My Life in February: Poutineville, Valentine's Day, and The Casual Vacancy

February was a much quieter month for me than January... and I consider that a good thing. It was overall a very relaxing month spent indoors cozying up against the cold!


Earlier this month, I celebrated a friend's birthday at Poutineville, a gourmet poutine restaurant. Our party ordered a "Heart Attack," a 15-pound behemoth of poutine carried out by our waiter whilst wearing a lab coat:

OMG SO MUCH DELICIOUS POUTINE!! If you don't know, poutine is a Canadian dish that consists of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds. It usually comes in fast-food-quality form - that is to say, nothing TOO special. But this restaurant, Poutineville, specializes in various different poutine dishes and really augments the quality of them too. DELISH!! Our party easily polished off a Heart Attack and had to order another one for the table. I would definitely go back to Poutineville sometime to try out what other varieties of poutine they have to offer!


In February, I also "celebrated" Valentine's Day. That's in quotes because I've never personally felt the need to do anything particularly special pertaining to the holiday before.

The card I gave my boyfriend for Valentine's Day this year, hee hee (source)

So yes, nothing super special for Valentine's Day this year (or any other prior Valentine's Day), but I DID get to spend the day with my boyfriend's grandparents, whom I haven't had the chance to visit with in a long time. It was so lovely to visit with them for the day and eat good food! For me, the important thing about Valentine's Day is that you spend it with loved ones or share your love with them in some way. So I call this Valentine's Day a success!


And finally, I also took in the first two episodes of The Casual Vacancy, the BBC adaptation of the J.K. Rowling book with the same name:

When approaching book-to-movie/TV adaptations, I always try my darnedest not to get TOO caught up in the details of the book and everything the show is getting wrong. The important thing is that the overall tone and message are captured from the book. And I think this BBC adaptation accomplishes that. But. There are definitely a few changes that were made in the transition that niggle at me. For the most part, the changes that were made were necessary ones - things that wouldn't have translated well to the TV medium from the book. But I'm not quite sold on this adaptation to be honest. The Casual Vacancy, the book, moved me in SUCH powerfully meaningful ways. I have yet to experience the same depth of feeling from the TV show (though there is still one more episode to go, so fingers crossed!). In addition to which, in the book Jo's political views are on full display, and yet weaved in so expertly and subtly into the novel's storyline and themes. The TV Show on the other hand is definitely more on the nose. BUT enough nitpicking: this BBC adaptation of The Casual Vacancy really IS pretty dang good (some quibbles aside) and I'm enjoying it so far.

Blog Posts in February:

Waiting On Wednesday: Penguin Spring 2015 Catalog
Waiting On Wednesday: Random House Spring 2015 Catalog
Review: Just One Day and Just One Year by Gayle Forman - 5 Stars
Review: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare - 2 Stars
Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - 5 Stars
Series Review: The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan - 4 Stars
My Life in January: O.Noir, Potted Potter, and Dino Hunts
Also: I guest posted over at Random Ramblings' Show and Tell feature - three other bloggers and I showed off a special book in our lives and talked about why we loved it!

Best Book Read in February:

In preparation for the TV adaptation, I reread The Casual Vacancy (via audiobook) this month and was again reminded of what a masterpiece it is. Even though it's a completely different book from Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling's stamp is still clearly all over it - from the intricate characters, to the clever writing, to the insightful and politically-charged themes and messages. This book is EVERYTHING and it is BRILLIANT! I know, I KNOW I'm definitely in the minority with this one as most people were either bored to tears by it or outright hated it, but what can I say? I loved every minute of it! Definite all-time fave.

2012 End of Year Book Survey

Hi! It's that time of the year again - the End of Year Book Survey hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner! I participated in it last year, as well, and it was a lot of fun.

1. Best book(s) you read in 2012?
The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness, The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, Blood Red Road by Moira Young, and Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor. I loved these books for pretty much the same reason: while they were all emotionally taxing books, the payoff was SO worth it - gorgeous writing, unforgettable characters, and truly powerful messages are present in all three.

Worst book read in 2012:
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James - I read this book on a dare... I mean, what can I say that hasn't already been said? Never have I done so much eye-rolling while reading before. And as for the egotistical and misogynistic sadist, Christian Grey? I would rather make out with a Dementor.

2. Book You Were Excited About and Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
I thought I was going to love Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin and Black City by Elizabeth Richards (probably based on the covers, not going to lie), but the characters annoyed the crap out of me.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?
No one does surprise twists like Beth Revis in her Across the Universe Trilogy.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?
Probably the Chaos Walking Trilogy and The Casual Vacancy.

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor and the Dust Lands Trilogy by Moira Young. Can't believe I didn't read these sooner!

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?
Ditto: Laini Taylor and Moira Young.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
I ventured into the world of contemporary issue books with What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton... and actually really loved it and its emotional impact. Ditto to The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay, which I am reading now.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?
Blood Red Road by Moira Young! Did not want that book to end.

9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
I don't have any planned at the moment, but if I do I will probably reread books whose sequels are coming out next year to reacquaint myself with the story.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?

I'm all for gorgeous, distinctive fonts, a hint of the setting, and no characters on my covers!

11. Most memorable character in 2012?
Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - I just adored him, his awkwardness, his sensitivity, and his thoughtfulness.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?
Same as my answer for Best Books of 2012: the Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Casual Vacancy, Blood Red Road, and Days of Blood and Starlight - That's why I loved them so!

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. This book made me feel ALL THE FEELINGS and really made me rethink how I view certain things and people. It was an excellent social commentary. And I am still reeling from that ending.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?
Blood Red Road by Moira Young and Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

15. Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012?
"We accept the love we think we deserve." - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

16. Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2012?
Shortest: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (213 Pages)
Longest: Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (608 Pages)

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!
Days of Blood and Starlight had a lot of those!

18. Favourite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc)?
Well, Maddie and Verity from Code Name Verity obviously! What a beautiful poignant friendship they had. Also, the friendship between Krystal Weedon and Sukhvinder Jawanda from The Casual Vacancy comes to mind for some reason. It was such an unexpected friendship, and yet, a powerful one.

19. Favourite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously?
The last two books in the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness (I read the first one in 2011) and The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else?
Okay, I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but you get the idea: the Chaos Walking Trilogy, Blood Red Road, the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy.

Looking Ahead...
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Also, I really need to read John Green's books and Melina Marchetta's...

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?
I'm definitely looking forward to some hotly anticipated sequels: Shades of Earth by Beth Revis, Requiem by Lauren Oliver, Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare, and Divergent #3 by Veronica Roth, among others.

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?
Well, I hope to return to school in 2013 (I am applying to grad school to get my Master's Degree at the moment), so I have no doubt that my reading and blogging will go down in amount for the latter half of 2013 if I am accepted, but I do hope to keep up a good pace despite that. Also, I think I said this last year as well and it didn't really happen, but I would like to not get so caught up in the newest, hottest releases of 2013 and completely forget about the books I had sworn I'd read before. There are a ton of older books on my TBR that need some love, too!

Muggle Monday (23): The Casual Vacancy Review

It's time for Muggle Monday, in which I post a quote, a video, or a significant piece of news from the Harry Potter franchise. This is somewhat inspired by the Mundane Monday posts by The Mundie Moms.

But let's be real as to why I made up this meme: I just want the opportunity to post something about Harry Potter.

This week, I'm posting my review for The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling's first post-Potter book:

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: September 27, 2012
Pages: 503
Source: Purchased
Rating: 5 Stars

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.
Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

Disclaimer: This may be already evident to anyone with eyes, but I would like to point out that because J.K. Rowling is the person I worship above all, my review may be biased.

In short: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling is brilliance personified, demonstrating Jo's genius at creating complex and insightful story lines and authentic and intricate characters.

It was with bated breath that I opened up the first page of The Casual Vacancy, all my immense expectations over the course of the previous months leading up to that moment. I was majorly excited to finally have something new to read from Jo, incredibly interested in what she could have to offer for adults, and... admittedly terrified that I wasn't going to love what she had written. That it was going to be too different, too foreign from my idea of J.K. Rowling and all she represents to me.

And it was. Different, I mean. The Casual Vacancy is very ADULT. That's not to say that there aren't any mature themes in Harry Potter, mind you, but all the story lines in The Casual Vacancy were definitely meant for adults only. And it was a shock. We're talking a story that involves hard drugs, teen sex, and rape. To go from the MG/YA story of Harry Potter, with maybe the occasional curse word, to the very mature and occasionally crude use of language in The Casual Vacancy was a bit stupefying at first.

Add to that that I had a hard time becoming invested in the story right at the start. I'm not sure if it was because the tone was shockingly adult and I didn't really know what to make of my childhood hero using such mature language, but I wasn't immediately taken into the story. And then there were all the characters. There are about 15 different main characters who all have chapters written from their point of view. FIFTEEN. And I was struggling in the beginning to keep track of them all. And I was just feeling underwhelmed by the story.

But then about a fifth of the way in, I realized that I was enjoying myself. REALLY enjoying myself. It sort of snuck up on me. I had been trundling along, trying to sort out the characters and becoming accustomed to Jo's new mature tone - and it all just came together for me. I understood it. Not just the characters and their complex relationships - I understood the story, the themes, and the message J.K. Rowling had been trying to get across. And I LOVED it. And that feeling continued for the rest of the book. Just like that, I realized I was invested in the story and the characters and I NEEDED to read more.

The incredibly mature tone and language that had shocked me so much in the beginning became more refreshing to me as I read on. It was authentic, it was gritty, it was REAL LIFE. I become complacent sometimes as I read my more tame MG and YA books and I forget about the gritty reality of real life. The Casual Vacancy is not a story about beautiful teens who realize they're special and fall in love and have incredibly banal romantic feuds, like the stories I am so used to reading. It is a story about real people, dealing with real situations, and there aren't necessarily any happy endings because life is crappy and unfair. And I truly appreciated that (not that I don't love my fun, easier reads at times, as well).

The characters all struck me as very genuine and credible and HIGHLY complex and well defined. Also - and this may be a turnoff for some readers - they were VERY flawed. There was not a Mary Sue or Gary Stu in sight, not in the slightest. They ranged from positively cruel-intentioned (inciting me to Umbridge-levels of RAGE) to well-meaning, but none are saints and none are entirely likeable. For me though, it was Barry Fairbrother, the amiable and benevolent people-lover who's death at the start sets off a wave of unease and turmoil throughout the small town of Pagford, and Krystal Wheedon, the tragic and foul-mouthed teen, who really emerge as the story's champions. Barry's presence - and the lack thereof - and his message that he so passionately promoted in his waking life, had a profound effect on the rest of the town as does Krystal's authentic attitude and raison d'etre.

My worry that The Casual Vacancy would be so different from Harry Potter that J.K. Rowling would be unrecognizable to me turned out to be completely unfounded. Her stamp was clearly over every inch of it - from the complex characters to the gorgeous and clever writing to the political views promoted in the story's message. And just like with Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling was able to create a story that rendered me breathless at times, so powerful were the words I had read. The ending had me gasping, sobbing, and meditating. It was simply MINDBLOWING... and a tad sickening, as well. Jo's brilliance is at full capacity in The Casual Vacancy.

Okay, okay, but as much as I thought The Casual Vacancy was brilliance personified, I can admit that it is not the book for everyone. And because I'm all about realness, I'm going to try to lay this out as plainly as possible in the hopes that anyone still on the fence about reading this may come to a decision: DO read this book if you are a mega fan of J.K. Rowling's even if this isn't the type of book you would normally read. DON'T read this book if you are turned off by strong language and graphic content. DO read this book if you are looking to read outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself. DON'T read this book if you prefer lighter, easier reads. DO read this book if you prefer character-driven stories. DON'T read this book if you prefer fast paced and action-packed plots. DO continue to read this book if you stopped and gave up reading near the beginning. DON'T read this book just because of all the hype. DO read this book if you love insightful, highly intelligent stories that make you think and leave you breathless.

Author Links:
Website
Twitter

Muggle Monday (22): The Casual Vacancy Release Week

It's time for Muggle Monday, in which I post a quote, a video, or a significant piece of news from the Harry Potter franchise. This is somewhat inspired by the Mundane Monday posts by The Mundie Moms.

But let's be real as to why I made up this meme: I just want the opportunity to post something about Harry Potter.


This week, I'm featuring J.K. Rowling's new book, The Casual Vacancy - the release date for which is this Thursday, September 27! I can't believe it's happening this week! Where did all the time go? As part of the promotion for the book, Jo has been taking part in interviews and a brand new synopsis - much more detailed than the previous - has been released to explain to us what this enigma of a novel is going to be about:

The story opens with the death of a parish councillor in the pretty West Country village of Pagford. Barry had grown up on a nearby council estate, the Fields, a squalid rural ghetto with which the more pious middle classes of Pagford have long lost patience. If they can fill his seat with one more councillor sympathetic to their disgust, they'll secure a majority vote to reassign responsibility for the Fields to a neighbouring council, and be rid of the wretched place for good.
The pompous chairman assumes the seat will go to his son, a solicitor. Pitted against him are a bitterly cold GP and a deputy headmaster crippled by irreconcilable ambivalence towards his son, an unnervingly self-possessed adolescent whose subversion takes the unusual but highly effective form of telling the truth. His preoccupation with "authenticity" develops into a fascination with the Fields and its most notorious family, the Weedons.
Terri Weedon is a prostitute, junkie and lifelong casualty of chilling abuse, struggling to stay clean to stop social services taking her three-year-old son, Robbie, into care. But methadone is a precarious substitute for heroin, and most of what passes for mothering falls to her teenage daughter, Krystal. Spirited and volatile, Krystal has known only one adult ally in her life – Barry – and his sudden death casts her dangerously adrift. When anonymous messages begin appearing on the parish council website, exposing villagers' secrets, Pagford unravels into a panic of paranoia, rage and tragedy.

Jo also talks about what we can expect from The Casual Vacancy:

“I think there is a through-line,” Rowling said. “Mortality, morality, the two things that I obsess about.” “The Casual Vacancy” is not a whodunnit but, rather, a rural comedy of manners that, having taken on state-of-the-nation social themes, builds into black melodrama. Its attention rotates among several Pagford households, in the Southwest of England: a gourmet-grocery owner and his wife; two doctors; a nurse married to a printer; a social worker. Most of the families include troubled teens. 

“It’s been billed, slightly, as a black comedy, but to me it’s more of a comic tragedy,” she said. If the novel had precedents, “it would be sort of nineteenth-century: the anatomy and the analysis of a very small and closed society.” A local election was “a perfect way in,” she said. “It’s the smallest possible building block of democracy—this tiny atom on which everything rests.” One could say that national politics does not rest upon local politics, and that no modern British town is a closed society; some of Rowling’s characters may seem eccentric for the earnestness with which they regard a local election. She acknowledged that the scale of parish-council decision-making is “easy to laugh at” but said that “part of the point is that those decisions that are being made do dramatically affect people’s lives, up to life and death sometimes.”

“In my head, the working title for a long time was ‘Responsible,’ because for me this is a book about responsibility. In the minor sense—how responsible we are for our own personal happiness, and where we find ourselves in life—but in the macro sense also, of course: how responsible we are for the poor, the disadvantaged, other people’s misery.” Two years in, she picked up the standard British handbook for local administrators. “I needed it to check certain abstruse points. And in there I came across the phrase ‘a casual vacancy.’ Meaning, when a seat falls vacant through death or scandal. And immediately I knew that that was the title. . . . I was dealing not only with responsibility but with a bunch of characters who all have these little vacancies in their lives, these emptinesses in their lives, that they’re all filling in various ways.”

With terms like "black melodrama" and "comic tragedy" being thrown around, I am officially very much intrigued with The Casual Vacancy. I just know that Jo is going to be able bring those themes to life with her brilliance perfectly. Another thing she does well is building complex webs of character relations and it sounds like she'll be putting that ability to use in The Casual Vacancy - the story will follow several different families in the town of Pagford. I will admit that I do still have slight doubt about the premise - I never thought I would be finding myself reading about an English village's parish-council election. Jo's involvement is pretty much the only reason I would ever consider reading about such a banal subject. But I do have absolute confidence in her storytelling abilities, her sense of humour, and her clever imagination. I can't wait to read The Casual Vacancy (hopefully right when it comes out)! My review may be posted a few weeks later, however, due to prior review commitments.

How about you? Will you be reading J.K. Rowling's first post-Potter book, and if so, will you be reading it as soon as possible or waiting a bit? Will you be purchasing it or borrowing it? Do you plan on posting a review on your blog? Let me know in the comments!

Muggle Monday (21): The Casual Vacancy - Boring on Purpose?

It's time for Muggle Monday, in which I post a quote, a video, or a significant piece of news from the Harry Potter franchise. This is somewhat inspired by the Mundane Monday posts by The Mundie Moms.

But let's be real as to why I made up this meme: I just want the opportunity to post something about Harry Potter.


This week, I'm featuring J.K. Rowling's new book, The Casual Vacancy - the cover of which was revealed this past week. The reveal got me thinking about the marketing of the book - the choice of title, cover, and blurb - are they supposed to be boring on purpose?

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Published: September 27, 2012

Pages: 512

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.
Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

All three aspects (the title, the cover, and the blurb) - three things that marketing teams usually try to make as intriguing as possible so as to entice people to pick up the book - are all very simplistic and lacking any interest. This of course strikes me as odd and leads me to believe that "boring" may very well be what they're going for here - at least on the surface. The simple bicoloured cover. A title with the words "casual" and "vacancy" - neither of which evoke excitement (and J.K. Rowling's works are no strangers to being renamed in the hopes of inciting more interest in readers; after all, Scholastic decided to change the original name of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to Sorcerer's Stone knowing that the title would entice kids more readily). And the blurb promises conflict, even war, but it's the boring, small town, regular problems variety. Not the stuff of Hollywood movies.

But if I know Jo, I know there is something more to The Casual Vacancy, under the surface of the apparent modesty of the title, cover, and blurb. After all, we all know she knows how to write a story in which a seemingly normal and lacklustre environment is in actuality hiding secrets so enigmatic and grand that they can't not make for an excellent story.

What do you think? Do you think that the seeming monotony of The Casual Vacancy is purposeful, a device for lulling us into a false sense of apathy, only to be revealed that there is something much more to this small town conflict? And do you have any interest in reading The Casual Vacancy when it is released September 27, 2012? I would love to know what you think in the comments!