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July 14
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Sam
added:
Generation Kill (Paperback)
by Evan Wright
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Sam said:
"I figure it's pretty hard to review a book about a conflict as contentious as the second Iraq war without discussing one's opinion on said war, but I'm going to try to avoid it.
I wasn't so sure about this one at first. Through title, criticism,...more
I figure it's pretty hard to review a book about a conflict as contentious as the second Iraq war without discussing one's opinion on said war, but I'm going to try to avoid it.
I wasn't so sure about this one at first. Through title, criticism, and advertisement, Generation Kill is billed as an examination of the modern day soldier's psyche and how it has been affected by current society, music, art, etc. I didn't find that to be the case at all. There are glimpses of this -- most notably one soldier comparing a gunfight to the Grand Theft Auto video game series -- but to me the theory felt cursory in the text itself and hardly like an actual thesis. I suppose an argument for it could be made if you want to -- the book is peppered with extreme language and violence, sometimes a mental and emotional detachment on the soldiers' part from their actions, but I have to imagine this sort of thing is to some degree necessary in war and has been a constant since man has been waging them (i.e. forever).
What you really have here is an accessible battle journal that shows the ups, downs, positives, and negatives of the soliders, their commanders, and the war itself. Not for the squeamish, but where the book truly succeeds is in not choosing sides, in not theorizing too much about soldiers' motivations, and in letting you make your own decisions based on their words and actions.
In his afterword, Wright himself declares that the true end-result of this generation's supposed cultural insensitivty with respect to the war lies not with the soldiers' supposed barbarity but in American society's quick progression from support to opposition to complete indifference. The soldiers aren't "Generation Kill"; we are....less
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July 06
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Sam
marked as to-read:
The Girl in the Flammable Skirt: Stories (Paperback)
by Aimee Bender
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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July 05
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Sam
added:
Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players (Paperback)
by Stefan Fatsis
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Sam said:
"No, Word Freak is not just an excuse to make fun of people who take Scrabble THAT seriously. It's a history of the game, an examination of the professional (yes, that's right) players' lifestyles, a pretty in-depth study of the game's theory and str...more
No, Word Freak is not just an excuse to make fun of people who take Scrabble THAT seriously. It's a history of the game, an examination of the professional (yes, that's right) players' lifestyles, a pretty in-depth study of the game's theory and strategy, a look at the line between determination and obsession, and a good, old-fashioned, inspiring underdog story: like the author, you'll be humming the Rocky theme as you read about his efforts in the Nationals.
A great read. My minor Scrabble interest has become major: I could see myself signing up for one of these tournaments if the the situation was right. ...less
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June 23
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Sam
marked as to-read:
The Mist (Mass Market Paperback)
by Stephen King
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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June 20
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Sam
marked as to-read:
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales (Paperback)
by Oliver W. Sacks
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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June 18
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Sam
marked as to-read:
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (Paperback)
by Erik Larson
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Sam
added:
Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, Book 5)
by Stephen King
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Sam said:
"At this point it's getting hard to review the individual Dark Tower books, this one being book five of seven. Each is so tied to the others that it's almost impossible to view them as standalones. That being said, I probably had the most "prob...more
At this point it's getting hard to review the individual Dark Tower books, this one being book five of seven. Each is so tied to the others that it's almost impossible to view them as standalones. That being said, I probably had the most "problems" with this one, although it's far from bad.
I won't go into the plot, but with this one King finally gives you a clue as to what's going on with the overall story, which is refreshing and a great way to lead into the final two volumes of the series. Yes, things get a bit meta, which is cool, although I do think King goes a bit too far by bringing in outside sources. I know that's vague, but again, I don't want to spoil anything.
It's very slow in parts, at least for King. Most of the book is people talking and telling stories, which isn't a bad thing. If you've made it this far in the series, you're probably ok with slowing things down and savoring the ride. Some of the writing is a bit weak for King, but I can get over it.
Again, though, King is a hell of a storyteller, which is all anyone is probably looking for here. You get to spend another 900 or so pages with the characters and world you love, and -- gasp -- King displays some of his best character development work in Jake. ...less
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April 28
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Sam
gave
to:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
by J.K. Rowling
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in August, 2007
Sam said:
"First: Four stars is an average rating. I would give this five if I was just comparing it to the other Potter books, but three if I was comparing it to just about every book I've read.
Second: I'm going to try and write this as vague as possibl...more
First: Four stars is an average rating. I would give this five if I was just comparing it to the other Potter books, but three if I was comparing it to just about every book I've read.
Second: I'm going to try and write this as vague as possible in terms of plot points, but I know there is at least one major plot point I'll have to specifically address, so be warned.
Third: I don't know if this will truly be considered a review or just me griping about things, but I feel, due to the promise this series once had, that a rant is more appropriate.
So the good news is that this is just as readable as all the other Potter books, probably more so because you're just so excited to know what finally happens. For that alone it gets high marks: writing a truly entertaining book is not easy to do, especially one this long. It's also full of great "kid mentality" bits -- worries, joys, hopes, thought processes etc., or at least what I remember those things being like during that time of my life.
But I can't give this book a pass. It's maybe a bit unfair that I'm using this book and review to discuss the ultimate impact of the series, but the end seems to be the most appropriate place to do that. It can easily be argued that the series is repetitive and formulaic: at any given moment it's almost always Harry, Ron, and Hermione against the world. Up until the last few books I have given this a pass as I hoped it was all leading up to something. And I get why Rowling does this, that she's doing it for her originally intended audience, the kids, that they would of course appreciate a story so driven by children. At the same time, I have to say that I think she may have underestimated her audience, both in terms of what kids could handle/appreciate and that this series went beyond a "just for kids" thing quite some time ago. But more on that later.
So as I was reading the book, this became a problem for me, and I was quite frustrated. Then two key things happened: Snape's backstory was explained, and he instantly became a wonderfully tragic character, and Harry knowlingly sacrificed himself for the greater good. When those two things happened -- and the way they were handled -- I was ready to proclaim the book and series as timeless. I still would have had problems with a few plot holes and inconsistencies, but those two moments were, in my opinion, absolutely beautiful. And, truthfully, I think their inclusion indicates that Rowling on some level understood her younger audience could handle plot/character/emotional moments that are greater than the standard children's book fare, so I just don't buy the argument that she held back to keep things kiddie-friendly.
And then Rowling rips most of that good will away by letting Harry live via little more than a loophole in the plot of the entire series, and the explanation is ultimately a bunch of gobbledygook. I believe Rowling, over the course of seven books, painted herself into a corner in terms of plot points, and there was just too much to explain and too little time to do it, and so not much of it felt "true."
Ultimately, I do not regret reading this book or the series. I think they have been some of the more purely entertaining books I have read, and I would be pleased if any of my non-existent children took to reading them. But I cannot ever consider them high literature: by allowing Harry to live -- and the way it is explained -- Rowling concludes the series as something just a bit higher than the usual children's lit. She had true greatness in the palm of her hand: a massively popular series that was pages away from leaving its readers (both young and old) with an extremely accessible yet profound rumination on life, death, and desire. Any writer would kill for this, but she let it go as she let Potter live.
...less
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April 19
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Sam
added:
Then We Came to the End (Paperback)
by Joshua Ferris
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Sam said:
"This one could have been better. There's a lot to like in a "more serious" Office Space/The Office way, and there are some pretty fantastic observations on life/the workplace. The problem is that it's obscured by a lot of repetition and o...more
This one could have been better. There's a lot to like in a "more serious" Office Space/The Office way, and there are some pretty fantastic observations on life/the workplace. The problem is that it's obscured by a lot of repetition and over-writing, and at times it almost comes off as too schamltzy and too "feel-good." Could have used a cut of 50 to 100 pages....less
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Sam
marked as to-read:
The Hamlet (Paperback)
by William Faulkner
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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