Harem by Dora Levy Mossanen

"A seductive and intriguing journey from the humble Persian Jewish quarter to the fascinating world of shahs, soothsayers, eunuchs, and sultanas, Harem follows three generations of strong-willed and cunning women: Rebekah — a poor girl married to the abusive blacksmith, Jacob the fatherless — who emerges from her disastrous match with a mysterious brand between her breasts; Gold Dust, Rebekah's treasured daughter, who enters the opulent and perilous world of the harem and captivates the shah with her singing bones; and Gold Dust's daughter, the revered and feared albino princess Raven, who will one day rule the empire.

Rich in visual imagery, Harem vividly depicts the exotic bazaars and dangerous alleys of the city and palace chambers brimming with conspiracy and betrayal — as well as love and redemption. A skillfully crafted, intricately textured novel, Harem represents the beginning of a remarkable literary career."
(Synopsis from the back book cover.)

Harem is the story of Rebekah, Rebekah's daughter Gold Dust, and Gold Dust's daughter Raven. Rebekah is a strong-willed and strong-hearted woman who takes fate into her own hands. Gold Dust is her treasured daughter who enters into the king's harem and charms his heart. And Raven is the albino princess with a lust for violence.

I loved this book! During my school's "Dead Week" and week of finals, I wasn't planning on indulging in any books. But this one was left behind, so I picked it up and read one day when I had a free moment. I was hooked immediately. So throughout those two weeks, I occupied my spare time with this riveting story.

Mossanen is an expert storyteller who intricately weaves together the lives of Rebekah, Gold Dust, Raven, Jacob the Fatherless, the shah, other women of the harem, and eunuchs. I really enjoyed te way Mossanen wrote the story, how the scene jumped from centering around one character to focusing and getting inside of another character. It is all told in third-person, but it really gave an intimate and realistic insight into each person in the story. The novel was all the richer and more intriguing for that. Harem is full of beautiful language, elaborate descriptions, and strong female characters. And I relished the bit of magic that's thrown in.

I really admired Rebekah's strength of will and heart. Gold Dust was my favorite throughout the story for her beauty, strength, and desire for love. And Raven tested me---one moment I feared her, another I pitied her, and yet another I was extremely proud of her.

This is a quick, compelling read. Once you pick it up, you can't put it down. And those are the best kind of books!

Amore.

Gift Ideas for Book-Lovers

1. Overdue Notebook
2. Bibliophile's Dictionary
3. Bookworm Bookmarks
4. Personal Library Kit
5. Pictorial Webster's
6. 2-Headed Booklight
7. AtoZ Bookends

Amore.

Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue

Slammerkin: A loose gown; a loose woman.

Born to rough cloth in Hogarth's London, but longing for silk, Mary Saunders's eye for a shiny red ribbon leads her to prostitution at a young age. A dangerous misstep sends her fleeing to Monmouth, and the position of household seamstress, the ordinary life of an ordinary girl with no expectations. But Mary has known freedom, and having never known love, it is freedom that motivates her. Mary asks herself if the prostitute who hires out her body is more or less free than the "honest woman" locked into marriage, or the servant who runs a household not her own? And is either as free as a man? Ultimately, Mary remains true only to the three rules she learned on the streets: Never give up your liberty. Clothes make the woman. Clothes are the greatest lie ever told.
(Synopsis from the front inside jacket cover.)

I heard and read about Slammerkin from fellow historical fiction fans and all over historical fiction blogs, so I had to give it a go. I'm glad I did. I almost gave up in the middle of the book, but I'm glad that I didn't.

Slammerkin is the story of a girl named Mary Saunders and her short, hard life. As a girl, Mary is obsessed with fine clothes. Her lust for a single red ribbon compels her to approach the old ribbon seller in a dark alley one night. The filthy man takes advantage of her, raping her, and impregnating her. And Mary only ends up with a dull brown ribbon. Upon discovering that her daughter is pregnant, Mary's mother throws her out of the house. Nearly dying in the cold and being the toy of several soldiers, Mary hardly makes it through the night. But she does and she is taken in by Doll, a vibrant prostitute whom Mary has seen strolling. Mary herself goes into prostitution. And so her adventure begins.

From there forth, Mary's life is filled with her friendship to Doll, customers of all varieties, and eventually a dangerous knife-wielding enemy. Forced to give up the freedom and city she loves in exchange for her life, Mary runs from London. Her life undergoes a serious turnaround and Mary herself is surprised to like her mistress, like her new home, and like her new way of life. But she has not forgotten the old ways of making money. And her lust for silk, velvet, and fine fabrics has not simmered.

The writing style of Donoghue was an adjustment at first. I cannot recall another novel I read where the author jumped from character to character. Done badly, I suppose this is called mind-hopping or something like that. But this was done brilliantly. I thoroughly enjoyed getting into each character's brain, hearing their secret thoughts, and experiencing a certain event from their perspective. I also thought that the characters were all very well rounded. There were things to like and dislike about them all, which made them very human.

Mary Saunders is an interesting heroine. She's spunky, spiteful, deceitful, and at times very aggravating. And yet she's charming, warm, and likable. At times I wanted to slap her for the lies she wove and the stories she told. Other times, I wanted to embrace her and take care of her. She grew up so very fast in novel, but all along she was nothing but a young girl. She had made mistakes and taken missteps, but I could not help but consider her circumstances and the unfair consequences that had befallen her and shaped who she was. She was just a girl, after all. And because of that, my heart broke for her.

As the story progressed, it increased in speed and interest. And the last few chapters I must say were shocking! Overall Slammerkin was a good read and I would recommend it. :)

Amore.

Return to the Harem

(above image: a favourite in the harem by evser on deviantart.)

Okay, so I know that I said that I wouldn't be sticking my nose into another book until after finals... but I caved in! There are certain times of my day (i.e. riding the bus, waiting for class to start, sitting at the bus stop) that having a book on hand helps to pass the time. Since I'm already mostly moved out of the dorm, I sent most of my "to-be-read" books home with my parents. But alas! Harem by Dora Levy Mossanen was left behind. I took it from the near-empty bookshelf, tossed it in my backpack, and went off to class.

And so far I'm enamored with the book.

You'll recall that I recently read The Gilded Chamber, a novel of Queen Esther that for the most part took place in a harem. Now I'm returning to that glittering, luxurious prison of eunuchs, sultanas, opium, silken veils, and secrets. So far it is a much different take on the harm than The Gilded Chamber, but it also takes place in a slightly different setting and religious context. And plus there's still lots of novel left. It's also pretty fast-paced, so I may have another review up soonly.

But back to paper-writing and studying for finals. I'll be happily reading in the spare time that I can manage to muster!

Amore.

Nook-worm? Nose stuck in a Kindle?

(above: reading by one-little-thing.)

Being an avid reader, I can't help but notice the growing popularity of the e-reader. The Amazon Kindle and Barnes&Noble Nook seem to be taking the reading world by storm. These devices are sleek, chic, portable, and convenient. You can carry your whole library around with you. You can download a book in less than a minute---forgoing shopping or having to order. For the tech-savvy who like to read, these devices are really catching on. And I will admit that they are seductive little pieces of technology.


But I prefer books. For me, nothing compares to a book. I love the anticipation that comes with each physical turn of the page. I love the smell of crisp new ones and of old dusty ones. I love having it opened and my nose literally stuck in it. I love shelves of them, stacks of them, piles of them. I love the feeling of the page between my fingers. Books can be sleek and chic---but they can be so much more than a technological device. They may be brand spanking new or tattered and worn. Books are entirely portable and convenient. I enjoy browsing bookstores. And I like waiting for books I've ordered. (The wait is okay with me because I usually have a book to finish before I can start the one I ordered anyway.)

For me, books are incredibly seductive---more so than a cold piece of technology.

I read somewhere (sorry, I don't remember where or who) that it is predicted that because of the growing surge of e-reading and e-publishing, actual books will become a rare and expensive thing just as they were in the past when books first came out. E-reading and e-publishing are less expensive, more convenient, and save on resources such as paper. I do hope that prediction is wrong.

Whether you prefer physically turning the pages of a real book or enjoy the technological convenience of these e-reader machines, the important thing is that people keep reading. And if it takes an e-reader as opposed to a book to keep people reading, then I'm all about supporting that.

In the meantime, I do enjoy the Kindle commercial.

Amore.

If I had been in Persephone's shoes...

(above image: Seven Pomegranate Seeds by Lucky-April.)

As the story of Greek mythology goes...

Once upon a time there lived Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Persephone was a lovely young woman and was admired by all. Hades, god of the underworld, desired the young beauty. As she was picking flowers one afternoon on the plain of Enna, the earth opened up and Hades emerged. He abducted her and swept her away to his underworld. Only Zeus and Helios the sun god saw what had happened.

Poor, broken-hearted Demeter roamed the earth in search of her beloved daughter. Helios then informed her of what had taken place. Furious and woeful, Demeter withdrew from the earth. Without her, the land was not fertile; nothing grew nor bloomed. Zeus ordered Hermes to go to Hades and demand that he let Persephone go. Hades reluctantly agreed.

Before Persephone left the underworld, Hades gave her a pomegranate. She fatefully ate seven of the seeds, which bound her to the underworld for one third of the year. During the other months, Persephone was allowed to return to her mother. When Persephone was with Hades, Demeter mourned and the earth was infertile. Those months were a time of winter. And when her daughter returned to her, the land would bloom and blossom with spring and summertime.

I recently tried a pomegranate for the first time. And I must confess that it is the most delicious fruit I have ever eaten except for raspberries. (Raspberries will always be my favorite.) As I sat on my couch and plucked the juicy little rubies from the fruit, I got to thinking about Persephone.

I don't think I could have limited myself to a mere seven seeds.

I would have eaten them all!

If I had been Persephone, and had eaten them all, I would have probably been bound to Hades and the underworld forever. And the world would have been plunged into an eternal winter.

Luckily I'm just a mere mortal and I can eat as many of those mouth-watering little jewels as I desire. :)

Amore.

Gift Ideas for Writers

1. No Plot? No Problem! Novel Writing Kit
2. Keep Calm and Type On Print
3. Monogrammed Coffee Mug
4. Acer Aspire Netbook in Amethyst
5. Writer's Warning Tote Bag
6. Red Genuine Leather Locking Diary
7. Moleskine Notebooks
8. Typewriter Key Jewelry
9. Dixon Ticonderoga Pencils
10. Vintage Royal Quiet Deluxe Typewriter
(Earnest Hemingway's Favorite, btw)

Amore.

Troubled by Scandal & Plagiarism in the Blogosphere

I love blogs. I'm relatively new to being a blogger myself, but I've been following blogs on interior design, good books to read, and do-it-yourself projects for over a year now. I may be getting into a controversial subject here, but I do feel the need to get my personal opinion out there.

I hate it when a post comes up in my feed in which a blogger complains about being plagiarized. I think plagiarism is completely wrong and out of line, so my heart always goes out to a writers whose work has been stolen. That would be a nightmare! I always try very hard to make sure I give credit where credit is due and such... but if it ever appears that I have "stolen" or "borrowed" from another blogger, I do hope that someone confronts me about it in a respectful manner. I'm not saying that plagiarizers should only be given slaps on the wrist and sent on their way. But sometimes it could be an accident or a misunderstanding. I would hope that I would be approached respectfully before being attacked. I would certainly remove the content and profusely apologize. (All that being said, I don't believe I've ever plagiarized and I never plan to.)

What brings this all up? Well, two of my favorite blogs: Scandalous Women (SW) and Historically Obsessed (HO). Recently, Historically Obsessed published a post about a certain painting by Pre-Raphaelite Sir John Everett Millais. Apparently, the blogger of SW read HO's post and was inspired by it. A few days later, SW published a post focusing on the scandalous affair of Millais and Effie Gray, who was John Ruskin's wife. Then today, HO published a post accusing SW of plagiarizing and attacking the blogger of SW.

This really troubles me. I read both of the posts before the accusation was made. I was so excited to see that two bloggers had blogged about Pre-Raphaelite subject matter because I just finished studying the Pre-Raphaelites in my British Literature course. I read both, noticed that both were from separate blogs, but didn't think they were at all the same. Even though the two posts shared the same painting and people, the actual post topics were completely different.

The HO post discusses the meaning behind, symbolism of, and the blogger's connection to one of Millais' paintings. The post includes two quotes, one from from Essential Pre-Raphaelites and one from Illustrated London News. The only instance in which Effie Gray or John Ruskin are mentioned is in those quotes.

The SW post delves into the personal lives of John Ruskin, Effie Gray, and Sir John Everett Millais. The post explains the marriage of Ruskin and Effie, how unhappy Effie was, the financial circumstances of Effie's family and the eventual annulment. It also goes onto to talk about the love between Effie and Millais. Besides including the same painting as a picture in the post, the post doesn't actually refer to the painting, its symbolism, its meaning or any of the other stuff HO covered.

I don't believe that SW is in the wrong here. Is it so wrong to be inspired by a blog, research deeper on the topic, and then publish your own post on the subject? I understand the need to come up with creative ideas and to want those ideas attributed to yourself. But to believe that you will be the only to cover that topic, especially when it is such a well-known and interesting subject, is really rather silly in my opinion.

Plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarizers should have some sort of punishment. But SW did not plagiarize. The author was inspired by HO's post and took the topic in her own direction, focusing on the "scandalous woman" Effie Gray.

I will continue to read both blogs because I enjoy them equally, but seriously---the way HO accused SW of "stealing" was out of line and really put a damper on my blog reading of the day. Another thing that sort of torqued me in HO's accusative post was this line,

"Hum, I wonder where she got that idea could it be that she spends her day trolling other Historical Fiction blogs looking for ideas on what to post herself?" (from Historically Obsessed: Plagiarism in the HF Community BEWARE)

I think that a lot of HF bloggers read other Historical Fiction blogs just as avid Historical Fiction readers do. Bloggers and readers alike are always looking for another wonderful pageturner to stick their nose in. Is it wrong if a blogger reads another blog's review, reads the book themselves, and then posts their own review about it? I think not. I've discovered soooo many favorite novels by reading reviews on blogs. Am I plagiarizing that blogger by talking about the book on my own blog? Am I "stealing" their idea? No. And to accuse me (and other bloggers) of that would be absurd. I know there are people out there who deal steal a review and post it as their own. Those people are plagiarizers.

But go read the two posts for yourself and see what you think. Click here to read the "original" Historically Obsessed post about the painting. Click here to read the Scandalous Women post that focuses on Effie Gray's life.

"Take the whole range of imaginative literature, and we are all wholesale borrowers. In every matter that relates to invention, to use, or beauty or form, we are borrowers." (Wendell Phillips)


Amore.

Winner!

Alas! It is December 1st.

I'm feeling a mix of emotions right now. I'm happy because November is over, I wrote the 50,000 words in 30 days, and now I can get back to novel-reading. But I'm sad because I'll miss the weekly write-ins with an awesome group of Central Iowa Authors, my story only hit the half-way point at 50k words and will probably need at least another 40k to get to "The End," and next November seems so far away.

This was my second NaNoWriMo and definitely my best. Last year I wrote over 54,000 words and did it all on my own. There was nobody (that I knew of) in my town to have write-ins with. This year I wrote just over 50,000, but I had the greatest time doing it! I attended several write-ins in Ames and Des Moines with wonderful fellow writers. I was much more active in the forums. And I truly had a blast.

I'm not sure how quickly I'll get back to reading Slammerkin, but I hope to finish it and get a review up soonly. After that I'll be on to Harem, The White Queen, and Through a Glass Darkly. It's going to be a fantastic winter full of pageturners! (As soon as I get through my final exams, that is.)

Amore.

20 Q's Reading Survey

1. Last books I bought: (I actually received these through PaperBackSwap...)
Uppity Women of Ancient Times by Vicki Leon, Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen, Harem by Dora Levy Mossanen.

2. Last book I read; book I'm currently reading :
The Gilded Chamber by Rebecca Kohn; Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue.

3. The first book I read over and over:
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Jackson. I was a child and I thought the book was magical!

4. Books I enjoyed in my youth:
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, all books of poetry by Shel Silverstein, Heidi by Johanna Spyri, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, stories by Dr. Seuss, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault, Little House on the Prarie (and the other Little House books) by Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, and tons of Nancy Drew mysteries by Carolyn Keene.

5. Where I read:
Everywhere. On the bus. Before, after, and during (oops!) class. In a quiet corner of the library. And, my favorite place, curled up in bed.

6. A book I bought just for cover:
The Lovers' Path by Kris Waldherr. It's a beautifully illustrated novel. I bought two copies---one for me, one for my sister. I can't wait to read it!

7. Scariest Book I ever read:
When I was little, I thought Where the Wild Things Are was the scariest book ever, but I read it over and over because it was fun to be scared like that. Last year I attempted to read Villisca by Roy Marshall. The novel is based on an axe-murder that occurred in Iowa back in 1912. It wasn't written in a scary way; there was nothing gory or suspenseful. However, the subject matter and thoughts of the horrible murder haunted me. I couldn't get past the second chapter.

8. Most Romantic Book ever:
Hmm... for me it's a tie between Pilate's Wife by Antoinette May and Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund. Romance isn't exactly the main focus of either of those books, but in Pilate's Wife I absolutely loved the romance between the main female character and her gladiator love interest. And in Abundance, I fell hopelessly in love with Count Axel von Fersen---even though he and Marie Antoinette's relationship is depicted as a mere friendship in this novel.

9. Book that changed my life in some way:
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Perfume by Patrick Suskind, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

10. Books I've reread the most:
I honestly haven't reread any books. There are several books which I say that I may read again (Pilate's Wife, Water for Elephants, The Royal Physician's Visit, Abundance) ...But I probably won't re-visit those until twenty or thirty years down the road. ;)

11. Books I need cliff notes for
Uhhh... well, most recently I needed cliff notes for Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

12. Book I needed a dictionary for:
At times I felt like I needed a dictionary for Atonement by Ian McEwan.

13. Books I like that no one else seems to:
Nobody else I know seems to be interested in Perfume by Patrick Suskind. I think when I start talking about a guy who knows all the smells in the world, has no smell of his own, and starts murdering young virgins in an effort to create the world's most wonderful smell... people get turned off... But it's a beautiful, haunting, romantic, and eerie tale. Read it!

14. Books I don't like that everyone else seems to:
Oh gosh. Where to begin? The Harry Potter series. The Twilight series. Many others, but those two really pop out in my mind.

15. Number of books I own (guess):
Oooh dear, I'm honestly not sure. Over a 100 for sure... my mom owns like five times as many as I do.

16. Number of books on TBR (that have not been acquired):
Around 20 right now.

17. Must have reading accessory:
A bookmark. I love bookmarks.

18. Literary destination I want to go to:
I would love to visit Versailles. When I read Sena Jeter Naslund's Abundance, I felt like I was being transported there every time I picked up the book. I would love to see the palace in reality!

19. Top three favourite authors
Sena Jeter Naslund, Libba Bray, Sarah Dunant.

20. The reason I started book blogging
I blog because it is a fresh, creative way to express myself, broaden my interests, and interacting with people who share my interests. It is a great way to share favorite novels and to read reviews of other potential pageturners.