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October 08
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Nicole
gave
 
to:
The Hours (Paperback)
by Michael Cunningham
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my rating:
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read in October, 2008
Nicole said:
"I'll freely admit that I've never read any of Virginia Woolfe's work, so I'm going into this book without any background. That said, the stories of a day in the life of three women in three different times, triggers my fascination with the minutia th...more
I'll freely admit that I've never read any of Virginia Woolfe's work, so I'm going into this book without any background. That said, the stories of a day in the life of three women in three different times, triggers my fascination with the minutia that we encounter as we live our lives. The language is lyrical and beautiful, and has made me pause to savour several sentences, both for their construction and for the sentiments they express. The only jarring note was when the narration jumps to a fourth person, and then a fifth, after half the book is gone. I enjoyed this book, but it's not a happy one....less
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September 27
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Nicole
gave
to:
Interpreter of Maladies (Hardcover)
by Jhumpa Lahiri
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in September, 2008
Nicole said:
"A collection of short stories by the author of The Namesake, most of which are set in Boston. They're mostly concerned with the lives and experiences of Bengali immigrants, sometimes from inside the families and sometimes from outside. The aut...more
A collection of short stories by the author of The Namesake, most of which are set in Boston. They're mostly concerned with the lives and experiences of Bengali immigrants, sometimes from inside the families and sometimes from outside. The author has a lyrical way of expressing herself, some of the descriptions made me pause and reread them to savour them more fully. The characters are vividly portrayed, and inspired emotional reactions ranging from happiness to sympathy to cringing embarrassment. They read very much like slice of life autobiographical sketches, I'd be interested in hearing the perspective of someone not familiar with Boston, though, as it's very localised....less
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Nicole
gave
to:
Nightlife: Cal Leandros, Book 1 (Paperback)
by Rob Thurman
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in September, 2008
Nicole said:
"A slightly different slant on monsters living among us, a young boy and his brother are trying to figure out what the Grendels want with him, sticking together and keeping each other alive. They run into some classic dark fae creatures, and the sense...more
A slightly different slant on monsters living among us, a young boy and his brother are trying to figure out what the Grendels want with him, sticking together and keeping each other alive. They run into some classic dark fae creatures, and the sense of menace is palpable. I'm going to pick up the next book to see how the story continues.
...less
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Nicole
gave
to:
At Swim, Two Boys: A Novel (Paperback)
by Jamie O'Neill
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in September, 2008
Nicole said:
"This one took me two renewals at the library to get through it. It's dense, almost 600 pages of prose detailing life in early 20th century Ireland, around Dublin. The parts dealing with the titular boys, Jim and Doyler, are my favourites (at one poin...more
This one took me two renewals at the library to get through it. It's dense, almost 600 pages of prose detailing life in early 20th century Ireland, around Dublin. The parts dealing with the titular boys, Jim and Doyler, are my favourites (at one point I was muttering under my breath that they should just get to the swimming already), followed by MacMurrough's internal monologue. If the story had stuck with the three of them, focusing on the tensions that arise as the sheltered Jim realises that his feelings for Doyler go beyond friendship, Doyler is sucked into the Citizen Army, and MacMurrough tries to get beyond his conviction in England for indecent acts and his fascination with the boys, I'd have raced through the pages. But the sections from the POV of Jim's dad and MacMurrough's aunt feel like interruptions, esp. since Jim's dad is inadvertently getting into scrapes due to being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's an interesting glimpse into Irish pride and the forces at work at the time, though, and the affection between the two boys is heartwarming. MacMurrough's a complex character as well, he was a bit annoying at first, but I grew to like him....less
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August 21
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Nicole
gave
to:
Monster Island (Zombies, Book 1)
by David Wellington
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended for: horror fans
read in August, 2008
Nicole said:
"Deklab is coming back to a Manhatten overrun by the walking dead, escorted by armed Somali school girls, to retrieve medical supplies, so he can see his daughter again. There are some interesting takes on the zombie mythos here, things that I'd never...more
Deklab is coming back to a Manhatten overrun by the walking dead, escorted by armed Somali school girls, to retrieve medical supplies, so he can see his daughter again. There are some interesting takes on the zombie mythos here, things that I'd never considered before, as well as some horrifying scenes that illustrate just how far the human race has fallen. It's a bit rough in spots, it was serialised online before being published, but I found it a worthwhile read....less
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August 06
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Nicole
gave
to:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Hardcover)
by Sherman Alexie
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my rating:
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read in August, 2008
Nicole said:
"I read this young adult novel in one sitting. It doesn't strongly adhere to the diary format, unlike Totally Joe, but it does follow Junior through his first year of high school. He decides to transfer off the reservation to an all white schoo...more
I read this young adult novel in one sitting. It doesn't strongly adhere to the diary format, unlike Totally Joe, but it does follow Junior through his first year of high school. He decides to transfer off the reservation to an all white school in order to try and launch himself into life. He loses his best friend, and his family experiences tragic losses, and he has to navigate the waters of racism and ostracism at his new school. For all that, it's a fairly light hearted book, Junior is basically up beat, and since he's a comic artist, there are lots of funny sketches illustrating key points in the story. It paints a bleak picture of life on the rez, but holds out hope for better....less
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July 31
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Nicole
gave
to:
The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist: 1 (Paperback)
by Michael Chabon
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my rating:
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read in July, 2008
Nicole said:
"The comic character from "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" comes to life. Chabon does the introduction, where he says that the following material was dug up from archives and personal collections, and draws you into the adventur...more
The comic character from "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" comes to life. Chabon does the introduction, where he says that the following material was dug up from archives and personal collections, and draws you into the adventures of the Escapist and Luna Moth in full colour. Different artists did each section, so the style varies a lot, and they captured the comics style of various times (or at least it seems that way to me from my limited exposure via Essential Iron Man). A fun extension of the novel....less
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July 27
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Nicole
gave
to:
Snow: A Retelling of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (Once Upon a Time)
by Tracy Lynn
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2008
Nicole said:
"After reading Roses, I was in the mood for another fairy tale retelling, and grabbed this from my book shelf. Jessica is the typical white as snow, red as blood, black as night daughter of a Welsh duke, who's mother died at her birth. The evil stepmo...more
After reading Roses, I was in the mood for another fairy tale retelling, and grabbed this from my book shelf. Jessica is the typical white as snow, red as blood, black as night daughter of a Welsh duke, who's mother died at her birth. The evil stepmother is more of a mad scientist, with a touch of magic thrown into her inventions. The one contrived note is when Jess is punished when a duke assaults her in the stables (because of course she was running wild before her coming out) by being forced into the role of a servant, where she becomes so pale she's nicknamed Snow. The implication is that the stepmother has mesmerised everyone into believing that it's a fitting punishment, but the focus of the story is so narrow that it's not fully justified. We see Snow from the POV of her stepmother's fiddler boy, Alan, as he tries to help her. She eventually escapes to the city and takes up with fantastical human/animal hybrids, continuing her servant's duties. There's definitely a steampunk element in the descriptions of gas lit London, and all the characters are well fleshed out (the step mother is the weakest, but she exists as a symbol of madness and horror). ...less
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Nicole
gave
to:
Roses (School & Library Binding)
by Barbara Cohen
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2008
Nicole said:
"I found a reference to this book through the LJ community whatwasthatbook that pointed to a web site listing a plethora of Beauty and the Beast stories, Sur la Lune Fairy tales. On th...more
I found a reference to this book through the LJ community whatwasthatbook that pointed to a web site listing a plethora of Beauty and the Beast stories, Sur la Lune Fairy tales. On the surface, it's right up my alley. A teenager's father is forced to send her to work for a disfigured man who runs a high end florist's shop, and he becomes smitten with her. But in reality, the young girl, Izzie, doesn't come off as believable (she uses big words and everyone keeps saying how smart and pretty she is, but we don't get to really see that), and the beast, Leo, comes off as a creepy old man obsessed with a young woman. Everything seemed contrived, shoe horned into the framework of the classic fairy tale. Where it departs from the fairy tale is where it's strongest. You can really tell that it was written in the 80's, though, down to the feathered hair on the cover illustration. :)...less
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