reading recommendations: oliver pötzsch

This year, I am committing myself to reading as many books as I can- to immerse myself in the heaven that is a well written book. If you're like me, and you love a book that is a little bit of a challenge to read, a little bit of a stomach-turner, then man-oh-man do I have a recommendation for you.

I finished Oliver Pötzsch's The Hangman's Daughter two nights ago and am so thrilled I read it. It is, by far, my favorite book I've read this year, and that includes Water for Elephants.

Pötzsch's story is about his ancestors, the Kuisl family. The Kuisl family made their name being executioners, skilled in the "art" of killing people, torturing them and making them confess. The story itself is set in the late 1600's in what would be come Bavaria, and is a brilliant blend of intrigue, superstition, misdirection, the dichotomy between the old and the young and even a little romance.

It is absolutely brilliant.

Without giving too much away, the Hangman of Schongau is thrust into a hard position when a family friend is arrested and accused of witchcraft after one of the local boys is dragged out of the river with his head bashed in and a strange mark on his shoulder. As more children start to fall victim to the unseen devil, and people start calling for blood, the Hangman Kuisl and the young local physician Simon set out to discover who is responsible for the children's murders and why.

I will say, there was a chapter (it's hard to talk about the book without giving a lot away) where the devil is pursuing a little girl and the whole time I was reading that particular section, I felt sick to my stomach. I think it's a tribute to Pötzsch's fantastic writing and the amazing job that the translator did in capturing the tone of the original words. Oh, did I mention that Pötzsch is German and the novel had to be translated into English? No? Well, there you go.

I highly, highly, highly recommend this book. It's not light reading, it can get a little depressing (hello, children are being murdered! women are being tortured! men are wearing tights!) but in the e-n-d... oh, so worth the heart pitter patters and the stomach turns.

Let me know if you pick it up- I'm eager to hear what others think!



p.s. I don't mean it's hard to read because the writing bogs down- I mean the content can be hard to read.

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we've been chillin'

I have come to realize that without my motivation to blog every day, I lapse really badly.

I shouldn't go as long as I have done without posting, and am trying to work out ways to stimulate myself into posting more often than I do. But that's another topic for another post on another day.

Currently, I must tell you, that we've been holed up in our house, refusing to even budge outdoors unless it's absolutely necessary. The cold front that pushed into Houston last weekend left behind frigid temperatures, damp, cold wind and general dreariness. It's something I'm really very accustomed to, and I'm quite good at dealing with it myself, but I'm not a fan of bringing Liam out into it. Truthfully, part of my issue with bundling baby up is that I think it is a complete waste of money to purchase heavy coats for him when he might -- MIGHT -- wear it a dozen times before he's outgrown it. I therefore resort to layering, and up until a few days ago, Liam's closet was running thin on good things to layer. But, we did venture out a few times, and I must say, Liam did very well with his hat and mittens. I also think being at home has helped both of us escape he nasty winter colds that are going around.

Honestly, the cold also makes me lonely for Norway. I find myself missing the overly sweet packaged pancakes we used to buy at the grocery store, the smell of the butcher shop we'd walk to on weekends, the big 'c' shaped door handles on the main doors at ISS, the smell of the track after it'd snowed, the dampness under the tree line that bordered the playground... ah. Forgive me a single tear of despondency that I have not seen my second home in 15 years. So when the weather is cold and damp, and reminds me so much of Norway, it's kind of a bummer to me that when I walk out my front door, I'm still in Texas. Fanciful, I know.

Moroseness aside, the cool weather has kept me being productive at home. I've taken down, organized and packed away all the Christmas decorations (I don't LIKE taking them down). I've reorganized all the decor we usually have out. I've tackled stacks of laundry- and put them away. I've reorganized parts of my closet. I've been reading (again). I've been writing some, but not compositions, more technical. I've tried to put my thoughts on Gruen's Water for Elephants onto paper (proverbially) but I'm coming up with difficulties because I want to tackle every single aspect of the novel and I just don't have the capacity to do it in a blog post. Surely, I could write the most epic of epic blog posts all about every single question that was raised, theme that I explored, writing device I enjoyed... but I think I'd be the only one who would read it and I do believe I'd make some of you like the book a whole lot less. AND I don't want to say anything about the novel because the Blush & Bashful Book Club is reading it next month. Don't want to ruin anything. Only, I will say this:

I'm no mathematician, but when Marlena says she married August at 17, and had learned a lot about dealing with him in their 4 year marriage... HOW does that a Reese Witherspoon make?

By my calculations, she is no where NEAR her 30's. Um, she's barely 20.

Hollywood, you crazy kids, making things way creepier than they need to be. 

Okay, horrible casting aside (yes, I know, she's cute and funny and blah blah blah but NOT what I saw when I read the story), I've started King Solomon's Mines and am thoroughly enjoying it. I'm trying not to chew through it as quickly as I've done with the other 4 books I've read this month so that I don't get burned out. I've still got a stack of novels on my Kindle to read this year including, but not limited to:

• The War of the Worlds
• The Island of Doctor Moreau
• Cranford
• Jane Eyre
• The Phantom of the Opera
• Les Liaisons dangereuses
• The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
• Around the World in 80 Days
• The Mists of Avalon
• The Strain
• Dead Witch Walking
• Lady Chatterley's Lover
• The Magicians and Mrs. Quent
• Doctor Who: The Many Hands
• Doctor Who: The Clockwise Man

But that is not for today! In fact, I have already told Zach I plan on watching the red carpet on E! tonight, then the Golden Globes and he gets to deal. He won't mind, really. We both are huge fans of Ricky Gervais. I'm rooting hard for Emma Stone (even though I know everyone's already told me that Anne Hathaway will win- BOO!) and Romola Garai. Oh, and duh, of course Johnny Depp. Can't wait. I'm not a sucker for much on TV, but I'm a BIG sucker for awards shows! Just hoping NEXT year, they'll get their business together and nominate Nathan Fillion & Castle (Browncoats, mobilize!). Just sayin'.

Have a warm & cozy Sunday night!

Image credits: {snow@night, stavanger}

recently read

I've been reading a lot lately-- mainly because it's cold out and when it's cold, all I want to do is hunker down with a good book. And my Kindle makes everything SO. MUCH. EASIER.

I started The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells a little big after Christmas, and just never really had the time to finish it. I'm a big, big fan of Wells' work-- you've probably read The Time Machine, or The Island of Doctor Moreau? Anyway, this one didn't disappoint. When I first told Zach I was reading it, he was incredulous as to why I'd have even the least bit of interest in it, but that was because he thought I meant Invisible Man instead.

Haha, BIG difference!

I'd recommend this to anyone who appreciates a well written Science Fiction novel-- after all, Wells is the 'Father of Science Fiction.' It's really, really good. I've got War of the Worlds and The Island of Doctor Moreau on my Kindle in waiting.

The first novel I finished this year was Who Censored Roger Rabbit? I had been wanting to read this book for a while, since I love the Disney movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit that is loosely based on this novel. It's certainly not a kiddy book, at all. In fact, I would say it's anything but. The themes are definitely for the more mature reader, and the way that Gary Wolf deals with the social commentary is extremely clever. I'd jump at the chance to annotate this in a lit class- I think you could find a hundred different things to talk about that would lead to a thousand more.

WCRR? deals with much more complex issues and a much deeper case than you would expect if you've seen the film. The story itself is an intricate murder mystery, featuring perpetually drunk Private Detective Eddie Valiant, and the doppelganger of the late Roger Rabbit, who pushes Eddie to solve the crime before he falls apart roughly two days after Roger proper created him. Of course, Jessica Rabbit is featured, as is Baby Herman.

It was much better written, much more cleverly planned and much more elegantly executed than I expected this novel to be. Highly entertaining, really smart and to my mind, unpredictable.

I ran across Who P-p-p-plugged Roger Rabbit? after searching for a Kindle copy of the aforementioned WCRR? I was unaware that there was a second novel, and if you've read (or have any idea of the plot) the first novel, you'd be pretty aware that there isn't any room for a sequel of any kind. And yet, here it is.

WPRR? is written more as a tie in to the film, rather than a sequel to the first novel. It deals more heavily with actual players in Hollywood, actual films, actors and producers. Through the course of the novel, we encounter Vivien Leigh, Carole Lombard, David Selznick and Clark Gable-- who actually plays a pretty big role in the story. Jessica and Roger's marital problems are again an issue in this novel, but I will say, their ending is much happier.

I found it really entertaining, despite the fact that the novel is without a doubt much cruder and not as well written as the first. I even finished this one faster than the first, and I think my borderline obsessive love of classic films really egged me on. They mention classics like The Thin Man and Gone with the Wind (a driving force behind the novel, truly!) and includes things like Gable's marriage to Lombard. I liked the old Hollywood history that was woven into the story, and liked that while the story was a bit goofy at points (I found again perpetually drunk Eddie's sudden insights a bit hard to believe) it was enjoyable.

I wouldn't recommend this one to everyone- I've already told Zach he should read the first, but maybe not the second. He's not got my interest in 1930's-esque Hollywood, so I don't think there'd be a lot in the story to keep him reading. But worth a read, in my book! Ah ah ah.



And THAT is what I've finished so far in 2011. I'm about 40% of the way through Water for Elephants right now. I had a hard time getting INTO the book- I really don't like old Jacob at all, and since he's heavily featured at the beginning of the book, it took me a little pushing to get into the story. Once we get into the story with Jacob and the circus, though, I've found it a lot easier to read.

I still really don't care for the author's method of laying out the novel at all, her writing is a bit choppy for my taste and I don't care for some of the literary devices she's used, but in general, at least now I've found it readable.



{all images from amazon.com}

new goals for a new year

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I think resolutions are silly. All a resolution does is make me feel guilty at the beginning of the year because within two weeks it's gone down the drain. And you all know what I'm talking about, don't you?

So instead, I prefer to make a list of goals. They may be lofty, they may be miniscule, but as long as I can accomplish a few of the things on this list- if not most... if not all- then my time will not have been in vain. So here we go, goals for 2011.

Stefanie's 2011 Goals:

• Finish 1st, current work-in-progress novel
• Create display/chalkboard in hallway
• Add landscaping in back yard
• Make progress towards BA. 
• Read at least 20 books
• See Lindsay at least twice
• Write at least 3 short stories
• Write TV tie-in novel
• Throw a barbeque
• See someone I love get married
• See Brenton & Leah
• Meet baby boy Kennedy #4

There, 12 goals for 12 months. Some are easy, some are time consuming, some take a lot of work, some take a lot of money. So maybe I'll skip the ones that will cost a lot (meaning, landscaping and flagstone in the backyard, home improvements). Maybe I'll skip the ones that are just impossible (seeing people). But if anything, I hope I can keep to the ones that will be hard and take a lot of work.

Because this time next year, I'd like to be really, really proud of what I accomplished in 2011.


(oh, PS- I say BBK #4 because it'll be the 4th baby boy born to Zach and his cousins- or the fourth boy of this new generation. Nobody's on their 4th kid. Woah!)