Marie's bookshelf: books-i-want-to-have-read (showing 1-30 of 950)

[close] I thought I had read more Jennifer Weiner, because she appears to be everywhere, but I guess I've only read one of her previous novels: Little Earthquakes, which I liked very much. I also enjoyed the movie version of "In Her Shoes" with Shirley Maclaine, although I never read the book.

Goodnight Nobody was fine--nothing incredibly memorable, I'm afraid. In fact, in the first few chapters I thought about stopping, but I picked up the book at a book sale and figured I might as well keep reading. I would actually give it 2-1/2 stars if that were an option.

In her comments at the end of the book, Weiner says she's a big fan of Susan Isaacs, as am I, but I think this misses the mark a bit. Isaacs is known for writing really strong female characters. While Weiner tries hard, her main character, Kate, is supposed to be brilliant, but she does some very stupid things. She's stuck in Upchurch, Connecticut, bored to pieces as a (rich!) stay-at-home mom who seems to be perpetually falling apart even though she's got her three kids in day care and has additional help with a babysitter. One of the other moms in the community gets murdered, so Kate decides to solve the mystery with the help of her filthy-rich sidekick/best friend Janie. Protagonists in these books always have filthy-rich best friends who try to steer the silly main characters straight.

Throw in cad Evan, who Kate was in love with years past, and faithful, steadfast but boring husband Ben. Plus spunky daughter and wild twin sons. Not to mention boring, snobby neighbors.

I read all the way through to the end, which says something, but I'm sure I won't remember much about this book in 3 years' time. Hence the two stars. [close]

[close] When I was a few pages into this fine Canadian novel, it struck me how much I have always enjoyed epistolary novels. Clara Callan is told entirely in diary entries and letters between two sisters and a few other people in their lives.

The sisters grew up in a small town in Ontario, Canada, raised solely by their father after their mother died. After the death of their father, the younger sister, Nora, moves to New York City to become a radio actress. The older sister, Clara, stays in the small, insular town of Whitfield, working as a schoolteacher.

Wright paints strong multidimensional characters in the parts of the two sisters. I am like neither sister, and they are very different from one another, but I found myself admiring and relating to each sister.
Through their trials as single working women in the mid-1930s, they realize that they have more in common than they first thought. Each sister is strong and independent in her own way, even though that strength and independence is not valued by those around them (or by the sisters themselves).

Nora's friend Evelyn is a wonderful spunky character and her role adds depth to the story. With one exception (Clara's obsession with Charlie, which does not seem true to life to me, given her experience), I believe that Wright did an excellent job portraying the intimate lives of these women and their experiences in a Canadian small town and depression-era New York City.

I didn't want the novel to end! [close]

[close] **spoiler alert** After reading Chelsea Cain's debut thriller novel, "Heartsick," I didn't expect to read her next book. That was before I heard her speak at the Willamette Writers' annual banquet this summer. She spoke about how she got started writing thrillers, and I found her to be a compelling, engaging, and funny speaker.

Cain has grown in her writing since "Heartsick." I found this book difficult to put down, a sign of a good thriller. I don't read very many thrillers, so I'm not an experienced critic of them.

I continue to enjoy the Portland setting of Cain's novels, although some things about them bother me...such as calling the Portland daily the "Herald" instead of the "Oregonian." (I'm sure there's a reason for this, as Cain used to write for the Oregonian.) Also, her protagonist Archie supposedly lives in Hillsboro, yet Susan and Claire race down I-205 after leaving his house? Also, many of the plot elements are highly implausible (which I suppose is normal with thrillers). I understand that Gretchen is a femme fatale who could make men do all sorts of things for her...but how could she be so well equipped with clothing, whiskey, medication, cell phone, gun, etc., after escaping from prison?

The relationship between Archie and Gretchen is sick, and I cannot understand or relate to it. Archie is completely self-destructive because of what Gretchen did--and continues to do--to him. He is completely obsessed with this toxic woman. Although this book was good, I find that the books I truly love and that really stick with me are the ones in which I can relate in some way to the characters. And I can't really relate or resonate with any of the characters in these books.

But Cain is a good storyteller, even though the story is disturbing... [close]

[close] **spoiler alert** It amazes me to see how many goodreads reviewers post information about the plot without marking it as a spoiler.

I'm struggling between 2 and 3 stars, but I've settled on 3 stars because at no point did I ever think about not reading on to the ending. Perfect Match was not my favorite Jodi Picoult book. It's about the assistant-DA mom of a 5-year-old boy who gets sexually assaulted, and she decides to take justice into her own hands. She knows what usually happens to sexual abuse victims, and she doesn't want to drag her son through the trauma of a trial...which will probably result in the perp going free.

Here's what bugged me about the book:

--Shifting points of view--The speaker kept shifting, and at times it was a bit jarring. Also, some of Nathaniel's thoughts seemed a bit too sophisticated for a 5-year-old.

--A verbal tic--Picoult uses the word "lip" way too many times, referring to the edge of something, such as "the lip of the bathtub." The first time, okay, but after five or six times, it is way overdone.

--Few of the characters were likable or sympathetic. Picoult excels at drawing complex, multidimensional characters, but I wasn't sure who I was rooting for. Perhaps this is the point. But I didn't really have a strong opinion about how I wanted the case to go. That's surely not a very good thing for a reader to feel.

--Weak logic. How could Nina think that a prison sentence would somehow be less traumatic or life-changing than to have her son sit in the witness box and testify against his accuser? And the conclusion seems to support what Nina did...although as much as I can understand and relate to Nina's motive, the fact is that she killed a man who turned out to be innocent.

However. In spite of these weaknesses, Picoult always knows how to write an incredibly well-researched, compelling story with twists and turns. I enjoy the moral and ethical dilemmas and the complex relationships. So three stars in the end... [close]

[close] Great vacation read about sleazy Florida politics and the crazed lust and perversion of men. My 13-year-old son kept asking me why I was reading a book about a stripper. (My paperback verson has a drawing of two breasts covered in pasties.)

It's not hard to tell how Hiaasen feels about politics and greed. He writes colorful characters and storylines. At times, it felt like he wasn't sure what kind of a book he was writing (heavy on the politics of Florida's sugar industry)...but I learnt enough that I want to do some more research now that I'm done with the books. Are we still funding Big Sugar to the same level as we did in those days? [close]

[close] Although I imagine the author wrote this as an affectionate tribute to ivy league universities and colleges and the stress and trauma of the admissions process in general, I found myself relieved not to have attended an ivy league university and hoping that none of my sons have that desire. I don't think I could handle the stress...or the other parents!

In the early 80s when I took the SAT, I took it ONCE. I did not study beforehand or take any SAT preparation classes. Things are so different nowadays...yet the average scores appear not to have risen by much. However, the SAT scores for Ivy League university admittees have.

The author did not seem to recognize that lower-key, private universities can provide excellent alternatives for students who are seeking a smaller, more focused environment than major state systems can give. On a couple of occasions, the main character (Portia) thinks about the other options a rejected Princeton applicant might have, and she doesn't consider this highly viable option. I was able to get the close-knit, intimate attention from my professors at a small private university...which was not nearly as cut-throat or competitive as the Ivy Leagues.

I had a hard time feeling empathy for Portia (which I'm sure was the point) until I was over halfway through the book. I suppose I find it difficult to understand people (even imaginary characters) who have sad, depressing, emotionless lives and who are not able to make the necessary choices to improve their lots. Life is too short to not be happy...or at least attempt to be happy.

The last quarter of the book was an improvement, as I started caring more about what would happen to the main character.

If you are interested in the ivy leagues or the college admissions process in general, I would definitely recommend this book. Overall, I enjoyed it. [close]

[close] In the middle of this novel, Ondaatje writes:

"The first sentence of every novel should be: "Trust me, this will take time but there is order here, very faint, very human.'"

And this seems to be Ondaatje's philosophy about his novels.

I read this book because we are headed to Toronto at the end of August, and this was described to me as the "quintessential Toronto novel." However, I found myself scanning pages and anxiously hoping that I would get to the end. Not signs of a good novel for me!

Some passages I found intriguing--notably the ones about the workers building the viaduct, tunneling under Lake Ontario, and laboring in the tannery--Ondaatje has a knack for describing the dirtiest and most dangerous sorts of work and helping the reader understand what it is like. Ondaatje is a poet, and some of his writing I found beautiful.

He had a few strong female characters in the story too.

I have a certain amount of tolerance for novelists flitting from one character's perspective to another, or one point of time to another. But this book made me dizzy. I was hoping that I would have a better understanding at the end of how it all fit together.

Many goodreads reviewers describe this book as one of their favorites. It's very arty and avant garde: not really my cup of tea, I suppose.
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[close] I read this book primarily because I enjoy reading Chelsea Cain's article in the Oregonian and I noted that it takes place in my hometown, Portland. It's seriously grisly and twisted...and I found myself having a difficult time understanding the motivation of many of the main characters (including the psychopath). Many of these types of novels have too many characters and not enough character development. I used to read Patricia Cornwell's novels but ultimately gave up on them for similar reasons.

I will read Cain's next novel...after taking a long break...if only to see what happens next. However, I'm ready to go back into my usual genres of literary fiction, memoir, and nonfiction! [close]

[close] **spoiler alert** This was a light, fun read from Fannie Flagg...I enjoyed the quirky characters and relationships, although the reader only gets to know a few of them in depth. It was one of those books, though, in which not a whole lot actually happens.

I liked Flagg's depiction of heaven and her conception of God(s). And I especially liked this quote on one of the last pages:

There lives more faith in honest doubt,
believe me, than half the creeds.
--Lord Alfred Tennyson

Flagg includes recipes at the end, too--I might just try that caramel cake recipe. Maybe it will make all my aches and pains go away! [close]

[close] I like the way Grisham's books feature advocates for the underdog. Rudy Baylor is just finishing law school when he meets a couple whose son is dying from leukemia. In spite of purchasing health insurance, the insurance company repeatedly denied their claim for a bone marrow transplant for their son.

Rudy tackles this case and goes up against a powerhouse law firm with unlimited resources. This book has a lot of other things going on it, such as an eccentric landlady with blood-sucking relatives, associations with underworld characters, and a plot line about a battered woman.

It was compelling reading, but I do not think it's Grisham's best work. The characters are pretty thinly characterized. I found it hard to understand how Rudy "fell in love" with Kelly, a battered woman he met in a hospital cafeteria. He hardly knew her, but he was supposedly in love with her. I found that plot line difficult to grasp.

Overall, it had a "happy" ending...it was a solid book, but not a bright shining star. If you like reading about the law, it's worth a read. [close]

[close] Do not read this if you cannot stomach sad stories. This was a classic tragedy in many ways, even with supplemental myths and metaphors. Wally Lamb is a skillful writer, and he wove together the story of complicated protagonist Caelum, his third wife Maureen (who survives the Columbine tragedy and is forever marked by it), the women's prison on the family's property, refugees from New Orleans, lost teenage and adult souls, and Caelum's ancestors.

In Lamb's afterword, he quotes James Baldwin: "People who treat other people as less than human must not be surprised when the bread they have cast on the waters comes back to them, poisoned."

It's a book about the devastating nature of alcoholism, cruelty, violence, and war. And how in the midst of it all, humans somehow find each other and love each other. [close]

[close] I loved the fact that this book was set in Portland. It was about a food writer who had a super-critical mom and has major food issues. She ends up caring for a family friend who is dying of cancer. As expected, she ends up losing weight and developing a much healthier approach to food, in addition to uncovering family secrets and realizing that her mom is not as one-dimensional as she had thought.

I enjoyed it; it was perfect for vacation. [close]

[close] After reading a number of much more serious books, this light frothy novel called to me from the shelves of the library. I'm not crazy about the term "chick lit," because it's too broadly applied to a lot of books by women...but if the book has a rags to riches story, including fashion, a plainish woman who suddenly becomes gorgeous and meets the man of her dreams, and gets the job of her dreams at the end...you've got chick lit. The career is usually journalism or marketing.

A supposedly brilliant Yale grad with $75K in loans is shocked to learn that she's not able to get a fantastic job in the NY publishing world right off the bat. When her life goes sour she gets a job offer to tutor two spoiled brat rich girls in Palm Beach, FL, for 2 months. If she's able to coach them into passing the SAT, she will have her college debts paid off.

By the end of the novel I was frankly tired of the designer name dropping, and the idea that she was "gorgeous," but all she needed were a great haircut, expensive makeup, and designer clothing to make it so.

I felt like I had just gorged on a big bag of potato chips...having eaten junk but not feeling filled up. I guess I need to read a two-star book every once in awhile to appreciate the really good ones!! [close]

[close] I would give the first half of this book 4 stars, and the last half 2 stars, averaging to 3 stars.

In the beginning, I found the story compelling and the plot interesting. It is not for the fainthearted, though, or for animal lovers. I am no lover of rodents, but even I had difficulties reading about the experiments on the tiny mice that were given cancer and other ailments and then "sacrificed" at the end. (I do believe that animal research is necessary for scientific advances, but I had never read such intricate details about such research before.)

Many of the characters were interesting, but others seemed superfluous. Goodman was compared (on my copy of the book) to Jane Austen. Another reviewer compared this book, not in a flattering way, to Chris Bohjalian and Jodi Picoult (who in fact I enjoy a great deal!).

Goodman is no doubt a talented writer, and she knows her way around a story. But where the distinctions with Austen, Bohjalian, and Picoult fall apart is her ability to continue to engage the reader and bring the story home. The conclusion of the book seemed to drag on and on and on...to the point where I found myself scanning the pages to get to the end.

That was a disappointing way to end what I felt at the beginning was going to be a highly satisfactory novel.

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[close] What an amazing piece of writing from Richard Yates. This book was published in 1961, but even though I was an English major and consider myself to be well read, I had never heard of it until I had heard there was to be a movie.

I read through a few of the other reviews, and two comments stood out to me:

"I'd like to build a home in some of these sentences. Something with a veranda so I can sit out there with a drink and really look around and take the whole thing in."

"Richard Yates is a JD Salinger for adults."

This is a story of two hopelessly unhappy adults living in the suburbs with their two neglected children. Everything on the surface appears to be perfect, but the cracks underneath begin to break apart.

Yates might not have meant it this way, but I thought it was an excellent commentary on the complete lack of choices women had in the 1950s. A woman's whole existence revolved around being a wife and mother. April fell into this role because it was expected of her, but then she realized how miserable she was. And she didn't feel that she had any other choices.

It's also a social commentary on the shallowness of many people's lives, which revolve around possessions and inanities.

I had a hard time putting the book down, and it sat with me when I was not reading it. However, I was glad to be done with it because it was incredibly sad, and I'm not generally a sad person. That's why I didn't give it four stars.

For excellent writing, and if you are in a melancholy mood, I highly recommend Revolutionary Road.
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[close] I almost didn't read this book after reading all the 1- and 2-star reviews in GoodReads...but I went ahead with it because I've enjoyed the rest of Sarah Bird's books.

The protagonist is indeed difficult to relate to, but that was the whole point of the novel. It was a parody of a certain type of Austin socialite. I'm sure knowledge of Texas would enhance the reading of this novel. I've never even been to Texas.

Overall, I enjoyed this story of a social climber who has fallen as low as she can go, who moves back in to her college-era, granola type shared housing situation and reconciles with her last true friend (who she had left behind during her socialite phase). It's a good satire on the materialism and shallowness of the Bush crowd in Austin. [close]

[close] I am a huge Bohjalian fan. I loved Midwives, Trans Sistor Radio, Before You Know Kindness, The Buffalo Soldier, and Water Witches. He's also one of the most engaging and dynamic authors I have ever met in person (at a book reading in Portland, OR). Because of this, I always have high expectations for his novels.

I was engaged in the story of The Double Bind--I thought about the book when I was not reading it, which is always a good sign. At times, the plot dragged a bit, as other readers have mentioned, but as usual with Bohjalian's books, it was well written and interesting. I was surprised to read such scathing reviews about the book.

I knew there was a plot twist, but I did not deduce what it was going to be until I came upon it. (I'm that way with mysteries, too--just try to enjoy the story and not think ahead to what might happen--I prefer to be surprised.)

I also found it interesting to note some parallels with a nonfiction book I read recently, Strange Piece of Paradise, the real-life story of a female biker who was brutally attacked and years later, tries to unravel the mystery and unleash her own anxieties about the incident.

As soon as I finished the novel, I felt like I should go through and reread it in light of the ending revelation...but instead, I was eager to move onto a different book. That's partly a reflection of my preferences (I rarely reread books unless there is a several-year lapse) as well as my inability to engage very fully with the characters. (I did go back and scan through some key sections of the book, though, in light of the revelation.)

The Double Bind also brings the tragedy of the homeless and the mentally ill to the light of day, and also sensitively portrays the collateral damage done to women who are sexually assualted and violated.

Bohjalian is a talented writer, and the books of his I enjoy the most are the ones where you can really get inside of the characters' souls. Because of the nature of the plot (and the manipulation of the reader's mind, which is skillfully done, fully engaging with the characters was more difficult with the Double Bind. I think this book will stick with me for days or months, though...it affected me profoundly. [close]

[close] Hilarious!! [close]