Denise’s Comments (group member since Jan 23, 2009)

Denise’s comments from the The Reading Rainbow Coalition group.

SPOILERS

Really, really enjoyed this book! The characters were totally believable, even the narrator. Especially the narrator! I loved the narrative voice in the story. There were times when the characters were really frustrating but at the same time it was so believable that there were no incredible acts of heroics. Beli not fighting The Gangster even after what his wife's thugs did to her, Beli being such a difficult woman, Oscar who was so helpless up until the end. They were all so flawed and it was a little frustrating to watch them attempt to self-destruct but at the same time it was very real.

The historical footnotes were a little distracting but it was so great to read about so many things that I never knew about. I knew a little about the history of the DR before this book but not a lot, and it was really fascinating to read about it from the point of view of someone who had an opinion instead of just a history book.

I'm about a hundred pages into this book and I am just loving it. Maybe it's because I was a Spanish major and kind of a geek, and that I can relate to that awful alienation in high school (but really, who can't?) but this book is just really speaking to me. I also love that I can't really predict how it will turn out. I usually don't care for books that don't have a structured story line but the rambling narrative of this one, with historic footnotes... ah, bliss.

The teaser for the HBO series aired last week during the True Blood premier. Thought you guys would be interested... not that it really shows anything...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mophf...

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fuk -- a curse that has haunted Oscar's family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the USA.

I'll be honest and say that I don't know anything about this book, but everyone seems to speak pretty highly of it.

Uh oh... Sorry about that boys and girls. My email has apparently been shoving my Goodreads notifications in my junk folder. :( I'll have a poll up today.

Ok let's just skip over the part where I apologize about being a terrible human being by neglecting this book club... and go straight to the fun part, ok? I already feel guilty about it but if you feel the need, just go ahead and post about your disappointment... as long as you also suggest a book! Let's get some fun, light summer reading going on. What do you want to read while soaking some sun on the beach?

I'm just barely getting started and maybe it's just the setting but it reminds me of Interview with the Vampire and maybe a little Heart of Darkness due to the river aspect. I should have expected it from Martin but I do find Abner to be a really interesting character. As typical with vampire novels, I thought our main guy would be one of those devilishly handsome rogue types that gets a lot of sexytime fun with the ladies but I really appreciate the departure from that. Hoping that Martin will have a good spin on the vampire story. If I have to read more existential immortal ramblings in they style of Louis, I might just hurt someone.

Fevre Dream
Here is the spellbinding tale of a vampire’s quest to unite his race with humanity, of a garrulous riverman’s dream of immortality, and of the undying legends of the steamboat era and a majestic, ancient river.

A fantasy favorite, George RR Martin finally makes an appearance in the Bookclub! I haven't read a lot of his non-Westeros books so I'm curious to see what this book will be like.

Ok so I finished this today at lunch and... meh... I don't know what to feel about this book. I don't think it's King's best work (to be fair, it's said that he started this when he was 19) but I don't think it's terrible either. It's not especially compelling and yet I didn't hate trying to finish it; it wasn't a struggle to get to the last page.

It has a very dreamlike quality and I'm a little ambivalent because of it. It smacks a little too much of allegory and symbolism and not enough of actual substance. Really it reminded me of my college creative writing class, which is perhaps fitting since King was in college, taking writing classes, around the time he started this book. Lots of subtext and wordplay and existential drama. Even the supposed cosmic significance brings to mind the spritual arguments I used to have with college friends at coffeehouse.

Overall I think I'm middle-of-the-road on this book. If I ever find the second book in a used bookstore I just might pick it up, but I won't be scrambling to finish this series.

OMG Denise is actually on the ball this month WTF is going on?!

Ok then! Let's get some good suggestions going for next month's book! You can request a particular book or a genre and we'll go from there.

Go go go!

@Max - Worse? How so, in writing or in plot?

@Christine - I think that is the plague of a lot of fantasy/sci fi novels. That was my issue with one of our BoTM, Darwin's something. The first few pages were hard to get through so I hav yet to read it. I think the difference with King is that this book isn't super dense so it's still somewhat easy to follow along.

I'm about a third of the way through this book so far (so I tried not to read Self-propelled review in case of spoilers) and it's been... interesting. I usually don't have a lot of patience for books that don't make sense right away but King's writing never fails to suck me in. Will return with a complete review.

Hey guys, since Feb was so short (and I was so late in posting the poll, my bad), should we extend this into March? We can include discussions of the other books in the series, if anyone has read them all...

Oh Max, I almost feel bad for you, for the disappointment you are about to face when you realize that we have been waiting years for the next book.

The Gunslinger

The Gunslinger introduces protagonist Roland as he pursues the Man in Black through bleak and tired landscapes in a world that has "moved on." Roland believes that the Man in Black knows and can be made to reveal the secrets of the Dark Tower, which is the ultimate goal of Roland's quest. The Waste Lands sees Roland and his fellow travelers continuing the quest for the Dark Tower. They journey through imaginative landscapes, over astounding obstacles, and meet with and confront a unique and fully drawn cast of characters, both human and nonhuman.

If you've already read this book, please participate in the discussion! I know there are a few King fans around here... ;)

Excellent suggestions! We can also have theme month next month. :) I don't read nearly enough non-fiction myself so it would be good to see what everyone recommends.

Hey guys and gals! It has been a crazy few weeks so sorry that I have (again!) been so MIA. Anyhoos, I was thinking we can maybe have a theme month this time around? Stephen King book poll or fantasy series book poll (eg Dragonlance vs Narnia books vs Harry Potter). We would only get through one book this month but I think it would generate some good discussions. Suggest away!

The books are great and remain my favorites but the last book that came out was a little disappointing considering the wait. Hopefully the next installment will be good but honestly it's annoying that it's taking so damn long. I know the creative process takes a long time but COME ON. I'm not sure why his publishers are putting up with it.

@Max Makes sense, if you are not already a Whedon fan it seems less likely that you would enjoy this.

@Kim As with most Whedon enterprises, there's always a whiff of even more potential that leaves you wanting more! That more than anything else seems to have become his trademark. :)

@Adam Joel mentioned that. If I ever finish watching the actual show, I might actually get to read the comics someday too :)