Underwhelming

Sometimes it's best not to start a book with a high sense of anticipation because you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. This isn't the case 100% of the time (thank goodness!) but the few times it happens it is SUCH a bummer. This is precisely what happened with I Am Scout. I've been curious about Harper Lee for a while now as her name (and novel) are such a big deal for my home state of Alabama (and the world if I'm being honest). Therefore, when I heard praise for a young adult biography on this esteemed author I knew it had to be added to my wish list right away (it's been on my Amazon wish list since the fall of 2011). I expected to get an in-depth story about an author that seemed to be synonymous with civil liberty and the South. What I got instead were anecdotes from former classmates who admitted they weren't even close to Lee. I have to give Shields credit where credit is due because he certainly did his research as best as he could with the resources that he had available to him. It is a well known fact that Harper Lee is not in the habit of giving interviews and even when she does they are short and impersonal affairs. She wrote one of the most influential novels of the 20th century and then seemed to adopt the life of a recluse. If you're picking up this book in the hopes that you'll find out more about the woman who penned To Kill a Mockingbird then I'm afraid you'll be dissatisfied with the outcome.

Well, here's another one that I've had on my wish list for quite a while: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. You guys already know my love of this author and when I got wind that he had written an adult fantasy novel I had to jump on it. As you may or may not be aware, Gaiman generally sticks to the young adult audience and hasn't written for adults in 8 years so this was a HUGE deal among the reading community. The story centers around a narrator who travels back to his hometown only to discover that the women he had met as a child were still living there...unchanged. I started it this morning and even though I'm only through the first chapter I already know this is going to make it to my list of favorites. :-D

The Space Trilogy III

It may have taken a bazillion years, but I finally finished That Hideous Strength. Ransom was back again (yay!) leading a rag tag bunch of Brits in a crusade against the evil forces seeking to destroy humanity as we know it. The two main characters introduced in this installment weren't especially likable but I think that was one of the points Lewis was trying to make. And there's a special guest that had me wriggling (wriggling!) with delight. There were definitely dark themes in this one such as violence and gore but if you've been following the series this was to be expected at the pinnacle of the drama. Instead of being set on a distant planet the action takes place on Earth, specifically England. I was happy with the conclusion but sad at the same time because I had grown to love Ransom and because the action wasn't immediately centered on him I felt a bit jipped. :-( However, if you've been following along with me then I'm sure you're just itching to reach the conclusion of this epic saga.

Next up to bat is I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields. Most people have read the classic To Kill a Mockingbird but almost no one knows anything about the novel's author, Harper Lee. This novel seeks to rectify that and the best part is that it was adapted for young adults. Harper Lee is one of those authors that slips into obscurity after writing a piece of literature that just refuses to do the same. Lee seeks to illuminate the rather extraordinary life of a woman who wrote a book that continues to capture the imagination of millions and which will more than likely continue to do so for many years to come. This one has been on my reading list for longer than I'd care to admit so I really hope it lives up to my high expectations. *fingers crossed*