Fiction to Fashion: Angelmaker

I just found this totally awesome website that uses books and their covers to create fashion inspiration boards. I just LOVE this idea. So I decided to create one for the incredibly badass book by Nick Harkaway that I finished a few days ago. Angelmaker is a little bit steampunk, a little bit art deco, and a lot of classy criminal cool (yes, that is a thing; read the book). I started working on a fashion board for the hardcover and ended up with one for the paperback as well.

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The Kensington Satchel | $198 at Madewell
Citizens of Humanity Corduroy Jeans in Cumin | $95 at Piperlime
Like a Boss-y Jacket | $180 at ModCloth
Bumble Honey Bee Entomology Earrings | $28 at Etsy
Sabine Boudoir Sequin Cami | $75 at Piperlime
Steve Madden Troopa Boots | $100 at Piperlime
Steampunk Clockwork Ring | $145 at Etsy

What I love about the era that Angelmaker inspires is its decadence, its boldness. Fashion of the time wasn’t afraid to wear black and brown in the same outfit or pair gold and silver accessories. Below is the fashion board I put together for the paperback edition:

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Tartine Satchel | $325 at J. Crew
Sabine Pear Shaped Drop Earrings | $22 at Piperlime
20 Gauge Thin Winchester Brass Bullet Necklace | $25 at Etsy
Rhyme Los Angeles Studded Vegan Leather Jacket | $89 at Piperlime
Chinese Laundry Danger Zone Cap Toe Pumps in Jade | $89 at Piperlime
Fan Favorite Dress | $53 at ModCloth

Nick Harkaway’s crime-filled adventure novel is sharp, innovative, and well-told. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, complex though it seemed at times, and some of the images were so clear in my mind, I felt like I was watching a movie (on that note, a movie version of this story would be killerrrr). I recommend it to fans of tommy guns, smart, sensual women, blind pugs, despicable Asian villains, clockmakers, trains, espionage, leagues of classy criminals, underground London, and automata. Yeah, I know.

Preorders for the New Year

I’m judging by this cover

As much as I love looking back on a year of good solid reading, I like looking forward to one to come even better. And although I cannot begin to say how 2013 is going to turn out, publishing and reading wise, from here, it’s looking pretty great. With the first month of the year nearly gone (2013 is flying already!), it seemed high time to highlight what we can look forward to in the next eleven. I find if I’m not preparing for new releases, they’ll inevitably disappear into the gaping black hole that is my TBR list. So without further discussion, here are 10 2013 releases I’m excited about:

Truth in Advertising, John Kenney – January 22:  A book blogger I follow describe it by saying, “Truth in Advertising is what would happen if Mad Men had sex with Jonathan Tropper,” and that was enough for me.

I drink with men sometimes too

Drinking with Men, Rosie Schaap – January 24: I read a review of this memoir on NPR and thought it’s easygoing bar stories sounded right up my alley.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, Anne Therese Fowler – March 26: I’m a huge fan of the Jazz Age/Lost Generation era. Huge. Ask anyone that attended my wedding (it was 20s-themed, right down to the guests’ attire). So naturally, a bit of fact-based fiction starring the first American flapper is at the top of my list this year. Bonus points for an incredibly gorgeous cover.

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, Mary Roach – April 1: I’ve read and loved everything else Mary Roach has written, and I’m hearing stellar things about this one as well. Her dry, footnote-filled popular science books are extremely informative and hysterically witty.

graphic awesomeness

Odds Against Tomorrow, Nathaniel Rich – April 2: I know very little about this book, and that’s okay. I glimpsed the words “Empire State Building,” “apocalyptic,” and “thriller,” and that was enough to make it on the list.

The Lost Journal of Bram Stoker: The Dublin Years, Elizabeth Miller – April 4: This one’s not going to be a bestseller or a favorite of the masses, but I like Stoker a lot, not to mention he’s a character in the book I’m currently outlining.

Call Me Zelda, Erica Robuck – May 7: See above, re: fact-based fiction about Zelda Fitzgerald.

glorious Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman – June 18: I’m really late to the Neil Gaiman party. I’ve read only 2 of his previous works (in the middle of the 3rd), but I am officially on board for this one. I expect I’ll have more of his novels behind me by the time June rolls around too. He is a sharp, imaginative example of quality writing in the modern age. I’m really looking forward to a new book.

Seven for a Secret, Lyndsay Faye – August 15?: I can’t find much information about the true release date of this one. I only know of it because I practically stalk Lyndsay Faye and her Twitter feed. Her third novel is a sequel to last year’s The Gods of Gotham, which takes place in 1860s Manhattan and is an incredibly cool read.

MaddAddam, Margaret Atwood – September 3: Margaret Atwood is a major oversight of mine. I’ve read her nonfiction work on writing, but I am going to be actively going at her fiction bibliography this year. This new novel is the last in a trilogy, preceded by Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood. I’m pretty sure Maggie A can do no wrong, so I’m catching up on the trilogy and then jumping headfirst into this new one.

There are also a few books that I’ve been hearing a lot about, ones that bloggers and critics are currently reading and forming opinions on, but I’m not entirely convinced yet. Sometimes even the best of us need to be talked into spending time with a book. I’m waiting to read a little more about these (or in some cases, read the author’s earlier work) before I make any serious preorder commitments, but I’m watching closely:

letters that are actually essays

The Blue Book, A.L. Kennedy – March 12
Life After Life, Kate Atkinson – April 2
All That Is, James Salter – April 2
Letters to a Young Scientist, Edward O. Wilson – April 15
Inferno, Dan Brown – May 14
Transatlantic, Colum McCann – June 4
Doctor Sleep, Stephen King – September 24

Also just heard about the plans for an Amy Poehler memoir in 2014. Here’s to looking forward to all the books and the future in general too.

P.S. What have I missed?! Feel free to let me know.

Reading Resolutions for 2013

Yesterday, I wrote about my resolutions for the new year: 2. Read everything. I thought, perhaps, that one deserved an explanation. Really “read everything” can translate to “read as much I can,” but it’s more than that. I plan to read more than last year, and also more broadly, more in-depth, and more creatively. I realize now that this is all still pretty vague, so I’ll break it down into mini-resolutions.

1. Read more: I read 42 books in 2012; I want to read 60 in 2013. Doable, but ambitious. (Book bloggers who read double that without even trying, not a word, you!)

2. Read more broadly: I’ve read more leisure nonfiction in the past two or three years than probably the rest of my life combined, but I want more of it in my life. I also plan to broaden my fiction horizons more actively. I’m never opposed to thriller or romance or fantasy, but my tendency is to lean toward literary fiction, and that’s not exactly fair… or the most fun. I’m branching out. Give me your scifi and your essay collections!

3. Read more in-depth: In-depth can mean a few different things in this context, and I’m pretty sure I mean them all. I want to pay better attention to what I’m reading and retain details over time. I want to discuss literature with friends and feel more comfortable stating a confident and sure-footed opinion. I want to read books that inspire me to read other books and read those too. Did I get them all?

4. Read more creatively: Three years ago, I had never listened to an audiobook. Two years ago, I had never read an ebook. Last year, I started a book club and also started reading books with long-distance friends as a way to ensure regular and stimulating conversations. What will I do next?!

5. Read research: I am both thrilled and terrified to say that I’ve got some very serious book ideas rolling around in my brain right now. Of course, I couldn’t possibly make writing a novel easy on myself, so they’re historical ideas that require quite a bit of research in order to get right. My 2013 reading life needs to be at least 30% research material in order to get this silly thing on paper before I die.

Outside of my general reading resolutions, my only concrete reading goal this year is to reading the complete and annotated Sherlock Holmes canon out loud with my husband. I’m new to this whole marriage thing, but this is what it’s about, right? Sharing passions? (i.e. convincing him to be as wholly obsessive about the Sherlockian universe as I am?) Right? Don’t worry. He’ll love it. I’m doing voices.

Resolutions for 2013

I like New Years’ resolutions. They are hopeful and happy. They are reflective and cathartic. Every year, I write down ten resolutions on a slip of paper, seal it in a little envelope, and keep it in my desk. It’s a bit like a time capsule by the end; although I like to keep my resolutions vague enough to be achievable, they have somehow still become a crystalline look back at my expectations and ambitions for a fresh, unsullied year of life.

The events of this past week are not something I’m ready to comment on publicly, but they have taught me that we must live in order to honor those that don’t get the chance. And ultimately, that is my whole plan for 2013.

Broken down, it looks like this:

1. Be happy.
2. Read everything.
3. Listen to people and to music.
4. Travel to new places and old places too.
5. Write fiction.
6. Write nonfiction.
7. Save money.
8. Do new things.
9. Eat well and healthy.
10. Learn.

2012: A Reading Year in Review

Coolest Cover Award

I’m aware that we’re already two weeks into 2013, but last year was a good one, and I thought it deserved a little reflection (belated though it may be).

I read 42 books in 2012. For those of you that are not the avid albeit passive member of the bookworm/book blogging community that I am, that’s actually not that many in comparison to other members of said community. In all fairness, some of the people I’m referencing read books as part of their careers; however, some, like me, read purely for leisure. I’m a fairly slow reader in general, so I doubt I’ll ever read into the 100-150 range of some of my friends and favorite bloggers, but I would like to improve upon my overall number in 2013. My reading goal for this year is 60 books – ambitious (for me, anyway), but doable.

Despite the lack of abounding quantity, I am pleased with my efforts in 2012. I did some pretty cool things. This year, I…

planned a wedding,
started a book club,
spent two weeks in New Zealand,
lost 15 pounds,
turned 24,
attended some fantastic author readings (thanks to Ann Patchett and the wondrous Parnassus Books) (Amor Towles, Lyndsay Faye, Jennie Fields, Erin Morgenstern, Mark Helprin, Holly Tucker, and Kevin Wilson, just to name a few),
read books with long distance friends,
successfully read multiple books at a time (something I had rarely attempted before now),
gave books away as an official World Book Night 2012 giver,
sparked two separate fiction ideas and started research on them,
bought two more bookshelves for my library,
read more nonfiction than ever before (although still a rather small percentage overall),
attended Bonnaroo for the second time,
spent a weekend in Asheville for the first time,
spent a weekend in New Orleans for the first time,
watched every How I Met Your Mother episode,
watched every Doctor Who episode,
watched every Gossip Girl episode,
went to 5 midnight showings of movies and 3 regular showings of movies,
wrote two bios and two freelance music articles,
and bought 11 pairs of shoes.

A Few Stats

Of the 42 books I read this year, 20 of them were written by women, which I thought was pretty cool. There was exactly 1 DNF. 6 of them were nonfiction, 9 were for the book club I started in March, 7 of them I listened to on audio, and 5 I read with a friend. Collectively, I read/listened to approximately 17,000 words. Of the 42 I read, 34 of them were more than 300 pages, 8 were more than 500, and 3 were more than 800 pages (Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Suzanne Clarke, and The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett).

I also found the publication dates of the works I read interesting. See the handy chart below. Most of what I read was published in the 21st century, but strictly speaking, I read more backlist than frontlist.

Books Read in 2012

Superlatives and Honorable Mentions

I thought I’d do some of my own personal reading year awards. Also, there are a few moments in the books I read in 2012 that stand out and thus deserve to be recognized.

Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles

Best Book [Overall]: I thought I’d get the more difficult category out of the way first. This year, I had no trouble narrowing down my top 5, which says to me that this was a good reading year, not a great one. And although Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles, was a clear choice for me, The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern, was an extremely close second. Rules of Civility is just one of those rare books in which every word seems carefully chosen and every moment is beautifully laid out. I would have read any story written so gracefully, but single girls and chance meetings in Manhattan in the 30s? Rules of Civility, you win. I love you.

Best Book [Classic]: I read a couple of classics this year… perhaps not as many as I would have liked. While I truly enjoyed reading Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy, my favorite classic I read was definitely The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I should have read it long ago, but I’m glad it was in this year’s list.

The Gods of Gotham, by Lyndsay Faye

Best Book [Published in 2012]: There were some solid books published in 2012, and I read 10 of them. As much as I thrilled reading the psycho twisty Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, I have to go with The Gods of Gotham, by Lyndsay Faye, as my favorite. An 1860s Manhattan setting makes the book automatically awesome, but Lyndsay’s well-researched, fast-paced, expertly-crafted, set-up-for-a-sequel historical novel was truly top notch.

Best Audio: Weirdly enough, this is probably my most difficult category. I picked some seriously awesome listens this year. From Tim Curry and Alan Cumming reading Dracula, by Bram Stoker to Jim Dale reading The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern, audiobooks have been a huge part of what made this reading year cool. If I had to pick a fav though, it is definitely Stephen Fry reading Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Book 1, by Douglas Adams (I should have read it a long time ago, but I’m so glad I waited until I found this recording (and the subsequent four novels, which are read by Martin Freeman)). Honorable Mention goes to Jim Broadbent reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce, because I just can’t imagine what reading that fabulous book on my own would be like; Jim Broadbent IS Harold.

The Lost City of Z, by David Grann

Best Nonfiction: I’ve been actively working to broaden my nonfiction horizons the past few years, and while I haven’t gotten much farther than biographies of Arthur Conan Doyle, the bibliographies of Sarah Vowell, Mary Roach, Erik Larson, etc., and the occasional historical text or memoir, this year’s Best Nonfiction was by far, The Lost City of Z, by David Grann. Grann’s study of Percy Fawcett’s letters, telegrams, and diary entries, as well as first- and secondhand accounts of his travels, tells a thoroughly researched and thoroughly engrossing tale of the explorer’s search for a lost civilization and mysterious disappearance in the Amazon in 1925.

The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson

Best Book I Read for Book Club: Now, in my opinion, the category doesn’t necessary mean just “best book.” To me, book club is a way to extend one’s reading beyond his comfort zone, so I believe Best Book Read for Book Club should be the book that was most outside what I typically read that I also happened to enjoy. This year, I believe there’s a tie. State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett, was so far outside of the fiction I normally have on my shelf, and yet it truly impacted me when I read it and made for a fascinating discussion at book club. However, The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson, was perhaps not as far outside my comfort zone, but one that I enjoyed immensely and also made for great discussion.

The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling

Worst Book I Read for Book Club: The book club I started in March of this year has done a pretty stellar job picking books that we have all enjoyed reading; however, The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling, was disliked across the board. Personally, I understood the satire and what I took to be the novel’s general purpose, but I didn’t appreciate it. I don’t ever like reading books that wallow in the ugly, mundane troubles of middle class life, but such exaggerated, overwrought cynicism stretched over 500 pages was an absolute chore.

Best Character: A difficult choice. While I’m tempted to go with Jamie Fraser, the sexy 17th century Scot featured in Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon, I have to award Best Character to one to whom I was so tenderly endeared I physically teared up while reading: Hans Hubermann in The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak. Yes, in my book, having heart and teaching the powers of language and literature to Nazi-era children trumps being a romantic, red-headed, muscly, kilt-wearing hunk o’ dude… but barely.

The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

Worst Character: A tough call as well. The self-righteous, self-serving, despicably evil William Hamleigh in The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett, won out over the thoughtless, narcissistic, gossipy Emma in Emma, by Jane Austen, but it was close, and I don’t think anyone who’s read those two books would argue with me.

Most Read Author: In tallying this category, I’ve created the best tie ever – between Louis Bayard and Neil Gaiman – at two books each. I really enjoyed all four of the books that make up this category, but The Black Tower, by Louis Bayard, an alternate history involving the world’s first private detective, Eugene Vidocq and Louis XVII, was the better of the two works (winning out over Mr. Timothy, about Tiny Tim grown up and investigating a murder in Victorian London, which was still pretty neat). And while The Graveyard Book was a cool read, Stardust, by Neil Gaiman, was just plain awesome.

The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern

Most Recommended/Coolest: Without doubt, this one goes to The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. I’ve been telling people about this book since before I read it myself. It is utterly original, inventive, colorful, and breathtaking in scope. It’s not overly burdened by plot, but the language is so lovely and the ideas so clever and well-detailed. I never wanted to leave this world.

Best Written: Winter’s Tale, by Mark Helprin, is 600-something pages of gorgeous prose. While the story is a seamless blend of historical fiction and magical realism, what really drew me into the book was the glorious language with which it is told.

The Stockholm Octavo, by Karen Engelmann

Best Setting: The Stockholm Octavo, by Karen Engelmann, is, to me, an obvious debut novel: brilliant setting, cool idea, and execution that could use a bit of work. Mostly, I was disappointed with the lack of character development, but barring those shortcomings, it was a pretty killer story. Best of all, it takes place in Stockholm in the 1790s. When else are you going to read all about Sweden during the French Revolution?

Best Fact-Based Fiction: The Chaperone, by Laura Moriarty, is a story  I didn’t know I wanted to read about. Moriarty writes a poignant and carefully told account of the silent film star Louise Brooks and the woman who chaperoned her first summer away from home. The novel primarily takes place in 1920s Manhattan, which is one of my absolute favorite eras.

The Sherlockian, by Graham Moore

Best Quick Read: The Sherlockian, by Graham Moore, is a lightning-fast-paced novel that weaves the story of Arthur Conan Doyle’s years in between killing off the world’s most beloved detective in 1893 and bringing him back to life in 1901 and a present day story of a member of the Baker Street Irregulars investigating the murder of a colleague using Sherlockian tactics. I am partial to a story involving the society of which I am so desperate to be a part, but either way, this novel is a great little murder mystery with lots of trivia about ACD’s life thrown in as well.

Best Slow Read: I listened to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce, over a period of several weeks, and I feel like I was fully able to ruminate and ponder the subtle, thoughtful things that happen in this story as a result of the pace. I highly recommend this quaint little tale but most importantly read at a rate at which one can fully enjoy it.

The invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick

Best YA Book: The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick is a graphic masterpiece, and although it’s geared toward kids, I found the book fascinating and innovative. The book in its entirety is white type on black pages, and photos and drawings occupy the majority of the novel. I also highly recommend listen to the soundtrack to Hugo, the book’s movie adaptation, because its music is fitting and beautifully orchestrated.

Best Movie Adaptation of a Book I Read in 2012: Joe Wright’s film adaptation of Anna Karenina was exactly 100% of the reason I decided to read the book, and I am so glad I did. I feel like I got so much more out of the movie as a result of having read the book, which happens quite often with these things, but I also felt like I got more from the book having seen the movie, which is quite rare. The movie did an unbelievable job distilling a vast, sprawling plot into a rather more easily digestible storyline. I understood better the themes of the novel for having seen them concentrated for an audience and got a better grasp on the scope of the story after watching the whole thing played through in a 2 hour window… not to mention, the movie is decadence and richness at its utmost, so it is an absolute pleasure to look at.

Final Thoughts

At this point, I’ve named the majority of the books I read in 2012, and I might as well list the rest. The middling lot is as follows:

13, rue Therese, by Elena Mauli Shapiro
Among Others, by Jo Walton
The All of It, by Jennifer Haien
The Wordy Shipmates, by Sarah Vowell
Moonwalking with Einstein, by Joshua Foer
Packing for Mars, by Mary Roach (DNF)
Love and Respect, by Emerson Eggerichs
Arthur and George, by Julian Barnes
This Side of Paradise, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Solitary House, by Lynn Shepherd
Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, by Susan Elia MacNeal
A Jane Austen Education, by William Deresiewicz
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, by Laurie King
The Detective and the Woman, by Amy Thomas

And now that the Internetosphere is familiar with my entire reading list from 2012, I would be ever-so-pleased to share, discuss, comment upon, argue, commiserate, or gush over any of the above. I’m also curating an ever-changing list of those 60 I plan to read in 2013, so I’d love to hear about those I’ve overlooked in the past year or should be looking forward to this year. Feel free!