http://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/223993 en-US Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:52:27 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 27064018 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:52:27 -0700
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Anne
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2001
rating: 2
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/20/08
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This book is just weird. I'm not exactly sure how to categorize it in terms of genre...it's a collection of short pieces that almost feel like writing exercises. Some start in the middle of a sentence and others fail to finish. Some are contained small stories, others are lists of ideas or little bursts of observation. There is a letter to Hamlet from his mother Gertrude, chastising him about his step-father. There are directions on how to make your own man. And, of course, in true Atwood style, there are a number of satiric bits about a woman's place in society and coming to terms with relationships. There are flashes of brilliance in many of the pieces, but if Atwood's name weren't on the cover, I wonder how many people would bother reading this book. Good for a chuckle and a random thought, but nothing too lasting.
]]> 4052567 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:38:58 -0700
author: Phil Lamarche
name: Anne
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/19/08
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American Youth begins with a tragic incident involving adolescents and a firearm. As the police investigate a young man named Ted, Ted's mother urges him to keep his mouth shut and protect himself. At the same time, Ted's confusion and guilt over the incident lead him to increasingly self-destructive behavior. He enters high school and befriends the American Youth - a vigilante group against alcohol, drugs, and the type of liberal thought that they believe is destroying America. Ted struggles to be understood by his father, enters into a semi-relationship with the ex-girlfriend of one of the American Youth leaders, and burns himself as an outlet for his pain (a take-off on the ubiquitous cutting I seem to see popping up all over books about teenage girls) all while continuing his hunting and shooting for sport lifestyle. This is a pretty short book, and LaMarche has packed in a dozen issues for young Ted to come to terms with. As a result, the narrative is a bit scattered. I felt like I would get a small glimpse into Ted's problems, only to have the story shift to yet another issue. Perhaps, in this way, it is like the real like of a teenager - filled with angst and turmoil, and no outlet for resolution. I could see American Youth as a good choice for a high school reading list - it has various avenues for generating conversation on hot-button issues, and leaves the reader with a sense of uneasiness - appropriate for a novel focused on the current state of American youth and politics.
]]> 17456269 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:27:44 -0700
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Anne
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/16/08
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This one is about an 18-year old unwed Amish woman, Katie, charged with murdering her newborn child. At first, Katie cannot acknowledge that she was even pregnant. She has no memory of how she got pregnant, of giving birth, or of anything that happened to the baby afterwards. Crack-defense attorney and distant non-Amish relative, Ellie, agrees to represent Katie. As part of the Court's agreement to allow Katie out on bail while awaiting trial, Ellie has to move to the Amish farm and adjust to a completely new lifestyle. I was interested in the parts of the book that dealt with the reactions to Katie's charges, her shunning, and how Katie behaved vis-a-vis the expectations of her community. She has a brother, Jacob, who has been ex-communicated from the church because of his desire to go to college, and she has a pseudo-boyfriend who is confounded by the situation, knowing that he could not have been the father of the dead child. As Katie's memory slowly comes back to her in bits and pieces, her refusal to acknowledge her actions becomes a bit frustrating. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but the character of Elie is also very difficult to like - despite the fact that she is 39 years old, she behaves like a spoiled child and seems to have no perspective or boundaries when it comes to her personal relationships (the fact that she moved in with her client should have been abig tip off). This book reminded me of Chris Bohjalian's Midwives. It was not as compelling, but it had this did she or didn't she quality about it and I assumed it would end before we truly discoverd what had happened. Picoult does give us the real answer to the mystery in the final chapter, but it wasn't quite as satisfying as I'd hoped. Picoult has done better (The Pact, for one), but for anyone interested in the Amish, it's worth a quick read.
]]> 7640781 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:31:41 -0700
author: Barry Eisler
name: Anne
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2005
rating: 2
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/12/08
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This is the third installment of the John Rain series - a half-Japanese/half-American trained assassin. This time, he's made his home in Brazil, hoping to blend in with the Japanese community in Sao Paolo/Rio and all places in between (it made me crave caipirinhas). But, not surprisingly, his Japanese employers will not let him off the hook so easily, and they have a lucrative assignment for him in Hong Kong. Eisler creates a bit of plot -- the target is an arms dealer supplying Southeast Asia and Rain isn't the only assassin on his tail. The other is a cunning and beautiful probable Israeli. Rain may finally have met his match. But, it's all just a ploy for Eisler to do what he does best - write long passages about mixed martial arts encounters and Rain's ingenious methods of surveillance and counter-surveillance. I had a hard time getting through this one, finding myself a little bored, though I loved the character of Dox -- a CIA sniper with a southern drawl. But, I've heard that this book is the necessary bridge from the two preceding books in the series to the three that follow. And, since I'm in for a penny, in for a pound, I plan to keep reading as long as John Rain keeps killing.
]]> 23341914 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:08:04 -0700
author: David Sedaris
name: Anne
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/12/08
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A collection in typical Sedaris style, focusing more on his life in Paris and his relationship with Hugh. Not as funny as some of the others, but still full of Sedaris's unique perspective on life. For those who already love him, I definitely recommend checking this one out - but for first time Sedaris readers, it is not adequate to explain his tremendous popularity.
]]> 3705531 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:41:48 -0700
author: Dave Eggers
name: Anne
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2000
rating: 2
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/06/08
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I'm probably the last person on the planet to read this book - but after Eggers's controversy with his now deceased sister over the factual content of the memoir, I feared another James Frey fiasco. But, as it has been sitting on my shelf collecting dust for 8 years, and I am a huge fan of Eggers's 826 Valencia project, as well as his compilations of the Best American NonRequired Reading, I thought I better go to the source and find out what all the hype was about. It was about as expected. Basically, this is the story of how Eggers becomes an orphan in his early 20s and is left to raise his 7 year old brother Toph in the Bay Area. Eggers, as a writer, is self-indulgent and at times quite irritating. It's obvious that all the dialogue in his book has been reconstructed in his mind as the dialogue he wished had been said, or what would have been said if everyone lived on Dawson's Creek and spoke as if they were philosophy professors. But, this is for the most part hilarious, and if you don't take the book too seriously, or care that the narrative completely degenerates about half-way through, this is a pretty interesting story about one man's family, and a nice introduction to Eggers's unique story-telling style.
]]> 20688607 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:35:20 -0700
author: Ken Follett
name: Anne
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1989
rating: 5
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/06/08
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Without question, the best book I've read all year. Ostensibly about the building of a Gothic cathedral in 12th century England, it follows the lives of monks, builders, knights, merchants, and politicians in their never-ending quest for power, money, and sometimes love. The strong and clever female characters were the highlight for me, though their treatment by brutish and inferior males was a definite frustration (for the the characters too). I'm eager to read Follett's recent sequel to this novel, World Without End.
]]> 12865617 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:48:42 -0700
author: Oliver W. Sacks
name: Anne
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1997
rating: 3
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date added: 06/27/08
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]]> 20810017 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:26:48 -0700
author: Christopher Moore
name: Anne
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1995
rating: 2
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/27/08
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I have a hard time paying attention to when books were published and in what order, but Bloodsucking Fiends appears to be the prequel to You Suck and A Dirty Job - both of which I really enjoyed. Bloodsucking Fiends takes place in San Francisco and tells the story of Jody, who has just been turned into a vampire and is trying to come to terms with who she is and what exactly all her powers are. She links up with C. Thomas Flood, a recent transplant to the Bay Area who is looking for a place to live and is ripe for falling in love with a gorgeous creature of the night. As a background to the subsequent novels, this wasn't bad, but on its own, I don't think it would have encouraged me to read much more of Moore's novels had it been the first one I'd picked up. Given my experience with this one, and his first novel Practical Magickeeping, I think I'm going to stick to Moore's more recent work.
]]> 22838787 Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:30:00 -0700
author: Natalie Danford
name: Anne
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/23/08
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Inheritance begins as the story of an Italian immigrant who has lived in the United States for years and who finally gets married and has a daughter. The story then jumps to years later when the man passes away and his daughter travels to a small town in Italy to follow-up a deed she found among her father's possessions. The woman slowly learns (or believes she is learning) truths about her father's life and the reasons he came to America in the first place. The story itself is intriguing, though the character of the daughter was annoying in her seeming inability to understand the obvious. But, the shifting back and forth between the father's past and the daughter in the present time was too much for me. I felt like I was reading two different books, and I wasn't sure I liked either one. The idea that the gossip about the father rumbling around the Italian small town aren't quite right was also a little too predictable. I think this book caught me at a bad time and I just wanted in the mood for the style. It is, however, well written and a nice story about the immigrant experience in America - and that even though they say you can never go home again, sometimes it's better that way.
]]> 25098838 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 22:03:52 -0700
author: Michael Connelly
name: Anne
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 06/21/08
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Mickey Haller, a jaded criminal defense attorney, takes on the case of a wealthy real estate agent accused of a brutal assault and attempted murder. The prosecution's case is almost too much of a slam dunk and Haller suspects a set-up. While investigating the case, he finds strange parallels to a former client, currently locked-up for life in San Quentin. With a little help from his DA ex-wife and a little shifty lawyering, Haller sets out to discover the truth about his not-so-innocent client. As one might expect, there are a few unrealistic moments of lawyering in this one, and the mystery also wrapped up a little too quickly in the end, but there were some great courtroom cross-examinations, and excellent twists. I would have liked to learn a little bit more about the background and motivations of Haller's real estate client, but those issues aside - as far as pychological legal thrillers go, this one was top-notch.
]]> 7640707 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:39:08 -0700
author: Ross King
name: Anne
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/20/08
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If Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti were alive today, their catty battles to control the Florence architectural world would usurp anything Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears could come up with. But, alas, they lived in the 15th century, and had only the Medici's money to fight over. This book tells the story of the competition to build the dome of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore - and the incredible feats of architecture discovered and employed by Brunelleschi. King's story was a little heavy on the architetural detail for my tastes (but that was kind of the point), but he sprinkled enough Italian gossip throughout to keep me interested. For a little history - and certainly for anyone who has been to Florence, or is planning a trip, I definitely recommend it.
]]> 22838802 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:55:09 -0700 ]]>
author: Mohsin Hamid
name: Anne
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/18/08
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Changez, a Pakistani man, notices an American at a cafe (in Pakistan) and under the guise (or reality?) of hoping to assist the man with his order or other enjoyment of what this strange country has to offer, sits down along-side him and begins a one-sided conversation. The cues and questions from Changez reveal that his companion is not entirely comfortable with the situation, but sits through the ordeal nonetheless. Changez relates his experiences in America - at the top of his class at Princeton and onto a prestigious financial services job. He falls desperately in love with the unattainable and almost ghostly Erica. Then September 11th hits, and Changez finds himself even more the outsider than he's always felt. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like the style of this novel - Changez as a character is very awkward - I immediately didn't trust him - a reaction that perhaps reveals the streotype Hamid is playing on with prejudices and differences. Changez's relationship with Erica is also one-sided. He bends over backwards for a woman who will never be emotionally available to him and will only continue to take from the relationship. In this way, I felt the relationship was a powerful metaphor for Changez's immigrant status in the United States. Ultimately, I found the one-sided conversation very clever, you could feel the impatience and reluctance of the American listener, and I found myself reading faster and faster to overcome the discomfort and figure out where it was all leading. The ending is disturbingly ambiguous - which I usually don't like - but felt Hamid developed masterfully. Hamid truly captures the distrust of many after 9/11 for those who look different (and aren't necessarily even Middle Eastern), while at the same time demonstrating what this treatment does to the people who are being distrusted - and the vicious circle this behavior creates. Very rarely do I find a book where I enjoy both the actual story being told, and an innovative narrative technique. Hamid gave me both - and left me with a lot of things to think about after it was all done. I've had his previous novel Moth Smoke on my shelves for years - and now have great incentive to get to it.

]]> 22838709 Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:40:36 -0700
author: Chuck Palahniuk
name: Anne
average rating: 3.09
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/15/08
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Chuck Palahniuk will be the death of me. Every time I hear he has a new book out, I rush right out to buy it - or in this case - straight to the library. He has a unique writing style - all his characters speak the same way - yet, it's very real - always with a crazy twist, and always a little inappropriate. This time, Palahniuk takes the inappropriateness to the next level. In Snuff, porn-star Cassie Wright seeks to break the on-screen record for serial fornication. Six hundred men volunteer to be her partners, each with his assigned number written in marker on his arm - and visible for the camera. The chapters of the book are told from the perspective of several of the men, as well as Sheila, the producer behind the camera. Each man has his own reason for wanting to be part of history, and as one would expect, their stories by the end come together. Given the title of the book, I suspected that Cassie would die during the filming of the movie, but of course, not without classic Palahniuk confusions, twists, and turns. While this book had all of the trademark Palahniuk story-telling conventions that I love and that make him one of the best modern story-tellers, the subject matter was a bit too much for me to take, and ultimately, this one just didn't do it for me.
]]> 9107955 Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:14:02 -0700 ]]>
author: Tana French
name: Anne
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/15/08
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Set in Ireland, the main character is Rob Ryan, a detective in Dublin's homicide unit. As a child, two of his best friends disappeared while playing in the woods. Rob, the only survivor and eyewitness to the disappearance, was found gripping a tree trunk and standing in a puddle of blood. His memory fails him and he is unable to provide any help to the investigating officers and the disappearance is never solved. Years later, another young girl is found murdered near the same woods. Ryan is assigned to the case and believes the crime is somehow connected to what happened in the woods 20 years earlier. His partner, Cassie, is an amateur psychologist and attempts to put together a profile of the current murderer, while helping Ryan to uncover the memories he lost so long ago. The mystery unfolds slowly, with enough clues for the reader to guess who the murderer is, as well as the underlying motive for the crime (with a few worthy detours along the way). The ending left me slightly unsatisfied in some areas of the story -mostly because unlike many readers, I do like happy endings where all the loose ends are tied up - but as far as murder mysteries go this one had all the right elements, and a definite worthy read.

]]> 11046632 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:34:27 -0700
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Anne
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/12/08
shelves:
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In 1984, Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery were murdered in Canada. Two servants in the household were convicted of the crime. James McDermott was hanged. Grace Marks initially received a death sentence, but it was later commuted to life in prison. Marks's conviction was surrounded by a lot of publicity and discussion over whether she was insane, possessed, horribly evil, or even wrongfully accused. Alias Grace is Atwood's attempt to piece together known information with her theories on what actually happened to Kinnear and Montgomery. The story is presented as a whodunnit, as well as a psychological study - with a doctor coming in to interview Marks to determine whether her inability to recollect the events of the murder are due to trauma, lying, or the fact that she simply was not present at the scene. The book has a definite gothic feel to it, which made it a little scary to read alone in my hotel bed, but I have generally had good luck with Atwood's novels and found this one a good mixture of mystery, feminism, and just good storytelling.
]]> 23706554 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:24:06 -0700
author: Jonathan Lethem
name: Anne
average rating: 2.64
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/09/08
shelves:
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As with most up and coming brilliant writers these days, Lethem is just one that I can't quite get into. His books are filled with real people and real angst, but I just can't seem to relate. This one focuses on a band in L.A., waiting for their big break. One of the members, Lucinda, works for something called a complaint line, a performance art installation of sorts where people can call up and just have someone listen to them complain. Her maybe-ex boyfriend works at the zoo but is depressed beyond comprehension over a kangaroo who can't quite find his place. When a very strange man calls the complaint line delivering lyric-worthy images, Lucinda turns the words into songs and her band finds itself on the brink of notoriety. The book is filled with characters who are just trying to make it in one way or another - whether in show business, or just through the day. Like the complaint line, I found the concept of this novel interesting - and I did like the character of one of Lucinda's ex-boyfriend who has the idea to throw a party where everyone comes to dance, but listening to their own headphones while a band "plays" silently on stage and waiters stand around with appetizers that no one is allowed to eat. It was all so absurd it reminded me of way too many people I know. But, as a novel, I didn't feel like the story much mattered - to me or any of the characters and so it ended up just being kind of boring. But with kangaroos.
]]> 24098059 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:30:11 -0700
author: Bernhard Schlink
name: Anne
average rating: 3.48
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 06/09/08
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]]> 24098047 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:30:01 -0700
author: Armistead Maupin
name: Anne
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 06/09/08
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]]> 24098045 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:30:00 -0700
author: Armistead Maupin
name: Anne
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 06/09/08
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]]> 24098040 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:29:56 -0700
author: Armistead Maupin
name: Anne
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 06/09/08
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]]> 21780905 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:14:02 -0700
author: Ursula K. LeGuin
name: Anne
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 06/06/08
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Even though I suppose it is a bit uncreative, I do like books that rewrite other books from the perspective of a different character - like Gregory Maguire's Wicked (The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West); Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea (featuring Rochester's wife from Jane Eyre); and of course, Stoppard's Rosencranz and Guildenstern are Dead (from Hamlet), so when I read a review of Lavinia, I was intrigued. For those who remember their classics, Lavinia is Aeneas's wife, from Virgil's The Aeniad. In the poet's version, Lavinia appears only briefly and never speaks. LeGuin writes her novel from Lavinia's perspective - growing up as the daughter of the king who faces the biggest decision of her life: who will she choose to marry and what will her choice mean for the fate of her people? Throughout the book, LeGuin retells parts of both The Illiad and The Aeneid - which I found useful as a reminder, but also distracting. Through Lavinia, I realized that the trouble with books that retell stories from a different perspective is that you pretty much already know what's going to happen. This problem is compounded in Lavinia because Lavinia speaks with the poet/oracle who lays out her future in uncanny detail - then all we need to do is sit back and watch it all unfold. It makes everything so anti-climactic. LeGuin's writing, however, is beautiful - and in some ways it was nice to pretty much know the story so I could just enjoy her lyrical prose - which I also found interesting - she chose to write this book in prose, despite the fact that The Aeniad is in verse, yet her style evoked much of the same emotion. The other aspect of this book I found intriguing was Lavinia's very forward-thinking even feminist perspective on everything. Imposing this persona on Lavinia seemed too unrealistic given the period she is from, but upon further reflection I decided that if I were going to augment some of the famous women in literary history (Eve, Penelope, Ophelia as just a few examples that spring to mind), I'd give them independence and fire too. That LeGuin is able to do this while still paying tribute to Virgil's genius is a reflection of her talent as a writer and storyteller.
]]> 12283427 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:03:00 -0700
author: Xiaolu Guo
name: Anne
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 06/06/08
shelves:
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This book is the first person musings of Z (short for Zhuang), a young Chinese woman studying English in London for a year. Guo writes her novel like a Chinese speaker trying to learn English - with all the mistakes a new student would make. This writing style reminded me of Everything is Illuminated, and I worried I would get too irritated to finish much of it. It also made me wonder how these types of books get translated into other languages. Is it possible to convey "broken English" is another language? Anyway...shortly into her stay abroad, Z meets an older man and quickly moves in with him. This new man is a bi-sexual anarchist who shuns material wealth and embraces freedom. Z, on the other hand, assumes that they are in love and must therefore want to spend all their time together and with no one else. Their relationship is filled with misunderstandings stemming from language, culture, and age. Because everything is written from Z's perspective, I often found the narrative frustrating - she is naive in many ways and I often wanted to shake her and tell her to move on from her loser boyfriend. There are a couple really funny vignettes that highlight the difference in cultures - one with the boyfriend expecting Z to pay her half of the dinner bill and Z's response being something along the lines of, "I thought we were in love. When in love man pay. Otherwise, why have man around?" As the book progresses and Z's English improves, the writing becomes much more easy to follow. Z also begins to find her own self, which gave me some hope for her future. I was thinking that this would be a great book for a book club - there are so many scenes that I found myself wanting to talk to someone about - and so many ideas about independence, family, the search for happiness, relationships, and even food (Z misses her food from home, her boyfriend is a vegetarian which she can't understand). Something about this book felt incomplete to me, but for the first time in awhile, I found myself wishing I had a highlighter so I could keep track of certain images and conversations - of course since I borrowed the book from the library, they probably wouldn't have been to happy about it. But, all that to say that this is a strange little book filled with wonderful gems.
]]> 4257065 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:28:02 -0700
author: David Foster Wallace
name: Anne
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 06/04/08
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David Foster Wallace is a genius. He knows it, but luckily, he seems to have a good sense of self-deprecating humor about it. Consider the Lobster is a collection of Wallace's essays about far-ranging topics from: whether lobsters feel pain when you submerge them in boiling water to an analysis of John Updike and why he's such a jerk to Senator McCain's bid for the 2000 presidency. I like reading books of essays because I feel like I come across topics I'd never otherwise read about - and if there are topics that I really don't want to read about, I can just skip them. It's even better when the essays are well-written - it's like reading a New Yorker without as much of the stigma. My favorite essays in the book were, "Authority and American Usage" about language and lexicons (this essay most prominently displays Wallace's literary superiority) and "How Tracy Austin Broke My Heart," about the popularity and banality of sport autobiographies. Like my experience with Jonathan Franzen, I enjoyed Wallace's essays much better than his fiction which I've found a little too cutting-edge for my sensibilities. But, I've had Infinite Jest on my shelves for years, and my appreciation for these essays might be just the push I need to dust it off.
]]> 23486301 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:52:49 -0700
author: Sandra Cisneros
name: Anne
average rating: 3.58
book published: 1991
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 06/03/08
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This is the story of Esperanza Cordero growing up in a Latino ghetto in Chicago. Esperanza writes as a way to escape her humiliation of living in a run-down shack on Mango street. Her lyrical vignettes about friends, family, and growing up, focus on her desire to be someone more, but ultimately realizing that she does not want to abandon the place that made her into the person she is. Each short chapter focuses on a different time or aspect of Esperanza's life. They do not necessarily connect to one another, other than the fact that they are all about her. The writing is more like poetry than prose, and I found myself reading and re-reading lines and entire chapters just to appreciate the way the words seem to sing off the page.
]]> 18056565 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:05:58 -0700
author: Markus Zusak
name: Anne
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 04/08
date added: 06/02/08
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This is the story of young Liesel, growing up in Nazi Germany during WWII. In traveling with her single mother to meet her new foster parents, Liesel's younger brother dies of starvation and cold, and after she is dropped off with her new family, Liesel determines that it is because of Hitler that her mother found herself on such desperate times. Liesel, unable to read, then finds herself fascinated by books and language. Her new father teachers her how to read, and Liesel finds a whole new world opened up to her. She befriends a neighborhood boy, assists her stern foster mother with a laundry business, and helps her family hide a very dangerous secret. Admist Liesel's growth is the constant presence of Death, and the need for all those around her to prove their loyalty to the Nazi Party, as well as the fear that they will be mistaken for or otherwise taken as a sympathizer of the Jews. Zusak's language is haunting, and his use of foreshadowing helps maintain the excitement and page-turning quality of this book. I am a sucker for books with young girls as protagonists, and this one did not disappoint.
]]> 3705788 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:47:01 -0700
author: Roald Dahl
name: Anne
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2002
rating: 2
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/02/08
shelves:
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Like every kid growing up, Roald Dahl was one of my favorite writers...so when I heard that he wrote macabre short stories for adults, I thought I better take a look. Dahl's writing, as expected, is quite easy to get into and his characters are very likeable (in a sinister way). But, as far as short stories go, I thought the twists and shockers were too obvious. There is one story called Champion of the World that must have provided the beginning for his novel Danny, the Champion of the World about pheasant poaching - I enjoyed reliving that story. In general though, I was not quite satisfied with this collection, though I admit that one story about a gentleman with a tattoo by a famous artist on his back is so creepy I think it will haunt me for quite awhile. These are worth checking out just to see Dahl's other side, but overall, I recommend sticking to his children's classics.
]]> 22838723 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:58:18 -0700
author: Christopher Moore
name: Anne
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1992
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/01/08
shelves:
review:
Last year, I enjoyed a couple fun vampire books by Christopher Moore (You Suck and A Dirty Job) - so when I was in the mood for some light-reading about creatures from the underworld, I decided to check out this one - Moore's first novel from about 15 years ago. The reviews on goodsreads.com were not that favorable, so, I came in with low expectations. I wasn't disappointed - there are an overabundance of characters in this novel, so it made it a little difficult to follow at times. But, the basic plot is that many years ago, Travis inadvertantly summoned the demon Catch from hell. Catch feeds on humans and is invisible except when attacking. As Travis searches for the incantation to send Catch back down below, a strange Arab arrives on the scene hunting down Catch with the help of the unsuspecting residents of the small town of Pine Cove, CA. Things get a little absurd, but Moore's characters are certainly colorful and his stories are a fun diversion from serious life.
]]> 23341999 Fri, 30 May 2008 17:26:06 -0700
author: Steve Martin
name: Anne
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 05/30/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 19726611 Fri, 30 May 2008 10:46:24 -0700
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author: Katie Crouch
name: Anne
average rating: 2.78
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/30/08
shelves:
review:
This one falls into the "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover" category - I thought the cover art and title were very promising. Even the subject matter appealed to me - the story of a debutante growing up in South Carolina and her relationships with her fellow society girls and their quest to find suitable husbands. Of course, I expected it to be light, but mostly it was just disappointing. There were glimmers of humor and good writing - but many of the issues were dead-ends. The main character, Sarah, has a brilliant and beautiful older sister who goes off to Yale, only to fall in love with a grad student from Madagascar. Issues of race and abuse are introduced, but never really followed up on. Sarah herself has a string of boyfriends with strange sexual fetishes, while her best friend succumbs to heroin (spelled "heroine" in the book - perhaps on purpose to make a point?). Sarah is an unlikeable protagonist, clueless in relationships and incredibly shallow. I expected her to have an epiphany of sorts, or to grow-up or learn a lesson. But, by the end of the book, she is still just tedious. Such a waste of a beautiful cover.


]]> 21780516 Tue, 27 May 2008 17:45:19 -0700
author: Jhumpa Lahiri
name: Anne
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/27/08
shelves:
review:
All of the stories in Unaccustomed Earth feature Bengali characters living in the United States. Some are immigrants, others are the children of immigrants - all find themselves struggling with their place between two cultures - and many find themselves attracted to people who don't speak their native language, don't understand their customs and values, and certainly don't look like them. I have a fascination with characters who see themselves as "others," so on a basic level, these stories appealed to me. One of the issues I have with the short story form is that the climax often seems to come in the last page or two - it always reminds me of my favorite J.D. Salinger story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" where the main character stumbles through the story performing mundane everyday tasks, only to come back to his hotel room at the end, put a shot gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. Lahiri, for the most part, adheres to this need to have a shocking end to all her stories and for this reason, as I came to the end of each one, I found my anxiety growing, hoping that a given character wouldn't suddenly be killed off, have their heart-broken, or otherwise be destroyed. The subject matter of the stories is pretty depressing: lost-love, alcoholism, death of a parent, infidelity...but Lahiri's writing is intoxicating, and I found myself wanting to read everything in one sitting, while at the same time trying to savor each story. The final three stories in the book concern the same two main characters. Other than the fact that the subject matter of these three stories is similar to the others in the collection, it seemed that it would have been better to spin them off into their own book. But, despite my small critcisms, I found each story in this book simply amazing. I see many more awards in Lahiri's future.
]]> 10232614 Mon, 26 May 2008 17:44:28 -0700
author: Tom Wolfe
name: Anne
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/26/08
shelves:
review:
Bonfire takes place in New York in the 80s and is a story of high-powered egos and arrogance. Wolfe's first main-character is a low-paid District Attorney who seeks respect - from the criminals he prosecutes and from his less intelligent law-school classmates earning ten times his salary. His second main-character is a Park Avenue living, Wall Street investment banker with a socialite mistress on the side. It's clear from the get-go that the wayward life paths of these two men are bound to cross, but not before the extravagant and gluttonous underbelly of the big Apple is revealed in all its diamond-dripping splendor. Wolfe's novel is a satire of the need to succeed and the constant capitalist desire for more. I knew the end of this book would spin out of control into a riot, an orgy, or another type of out of control mob event. And Wolfe did not disappoint - plot-wise, this novel is engaging and the characters, while ridiculous, are intriguing. They are two-dimensional in such a way that you don't need to question what motivates them, or whether they will be stupid enough to get themselves into such obvious trouble - yet the results are not cliched or overdone. I would think attorneys, investment bankers, and Wall Street millionaires (at least those who are able to poke fun at themselves) would love this book - if only they could take time out of their very important lives to enjoy it. Gordon Gecko would definitely approve.
]]> 11047560 Fri, 23 May 2008 11:37:25 -0700