false 2 21 18 true 7518710 read 1 true 2212140 currently-reading 2 true 2212139 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78518256 Odd Thomas (Odd Thomas, #1) by Dean Koontz
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78518234 Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories (Paperback) by Elizabeth Strout
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78518044 to: The Book Thief (Hardcover) by Markus Zusak
I read this on an airplane last summer and it ate up the time sitting on the runway, waiting for boarding, etc. An unusual book, told from the point of view of Death, but it works. It presents a view of Nazi Germany from the point of view of an ordinary, non-Nazi family. At first heartbreaking, it moves into horror without succumbing to it. (if that makes sense) Unusual and excellent. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78517891 to: The Help (Hardcover) by Kathryn Stockett
The Help is a good read. One is drawn into this specific culture, time and place (Jackson, Mississippi in 1962), yet the truths of a common humanity are universal. Enjoyable, and quite realistic, although there were a couple of times that things happened that didn't quite ring true, like a 6 year old having the presence of mind to tell her daddy that it was her racist teacher who'd taught her about civil rights rather than her black housekeeper. I liked the mother/daughter relationships, and I liked that the view presented of the situation between black maids and white housewives was complex and multi-faceted, although it did not shrink from the horrors of the time. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76285333 to: Coraline (Paperback) by Neil Gaiman
I loved this modern-day fairy tale. Coraline is an only child, often bored, left to her own devices as her parents both work. She loves to explore. She finds a door that leads nowhere sometimes, and opens onto a dark corridor at others. The corridor leads to a house that is a mirror image of her own...with some differences, including hyper-attentive parents that long to meet her every need. The story is delightfully creepy. Coraline ends up with a quest; to free her real parents and 3 children whose souls have been captured by the witch impersonating her real mother. She must show resourcefulness and bravery, as all fairy tale heroes must.
What takes the story up several levels are Coraline's perceptions. "I love you," says the witch. And Coraline thinks that it's true--the witch loves her as a miser loves money or a dragon loves gold. She's loved as a possession. (p 106)
At another point, a man in the witch's world tells her, "Stay here...we will listen to you and play with you and laugh with you...whatever you desire. The world will be built new for you every morning. If you stay here, you can have whatever you want."
Coraline sighed. "You really don't understand, do you?" she said. "I don't want wahtever I want. Nobody does. Not really. What kind of fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted? Just like that, and it didn't mean anything. What then?" (p. 119-120)
Coraline is a story that can be truly enjoyed by all ages; it's one the parents will enjoy as much as the kids. (Assuming you have a family where the adults still enjoy a good tale) ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75991015 to: Twilight (Twilight Saga #1) by Stephenie Meyer
Would I have hated this book so much if it wasn't so popular and if my 12 year old hadn't asked me to read it? Probably not. Although I wouldn't have bothered to read it otherwise. As an adult, I don't feel obliged to keep up with teen romances and all their attendant angst and lack of perspective.
This book is just plain creepy. The "relationship" between Bella and Edward is unhealthy at best. I'm assuming anyone bothering to read this has already read it, or heard enough about it, to follow, so I'm not going to lay out the "plot," which I put in quotes because nothing much really happens except that Bella gets more and more obsessed with her new boyfriend.
Poor Bella. She's so clumsy that she can't even walk across a field without falling down. She hasn't attracted much notice before her new high school, where the boys literally line up to ask her out. Yet she smells so good (ew?) that her school's teenaged-looking vampire falls in love with her. Don't worry--he's "vegetarian" in the sense that he controls himself to drink animal blood, not human. Even though Bella BEGS him to turn her into a vampire so they can be together forever (ewwww), Edward stands firm. Really firm--he's compared to marble and granite and stone lots of times. The comparison is not just because he's muscular--it's because he is cold and dead. (EWWW!) Bella has no self-preservation. It may be dangerous to be out with a vampire who is fighting the urge to kill you, but Bella just doesn't care as long as she is with her obsession. (EWW!)
This book is creepy on so many levels! If you can, avoid it at all costs. If you have to read it to talk to your daughter about it, I wish you the best of luck. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75991155 to: Flying Finish (Paperback) by Dick Francis
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75991706 to: Diplomatic Baggage: The Adventures of a Trailing Spouse (Paperback) by Brigid Keenan
This book made me laugh out loud on an airplane, causing my seat mates to eye me askance. I could relate to her various trials and adventures as the author and her family move round the world! Warning: you will enjoy this best if you have already experienced life cross-culturally or if you have no intention of ever doing so. Don't read it just before you go--it is a bit too realistic and might depress you. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75991497 to: My Cleaner (Paperback) by Maggie Gee
An unexpected pleasure. The story of an African woman who has been persuaded to come back and take in charge a depressed British young man, this book made me chuckle many times. The characters are shrewdly drawn and all too realistic. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75991263 to: The Thirteenth Tale (Hardcover) by Diane Setterfield
Although I felt somewhat tired by the incestous Edwardians and the feral twins, overall I enjoyed this book. It has a fun twist to it and it pulls you in and keeps you guessing. ]]>