i liked it. definitely enough to pick up the next book - it was an easy read for me, and i liked gemma. i did not like ann very much, but felicity is...morei liked it. definitely enough to pick up the next book - it was an easy read for me, and i liked gemma. i did not like ann very much, but felicity is amusing (in a good way) and pippa has an interesting storyline.
i also like the historical setting, gemma coming from india and then back to mother england. kartik, carriages pulled by horses, gypsies speaking romani. it's a very pretty book. which i was in the mood to appreciate. plus, i liked the mystery of it. and it wasn't a veiled critique on today's society (though there are parts that can certainly be read that way) which i appreciated because i need a break from that in an election year.
i liked it. it was fun and easy and i enjoyed how stupendously weird gandalf was in this. it seemed to fit this strange world better, that even the wi...morei liked it. it was fun and easy and i enjoyed how stupendously weird gandalf was in this. it seemed to fit this strange world better, that even the wizards are not exactly wise. i liked the eagles too. fun, long journey.
but man, i wanted to know more about the ring! THE RING. why wasn't it weighing on bilbo the way it did on sam? and gollum!! i suppose this means i have to read his other books, which is a little worrisome considering everyone has told me the hobbit was the best book . . .
made me happy, anyway, which is always good around the holidays!
OH MAN, I DIDN'T THINK THE ENDINGS COULD GET WORSE.
i almost want to cry. i mean, honestly. it's horrible. and i've already read the first chapter of...moreOH MAN, I DIDN'T THINK THE ENDINGS COULD GET WORSE.
i almost want to cry. i mean, honestly. it's horrible. and i've already read the first chapter of Book of the Dead and it sucks.
i keep hoping that kay and benson and marino and lucy will get better, but they don't.
once again, nothing...moreoh man. they just keep ending so much worse.
i keep hoping that kay and benson and marino and lucy will get better, but they don't.
once again, nothing about the chandonnes. this was like, a stand alone, that really . . . wasn't worth it.
i don't know. i am getting tired of these characters. how "big" marino is. i don't even know what that means any more. they don't seem to care about each other, and frankly, i'm starting to stop care about them. (less)
that said, this book was quicker and more interesting in terms of plot than the first, though it's really the stuff in the...moreoh, ann, you drive me NUTS.
that said, this book was quicker and more interesting in terms of plot than the first, though it's really the stuff in the realms that interests me. of course, i want to smack gemma over the head and be like, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN?
i liked tom, and what is happening to gemma's family, i am totally intrigued by pippa and have a guess as to what makes felicity so . . . hmm, hard to explain, beyond HER family situation.
the whole romantic triangle felt a bit forced, though i do like the questions that gemma is asking about what it means to be female in this time, though i don't know how much is from her character and what the author wants her to be. (by which i mean, sure, gemma doesn't like a lot of things about society, but she also isn't exactly a radical with a lot of deep thoughts. in other words, her musings don't seem exactly organic to the character.)
off to finish the trilogy off . . . part of me wonders why the last book is so darn fat . . . (less)
i love hazel, i love pipkin and fiver, and i really love the greek mythology parallels. the villain, the way hazel...morefascinating to reread as an adult.
i love hazel, i love pipkin and fiver, and i really love the greek mythology parallels. the villain, the way hazel realizes to survive you have to do new things. the way the rabbits learn to survive, how to adapt.
it's really a remarkable work, and i am glad to see it on my shelf and pick it up to reread.
i would love to go to england and actually see the landscape. trying to figure out how big the distances are in the book is a little confusing. especially now that i have so many rabbits in my care at work, it was fun to read. (less)
hmmmm. this was a very long book for a pretty short payoff. i mean, i get it. there were scenes that were chilling and awesome but i wonder if they we...morehmmmm. this was a very long book for a pretty short payoff. i mean, i get it. there were scenes that were chilling and awesome but i wonder if they were all needed.
remember my complaint that gemma's radical politics seemed inorganic? yeah, i felt that even more here. felicity's motivations i could totally understand - and yes, my gut was right on what was really bothering her - but then all gemma's questions about that revelation were just left alone and it was like . . . what? why did you do that then?
ann continued to annoy me, but i understand her position as the person that feels like there really is no hope - and yet she does all these things that are reckless and silly but then she can't follow through. i suppose i was happy with her ending, though it felt a little too neat and perfect. felicity's was a little more right, and gemma's?
the book is left open a little for more stories about gemma doyle, and i kind of liked that. the realms are still there. so many things are still there, which is why i am still confused about why the book was so, so long. except that i think Libba Bray wanted to talk a whole lot about class and gender and industrialization and the like.
we get it. power corrupts. you can try to do good things, but it still corrupts. really, pippa and gemma were crazy foils for each other, which is kind of the only thing that kept me reading.
so, could have used better editing, but overall, enjoyed the writing, the characters and the setting. tom was a suprise, gemma's father wasn't, and the rest of all the secondary characters were nicely rounded. though i was really disturbed by the fate of mr. darcy. ugh.
oh! but i really loved gorgon! i wanted more of her. go, gorgon!(less)
and i like history. so history of rum mixed with the new world? i am there.
actually a history of the new world mixed with the alcohol hist...morei love rum.
and i like history. so history of rum mixed with the new world? i am there.
actually a history of the new world mixed with the alcohol history of the americas. plus, i never knew that our founding fathers were drinking rum. or that the daquiri we get today is a complete bastardization of the real one. or that bacardi is so huge on the marketing.
but man, i want to go to cuba, and i want to get some havana club. badly.
i really think i missed my calling as an alcohol historian. seriously. how did i not know this was a thing?!(less)
i do think that laura lippman writes differently when she is writing her tess series versus her stand-alones. i read the tess books in order and they...morei do think that laura lippman writes differently when she is writing her tess series versus her stand-alones. i read the tess books in order and they are more . . . traditional mysteries that people expect, with a who-dun-it, seasoned characters and clues.
this is a stand alone about three girls and a small community outside of baltimore. i think that the community is a character here, with its expectations of the girls, their families, its landscape even. the soon-to-be movie star is drawn back from new york, and not just because his mom might feed him for free. this is a town that was built by a grandfather that is still alive, a town with farmers fighting developments, a town where gossip is normal chatter at the grocery store.
to be honest, the most disconcerting-take-me-out-of-the-story character was alexa. i didn't see her purpose, especially because the information she possibly could have contributed, she didn't. she just took up space, and i thought she was a pretentious snot who needed to go back to the city because the girls clearly didn't need her.
but what lippman does so well is create characters and situations, and delve into their minds and motivations and secret yearnings. the three girls, josie, kat, and perri meet in third grade. kat and perri have known each other almost their entire lives, and then josie joins when her parents decide to move to the burbs. there are their different families, the siblings, the way they grew up. the athlete, the girl next store, the drama queen.
i know most people have had issues with the pacing and with the resolution, but i found the slow reveal of perri and josie and kat to be fascinating and totally understandable. perri wanted to be the star, always, and perri had a plan. but perri was also sad, i think, and most of all, perri was raised by parents that raised her to be a person of conscience, and one of her friends disappointed her. in the worst way possible - by ruining her whole world and perceptions and everything. plus, the normal and abnormal angst of being a teenager about to go to college.
is passive action as bad as active? if you don't pull the trigger yourself, are your still culpable? there is so much food for thought, and it is so carefully written and managed.
it's not my favorite lippman for the plot, but it is my favorite lippman for the psychology of it. (less)
so i am an adult now and it's been years since i read this. and wow, depressing. the story is told in three parts: the present,...more[reread february, 2012]
so i am an adult now and it's been years since i read this. and wow, depressing. the story is told in three parts: the present, then a flashback, and then back in the present. the writing is strong and in a manner that appeals to pre-teens, sparse yet full. the story moves quickly but with purpose.
thirteen year old julie runs away from a bad home situation in barrow, alaska. she plans to make it to point hope, where she will get on a plane to go to san francisco and stay with her pen pal, amy.
only julie (miyax) gets lost. she is starving and has found a wolf pack. remembering stories from her father, miyax knows that she can get from the wolves, if only she can communicate with them. george actually did research on wolf communication and wolf/human communication, so there's some sort of scientific basis for the story.
it is also a story of ecosystems and tundras, of humans and civilization and losing land well before this became such a hot button issue. i must admit, during the 2008 elections when it was revealed sarah palin hunted from helicopters/planes, i immediately thought of this book.
there is an implication of marital rape (and julie is thirteen, in an arranged marriage), but i certainly don't think it's explicit enough to warrant censoring. i'm pretty sure the first time i read it i had no idea what was going on - i think just being married at thirteen was enough for me to think someone would want to run away.
this book is a classic for a reason. survival and wolves and a strong female character who really wants to do what is right in life, and doesn't need anyone else to make her happy.
but man, the ending is so ambiguously horribly bleak. no wonder i loved it as a kid.
*
another survival fourth grade favorite. living on the tundra! with wolves! it's pretty darn awesome. but i hated the ending with a passion, and refuse to read the sequel. (less)
excellently researched. easy to read for a more academic text. love the notes and footnotes and how every corner is explored.
mildred is a fascinating...moreexcellently researched. easy to read for a more academic text. love the notes and footnotes and how every corner is explored.
mildred is a fascinating person, as is her husband, and if you want to know why she wasn't honored as a hero in america, let's be honest - it's because she was working with the soviets. don't forget how long the cold war lasted.
i would love to spend time in the KGB/KKVD archives. if only i read russian . . . but if books like this are the result of opening files and archives, i eagerly await the next big reveal . . . (less)
i wasn't sure what to expect, given that a) i love deaver, b) usually dislike historical fiction, and c) know a crap load about the interwar period in...morei wasn't sure what to expect, given that a) i love deaver, b) usually dislike historical fiction, and c) know a crap load about the interwar period in germany.
turns out it was surprisingly good. i mean, it won awards, but see the second two points up there. normally i wouldn't even read this, but. i am glad i did. i wasn't sure what the twists were going to be, or how, given that we all know how history plays out.
i liked that deaver created a fictional character for the enemy, because it didn't detract from the reality of the story. i wasn't distracted thinking, but how do you KNOW that about goring/goebbels/himmler or "but that's just wrong!"
paul is a character i felt ambivalent about, but understood, in a weird way. the story kept rolling, and there were excellent secondary characters, classic deaver twists, and an ending that made me seriously, seriously happy. (less)
a very fitting end to this wonderful wonderful series.
my heart broke for ellie so early on, knowing what was going to happen. and gavin, and homer, l...morea very fitting end to this wonderful wonderful series.
my heart broke for ellie so early on, knowing what was going to happen. and gavin, and homer, lee, fi and the newcomers - shannon and sam, bronte and jess and jeremy.
war is a horrible thing. it touches on every aspect of your life. it has to. and yet things just keep happening - good, bad, indifferent.
i feel for ellie's cows. she worked so hard to buy those lots.
in the end though, i guess, you have to leave everything, even hell, behind.
i will carry these characters with me for a long long time. (less)
so this book had a lot of hype. and it's supposed to be angsty, which is always something i look for. and maybe because people prepared me to to cry,...moreso this book had a lot of hype. and it's supposed to be angsty, which is always something i look for. and maybe because people prepared me to to cry, i didn't.
i liked zoey. i don't think i much liked tessa. i didn't get her or her list, really, and that's okay, but to drive the whole book you kind of had to like tessa. i didn't find it horribly tragic (i love how her dad is written) and i think it's a pretty book.
i just didn't love it, and think it's kind of been done better. lovely writing, easy flow, worth the time. i just expected more.
(i also kept forgetting it is a british import, and would get thrown out of the story by a turn of phrase that i realize is common, but sounded weird as i was picturing this in the states - i don't know why i couldn't get it in my head that this was set across the pond.)(less)
the writing on this wasn't fabulous, but it was a quick read with some interesting characters. definitely felt like an unfinished book, and the world...morethe writing on this wasn't fabulous, but it was a quick read with some interesting characters. definitely felt like an unfinished book, and the world building wasn't that fabulous, but dane and aerin were interesting enough and parts reminded me of battlestar galactica, which let's fact it, i adore. (less)
i agree with A. that the ending was a little thin, but i really liked the four characters. i loved how everything tied together. caleb and josh, ellie...morei agree with A. that the ending was a little thin, but i really liked the four characters. i loved how everything tied together. caleb and josh, ellie and corinne, growing up and growing apart and growing together.
This is a very beautifully written book. While I wish the ending was a little abrupt for me, I could totally understand Gemma, and Ty, and the confusi...moreThis is a very beautifully written book. While I wish the ending was a little abrupt for me, I could totally understand Gemma, and Ty, and the confusion, and the vastness, and the quiet.
I think the most moving part to me was the camel. To me, Ty was like the camel. Gemma was like the camel. And I am so very sad about the camel.
The landscape felt alive, the writing matched the landscape, and it was beautifully quiet. Definitely a writer I am going to keep track of. (less)
well, i suppose i should thank julie holland for reinforcing yet again why i think psychotherapy is better than psychiatry at least in terms of where...morewell, i suppose i should thank julie holland for reinforcing yet again why i think psychotherapy is better than psychiatry at least in terms of where i want to be and what i want to be doing with my life.
this is a woman that loves to push pills. don't get me wrong, i am certainly not against psychopharmocology. but three days a week in private practice, dr. holland has 20-30 minute sessions where she convinces people to go on psychiatric meds, and then lets them go. she is dismissive of psychotherapy (despite the fact that we hear oh so much about her and mary, her own therapist for three years) and while i certainly agree that some diagnoses (bi-polar, schizophrenia) warrant a drug regimen almost without thought, i do not agree that the worried well she treats in her private practice necessarily need all the prozac, paxil and lamictal they can withstand. i am sure she's charging somewhere between $350 and $450 for it, as well. sure, julie, you can start to "dig deep" with these patients now that you've quit bellevue. sure.
even her assessments leave something to be desired - she rarely sees the complicated patients, giving those instead to the resident. instead she focuses on the "T&R"'s - where her job is basically to decide if the person is suicidal or not - in the briefest of terms. i understand that her job puts demands and limits on what she can do in the ER. but i still think you can do that and be compassionate. besides, you don't even have time to get through ANY of the standardized assessments, much less motives, in the time she gives to these patients. i'd like to see her try to give a hamilton depression inventory while watching tv because her patient is "boring".
she is so arrogant, "butch" and basically condescending toward all her patients that it makes me sad.
clearly, holland has issues with loss. when her best friend becomes sick, she withdraws and leaves her to deal with the knowledge of her death alone (all the while resenting daniel, the one doctor that doesn't ignore lucy's illness and works along side her), when 9/11 hits, she hides in a bath tub with her daughter upstate and doesn't come in (everyone deals with trauma like this differently, i know, but dang, it was her job), and mostly she sees the world as revolving around her and everyone only in reference to her. who cares what daniel was going through? who cared really about lucy's daily struggle with her illness and her fears? who even really cared about the patients in handcuffs in the middle of the night in a locked ward while dr. holland taunted them, holding all the keys to the castle?
i found a lot of what dr. holland did, said and thought morally reprehensible. especially when she admits that she lied to a patient about what meds she was giving him, and got the medical student in it, and got her lying too. i mean, what the hell? i get that the end justify the means sometimes. i do. i really, really do. but she manages to trivialize everything that these people are suffering through.
this was no step forward for mental illness. and that makes me quite disappointed. but maybe if i just get myself some psychotropic meds, i'll get over it! (less)
i can't really review it honestly now, because there are still people over there. and it's still so sad. and i un...morethis was kind of utterly depressing.
i can't really review it honestly now, because there are still people over there. and it's still so sad. and i understand friendly fire happens, but the cover up.
i admit i first picked up the book because of my own experience with the vick dogs - mostly miss ginger, who once ate a whole pack of trader joe's tur...morei admit i first picked up the book because of my own experience with the vick dogs - mostly miss ginger, who once ate a whole pack of trader joe's turkey bacon when her mom wasn't looking. ;) i wanted to see what the author said about ginger, red, and stella, and how we kind of got involved to begin with.
i really enjoyed the author's perspective on vick himself - how he wasn't sure what was right, or what was wrong, or what the outcome should have been. but 40+ dogs had been saved and set a new precedent for how to treat dogs as victims of dog fighting, not necessarily having to be euthanized on the spot. the fact that he called out HSUS and PETA for being pre-euthanasia throughout this whole thing was especially interesting to me, not only because ginger is one of the sweetest give-me-peanut-butter-and-i'll-do-anything dogs ever, but because to me, breed specific legislation is so hard to comprehend under the umbrellas of those organizations.
it reads like good journalism, with a touch of sentimentality, but i think that makes sense. these are dogs, after all. man's best friend. and of course there is anthropomorphizing of the dogs, especially little red, but it does make the story better. sweet jasmine's story made me almost cry, and i'm not one to get super emotional about dogs (then again, my own dog suckered me at the shelter into taking her home . . .)
however, it the book on a whole feels balanced. it's not about michael vick, it's not about the rescuers, and in the end it's not just about the dogs. it's about this whole moment in time, and it ends up being a searing portrait of our society and our values, wrapped up in a feel good story about dogs.
i think this book would have been much stronger without the little flashbacks.
that said, it would take almost half the book away.
in a sense, i felt...morei think this book would have been much stronger without the little flashbacks.
that said, it would take almost half the book away.
in a sense, i felt like this book was trying to be too much at once - the diary of anne frank, the boy in the striped pajamas and something about russian history all at once. the story was interesting and strong enough on its own. and really, i wanted to know more about why the north pole! what were they doing up there? i never got a good answer.
the writing is strong and clear, and lina is a character you can relate to. i liked her relationship with her brother, and her mother, and her drawings. i just wanted more - of those characters, of the relationship, of the time, of the story itself.
i guess a lot of it felt heavy handed and scripted (the bald man, anyone?) but.
it tells a very important story. so it gets three stars for that alone. (less)
kind of a super quick story. i want more of bliss. not the wolves, so much, and this just felt like such stinking filler. I AM TIRED OF FILLER I WANT AN ACTUAL STORY. (less)
this was a pretty awesome collection of essays. i particularly liked the essays on game theory, team katniss, PTSD, cinna and whether or not you liked...morethis was a pretty awesome collection of essays. i particularly liked the essays on game theory, team katniss, PTSD, cinna and whether or not you liked Mockingjay. it makes me happy, and the essays were perfect to read before bed.
highly recommend it. jennifer lynn barnes kicks some serious ass. my admiration for these authors keeps growing - including carrie ryan and diana peterfreund. if you liked the hunger games, you should pick this up and enjoy it.
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