**spoiler alert** Having just read all 3 books of His Dark Materials this past year, I have to say that for me it's hard to state which book is my fav...more**spoiler alert** Having just read all 3 books of His Dark Materials this past year, I have to say that for me it's hard to state which book is my favorite. It's like trying to say which book of Lord of the Rings is my favorite. They all have their charms and virtues, and more than that, they have their necessities, their roles to play.
But, it's also true that The Subtle Knife is a great book, introducing Will as a wonderful foil to Lyra, and more than that, he comes from our (the reader's) version of reality, so he doesn't know what daemons are, for example. We get the equation between Dust and Dark Matter, which I found absolutely fascinating - the dastardly Spectors - and all sorts of other characters. The Subtle Knife is a wonderful continuation of The Golden Compass, and leaves you begging for more...(less)
Twists and turns like you wouldn't believe. Interesting narrator. And...that's kinda it. But, that's not bad. Don't be a bad monkey now - those scary...moreTwists and turns like you wouldn't believe. Interesting narrator. And...that's kinda it. But, that's not bad. Don't be a bad monkey now - those scary clowns might getcha...(less)
In this book Ms. Didion details the events of the year she lost her husband of many anniversaries to a heart attack soon after Christmas, while also d...moreIn this book Ms. Didion details the events of the year she lost her husband of many anniversaries to a heart attack soon after Christmas, while also dealing with her daughter's serious illness (an illness from which, apparently, she eventually died). She and her husband were incredibly close, both writing at home and hanging out together all the time, so his loss hits her very hard, and of course she's also trying to figure out what the heck is going on with her usually-healthy daughter. Ms. Didion's writing is very clean, clear, and the subject matter, the pain coming through makes it seem sometimes that she's writing through snow, or through outer space, the words she's bringing the scratchings of a hard-won truth. One of the phrases she keeps repeating is, the question of self-pity. As in, the grief-stricken wonder how self-involved they are, because they so don't want to be, selfish is the last thing they want. But they don't want to let go of the dead - and Ms. Didion doesn't ask this question outright, but it seems to be there - is that self-pity?
A book where the point slowly grows on you. The narrator talks about her youth, how she became a model, and how she met an older woman named Veronica,...moreA book where the point slowly grows on you. The narrator talks about her youth, how she became a model, and how she met an older woman named Veronica, who was the same age she is now. The painful wisdom and regret of age shines throughout this book.(less)
These stories, mainly set in the Florida Everglades (which is a pretty cool setting) are, as the jacket blurbs will tell you, delightfully wacky with...moreThese stories, mainly set in the Florida Everglades (which is a pretty cool setting) are, as the jacket blurbs will tell you, delightfully wacky with touches of magical realism. What I noticed beyond that was that just about all the stories involve children who have lost a father and/or mother, or maybe even a sister here and there. The kids are usually pre-adolescent or adolescent, struggling to connect to the world through their pain, and the slightly weird touches Russell gives only emphasizes this. She gives great metaphor, too.(less)
This book explores the goings-on at a Cambridge, Mass lab, with a bunch of grad students doing rat experiments. When an ambitious student seems to hav...moreThis book explores the goings-on at a Cambridge, Mass lab, with a bunch of grad students doing rat experiments. When an ambitious student seems to have found a potential cancer cure, his lab director runs with the results to the media. Meanwhile, another student can't shake the feeling that there's something wrong, and the experiment needs to be repeated. Multiple viewpoints make this potentially dry subject an interesting showdown.(less)
This is a tale of 2 wanderers, one a young boy, and one an old man who cannot read and talks to cats. Eventually their paths cross, but by that time m...moreThis is a tale of 2 wanderers, one a young boy, and one an old man who cannot read and talks to cats. Eventually their paths cross, but by that time many odd and wondrous events have occurred. While I don't think this book is completely successful (certainly, it is not the achievement that The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is), I really enjoyed reading it. Murakami has an imagination like nobody else's.(less)
This is a great tale of dueling magicians in England, one of whom is working-class, and the other of whom (ahem) comes from higher ranks. And yes, thi...moreThis is a great tale of dueling magicians in England, one of whom is working-class, and the other of whom (ahem) comes from higher ranks. And yes, this is the book that birthed the movie, that I think is pretty good (the script is from the Nolan boys, same as Memento), but there are a few interesting differences. The reader gets switched back and forth in time, reading the diaries of both magicians while learning about the obsession about the Transported Man trick. And there's more of a focus on the double, on Angier's side as well. Some interesting themes to muse on.(less)
**spoiler alert** What was okay about this book - first-person narration about cutting (and words, no less), although it could have been more compelli...more**spoiler alert** What was okay about this book - first-person narration about cutting (and words, no less), although it could have been more compelling, and then there's the Munchausen (or however it's spelled) by Proxy - good old X-Files, I learned about that at your knee... I have to say that the murders weren't very shocking, nor did it seem that the hunt to find the killer was all that desperate. All in all, a rather claustrophobic tale about family ties and how horribly they bind - the murders really distracted from that, as did other parts of the book. In other words, not the greatest first thrilla novel outing -(less)
"All worthwhile tales possess some element of violence." - Special Topics, p.311. I don't know that this is always the case, but certainly a lot of th...more"All worthwhile tales possess some element of violence." - Special Topics, p.311. I don't know that this is always the case, but certainly a lot of the books that I like tend to rate high on the violence scale, physical or emotional. Special Topics has both types in spades, as well as an assortment of similes and shady characters, twists and turns that I didn't see coming for miles. Which is awesome, because it seems like most twisty turny books I read these days, I can predict what's going to happen like I wrote it myself, or even if it's a cool spin, it's not interesting enough to compel me to want to read it again. But THIS, ah, this is a meaty tome, my friends - this is something to snuggle up with on a cold winter's night and dig into again and again - how lovely! And I really liked the character of Blue, the narrator - she picks herself up and dusts herself off, calamity after calamity.
I have to say I don't get the hoopla about the "Final Exam," etc. It's actually more info about the various mysteries, folks - it's not really a test. Is the word Exam that frightening? If you want dry and intimidating, try wading through the footnotes in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - Special Topics is a beautiful bouquet in comparison.
And you can't beat the Visual Aids. Yep, Ms. Pessl is one talented cookie - it's kind've nauseating. Well, there's always the sophomore slump...(less)
In this tale, we encounter the Arabian fables, whose lands have not yet been invaded by the Adversary. An emissary contingent visits the fables in New...moreIn this tale, we encounter the Arabian fables, whose lands have not yet been invaded by the Adversary. An emissary contingent visits the fables in New York, including Sinbad, but some misunderstandings arise and a djinn gets loosed. Meanwhile, Snow White continues to raise her kids on the Farm and Mowgli searches for Bigby Wolf, while Prince Charming makes a bad job of his mayor gig, and Beauty and the Beast do their best as assistant mayor and sheriff (they'll never live up to Snow White and Bigby). This series continues to grow and weave a very rich story. The two-part arc at the end about the wooden couple adds great material as well.(less)
**spoiler alert** Ah, Little Children. Not a bad book. I mean, what female who wasn't way popular in high school didn't get a vicarious thrill at Sara...more**spoiler alert** Ah, Little Children. Not a bad book. I mean, what female who wasn't way popular in high school didn't get a vicarious thrill at Sarah's chutzpah in kissing the Prom King at the playground in front of all the other moms? But...something really bugged me about this book. Enough to make me think the movie was actually better (yes, it's true). What was that? The ending.
I'm not talking about Sarah and Todd not ending up together, although I think that could have been handled a bit more, oh I don't know, believably? Like, they talk to each other again or something? But the really odd thing was the whole sub-plotline about Ronnie having actually killed a kid way back, and then revealing this in the climactic dark playground scene. He reveals it matter-of-factly, almost like a joke, and no one gets upset. ???? I mean, I know the movie went to a cheesy extreme with the self-castration, but I'd buy that any day (given his mother's death) over the non-reaction at Ronnie's creepy revelation. That pretty much defeated all the great satire of suburban sex lives that had come before it - nobody's that jaded.
**spoiler alert** I ultimately found this book disappointing. To me, the personalities involved in the disappearance/murder were not arresting enough...more**spoiler alert** I ultimately found this book disappointing. To me, the personalities involved in the disappearance/murder were not arresting enough for me to feel drawn in by what was going on, and the ending felt as if threads were still trailing. A downer.(less)
I definitely prefer the movie Gods and Monsters to this book - the movie seemed to capture a pathos that the book did not (and yes, I saw the movie fi...moreI definitely prefer the movie Gods and Monsters to this book - the movie seemed to capture a pathos that the book did not (and yes, I saw the movie first). Usually, reading a book after seeing a movie based on that book will give you more depth and insight, but I found it difficult to stay focused on reading this.(less)
Abounding with angels, the dead, and creatures on a different plane, The Amber Spyglass is a complex and fulfilling conclusion to the Dark Materials t...moreAbounding with angels, the dead, and creatures on a different plane, The Amber Spyglass is a complex and fulfilling conclusion to the Dark Materials trilogy. The vision of God alone is interesting enough to make this worth reading (but to understand this book you'll have to read the two previous ones). Will and Lyra come to maturity in hard-fought fashion and come to satisfying realizations. All in all, a great conclusion.(less)
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