Germany during Hitler's rise to power, William E. Dodd. In the Garden of Beasts gives the tale of Hitler's rise to power told through the perspective of Dodd, a man desiring simplicity and frugality wrapped up in a world of intrigue and luxury, and his daughter, Martha, a glamorous socialite who became romantically entangled with many of the key players in pre-World War II Germany.

In the Garden of Beasts was an interesting experience for me. Politics and diplomacy are not areas that interest me; when I read history, I either want the epic great deeds of the age or small, intimate slivers of individuals' lives. In the Garden of Beasts, with its vast cast of characters and complicated political workings, was intimidating to me. However, the book was well written and, for the most part, enjoyable.

Larson juxtaposes the complexity of the political situation in Germany with the intimate personal details of William and Martha Dodds' lives. I knew very little about Hitler's rise to power prior to reading this book -- basically, that he worked with the leader at the time and slowly gained more influence until eventually taking over. I didn't know anything about the other main players in the story. I didn't realize that the Gestapo and the SS were secret entities (shameful). I also didn't realize how complex a role the Soviet Union played in the whole debacle (more on this in my forthcoming review of Berlin 1961). In some ways, these details were overwhelming to me, because I could not remember who was who and who was in charge of what and why that was important. To be honest, Hitler only rarely enters the story; most of the time the book deals with the smaller figures around him that buoy him up to power, and the aftermath of some of the insane actions of the time -- beatings of American tourists not giving the Heil despite a law excusing them from it, brutality against Jews, Hitler's paranoid turning against trusted advisors, mass shootings. Despite my confusion with some of the people with whom I am unfamiliar, the overall effect is powerful.

I also was very interested in Dodd and Martha. Both unique and at times difficult personalities, viewing the story through the lens of their experiences made everything more meaningful and personal. Dodd occasionally blunders, not understanding why he is expected to live such a lavish lifestyle when all he wants to do is finish his history of the Old South. Martha tries to seduce every man in sight, forming relationships with many powerful men, including a Soviet spy who tries to get her to work for them and the head of the Gestapo. She also receives steady correspondence from Carl Sandburg. Not too shabby. At times, the Dodds sympathize with the Germans, agreeing with them about "the Jewish problem" -- something that seems shocking, but must be taken with the fact that the scope of Hitler's evil actions was not near to being yet understood. As the Dodds' time in Germany passes, they become increasingly more disillusioned with Germany, but the process is a lengthy one.

In the Garden of Beasts is interesting, well-written, and well-organized. At times, it grew weighty with detail, and at times I felt left out of the loop because I had never heard of Goring (and so many others whose names I am unable to recall) and wasn't sure if I had forgotten the part where his original role was explained or if it was assumed to be common knowledge. This book is well done, but must be approached with the knowledge that there is a steep learning curve, and prior information may be necessary.

3.75 stars

Warnings: Some swearing, violence, tales of Martha's conquests (off the page)

Paris My Sweet by Amy Thomas

Title: Paris My Sweet
Author: Amy Thomas
Genre: Food, memoir
Publisher: Sourcebooks, 2012
Source: NetGalley
Read for: Fun, Mixing it up Challenge

A lover of desserts, when Amy Thomas is offered a job in Paris, she feels as if she should be jumping at the chance. She's already visited multiple times, including what she calls her "tour de chocolat," an excursion when she planned out the best chocolatiers in the city along a bike route. However, she is in love with her home in New York as well. As you can probably tell from the title, she chooses to take the job in Paris and has a bittersweet -- but mostly sweet -- experience there.

There were things I adored about this book and things that were mediocre for me. I like to end on a positive note, so let's start with the aspect that didn't quite work for me. Throughout the book, Amy is having a conflict of Paris vs. New York that translates into some other life decisions as well, such as her status as a single woman as her friends get married and begin their families. She tried to connect these emotions and experiences with specific desserts. I really love the idea -- as a devoted food-lover myself, I know how much emotion can be tied to different foods -- but it didn't quite work for me. Some of the comparisons seemed strained, trying too hard to make a connection. I did enjoy reading about what Amy went through -- I think traveling can cause a reevaluation of priorities because the world is being seen through a new lens (whatever Emerson might think). When I lived in Paris I had my own bouts of insecurities and sadness. Living in a foreign country is hard, no matter how wonderful that foreign country is. Basically, I enjoyed both parts of the story, but at times it seemed as if the author were trying too hard to connect them together.

As far as the food goes, it was sheer, unadulterated delight. I absolutely loved reading the descriptions of deliriously good desserts in both Paris and New York. I highlighted countless patisseries and dessert bars, being sure of course to include the recommended treat. I had only visited a few of the locations Amy mentioned in Paris, and now I am determined to return and try more (for the record, I am a Laduree person. She doesn't pick a side, but it sounded to me as if she were a Pierre Herme. But that's okay).

In a nutshell, I enjoyed this book, especially the descriptions of food. While at times the structure seemed a bit contrived, it was an enjoyable read, and will certainly appeal to all travelers and gourmands.

3 stars

Warnings: Brief strong language

Sunday Salon: Challenge FRENZY

SHappy pre-Thanksgiving, Americans, and happy almost-Christmastime, people who celebrate Christmas, and happy winter, everyone else. I started that sentence out wanting to be so very politically correct but it came back and bit me in the butt, as usual. I am looking forward to this week -- I plan on going home to Boise for Thanksgiving, if the weather cooperates. My parents are hosting Thanksgiving at our house for the first time ever, and we are excited to be in control of a few things. Mostly, the fact that we are having dinner at 2pm instead of 6pm.

Remember how a few weeks ago, I was feeling so wishy-washy about challenges and how I wasn't sure if I wanted to do them anymore since I couldn't possibly finish them all this year? Well, about that... so many interesting challenges have popped up this month that I want to join them all. Le sigh. So here are all the ones that I am interested in. Will I finish them all? Assuredly not. Will I enjoy tracking down the books I want to read for them and then ignoring them completely? Of course.

The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge. Because, as evidenced by the madness that went on during R.I.P. VI, I am very much a seasonal reader. I'm just planning on doing two rereads this year, so the level is Mistletoe:

:: Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher - Comfort reading at its best. I'm pretty into comfort reading right now, as I'm sure you'll be seeing on the blog in a couple of weeks, so this fits right in.

:: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - Loved this one last year, and I've dipped into it a few times since last year. I'm excited to revisit, probably on my lovely CRUISE!

Shakespeare Reading Month. I love The Bard, and it's been way too long since I've read any of his plays. I went through a phase in high school when I read most of the comedies, but I've never touched the histories, so I am going to pick up either Henry VIII or Richard III. I'll also continue my slow trek through the sonnets.

The 2012 Harry Potter Reading Challenge is too perfect for me -- I was planning on rereading all of the Harry Potters and then watching the movies next year, probably in the summer, although I've had a hankering lately and might cave sooner. I might do all audiobooks this time, we will see.

November's Autumn is hosting a classics challenge that is a little different. You read seven different classics, and then on the fourth of each month you return to the webpage and answer a question about the classic that you read. This overlaps perfectly with the other classics challenges I am participating in, and I love the idea of everyone answering a prompt about the classic they are reading, so I couldn't resist. {And also, how gorgeous is the name November's Autumn? It made me feel like Anne of Green Gables, geeking out about it.}

And then, as an eclectic blogger, how could I resist Ellie's Mixing it Up Challenge?  The premise of this one is to read books in different genres. Ellie lists sixteen, and I am going for the level of the Mixing Bowl, meaning I will try from 9-12 different categories. Many of them will be categories I am used to, just because that is the nature of the beast, but I am going to try a graphic novel, some humor, and maybe even a travelogue -- all things I haven't experienced before. Hooray!

And then, this morning, I stumbled across the New Adult Challenge. So many people have been saying they wish there were books about adults in their early twenties, and I couldn't agree more, being in that range myself and working on a novel that fits into that range. So I am going to try out this challenge at the Just Graduated level and read 3 books. I am probably going to read The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons and get my little fingers on the Jessica Darling books. Or possibly read The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta, because Jellicoe Road was fantastic.

Okay, and finally, finally, {unless I forgot someone}, the Wolf Hall readalong. I have been wanting to read this baby, and was happy to see this excuse for it. I love readalongs, and haven't been participating in any but my own for months. The schedule is:
{November 28} - Open the book.
{December 4} - Post about parts 1 and 2
{December 11} - Post about parts 3 and 4
{December 18} - Post about parts 5 and 6

I might cheat and post on Saturday, because I like my Sunday Salon posts and I don't like double-posting. We'll see.

I'm not even going to tell myself no more, because that just seems to invite me to give in on more and more challenges. Even though I know I'm going crazy, I can't wait for all of these. I love thinking about the new year and what I will read. I love thinking about books, period. I hope that I possibly inspired you to check out something new. Now I have to go update my sadly abandoned challenge page!