Reading Buddies Wrap-Up: “Bel Canto” by Ann Patchett

Reading Buddies Button

Welcome to the Reading Buddies wrap-up for Bel Canto by Ann Patchett! I’m just going to come out and say that if you haven’t read the book and might, at some point, you probably want to stop reading now. It’s one of those books that’s easily ruined by spoilers, I think, and seeing as what I most want to discuss is the end, well…you see the problem. If, on the other hand, you’ve read Bel Canto and would like to help me talk through my reactions, by all means, read on!

Here’s an approximate summary of my thought process as I read through the book:

1%-10% read: “As long as Mr. Hosokawa is okay, I can handle this book.”
11%-75% read: “As long as Gen is okay, I can handle this book.”
76&-97% read: “Oh crap, I really want Carmen to be okay but something awful is going to happen, and that will be the end.”
98%-99% read: “Huh, suddenly I don’t care about anyone.”
100%: “…huh?”

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (cover)Let me explain. I started out liking Mr. Hosokawa. He seemed so sweet and genuine. Then the story shifted more to Gen, and I came to really like him, as I mentioned in the discussion post. It wasn’t until we really got to know Carmen that I decided she was an okay girl and got attached to her and Gen as a couple. From the moment they decided to help Mr. Hosokawa and Roxanne, though, I had this terrible feeling that someone was going to get caught and that Carmen would be the one punished. Maybe she’d be discovered helping Mr. Hosokawa, or maybe someone would see her sneak outside with Gen at night, or maybe she’d slip up and say something–I didn’t know, but I got edgy. I knew things couldn’t end well, even though I wasn’t sure what direction the author would take.

Then came the scene where the military made their entrance. I can’t explain why, but it was suddenly like I was reading a different book, like the emotional thread that had pulled me through the entire novel snapped and I didn’t particularly care what happened. I can’t really figure out why this happened; I should have been heartbroken. If not for the terrorists, at least for the hostages. Right?

With the connection lost, I hated what came next. Gen and Roxanne? Just because they’d both lost someone they loved? Really?? I didn’t believe it for a minute. I’d been planning to keep the book, having thought for most of the time I’d been reading that it was quite good, but when I finished it I promptly put it in my “donate” pile. The last few pages ruined the book for me.

Sometimes I get this feeling with authors, like you can trust them to take a story exactly where it needs to go. I know I’m in the minority, but I felt that way about Suzanne Collins as I read The Hunger Games trilogy. Another book that worked the same way for me was The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. At this point, though, after having read only Bel Canto, I’m leery of trusting Ann Patchett. I will give her another chance, because (a) I know many people have said her other novels are better, and (b) the first three quarters (and more) of Bel Canto was so good. But two more chances…that might not happen.

What did you think? Am I overreacting? Anyone want to try and make me see why the author chose the ending she did? And if you’ve read others by Ann Patchett, would you advise me as to what I should pick up next? (I have Run on my shelf…)

Other bloggers’ thoughts on Bel Canto:

Armchair BEA: Giveaway Winner

Armchair BEA

Today is Day #4 of Armchair BEA 2011! (Not sure what that means? Check out the Armchair BEA site for details.) It’s my first year participating. Today’s topic is: Nurturing Relationships.

However, I’m not officially participating today. Instead, I’m spending today catching up on schoolwork, so I’ll just announce the winner of my giveaway and be off to the library (boo!). Check out the site above to read what all the other wonderful participants have to say on this topic! I’ll be back tomorrow with my regularly scheduled Reading Buddies post, which this week is the wrap-up for Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.

And now, without further ado, the winner of The Bee-Loud Glade by Steve Himmer is…

Kristi from PeetSwea!

Congratulations, Kristi, I hope you love the book! To everyone else, thanks so much for entering. I hope you’ll check out The Bee-Loud Glade, it’s really a wonderful novel!

Armchair BEA: An Interview with Rebecca from kindle fever

Today is Day #3 of Armchair BEA 2011! (Not sure what that means? Check out the Armchair BEA site for details.) It’s my first year participating. Today’s topic is: Work the Network (blogger interviews)!

Rebecca from kindle fever

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rebecca from kindle fever. Rebecca’s blog was new to me, but as soon as I visited her site I was struck by her incredible enthusiasm. She’s clearly embraced books, reading, and blogging with open arms, a fact that’s obvious all over kindle fever.

Rebecca has an extensive “Who am I?” page on her blog, but I’ll tell you a bit here by way of introduction. Almost 19, she lives in northern Sweden, where at times the sun is only up for four hours a day. She’s working on her final year in the Swedish Gymnasium, studying natural science with the goal of becoming a Radiologic technologist. She reads books in both Swedish and English, though the latter is her preference. Oh, and she adores her Kindles…both of them!

On her blog, Rebecca shares the following, which I love:

“We had an assignment in school once, where we were asked to describe our life in six words and then make a picture slide of it. My words were: Live one life–experience a hundred, referring to the many adventures we can experience through books.”

Want to learn more about Rebecca from kindle fever? Read on!

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How did you get into book blogging?

It was after I’d found the site Goodreads.com and actually started rating and reviewing the books I read. I completely fell in love with it; the fact that I could go back and remember likes and dislikes for each books, as well as how I felt while reading them. Now I see it as a part of the reading experience. I created a blog to collect these reviews easily for my own benefit, but never dared making it “official.” When a lot of my GR friends started making them though, I thought: “Why not join in as well?”, went back to fix it up a bit and finally came out of the closet. 😉 And that’s the story of how I became a part of the wonderful blogosphere!

How long have you been blogging?

I’ve been officially blogging since the beginning of February 2011. It feels like a lot longer though!

From your blog name, it’s pretty clear you’re a fan of the Kindle! What makes you love it so much?

Oh yes, I adore my Kindles! I actually have two, haha. What makes me love it so much? Well, first of all it’s a wonderful way for me who lives in Sweden to be a part of the international book community, since it makes it so much easier for me to get hold of the books I want. The genres I read aren’t too popular over here (yet at least), especially not in English, so it usually takes between 1.5-2 weeks for me to get my books. Kindle solves this problem when you can easily just click the book home and get it right away! I know it might not always be cheaper for all US/UK-ers, but it usually is for me. It can be more than half the price I save when buying a Kindle book! So that’s great.

I also love that you can change font-size as well as spacing on the Kindle, which makes it so much easier to read when you’re tired after a way to long day in school. I’ve actually started to think it’s much easier on my eyes reading on the Kindle as well! My only complaint is that I can’t put the lovely books in my bookshelf anymore. But then, I just ran out of room recently as well, so it’s a good thing the Kindle actually takes care of that problem. And the fact that I don’t have to pack a bag with 3+ books anymore, as soon as I’m going away for some time! See—it’s perfect for this girl!

Has having an eReader changed your reading habits at all?

I can read more often. It’s much easier to bring the Kindle with me too school (the same goes for vacation trips) and pick it up during lunch breaks or other free periods. As I said earlier, I also get them around two weeks faster! I read way more outside now as well, since I don’t accidentally squish anymore flies between the pages (ew, I so hated that…) I read more books at the same time as well, since it’s easy to jump between two books without having to change the reading device at all. Oh, and I can get hold of specific books and genres I never could before—like more erotic ones.

Do you have favorite (and/or least favorite) genres?

Wow, I have a lot of favourite genres. But the main one: Romance. I devour most books as long as they contain romance! It can be anything from Paranormal Romance to Erotic Romance and setting varies from both Historical and Contemporary! Urban Fantasies and Dark Fantasies work as well if they do have romance in them, but it can’t only be action.

Least favourite genres have to be war-related books and biographies. War books feel too serious and awful (plus they usually aren’t too romantic from my experience) and biographies are all too “real” and serious as well. I need fiction; somewhere that I can escape from real life—not be reminded of it.

What books have been most influential to you as a reader?

I actually have different books influencing different genres and developing my current reading preferences. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer brought me into the paranormal reading, Anita Blake by Laurell K. Hamilton into the more Adult paranormal books and The Gardella Vampire Chronicles by Colleen Gleason into Historicals. But all in all, I think Anita Blake has influenced me the most. If not for that one, I would never have been brought in to the Adult books at all, no matter which genres, and that is definitely the kind of reader I am. I read Young Adult from time to time, but it’s not a favourite at all. Anita Blake also got me into really reading and was the reason to why I actually find what I like and daring to stick with it.

Do you have any quirky book-related habits you want to share?

Oh, haha. Well, if I love a book and the action starts to pick up, I have to be sure I read every single word and don’t miss anything! I can even go back and re-read some sentences if I’ve skimmed over them too quickly. I really don’t want to miss anything, but tend to speed up when the action does! I also have a hard time not looking ahead for different answers when this happens, but luckily the Kindle has put an ending to that!

I often make plans with myself when reading and always in percentage. For example, when I’m reading a book I have some trouble putting down and I really have to sleep, I make a deal with myself of how many % I’m allowed to read before I have to put it down. This only works when I actually listen to me though, lol. I also always take an average time on how long it takes me to finish 10% for each book, to make it easier deciding exactly how far I’m allowed to read!

Finally, I can never sit in one place while reading. I move around a whole lot and sometimes I’m not even realizing I’ve done it until I found myself in a whole new place. A recent example: I sat on a bean bag in one corner of my room when first starting to read and when I looked up a few chapters later, I was on my stomach on the floor, my legs under the bed standing in the opposite end of my room.

What book do you find yourself recommending most often?

Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton, Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost, Fever by Karen Marie Moning and Wallflowers by Lisa Kleypas. Always. There’s no specific order to them either; I usually bring all of them up and they’re the first ones I always think of when people want recommendations! Of course it also depends on who I’m talking to and what they like!

Besides reading and blogging, what else do you enjoy doing?

Cuddling up in front of the TV with by boyfriend and/or American Hairless Terrier! Also to hang out with my friends and just being our crazy selves together. Lately I’m also Skyping daily with a few fellow book bloggers I met at BBPCon! (http://bbpcon.blogspot.com/) They’re wonderful and I’m so glad I met them all! Conversations vary from squealing about books, to random craziness and plan-making, all the way to more serious issues.

———

Thanks, Rebecca, for taking the time to answer my questions! Wondering where my interview is? Margot of Joyfully Retired took care of it!

If you’d like to answer one of the above questions in the comments, I’d love to learn a bit more about you. After all, it’s interview day!

Armchair BEA: My 2011 Favorite and Giveaway

Today is Day #2 of Armchair BEA 2011! (Not sure what that means? Check out the Armchair BEA site for details.) It’s my first year participating. Today’s topic is: Giveaways Galore, and/or the Best of 2011. (There are lots of giveaways happening throughout Armchair BEA, but especially today. Check out the Armchair BEA site to see them all!)

I couldn’t choose which topic for the day I wanted to write about, so I decided to combine them: I’m giving away a copy of my favorite book of 2011, which is…

The Bee-Loud Glade by Steve Himmer!

The Bee-Loud Glade by Steve Himmer (cover)The Bee-Loud Glade is my favorite new book of 2011 so far. I would love for more people to read it. It’s about a man named Finch. When we meet Finch, he’s an aging hermit. But soon he begins to tell the story of how he ended up where he is. It’s clever and entertaining and intriguing, deftly mixing a bizarre but absorbing storyline with a wonderful main character and plenty to think about. It utterly delighted me, and I’d like to share that with one of you. (Interested in reading more? Check out my original review.)

The Bee-Loud Glade was published in April by Atticus Books. (Isn’t the cover cool??)

To enter, just leave me a comment with a way to contact you if you win as well as a bit about your favorite 2011 release so far. If you haven’t read any books published in 2011, you can tell me about a book you’re anxiously awaiting. The fine print:

  • One entry per person.
  • The Bee-Loud Glade (paperback) will be coming from the Book Depository, so as long as they ship to your country, you’re invited to enter!
  • Giveaway runs from now until 10pm EST tomorrow night (Wednesday).
  • Winner will be chosen by random drawing.
  • Winner will be contacted when the contest closes and announced on Erin Reads Thursday morning. If I don’t hear back in within 24 hours of posting, I’ll pick a new winner.

Armchair BEA: Who Are You?

This morning kicks off Armchair BEA 2011! (Not sure what that means? Check out the Armchair BEA site for details.) It’s my first year participating. Today’s topic is: Who are you, and how do you Armchair?

About Erin

ErinI’m a twenty-something student in Pennsylvania (where I’ll be Armchair BEA-ing from), studying Information Science and squeezing in reading in any spare time I can find. Last autumn my husband and I moved to Pennsylvania from New York, where I had been working in an independent bookstore. It was while working there that Erin Reads was born.

I read mostly fiction of many stripes: contemporary, historical, young adult. I enjoy memoirs as well, and I’ll listen to almost any book on audio, as long as the narrator is good. A goal of mine for 2011 is to read more classics, for which I started my Classics Reclamation Project. It’s only been going for six months or so, but already it’s help me overcome my assumption that classics are “hard” and “boring!” I’ve had a Sony Reader for about five months now, and while I still read plenty of paper books, being able to load up some classics and digital galleys on my Reader and go has been great. I think of it as a reading accessory, not as a replacement for my beloved books.

I love blogging because it turns the solitary act of reading into something communal. I can share my thoughts on a book and hear about different perspectives. I can ask questions and muse about bookish topics. I can read other blogs and meet fellow readers. It doesn’t matter if we’re on opposite sides of the globe–the common language of books brings us together. I also belong to an IRL book group where I live, which meets monthly.

Aside from being a reader and a student, I’m also a knitter. I love to cook and try new recipes; thankfully, my husband isn’t a fussy eater! We share a love of books, which is wonderful. We frequent library sales together, and even though we read completely opposite genres, many an evening is spent side-by-side on the couch, reading away. We also love to travel and go camping (always with plenty of books along for the ride, of course!).

About Erin Reads

Erin Reads has been around since 2008, when I started experimenting with the whole book blogging idea. It’s moved from Blogger to WordPress to its current incarnation as a self-hosted site. When I started out, I posted intermittently and mostly for myself. In September 2010, just as I was leaving my bookstore job to move to a new state, I stumbled onto the book blogger community, which was poised to launch into Book Blogger Appreciation Week. My timing couldn’t have been better! Since then I’ve been more active in the blogging community and have met so many wonderful fellow readers and bloggers. Blogging has stepped in to fill the book-shaped hole leaving my bookstore job would have left.

Erin Reads is primarily a reflection of my own reading tastes. Most of the content is related to specific books (as opposed to general book-related topics). I do accept some books for review, but only if they fit with my interests. I try to share my honest thoughts about whatever I’m reading.

I’ve learned that formal reading challenges stress me out, but I do have two projects going at present on Erin Reads:

  • The Classics Reclamation Project, which I mentioned above, is my personal and ongoing effort to read more classics. For an explanation of the project and a list of what I’ve read so far, check out the CRP page.
  • Reading Buddies is a newer project, which I started because of how much I love reading with other people. Each month, I pick two books that readers interested in participating have suggested. I read each book over the course of the month, very informally, along with anyone who wants to join. There are no weekly posts or discussion questions, but spoilers are fair game, and I love being able to talk about any aspect of the book I want. It’s like having a public online book club! For details, check out the Reading Buddies page.

About You!

I’d love to “meet” you! If you’re new to Erin Reads, please introduce yourself in the comments. If you’ve been here before, tell me something about you or your blog that I might not already know!