Challenge: 50 Books discussion
Finish Line 2015
>
LindaD's 2015 50-Book Challenge
date
newest »
newest »
46. Half a Life, by Darin Strauss ****By his own admission, Darin Strauss wrote this book as part of his healing process more than two decades after causing the death of one of his high school classmates in a car vs bicycle accident. Although Darin was cleared of any wrongdoing, it still became the defining moment in his life. Writing it all down for the world to read was his way of exorcizing the tremendous guilt and grief he had been holding inside for so long. His introspection and self-awareness were interesting, and I found myself pausing several times to consider whether I would have reacted in a similar fashion had it happened to me. This was one of my book club's selections, and it will undoubtedly give the group lots to discuss.
47. The Banks of Certain Rivers, by Jon Harrison ****Wow, for a first novel, Jon Harrison did a bang-up job here. I really enjoyed his tale about a high school teacher who becomes caught up in so much personal drama, that a lesser person would crumble under the weight of it all, which he nearly does. To list all his crises and problems would spoil the impact for the reader, but the tipping point is when he is accused of assaulting a student, the act of which is captured on video. In this day and age, all that he goes through felt entirely plausible to me. The characters were well developed and sympathetic (although his son might have been a little too good to be true), and the writing was great. On the back cover, the book is described as "a powerful tale of family, loss, and the meaning of love," and I agree.
48. The Whip, by Karen Kondazian ***The story itself that was told here, about a woman who spent most of her adult life disguised as a man so she could be a stagecoach driver (a "whip"), was intriguing. But the author's frequent use of the f-word really irritated me, and it ended up making me downgrade the work a full star. It wasn't needed -- readers could fully understand how tough Charley was, and also how rough and crude life was back in the 19th century, without using that word so often. I seriously doubt that that's how everyone talked back then. But aside from that criticism, the story was a good one, based on a real woman's life that the author fleshed out from very scant details provided by people who knew Charley Parkhurst when she was alive. That Charley was able to keep her secret and live her life, undetected, as a man was amazing.
49. A Murder of Crows and Other Woes, by Shoshanah Lee Marohn ***I received this children's book in a First Reads giveaway. Since I'm not claiming to be a children's book expert, I asked two of my grandkids, aged 7 and 13, to read it too, and while they deemed it cute, I don't think it is a book they'll remember. What is good about it was that it taught them the strange names assigned to groups of different animals (ex.: a clutter of spiders, scourge of mosquitoes, tower of giraffes, etc., including the title), but the rhymes were, in my opinion, awkward at times, and the illustrations kind of sloppy. Good concept, but a bit lacking in presentation. Three stars for encouragement to the author.
50. Gerrit, by Harry Roegner *****I'm in love with this book, and am forever grateful to Harry Roegner for taking it on as a project. This is the (as true as possible) story of my earliest known ancestor, Gerrit Cornelisz Van Duyn, who sailed to America from the Netherlands in 1648 with his sister Neeltje, to establish our family line here in the U.S. When I first uncovered Gerrit (the person) through genealogical research years ago, I was thrilled; but to read about him and his life in New Amsterdam in this book was was incredible. I've bought nearly a dozen copies of the book to pass along to our kids and grandkids. Well done, Mr. Roegner.
51. True History of the Kelly Gang, by Peter Carey ***Admittedly, audio books are not my preferred way to "read", but they serve a useful purpose on long car trips, which was the case here.
This story, set in Australia and lauded by many reviewers, tells the tale of folk hero Ned Kelly, a Billy the Kid type of outlaw, through a series of letters he left behind for his daughter after his execution at age 25. He was a real person, not a fictional character, although the author apparently created/imagined most of his life story for this book.
Ned's character held a certain allure -- he seemed to be a victim of his circumstances and upbringing, not a sociopath, and he came across quite innocent and charming -- but after finishing 8 of the 13 CD's during the course of my trip, I had had enough and didn't continue on with the story once I reached my destination. It was obvious that things were building from petty crimes and guilt-by association episodes to the big-time felonies that eventually caused his demise, but it was taking too long to get to that point. Maybe someday, on another car ride, I'll finish the story.
I find no fault with either the writing, which was almost lyrical at times, or the reading performance by Mr. Negroponte, also quite good, and I realize that Mr. Carey is a Booker Prize winner, but I needed to be more intrigued, I suppose. I just didn't care enough about Ned's sad story to invest more time with him.
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Watchers of Time (other topics)Hawaii For Dummies, 4th Edition (other topics)
This book was a huge help in planning our upcoming holiday trip to WDW with the family (18 of us!). Lots of tips and strategies for maximizing time and reducing the waiting in long lines for rides, and great descriptions of all the resorts and park amenities. We have been to WDW several times over the years, but the new info gleaned from this book was invaluable.