I know it's pretty morbid to recommend this book to my book friends, but I have to say ... it's a nail biter.
If you enjoy non-fiction, are looking for...moreI know it's pretty morbid to recommend this book to my book friends, but I have to say ... it's a nail biter.
If you enjoy non-fiction, are looking for a page-turner this summer and are curious (and who isn't, just a teensy bit?) about the events of that crazy night in 1969, this book will hook you.
And because it was written by one of the members of the prosecution, that makes it even better, I think.
(Note: There's not a lot of books that wig me out, but I will say, if you find yourself finishing this one by yourself, alone late at night, don't be surprise if you can't fall asleep.)(less)
"Room" is so unique, I don't even know where to start in my lovefest for it.
Maybe with a few thoughts on its complex and dichotomous storyline. I rea...more"Room" is so unique, I don't even know where to start in my lovefest for it.
Maybe with a few thoughts on its complex and dichotomous storyline. I realized this as I was trying to describe the plot to a friend: "It's about this little boy who's with his mom, and they're hostages in this tiny little room and have been for years, and this little boy is telling the story and he's so imaginative..." My friend looked at me before I could go on, and replied: "Gail, that sounds awful."
Okay, so yes, it is. But see, it's NOT. That's the amazing thing about this book! It's like the TV series, Dexter. Try describing its plot to a friend ("It's about a serial killer..and he's bad..but, he's actually good..and, and...")...To the uninitiated, Dexter sounds evil (and the show demented). But if you watch it (and love it, as I do), you know it's so much more complex and layered than that.
This is the way I feel about "Room." That Donoghue can pull off this plot as convincingly as she does is testament what an incredible writer she is. There's a balance to creating a narrative written by a child that doesn't leave you (the reader) rolling your eyes with a "Yeah, no way is this kid 5." Donoghue does this (very well, I might add), creating the perfect protagonist in Jack.
Where "Room" REALLY grabs you is about 120 pages in, when the pace of the storyline picks up and leaves you on the edge of your seat (I mean this quite literally as I came to these pages on a lunch break last week, sitting on the edge of my bar stool for most of them). From that point on, "Room" becomes an exhilarating ride that leaves you in awe of the courage of its characters and, perhaps, a bit curious about whether you'd have what it takes to survive a harrowing ordeal like this yourself.
Easily one of the best books of 2010. Do yourself a favor and see what all the fuss is about! (less)
Oooh did I enjoy this parenting book. I really did. Now, I've since read a critique from a mother of two who liked Tracy Hogg's take on "E.A.S.Y." par...moreOooh did I enjoy this parenting book. I really did. Now, I've since read a critique from a mother of two who liked Tracy Hogg's take on "E.A.S.Y." parenting too —- until she actually HAD the baby. And then discovered it's not a perfect mold.
Which, I get ... you can't apply one parenting concept to every kid. That said, what I liked about Tracy's take on parenting versus some other articles (even books) I've read is how she really drills in this idea that, YOU GUYS--IT'S COMMON SENSE. Yes, parenting is hard. But so much of it is in the approach, and the more even-keeled you are about it, the better off your baby is going to be.
Ahhhh...reassuring words to someone who, despite her best efforts, feels like she can't go anywhere these days without getting conflicting parenting advice from family/friends or coworkers.
Overall, Tracy's biggest recommendation is to get your child on a routine. Sure you might have to change it up some, but if you follow a routine pattern with them from the get-go (eating/activity/sleeping/some time for you), you're far more likely to have a baby with a better temperament whose needs are being met than one who gets to call the shots in the house.
Overall, this is probably my favorite (more) technical parenting book I've read yet. My only fault with it? About halfway through, in researching a bit more about Tracy on the Internet (Tracy who talks about how she's British, which led me to picturing her as this perfect British nanny, right down to the accent), I learned that she died about 10 years ago (at only 44!) from cancer. OH MY GOSH HOW SAD IS THAT? Broke my heart a little bit... not gonna lie. (less)
I have so many post-it notes lining the perimeters of this book's pages that it looks like a textbook!
While a lot of the material in Chris's book is...moreI have so many post-it notes lining the perimeters of this book's pages that it looks like a textbook!
While a lot of the material in Chris's book is the kind of overview seasoned photographers would read, roll their eyes at and say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know it all already", what they would miss is how much passion Chris puts into all — his words, his art, not to mention how much he cares about others pursuing the art he loves so much.
There are lots of tidbits in here that made me wish I could take Chris out for coffee and a chat, but this is one that really spoke to me. Chris talks about getting ready to get married and someone telling him to enjoy life pre-marriage, because "it's all downhill from here". And another time, someone decided to give him a really nasty critique of some photos he was very proud of, telling him, "You'll never make it far."
And this was the realization Chris had:
"The advice stung both times. It was an insult to who I am, how I love, how I live, and what I create. I was at first infuriated: Who do you think you are? Then it dawned on me. I repeated the word "who" and it all made sense. I softened and was even a bit sad for these sorry souls. I finally understood their advice was autobiographical. They were telling me their story; their marriage wasn't good, their photo career never left the ground.
"As for me, I will never live someone else's drab and dreary life. My time on Earth is my own. And I will dream impossible dreams, I will love until it hurts, I will never give up and come hell or high water, I will find a way."
If you have a basic understanding of how aperture, shutter speed and ISO play key roles in shooting manual, you'll learn a LOT from this book. Peterso...moreIf you have a basic understanding of how aperture, shutter speed and ISO play key roles in shooting manual, you'll learn a LOT from this book. Peterson's stuff is great for a crash course in better understanding your camera. (less)
I'm very conflicted about this book and wonder if I would have felt differently at its ending had I known then what I know now.
And that is that this b...moreI'm very conflicted about this book and wonder if I would have felt differently at its ending had I known then what I know now.
And that is that this beast (600 pages) of a novel is, in many ways, a modern-day take on Hamlet with a few twists.
Somewhere amid the summer hype of this book (the reason I wanted to pick it up), I missed this fact. And then, since it's been a good, oh, 8 to 10 years since I last read Hamlet, I failed to pick up on a lot of the not-so-subtle foreshadowing (starting with the names: King Claudius becomes Claude, Edgar's evil uncle). (I'm rusty on Shakespeare - cut me some slack - ha!)
Sooo, being unaware, I finished this book ticked off by its ending and all the unanswered questions it left me with. And I still -- despite learning the aforementioned nod to Hamlet -- feel a bit that way.
But to give this book a bad review would do it a disservice because it is a beautifully written, incredibly engrossing novel (the author's first, no less). The language is masterful (you can tell Wroblewski studied under Richard Russo - it has that "Russo"esque kind of storytelling), even if, at times, the amount of detail is a bit much.
I just wish -- as in Hamlet -- for a happier ending.
PS - This book would make for a great book club selection - if all the members could finish it!
EDITED SEPT. 19: I BEAT OPRAH TO THIS BOOK, I BEAT OPRAH TO THIS BOOK. I love when I can beat Oprah's herd to a book -- granted, I have been a part of that herd on the past, but this is one where I was like, "Oh yeah, BEAT YA!" hahaha (anyone else ever feel that way?) (less)
Had this book not been picked by the lovely Julie for our Oct/Nov book club, I probably would have never picked it up. This time period of history in...moreHad this book not been picked by the lovely Julie for our Oct/Nov book club, I probably would have never picked it up. This time period of history in fiction (early 1800s through Civil War) is just not my preferred century (I'm more a contemporary kind of girl), but a recent trip to the South with visits to the cities of Charleston and Savannah DID help me develop more of an interest in this novel (cities that feature frequently throughout).
My biggest issue with this book was my inability to really connect with the main character, Will Cooper, a man who lays out his story from being an orphan to being accepted by an Indian tribe, to keeping that tribe on his land throughout the awful chapter of American history that was our push of the Indians westward.
His life is full of so many material things and so many fascinating experiences but proof that all of that is nothing without someone to love beside you.
I loved the many lush descriptions of the Appalachian landscaped Frazier provided, but finished this book feeling sad, having taken pity on the main character. There was no message to lift me up beyond that and perhaps that was what lacked most for me in its pages. (less)
Similar themes play out here as they do in This is Where I Leave You (Tropper's most recent novel which I read before this one): Narrator is sarcastic...moreSimilar themes play out here as they do in This is Where I Leave You (Tropper's most recent novel which I read before this one): Narrator is sarcastic and self-effacing with a screwed up family, dealing with grief (in this case, the death of his wife as explained in the title).
Even with the similarities taken into consideration, I really enjoyed this book. There is just something about Trooper's writing style that resonates with me. It's real and true and his commentary pretty spot-on.
The plot revolves around Doug Parker, a 29-year-old widower trying to pick up the pieces of his life in the wake of the death of his older wife, Hailey, (cougar that she was), who also happens to be the mother of a 15-year-old (Russ) for whom Doug is trying to play the role of grieving stepfather.
His twin Claire moves in while dealing with the troubles of her own life and a secondary plot to all of this is his youngest sister's wedding to his former best friend (former because Doug resents the fact the two fell for one another the week they all sat shiva after his wife's death) (and yes, Tropper apparently likes the idea of sitting shiva as a plot device)
One final take -- I want to start including a passage or two in my reviews to remember particular nuggets of writing I love in each book. This is a passage that really moved me. Its toward the end of the book at a point where Doug is trying to move past his paralyzing grief now that Hailey has been dead a year:
"I'm in my bedroom getting dressed for the rehearsal dinner when I feel something in the jacket pocket of my suit and pull out a lipstick cylinder and crumpled receipt. The receipt is from the Hudson Tavern, the restaurant where Hailey and I ate on the last night we ever spent together. And it's these little things that set you back, that shouldn't but do, these last lingering bits of her life lying dormant, waiting to be excavated like artifacts: the smell of her on a shirt, a scribbled shopping list seven pages in the memo pad by the phone, her lipstick tube and a receipt in my suit pocket, the residue of a vanished life."
It's paragraphs like these that draw me to Tropper as a writer and make me think he can write about the monumental (death) and mundane (finding that receipt) in a way few other writers can and do. (less)
One word to describe this book on Nick and I's trip to San Francisco: Indispensable.
Seriously, I referred to it so many times it's now looking a litt...moreOne word to describe this book on Nick and I's trip to San Francisco: Indispensable.
Seriously, I referred to it so many times it's now looking a little dog-earred. The map alone was a constant go-to source, but overall it was a great resource to point out some sites we otherwise wouldn't have known about (like where Charles Manson or Janis Joplin used to live in the Haight). Not only that, when it came to restaurants, this baby was fail-proof. The best places we ate came highly recommended from this title, and because there are SO MANY places to eat in San Fran, there is just no way we would have been able to know which were top picks just by walking around alone.
Wherever your destination, if there's a Frommer's pocket guide to be had I HIGHLY suggest picking it up. The $12 is so worth it. (less)
This book isn't the easiest to get in to. Matter of fact, for the first 30 pages, I felt like I was thrown on the Scrambler O' Words.
Because of the s...moreThis book isn't the easiest to get in to. Matter of fact, for the first 30 pages, I felt like I was thrown on the Scrambler O' Words.
Because of the structure of E.I.L, Foer first throws you into a narrative told by Alex Perchov, a Ukrainian 20-something whose butchering of the English language is at first discombobulating but quickly grows on you (and becomes one of the draws of the book — my favorite Alex-ism: "Manufacturing zzs").
From Alex's introduction, Foer next throws you into a story that begins in 1791 and winds its way to the horrors of WWII, the tale of the familial origins of the other main character (who also happens to be named Jonathan Safran Foer).
Then comes the story that melds these two together: That this young Jonathan Safran Foer character has come to the Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. To help him in the venture, he's employed Alex as his translator (and Alex's grandfather as driver).
Throughout the book, Foer transitions between each of these narratives, each one building a momentum of its own. What struck me most about E.I.L. was how original I found the story to be. And I kept sitting and thinking, "He wrote this when he was 25?!" Unbelievable ....
There are some really beautiful lines in the book (I included one of my faves below so I'd remember it), but others that are so crude and crass that, in my opinion, detract from the heart of the stories.
My favorite: The character of Alex. His growth (and improved English) over the course of the book is perhaps the greatest strength of this incredible, heart-breaking debut novel.
A few of my favorite lines from the book come in a passage where Foer is telling about his grandfather's rendezvous with a Gypsy woman in their small Ukrainian village as the Nazis advance toward the country in WWII:
"They exchanged notes like children. My grandfather made his out of newspaper clippings ... "Meet me under the wooden bridge, and I will show you things you have never, ever seen." The "M" was taken from the army that would take his mother's life: GERMAN FRONT ADVANCES ON SOVIET BORDER; the "eet" from their approaching warships: NAZI FLEET DEFEATS FRENCH AT LESACS; the "me" from the peninsula they were blue-eyeing: GERMANS SURROUND CRIMEA; the "und" from too little, too late: AMERICAN WAR FUNDS REACH ENGLAND; the "er" from the dog of dogs: HITLER RENDERS NONAGRESSION PACT INOPERATIVE ... and so on, and so on, each note a collage of love that could never be, and war that could. (less)
What I like so much about Tyler's work can be summed up with the old "What you see is what you get" adage. You do...moreAnother Tyler book I greatly enjoyed.
What I like so much about Tyler's work can be summed up with the old "What you see is what you get" adage. You don't have to sit and process her work, just get caught up in it.
And Tyler's characters are so vivid and memorable that, years from now, you'll still remember them and all their tendancies that make them so great. (less)
It's unusual to feel a emotional connection of this sort to a couple that so perfectly captures the pop culture zeitgeist. The...moreEm and Dex. Dex and Em.
It's unusual to feel a emotional connection of this sort to a couple that so perfectly captures the pop culture zeitgeist. The closest comparisons I can draw are the feelings I (and collectively, we) feel for Ross and Rachel from Friends and Jim and Pam from The Office. What all of these characters (and Dex and Em) have in common is their likability and the way in which we believe every up and down in their relationship could just as easily been one of your own.
A bit of background on this likable gem: The story starts on July 15, 1988, the night of Dex and Em's graduation from college. Bright-eyed, good-looking (Dex) and full of that smug do-goodness of the '90s college crowd (remember Paul Rudd's character in Clueless? Picture him or any member of the '90s-era Real World casts as stand-in for Emma), they imagine what their lives will be like 20 years from now. This is where Nicholls takes over, devoting the rest of the book to exactly that — examining this one day (July 15) in the coming two decades and where Em and Dex find themselves each year it passes.
Reading this novel, you can't help wondering how it is no one has explored this plot device before. And yet, you're glad no one has as it seems unlikely any writer could employ it as well as Nicholls has done here.
In the 400 pages that follow that fateful graduation night, there are broken hearts, broken relationships, mistaken career moves and more than a few good times for Em and Dex. But above all, throughout all of this, there is their well-spun dialogue. Nicholls is a screenwriter and it's no surprise he excels at making this novel's highs (and even its lows) every bit as easy to visualize and celebrate as our favorite TV moments — be it Ross and Rachel finally kissing in that coffee shop or Jim and Pam saying their I do's.
** I won't give away who's been cast as Em and Dex for the film's big-screen adaptation (surprise, surprise, it IS being made into a movie and I think it'll be brilliant) but I'll just say I'm IN LOVE with the selection and already cannot wait for this to hit the theater! (less)
I told myself I wasn't going to read any more fiction until post-Europe. I've got two stacks of guidebooks begging to be browsed through but I broke d...moreI told myself I wasn't going to read any more fiction until post-Europe. I've got two stacks of guidebooks begging to be browsed through but I broke down at the airport over the weekend. I HAD to have something to read in my hands.
This one (having been on my list for a while) seemed like a good choice. And it got me through 6 hours of air travel that helped me ignore crying babies, loud terminals and the uneasiness I can sometimes feel about flying in general. I seriously DEVOURED its pages.
To give away too much of the plot would do future readers a disservice (I had no real clue going in what the book was about just that a) it'd gotten amazing reviews and b) it had an amazing cover). So I'll just say it's about a girl. A Nigerian refugee. And a woman. A British journalist. And how their two stories intertwine leaves you a little breathless.
At times not the easiest book to read (a bit of an understatement), and it has a conclusion that I found frustrating/disappointing, but overall, I can't say enough good things about this one. When you hate to stop reading to do things like, you know, use the restroom or drive your car because all you want to do is finish those last 20 pages... well, that's when you know you've got a gem in your hands. (less)
Harris picks up where she last left off with Sookie in this first book of this series but continues to add even darker story twists.
One of the bigges...moreHarris picks up where she last left off with Sookie in this first book of this series but continues to add even darker story twists.
One of the biggest "guilty-pleasure" books/series I've read in a long time (even more guilt-inducing than Twilight!) But a fine form of (steamy) escapism on a cold winter morning. HA! (less)
Here I thought I was getting myself into a memoir that might read as funny as the Diane Keaton I love onscreen! Instead, "Then Again" is Keaton's mash...moreHere I thought I was getting myself into a memoir that might read as funny as the Diane Keaton I love onscreen! Instead, "Then Again" is Keaton's mash-up of her life story (with entries as diverse as battling an eating disorder to dating Al Pacino) intermixed with chapters devoted to her mother, Dorothy Hall. I was conflicted while reading because Diane uses Dorothy's journals——unread by Diane until her death-—to share so much of her mother's stories. Some of the entries felt so private and raw and while, on the one hand, I appreciated what Diane was trying to do with preserving (or, better yet, justifying) her mother's life story, another part of me wondered what Dorothy would think to know so many strangers were reading about private pains in areas of her life such as her marriage and sense of worth.
Add to all that Diane's detailed recounting of Dorothy's last days with Alzhemier's disease (an illness I'm uncomfortably familiar with, having watched my own maternal grandmother wither away from it) and I don't know...I just had a hard time with this one. Probably explains why I had to force myself to pick it up on more than one occasion.
(Note: The best part of the book for me was Diane's love for Woody and Annie Hall. What a great film that was...) (less)
This is one of those books you might either love or hate. On my end, I loved it.
Jacobs is a journalist who does the whole "Year of" approach to a sub...moreThis is one of those books you might either love or hate. On my end, I loved it.
Jacobs is a journalist who does the whole "Year of" approach to a subject brilliantly. Of course he's gonna include a journal-like account of his journey in trying to live the Bible literally, but reading this book is also a sort of crash-course in theology (some of its most unusual sects in particular) and it's apparent Jacobs has done his homework - talking to various experts, folks of different religious persuasions and paying a personal visit to Israel and the Bible's holy places himself.
Jacobs is always quick with a solid metaphor to support his reasoning of religious thought, and I liked that about him too. What I also liked was his open approach to this book - he's agnostic at the start and (spoiler alert of sorts) he remains agnostic at the end, but along the way, he finds a way to write tastefully about his subject material -- even that which he obviously doesn't agree with (snake charmers, anyone?)
I hope folks who aren't religious read this book as much as I hope those who are do so. Namely because I think it's good sometimes to step back and examine our faith (or lack of) and why it is we believe what we believe or don't believe. And along the way, don't be surprised if you learn a few things (what else can you expect from an author whose first novel was about churning his way thru the encyclopedia?) (less)
If you know absolutely nothing about photography, you might find this book helpful, but I was disappointed by much of the content.
Namely because Hedge...moreIf you know absolutely nothing about photography, you might find this book helpful, but I was disappointed by much of the content.
Namely because Hedgecoe seems to think every photographer will have an elaborate system of lights to set up complete with backdrop when he/she wants to take photos of anything (be it kids or action shots).
I found Bryan Peterson's book, Understanding Exposure, a better read for anyone getting serious about photography and wanting to explore their camera's manual settings. (less)
If you're a first timer wanting to read Roach, I suggest starting with "Stiff". It's not that I didn't like "Bonk" (her latest title); I just liked it...moreIf you're a first timer wanting to read Roach, I suggest starting with "Stiff". It's not that I didn't like "Bonk" (her latest title); I just liked it a bit less ...
Maybe it was the subject material. Roach tackles the topic of science and sex with aplomb, but there are admittedly parts that still make you squirm a tiny bit while you're reading them.
I felt like the book hit a dry spell in the middle, but picked back up again with Roach displaying her wit once more toward the end.
This book started off so promising for me -- I found myself getting sucked in to May's descriptions of the types of courage that exist — be they physi...moreThis book started off so promising for me -- I found myself getting sucked in to May's descriptions of the types of courage that exist — be they physical, social, moral or creative. His detailings of the creative process in Chapter Two I found equally fascinating....and yet, half-way through this slim novel, I started to struggle with the themes and lose focus. In fairness, I was attempting to read this when I was dog-tired, at home with extended family in between the trials of visitations and a funeral service for my recently deceased grandmother. So, perhaps, if I were to attempt the second half again with a refreshed brain, I'd get more out of it. Then again, perhaps not. Because May takes his book into a territory that is too foreign for me -- TOO psychological, TOO intellectual (this disenchantment begins with a chapter titled "The Delphic Oracle as Therapist" -- see? SEE WHAT I MEAN?)
That being said, there were a lot of great takeaways from this one....Here are a few worth sharing:
"Courage is not the absence of despair; it is, rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair."
On social courage: "It is the courage to relate to other human beings, the capacity to risk one's self in the hope of achieving meaningful intimacy. It is the courage to invest one's self over a period of time in a relationship that will demand an increasing openness."
It is infinitely safer to know that the man at the top has his doubts, as you and I have ours, yet has the courage to move ahead in spite of these doubts.
A cool quote from German mathematician Gottfried Leibnitz: "I would walk 20 miles to listen to my worst enemy if I could learn something."
Genuine creativity is characterized by an intensity of awareness, a heightened consciousness....we become oblivious to things around us (as well as to the passage of time). We experience a lessening of appetite..... But what the artist or creative scientist feels is not anxiety or fear; it is joy. Joy defined as the emotion that goes with heightened consciousness, the mood that accompanies the experience of actualizing one's own potentialities.
(frame this one in the context that this book was first published in the 1970s): The danger always exists that our technology will serve as a buffer between us and nature, a block between us and the deeper dimensions of our own experience. Tools and techniques ought to be an extension of consciousness, but they can just as easily be a protection from consciousness. (less)
Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I thought I had read this book when I was younger, but ever have that thought only to get about 30 pages in and rea...moreSomewhere, in the back of my mind, I thought I had read this book when I was younger, but ever have that thought only to get about 30 pages in and realize you haven't? Yep, that was me with this one.
That said, it was a heartfelt little read. I loved the characters and the ease of writing in this book ... my only "but" on this one is that I felt like the story was pretty one-dimensional. Almost as if, as I got toward the end, I kept waiting for this amazing climax to the plot and w/ the characters (more than was already laid out) only to get to the last page feeling, "That was it?"
Plot summary in two sentences: Backwaters Kentucky woman decides to head West and gets an Indian kid dumped in her lap on the way there. The rest of the book is what happens as she tries to go about keeping the little girl.(less)
There are certain books you read in your life that you know will always stay with you. This is most definitely one of those books. I was hooked from t...moreThere are certain books you read in your life that you know will always stay with you. This is most definitely one of those books. I was hooked from the get-go and actually found myself stopping my reading, just so I could savor this story in daily chunks, versus reading it in a matter of hours (as I compulsively could have!)
The writing in The Book Thief is so compelling, as is its selection of narrator and characters (Rudy, sweet Rudy and Hans ... and Liesel) that I hated to come to an end -- and oh what an ending this novel has. I haven't had a cry like that over a book in years.
Thanks to Cole for the amazing recommendation. I can't say enough great things about The Book Thief, nor can I tell all of you on here to go out and JUST. BUY. IT. already. Like, tomorrow. You won't regret it. It's that good. (less)
I had a total hate-love-hate relationship with this book.
The plot revolves around the Price family — Nathan and Oleanna Price and their four daughters...moreI had a total hate-love-hate relationship with this book.
The plot revolves around the Price family — Nathan and Oleanna Price and their four daughters, Rachel, Leah, Adah and Ruth May — and their time as missionaries in the Belgian Congo in the late 1950s/early '60s. Each chapter gets told by one of the
It's also a brick of a book. Here's how it broke down for me:
First 200 pages — I struggled to get engrossed in the plot. I loathed the character of Nathan Price so much, I found reading about him a difficult task.
Next 200-some pages — Here is where the book really picked up for me. This was in large part fueled by Kingsolver's visual storytelling (how could reading about a plague of ants NOT be a visual reading experience?) and also because the plot quickly picked up as the Price family breaks up over the death of one of its members. I also grew fond of the relationship that develops between Leah and the character Anatole.
Final 150 pages (give or take) — After the pivotal passing of that Price member, the rest of what happens to these characters is just...bleh... downhill. I also thought the last 30 pages (where the deceased member of the Price family comes back to give an (IMO) over-written soliloquy) cemented that last "hate" for me in the love-hate-love department.
Sorry, I know lots of people love this book and there's no denying that much of it is well-written ... it just didn't grab my heart the way I wanted it to. (less)
This is ridiculous. I am a grown-a** woman and I CANNOT stop myself from getting caught up in this tale of teenage romance! Made all the more insane b...moreThis is ridiculous. I am a grown-a** woman and I CANNOT stop myself from getting caught up in this tale of teenage romance! Made all the more insane by the fact that the male Romeo is a VAMPIRE! AGH!
Seriously, this series has just taken over the past week of my life and the sad thing as I start the fourth and final book — I hate for it to end.
I'm like a teenager, looking at web sites about the books, reading up about the movie, reading interviews with the author ... I guess that's what a good story (as far-fetched as it is) can do for you!
Beyond all the fictitious plot lines of the book, what you as the reader get most sucked in by is this vivid love affair between the two main characters (and a third who sweetens the deal by making the central arc of the story a complicated love triangle).
I've told a lot of my friends that I don't read a lot of pulp fiction and I'm a bit of a snob about chick lit, but well ... I've bought into this series hook, line and sinker. Kudos Mrs. Meyer ...
PS - And for the record, I have been and always will be (despite some moments in this book that had me wavering) rooting for Team Edward. (less)
Even when told through the insightful words of E.L. Doctorow, there's no way a fictional form of these brothers could best the facts, at least in my o...moreEven when told through the insightful words of E.L. Doctorow, there's no way a fictional form of these brothers could best the facts, at least in my opinion.
In this book, Doctorow tells the story of the Collyer brothers, two men who were recluses and compulsive hoarders in New York and whose legend lives on because of the filth and squalor they were found to be living in when police discovered their bodies in their Fifth Avenue home in 1947. The eldest brother, Langley, had been done in by one of the boobie traps he'd created and the younger, Homer, blind and death, left to starve to death as result.
The pictures of the Collyer brothers' house post-raid are the stuff of legend (just do a Google image search for Collyer and you'll see what I'm talking about).
I think what did this book in for me is the type of reader I am when it comes to history. I'm someone who doesn't mind when an author takes some liberties with history, but liberties that are logical (see Devil in the White City or Manhunt). In this novel, Doctorow paints a life for the brothers that has them living a solid 20 years past their deaths and I think where the book lost me was when hippies moved in with them in the middle of the Vietnam War.
The ending was perhaps the best part of the book, when Homer (the narrator of the novel) provides the most insights into his mind, his brother's and how their efforts to best "The Man" (be it the electrical company, the bank or the gas company) do them both in.
I'm fascinated by hoarders and can appreciate Doctrow's attempts to allow the reader to humanize and understand these men, but this book just did not live up to the expectations I had for it - maybe because, as I note at the start of this write-up, the reality of these two brothers feels more like a fascinating tale than anything Doctorow could have put on the page. (less)
This book has gotten mixed reviews on GoodReads and after tackling it, I can see why.
I had a love/hate relationship with the book myself. I love Kings...moreThis book has gotten mixed reviews on GoodReads and after tackling it, I can see why.
I had a love/hate relationship with the book myself. I love Kingsolver's fiction, so reading this non-fiction account of how she and her family lived off local food for a year was a departure from her typical fare.
What got me about this book was the air of superiority I felt she brought to her storytelling when it came to buying anything but local food. (You wanna buy bananas at the grocery? Shudder ... do you KNOW how far that fruit traveled to wind up on your kitchen counter?) I also felt like she beat us over the head with the message of the book -- her family has the ultimate green thumb, they grow a killer garden, she can make a gourmet meal out of anything (pumpkins included), we get it, we get it.
That's not to say this book doesn't have merit. It does -- in fact, I found myself learning a lot about subjects I already thought I knew about (mad cow, farm subsidies, lactose intolerence, CAFOs (did you know a 6x8 foot room can house 1,150 chickens - ugh) and I've also given a lot of thought to Kingsolver's push for us to eat foods when they are in season (as she notes, there's a reason tomatoes look gnarly at the grocery store come December).
I have the best of intentions to make better use of my local farmer's market and to buy meat only when I know where it came from. Intentions being the key word here, of course.
There is a multitude of books on the subject of eating better (ie, green, local) out there. Is this best one? Maybe not (Nick has Omnivore's right now, and I'm curious how it compares) but Kingsolver does make this novel interesting -- if you don't mind a side of preach with your parsnips. (less)
I've done little to get in to the plot of these books because I don't want to ruin any of the surprises for anyone else who might pick up this series,...moreI've done little to get in to the plot of these books because I don't want to ruin any of the surprises for anyone else who might pick up this series, but I will add that I'm content with the way Meyer wrapped up this series.
There is a definite sense of closure — despite some zany turns along the way — ... which is good, because as much as I could have kept right on reading about these characters, they were starting to take over my life!!!
As for Edward Cullen — well, let's just say he's found a permanent spot in my favorite male (swoon-worthy) fictional characters. Move over Mr. Darcy ... (less)
I'm not sure I ever would have picked up an Emily Giffin book had it not been for this being the September book club pick for my Muncie book club. Pri...moreI'm not sure I ever would have picked up an Emily Giffin book had it not been for this being the September book club pick for my Muncie book club. Prior to now, her work was lumped on that pastel-hued shelf of chick lit authors I'd pass up in favor of other (what I considered smarter) reads on the bookshelf.
For what it's worth, I DID find myself getting sucked into the story: Marian, a 30-something NYC TV producer who has to deal with a knock on the door one night and the presence of a stranger who turns out to be her long-lost, 18-year-old daughter, Kirby. A daughter she gave up for adoption but never stopped thinking about. There are a few (predictable enough) plot twists in the book that I don't want to say too much about, only that I became a BIG fan of Conrad. (if you read it, you'll do the same, trust me ;) )
It's clear from the get-go that Giffin's books aren't meant to be serious reads. While the subject material does delve into serious matters, the writing is such that it reads more like a movie script than a serious novel.
And that's the thing, I'm sure it already IS a movie in the works. And sheepishly enough, while I didn't care to see her "Something Borrowed" adaptation in theaters (which I hear stunk), I might have to see this one. If only, remind you, because I REALLY want to know who gets cast to play Conrad! (less)
Incredibly interesting ... the kind of book you know, at some point, you are going to be able to spout facts from in a conversation -- and feel incred...moreIncredibly interesting ... the kind of book you know, at some point, you are going to be able to spout facts from in a conversation -- and feel incredibly smart for doing so. (less)
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