Jenn's comments

Jenn's comments from the Bookmarks Subscribers group.

Note: Jenn is no longer a member of this group.

I was disappointed with the miniseries, but it's one of my favorite books. The dialogue comes off as trite and too sentimental. It's as if Lifetime or Hallmark directed it. There were some good parts though... Ed Harris is great and so is Robin Wright Penn.
Lisa, post your thoughts on the miniseries, I want to know what you think! :-)

Sweden. In recent fame of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I have been reading a bunch of swedish crime/suspense authors. Might be a good tie-in to all the Steig Larsson press. Henning Mankell and Asa Larsson are 2 great Swedish authors, but there are tons more.

Someone gave this to me at work because she couldn't get through it. I love Russo so I am curious to find out why she didn't like it. Blasphemy! He's a great writer, for sure.

FINALLY! A Pulitzer I can endorse! This book is amazing. Frankly, I'm astonished at how much I love it.
I didn't really know what I was getting into or what to expect at first. I was prepared for another tedious historical novel, but no.
A Dominican comic book "geek" growing up in NJ while he searches for acceptance and love. Combine that with a crazy family curse that traces back years and years. Sprinkle that with a mysterious narrator who has a case of unrequited love.
The writing is excellent, very fresh. I even picked up a little Spanish (there's a lot of it).

The footnotes are a little tedious at first, but after the first couple I started to enjoy them. However, I'm glad they're not on every page.

Started this recently and it's wonderful. I'm only on page 20, but I am so suprised at how much I am enjoying it. It's a Pulitzer winner, and anyone who's ever heard me rant about Pulitzers (tsk tsk, Olive Kitteridge and Gilead) knows my dislike of them. I grew up near the area where the story is set and I love the descriptions and cultural portraits. The writing is sharp, hip, and very relatable. (Kudos on the Doctor Who references, too)
I'd love to hear what others think!

I finished it last weekend and yes, it does stay with you. I just wish there was a little more going on... the scene with the people hiding in the basement was great... but brief. I was waiting for another big moment like that but it didn't really come. I also thought the "gun talk" would turn out to be a foreshadowing of sorts with regard to the son. I was duped! :-)

On the other hand, perhaps that is the point. The circumstances are horrific without the occassional cannibalistic scenes, which just adds to the bleakness of the novel.

I enjoyed reading it and that has something to do with the style of writing, which I hear is different from his other works. It's definitely not the greatest book I've read, or even in my top 50, but worth the read for sure.

On page 80 of The Road... jury is still out. It is difficult to concentrate on the writing. I'm wondering if this is because I am used to reading long, drawn out sentences? Is my eye trained to recongnize dialogue only when quotes are used? Boring in the beginning, I perked up when the guy struck by lightening wandered in. But then he left, and I was sad again.

My husband is a big McCarthy fan, but he didn't think this one was quite up to par. He would not have recommended it to me, but of course I have to read it!

It's dark, but I do like that. I'm sick of flowery writing and happy endings. So perhaps I will end up liking this one.

I just finished The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll The Search for Dare Wright about the childrens author Dare Wright. Awesome. You can read my review if you'd like more info. I recommend it to anyone who likes literary bios with unusual and disturbing family situations.

I'm dying to read the 2nd one. They give you a taste of the first few pages in Tattoo (at the end), but I need more baby! Totally stinks that the writer is dead. I think he wanted to create a 10-book series. Sadly, we may only get 3 or 4.

Finished this yesterday. Great read. The story centers on a journalist who was convicted of libel. Before he serves his time in jail, he is propositioned by a wealthy business man to solve the disappearance of his neice back in 1966. The journalist takes on the freelance job and, with the help of a mysterious (but brilliant) tattooed girl, becomes involved in a web of family betrayal, deceit, and sadistic torture.

I was slightly disappointed that there were very few (if any) descriptions of the landscape. It takes place in Sweden and the only thing really mentioned is the temperature. But, I'll let it slide.

The author was a journalist as well, and the book is very concise and clear. Not being a financial wiz, I did not have any trouble following the ins and outs of the libel suit. The story is paced very well. It's a little deceiving... there were some parts I found that were slow, but there's always something going on in the slower parts. Pay attention! :-)

I recommend it to anyone who likes crime novels (obviously), international intrigue, computer techy stuff (very hip these days), and putting puzzles together.

I read it last winter and I still think about it. I have recommended it to a couple people but they seem to be scared of it because it's French. It's nice to hear some positive remarks about it in here! I like the prententious factor. It can be quite comical at times.

Thanks Laura! I didn't know about the 4th book, that's awesome. I read somewhere (Entertainment Weekly maybe?) that he was with his girlfriend for years and years but in Sweden they don't have common law marriages or domestic partner rights. She didn't get a penny after he got published. She is currently trying to pass a law in Sweden to rectify this for other couples.
Just a little fun fact to start everyone's day!

No, you're right Stephanie. It was a little slow at first. But it gets better once you know all the characters' stories. The chapters are dated...It gets really interesting on Christmas day, which is pretty early on. That's where I decided to stay with it.

It really is interesting.... it reminds me of a little bit of Dickens mixed in with a southern gothic tale with an added dash of international intrigue. And yet, it doesn't take place in the south, or even in the US.

Started this last week but haven't had much time to read lately. So far I am about 120 pages into it and it's awesome. It's got everything.... intrigue, romance, vengeance, politics, girls with goth makeup.... I hope to get more into it this weekend. Anyone else read this gem? I know there is a sequel, or another book that follows it, but the author died shortly after submitting them. Too bad! I'll definitely read the next one.

I finished this last night. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I didn't really care for Olive, I found the other characters' stories more engaging.

I gave it 3 of 5 stars because I am in a generous mood this morning. I wish GR had half stars because I would have given it 2.5 stars.

It's not an awful book. I wouldn't tell people "not" to read it, but it was a little slow and tedious for my taste.

There were a few things I really loved like the subtle connections between the living and the dead, the descriptions of Antarctica, and the way the author hones in on loneliness. The writing is superb, but as I said earlier I need a little more ineraction in a story. I'm sure this is hard to do when everyone in the story has died from a virus except for one woman left alone on earth. There were a few parts that rambled on and I admit I skimmed rather than thoroughly read.

The more I read on, the more I grew to appreciate it's simplicity, but let's just say I'm glad I'm done.

Ok, so I'm about 50 pages in (it's slow going) and I figured out why this book doesn't really work for me. It's because it's too internal. The narrative is 3rd person omniscient with multiple points of view, but the characters are more or less alone in the first part. We see their actions, we know their thoughts. However, when there is no interaction, no dialogue (unless it takes place in a flashback), and only one person in the scene, I tend to feel it doesn't work too well. I need some sort of outside conflict or deeper internal conflict. It's starting to pick up now that the characters found each other and are interacting. But just thought I'd share this with you all. I think I'm going to finish it, but who knows. I'm sure there are other books I've read like this that I have enjoyed, but so far I'm struggling.

Thanks Melissa. I think you are right and I agree about where you are in life can affect your reading. I am going to read another 5-10 pages tonight and if that doesn't do it for me, then it's on to Olive Kitteridge.