The Post In Which Jules Wishes She Had…Oh, Say, Five More Hours in Each Day Just for Reading

h1 October 13th, 2008 by jules

I really want this post to be my thoughts on M.T. Anderson’s The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves, which is being released tomorrow, the 14th. But, nooooo, I’m a slow reader these days, what with a busier schedule, and I’m still re-reading Octavian I so that I can be fully prepared for Octavian II. It’s just taking longer than I thought, as in I HARDLY deserve this ARC I’ve had since, whew, June or something. I believe Eisha’s read the sequel, and—once I’m done—perhaps we can co-review, just as we did the first one (back in our newborn days of blogging. I mean, wow, that’s kinda old. We weren’t even sitting up then and we probably still had those weird fontanelles on our heads).

But the least I can do is remind those fans of the prequel that the second book is released tomorrow, not something I normally announce, but I’m excited about reading this one. If you finish it before I do, what with my snail-paced reading rate of late—or have already read it—then do come and tell us what you think. We’d love that.

In the meantime, you have two things to tide you over: Our March ’07 interview with Anderson, which remains one of my favorites, which is one of the first author interviews we ever did, and in which he’s holding my disembodied head AND you have this recent video of him talking very briefly about the sequel. Many thanks to Adrienne for that video link.

There are also these early (online) reviews — just a handful of many, I’m sure:

There’s also this link. Before anyone screams at me for it being the link to a huge bookchain and not an independent bookstore, please note it has four reviews from KLIATT, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and Kirkus — as well as an older audio interview (approximately thirty minutes) with the author.





16 comments to “The Post In Which Jules Wishes She Had…Oh, Say, Five More Hours in Each Day Just for Reading”

  1. I think 5 hours a day for reading would be just about right, Jules.


  2. Five reading hours would rock. I could read more than one book in that time on some days!

    You’re talking Tobin today, whereas I’m talking John Green. Talk about literary crushes.


  3. Kelly, a little birdy told me John Green will speak in Knoxville in November. Woot! Hope I can go.


  4. Anyone who reads as much as I do has no business saying he regrets ANYTHING about his life with books. Still, I do regret never having formed much of an attachment at all for historical fiction. So many people whose tastes in books I admire beyond words say, when I confess this to them, Oh, but what about Kenneth Roberts?!? I can’t explain this mental block.

    Anyway, the Octavian Nothing books (just read your review of the previous one) do sound seriously cool. Thanks for always helping to broaden my mind!


  5. JES, I don’t read historical fiction a great deal either, but M.T. Anderson’s mind? Swoon.


  6. Reading an author for his or her MIND rather than GENRE: now there’s a reader authors would fight over! (At least, the ones with reasonably good minds. :))

    Guess you saw (well, heard) the nearly half-hour interview with MTA at the B&N site?


  7. Whoops — link to the interview didn’t come out. It’s:
    http://tinyurl.com/4ljljy


  8. Please please pretty please do a co-review! I loved reading what you did for Vol. 1, and as I’m just about to dive into Vol. 2 I would love to come back and read your collective thoughts. Glad I’m not the only one swooning.

    Oh, and the audio version of The Pox Party is pretty great, if that helps you read it faster – I don’t know how I survived before I started listening to audio books.


  9. I think five hours is conservative. If I’m asking for something I’m not going to get, I like to go big. Lately Lucas is into infinity; I think I want that for reading.


  10. Infinity could work. Good call, adrienne.

    Jules, if it helps, I did read Octavian 2: Electric Boogaloo a few months ago when I got the ARC, but I’m now struggling to find time to re-read the first one too, plus I’d like to re-read the second one before we co-review because it’s all blurry now. Does he go on a road trip with a bunch of high-school friends on their graduation day to find a missing girl? No? Wait — were there horcruxes, maybe?


  11. [reads eisha’s comment]

    Hmm. Maybe I should reconsider this historical-fiction mental block…


  12. JES, I’m slow this week and didn’t answer your question: I listened to the beginning of that M.T. interview. Not to mention I think I heard it back when it first came out.

    Eisha, no, I think in this one, Octavian finds out that, due to recent biotechnological advances, he has a synthetic body and brain. Right? And he goes to the moon, but the moon ends up sucking.

    I’m rambling like an idiot now.


  13. No, no. It’s the one in which Octavian must decide between spending the rest of his potentially eternal life with a vampire or a werewolf.


  14. …and he chooses the werewolf and they live under an invisibility cloak forever.

    And Octavian finds some lovely boots and a purple plastic purse. Ah hell, now I’m really confused.


  15. and it’s all on a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.


  16. Hee.


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