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June 08
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Huntie
gave
to:
Night (Paperback)
by Elie Wiesel
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my rating:
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recommended for: everyone in the world
read in January, 2008
Huntie said:
"I learned that we should all be thankful that Elie Wiesel lived to tell this story. This story should be required reading for everyone- especially those dingbats who think that the Holocaust didn't happen (or that God made the Holocaust happen to sav...more
I learned that we should all be thankful that Elie Wiesel lived to tell this story. This story should be required reading for everyone- especially those dingbats who think that the Holocaust didn't happen (or that God made the Holocaust happen to save the Jews- like God would be so cruel to anyone... sheesh). This book is short, but it's VERY powerful and it gives us insight that we just don't get from history classes. The parts of the story when ELie and his dad are on the train headed to camp and when they had to march miles through the snow with no winter clothes were so gripping that I had to take a moment from thebook to just think about this. It made me realize how lucky some of us are that we never have experienced something like this, and it made me think about people for whom unspeakable acts committed against them are a part of daily living and it made me rethink my place on earth and start to think about what I can do to prevent something like this from happening in my lifetime. It's something I think we should all really think about- we're all part of the human family and we should all take a part in looking out and protecting each other....less
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Huntie
gave
to:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Hardcover)
by Mark Haddon
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my rating:
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recommended for: young and old adults
read in October, 2007
Huntie said:
"I thought this book was a fun little read; it was a departure from what I usually read, but I picked it up at the suggestion of one of my aunts. This story is unique in that it's got great adventure, and you can't help but care about the narrator. I ...more
I thought this book was a fun little read; it was a departure from what I usually read, but I picked it up at the suggestion of one of my aunts. This story is unique in that it's got great adventure, and you can't help but care about the narrator. I also liked it because it did a nice job of getting into the mind of an autistic boy and what he might be thinking in the wake of such a "tragedy". It was a little sad near the end when it came to light that the boy's mother really wasn't all that thrilled about having her son show up unexpectedly and want to move in with her and her boyfriend, but I did a little cheer inside when the boy's dad came through and things worked out (because a happy ending is a beautiful thing sometimes)....less
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Huntie
gave
to:
Life of Pi (Mass Market Paperback)
by Yann Martel
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my rating:
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recommended for: people with a sense of adventure
read in April, 2005
Huntie said:
"I loved this book! I loved this book because in the beginning I could relly identify with Pi. Who hasn't found themselves at some point in their lives questioning spirituality and deciding it's just better to love all the different forms of God inste...more
I loved this book! I loved this book because in the beginning I could relly identify with Pi. Who hasn't found themselves at some point in their lives questioning spirituality and deciding it's just better to love all the different forms of God instead of limiting yourself to just one? So that part lured me in for sure. Then for added insurance, the whole story of Pi being stuck out in the ocean for days on end with no one but Richard Parker the tiger as his only seafaring buddy was outstanding. Yann Martel is a fabulous storyteller in that he kept me in that boat with Pi and Richard Parker right until the end. And Who could forget the crazy and mysterious Cannibal Island? I's be lying if I said that a tiny part of me wished there really was such a thing just because it sounded so scary yet so fascinating! Yes indeed, this book was outstanding to the point where I've given it to more people that I can remember!...less
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Huntie
gave
to:
Lucky (Paperback)
by Alice Sebold
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my rating:
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Huntie said:
"I only sort of liked this book. In general I like memoirs, but this one was just sort of empty. Maybe it's because I've watched too much SVU, but I just didn't get as much from this book as I was hoping. Then again, I also got the feeling that this b...more
I only sort of liked this book. In general I like memoirs, but this one was just sort of empty. Maybe it's because I've watched too much SVU, but I just didn't get as much from this book as I was hoping. Then again, I also got the feeling that this book wasn't really written with the intention of selling millions of copies. Instead, I think that Sebold wrote this to give herself some release from the horrible events that happened to her back when she was in college. I think she wrote it to convey her frustration, anger, and feelings of utter and total violation at being a victim of rape and in that capacity I think she did herself her own style of justice. I have no doubt that some women who've been victims of a similar crime will read this and feel empowered and less alone, and for that this book will do wonders. As just a book to pick up and read, I would advise against it because it's a little intense and it's somewhat stilted in parts. Again, this wasn't a bad book by any means. It just wasn't one that resonated with me....less
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Huntie
gave
to:
The Lovely Bones (Mass Market Paperback)
by Alice Sebold
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my rating:
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recommended for: everybody- male or female
read in May, 2006
Huntie said:
"WHen I picked up this book, I was a little apprehensive because it was so far from my "safe zone" of books I normally read. After beginning it, however, it was apparent that I had stumbled on to what would become one of the most sadly beaut...more
WHen I picked up this book, I was a little apprehensive because it was so far from my "safe zone" of books I normally read. After beginning it, however, it was apparent that I had stumbled on to what would become one of the most sadly beautiful books I've ever read. This book is told from the perspective of a young girl who is brutally raped and murdered at the hands of a neighbor as she sits up in heaven and watches her family deal with her loss, the police try to solve the crime, and the man who killed her continue to live his life as though nothing happened. I read a lot on the bus I take to my job, and there were several times that I had to put the book down and think of rainbows and puppy dogs because I was starting to cry- THAT'S how well this book was written. I was "there" with the girl's family as they grieved the loss of their family member, I was there when the father broke down, I was there when the girl came "back" and paid a visit to her crush from school. This book was spooky in it's ability to draw me in and put me right in there with everyone in the book. There were parts that were incredibly poignant and beautiful, there were parts that stirred up primal anger, there were parts that brought forth unbridled happiness. This is a book not to be missed, and I would recommend it to anyone. ...less
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Huntie
gave
to:
The Almost Moon (Hardcover)
by Alice Sebold
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my rating:
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recommended for: adult women who have agina parent "issues"
read in May, 2008
Huntie said:
"I got this book mainly because I loved "The Lovely Bones" and thought for sure this author wouldn't disappoint on her sophomore fiction effort. Sadly, I was wrong. This book wasn't horrible; it just wasn't all that great, and the ending was...more
I got this book mainly because I loved "The Lovely Bones" and thought for sure this author wouldn't disappoint on her sophomore fiction effort. Sadly, I was wrong. This book wasn't horrible; it just wasn't all that great, and the ending was sort of like Sebold got tired ow writing and just did whatever without giving thought to flow or closure. This book also read rather awkwardly; it was as if Sebold was attempting to use the same formula she used for "The Lovely Bones", but it just didn't work for the telling of this story. For those who haven't read this, this book is the story of a woman whose mother is in the last stages of severe dementia. The mother-daughter relationship is strained, at best- things started to go south when the narrator was a child and the mother witnessed a neighborhood boy get hit by a car and did nothing, causing the family to be outcast from the neighborhood fold (save for a few kindly people). There was the added issue of a father who was somewhat detached and dealing with his own demons (he had to go away and spend time in a mental health facility), leaving the narrator to deal with the mother's mental illness (paranoid schizophrenia is my best guess). The father killed himself, and the narrator found him after her mother did, but had to deal with the aftermath. It was much later during a visit to check on her mother that the narrator basically breaks and can't deal with it anymore and kills her mother. The book chronicles events leading up to this "mercy killing" and the events that occur in the days following. This had all the potential in the world to be a riveting novel, but the story wasn't that great, the characters weren't that compelling, and the ending was weak at best. I would only recommend this if you are looking for a fast read and something without a lot of substance. To the author's credit, this wasn't as bad as it could have been considering how high the bar was set with "The Lovely Bones"....less
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Huntie
gave
to:
DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences (Paperback)
by Rick Strassman
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my rating:
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recommended for: curious and open minds
read in June, 2007
Huntie said:
"I'm reading this book right now, and it's fascinating. As a psychology student (sort of), I'm particularly interested in how psychedelics work with our brains to help facilitate better therapy as well as to treat some medical problems. DMT is probabl...more
I'm reading this book right now, and it's fascinating. As a psychology student (sort of), I'm particularly interested in how psychedelics work with our brains to help facilitate better therapy as well as to treat some medical problems. DMT is probably the most interesting of these chemicals, because it's something that is found in our own bodies (and also practically everywhere if you've read any Shulgin) yet its benefits have been downplayed like crazy. What I liked best about this book were all the case studies. It's too bad that it's currently illegal to conduct psychedelic research on consenting human subjects in the US; there's a lot that could be learned from this substance. What I found most fascinating was the recurring "theme" in a lot of the recorded experiences that seemed to involve what were described as alien encounters (Rick Strassman has a new book that talks about this aspect of the DMT and other psychedelic experiences a little more in-depth). Part of this is because I love anything to do with alien/UFO encounters; part of it is because it's interesting to me that so many people (who didn't know each other at all so there was little chance of collaborating on a story) described similar experiences. I highly recommend this book if you've got an open mind; this book will blow your mind!...less
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June 01
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Huntie
gave
to:
Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure (Paperback)
by Sarah Macdonald
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended for: my girls
read in January, 2005
Huntie said:
"So this book was a very fun read. Sarah MacDonald is an Australian whose journalist husband gets relocated to India for a while. She goes with him, and quickly finds herself wondering why she thought it was a good idea. At face value, India wasn't qu...more
So this book was a very fun read. Sarah MacDonald is an Australian whose journalist husband gets relocated to India for a while. She goes with him, and quickly finds herself wondering why she thought it was a good idea. At face value, India wasn't quite what she expected it to be, but as she acclimated herself to the land and the people she came to really love it. I think my favorite moment in the book was when she went to see Amma, the hugging guru. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read the book yet, so you'll just have to trust that it's worth it. Reading this book was what first planted the idea of spending an extended amount of time in India into my brain, and I still really want to go there someday so I can experience it all. For now, however, occasionally rereading "Holy Cow" will have to do....less
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Huntie
gave
to:
A Prayer for Owen Meany (Mass Market Paperback)
by John Irving
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my rating:
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recommended for: anyone
read in January, 2003
Huntie said:
"This book was one I read because I needed something to do on my day off. It started off kind of slow, but then I got sucked in and wound up finishing it the same day I started it. This book tells the story of the friendship between the Owen Meany and...more
This book was one I read because I needed something to do on my day off. It started off kind of slow, but then I got sucked in and wound up finishing it the same day I started it. This book tells the story of the friendship between the Owen Meany and the narrator of the story (whose name I can't remember right now), beginning with how they first encountered each other as young boys all the way up until adulthood. The story itself is just great- it really does a nice job of being inspiring without being trite. I would recommend this book to everyone I know, it's that good....less
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April 30
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Huntie
gave
to:
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia (Paperback)
by Elizabeth Gilbert
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my rating:
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recommended for: mom, auntis, girlfriends
read in February, 2007
Huntie said:
"I got this book after seeing it on several different occasions and reading a review for it in one of the many magazines I read. It was hard to get into the book at first, but once I did I had a hard time putting it down. The book is Elizabeth Gilbert...more
I got this book after seeing it on several different occasions and reading a review for it in one of the many magazines I read. It was hard to get into the book at first, but once I did I had a hard time putting it down. The book is Elizabeth Gilbert's soul searching journey after a couple of failed relationships- she starts in Italy where she goes to immerse herself in the language and quickly immerses herself in the food too. Personally I thought she spent a little too much time in Italy because I'm more interested in India and Bali, but I get why the Italy part of her journey was so important (it taught her to enjoy life and what it had to give)so I won't be too harsh about that leg of the trip. The India part of the journey (the "Pray" part) was the most interesting to me because I too have found myself trying to foster a deeper connection to the Divine and I completely identified with what Ms. Gilbert was going through in her battles with her ego during meditation and such. Also, I have been thinking that I would like to take a chunk of time off from everything and go live in an ashram for a while or go on an extended meditation retreat and this part of the book totally let me live vicariously through the author. Finally, the Bali leg of the journey was cool because (spoiler alert)everything really came full circle- I like things to come full circle whenever possible, and by this point in the book I was really rooting for Ms. Gilbert to continue on this great path- I really wanted things to work out for the best for her and was happy when things started to come around.
I give this book an A+ for sure....less
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